The character sheet for The Advisor's Alliance.
Beware of spoilers.
NOTE: Characters from Part Two, Growling Tiger Roaring Dragon, will also be included here for the time being.
open/close all folders
Sima Yi and Sons
Sima Yi
Born: 179
Died: 251
Courtesy Name: Zhongda
Portrayed by: Wu Xiubo
The main character of the series and head of the Sima family.
- Always Someone Better: An unresentful and typically lampshaded case towards Zhuge Liang. Sima Yi knew Zhuge Liang was better than him in almost every way imaginable and deeply respected him for it.
- Arranged Marriage: With Lady Guo, as Cao Pi wanted a means to monitor Sima Yi under the pretense of having better control of his family since Zhang Chunhua has the final say in many things.
- Batman Gambit: Spends years pretending to be in a catatonic state in order to remove Cao Shuang's suspicions on him in order to plan out his coup. At that point he was in his late 60's/early 70's so there decent chance he could have naturally passed away.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Particularly in his later years, as many of his would-be political rivals overlook him as a bumbling idiot they can overthrow at anytime. The smarter ones see through his elderly, goofy nature. However, even they don't fathom how deep his talent and ambition really is.
- Butt-Monkey: For a man of his position, he gets thrown in prison, stabbed, tortured, and pushed around by his wife a lot.
- Class Reunion: During his time staying in his home province after the Wu Zhang campaign, Sima Yi was greeted by many of his former peers waiting for him as he and his army approached his home city. Though he didn't recognize many at first, he was stunned to see how time (and for some, the war) has changed many of them.
- The Chessmaster: His entire career was built on this trope.
- Despair Event Horizon: Zhuge Liang out-foxing him is one thing, but both of his precious sons potentially dying with him sends him over the edge.
- Happens again after Chunahua died.
- Driven to Suicide: Averted. When he was surrounded by Zhuge Liang's fire attack at Shangfang Valley, Sima Yi gleefully accepted Zhuge Liang's offer to kill himself in exchange for his sons to leave unharmed. It took a very fortunate downpour to snap Sima Yi out of it.
- Faking the Dead: Pulls one to lull Yang Xiu and Ding Yi into a false sense of security so he can discreetly investigate the real authors of the Clothes Edict.
- Henpecked Husband: Sima Yi may be the head of the household in name, but Zhang Chunhua holds all the power.
- Heroic B So D: While Sima Yi was already in despair for falling into an obvious trap at Shangfang, what really drove him over the edge was the fact that he and his sons will all die in one fell swoop.
- He's Back!: Pulls one with evidence supporting the innocence of his father after seemingly being killed by Xun Yu's guards.
- Pulls another one following the death of Cao Pi and coronation of Cao Rui as Cao Pi had reinstated him as Regent.
- And again when Cao Rui was dying of illness, this time instating him as Grand Commandant.
- And once more when he leads an army to oust Cao Shuang from his position.
- I Did What I Had to Do: Executing Cao Shuang, his conspirators, and even Cao Shuang's son as had it been the other way round, the Sima family wouldn't have been allowed to live as long as they let them.
- Later when Wang Ling revolted, executing everyone associated with him was needed to be done as forgiveness today will be another opportunity to revolt tomorrow. His fears come true when Lady Bai's carriage is ambushed.
- Knew It All Along: A defining trait of his to read the intention between the lines. However the most extreme example were all of Zhao's murders and schemes. Namely the fact that he's the one who helped plan and sign off on them.
- Mighty Roar: Played for Drama, but makes a roar like a tiger when Cao Shuang's men attempt to kill him in front of the ailing emperor.
- Played for Drama again when he begins his revolt, this time roaring like a dragon.
- My Death Is Only The Beginning: While he doesn't die from this exchange, he lampshades this during his "Reason You Suck" Speech to Cao Shuang. Killing him is easy since Sima Yi is just an old man, however generals he's served with for over a decade are still on the border with over 100,000 men. Additionally, his son still commands a part of the royal guard and many of the common citizens and ministers love Sima Yi. Killing him would result in nothing short of a civil war, something Cao Shuang hadn't really accounted for.
