Alec Su
Former boyband members Alec Su (Yongqi) and Julian Chen (Fu Ertai) of the disbanded Xiao Hu Dui—neither with much acting experience—and TV star Zhang Tielin (Qianlong Emperor) were the only notable cast members. Due to budget limitations, many cast members were film school students like Zhao. Many of the older actors had limited television experience: Zhou Jie (Fu Erkang) was a stage actor with the National Theatre Company of China, while Dai Chunrong (the empress) was a qinqiang actress.