Plot
Gong Choi-king is forced back into the palace with her daughter, Lau Sam-ho and their servant, Yiu Kam-ling. Gong Choi-King comes from a very talented background of jewellery making, therefore she was assigned the task of making a beautiful, gold hairpiece in the shape of a phoenix, with a luminous pearl as the eye and the feathers of a river kingfisher as the tail for the Empress Dowager. However, during the Empress' daily walk around the imperial garden, the phoenix headpiece suddenly cries into tears of blood. Taking this as a sign of bad luck, she throws the hair piece away and demands the jewellery maker to be severely punished. Gong Choi-King suffers harsh beating as her punishment and eventually passes away. Before passing away, she tells Sam-ho to always remember the significance of her name. (Sam-ho literally means three goodness) She also tells her to help and work together with Kam-ling as if they are related sisters.
Around the time of Choi-king's death, Dowager Concubine Cheng's son, Lee Yi (prince) encounters the six years old Sam-ho. He showed kindness to Sam-ho by giving her some white flowers from Choi-king's favourite tree (Chinese
viburnums (瓊花) so she can take it to her dying mother. Empress Dowager was still very angry because of the hair piece and asked the new head of the Jewellery department, Yuen Chui-wan to shatter it. However, Yuen Chui-wan believed that the hairpiece is a one of a kind masterpiece, therefore she injures her own hand to protect it. She tells Empress Dowager that the hair piece is full of bad luck and if it is shattered all the bad luck will emmense into the air. Taking this as an advantage Empress Dowager forces Dowager Concubine Cheng to wear the hair piece and tells her because of her good spirit she can block the bad luck from the entering the palace. After a short period of time bad luck begins to happen to Dowager Concubine Cheng and her son Lee Yi. The story was told that Lee Yi fell off a tree, while trying to reach for his kite. The fall injured his head causing his brain to remain as a 6 year old boy forever. Lee Yi uses this mental illness as an excuse to escape the imminenet death threat from the Empress Dowager, Sam-ho gives him some sweet lotus seed candy to comfort him on the journey. Because of this, the young prince begins to develop a small affection for her.
The Imperial Household Bureau is responsible for managing and directing all household services to the Emperor and the Imperial family of the Tang Dynasty. It is made up of four departments, namely the Houses of Jewellery, Attire, Food, and Furnishing. Sam-ho and Kam-ling are introduced into the bureau in their childhood and are brought up as the disciples in the palace. The two girls are very diligent. Yuen Tsui-wan, Head of the Jewels, and Chung Suet-ha, Head of Attire, are both very fond of Sam-ho for she is a kind-hearted young girl and shows great capabilities in the decorative arts of jewellery and silk work. Both of them fight bitterly to have Sam-ho in their departments. In the end, Sam-ho is assigned to Department of Attire while, Kam-Ling is assigned to the Department of Jewellery.
Years later, Sam-ho meets Ko Hin-yeung, a palace scholar and also a chess teacher, the two shares a secret love compassion for one and another. The young prince Yi, has now grown up and he is returning to the palace. Later on in the series he becomes the Emperor after an evading assassinations with the help of Sam-ho and Hin-yeung. He promotes Hin-yeung as the Palace General because of his faithfulness. Sam-ho later becomes the Head of the Jewel Department. Even though the Emperor has deep feeling for Sam-ho and wants to have Sam-ho as his concubine, he decides to bury his feeling for her when he discovers that Hin-yeung and Sam-ho are deeply in love and they were planning to leave the palace together once the emperor was safe.
Sam-ho and Kam-ling continue to enjoy a very close friendship, treating each other as sisters and this provokes jealousy among other palace girl servants. Time and again some of them will try to get Sam-ho and Kam-ling into trouble. However, Sam-ho's honesty and kind attitude endears many powerful people in the palace and they always come to her aid. Whereas, Kam-ling uses her cunning mind to get rid of her enemies. As time passed, Kam-ling realised in order to protect herself from the bullying and to be able to survive in the palace she has to be someone who is powerful and respected. Therefore, she slowly works on a scheme to gain favour of the Empress Dowager Cheng, Yi's mother. She was eventually chosen as one of the Yi's concubines. From there she works on a bigger scheme to get rid of all her competitors, which eventually includes Sam-ho.
Pelakon-Pelakon
Cast
Lau family
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Yu Yang | Lau Chong-pai
劉松柏 | Lau Sam-ho's father
Died in Episode 25 (Poisoned by Head of Army) |
| Crystal Tin | Kong Choi-king
江採瓊 | Lau Sam-ho's mother
Died in Episode One due to wounds from the punishment. |
| Charmaine Sheh | Lau Sam-ho
劉三好 | Palace Maid→Assistant Head of Jewellery→Head of Jewellery Proceedings (Episode 14)→Concubine Tak (Episode 31)
Go Hin-yeung's Wife (Episode 25)
Lee Yi's Crush
Leaves the palace and gives birth to Hin-yeung's daughter, sees him.(Episode 33) |
| Tavia Yeung | Yiu Kam-ling
姚金鈴 | Palace Maid→Assistant Head of Jewellery →Concubine Lai (Episode 16)
Miscarriages (Episode 20)
Kills Bo Gut-Chong in Ep.22 (Revealed in Ep.23)
Frames Concubine Yin (Yin Fei) and her mother, Suen Ka-bik.
