Coming from the Ula-Nara clan of the Plain Yellow Banner with the birth name Qingying (青櫻), she is the niece of the Empress Ula-Nara Yixiu.

Childhood friends with Qianlong Emperor, she was initilally chosen to be his first wife before her family's position in the Imperial Family was compromised. Wanting to distance herself from her past and make amends, she was given the name Ruyi (如懿), meaning 'beautiful and quiet' (美好安靜), reminding her that she must be calm if she wants to have a peaceful life in the palace. While she is referred to as her titles, she is often called Ruyi in private by Dowager Empress and Qianlong Emperor.

Due to her past relationship with Qianlong Emperor, she is despised by the women in the Imperial Harem and suffered trials and tribulations as a result. She is eventually promoted to Step Empress but her relationship between her and Qianlong Emperor eventually deteriorated as time passed. Her death causes great pain and guilt to Qianlong Emperor up to the day he dies. Her legacy remains a mystery for years to come, as Qianlong Emperor ordered all records and documents of her to be destroyed after her death.

The fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor and Dowager Empress's adoptive son.

Childhood friends with Ruyi, he was named the next successor to the throne after his older brother's dismissal and forced to choose Ruyi as his second wife instead of his first. While he is talented and politically capable, he is revealed to be insecure and selfish as time passes. Appearances matter to him, as he intentionally hide the true reality of the Imperial Court to the outside world, and puts on a show to pretend he genuinely cares for the Imperial Family and Imperial Harem. Despite vowing to protect Ruyi, he lets his ego and indulgence control his decisions over Ruyi's well-being. As he grows older, his weaknesses cause him to fall victim to Consort Ling's influence and becomes a shadow of a man Ruyi used to love.

Qianlong Emperor eventually realizes the error of his ways and attempts to reconcile with Ruyi until her death. Out of guilt and as a final attempt of making things right, he removed all traces of her (paintings, records, etc.) from the Imperial Court as a means to set her free.

Initially an embroidery maid in Prince Hongli's residence named Hailan and eventually promoted to become Noble Consort Yu.

Gentle yet determined, she is a loyal friend and confidante of Ruyi. Hailan was first taken advantage of by Prince Hongli on a drunken occasion when she was an embroidery maid prior to his ascension. To preserve her dignity and prevent her from being further bullied, Ruyi helped her become a mistress in the Imperial Harem and she eventually became known as Noble Consort Yu. Her only son, Prince Yongqi, was adopted by Ruyi and, in later years, became Qianlong Emperor's favorite son until his death. Hailan is an exceptionally influential member of the Imperial Harem and makes use of her influence to deal with the concubines and consorts who stand in Ruyi's way.

She serves as the messenger that helped Ruyi expose Yanwan's actions to Qianlong Emperor.

Qianlong Emperor's adoptive mother and Dowager Empress during Qianlong Emperor's reign.

Although she appears to share a civil relationship with her son, they are wary and suspicious of each other. In order to ensure that she continues to thrive in the Imperial Court, she places concubines that are subservient to her by Qianlong Emperor's side and manipulates some consorts like Ruyi to influence him.

She initially dislikes Ruyi because of her familial relationship with Empress Xiaojing, but later grows to respect her for her intelligence and her pure love for the Qianlong Emperor, becoming an ally to her in the end. However, some of her tasks that she asked Ruyi to perform ended up causing strain on Ruyi's relationship with Qianlong Emperor as well as the rest of the family.

She was the second voice that sealed Yanwan's fate at the end of the series.

Ling Yunche (凌雲徹)

Imperial guard of the Cold Palace → Imperial guard of Kunning Palace → Lanling Imperial guard → Imperial guard of the 3rd rank → Slave → Imperial guard of the 2nd rank → Imperial guard of the 1st rank → Eunuch of Yikun Palace

An imperial guard that helped Ruyi survive the Cold Palace. He was Consort Ling's first love and eventually Miaoqian's husband.

Ling Yunche had hoped to marry Yanwan but her selfish and greedy goals, as well as her obligations to her family, caused their relationship to fall apart. He first met Ruyi and her maid at the Cold Palace and, assigned by Yuhu, had protected them for years. For his loyalty and efforts, he rose into the ranks of being an Imperial Guard. Despite rejecting him, Yanwan made sure of his suffering because of her belief that he loves Ruyi and successfully persuaded Qianlong Emperor to believe that both he and Ruyi were having an affair. Under the Emperor's orders, Ling Yunche suffered tremendously before Hailan ordered his execution, as a means to appease the Emperor and stop the rumors from hurting Ruyi.

He provided the ring he had given to Yanwan as an expression of their love to Hailan, a physical proof against his former lover.

Formerly the concubine of then-Fourth Prince and eventually promoted as Imperial Noble Consort Hui.

A skilled Pipa player who is proficient in the Chinese Four Arts and a favored consort of Qianlong Emperor during the earlier years of his reign. Because of her father's status and popularity in court, she is obnoxious and ill-tempered, often abusing her authority. She maintains a great alliance with Empress Fuca and Consort Jia, and is the person who acts against the other concubines for her own benefits. She often plots against Ruyi, knowing it would make the Empress happy, and at one point, plots to adopt 1st Prince Yonghuang in the hopes that it would help her gain independence from the Empress.

Due to her health, Qianlong had never wanted to impregnate her because of the risks of her illness passing down to the heir. However, this is due to the fact that Empress Dowager had ordered Imperial Physician Qi Ru to secretly poison her; the reason being, her father, Gao Bin, forced Empress Dowager's first daughter Hengti to marry into a Mongol tribe. She becomes erratic and paranoid, believing that Aruo is haunting her, thus her ties with the Empress is severed when Ruyi exposed the fact that it was Empress Fuca who made her infertile.