- My Greatest Failure: Being unable to protect the people closest to him weighs heavily throughout his career. First, his inexperience resulted in his older brother being exposed to a plague in prison and living long enough to die on his release, then he was unable to sway Cao Pi's mind which led to Lady Zhen committing suicide. This would have lasting repercussions as it warped Cao Rui into hating Guo Zhao and having her killed before Sima Yi could do anything about it.
- A grave miscalculation on his part was Chunhua's reaction to Xiahou Hui's death. The shock and grief from the revelation prematurely caused her health to give out, and the ensuing Heroic BSoD and rage against the Cao family sealed the path he had to walk.
- My Life Flashed Before My Eyes: While doing one last routine of exercise in front of the Luo river, Sima Yi reflects on all the events that led up to him now before finally sitting down and passing away.
- Odd Couple: With Cao Pi. Especially early on, Cao Pi was very outgoing and decadent while Sima Yi was reserved and humble. They became friends on the basis they both had the talent and ambition the other lacked.
- Peaceful in Death: After a life of turmoil, both on the battlefield and court rooms, and an especially difficult final years, Sima Yi peacefully passes away while watching the Luo river.
- Pragmatic Hero: Devolves into this towards the end of his life.
- "Reason You Suck" Speech: Gives one to Cao Shuang after he manipulated Cao Fang to promote him to grand tutor. While killing him is easy, the social and political fallout of killing a famous minister would be far greater than Cao Shuang could imagine, never mind handle. He phrases it in a way that sort of as if he was giving advice to Cao Shuang rather than an actual threat.
- Refusal of the Call: Initially uninterested in participating in politics due to the stress and danger it placed on his father, going so far as to cripple his legs to avoid Cao Cao scouting him. He gets forced into politics after Cao Cao threatens his family.
- Sanity Slippage: Though he never went fully mad, later in life he got notably more hostile and quick to anger.
- Screw the War, We're Partying: During the siege of Chengchan, Sima Yi's relief force arrived 10 days later than ordered as they had set up camp numerous times along the way. note
- Does something similar against Zhuge Liang's fifth and sixths expeditions as he knows he couldn't take a straight fight, but Shu's supplies wouldn't be able outlast Wei's.
- The Strategist
- Tough Love: Particularly towards Zhao. While Zhao is smarter than his older brother, he is less trusting and prone to rash decisions so Sima Yi constantly scolds him.
- Wham Line: "I have spent my entire life being a knife in the hands of others, today I wield the sword myself!"
- What the Hell, Hero?: The reaction of many ministers when Sima Yi calls for Cao Shuang's execution after stripping him of rank and title.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Willingly dons a woman's robe sent to him by Zhuge Liang as a means to provoke him into battle.
- Worthy Opponent:
- Saw Yang Xiu as one in his youth and fondly recalls their feuding from time to time.
- Considers Zhuge Liang as his destined opponent.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Regularly gave this advice to Cao Pi during his bid for becoming the crown prince considering his massive Inferiority Superiority Complex.
Sima Shi
Born: 208
Died: 255
Style Name: Ziyuan
Portrayed by: Xiao Shunyao (adult), Rong Zishan (young), Lin Jingzhe (child)
Eldest son of Sima Yi and Zhang Chunhua. Husband to Xiahou Hui.
- Adaptational Heroism: While much of Sima Shi's historical personality was lost, one notable instance of him poisoning his wife, Xiahou Hui, was shifted to Zhao murdering her.
- All-Loving Hero: A stark contrast to his brother and father later in life, as he genuinely makes an effort to save people who are even guilty against the Sima family.
- Back from the Dead: Despite being knocked off his horse, wounded in his leg, and his unit surrounded by the Wu army during the battle of Shiting, Sima Shi barely manages to return to camp days after his unit went missing during the initial retreat.
- Big Damn Heroes: Led a cavalry detachment with Xiahou Dun to stop the execution of his father and Cao Zhi.
