The Secret History of Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang

This film (drama)Also known as孝庄秘史，is aMainland ChinaProducerbeauty live，At2002Released in year 。The dialogue language isMandarin Chinese，Current Douban rating8.6(For reference only)。

The beautiful Dayu'er (played by Ning Jing), hailed as "the first beauty of the Manchu and Mongolian tribes," comes from the Khorchin Banner of Mongolia. She grew up alongside the younger brother of Emperor Huang Taiji, Prince Duo Ergun (played by Ma Jingtao), with a childhood promise of lifelong companionship. However, she is taken as a secondary consort by Huang Taiji and is named the Consort Zhuang of the Yongfu Palace, establishing a complicated uncle-niece relationship with Duo Ergun. Nonetheless, feelings linger between them. After Huang Taiji's sudden death, a fierce struggle for the throne ensues. With military power in his hands, Duo Ergun becomes the greatest rival of Huang Taiji's eldest son, Hooge, yet unexpectedly supports Dayu'er's son, Fulin (played by Yan Kun), in ascending to the throne, leading Dayu'er to become Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. To secure her son's throne and the foundation of the Qing Dynasty, Xiaozhuang maintains a delicate and ambiguous relationship with Duo Ergun. In the interest of the Empress Dowager’s reputation, the passionate relationship between the two remains unfulfilled. After Duo Ergun's untimely death, Xiaozhuang is left to bury her pain deep inside while doing everything possible to assist Emperor Shunzhi’s reign. Following the death of his beloved consort, Dong Eshi (played by Shu Chang), Emperor Shunzhi contemplates retiring from the world. Reluctantly, Xiaozhuang establishes Shunzhi's son, Xuanye, as the emperor, who takes the era name Kangxi, ushering in a flourishing era for the Qing Dynasty.