On her death bed, she exposed Empress Fuca's crimes to Qianlong Emperor, and gave him scabies as a parting gift.

Formerly the first wife of then-Fourth Prince and eventually the Empress Fuca.

Elegant and dignified, she presents herself as a respected, virtuous, and frugal Empress but is insecure, paranoid, and jealous. Her high expectations indirectly caused the death of her 2nd Prince Yonglian and her grudge against Ruyi initially being the First Wife cause her to often act against her. She allies with Noble Consort Hui and Consort Jia, making it her personal mission to make Ruyi suffer in the harem.

Upon Noble Consort Hui's death, Empress Fuca's alliance and popularity starts to fade within the harem. With the deaths of her sons and her 1st Princess Jingse married to a Mongol tribe, she eventually succumbs to her illness, aggravated by near-death drowning. Just before her death, she pleaded Qianlong not to promote Ruyi to Empress and curses his next Empress to suffer his cold shoulder like she did. Empress Fuca is memorialized throughout his reign and her funeral was admirable compared to past Empresses.

A favored concubine of Qianlong Emperor from Joseon that rose and fell in rank over the years.

Consort Jia is a Joseon woman who practices Confuscianism, her maiden religion, in secret. In the public eye, she presents herself as an ally of Empress Fuca who is subservient but is often a gossiper with no limitations. In secret, she is manipulative, shrewd, and is the mastermind behind Imperial Noble Consort Hui and Empress Fuca's demise. She accuses Ruyi of an affair and plants physical evidence, all in an attempt to become the Step-Empress as a favor to her true lover, the Crown Prince of Joseon. With this failure, Consort Jia then tries to gain favor for her 4th Prince Yongcheng by rallying her maiden clan and the popular duchesses to name her son as Crown Prince.

Once her plans, including the plot to assassinate the Emperor, were discovered, she was demoted to Commoner and commits suicide to save her deposed sons the embarrassment of a mother like her. Before her death, Ruyi revealed to her that the King of Joseon never loved her because she was actually common-born.

Her posthumous title of Imperial Noble Consort Shujia; her name is a homophone for "loser" (输家).

Palace maid → Palace maid of Consort Chun → Palace Maid of the Royal Garden → Palace Maid of Consort Jia → Second Class Female Attendant Wei (衛答應) → First Class Female Attendant Wei (衛常在) → Noble Lady Ling (炩貴人) → Concubine Ling (炩嬪) → Consort Ling (炩妃) → Second Class Female Attendant Wei (衛答應) → Noble Lady Ling (炩貴人) → Concubine Ling (炩嬪) → Consort Ling (炩妃) → Noble Consort Ling (炩貴妃) → Imperial Noble Consort Ling (炩皇貴妃) → Imperial Noble Consort Lingyi (炩懿皇貴妃, posthumous)

Initially a former maid named Wei Yanwan that was a Ruyi look-a-like who rose in rank.

Yanwan was always driven by obligations to her family, particularly her mother, since the shame of her father's demotion and was regarded as the main breadwinner. Because of this, her aspiration was always about money and, because Ling Yunche was a lowly guard, she often used his connections and took advantage of him for mere favors. Yanwan ultimately became Consort Jia's maid and suffered endlessly due to her similar looks to Ruyi and for trying to seduce Qianlong.

Yanwan is forced to ally with junior eunuch Jinzhong who helped her climb in ranks and maintain the Emperor's meager favors by granting him favors that could damage his health or reputation. With their alliance, Ling Yunche was banished to Mulan Grounds (who later returned), many consorts and heirs died, and the relationship between Ruyi and Qianlong Emperor fell apart. Even when she became part of Qianlong harem, her feelings towards Ling Yunche didn't subside. When she discovered that Ling Yunche had feelings for Ruyi, her hatred for her grew and she became more determined to take her down. Despite holding the title of Imperial Noble Consort after Ruyi's house arrest, she fails to maintain the allegiance of the Mongol consorts, educate her son properly, and even fails to trust her closest allies. For the sake of her own evil ambitions, she even sacrificed her mother and brother. As she rapidly loses her allies one by one, her crimes are then exposed to Qianlong Emperor. She was sentenced to consume poison everyday until her last breath.

Despite her end, her youngest son was named heir and became Jiaqing Emperor as he was the only eligible child of Qianlong to succeed him. He also promotes her to Empress Xiaoyichun posthumously after the death of Qianlong Emperor as an act of filial piety.

Zhongcui Palace

A concubine of then-Fourth Prince and eventually promoted to Imperial Noble Consort Chun.

Naïve and kind, she is manipulated often by the women of the Imperial Harem to unknowingly help with their machinations and sometimes works against Ruyi for her own agenda. Initially recommended to be the next Empress to succeed Empress Fuca, she fell out of favor but remained an important figure of the Imperial Harem when Ruyi became Step Empress. She is a major ally to Ruyi and Noble Consort Yu, and ended up caring for her former foster son Prince Yonghuang when she was sent to The Cold Palace. Until the end of her life, she served as Ruyi's confidant alongside Noble Consort Yu.

She fell from further favor as Ruyi began clashing with Qianlong Emperor and siding with the former. At the end of her life, she was granted the title Imperial Noble Consort but died from illness before her ceremony.

A concubine of then-Fourth Prince and eventually promoted to Consort Wan.

Timid and complacent, she remains neutral on harem politics and does not dare to aim higher, despite always vying for the Emperor's favor. Despite having a good relationship with the Step Empress, Yanwan manipulated her desire to gain favor and her penmanship skills to further separate Qianlong Emperor from Ruyi and lose custody of Prince Yongji.

Ruyi described Consort Wan as a "rare, good person" and forgave her for her actions before Consort Wan vowed to make amends.