Becomes mentally unstable in Episode 33
(Main Villain) |
Lee family
Inner palace
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Susan Tse | Grand Empress Dowager Kwok
郭太皇太后 | Killed by Head of Army (Episode 14) |
| Mary Hon | Empress Dowager Cheng
鄭太后 | Lee Yi's mother
killed by Concubine Lai (Episode 32) |
| Tavia Yeung | Concubine Lai (Lai Fei)
麗妃;also 姚金玲 | Concubine to Lee Yi
Episode 16 |
| Selena Li | Concubine Yin (Yin Fei)
賢妃;also 万宝賢 | Concubine to Lee Yi
Episode 16
Miscarriage and died in episode 31
(killed by Concubine Lai) |
| Charmaine Sheh | Concubine Tak (Tak Fei)
德妃； | Concubine to Lee Yi
Married to Ko Hin-yeung in Episode 25
Later leaves the palace
Episode 31 |
| Tracy Ip | Noble Concubine Wong
王貴妃 | Concubine to Lee Chin |
| Mandy Cho | Concubine Wai
惠妃 | Concubine to Lee Chin
Died in episode 9 (killed by Head of Army) |
| Lily Li | Tsui Ma-Ma
徐媽媽 | Maid of the Empress Dowager Kwok
Beheaded in episode 7
(Villain) |
Man family
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Cheung Kwok Keung | Man Gim-fung
萬劍鋒 | General
Father of Man Po-yin
Paralysed in Episode 30
Married to Yuen Chui-wan in Episode 33 |
| Yvonne Lam | Suen Ka-bik
孫家碧 | Man Po-yin's mother
Cousin of Ma Yuen-zi
Executed in episode 21
Was Accused For Using Dark Magic That Caused Concubine Lai's Miscarriage
(Villain) |
| Selena Li | Man Po-yin
萬寶賢 | Concubine to Lee Yi
Daughter of Man Gim-fung and Suen Ka-bik
Died in episode 31 (killed by Concubine Lai) |
Ko family
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Kwok Fung | Ko Yiu-On
高耀安 | Palace Chess Teacher
Hin-yeung's father
Died in Episode 25 (Poisoned by Head of Army) |
| Kevin Cheng | Ko Hin-yeung
高顯揚 | Palace Chess Teacher→Palace General
Marries Sam-ho in Episode 25
Assumed to have amnesia due to incident in Episode 31
Loses his memory in Episode 33 |
[edit]Imperial household bureau
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Ching Hor Wai | Choi Jong-ping
蔡仲屏 | Head of Palace Proceedings
Retired and stripped of her status and possessions in Episode 19
Assumed dead due to terminal liver illness |
| Michelle Yim | Chung Suet-ha
鍾雪霞 | Head of Embroidery Proceedings→Head of Palace Proceedings (Episode 22)
Marries Bo Gut-chong on his deathbed |
| Susanna Kwan | Yuen Chui-wan
阮翠雲 | Assistant Head of Jewellery→Head of Jewellery Proceedings (Episode 1)→Head of Furnishings (Episode 14)→ Head of Furnishings & Embroidery Proceedings(Episode 22)
Married to Man Gim-fung in Episode 33 |
| Kara Hui | Tam Yim-suen
譚艷裳 | Head of Food & Beverages Proceedings
Niece of Choi Jong-ping
(Semi-Villain up to Episode 19) |
| Rosanne Lui | Wu So-yan
胡素恩 | Head of Furnishings Proceedings (died in Episode 13, committed suicide)
Tried to poison Yuen Chui-wan. |
| Yoyo Chen | Chin Fei-yin
錢飛燕 | Palace Maid
Kam Ling's personal maid.
Betray Concubine Lai to reveal her guilt to Lee Yi (Episode 33)
(semi-villain) |
[edit]Servants in the palace
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Lee Kwok Lun | Ma Yuen-zi
馬元贄 | Head Eunuch
Commander Imperial household troops(Villain)
Cousin of Suen ka-bik
Godfather of Concubine Yin
Died in Episode 33 (stabbed by concubine Lai)
(Main Villain) |
| Ram Chiang | Bo Gut-chong
布吉祥 | Head Servant in the Palace
Bo Siu-shun's Adopted Father
Died in episode 22 (Killed by Concubine Lai)
Married to Chung Suet-ha on deathbed |
| Vin Choi | Bo Siu-shun
布小順 | Servant in the Palace
The Mistaken son of Man Gim-fung and Yuen Choi-wan (Episode 24), later god son
Bo Gut-chong's adopted son
Chung Suet-ha's god son |
| Lau Dan | Li Tak-yu
李德裕 | Prime Minister and Lee Chin's friend
Died of illness in episode 27 |
| Leo Tsang | Physician Si
史太醫 | The Royal Surgeon
Bribed by concubine Lai to assist killing Suen Ka-pik, Man Po-yin and Empress Dowager Cheng
Died in Episode 32 (killed on Ma Yuen-zi's command)
(Villain) |
