Cast:
Gigi Lai Chi - Yuk Ying
Charmaine Sheh See-Man - Yee Sun
Maggie Cheung Ho-Yee - On Seen
Sheren Tang Sui-Man - Yu Fay
Bowie Lam Bo-Yee - Shuen Bak Yeung
Moses Chan Ho - Hung Mo
Story:
Every three years, the Emperor calls for girls from honorable families in all the lands to enter the palace so that he may take the best as concubines. Among the many thousands that arrive are Nhi Thuan (Charmaine) and Ngoc Dinh (Gigi), who during their journey are rescued from the clutches of some common thieves by Moses and his pal Sang (Wai Ka Hung), also on their way to the palace to seek their fortune.
Upon arrival, the girls quickly find that the current holder of power is the evil and scheming Sheren, who is the Duong Phi, second in rank only to the Empress, played by Rebecca Chan. They meet An Thien (Maggie), a clever and crafty 'co-co' responsible for their training in the art of servitude (someone equivalent to a housekeeper in 19th century England), and Bowie, a doctor who can't seem to mind his own business and keeps getting mixed up in everyone's schemes, yet somehow still manages to keep his morality intact.
Needless to say, there is plenty of rivalry and back-stabbing. The two would-be concubines, at first mushy as chocolate cake, are soon at each other's throats. Sheren discovers that she needs all her cunning to remain in favour with the Emperor against the fresh-faced and much younger new arrivals, while the mastermind behind it all is the Empress, who will do all in her power to hold onto her place by the King's side. Everyone plays the games according to their own private agenda, but all with a common goal: survival - in a place with few morals, where the sly gain power, the powerful rule and the weak stand absolutely no chance.
Review:
My frens were telling me before i watched this drama the story is exciting but somehow the more you watched it, the more chill ran down ur spine. i tend to agree with her. 怪不得人家常说最毒妇人心。。 i still cant believe that women can go to such length to plot against people etc.
Heard that this show is a hit in HK cos it resemble the office politics there. *faint* i shudder to think that 人性是这么的黑暗。。
What impresses me most about this serial is the character development - or perhaps more accurately, the many dimensions of each character and how they constantly shift depending on circumstances.
anyway the female leads in this serial is not totally bad to the core, they all have their own story that contributed to who they are today. although i can say that perhaps their stories are jus an excuse.. i mean when faced with a certain situation, like in the case of Maggie, there is certainly other routes to take? so why choose this route and subject ur loved ones to endure so much pain and you are also facing a tough time?
my fave character is Sheren, her acting is really superb! i really feel for her character.. although she is evil, she is jus putting up a strong front in order to survive. deep inside, she is very humane, as evidenced by the love of her daughter and how she treat her servants and the handkachief she sewn (jus my guess) which ended up with Moses.
the other female leads acted well too, although i personally dun like Gigi in the show.. cos i think tt she overact at tines.. more so in her crying scene, cant stand her at tines cos she seems to try too hard..
for the male leads, i personally dun understand why 5 women fell for Bowie. and Bowie actually fell for a woman who doesnt love him back! all she did is to use him, dun understand why he fell for her in the first place.. especially he already knew on their first meeting that she is rather scheming.. but well.. love strikes you when you least expect it..
there are boring moments as well. think its kinda extra to include the relationship between Moses and Maggie.. no sparks between them and rather boring. feel that the relationship between Moses and Sheren is more interesting.. =D
before i conclude, i must say something about the ending.. it is such a spoiler for such a wonderful drama.. it is too rushed, unbelivable n a complete anti-climax! perhaps the scriptwriters ran out of ideas??
All in all, excluding the ending, this is a great drama with magnificient scenes, beautiful costumes and an intense plot.
Rating: 8.5/10 (will be higher if not for the ending)
