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Main Characters
Rong Le
Rong Le/Man Yao/Qin Man
- Played by: Zhang Xue Ying
Princess of Western Qi, or so she's told. Is sent to marry Wu You, then forced to marry Fu Chou instead.
- Action Girl: She was once an assassin, and she's a good enough fighter to defeat a large group of attackers.
- Amnesiac Hero: In episode one she wakes up with no memory of who she used to be.
- Arranged Marriage: Between her and Wu You at first, and later between her and Fu Chou.
- Brother–Sister Incest: Played with, but ultimately averted since Rong Qi isn't really her brother.
- Combat Uninterruptus: Not even a battle can stop her and Wu You continuing their game of Go.
- Cool Mask: Wears one over the upper half of her face when she meets Wu You. This helps her pretend to be Man Yao without him recognising her. It also helps Hen Xiang impersonate her.
- I Am Who?: She's really the daughter of Qin Yong, the former Prime Minister of Northern Lin.
- I Have Many Names: Has at least three names and identities over the course of the series: Rong Le, Princess of Western Qi; Man Yao, owner of a tea house; and Qin Man, her real name.
- Locked into Strangeness: Her hair turns white after she stabs Wu You.
- Long-Lost Relative: Hen Xiang is her sister.
- My God, What Have I Done?: She accidentally stabs Wu You and goes into a Heroic BSoD afterwards.
- Not Blood Siblings: Rong Qi isn't her brother.
- Splitting the Arrow: She splits an arrow blindfolded during the archery contest.
- Suck Out the Poison: Does this when Wu You is hit by a poisoned arrow.
- Sweet Polly Oliver: Dresses up as a man when she escapes Western Qi's palace, and later when she goes to see Chen Yu.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gives Wu You an indirect one by criticising his behaviour to his father while he's listening. Later she calls out Rong Qi for his plots and manipulations.
Wu You
Wu You/Prince Li/Seventh Prince
- Played by: Aarif Rahman
Seventh prince of Northern Lin. Refuses to marry Rong Le. Then he meets and falls in love with "Man Yao", not realising she's Rong Le using an alias.
- Arranged Marriage: A marriage is arranged between him and Rong Le. He isn't happy about it at first.
- Calling the Old Man Out: In episode four he calls his father out for how he treated his mother.
- Combat Uninterruptus: Not even a battle can stop him and Rong Le continuing their game of Go.
- Disease Bleach: Turns his hair white by drinking poison.
- Hates Being Touched: Prior to meeting Man Yao he doesn't like anyone touching him — especially not women.
- Long-Lost Relative / Separated at Birth: Fu Chou is his twin.
- Missing Mum: Consort Yun, his mother, died when he was a child
- Royal Brat: He starts out as one, refusing to attend court and then rejecting his bride-to-be.
- Sibling Triangle: He and Fu Chou are both in love with Rong Le. Played with, because they don't know they're brothers.
- Wedding Smashers: He barges into Rong Le and Fu Chou's wedding when he learns who Man Yao is. Rong Le marries Fu Chou anyway.
Fu Chou
Fu Chou/ Wu Chou
- Played by: Jing Chao
General of Northern Lin. Unknown to him, he's really the emperor's son.
- Bed Trick: He thinks he slept with Rong Le. He actually slept with Hen Xiang disguised as Rong Le. He doesn't react well when he learns the truth.
- Heel–Face Turn: Does one after learning his real identity.
- Long-Lost Relative / Separated at Birth: Wu You is his twin.
- Meaningful Rename: His birth name is Wu Chou. His assumed namenote sounds like "fùchóu"note , meaning "revenge".
- Missing Mum: Played with. He thinks his mother is Fu Yuan, who he believed dead. Years later he finds her alive. Then it turns out she isn't his mother. His real mother, Consort Yun, died when he was a child.
- Revenge: His main motivation is seeking revenge for how his mother was treated and how he was almost killed.
- Sibling Triangle: He and Wu You are both in love with Rong Le. Played with, because they don't know they're brothers.
Rong Qi
- Played by: Luo Yun Xi
Emperor of Western Qi. Rong Le's brother, or so Fu Yuan forces him to pretend. They aren't actually related.
- Blood from the Mouth: He coughs up blood when his Incurable Cough of Death strikes.
- Brother–Sister Incest: Played with, but ultimately averted since Rong Le isn't really his sister.
- Child by Rape: He was conceived when his father raped Fu Yuan.
- Heroic Sacrifice: He saves Rong Le's life by transferring her poison to himself, knowing it'll kill him but she'll survive.
- Incurable Cough of Death: Coughing fits are the most obvious symptom of his illness.
- Not Blood Siblings: Rong Le isn't his sister.
- Thousand-Yard Stare: He stares blankly ahead for hours after he sees Rong Le (apparently) kill Wu You. He doesn't react while having his hand bandaged, or even when his mother arrives and speaks to him.
- Your Days Are Numbered: His illness means he can't live past the age of twenty-four.
Hen Xiang
- Played by: Chen Xin Yu
An assassin from the Tian Chou Sect.
- Bed Trick: She disguises herself as Rong Le to sleep with Fu Chou.
- Dark Action Girl: Among other things she almost murders Zhao Yun and duels Fu Chou.
