Title: Palace Locks the City

Producer: Yu Zheng

Directors: Li Huizhu, Deng Weien, Wen Weiji

Starring: Lu Yi, Yuan Shanshan, Gao Yunxiang, Dai Jiaoqian, Yang Rong

First broadcast date: April 8, 2014

Broadcast platform: Hunan TV’s Golden Eagle Exclusive Theater, iQIYI

Plot Summary:

In the first year of the Qianlong reign, the orphaned young lady Liancheng, in a desperate bid to save her mother, resorts to swindling the jianghu and is captured by the constable Hengtai. Through their clashes, the two come to know one another, and Liancheng secretly falls for Hengtai. At the height of a raging epidemic, a courtesan named Jiang Qimei dances to raise funds, winning Hengtai’s heart. Insisting on taking Qimei as his wife, Hengtai drives Liancheng away in sorrow. On the streets, she fortuitously encounters Hongli, who is traveling incognito, and the two strike up a companionship. Meanwhile, Lady Shen of the Ula‑Nara clan discovers that Liancheng is none other than a princess exiled from the palace; she immediately orders her to be brought back. In a moment of crisis, Qimei abandons Hengtai, leaving him disheartened, while Liancheng, with unwavering sincerity, eventually wins his true affection. To restore her family’s prestige, Lady Shen arranges for Liancheng to enter the imperial harem. Determined to protect the woman he loves, Hengtai devises a plan to gain employment at the palace. By a twist of fate, Hongli falls for Liancheng, while Xingdai, consumed by love, takes a liking to Hengtai. Upon learning that Hengtai cherishes Liancheng, Xingdai, driven by jealousy and hatred, plots to murder her. Years later, now Empress Xingdai, she finds herself in grave danger—only to be rescued by a mysterious sage. Lost and bewildered, she witnesses Hengtai and Liancheng sailing away together.