Jingyang Palace

A maid of Empress Fuca turned concubine of then-Fourth Prince and eventually promoted to Noble Lady Yi.

Empress Fuca and Imperial Noble Consort Hui despised her for receiving favor and caused her to miscarry. She was manipulated to believe that Ruyi was responsible and attempted to assassinate her when they lived together.

Noble Lady Yi committed suicide soon after.

Qixiang Palace

A former maid of Ruyi named A'ruo promoted to be Concubine Shen. At the start of the series, Aruo was more subservient but, as the story progressed, she becomes more conceited and superior due to her father's abilities in court. Since her punishment by Noble Consort Hui for badmouthing Lianxin, Aruo is bitter against her mistress Ruyi and secretly conspires with Empress Fuca and Noble Consort Hui against her. She played a crucial role to have Ruyi blamed entirely for the deaths of two royal heirs and then promoted to First Attendant Shen. Despite entering the harem and rising fast in ranks, Aruo's actions are offensive and the other consorts dread her. This is because Qianlong used her against her co-conspirators to make them jealous and isolate Aruo.

Ruyi's return to the palace and the reinvestigation into the murders of the royal heirs cause Aruo to be erratic and paranoid. With no allies and her family held hostage against her, she admits to the acting alone on the murder charge. Concubine Shen was sent to The Cold Palace as a commoner and committed suicide shortly.

Yonghe Palace

A musician promoted to Concubine Mei.

A yueqin player, Concubine Mei was the first of many spies sent by Dowager Empress as a means of spying on Qianlong Emperor and having control over the harem. Despite initially being favored, the loss of her child and decline in health led her to lose favor. Through many manipulations, she was led to believe that Ruyi, Aruo, Noble Consort Hui, and Empress Fuca were responsible for her child's death. Manipulated by Consort Jia, Concubine Mei killed Empress Fuca's son by making him contract smallpox. She was eventually used as a scapegoat by Qianlong Emperor to weaken Empress Dowager's control by causing Concubine Qing to be infertile.

As punishment for her crimes, she is forced to commit suicide. Ruyi prepared the death to ensure that Concubine Mei is reunited with her son in the afterlife.

A noble lady promoted to be Consort Shu.

One of Dowager Empress's spies, Consort Shu was trained to be the ideal partner for the Qianlong Emperor and entered into the Imperial Harem after a dancing performance. Straightforward and good-natured, she keeps to herself and believes that her love for the Qianlong Emperor is reciprocated and, therefore, she stayed loyal to him despite her alliance with the Empress Dowager. She is one of Ruyi's allies and resents the other scheming concubines.

However, Qianlong Emperor always knew that she was a spy and had secretly ordered for contraceptive medication for her to consume to prevent her pregnancy. Oblivious to this, eventually Consort Shu gave up on the idea of pregnancy and, ironically became pregnant with 10th Prince. She is heartbroken that her child was born with a weak frame and sent out to be raised by Duke and Duchess of Narqian, and became inconsolable upon her son's death. When Yanwan secretly revealed to her that it was due to Qianlong Emperor's contraceptive medication that caused her son's ill health, she then learns from him that he had always been wary of her. She commits suicide via arson in her own palace.

Consort Qing is one of Empress Dowager's spies but has very little sway over the Emperor. She is very naive and often sides with any consorts that are favored, such as Consorts Jia and Ling. She was poisoned by Concubine Mei, conspired by Qianlong Emperor, and has become infertile.

She eventually became in charge of raising Yanwan's son, the future Jiaqing Emperor, after the latter's death.

A Mongolian concubine promoted to be Concubine Ke.

The first member of the Imperial Harem from Mongolia, she is a descendant of Mongolian Royalty and is close with Noble Consort Ying.

She remains loyal to Ruyi and has a great dislike for Yanwan and Consort Jia.

A Mongolian concubine promoted to be Noble Consort Ying.

Spirited and eloquent yet blunt, she is the second member of the Imperial Harem from Mongolia and regarded as a "Southern Beauty" who became very favored by the Qianlong Emperor. Like Concubine Ke, she remains loyal to Ruyi and has a great dislike for Consorts Ling and Jia. She serves as a representative for all the Mongolian Harem members. She lost her fetus when Consort Jia's dog lunged at her and 5th Princess Jingsi. Under the Qianlong Emperor's order, Consort Ying raised Yanwan's daughter Jingyuan after her demotion for suspicion of black magic and fighting for favor. She often fights with Yanwan over their daughter, with one occasion that greatly offended Empress Dowager.

Consort Ying caused a rift between Yanwan and 1st Princess Jingse, which allowed Qianlong to find out Yanwan is not properly educating her son.

A Mongolian concubine promoted to be Consort Yu.

Arrogant, defiant, and another descendant of Mongolian royalty, she quickly became favored by Qianlong Emperor due to her exuberance. However, this is a farce to play on his favoritism so she can gain political information for her father. When she attempted to use an aphrodisiac on him, she is promoted out of respect to her clan but placed under house arrest. Under Yanwan's orders, she masterminded an assassination attempt on 12th Prince YongJi and created an opportunity to cement the rumors regard the supposed affair between Ruyi and Ling Yunche using his wife Maoqian.

She was put to death when Maoqian's proof was insufficient.

A Han princess promoted to Consort Rong. Xiangjian was brought in as a tribute by General Zhaohui after her tribe was defeated by the Qing army.

Her beauty, that captivated Qianglong Emperor, enticed fear and jealousy in the Imperial Harem as she was quickly favored. Despite his apparent and heavy favor towards her, Xiangjian abhors him and maintains her loyalty to her deceased fiance Han Qi. She relents only when Ruyi convinced her to live for Han Qi's memories, as well as for her clan. Nevertheless, the choice to live on does not dissuade her to choose infertility, which she asks of Ruyi and Ruyi delivers reluctantly. By allowing her to go through with her choice, Ruyi's relationship with Qianlong Emperor greatly strained but Consort Rong was still favored.