- Eye Scream: Get stabbed with a small pick when he thought Xiahou Xuan accepted his offer to surrender.
- Sibling Team: With Zhao.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: More personable and a skilled fighter compared to Zhao.
- Tears of Blood: Seeing the state Jiangjia was in aggravated his injured eye from crying, causing him to cry a mix of tears and blood.
- We Would Have Told You, But...: Played straight. Xiahou Hui's loyalty was always a question Sima Yi and Sima Zhao had on their minds so they'd always been looking for an opportunity to quietly removing her without causing Shi to turn against them. When they're forced to kill her, Shi is kept in the dark until the penultimate episode where he had to painfully accept the fact.
Sima Zhao
Born: 211
Died: 265
Style Name: Zishang
Portrayed by: Tan Jianci (adult), Mei Zihan (young)
Second son of Sima Yi and Zhang Chunhua. Husband to Wang Yuanji.
- Adaptational Villainy: Zig-Zagged. His historical counterpart was every bit as much as scheming and a Pragmatic Hero as he was in the series, however there are at times where its taken up a notch especially when he murders Xiahou Hui.
- Call to Agriculture: Happens twice. First time mentioned above as part of Sima Yi's blunder, and again after his father becomes Regent for Cao Fang. This time it was assigned to him by Sima Yi himself as a means to teach Zhao patience and curb his ambition.
- Career-Ending Injury: Averted. One would think the humiliation of receiving 200 lashes and being sent back home would no longer allow him to participate in his father's campaign. Instead when his mother insisted on riding out to give Sima Yi a piece of her mind, he set out with her and was leading troops to pursue the retreating Shu army as if nothing had happened.
- The Chessmaster: Played with. While Zhao manipulated many characters in his own right, towards the end of the series it is revealed many of his schemes and murders were all laid out and approved by Sima Yi.
- Corporal Punishment: Faces this following defying his father's orders and nearly wiping out an important part of the army due to falling into an ambush. Zhao endured 150 lashes before passing out, woke up, then endured the last 50.
- Hero of Another Story: While this is still technically Zhao's story, his real exploits and career begins long after his father's death, and by extension the series.
- I Did What I Had to Do: Zhao's reasoning for ensuring the survival of the Sima family, regardless of its extremity.
- The Killer Becomesthe Killed: Averted. After confessing to his long list of murders and manipulation, guards surround Sima Yi's office and Sima Shi enters seemingly ready to slay him. Shi spares him, however, knowing Zhao only did what needed to be done in order to keep the family safe.
- Manipulative Bastard: A Heroic example. Zhao played He Yan for the long game, ultimately getting him to expose all the families involved in the plot to overthrow Cao Fang under the impression his family will be spared.
- Pragmatic Hero: Zhao has next to no qualms about ensuring the survival of the Sima family.
- Sibling Murder: Strangles his sister-in-law Xiahou Hui after she discovers Sima Shi's private army.
- Sibling Team: With Shi, later Lun as Lun grows older his personality and ambition overlaps with Zhao's a lot.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: More suspicious and smarter compared to Shi.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Wants nothing but the best for his family and has the intelligence and talent to boot, but is a bit too hot-headed and short sighted that his ambitions are either too impractical or cause more harm to the Sima family than good.
- As the series progresses, Zhao begins walking a very fine line between hero and villain as he takes on even more heinous acts to ensure no one can oppose the Sima family.
- We Would Have Told You, But...: Played with. Zhao was initially kept out of the loop for the private army his father was raising, however after Sima Lun needed to be informed he quickly brought his elder half brother up to speed. And after Xiahou Hui's murder for Knowing Too Much, Sima Yi began feeding Zhao more and more information that even Shi did not know about.
- Wham Line: "Do not betray the Sima family."
Sima Clan
As a whole
- Adapted Out: Sima Yi's five other brothers were left out of the show, with only a brief mentioned towards the very end of the second season to acknowledge their existence.
- Wang Yuanji, Sima Zhao's wife, was almost omitted but appeared for one brief scene to help attend to a dying Chunhua.
