The King's Woman (秦时丽人明月心; Qín Shí Lí Rén Míng Yuè Xīn) is a 2017 Chinese series starring Dilraba Dilmurat and Vin Zhang. It's loosely based on the novel The Legend of Qin: Li Ji Story by Wen Shi Ren (part of a novel series that has also been adapted into Qin's Moon) and even more loosely based on historical events.
When she was a child Gongsun Li rescued a young boy. Years later she meets the boy again. Only problem is, he's now Ying Zheng, King of Qin, and is determined to make her marry him — whether she wants to or not.
The series can be watched on YouTube
and Viki with English subtitles.
Contains examples of:
- Action Girl: Gongsun Li and Ge Lan. Both are more than capable of defending themselves, sometimes without actual weapons.
- All Love Is Unrequited / Love Dodecahedron: Jing Ke, Han Shen and Ying Zheng are all in love with Gongsun Li. At first she loves Jing Ke, but eventually falls in love with Ying Zheng. And Ge Lan is in love with Jing Ke.
- Altar Diplomacy: Min Dai arranged her marriage to Ying Zheng so she can help her homeland.
- Anachronic Order: In the last five minutes or so of each episode the plot jumps between past, present and future. In the first episode Ying Zheng defeats the rebels and meets Gongsun Li in the space of several minutes, but the second episode shows these events are chronologically at least several days apart.
- Anti-Hero: Ying Zheng starts out as one. Within the first ten episodes he dives headlong into being a Villain Protagonist.
- Armor-Piercing Response: Gongsun Li begins to suspect Ying Zheng of abducting her infant son. Ying Zheng says he wouldn't be so cruel. Gongsun Li retorts that he murdered his half-brothers in front of his mother.
- As You Know: The series starts with Gongsun Li and her friends discussing the political situation.
- Awesome Moment of Crowning: Ying Zheng is already king, but his coming of age ceremony in the first episode and arrival to hold court in the second are dramatic enough to count.
- Blatant Lies: Queen Dowager Zhao claims Lao Ai was only there to give her a massage, right after Ying Zheng walked in on her making out with Lao Ai.
- "Blind Idiot" Translation: The quality of the YouTube subtitles dramatically deteriorates in episodes thirty-five and thirty-six. It's almost incomprehensible, and includes gems like translating "Qin" as "South Korea" and "寡人/guǎ rén" note as "the widow". Then there are the references to "Prince Edward", which are utterly inexplicable and make you wonder if the translator thought they were subtitling a show about British history.note
- Bling of War: The armour Ying Zheng and Gongsun Li wear is much more elaborate than practical. Ying Zheng's includes fur trim, while Gongsun Li's is little more than a chest plate over her long, flowing clothes.
- Blood from the Mouth: Shows up every time a character is injured.
- Catch the Conscience: At a banquet Ying Zheng holds, a performer sings a song warning girls their lovers will use and abandon them. Queen Dowager Zhao and her former lover Lü Bu Wei look very uncomfortable during the song.
- A Child Shall Lead Them: Ying Zheng was thirteen when he became king.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: Gongsun Li's servants are subjected to this after her escape. Han Shen claims he kidnapped her to get her out of trouble, so he gets arrested and tortured too.
- Convenient Miscarriage: Played with. Lady Chu realises her plan to fake a pregnancy isn't going to work, so she fakes a miscarriage to get out of trouble.
- Damsel in Distress: Gongsun Li becomes one after she gets kidnapped.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: Surprisingly, considering China's infamous censorship, the series doesn't shy away from showing some of the historical Ying Zheng's most reprehensible actions.
- Destructive Romance: Ying Zheng and Gongsun Li's marriage starts with him threatening to kill her because she's pregnant with another man's child. It just goes downhill from there.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: Gongsun Li dies in Ying Zheng's arms.
- Downer Ending: Gongsun Li, Han Shen and Jing Ke are all dead by the end. Ying Zheng is left completely alone.
- Driven to Suicide:
- Min Dai and Lady Chu both commit suicide after trying and failing to save their homelands.
- Gongsun Li kills herself after she discovers how Ying Zheng has spied on and deceived her.
- Entertainingly Wrong / Mistaken Identity: Gongsun Li sees Yan Dan, who she knows is the Crown Prince of Yan, and assumes he's now the king. She's actually in Ying Zheng's palace and Yan Dan is his hostage.
- Eunuchs Are Evil: Zhao Gao is supposed to be Ying Zheng's advisor. He's actually plotting with Min Dai to protect Zhao, their shared homeland.
- Evil Chancellor: Lü Bu Wei is more interested in gaining power for himself than helping Ying Zheng rule. Ying Zheng is well-aware of this and eventually banishes him because of it.
- Fake Pregnancy: After she's demoted Lady Chu pretends to be pregnant in an attempt to regain her lost rank.
- Faking the Dead: Lü Bu Wei pretends to commit suicide.
- Forced Miscarriage:
- Lady Chu forces Lady Jing to drink an abortifacient while another concubine is Forced to Watch.
- Lady Min sends Gongsun Li a bowl of soup during her second pregnancy. It's actually a drug that causes her to miscarry.