- Ignored Enamoured Underling: She loves Fu Chou. His lack of interest in her combined with his love for Rong Le makes her hate Rong Le.
- Latex Perfection: Wears a mask that makes her look exactly like Rong Le when she tries to murder Zhao Yun. Later she does the same thing when she seduces Fu Chou.
- Long-Lost Relative: Rong Le is her sister.
Northern Lin
Wu Yu
Wu Yu/Prince Chen/Ninth Prince
- Played by: Shu Ya Xin
Wu You's half-brother.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: His impulsive behaviour and inability to keep his mouth shut make him this for Wu You.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: He and Zhao Yun fall in love and try to elope, but they're caught and Zhao Yun is forced to marry Ning Qian Yi.
- Taking the Bullet: Jumps in front of an arrow that would have hit Zhao Yun.
Yun He
Emperor/Yun He
- Played by: Canti Lau
Emperor of Northern Lin. Father of Xiao Ren, Wu You, Wu Yu, and Fu Chou.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: He dies in the arms of his two surviving sons.
- My God, What Have I Done?: While drugged and hallucinating he attacks and fatally injures Consort Yun. He has this reaction when he recovers.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Outlives two of his sons, Xiao Ren and Fu Chou.
Consort Yun
- Played by: Deng Sha
The emperor's late wife and the mother of Wu You and Fu Chou.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: She died in the emperor's arms.
- Posthumous Character: She's long dead by the time the series starts.
Xiao Ren
Xiao Ren/Crown Prince
- Played by: Liu Han Yang
Crown Prince of Northern Lin.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Lin Shen stabs him when he tries to kill Fu Chou.
- Inadequate Inheritor: He's abusive and incompetent. His father knows this and wants to replace him with Wu You.
- Sanity Slippage: Goes mad after Fu Chou imprisons him.
Zhao Yun
- Played by: Wen Zhu
Childhood friend of Wu You and Wu Yu. Loves Wu Yu, but is forced to marry Ning Qian Yi.
- Altar Diplomacy: She wants to marry Wu Yu, but she has to marry Ning Qian Yi so Northern Lin will form an alliance with Chen.
- Mistaken Identity: The first time they meet she mistakes Ning Qian Yi for a fishmonger.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: She and Wu Yu try to elope, but they're caught and she's forced to marry Ning Qian Yi.
Sun Ya Li
- Played by: Dai Wen Wen
Daughter of Wu You's teacher. Falls in love with Fu Chou, then with Wu You.
- All Love Is Unrequited: She loves Fu Chou, then Wu You, and neither of them returns her love.
Western Qi
Fu Yuan
- Played by: Tian Hai Rong
Dowager Empress of Western Qi and former Empress of Northern Lin. Mother of Rong Qi and adoptive mother of Fu Chou.
- The Chessmaster: She's directly responsible for almost all of the series' events. She engineers circumstances and manipulates people to tear Northern Lin apart from within, all so she can have revenge on its emperor.
- Cool Mask: Sometimes wears a golden mask over part of her face.
- Driven to Suicide: Commits suicide after her son dies and her revenge plan is thwarted.
- Evil Matriarch: For both Rong Qi and Fu Chou.
- Outliving One's Offspring: She outlives Rong Qi.
- Rape as Backstory: She was once married to Northern Lin's Emperor. He allowed Western Qi's emperor to rape her, leading to Rong Qi's birth, and attempt to murder her. Unknown to her former husband she survived and started planning revenge against all of Northern Lin.
- Revenge: She created an elaborate plan to destroy an entire kingdom because she was raped and almost burnt alive.
- Sadistic Choice: Tells Rong Qi that either she'll kill herself, or he'll force Rong Le to go through with the arranged marriage. Later she holds Hen Xiang's daughter and Rong Le's son prisoner, and tells Hen Xiang that she can only save her daughter if she kills Rong Le's son.
Lin Shen
- Played by: Tian Lei
Leader of the Tian Chou Sect. He's also Rong Le and Hen Xiang's uncle.
- Latex Perfection: Uses a mask to disguise himself as Fu Chou.
Ling Yue
Ling Yue/Qing Hu
- Played by: Wang Yu
Rong Le's servant.
- Attempted Rape: General Yu almost rapes her. Rong Le arrives just in time to stop him.
Xiao Sha
- Played by: Gao Shuang
Rong Qi's guard.
Xiao Ke
- Played by: Mi Mi
Xiao Sha's sister. Eventually falls in love with Wu Yu.
Chen
Emperor
- Played by: Lu Zhan Xiang
Emperor of Chen.
- A Child Shall Lead Them: He's a young boy.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: He's a lot smarter than he pretends to be.
- Royal Brat: Pretends to be one because it (combined with his age) makes people underestimate him.
Ning Qian Yi
Ning Qian Yi/Prince Zhen Bei
- Played by: Xu Ke
A prince of Chen.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: A male version; at first he seems a fairly decent Nice Guy, but he shows how possessive and manipulative he really is when Zhao Yun tries to get out of marrying him.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight / Driven to Suicide: Commits suicide and dies in Zhao Yun's arms when his schemes fail.
Chen Yu
Chen Yu/Luo Yan
- Played by: Huang Can Can
A musician who Rong Le rescues.