Consort Rong remained loyal to Ruyi for helping her become infertile and became Qianlong Emperor's voice of reason, criticizing him when he acts against Ruyi out of spite or pettiness. Her clan on the borders helped Ruyi retained a witness against Yanwan: Yanwan's brother Zuolu who was banished there.

A lady who enters the Imperial Harem along with Concubine Ke and First Attendant Xi. Originally siding with Consort Jia, she ended up being close to Consort Ying. She, as well as Concubine Ke and First Attendant Xi were picked to serve Qianlong Emperor while Ruyi and Jia were pregnant.

She hates Yanwan and stays loyal to Ruyi.

A lady who enters the Imperial Harem along with Concubine Ke and First Attendant Gong. Originally siding with Consort Jia, she ended up being close to Consort Ying. She, as well as Concubine Ke and First Attendant Gong were picked to serve Qianlong Emperor while Ruyi and Jia were pregnant.

She hates Yanwan and stays loyal to Ruyi.

Enters the palace at the same time as Consort Yu. She sides with Yanwan.

A former maid who entered the palace when Ruyi is promoted to Imperial Noble Consort and became part of the Imperial Harem.

She sides with Yanwan.

A former maid who entered the palace when Ruyi is promoted to Imperial Noble Consort and became part of the Imperial Harem.

Entered the palace at the same time as Consort Yu.

Entered the palace at the same times as Consort Yu.

A member of Yanwan's posse.

A member of Yanwan's posse.

Father of Qianlong Emperor and the previous Emperor at the beginning of the series.

His decision to take Third Prince out of the line of succession and make Qianlong Emperor his successor forced the latter to initially rescind his decision to make Ruyi his difujin. Despite his orders, he saw how much his son loved her and allowed him to have Ruyi as his son's cefujin so long as Qianlong Emperor takes Empress Fuca as difujin and Imperial Noble Consort Hui as Mistress. He is shown to have a soft spot for Ruyi due to her being Empress Xiaojing's niece.

Yongzheng Emperor died six years after Ruyi's marriage to Qianlong Emperor.

Secondary Consort of Prince Yong of the Second Rank → Primary Consort of Prince Yong of the First Rank → Empress → 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘟𝘪𝘢𝘰𝘫𝘪𝘯𝘨 → 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘟𝘪𝘢𝘰𝘫𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘹𝘪𝘢𝘯 (posthumously)

Aunt of Ruyi, legal mother of Third Prince, and the previous Empress at the beginning of the series.

Empress Xiaojing was exposed for her role in the previous Empress's death as well as her legal son's attempt at usurping the throne. As a result, Empress Xiaojin was placed under house arrest and the Ula-Nara clan's reputation was compromised. It is revealed that then-Consort Xi, now Dowager Empress, disclosed this information as a means of making Qianlong Emperor succeed the Yongzheng Emperor instead. Qianlong Emperor is torn between giving Empress Xiaojing the posthumous title she deserved and granting Dowager Empress's wishes.

Not wanting two Ula-Nara consorts in the Imperial Harem, Dowager Empress asked Ruyi to commit suicide. However, Empress Xiaojing decides to commit suicide herself and tells Ruyi to not be abandoned by Qianglong Emperor before she dies.

A concubine from Yongzheng Emperor's reign who was banished to the Cold Palace, supposedly due to Empress Dowager's influence. Disillusioned and aged, she meets Ruyi and attempts to assassinate the visiting Dowager Empress; she is later executed for her attempt.

Third Prince of the Yongzheng Emperor and Empress Xiaojin's legal son.

As Qianlong Emperor's half-older brother and initially the successor to the throne, he lost favor after he was caught usurping the throne from the Yongzheng Emperor. He loses his place in the succession while Empress Xiaojin loses her status as Empress.

Initially, Ruyi was sent to attend his bridal selection but was unable to be chosen to become his difujin because she intentionally failed to impress him.

Tang Chengjing

Imperial Princess Consort Hegong (吳扎庫氏)

Fifth son of the Yongzheng Emperor and Prince He of the First Rank.

As Qianlong Emperor's half-younger brother and initially another member in the line of succession, he chose to let his brother ascend to the throne instead.

He is married to Imperial Princess Consort Hegong.

Dawachi Manor

Princess Hengchuo → Grand Princess Duanshu Oldest daughter of the Yongzheng Emperor and the Dowager Empress. Upon her marriage, she became Grand Princess Duanshu.

A younger-half sister of Qianlong Emperor, she was initially married to Khan Dorza and became High Princess of Dzungar Khanate. However, Khan Dorza was killed and his position was usurped by Khan Dawachi, who forced Qianlong to give High Princess Duanshu's hand in marriage in order to maintain peace and possibly prevent her from being mistreated horribly.

Qianlong's decision to hold off on taking his sister back put great strain on his relationship with Dowager Empress. Eventually, he was able to make Khan Dawachi surrender and regain Grand Princess.

She is revealed to be carrying his child, forcing Qianlong Emperor to acknowledge that he is a father; therefore he was not put to death nor was their marriage voided.

Cining Palace

Princess Hengti → Grand Princess Roushu Younger daughter of the Yongzheng Emperor and Dowager Empress.

Initially chosen to be part of a marriage alliance to Septeng Baljur, Dowager Empress appealed to Empress Fuca's maiden clan to offer her daughter Princess Jingse instead.

She then married Deputy Minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs, Zong Zheng.

Princess Jingse → Princess Hejing of the First Rank

The Third Princess of Qianlong Emperor and Empress Fuca's only surviving daughter.