- A Lighter Shadeof Grey: Primarily in the second season. While both the Sima and Cao families wish to see the Wei Dynasty flourish, their methods split on keeping power within the royal family or power within meritorious ministers.
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: Played for Laughs. The members are regularly arrested, tortured, and thrown in prison while its often joked about that the real master of the household is Zhang Chunhua.
- Played Straight after Chunhua dies as Sima Yi leads the family into increasingly more dubious means to ensure their survival, most notably a coup against Cao Shuang that leaves them the unquestioned rulers of Wei barring the emperor.
- Call to Agriculture: Following Sima Yi breaking into the royal harem to save a young Cao Rui's life, Sima Yi and Sima Fu are stripped of their official titles and the entire family is banished to their home province.
- Came Back Strong: Cao Pi's last will reinstated Sima Yi as one of four regents to oversee Cao Rui's rule. As such, they returned to Luoyang with enough power and influence to rival the Cao and Xiahou clans.
- The Clan: Sima Fang was a long-serving eunuch of Cao Cao, Sima Yi was a close confidant of Cao Pi and would later become a regent under Cao Pi then eventually Imperial Chancellor following deposing Cao Shuang.
- It Runs in the Family: Almost every member has joked about poisoning someone at least once.
- Multigenerational Household: Three generations of Simas are living in the household for most of the series.
- Parent-Child Team: Sima Yi's sons, particularly Sima Shi early on, often accompany him on the battlefield.
- Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: The Sima family invokes this the more its male members become invested in politics. Sima Yi remains comparatively neutral until flopping to cynicism towards the end of the series while Sima Fu falls on the far end of the idealistic side with Sima Shi being in the middle of them. On the opposite end, Sima Lun leans towards cynicism but Sima Zhao is on the far end of it.
Zhang Chunhua
Born: 189
Died: 247
Portrayed by: Liu Tao
First wife of Sima Yi.
- Action Girl: Was a ranger living in the countryside who had an infamous hot-streak. Cooled off significantly after marrying Sima Yi, but still liable to threaten someone at sword-point.
- Almighty Mom: Everyone in the Sima household fears her, and its often joked that she's the real head of the family.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Doesn't appreciate Lady Bai getting close to Sima Yi.
- In the Wu Zhang campaign she stormed Sima Yi's personal quarters when she found the woman's robe given to him by Zhuge Liang.
- Cool Big Sis: To Lady Guo, and later in the series Lady Bai..
- Demoted to Extra: Lampshaded, but ultimately averted. When the Sima family returns to their new home in the capital following Cao Pi's death, Lady Bai and her daughter were already waiting in their new house. Zhang Chunhua remarks that she will stay in the room in the east wing from then on, the same wing Lady Bai resided in their previous house, but Sima Yi consults with and spends time with Chunhua more.
- Lethal Chef: Averted. Assists Hou Ji in cooking as she makes Sima Yi's favorite dishes just the way he likes them.
- She isn't above threatening to poison his or Lady Bai's food however.
- Mama Bear: Don't even think about threatening her boys.
- Morality Pet: To Sima Yi. She kept him grounded and made sure he didn't forget what he was fighting for.
- Passing the Torch: Tells Lady Bai it's all up to her now to support Sima Yi and gives Lady Bai the chainmail she wore in her younger days.
- Top Wife: Doesn't like the notion of Lady Bai being brought in as a concubine of Sima Yi's, regardless if this is a test of loyalty by Cao Pi.
- Tough Love: Very tough on Sima Shi and Zhao in order to live up to the family name.
- Violently Protective Girl Friend: Killed a servant who was a spy of Cao Cao after he witnessed Sima Yi walking when his legs still should have been crippled.
Bai Lingyuan
Born: ?
Died: ?
Portrayed by: Janine Chang
Second wife of Sima Yi.
- Adaptational Heroism: While her role in Sima Yi's life was lost to time, there was an issue between her and Zhang Chunhua as Bai had become the favorite wife. While this is present early in the series, it was more due to Chunhua being a Clingy Jealous Girl. As the series progresses, their relationships heals and she looks up to Chunhua as a Cool Big Sis of sorts.
