Amidst the changes during the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, Lin Wanxi, the daughter of the Minister of Rites, entered the Forbidden City and began a palace career with ups and downs. In the talent show, she won the emperor's favor with her talent and appearance, but she was also involved in the turbulent power vortex of the harem.
When she first entered the palace wall, Lin Wanxi saw how arrogant and domineering Concubine Hua was and how subtle the Queen was. Faced with the overt and covert fights in the harem, she sticks to her true intentions while being cautious. She and Su Yao, the daughter of the Minister of the Ministry of Finance, go from testing each other to supporting each other, finding a glimmer of warmth in the cold palace. As the story progresses, the undercurrent of the Old Summer Palace night banquet, the intertwining of the political affairs of the previous dynasty and the struggle in the harem make every step hidden with murderous intent.
From the shadows of begonia flowers in the Chuxiu Palace to the flickering candlelight in the Qianqing Palace, Lin Wanxi struggled to survive amid favor and suspicion, true love and calculation. She did not want to become a pawn in the power struggle, but she had to plan for survival; between encountering the emperor's affection and ruthlessness, and feeling the sincerity and betrayal of the harem sisters, she gradually grew from an innocent girl to a palace beauty with insight into the world.
This work outlines the love and hatred of women in the harem with delicate brushstrokes, cleverly blending power struggles and emotional entanglements, showing a true and cruel picture of the palace, and taking readers to appreciate the unknown survival rules and touching stories in the harem of the feudal dynasty.