Proud and eloquent, she is the surviving child of Empress Fuca. She looks down on the imperial concubines due to her noble birth and, although she loved her mother dearly, is held at very high expectations from her mother. She became resentful of Ruyi for pressuring her and Empress Fuca to marry far away, causing her to endure a traumatic birth, as well as the indirect hit to her mother's health and eventual death.

After returning home to be with Qianlong Emperor, she initially sided with Consort Ling to take her down as a means of avenging her mother. However, she betrays Consort Ling after being convinced by Consort Ying to side with Ruyi instead.

Prince Yonghuang → Prince Ding'an of the First Rank (Posthumously)

The First Prince of Qianlong Emperor and Imperial Noble Consort Zhemin's only son.

Innocent and mild-mannered, he was abused and neglected after the death of his birth mother due to his birth before Empress Fuca's son Yonglian. His personal decision to be adopted by Ruyi caused jealousy from Empress Fuca and Imperial Noble Consort Hui. When Ruyi was sent to live in the Cold Palace, he was then adopted by Imperial Noble Consort Chun. Despite Ruyi's desire to have her son back, she allowed Imperial Noble Consort Chun to raise him in order to avoid more conflict within the Imperial Harem.

He grows up to be ambitious and yearns to succeed his father due to Consort Chun's emotional neglect, as well as her favoritism towards her own son 3rd Prince Yongzhang. He lost favor when he acted upon his anger at Empress Fuca's funeral, egged on by Consort Jia, and fell into terminal illness. On his deathbed, he revealed to Ruyi that Consort Jia's conspired against him to be disrespectful at the funeral. He was posthumously titled Prince Ding'an of the First Rank.

Prince Yonglian → Crown Prince Duanhui

The Second Prince of Qianlong Emperor and Empress Fuca's oldest son.

Due to Empress Fuca's expectations, Prince Yonglian was often pushed to excel academically. As a result of his asthma and Empress Fuca's bad parenting, he eventually died as a result of overworking himself.

Prince Yongzhang → Prince Xun of the Second Rank

The Third Prince of Qianlong Emperor and Imperial Noble Consort Chun's oldest son.
A kind, filial and hardworking person, he is goaded by Imperial Noble Consort Chun to compete for the position of the Crown Prince against 1st Prince Yonghuang.

He loses favor with Qianlong Emperor after the death of Empress Fuca alongside Prince Yonghuang. He remains filial and kind despite not being favoured by his father. He speaks against his father to save his reputation and get care for his mother only to be banished from the palace by the Emperor. He later falls ill and passes away after his mother.

Fourth Prince Manor
Prince Lü's Manor

Prince Yongcheng → Prince Lü of the First Rank

The Fourth Prince of Qianlong Emperor and Consort Jia's oldest son.

Ambitious, cunning, and calculating. He was initially favored due to being the first son born after the Qianlong Emperor's ascension. Alongside his mother, he attempted to help assassinate his father and gain the position Crown Prince of Qing, next to his mother's lover, the Prince of Joseon. He is egotistical and resorts to petty competition to keep his brothers out of favor.

After he falls out of favor, he is kicked out of the palace before he marries and receives a title.

Due to the actions of Consort Jia and his role in the assassination attempt, he was deposed and titled of Prince Lü of the First Rank. He falls out with his mother after she is demoted to commoner and imprisoned in Qixiang Palace, due to her constant mentioning of the Prince of Joseon.

She was chosen by Consort Jia due to her connections with the royal family and as a means to strengthen Prince Yongcheng's succession to the throne. Once Consort Jia was demoted to commoner, Lady Irgen-Gioro showed disdain towards her mother-in-law.

Prince Yongqi → Prince Rong of the First Rank

The Fifth Prince of Qianlong Emperor and Noble Consort Yu's only son.

Sensitive and intelligent, he becomes Qianlong's favorite son and was adopted by Ruyi. Due to harmful rumors regarding his adoptive mother and her so-called affairs, he kept her within arms reach to avoid incurring Qianlong Emperor's wrath, as well as aid her whenever he can. He is very observant and talented, but is pressured to hide such skills to avoid making any of the brothers jealous, lest they target him. He was named Crown Prince right before his death.

He dies due to recurring bone cellulitis caused by Consort Ling and Tian Yun'er's actions and his death was blamed on Ruyi.

Yanxi Palace

The marriage was granted by Qianlong Emperor as a political move in the imperial courts. Because the marriage was out of duty rather than love, Prince Yongqi kept himself busy with court matters and Lady Sirin-Gioro managed his household and secondary wives.

She moved into Yanxi Palace to live with Consort Yu after her husband's death.

Hu Yunjiao (胡芸角)

Manipulated by Consort Ling into thinking that Ruyi killed her mother, she is ordered to sow discord between Prince Yongqi and Ruyi. Her actions caused Qianlong Emperor to blame Ruyi for Yongqi's death.

Prince Yongrong → Prince Shen of the Second Rank The Sixth Prince of Qianlong Emperor and Imperial Noble Consort Chun's youngest son.

Princess Jingyan → Princess Hejia of the Second Rank The Fourth Princess of Qianlong Emperor and Imperial Noble Consort Chun's only daughter.

Prince Yongxuan → Prince Yi of the First Rank.

The Eighth Prince of Qianlong Emperor and Consort Jia's second son.

The Fifth Prince Yonqi was close to Eighth prince even though their mothers did not get along. Through Yanwan's scheming, Yongxuan was injured during a horse ride with Yongqi, causing Consort Jia to think both Ruyi and Hailan schemed against her. He was crippled and later cut from the royal heirdom due to Consort Jia's constant scheming to promote Yongcheng to Crown Prince.