- Gorgeous Period Dress: All over the place, on both men and women. Special mention goes to these costumes◊ and Gongsun Li's armour◊.
- Hidden Disdain Reveal: Ying Zheng thinks he and Yan Dan are friends. Yan Dan actually fears and hates him. He tells Ying Zheng what he really thinks in his "The Reason You Suck" Speech.
- Historical Domain Character: At least half the characters really existed.
- Ying Zheng, better known as Qin Shi Huangdi, is the most famous character in the series. His historical counterpart founded the Qin dynasty, united China, and was its first emperor. China itself is named after him.
- Jing Ke really did attempt to assassinate Ying Zheng.
- Zhao Gao was just as bad as his fictional counterpart, and his actions helped destroy the Qin empire.
- Li Si really was paranoid about anyone who could threaten him, and he did force Han Fei to commit suicide.
- Ying Zheng, better known as Qin Shi Huangdi, is the most famous character in the series. His historical counterpart
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice:
- How Ying Zheng kills Lü Bu Wei.
- Li Zhong gets impaled twice. First Jing Ke stabs him, then Ying Zheng runs him through to stab Jing Ke.
- In the final episode Gongsun Li attacks Ying Zheng. Just when it looks like she's going to stab him, she turns the sword around and stabs herself.
- Imperiled in Pregnancy:
- Ying Zheng puts Gongsun Li through hell when he discovers she's pregnant with Jing Ke's child. Forcing her to fight a duel, almost choking her, threatening to kill her and her unborn baby...
- Lady Han is murdered while pregnant, because of Min Dai.
- Improvised Weapon: Ge Lan fights and defeats a group of men with whatever's within reach, including a bucket.
- Ironic Echo: When Ying Zheng was a child, Lü Bu Wei told him to be content with his lot. Years later Ying Zheng tells Lü Bu Wei the exact same thing.
- Lonely at the Top: Ying Zheng. His birth father constantly tries to use and manipulate him, while his mother, grandmother, wife, and concubines are busy fighting among themselves. He outright says his half-brother Cheng Jiao is the only real family he has, and Cheng Jiao rebels when he learns the truth about Ying Zheng's parentage. By the end of the series he's even more alone than he was at the start, and he has no one to blame but himself.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: Lü Bu Wei, not King Zhuang Xiang, is Ying Zheng's biological father.
- Marital Rape License: Ying Zheng storms into the room of one of his concubines and physically pulls her over to the bed.
- Missing Child: Tian Ming's abduction. A terrified nursemaid tells Gongsun Li the baby disappeared during the night. Gongsun Li searches all over the palace, Ying Zheng orders no one will be allowed to leave, and still they can't find him.
- Obfuscating Disability: Lao Ai is allowed to accompany the queen dowager everywhere because he's a eunuch. He isn't.
- One-Night-Stand Pregnancy: Gongsun Li gets pregnant after sleeping with Jing Ke once.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Queen Dowager Zhao outlives two of her sons because her other son has them killed.
- Patricide: Ying Zheng kills Lü Bu Wei, his biological father.
- Pillow Pistol: Ying Zheng sleeps with a sword beside him. It saves his life when Han Shen attempts to assassinate him.
- Pregnant Badass: Gongsun Li wins a duel while pregnant.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Yan Dan tells Ying Zheng what he really thinks of him after Ying Zheng intercepts his attempt to contact his father.
- Repeat Cut: Used frequently. In the first episode alone it's used multiple times in the same battle scene.
- Right in Front of Me: Gongsun Li complains about the trouble Qin is causing... in front of Ying Zheng, the king of Qin.
- Royally Screwed Up: The entire royal family of Qin. Special mention goes to Ying Zheng, who has no qualms about killing children.
- Sanity Slippage: Queen Dowager Zhao becomes increasingly unstable after the deaths of her lover and sons.
- Slashed Throat: Min Dai commits suicide this way.
- Someone to Remember Him By: Subverted. Shortly after Han Fei's death, Lady Han discovers she's pregnant with his child. Unfortunately, by the time she learns of her pregnancy, she's become one of Ying Zheng's concubines. Another concubine has her assassinated while she's still pregnant.
- Sweet Polly Oliver: Gongsun Li dresses as a man after her grandfather's death. It's an unconvincing disguise to say the least.
- Tantrum Throwing:
- Lady Chu throws everything she can get her hands on, including a bowl of oranges, when she learns Gongsun Li has been given a higher rank.
- Ying Zheng throws objects around the room when Gongsun Li tells him she sent Tian Ming away.
- Very Loosely Based on a True Story: Justified, since it's a loose adaptation of an already fictionalised novel, and Chinese dramas never aim for historical accuracy anyway.
- Would Hurt a Child: Ying Zheng orders the deaths of his illegitimate half-brothers, both of whom are children, just in case they might become a threat later. He also threatens to kill Gongsun Li's baby.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Min Dai steals Gongsun Li's dagger, stabs herself with it, then claims Gongsun Li attacked her.
- Yandere: Ying Zheng will do anything to make Gongsun Li love him. Anything. Even keep her prisoner in the palace.