- Betty and Veronica: The Betty to Zhang Chunhua's Veronica.
- Driven to Suicide: When her carriage is ambushed by remnants of Wang Ling's men after leaving Sima Yi's camp due to how mad he's become, she willingly returns to her burning carriage and dies in the ensuing fire knowing the man she knew is long gone.
- The Handler: Sent by Cao Pi to keep Sima Yi in check.
- Morality Pet: Subverted. While Chunhua kept Sima Yi grounded, Lady Bai enabled his more meticulous and manipulative side since they were intellectual equals. However later in the series when Chunhua dies leaving the responsibility up to her alone, Lady is unable to provide the same level of support by herself and Sima Yi is too far gone from the pent up rage against the Cao family. Losing Chunhua further escalated it.
- We Would Have Told You, But...: The truth of Sima Yi's Heroic BSoD was kept a secret to even her as he needed to minimize potential leaks.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Gives this to Sima Yi after subjugating Wang Ling's rebellion and sentencing him and his clansmen of nearly 3,000 people to death.
- Worthy Opponent: Sima Yi commented that if she were a man, she'd be the last person he'd want to cross. She returns the sentiment by stating she'd know not to make an enemy out of someone like him.
Sima Fang
Born: 149
Died: 219
Style Name: Wenyu
Portrayed by: Zhang Zhizhong
Sima Yi's fatherSima Lang
Born: 171
Died: 217
Style Name:
Portrayed by: Li Youwei
Sima Yi's elder brotherSima Fu
Born: 180
Died: 272
Style Name: Shuda
Portrayed by: Wang Dong
Sima Yi's younger brother- Romantic Runner-Up: To Guo Zhao.
Xiahou Hui
Born: 211
Died: 234 (Historically), 247 (In-series)
Portrayed by: Zhang Doudou
Wife of Sima Shi- Arranged Marriage: The marriage was initially done to quell ill feelings between the Xiahou and Sima families due to patriarch Xiahou Dun's sudden passing in the Sima family household.
- Adaptational Heroism: Her historical death was caused by her believing Sima Shi may be harboring intentions to overthrow Wei, which resulted in their marriage becoming estranged. Here she's an active member of the Sima family and tries to use her position to try to calm things down between them and the Cao family.
- He Knows Too Much: Killed soon after learning of the Sima family's private army.
- Spared By Adaptation: Zig-Zagged. Historically she was poisoned by Sima Shi as he believed she was a spy of the Cao family. Here, she lives well past her historical death and actively tries to keep the Sima family safe along side her husband. However her gentle nature of wanting to resolve the tensions between the families becomes her undoing as she earns the distrust of her in-laws and soon discovers the private husband Sima Shi is raising. Not long after Sima Lun knocks her out, where he brings Sima Zhao who kills her after she refuses his offer to escape to the countryside.
Sima Lun
Born: 247/248
Died: 301
Style Name:
Portrayed by: Liu Qi
Son of Lady Bai- Big Brother Worship: To Sima Zhao. Being the youngest brother (at least, the youngest of those who are portrayed), he understands what Zhao is going through when he's constantly being denied his ambitions.
- Hero of Another Story: Well, more like villain. He is one of the eight princes who took part in the eponymous war, that would greatly weaken the Jin Dynasty and would usurp the throne for less than a month before being killed.
- Well Intentioned Exteremist: Arguably worse than Zhao as he did not have the luxury of Sima Yi teaching him and keeping his ambitions in check.
Cao Clan
As a whole
- He Who Fights Monsters: At first the Cao family dethroning the Han shook up the decaying order and made the lands of northern China and the central plains prosperous again. However Cao Pi's reign brought some past issues the Han had, namely branch members of the imperial family abusing their role with little oversight from the emperor, and Cao Rui's reign placed a lot of decision making on his personal eunuch. Cao Fang's reign corrects the corrupt eunuch issue fairly quickly, however paramount power is divided among two regent and their factions regularly clash.