Shoukang Palace

The Eleventh Prince of Qianlong Emperor and Consort Jia's youngest son.

The Prince and his biological brothers are cut from the royal heirdom due to the actions of their mother Consort Jia and her maiden clan.

The Twelfth Prince of Qianlong Emperor and Ruyi's only surviving son.

12th Prince Yongji is free-spirited and adventurous, held Ling Yunche in high regards, and loved picking flowers for his mother Ruyi. However, as he is the legitimate son, Qianlong Emperor had high expectations of him. At Mulan Hunting Grounds, Yongji was taken hostage by an assassin (arranged by Consort Yu and Yanwan) and was saved by Ling Yunche. His hostage situation greatly embarrassed his father and Ruyi was lectured for raising a mediocre prince. Soon, he was targeted by Yanwan to further cement the rumors of Ruyi's affair with Ling Yunche, and years on his own life. He was saved only when Empress Dowager intervened and discovered his unhealthy addiction to a certain ingredient.

After his mother's death, she wrote him a final letter. She asked him to always remain happy and carefree, not vying for the throne.

To save his son from the stress of being an emperor, Prince Yongji was not selected to become the next successor.

Princess Jingsi → Princess Heyi of the First Rank

The Fifth Princess of Qianlong Emperor and Ruyi's only daughter.

Jingsi was born premature with a weak heart because of the circumstances regarding Consort Shu's death. At 3 years old, she unfortunately died after being startled by Consort Jia's dog, a scheme plotted by Yanwan to target Prince Yongji at the time. Qianlong greatly mourned for her.

Princess Jingyuan → Princess Hejing of the First Rank

The Seventh Princess of Qianlong Emperor and Consort Ling's oldest daughter.

After her mother's demotion to Second Attendant, she was sent to be raised by Consort Ying and considers the latter as her true mother instead. She was once kidnapped by Yanwan due to her wishes of being united with her biological daughter. However, Jingyuan despises her and convinced Empress Dowager to keep her with Consort Ying.

Yongshou Palace
Xianfu Palace

Princess Jingyun → Princess Heke of the Second Rank

The Ninth Princess of Qianlong Emperor and Consort Ling's youngest daughter.

Like her older sister, Princess Jingyun was separated from Consort Ling at a young age, being rased by the dowager consorts. After Yanwan ascended to Imperial Noble Consort, she is returned to Yongshou Palace. When Yanwan is caught teaching Yongyan to not be filial to his father, she is sent to be raised by Concubine Ke.

Prince Yongyan → Prince Jia of the First Rank → Jiaqing Emperor

The Fifteenth Prince of Qianlong Emperor and Consort Ling's second son. He ends up succeeding the Qianlong Emperor.

He was taken away from his mother after Princess Jingse's eunuch hears Wei Yanwan telling him to not always listen to the emperor, but only to her.

Third Princess Manor

When his mother returned to live with the Imperial Family, he came along with her.

He was set up to fall into the water by Wei Yanwan, throwing his toy into a pond in the Imperial Garden. She then stages a grand act of saving him, putting herself in the good graces of Princess Hejing and attempting to offset her crime of killing Yongjing.

He is the brother of Empress Fuca.

A rift grows between them after he argues for the marriage of Fuca Langhua's only surviving child, Jingse, citing the political benefits and not letting the Niohuru clan become too strong.

He is the officiant of the promotion ceremony of Ruyi to empress.

He is the father of Imperial Noble Consort Huixian.

Gao Xiyue uses him to get rid of Aruo, killing her father Guiduo and imprisoning her two brothers.

He is the father of Ruyi. While Ruyi was in The Cold Palace, he died drowning as a result of trying to build a dam. Ruyi blamed herself for his death and was almost caught secretly burned Joshi paper in remembrance of him.

Close relative of the Empress Dowager.

Appointed as general of the Jinchuan war although he had no experience by Qianlong, he was then killed for being incompetent.

Ruyi's senior maid and Jiang Yubin's wife.

Patient and soft-spoken, Suoxin started as Ruyi's junior maid and Aruo's underling. She often relents to Aruo due to her aggressive and argumentative nature. Once Ruyi was demoted to Commoner and banished to the Cold Palace, Suoxin volunteered to serve her still. She also recommended her hometown sweetheart and junior physician Jiang Yubin as a doctor to them and messenger to both Hailan and Qianlong Emperor. Once she and her mistress leaves the Cold Palace, Suoxin is promoted as the Head Maid.

She falls to Consort Jia's scheming, who put her in the middle of the rumors of Ruyi's so-called affair with Master Buddhist. Suoxin was tortured but retains Ruyi's innocence of an affair, but is permanently crippled. For her servitude and sacrifice, Ruyi arranged a marriage between Doctor Jiang Yubin and became his only wife as Madame Jiang. She occasionally visits Ruyi after her marriage and helps her attend to a few things during her stay despite having her own children to tend to.

A maid from the Clothes Washing Division who succeeded Suoxin as Ruyi's Senior Maid.

Loyal, firm, and sharp-tongued, Rongpei was an orphan who spent her life working as a maid in Yuan Ming Yuan, and was recently sent to the Forbidden City in the Clothes Washing Division when she first met Ruyi. Like Suoxin, she is loyal to Ruyi and became her senior maid after displaying her proactive and protective nature. Ruyi trusted her to occasionally act or carry out sentences on her order alone.

When Ruyi died from her tuberculosis, it was reported that Rongpei committed suicide to reunite with her mistress.

She and Lingzhi were the last two maids to be able to serve Ruyi during her house arrest. Lingzhi was a part of Ruyi's funeral when she died, burning Joshi paper alongside Yunzhi and San Bao.

