The Virtuous Queen Of Han

From one Chinese period drama to another, it seems like China produces never-ending dramas of Chinese empresses and concubines. The Qing Dynasty was a popular era in which to stage such dramas and now we go back to the Han Dynasty with The Virtuous Queen Of Han. It’s about lowly dancer, Wei Zi Fu who caught the eye of the dashing and young Han Emperor, Liu Che.

Wei Zi Fu is a humble concubine with no ranking but she never desired for titles nor riches, just for her family and friends to be happy. She has a noble character but you know what happens to those with good intentions, right? They aren’t safe from the envious people who fear that one day, she will take their place.

So Wei Zi Fu enters the palace and the Empress and her witchy looking mother who is actually the Empress Dowager’s daughter start plotting and scheming against her. Not that the Empress Dowager who is blind by the way, is completely ignorant of their actions but because she places harmony in the harem above all else, she doesn’t punish them too severely for what they do to Wei Zi Fu but she does censure them in a not too subtle manner. The Empress Dowager is seriously formidable and scary but wouldn’t it be nice to have a grandmother that powerful?

Of course no drama like this would be complete without a bit of a love triangle thrown in and Wei Zi Fu has the love and affection of the Emperor as well as his personal bodyguard, Duan Hong who was her childhood friend. Poor guy has been in love with her ever since they were kids and now that she is a concubine of the Emperor, can only gaze at her longingly from afar, protect her as best he can and wish her the best. Awww! So sweet!

Then there’s the Emperor’s sister, Princess Pingyang who is beautiful, smart and has a heart of gold despite her tough exterior. How else can one describe this woman who is willing to accept her husband’s illegitimate child and bring him up as her own?

I am still at the beginning stages of this drama and have more than 20 episodes to go. It’s my daily staple and I’m so looking forward to watching how Wei Zi Fu defies the odds and goes on to become the 2nd longest reining Empress in Chinese history. Can’t wait for the Empress and her horrible mother to get their comeuppance as they are forever planning Wei Zi Fu’s downfall instead of counting their blessings.