Cao Cao's Governmet
Cao Cao
Born: 155
Died: 220
Style Name: Mengde
Portrayed by: Yu Hewei
Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, later King of Wei- 0% Approval Rating: Excluding his circle of hand picked officials and ministers, everyone in the imperial court hates him for monopolizing power and manipulating the emperor.
- The Emperor: Averted. While he would accept titles such as Prime Minister and King of Wei, Cao Cao never sought to actually depose Emperor Xian and become the new emperor.
- Evil Chancellor: Many both internally and externally viewed him as such.
- The Chessmaster: By this point Cao Cao has spent years navigating the turbulent internal affairs of the ailing Han court. His current role of Prime Minister is a testament to this.
- Offered the Crown: Emperor Xian offered this numerous times throughout his reign. Cao Cao turned it down knowing he'd make more enemies by ascending to emperor and still had some belief in the Han Dynasty in a figurative role at the very least.
- The Patriarch: Of the Cao family in its current form and is regarded as the founding emperor of the Wei Dynasty.
- Troll: Regularly mocks his political enemies when they are inevitably exposed. Also played his sons against each other to have the most talented one succeed him.
- The Usurper: What many of his enemies claim he is for monopolizing power and reducing the emperor to a figure head.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Averted with Emperor Xian and Sima Yi, played straight with many others.
- Despite holding paramount authority, he still keeps Emperor Xian on the throne as he knows the people at large will still listen to the emperor
- Lampshades it numerous times with Sima Yi but never goes through with it as he knows Sima Yi holds much more talent and ambition than he lets on.
Emperor Xian
Born: 181
Died: 234
Personal Name: Liu Xie
Style Name: Bohe
Portrayed by: Wang Maolei
- Authority in Name Only: He certainly tried to exercise his own will under Cao Cao's nose, but his elaborate spy network and Sima Yi's meddling kept him firmly under Cao Cao's thumb.
- The Emperor
- Puppet King: Used by Cao Cao as a figure head to exercise his will and influence across the land.
- Royal "We"
Xun Yu
Born: 163
Died: 212
Style Name: Wenruo
Portrayed by: Wang Jingsong
- Driven to Suicide: Killed himself following Cao Cao's continued monopolization of power.
- Morality Pet: To Cao Cao.
Yang Xiu
Born: ?
Died: 220
Style Name: Zhengli
Portrayed by: Zhai Tianlin
- The Chessmaster: Pulled many strings to ensure Cao Zhi would succeed Cao Cao. It didn't work out in the end.
- Face Death with Dignity: Took his execution with stride as he knew he had messed up by jumping the gun and trying to predict what Cao Cao was thinking.
- Worthy Opponent: To Sima Yi.
Ding Yi
Born: ?
Died: 220
Style Name: Zhengli
Portrayed by: Luan Junwei
Cao Pi's Government
Cao Pi
Born: 187
Died: 226
Style Name: Zihuan
Portrayed by: Li Chen
First Emperor of the Wei Dynasty- Awful Wedded Life: Despite being smitten upon meeting Lady Zhen, it became abundantly clear the only reason Cao Cao allowed him to take her as his wife was part of his Insane Troll Logic since Lady Zhen had fallen for his brother Cao Zhi. On top of the fact the child she would bear might not be theirs due to the relatively short pregnancy, Cao Pi had to grit his teeth through it all as he would lose face if he divorced her. By the time he succeeded his father and toppled the Han, their marriage had all but deteriorated as Cao Pi had found a new favorite wife.
- The Emperor: Forced the last Han Emperor to abdicate and established the state of Cao Wei.
- Inferiority Superiority Complex: The awkward middle ground in terms of talent and personalities of his younger brothers as Cao Zhang was much more adept at waging war and Cao Zhi was much smarter.
- He even had a Hate Sink of sorts toward their youngest brother Cao Chong as he was shaping up to be more brilliant than all of them.
- It also didn't help that he was the frequent target of Cao Cao's Insane Troll Logic, from being offered a wife who was in love with his brother to being the first person suspected of the Clothes Edict and sudden death of Cao Chong.