She and Shuizhi were dismissed as part of Qianlong Emperor's orders to dispose Ruyi. She was part of Ruyi's funeral when she died, burning Joshi paper alongside Lingzhi and San Bao.

She and Yunzhi were dismissed as part of Qianlong Emperor's orders to dispose Ruyi.

Formerly a maid for his birth mother, she became his personal assistant in terms of keeping an eye on his internal affairs and reporting news to him. She also helps escort new members of the Imperial Harem and act as a liaison between him and others within the Imperial Court.

She is loyal and is in charge of the consort spies, educating them and making sure they are doing their due diligence.

After Empress Xiaojing's suicide, it was resported that Xiuxia also committed suicide afterwards.

Loyal to Empress Fuca, Sulian often helps her plot against the other consorts.

She is later killed by Consort Jia's maid Zhenshu as an attempt to hide the truth about Empress Fuca's death.

In exchange for Wang Qin's loyalty, she is married off to him at Empress Fuca's approval. However, her marriage was abusive and Ruyi was able to help her get out of it in exchange for helping Ruyi clear her name. Her marriage was null by Qianlong Emperor after exposing her husband's true nature.

When Empress Fuca fell into the water, she chose to not rescue her and she is also suspected of being involved in the death of Prince Yonglian. She later committed suicide out of guilt.

After framing Noble Consort Yu of stealing charcoal under orders of Noble Imperial Consort Hui, she was executed by Qianlong Emperor as punishment for her disloyalty.

A maid of Ruyi, later sent to serve Noble Consort Yu.

A highly skilled uinyeo (female physician) from Joseon, she is skilled in medical treatment, and calligraphy. Because of this, she was able to frame Ruyi for her affair with visiting monk Anji Bosang by forging her signature.

Once her crime was revealed, she was banished and sent back to Joseon.

She becomes Jia's right hand after the banishment of Zhenshu.

Dies of smallpox just before her mistress.

Close friend with Wei Yanwan before she became an imperial consort.

Often the mastermind behind Consort Ling's schemes, she remained loyal to her until Consort Ling attempted to rid of her via poison. After being rescued by Jiang Yubin, she testified against Consort Ling to Qianlong Emperor.

Close friend with Wei Yanwan before she became an imperial consort.

She is used by Consort Ling to threaten imperial guard Zhao Jiuxiao into harming Prince Yongxuan.

She is eventually sent to The Punishment Bureau because Yanwan wanted to cover up the source of how the rumor against Ruyi and Ling Yunche spread. She died from intestinal burst, possibly from being poisoned.

She first greeted Consort Rong and tried to make her comfortable in her new home. She soon became a personal confidant to her.

Brought with her sister and other servants from Consort Rong's home, they willingly came under the Qianlong Emperor's orders in order to ease her homesickness.

Brought with her sister and other servants from Consort Rong's home, they willingly came under the Qianlong Emperor's orders in order to ease her homesickness.

Caught receiving illegal medicine for Consort Yu and captured by Qianlong.

She was used by Consort Ling to commit various actions.

Hometown friends with Li Yu and Suoxin.

Treated Suoxin and Ruyi during their time in the Cold Palace. Treated Hailan through her pregnancy. Due to his trust by many of the concubines, he climbs through the ranks and becomes one of the most esteemed doctors, second only to Qi Ru.

Childhood sweethearts with Suoxin, he requested her hand in marriage after treating her injuries after she was tortured. Despite his esteemed status, he vowed to only have Suoxin as his only wife and pamper her despite her disability. They live just outside the capital and create a little family.

After Qi Ru is killed due to his colluding with the Empress Dowager, Jiang Yubin became the head physician for the royal physician's court.

Kunning Palace

Due to his affections to Lancui, he is threatened by Consort Ling to frame Ruyi for her role in harming Prince Yongxuan.

At Dowager Empress's order, he secretly weakened Imperial Noble Consort Hui's health and helped Consort Shu become pregnant. His actions infuriated Qianlong Emperor and he is killed under the guise of an accidental drowning.

Astronomer Qin was bribed for telling Qianlong Emperor false star readings in her favor. His report regarding 10th Prince Nafu forced the Emperor to disregard him, breaking Consort Shu's heart. His report regarding Ruyi's auspicious prince forced the Emperor to have the first falling out with Ruyi. He was dismissed after the death of Ruyi's fetus and he was then assassinated by Chunchan, on Yanwan's orders.

As a painter, he is known to paint portraits for the Qianlong Emperor and his consorts. As a result, he occasionally interacts with members of the Imperial Court who come to request commissions or watch him work. Giuseppe's interaction provide a brief view into Western culture to Ruyi when they first spoke.

When asked to paint Ruyi and Qianlong Emperor for the first time as Empress and Emperor respectively, he suggested the two hold hands for their portrait. The portrait was then sent to Ruyi by Qianlong Emperor as a peace offering after their last fight, to which Ruyi responded by burning her side of the painting. When asked to fix the painting, Giuseppe stated that it could not be fixed in a way to be exactly as before.

Bribed by Jia to allow Consort Yu to have a hard labor, and was banished because of that.

He was tasked to send Ruyi out of the Imperial Court but allowed her to linger behind in order to see her aunt before she leaves.

Li Yu is childhood friends with Suoxin and Jiang Yubin, and was in an unrequited love with Suoxin. Eventually he gives up this pursuit when she mentioned she wanted children, something he cannot give her.

Diligent and ambitious, Li Yu was Wang Qin's junior but often finds opportunities to prove his worth to Qianlong Emperor, much to Wang Qin's annoyance. He sides with Ruyi, firstly because Suoxin is her maid and because Ruyi herself has shown sympathy and care towards him despite the gap in their ranks. He conspired with Ruyi and Lianxin to get rid of Wang Qin, who had been torturing his wife and abusing his authority. Once Li Yu ascends as Head Eunuch, he becomes great friends with Ling Yunche and greatly sympathizes with Ruyi, often helping her carry out messages or favors. When Ruyi is on the verge of being deposed, he was temporarily dismissed for allowing her to intervene on Qianlong Emperor's night entertainment.

