The Emperor and the Assassin

Synopsis

During the third century B.C., an ambitious King, Ying Zheng, is obsessed with unifying all of China and becoming its first emperor. To this end, he embarks upon a reign of terror and brutality against anyone standing between him and his destiny. Hoping to contribute in some way to Ying Zheng's dream of Chinese unification Lady Zhao, his lover from childhood, devises an intricate assassination plot against Ying Zheng, which, when "uncovered", will provide him with a legitimate excuse to invade the neighboring kingdom of Yan, his greatest obstacle to unification. When Ying Zheng discovers a painful secret about his birth, it triggers a cold-blooded desire within him to kill anyone who might know... After he unleashes a bloody assault on her beloved homeland, Lady Zhao, no longer able to accept his ruthlessness, is forced to turn against her lover. From the neighboring Kingdom of Yan, she supports a plot to assassinate Ying Zheng...