Empress Zhen
Born: 183
Died: 221
Style Name: ?
Portrayed by: Yang Meng
- Awful Wedded Life: After being abandoned by her original husband following the Battle of Yecheng, she was taken as a trophy by Cao Pi and wed to him soon after. She would fall for his brother, Cao Zhi, early into their marriage, a fact that became clear to Cao Pi. Cao Pi's animosity towards her would only grow after the birth of their first son as an unusually short pregnancy led many to speculate she was pregnant prior to meeting Cao Pi. Not long after Cao Pi consolidated power as the new Emperor of Wei, Lady Zhen committed suicide after being pressured by him to make way for Guo Zhao to take her place as Empress.
Shi Chun
Born: ?
Died: ?
Style Name: ?
Portrayed by: Yin Guohua
- Eunuchs Are Evil: Subverted. Despite being the Central Regular Attendant for both Cao Cao and Cao Pi and the tenancy for eunuchs to be portrayed as evil in Three Kingdoms based stories, Shi Chun is a genuinely nice person and one of the very few consistent allies in the court Sima Yi had early in his career.
- Nice Guy: In a political climate of scheming and factionalism, Shi Chun is a rarity.
- Shrine to the Fallen: After Cao Pi succumbed to illness early in his reign, Shi Chun retired from court service to watch over his tomb until his own death.
Chen Qun
Born: ?
Died: 237
Style Name: Changwen
Portrayed by: Chu Quanzhong
- Cool Old Guy: An experienced minister who has served three generations of the Cao family and is generally an all around kind person.
- Regent for Life: One of four chosen by Cao Pi to aid Cao Rui.
Cao Rui's Government
Cao Rui
Born: 204
Died: 239
Style Name: Changwen
Portrayed by: Huang Yi (young), Liu Huan (adult)
Second Emperor of Cao Wei- Antagonistic Offspring: While not Guo Zhao's biological son, she adopted him after Lady Zhen committed suicide in order to keep him safe from Cao Pi. He would grow up heavily resenting her as he believed she was the cause of his Dark and Troubled Past, eventually resulting in ordering her assassination.
- Ax-Crazy: One of his major outbursts included executing numerous artists for being unable to properly draw his mother, the kicker being none of them had ever seen her and she had been dead for years at that point.
- Bastard Bastard: It was suggested he was actually the son of Yuan Xi, Zhen Fu's first husband before she was abandoned and later married Cao Pi. The narration following his death suggests he was in fact Yuan Xi's son as it stated his age as 36 by East Asian age reckoning. note
- Creepy Crossdresser: To address the issue of no one ever seeing his mother, he wore her robes and make up, then acted as a model for the artisans.
- Crocodile Tears: Seems like he's having a genuine My God, What Have I Done? moment when Sima Yi reminded him Empress Guo was the only reason he survived his childhood and began scrambling attendants to revoke his edict. However by the time Bixie returned from having Guo Zhao murdered, he was back to his smug self and sarcastically declaring he was too late to save her.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Constant neglect from his father and seeing him mom poison herself to death in front of him really warps a child's psyche.
- The Emperor
- I Miss Mom: His defining trait.
- The Unfavorite: Since his parentage was put into question, Cao Pi largely ignored Rui during his childhood, only begrudgingly acknowledging him since he was his eldest son.
- Villainous Breakdown: The news of Sima Yi quelling the Liaodong campaign in a few months is enough to make him go Laughing Mad before his ignored health finally caught up to him and caused him to collapse.
Bixie
Born: ?
Died: ?
Style Name: ?
Portrayed by: Zhang Tianyang
- And Your Reward Is Clothes: Sima Yi's last gift to him to make his prison stay a bit more bearable. He gladly accepts the peace offering.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Despite being a thorn in Sima Yi's side for over a decade, Sima Yi still visits him in prison and understands what lengths he went to ensure Cao Rui's reign was secured. The visit helped him Face Death with Dignity to a degree as he turned down Sima Yi's offer to stand vigil over Cao Rui's tomb, instead asking to be killed and buried at the foot of it.