When Ruyi was cleared, Li Yu was reinstated and his first duty was to give Ruyi back her Empress scrolls but she rejects them.

Wang Qin despised Li Yu and felt threatened by him. In order to keep his position, he promised himself to Empress Fuca, as well as Noble Consort Hui, if she grants his marriage to her junior maid Lianxin. Empress Fuca agrees to the marriage only because she wants to spy on her royal husband's moves and thoughts. He worked for Noble Consort Hui to blame Ruyi for spreading rumors regarding the deformity of Concubine Mei's fetus; however, his actions eventually backfires when Lianxin overdoses him on his own illegal drugs and he unconsciously attacked Noble Consort Hui. To prevent him from speaking about the incident, and to save Lianxin from his torture and abuse, Qianlong Emperor puts him to death.

Lecherous and ambitious, he became obsessed with Yanwan from her time as Consort Jia's maid and proposes a quid pro quo: the two will help each other rise in ranks so that she can become Empress and he can replace Li Yu. He detests Ling Yunche, knowing that he would be Yanwan's downfall, and pressures her to get rid of him. Their relationship temporarily strained when Yanwan argued for Ling Yunche to be banished to Mulan Grounds to save his life. Their partnership hits a climax when the two seduce Qianlong Emperor to engage in night entertainment, surrounded by escorts. Yanwan betrays and kills him, on Qianlong Emperor's order to save his reputation while she is freed from his schemes.

Loyal to Qianlong and Ruyi, but keeps unbiased in many disputes.

Loyal and hardworking, he stayed with Ruyi from the prince manor until her death.

Under orders of Noble Consort Yu, he killed Ling Yunche in order to clear Ruyi's name.

Framed her for killing Concubine Mei and Concubine Yi's children when bribed by Imperial Noble Consort Hui and Empress Fuca. After the incident, he killed himself.

Betrays her for Empress Fuca, inciting the Empress Dowager to go to the Cold Palace because Ruyi was burning money for her father, a taboo in the palace. He is killed afterwards.

Perpetrator of the poisonous snakes in the Cold Palace, and many other schemes by the Noble Consort and Empress Fuca.

Stole Fugui'er from Noble Consort Jia and ended up killing Jingsi and the 6th princess. Later confesses to the emperor when Wei Yanwan's ill deeds are exposed.

Formerly a personal attendant of Imperial Noble Consort Chun, he was moved to work in the Study Room and ultimately served as Prince Yongji's personal attendant.

Bribed by the Imperial Noble Consort Hui and Empress Fuca to add cinnabar to fish feed and poison Concubine Mei and Concubine Yi while pregnant. After confessing and framing Consort Xian, he was banished to hard labor. He was given money by Imperial Noble Consort Hui and A'Ruo and held a lavish life until exposed.

Bribed by the Imperial Noble Consort Hui and Empress Fuca to add cinnabar to the charcoal of Concubine Mei and Concubine Yi while pregnant. After confessing and framing Consort Xian, he was banished to hard labor. He was given money by Imperial Noble Consort Hui and A'Ruo and held a lavish life until exposed.

Due to her background as one of the ladies of the eight banners, she looks down on Ling Yunche and does not have a good relationship with him. Because of her jealousy against Ruyi, she collaborates with Consort Yu to accuse him of having an affair with Ruyi.

Her actions caused her to be exiled.

Attractive and venerated by the public, Consort Jia orchestrated a rumor that he and Ruyi were having an affair by planting false evidence. The accusation led to Suoxin to be tortured but Consort Jia to be demoted once her plans were exposed.

Consort Ling arranged her and various other courtesans to occupy Qianlong Emperor for several nights, leading to Ruyi's final argument with him when she confronted him about his interactions with the women.

Linglong and various other courtesans were sent to Nian Temple to become nuns as punishment for their involvement.

Rumored to be cruel, he was Consort Jia's first love and Consort Jia yearned to get the Qing throne for his glory. He forced his wife to suicide and was sent to the Forbidden City, where he saw Consort Jia for the last time.

After Jin Yuyan gets demoted to commoner, he denounces her as a member of the Joseon aristocracy and claims she was an orphan.

Madame Na occasionally visits her daughter. When Ruyi was first pregnant, she was tricked into believing that Ruyi's child was female. She died of a heart attack upon hearing of Ruyi being deposed as Empress; this is due to Yanwan's doing, who wanted Ruyi to suffer in confinement.

She has high expectations for her daughter to bring glory to the Fuca clan and encourages her to use others to secure her position in the harem. This in turn, also put constant pressure and insecurity on Empress Fuca that drove her to have high expectations for her own children and led to her scheming against Ruyi and other women.

A greedy and obnoxious woman, she tries to push her daughter into achieving higher for her personal gains. She ultimately takes the blame for harming Ruyi's children and is forced to commit suicide as punishment.

A greedy man who often gambles away his earnings, he was manipulated by Consort Ling into framing his aunt for harming Ruyi's children.

A disgraced criminal, Zuolu was brought in by Noble Consort Yu as a witness to Consort Ling's crimes.

He was killed by an avalanche while trying to take Consort Rong back. Consort Rong refers to him as her youthful lover.

She was present as an attendant during Ruyi's first night as Empress, and in a later scene appears before Qianlong and describes Consort Jia's bribes among the wives of the imperial clan in exchange for installing her son Yongcheng as the Crown Prince.

Cameo by the original author, most of Liulianzi's scenes were deleted from the final cut.