Dayu 'er (played by Ning Jing), from the Horqin Banner of Mongolia, was hailed as the "most beautiful woman of the Manchu and Mongolian people" since [Expand All]
Dayu 'er (played by Ning Jing), from the Horqin Banner of Mongolia, was hailed as the "most beautiful woman of Manchu and Mongolia" since childhood. She and Dorgon (played by Ma Jingtao), the younger brother of Hong Taiji (played by Liu Dekai) and the Prince of Rui, grew up together and were betrothed for life. However, she was taken as a concubine by Hong Taiji and made the Zhuangfei of Yongfu Palace. She became Dorgon's uncle and sister-in-law, but their affection remained unfulfilled. Hong Taiji suddenly passed away, and the struggle for the throne was in full swing. Dorgon, who held military power, became the greatest enemy of Hong Taiji's eldest son, Hooge. However, unexpectedly, he supported Fulin (played by Yan Kun), the son of Dayu 'er, to ascend the throne. Dayu 'er thus became Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. For the sake of her son's throne and the foundation of the Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang always maintained a relationship with Dorgon that was both close and distant. And for the sake of the empress dowager's reputation, the passionate love between the two that had lasted for many years was left with only the regret of being too much affection but too little propriety. Dorgon died young, and Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang could only bury her pain deep in her heart and use every means to assist Emperor Shunzhi in his reign. However, when Shunzhi's beloved concubine, Dong 'e (played by Shu Chang), passed away, she developed the idea of taking the throne. Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang had no choice but to make Shunzhi's son, Xuan Ye, the emperor and give him the era name Kangxi, thus initiating a prosperous Qing Dynasty.[Collapse]
