Held in the Lonely Castle has unveiled its main cast, and Jiang Shuying (Mr. Right) will be playing the female lead Empress Cao, a woman who abides by her duties but is distrusted by her husband (Wang Kai).
Fourteen-year-old Bian Cheng (Yong Qi in Ruyi’s Royal Love, young Luo Chi in Faithful to Buddha) plays eunuch Liang Huaiji, while new actress Ren Min (Cry Me A Sad River) plays the princess Huirou. [Extended Synopsis]
Yang Le as Han Qi, chancellor of Northern Song for ten years. He was responsible for the Qingli Reforms along with Fan Zhongyan (Liu Jun) and Fu Bi (Sun Jian).
Ye Zuxin as eunuch Zhang Maoze, the Empress’ close aide. He has an unrequited love for the Empress, but is willing to bury his feelings and simply be a confidante.
Yu Entai as Yan Shu, poet and calligrapher.
Wang Churan (Oh My General) as Noble Consort Zhang, a woman who is always ready to stir up trouble
I have bad feelings about Wang Kai’s emperor character. I mean he is suspicious of his empress who is virtuous and he marries his daughter to his biological mother’s family to perform his duty as a “filial son” without close regards to the personality of their members. Interesting how the Emperor is the cause of all the angst that is to come.
I was impressed by the young actor who plays young Yong Qi. I even thought his performance was better than Qu Chuxiao who plays the adult version (Qu Chuxiao was great in Bloody Romance, though).
Ren Min is a great choice for the Princess ! Her acting was miles above all the other young actors in Cry Me a Sad River. Haven’t seen much of Bian Cheng but I hear good things about him. I’m glad they actually cast really young leads for the princess-eunuch pair.