My Bratty Princess (2005)

The title character of this engaging historical drama is the high-spirited daughter of a General, advisor to the Emperor. Si Tu Jing frequently dresses as a man and wanders about the capital, where everyone knows her as Xiao Long Xia (Little Lobster). Although she and her friends often get into brawls and concoct shady money-making schemes, they use all of their earnings to help refugees struggling to survive in the city. Young Emperor Zhu Yun also likes to slip out of the palace incognito. Intelligent, witty and skilled in martial arts, he is concerned with stabilizing the kingdom and has great compassion for the plight of his subjects. Observing Xiao Long Xia's gang as they stage one of their scams, Zhu Yun realizes their good intentions and begins to admire Xiao Long Xia. Bai Yun Fei, the son of the Duke of Yunnan, arrives in the capital to conclude an arranged marriage to the Emperor's sister, and is mistakenly robbed by Xiao Long Xia's friends. A confrontation among these three protagonists ends in a pledge of brotherhood, with each of them unaware of the others' true identities. Political machinations within and outside the palace erupt to test this bond, while the revelation that Xiao Long Xia is really a woman stirs passionate emotions in both men. Adding to these complications is the return of the volatile Princess An Ning, whose betrothal to Bai Yun Fei takes a very rocky course due to her fiancé's infatuation with his "third sister." Si Tu Jing, on the other hand, is unaware that she is actually a princess of the previous dynasty, with a fanatic group of supporters planning a rebellion to restore her kingdom. Intrigue, romance, family honor, betrayal, and tests of loyalty and friendship all play a role as the plot weaves to its climax, in which Zhu Yun, Si Tu Jing, and Bai Yun Fei must risk everything to save their lives and the kingdom.