- Eunuchs Are Evil: Zig-Zagged. He genuinely wished to ensure Cao Rui had no issues ruling as he was heavily sympathetic to his Dark and Troubled Past, however he went about it in ways that severely overstepped his boundaries as a eunuch and earned the ire of many.
- Killed Offscreen: His death is mentioned in a passing conversation after a new central attendant is appointed.
- Villainous Breakdown: Had one when Cao Shuang's men arrested him and stripped him of robes given to him by Cao Rui. He regained his composure when he was in prison.
Cao Fang's Government
Cao Fang
Born: 232
Died: 274
Style Name: Lanqing
Portrayed by: Sheng Zihang (young), Chen Zhelun (adult)
Third Emperor of Cao Wei- Adopted into Royalty: Technically he was already a noble as he was a member of the Cao family, however his parentage was a bit questionable as he was a member of the extended family (through Cao Zhang's side)
- The Emperor: And a child emperor at that
- Puppet King: Becomes this during his reign as Cao Shuang, Sima Yi, and, after the end of the series, Sima Shi monopolize power.
Empress Dowager Guo
Born: ?
Died: 264
Formal Name: Empress Mingyuan
Personal Name: ?
Portrayed by: Wen Jing
- Adaptational Heroism: Historically she was opposed to the Sima family and tried everything to curb their power during Cao Fang's and later Cao Mao's rule. Here, she quickly allies herself to Sima Yi's family as she fears Cao Shuang's faction is attempting to usurp power.
- The High Queen: Cao Rui's second Empress and current Empress Dowager
Cao Shuang
Born: ?
Died: 249
Style Name: Zhaobo
Portrayed by: Du Yiheng
- Like Father, Unlike Son: While he inherits his hated of Sima Yi and title, that's about as far as the similarities go. Compared to Cao Zhen, Shuang is temperamental, petty, and a coward.
- Love Makes You Evil: His love of Jianjia and Cao Lin causes him to take increasingly drastic steps to ensure they have a good life, going so far as to suggest Cao Lin has the makings of being the emperor.
- Revenge Before Reason: Leads an army to stop Jiang Wei's incursions into Han Zong only to spend a part of the campaign dressing up some of his men to attack Sima Zhao's camp to expose the private army Sima Yi has secretly been rasing. Granted his hunch was correct, however he did it in the middle of a campaign against Wei's most dangerous rival.
- This Is Unforgivable!: Believed his father's, Cao Zhen's, death was because of Sima Yi and spends his entire campaign trying to destroy his family.
- You Killed My Father: One could argue Sima Yi had an indirect role in Cao Zhen's death, though he was already sick going into his campaign.
He Yan
Born: 195
Died: 249
Style Name:
Portrayed by: Pingshu
- Character Exaggeration: Subverted. While many characters are played up a bit or a lot to their historical counterparts, He Yan's demeanor and reasons for not being allowed government positions prior to Cao Fang's reign is consistent to what's been recorded about him. In fact, certain aspects are actually downplayed.
- The Chessmaster: Invoked. He sets up numerous schemes in order to expose the Sima Family's true colors, however the Sima family stay one step ahead of them.
- The Dandy: Takes a lot of time keeping his appearance and make up in order.
- Drugs Are Good: Downplayed. One trait of his that was omitted save for a single scene with Zhao was his addiction to Five-Mineral Powder, a poisonous psychoactive drug.
Ding Mi
Born: ?
Died: 249
Style Name: ?
Portrayed by:
- Anti-Villain: He doesn't believe in Cao Shuang's methodology and is regularly clashing with He Yan with how to handle the issue the Sima family poses.
Jianjia
Born: ?
Died: ?
Portrayed by: Deng Yange
- Driven to Madness: Watching her son and husband be executed in addition to the life she knew being completely destroyed, she now spends her days roaming the execution grounds picking flowers and reciting the poem she told her son before his death.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Her son is executed alongside her husband.
