Empresses in the Palace

Empresses in the Palace is a 2011 Chinese television series based on the novel of the same name by Liu Lianzi. Directed by Zheng Xiaolong, it stars Sun Li in the title role.

Premise
In the later years of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, then-Fourth Prince Yinzhen and his eight brothers are embroiled in a bitter power struggle for the Qing throne. With the help of powerful allies, Yinzhen becomes the Yongzheng Emperor and the brothers who fought against him are either killed or imprisoned.

Despite becoming emperor, Yinzhen grows increasingly paranoid of being usurped and vows to not follow his father's footsteps.

Prior to his ascension, he was deeply in love with his first wife, Empress Chunyuan, who tragically passed away; her younger sister became his second wife. The sisters are Yinzhen's maternal kinswomen as his mother, Empress Dowager Renshou, is also a member of the Ula-Nara clan.

Plot
Six months after his ascension to the throne, Empress Dowager Renshou organizes a selection to bring newer members into the Imperial Harem of the Yongzheng Emperor. Despite not wanting to be selected, the titular Zhen Huan is forced to join the selection and ends up being chosen due to her resemblance to the late Empress Chunyuan. She joins the Imperial Harem alongside her childhood friend Shen Meizhuang, and the low-born An Lingrong.

Zhen Huan attempts to avoid the Imperial Harem's politics but ultimately falls in love with the Emperor, resulting in various schemes against her and Shen Meizhuang as retaliation. Due to some misunderstandings and her own sensitive and suspicious personality, as well as out of jealousy toward Zhen Huan, An Lingrong also begins plotting against the former and works alongside higher-ranking imperial consorts, notably the Empress, Ula-Nara Yixiu.

While avoiding the pitfalls of such schemes, Zhen Huan befriends the neglected Fourth Prince Hongli, promising to care for him when she can. She also learns the reason behind the Emperor's favor toward her, and the disillusionment ultimately leads her to become a nun at Ganlu Temple. There, her relationship with Prince Guo secretly blossoms and the two become intimate with each other.

Despite the two planning to elope, Prince Guo is sent away to Tibet by the Emperor and presumed to be dead. Now seeking both revenge and protection, Zhen Huan convinces the Emperor to bring her back into the Imperial Harem. She takes on a new identity as Consort Xi, or Niohuru Zhenhuan, Hongli's biological mother who had supposedly spent years away from the palace praying at Ganlu Temple, and she formally adopts Hongli. With her new status, Zhenhuan gains more allies.

Prince Guo is revealed to be alive, but he and Zhenhuan have to cease their relationship now that she has returned to the Imperial Harem. Despite doing what she can to remain favored by the Emperor and distance herself from Prince Guo, the Emperor's suspicion towards their relationship escalates as time passes and Zhenhuan is ordered to kill Prince Guo but the latter commits suicide instead.

The Empress begins to lose favor as her schemes against Zhenhuan backfire and she ultimately confesses to her role in her sister's death and several other crimes. The Emperor attempts to depose her as punishment, but the will of the Empress Dowager, who wishes to maintain the influence of the Ula-Nara clan, forbids him from doing so; he unwillingly puts the Empress under house arrest instead.

The Emperor is slowly poisoned by Zhenhuan and she meets with him one final time to narrate the infidelities of some of his concubines, before announcing his death.

Hongli becomes the Qianlong Emperor and Zhenhuan is granted the coveted title of empress dowager. Although the Empress should have also become an empress dowager upon the Yongzheng Emperor's death, a loophole in the previous Empress Dowager's will forces her to remain empress indefinitely instead.

Zhenhuan spends the rest of her life serving as the sole empress dowager: planning the next selection for the Imperial Harem, advising the Qianlong Emperor on state matters, and warning his imperial consorts about the consequences of harming each other.

