Introduction to "Old Prime Minister's Ci"
Chu Qingyan, the eldest princess of Dajing, returned to the capital from the south of the Yangtze River, and thousands of people knelt down to welcome her outside the Zhengyang Gate. In the eyes of the world, she is a golden girl with a gentle temperament and abiding by filial piety. Only a few people know that under her gentle skin, she hides unknown talents and skills.
The biological mother was imprisoned in the cold palace. As a woman, while obeying the emperor's checks and balances, she also used the secrets of Tianji Pavilion, Immortal Medicine Valley and Mengying Tower to quietly lay out the chess game.
The court hall is turbulent, but the young Prime Minister Xiao Jingshuo is a man of great character and bears the honor and disgrace of his family. When they meet for the first time, they see through the deep palace under the princess's mask. The two confront each other due to their political opinions, test each other in the whirlpool of power and intrigue, and their love quietly grows in the gaps of suspicion.
After a fall, the Xiao family was overturned. On a snowy night, the once-famous prime minister put aside his pride and visited the princess's mansion to seek a chance for survival.
Within the palace walls, the noble concubine is seeking a heir, and the three princes are ambitious and pressing every step of the way; there are confidants who are devoted to guarding her silently, there are clan members who have their own choices, and the great eunuch in the palace has a cold eye on the emperor's family affairs. Overt and hidden arrows followed one after another, and assassinations and traps came one after another.
A sudden change occurred, and the news of the death of the eldest princess shocked both the government and the public. The crisis seemed to have been resolved, but the undercurrent in the capital did not stop. The prince's desires continued to expand, and the fire of rebellion was quietly ignited.
The imperial city is about to be on fire, and everyone is involved in this game where the fate of their family and country is at stake. Who is the chess piece and who is the chess player? No one can see through the truth until the dust settles.
Intent: This is a story about shackles and breaking free, masks and true hearts. Power has never been a bargaining chip exclusive to men. Women in the deep palace are bound by family ties, blood ties and imperial power from birth. Chu Qingyan seems to have the honor of the eldest princess, but in fact she has lived under the checks and balances of the emperor since she was a child. Her biological mother has become a hostage to threaten her, and being meek and virtuous is the cloak imposed on her by the world. She does not pursue the love between children in the secular definition, nor does she long for vain glory. What she seeks is to break this set of unfair rules set by her parents and regain the control over the destiny of herself and her loved ones.
The story does not portray pure good and evil, human nature is complex and multifaceted. As the prime minister of an aristocratic family, Xiao Jingshuo adheres to the integrity of his family and country, but he is also deeply involved in the court. He struggles between love and truth. He loves her, but he also has to face the cold cruelty of her methods. Su Yanzhou, the second male lead, represents another choice. He loves but does not possess, is affectionate but sober, knows what he is doing, does not criticize or coerce, only sticks to his true heart, and witnesses the overturn of the times. The clans, eunuchs, and ministers each have their own positions. Some pursue power, some avoid disasters to protect themselves, and some follow the tide, and together they create a real temple image.
Love is not salvation, it is just an epitome in the machinations of troubled times. The relationship between the male and female protagonists begins with a game of temptation, trapped in lies and calculations. They fall in love, but they also have to face the calculations and sacrifices on each other's hands. True relief is never to rely on the mercy and charity of others, but to personally overturn the chess game that traps oneself. When family affection becomes a threat, when benevolence and righteousness become a disguise, what is loyalty and what is disobedience is no longer a black and white conclusion. It asks: When the system itself is full of oppression, how can people in prison fight for justice and freedom?