Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

Childhood sweethearts with the Qianlong Emperor, she is initially chosen to be his primary consort before her family's reputation is compromised. Her real name is Qingying, until she is granted the name Ruyi by the Empress Dowager, meaning "beautiful and quiet", to remind her that she must be calm if she wants to have a peaceful life in the palace. Due to her deep relationship with the Qianlong Emperor, she is despised by the women of the harem and suffers trials and tribulations as a result. Ruyi survives through these challenges with her strength and determination, as well as the help of her closest friends. She loves Qianlong sincerely and she desires no favor or power from him, just to be by his side. The great love between them begins to weaken as years pass and Ruyi is dragged by the multiple calculations in the palace, making the Emperor suspicious of her and she becomes disappointed in him. After a big argument, Ruyi cuts her hair in front of Qianlong, which is taken as a great offense and it prompts him to lock up Ruyi and depose her from the Empress seat. During her confinement she is diagnosed with tuberculosis and the physician tells her she will die soon. Later her injustice is revealed and Qianlong restores her position as Empress, but she rejects it and dies shortly after.

He is the fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor and keeps a tense relationship with his adoptive mother Niohuru Zhen Huan, the Empress Dowager. Childhood sweethearts with Ruyi and her one and only love, he wanted to make her his main wife but his father the Emperor opposes and he is forced to take her as a secondary consort. Although he is initially a benevolent and fair young man, as well as a talented and politically capable ruler, he is revealed to be weak, insecure and selfish as time passes. His suspicious nature makes him distrust Ruyi, despite her showing her sincerity and love for him multiple times. Ruyi is disappointed in him after several instances of him not trusting her. His great jealousy and distrust cause him to end up deposing Ruyi as Empress, and after her death, he spends the rest of his days in deep bitterness and remorse.

She entered the palace as an embroidery maid, but thanks to Ruyi, she becomes a Mistress. Hailan is the mother of Prince Yongqi, the Emperor's favorite son. A gentle yet determined woman, she is a loyal friend and confidante of Ruyi, whom she always calls "sister." Although she was initially weak and despised by the other concubines, over time she becomes strong and an exceptionally influential consort in the harem, and usually deals with the imperial consorts standing in Ruyi's way. Her nervous and timid personality changes over time, becoming a very determined woman who does not hesitate to be ruthless and even hurt herself, if that means protecting Ruyi.

Although she appears to share a civil relationship with her adopted son, they are wary and suspicious of each other. In order to ensure her continued increase in power within the court, she places concubines under her command at Qianlong's side to spy on him. She initially dislikes Qinying because of her familial relationship with Empress Ula-Nara, but later grows to respect her, appreciating her wit and prudence and granting her the name Ruyi.

An imperial guard who helps Ruyi survive in the Cold Palace, and Consort Ling's first love. When Consort Ling ended their relationship, he began to develop feelings for Ruyi due to her kindness towards him. Ling Yunche is a friend and loyal ally to Ruyi and helps her in every way she needs. He later becomes the husband of Uya Maoqian, who betrays him and falsely accuses him of having an affair with Ruyi. Consort Ling cannot forget him and even tries to seduce him to get pregnant with him, however, he rejects her, and she realizes his attraction to Ruyi. Although he rises through the ranks because of his loyalty and efforts, he is ultimately demoted and castrated after being accused of having an affair with Ruyi. The Emperor then forces him to serve as a eunuch in Ruyi's palace to humiliate them both. He is later executed under orders from Hailan, who realizes that only in this way will he cease to be a threat to Ruyi's position as Empress. Ling Yunche understands that he must die to protect Ruyi, however, before dying, he gives Hailan evidence to take down Consort Ling.

