Movies - Inside the Forbidden City

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	Movies - Inside the Forbidden City

Inside the Forbidden City is a 1963 Chinese movie of the Huangmei Opera genre

Synopsis

After aiding in the relief efforts of a famine at Chenzhou, Lord Pao made his way back to the capital. At the bridge of Caiqiao, he encountered a strange wind that held him up. As the winds died down, a poor villager, Fan Zhonghua, approached him as his foster mother seek an audience. Intrigued, Lord Pao patiently listened to the blind woman who asked for his help to address an injustice done to her 20 years ago.

The old woman was Concubine Li. During the feast to celebrate Emperor Renzong's prosperous reign, she informed him of her pregnancy. Afraid for her position, Concubine Lin also pretended to be with child as well. The pleased Emperor announced that whomever gave birth to a son would be the Empress. Months later, concubine Li gave birth to the long awaited heir. Concubine Liu conspired with eunuch Gao Hua and replaced the baby with a dead cat. She then ordered her maid, Kou Zhou, to drown the prince at the Jinshui river. The midwife was also killed.

At the Jinshui river, Kou Zhou was in a dilemma. Eunuch Chen Li caught her just as she was about to carry out her task and was shocked when she told him what she was about to do. They frantically tried to come up with a plan as concubine Liu approached with eunuch Gao Hua. Through divine intervention, Chen Li was able to bear the child away to the Emperor's brother who took the baby, Yingzong, as his own.

An angry Emperor Renzong banished concubine Li to Yu Chen Palace. 10 years later, with no heirs, concubine Liu adopted Yingzong. One night, Yingzong inadvertaently came across concubine Li at the Yu Chen Palace. Liu was displeased and suspicious when she came upon them and questioned Kou Zhou who had charged of the prince. Intending to remove Li once and for all, Liu convinced the Emperor that Li was a curse. An order was given to burn Yu Chen Palace. Kou Zhou ran off to warn Li but this only deepened Liu's misgivings when she was found to be absent from her post. Chen Li was summoned, interrogated and forced to whip Kou Zhu. To prevent Chen Li from being forced to divulge the secret, Kou Zhu killed herself. This appeased Liu and the matter was dropped.

When Gao Hua and the soldiers arrived to burn Yu Chen Palace, they found that Li had committed suicide. Unknown to them, eunuch Yu Zhong, with supervisor's Qing's aid had taken Li's place. Qing dressed Li in Yu Zhong's robes and helped her to escape from the palace. Years later, Yingzong ascended the throne.

Lord Pao brought Li and her adopted son secretly into the capital. Citing the visitation of ghosts, he had the Emperor's consent to open up an investigation. He also managed to have Eunuch Chen Li's full cooperation after revealing that Li was still alive. Using the lantern parade to tell a tale which disturbed the Emperor greatly, Lord Pao was finally able to reveal the truth. Gao Hua was tricked into delivering himself to the court of Judge Pao but he stubbornly refused to confess. Playing on Gao Hua's fear of "Kou Zhu"'s restless spirit and the supernatural, Lord Pao finally had his confession. Empress Liu was ordered to hang herself as Yingzong welcomed Li back to the palace.

Huangmei Opera Dubbings

Ivy Ling Po
- Kou Zhu
Tsui Ping - Concubine Li
Kiang Hung - Lord Pao

Cast

Kou Zhu - Ivy Ling Po
Emperor Renzong/Yingzong - Chin Feng
Concubine Li - Ouyang Sha-fei
Concubine Liu - Kao Pao-su
Lord Pao - Ching Miao
Eunuch Chen Li -
Eunuch Gao Hua -

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