The Consort Dowager Shun, Niohuru Yuen-sau bears a grudge against her half-sister Niohuru Yu-yuet, the current Consort Yu because she believed that Consort Yu faked her illness during the selection ceremony so that Yuen-sau would be chosen as a concubin of the ailing Emperor, and when the Emperor dies, Yu-yuet will become the new Emperor's consort, rising in power and status and rendering Yuen-sau's status as a consort obsolete. This presumption, coupled with the intense hatred and bitterness building up in her for years caused Yuen-sau to spread rumors about Yu-yuet being an evil and manipulative person. For many years, Yu-yuet tolerated with Yuen-sau and tried her best to reconcile with her but to no avail until a kunqu troupe whom the much lauded Ko Lau Fei is a part of enters the palace that Yu-yuet had the opportunity to reach out to Yuen-sau. Because the harem forbids males from entering, the appearance of Ko Lau Fei intrigued its members including the lonely Yuen-sau and wet nurse Seung-ling, causing much distraught to Yu-yuet. The two sisters began to plot and scheme against each other, with Yuen-sau wanting to keep Ko Lau Fei in the palace and allying with the lunatic Tung Kat Hoi and Yu-yuet planning to send Ko Lau Fei out of the palace with the help of her trusted maid, Yee-ho. However, when Yu-yuet found out that Seung-ling fell in love with Ko Lau Fei, it threaten to thwart her schemes.
Production
Development and casting
In August 2011, TVB announced the development of War and Beauty II, with executive producer Jonathan Chik and executive scriptwriter Chow Yuk-ming returning to produce. Original cast members Sheren Tang, Charmaine Sheh, Moses Chan, and Kenny Wong expressed their interest in returning. Gigi Lai and Bowie Lam, both whom have won TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress and Best Actor for their performances in the original serial, rejected TVB's offer to return. Lai has retired from acting, while Lam chose to film a mainland drama production instead. In September 2011, Sheh announced her withdrawal from the cast because she was tied to filming Legend of Yuan Empire Founder. However, it was announced in April 2012 that Sheh would return in a guest role. Maggie Cheung Ho-yee, who was slated to return, also withdrew because she already signed a deal to film Nu Xiang. In October 2011, Tang and Chan has signed to return. Ada Choi, who was originally considered for a role in the original serial, was announced to join the cast. In 2002, Choi filmed a promotional trailer for War and Beauty, which was unveiled at TVB's 2003 Sales Presentation. However, due to other filming commitments, she had to withdraw. In January 2012, Wong was confirmed to return. Christine Ng was cast in a major role, and Alice Chan, was cast to guest star in an episode. A press conference with the finalized cast was held on 27 February 2012.
Sheren Tang as Niohuru Yue-yuet, Consort Yue — the elder sister of Consort Dowager Shun. She is the mother of the fifth prince and a deceased princess.
Ada Choi as Buyamuci Seung-ling — the nanny of the fifth prince. She spreads rumors and gossips of the harem outside the Forbidden City.
Christine Ng as Niohuru Yuen-sau, Consort Dowager Shun — Consort Yue's younger sister. She is the Consort of the Late Qianlong Emperor and is envious of Consort Yu for being Jiaqing's consort. She spreads fake rumors of her sister within the Forbidden City, in which her rumors constitute the events that occur in the alternate universe of War and Beauty.
Moses Chan as Ko Lau-fei — a famous Kunqu opera artist. Chan portrayed Hung Mo, a palace guard, in the original serial, and reprised the role in Consort Yue's dream sequence in the finale.
Kenny Wong as Tung Kat-hoi — a palace inmate who has a mental disorder. He believes Muk-do-yee will be the person that will bring him and his family fortune. Wong portrayed Sheung Wing-luk, a palace eunuch, in the original serial.
Stephen Ho as Buyamuci Ba-chat — the husband of Seung-ling and the father of Muk-doh-yee.
Leung Ka-ki as Siburu Yeuk-kwai — Consort Dowager Shun's maid.
Christine Kuo as Baigyia Chin-yui — Consort Yue's maid.
Pako Au as Aisin Gioro Min-yu, the Fifth Prince' — the son of Consort Yue and Emperor Jiaqing.
Reception
While the original War and Beauty was met with widespread critical acclaim, the public did not respond well to Beauty at War. Many blamed the scripting and slow pace of the story for the failure of the series, making it a disappointment despite generating much hype before its premiere. During its 4th week run, the series only managed to garner a 19-point ratings, marking an all-time low for a big budget TVB production. This has caused cast member Sheren Tang to publicly speak out against the drama's producers and scriptwriters for last minute changes to the scripts and the long hours of filming. Not all reviews were negative, however, as the public had also praised the performance of Ada Choi in episode 19, who portrayed the wet nurse, Seung-ling, where she lamented over the loss of her three children, saying that she deserved to win the Best Actress award at the annual TVB Anniversary Awards.