A skilled pipa player and high-ranking consort, favored by the Qianlong Emperor during the earlier years of his reign. Because of her family's lofty position and her father's status in the imperial court, she is obnoxious and ill-tempered, often abusing her authority. She maintains an alliance with Empress Fuca, and often plots against Ruyi. She treats Empress Fuca as her best friend and serves as her most trusted ally. She pretends to be naive and cheerful in front of the Emperor, but behind his back she behaves as she pleases, often harshly beating and reprimanding other concubines. Hailan was also considered as her enemy for a while. She and Empress Fuca used A'ruo to plot against Ruyi, disgrace her and banish her to the Cold Palace. When she believed A'ruo's ghost was haunting her, she lost the Emperor's favor and was later discarded by the Empress. After Ruyi reveals to her that it was Empress Fuca who made her infertile, she realizes she has been tricked and used by whom she thought was her best friend. On her deathbed, she tells the Emperor all the atrocities the Empress had committed and deliberately gives him scabies as a farewell gift.

Elegant and dignified, she presents herself as a virtuous and frugal empress but is insecure, paranoid and jealous. Her grudge against Ruyi for initially being chosen as the primary consort and her close relationship with the Emperor, causes her to often act against her. She presents a gentle facade, however, her true personality is arrogant and scheming. She is under constant pressure to ensure the glory of her maiden family and to have a legitimate son to succeed Qianlong as crown prince. Her mother, Lady Fuca, authorizes her personal attendant Sulian to protect her. Sulian followed Consort Jia's advice and asked Consort Hui to orchestrate all the plots so that the Empress would not be directly implicated. Under these manipulations, she became embroiled in the conspiracy to send Ruyi to the Cold Palace. She appoints eunuchs and palace maids to learn the Emperor's preferences and act accordingly, in order to maintain the highest status in the Emperor's heart. She has very high expectations for her son, 12th Prince Yonglian, forcing him to study hard even when he was ill, causing the prince to weaken and die. Her second son, 7th Prince Yongcong, dies as an infant from smallpox. Her misguided and insane actions cause the Emperor to break up with her, and her health deteriorates further. During an imperial journey to the south, she falls into a cold lake and develops a severe fever, which leads to her death. Empress Fuca insists that Ruyi is the cause of all her misfortunes, so she insists in her innocence and dies as a woman filled with grievances. Before dying, she begs the Emperor not to appoint Ruyi as the next Empress, demonstrating her extraordinary obsession.

A beautiful concubine from the Yu clan of Joseon, who was the true mastermind behind most of the incidents in the first half of the story. In the public eye, she presents herself as an ally of Empress Fuca who is subservient and neutral, but in secret she is manipulative and cunning, always thinking of ways to remove anyone who hinders her plans from her path. Her lifelong goal is to gain power and favor from the Emperor to aid her true love, the Prince of her maiden tribe. After entering the palace, she hides in the shadow of Consort Hui and Empress Fuca, making them her puppets. She is very good at instigating conflicts between the concubines and was the main culprit behind the deaths of several concubines and imperial descendants.

In the second half of the story, her evil deeds against Ruyi and the harem are revealed, and her aide Zhenshu is sent back to Korea. After losing her greatest ally, she plots to kill the Qianlong Emperor so that her son Yongcheng is elected as Crown Prince to be the next Emperor of the Qing Empire. Her plan fails, and she is left only to rely on her excellent sons to save her position. She becomes the prime target of Consort Ling, who has a strong desire for revenge against her for having bullied her when she was her maid for a while. Consort Jia ends up believing that all the concubines are out to get her, and due to her paranoia, she eventually develops mental problems. Her son Yongcheng ends up being cut off from the line of succession to the throne, and she is locked away in her palace. Ill and disgraced, Ruyi visits her in her final days and delivers the news that the Prince of the Yu clan has abandoned her. Realizing that she has spent her entire life trying to please a petty man who didn't love her, her spirit collapses and she commits suicide without hesitation, promising herself that if she reincarnates, she will live a normal and peaceful life.

After her death, the Emperor bestows upon her the posthumous title of Imperial Noble Consort "Shujia," a homophone for "loser".

