History Series / TheEmpressOfChina

* OedipusComplex: A lot of Li Zhi's relationship with Meiniang is driven by wanting her to rely on and love him as she did his father. It actually concerns Zhangsun Wuji, his uncle and a leading official of the court, since the relationship is technically considered incestuous under Confucian morality. [[note]]Historians have speculated that Li Zhi may have saw Meiniang as a mother figure due to her forceful personality, as well as him lacking one since his mother Empress Zhangsun passed away when he was about 8 years old.[[/note]]

* IllGirl: Consort Yang was fed with the poison of green silkworms for 7 months. Now she has to take regular medication.

''The Empress of China'' is a 2015 Chinese series starring Fan Bingbing as Lady Wu and Zhang Fengyi (Cao Cao in ''Film/RedCliff'') as Tang Taizong. The series was reputably the most expensive Chinese drama series ever made, and notable for its endless CostumePorn. Set in the 7th and early 8th centuries during the Tang Dynasty, it tells the story of UsefulNotes/WuZetian [[note]]However, since "Zetian" comes from her posthumous titles, in-series, she's mostly addressed by her titles at the time, Ruyi (her fictional birth name) or Meiniang (fictionally bestowed upon her by Taizong).[[/note]], China's only female Emperor, from her days as a teenage concubine in the court of Emperor Taizong, to becoming the undisputed ruler of all China.

* DeadlyDecadentCourt: Between the princes scrambling for the position of Crown Prince, the officials being split between those of aristocratic and lowly birth, and the consorts and women of the harem trying to win the Emperor's favor and the title of Empress, the court is consistently portrayed as a very dangerous place for all involved; not even the Emperor is safe from the intrigues. [[note]]Ironically, the time period whereby the Tang harem actively interfered with state politics began with Wu, and only ended during her grandson Xuanzong's reign. As one can imagine, the women of the harem became "inspired" by Wu's achievements. However, Xuanzong was determined not to allow women to interfere in state politics.[[/note]]

* SuccessionCrisis: One of the driving conflicts in the series under both Emperors surrounds the struggle for the title of Crown Prince. [[note]]Historically, while crown princes in imperial China always have had to watch their backs, the Sui-Tang era was notoriously lethal towards crown princes. The first crown prince of Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Yong, lost his position due to his brother's scheming. Said brother, the later Emperor Yang, then killed Yong and other brothers during his consolidation of power. Emperor Yang's crown prince Yang Zhao died in his early 20s, which was probably a good thing, as his father ran the empire into the ground. Once the Tang was established, the fratricide continued with the Xuanwu Gate Incident. Then, came Meiniang's machinations, resulting in the deaths of two sons. Zhongzong's son became emperor for 17 days, after the death of his father under suspicious circumstances. His uncle Ruizong regained the throne and it was Ruizong's son Li Longji who finally became the first crown prince during the Sui-Tang era who was their predecessor's first choice for the position, and managed to inherit the throne and reign in his own right (as Xuanzong). Even then, Longji's elder brother Xian notably refused the title of crown prince; after his death, Xuanzong posthumously honored him as Emperor Rang (让，signifying his giving up of the throne). [[/note]]

* SuccessionCrisis: One of the driving conflicts in the series under both Emperors surrounds the struggle for the title of Crown Prince. [[note]]Historically, while crown princes in imperial China always have had to watch their backs, the Sui-Tang era was notoriously lethal towards crown princes. The first crown prince of Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Yong, lost his position due to his brother's scheming. Said brother, the later Emperor Yang, then killed Yong and other brothers during his consolidation of power. Emperor Yang's crown prince Yang Zhao died in his early 20s, which was probably a good thing, as his father ran the empire into the ground. Once the Tang was established, the fratricide continued with the Xuanwu Gate Incident. Then, came Meiniang's machinations, resulting in the deaths of two sons. Zhongzong's son became emperor for 17 days, after the death of his father under suspicious circumstances. His uncle Ruizong regained the throne and it was Ruizong's son Li Longji who finally became the first crown prince during the Sui-Tang era who was the first choice for the position, and managed to inherit the throne and reign in his own right (as Xuanzong). Even then, Longji's elder brother Xian notably refused the title of crown prince; after his death, Xuanzong posthumously honored him as Emperor Rang (让，signifying his giving up of the throne). [[/note]]

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Many of the more ruthless actions traditionally attributed to Wu are often done instead by other members of the court.[[labelnote:Note]]Though given how much the historical {{Wu Zetian}} [[HistoricalVillainUpgrade wasn't received well by historians during her time and the eras after]], the show attempts to remove those aspects that are considered by modern historians to be (most likely) false.[[/labelnote]]

* SuccessionCrisis: One of the driving conflicts in the series under both Emperors surrounds the struggle for the title of Crown Prince.

* UngratefulBastard: When Wu Zetian is about to abdicate, she tells Zhang Jianzhi this about her descendents:

* TheGoodChancellor: Zhangsun Wuji, Taizong's brother-in-law and Gaozong's uncle, while antagonistic to Wu, is nevertheless absolutely committed to the Tang Dynasty. Wei Zheng, is also well regarded because he's one of the few people who can point out when Taizong is being unfair and get away with it.