Director: Zhang Guoli / Ding Yangguo

Starring: Lin Yongjian  / Zhang Guoli  /  Deng Jie  /  Zheng Jiayu  /  Zhang Mo

First aired: 2006

Plot Summary:

    Prince Wang Gongshiduo harbored a deep-seated hatred for Lord Yi: his son, while galloping through the bustling marketplace, dragged a pedestrian to death; and when Yi stepped forward to intervene, his son ended up dying in prison.

　　Just as the imperial harem was holding its annual selection of concubines, with Empress Dowager Cixi’s intervention, the Guangxu Emperor took his niece as empress. With the grand wedding drawing near, a sudden blaze broke out in the inner palace, reducing the Hall of Supreme Harmony to ashes. Shi Duo pinned all the blame on Prince Yikuai, even accusing him of stealing the Four Treasures of the Study from the palace; fortunately, the emperor vouched for him. On the eve of the nuptials, Yikuai summoned artisans to construct a paper replica of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, managing to pass muster. But the Four Treasures of the Study proved impossible to account for, so the prince had no choice but to offer his residence as collateral.
　　Taking advantage of the situation, Master Yiyi moved to a small courtyard in the South City, bringing him closer to his beloved performer, Zhu Lianxiu. In the South City, he first fell into bitter rivalry with the thug Hua Hudie, then taught Wang Wu how to wield the broadsword. Through his aunt Shumei, Yiyi came to know Wen Haicheng, a man of reformist ideals, whom he recommended to Emperor Guangxu. The emperor was deeply impressed and entrusted him with important duties. At Shumei’s playful urging, Yiyi even staged the farcical “failed elopement” with Zhu Lianxiu. Out of concern for appearances, Yiyi ventured alone to Tongzhou, only to walk into a trap set by Shiduo: falsely accused of robbing a caravan, he was dragged to the execution ground to be beheaded…
　　In the end, Grandpa Yu was released without charge, and Hai Cheng consequently lost his official post. Eager to serve his country, Grandpa Yu witnessed Empress Dowager Cixi wielding power above Emperor Guangxu and vowed to help the emperor assume direct rule. At Guangxu’s behest, Grandpa Yu delivered calligraphy and paintings to Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao in the south; despite Shi Duo’s sabotage, he ultimately fulfilled his mission. Eventually, Grandpa Yu uncovered that Zhu Lianxiu’s father had been killed because he knew Cixi was not of Manchu descent. Using this knowledge, Grandpa Yu pressured Cixi to support Guangxu’s assumption of full imperial authority, and Cixi reluctantly agreed. The Reformist Revolutionaries entered the capital and launched the Hundred Days’ Reform; but in the end, Cixi staged a coup, and the reform movement collapsed. Meanwhile, Hai Cheng, in saving Grandpa Yu, shed his blood upon the earth…