Imperial Harem
Ranking System: Lady-in-waiting → Second Class Attendant → First Class Attendant → Noble Lady Concubine → Consort → Noble Consort → Imperial Noble Consort → Empress In the series, it is considered a huge honor to be bestowed a title rather than using one's own surname for one's rank.

Production

 * Publisher: Zheng Xiaolong, Zhong Yi, Dun Yong, Li Ruigang
 * Producer: Cao Ping, Dun Qi, Xu Xiaoou
 * Supervisor: Liu Zhiyuan, Wang Xiaodong, Zhang Suzhou, Chen Liang, Tang Rang, Zhang Ping, Li Junming, Zhang Ping, Zhao Hongmei, Chen Yaping
 * Director: Zheng Xiaolong
 * Assistant director: Dong Xiaoyun, Liu Le, Zheng Hanqing
 * Screenwriter: Liu Lianzi, Wang Xiaoping
 * Photographer: Li Zhiqiang, Li Qiang, Yu Fei, Zhang Yuanshou, Feng Yucheng, Wang Lindong, Zhao Hao, He Lichun, Chen Jianwei, Wei Liangliang, Li Meng, Yang Jinbo
 * Music: Liu Huan, Meng Ke, Ding Ji, Zhao Liang, Song Lei, Wang Songyang, Wan Xiaoyuan, Li Wei, Sui Jing, Asian Philharmonic Orchestra, Huang Lijie
 * Editor: Jin Ye, Jiang Jimei, cao translation
 * Props: Wang Yue, Liu Yuanfei, Wang Guiqing, Wang Shili, Gao Guiyong, Liu Jiye, Zhang Yanlong, Fang Jie, LiBiao, Cao Yongli, Wang Yanhua, Su Huizhi, Gao Yashi, Gao Xian, Lv Qiang, Zhang Fengjun
 * Casting: Li Yang
 * Voice acting: Liao Jing, Zhang Wei
 * Art: Chen Haozhong, Luan Hexin, Wang Yongkang, Yang Kun
 * Modeling: Chen Minzheng, Li Yuanyuan, Wang Yingkai, Kou Hainan, Yang Jia, Sun Yue, Guo Yang, Min Cong, Zhang Rongbin, Qin Yiping, Wen Lulu, Xing Lu
 * Wardrobe: Chen Tongxun, Shi Dongling, Ji Doni, Zhu Yuxiang, Tang Biyun, Liu Xiaohu, Chen Guanglin, Guo Sheng, Shi Jianmin
 * Visual effects: Beijing Huacai Shengtang Mathematics Technology Co., LTD
 * Lighting: Li Tianlei, Zhang Xin'an, Zhang Cun, Wang Zhonghai, Xu Wanfei, Zhang Feng, Lin Shucong, Wu Tianzhao, Zhang Yunling, Meng Xudong, Chen Guofu, Xu Bing, Zhang Jiayu
 * Recording: An Wei, Liu Xinghe, Lin Xin
 * Script supervisor: Guo Guanhua, Yu Feng
 * Issuing: Cheng Ting

Impact
Chinese traditional arts

According to the Overseas Chinese Language and Culture Education Online website, the "Filigree Inlaid Metal Art" (花丝镶嵌), an accessory craft skill that can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn period became a phenomenon due to being featured in the series''. ''

Donkey medicine

A traditional remedy derived from donkey-hide gelatin had its profile increased through product placement in the show.

Ratings

 * Highest ratings are marked in  red , lowest ratings are marked in  blue. 

International broadcast
The series first aired in China in 2011 on Shaoxing News, a regional channel. As it gained popularity there it was picked up by national television channels and first aired nationwide in 2012.

In April 2015, the series was added to Netflix US and has since been taken off and put on Amazon Prime Video. It was edited down to six episodes, each with a 90-minute duration. The original audio was kept intact with the addition of closed captions in English.

In Thailand, the series was first aired in 2016 on Channel 7 and in 2018 on One31 and LINE TV.

The series was uploaded on YouTube by LeTV in 2018.