Secret History of Princess Taiping


Secret History of Princess Taiping, also known as Taiping Gongzhu Mishi, is a 2012 Chinese historical television series. The protagonist is the firstborn daughter of Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history. However, in this television series, the princess survived, and when she grows up she impersonates her younger sister Princess Taiping to take revenge on her mother and attempts to seize the throne for herself. Directed by Lee Hon-to and Zhou Min, the series starred three actresses — Alyssa Chia, Zheng Shuang and Lin Miaoke — as Princess Taiping, each playing the princess at a different stage of her life. It was first broadcast in mainland China on Hunan Satellite TV on 27 March 2012.

Plot

In 654, during the Tang dynasty, Wu Zetian murdered her firstborn daughter and pushed the blame to Empress Wang. The princess's wet nurse, Zhaoniang, discovers that the baby princess is still alive and smuggles her out of the palace. Zhaoniang and the young princess escape from the capital and venture further north into the desert regions. Several years later, the princess has grown up and she develops a romantic relationship with Axiena Simu, a young Tujue prince.
At one point, Zhaoniang dies trying to protect the princess. The princess learns the truth about her origins. She decides to seek vengeance on her mother Wu Zetian, who has seized the Tang throne and currently rules as a female emperor. The princess collaborates with Axiena Simu to kidnap Princess Taiping, Wu Zetian's younger daughter. As the two princesses resemble each other in appearance, the older one impersonates her younger sister and returns to the palace, where she plots her revenge and schemes to take over her mother's place as the ruler of China.

Cast