Years Flow Like Clear Water

Looking for Palace-Intrigue Novels Like Entering the Palace as a Maid, the Emperor Falls for the Villainous Me

Looking for stories similar to Entering the Palace as a Maidservant, the Emperor Falls for Me, the Wicked One. I'm tired of unhinged characters lately and want palace-intrigue stories with a female lead who isn't love-addled, gets even for every grudge, and follows reason and principle. Ideally, she fights evil with evil and isn't a self-sacrificing saint. The kind of story that's immensely satisfying to read. I'm really in a reading slump and need...