Two recent dramas offer new explanations to why the wife of Emperor Qianlong cut her hair—and got herself banished from court
Dueling costume dramas Story of Yanxi Palace and Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace have racked up a minimum combined 17 billion views, respectively, on iQiyi and Tencent’s streaming platforms.
Besides sharing a release and cast of characters based on the court of Qing Emperor Qianlong, both shows portray one of the greatest mysteries of the Qing dynasty—the sudden downfall of Qianlong’s second wife, the “Step Empress” Hoifa-Nara, supposedly for cutting her hair.
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