隨著清軍南下，南明一息將盡，朱術桂與大批明宗室展開流亡，投靠鄭成功暫居廈門、金門避亂。逃亡王室中不乏醉生夢死庸魯之輩，隆武帝封朱術桂為寧靖王擔任監軍，於公勵精圖治、性格溫文秀雅的朱術桂在流寓王室中特別受鄭成功敬重，每有封拜官員必邀請觀禮，也不時一同策論軍政。

南明亡、鄭成功也逝世後，繼任的鄭經邀請寧靖王渡海到東寧王國，仍任監軍。改朝換代同時改掉了明室遺老遺少的生活，昔日慣受的禮遇轉變成賜地開墾，能否開闢新天地進而安眾身、立天命，成了舊王室生存的挑戰。

朱術桂分到萬年州（今高雄竹滬一帶）開墾，十數年間興水利開月眉池，鼓勵漢人與原住民多交流合作，受到百姓愛戴。此歷程中，他曾經失根飄泊的全府上下，也認知要生根臺灣。奈何劇變又來，東寧王國鄭克塽與清廷議定投降，寧靖王不願被押解北京，留下絕命詩：「艱辛避海外，總為幾根髮。於今事畢矣，祖宗應容納。」，與家中五位妻妾選擇了自縊明志。

這更留下歷史懸案。寧靖王身後，府城留下了五妃廟，這背倚墳塚、傳統上歸類為厲祠的廟，三百多年來總有水粉妝鏡默默祭祀不絕。傳說中的寧靖王墳區，百姓不忍他被掘棺戮辱，竟佈陳一百多個空墳以欺敵，直到二十世紀日本軍隊挖寶，才意外揭開歷史的封印……。

《Empty Coffin Mystery 》

As the Qing Dynasty forces moved south, the Southern Ming was on its last breath. Zhu Shugui and a large number of Ming royal family members began to flee and sought refuge with Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong), temporarily residing in Xiamen and Jinmen to avoid chaos. Among the fleeing royal family members, there were many drunk and dreaming, mediocre and foolish people. However, Zhu Shugui was very different. Appointed by Ming Emperor Longwu as Ningjing King to supervise the military, Zhu Shugui, who was diligent in public affairs and had a gentle and elegant character, was particularly respected by Koxinga, who would always invite him to attend any ceremony in the appointment of officials and to discuss military affairs from time to time.

After the fall of the Southern Ming and the death of Koxinga, his successor Zheng Jing invited Ningjing King to cross the Taiwan Strait to the Kingdom of Tungling, where he still assumed the position of Military Supervisor. However, the change of dynasties also changed the fate of the remaining Ming royal family members. The courtesy they used to receive was transformed into being granted land for reclamation. Whether they could open up new territories and thus secure their people and establish their destiny became a challenge for the survival of the old royal family.

Zhu Shugui was assigned to Wannian Prefecture (now Luzhu District of Kaohsiung City) for reclamation. Over the course of more than ten years, he developed water conservancy and opened the Yue Mei Pond and encouraged more exchanges and cooperation between Han people and aborigines, thus wining the respect and love of the people. During this process, he and his entire family, who had once lost their roots and drifted away, also realized that they had to take root in Taiwan. However, the upheaval came again. Zheng Keshuang, king of Kingdom of Tungling, surrendered to the Qing court. Ningjing King was unwilling to be escorted to Beijing and left a deadly poem: "Avoid hardship overseas, all for a few strands of hair. Now everything is over. Ancestors should accept." He and his five wives and concubines chose to hang themselves to show their loyalty to the Ming Dynasty.

This leaves a historical mystery. After Ningjing King’s death, the Temple of Five Concubines was left behind in now the Tainan City. This temple, which leans against a tomb and is traditionally classified as a Li Shrine (shrine for ghosts), has been silently worshipped with powder and mirrors for more than three hundred years. On the other hand, in the legendary cemetery of Ningjing King were laid out more than one hundred empty tombs to deceive the enemy, because people could not bear to see him being dug up and humiliated. It was not until the Japanese army dug for treasure in the 20th century that the seal of history was accidentally lifted…

【製作團隊】

藝術總監│林金鶯

製作人│林鳳仙

導演│江俊賢

副導演│羅裕誴

原著編劇│劉秀庭

劇本修編│羅文惜、江俊賢

音樂設計│莊家煜

配器設計│呂冠儀

司鼓領導│王沛姍

即時影像設計顧問│李勻

影像設計│宇劭工作室

燈光設計│金皇鷹電視木偶劇團

燈光音響硬體│金皇鷹舞台燈光音響

舞台監督│邱士哲

音響執行│陳皇寶

燈光執行│劉敬恩

燈光技術│邱士哲

影像執行│吳佳樺

主視覺設計│鄭宇劭

服裝設計│大峰奢華服裝公司、唐華工作室

書法題字│彭泰榕

武術指導│林藝宸

舞台美學│朱金鐘(臺灣機關佈景戲館)

影視梳化│蔡宜岑、鄭雅騰

領銜主演│林金鶯、林月鶯、羅裕誴、羅文君、羅文惜、張燕玲、羅孟宏、黃浩詠、陳民福、吳承恩

指導單位│臺南市政府

主辦單位│臺南市政府文化局、財團法人台南市文化基金會、鶯藝歌劇團

合辦單位│永康區公所