An ambitious young woman who rises from being a palace servant to a noble imperial consort, placed in charge of the harem after Ruyi fell out of favor with the emperor. In the first half of the story, she was a girl born into a poor family who became a palace maid. Always driven by obligations toward her family, she is regarded as their main breadwinner. Her mother was prejudiced against her and preferred her son Zuolu, even though he was a delinquent and good-for-nothing. She faces hardships and constant mistreatment in the palace and her evil ambitions grow with the passing of time. She was also Ling Yunche's first love, but after being bullied by Consort Jia, Ling Yunche was unable to help her at all. This causes her to scorn him, telling him she doesn't want to be the wife of a low-ranking palace guard, cutting ties with him. She is helped by the eunuch Jin Zhong, who is in love with her, to gain the Emperor's attention and gain entry into the harem.

In the second half of the story, she dedicates herself to learning Chinese dance, Kunqu opera, jewelry appraisal, archery, and Mongolian cavalry to refine herself in her new position as a concubine. Through seduction tricks and skillful stratagems, she quickly gets the Emperor to promote her and then makes the entire harem bully Consort Jia in revenge. Consort Ling transforms everything she learns into weapons to advance her position. She doesn't care about love, and because of this tenacious personality, she receives enormous favor from Emperor Qianlong.

Despite ending her relationship with Ling Yunche when she became Qianlong's concubine, she still believed that he still had feelings for her. When she discovers that Ling Yunche has feelings for Ruyi, she can't stand her jealousy and hatred, and her ambition to take away her Empress position is fueled further. She becomes a master manipulator and manages to gather many influential people and turn them all against Ruyi, such as Grand Princess Hejing, Kunqu artists, Nanny Tian, the 5th Prince's concubine (Nanny Tian's daughter), the Imperial Astronomer, court officials, most of the concubines, and even the Emperor himself. Her vengeful mentality is brilliant, tremendous, and cruel.

In the final confrontation, the Emperor himself uncovers all her lies and evil deeds. It is revealed that she caused the deaths of many concubines, imperial descendants, and innocent people, as well as her relationship to Ling Yunche. She is sentenced to be locked away in her palace and poisoned on a daily basis. Going mad after years of confinement, she is finally granted death.

She was selected as a concubine when Emperor Qianlong was still a prince. Naive and kind, she is often manipulated. She loves her son Yongzhang very much and will do anything for him.

She has a good relationship with Ruyi and Hailan since their days at Prince Bao's Mansion. Initially recommended to succeed Empress Fuca, she falls out of favor but remains an important figure in the harem as a Noble Consort, being the most experienced consort in the harem due to having given birth to both sons and daughters. When Consort Rong arrives at the palace and Qianlong becomes obsessed with her, Consort Chun and her son fall out of favor with the Emperor for good, and she later dies of an illness.

She was chosen as a concubine when the Qianlong Emperor was still a prince. She is a timid and complacent woman, who remains neutral in harem politics and does not dare to aim higher, despite always vying for the Qianlong Emperor's favor. She always went unnoticed and never joined any group, preferring to remain silent. She was never favored and expressed her love for the Emperor through countless portraits of him that she painted over the years. She has a good relationship with Ruyi, but unknowingly becomes part of Consort Ling's plan to separate Ruyi from Qianlong.

A former personal maid of Empress Fuca. She entered the harem after Qianlong took advantage of her while he was still a prince. Empress Fuca and Consort Hui despised her, considering her to be of low status and to have stolen the Emperor's affection. Unbeknownst to them, Consort Jia had Concubine Yi abort the baby she was carrying so that it would not be born before her own son. Soon after, Yi was manipulated by Empress Fuca and Consort Hui into believing that Ruyi had been responsible for her abortion while she was under her care in Yanxi palace. Thirsty for revenge, she attempts to kill her but fails and ends up dying due to her weakened health.

Originally a servant of Ruyi, she entered the palace as her dowry maid. Although she is initially subservient, as the story progresses she grows more arrogant, shallow, and sharp-tongued, becoming conceited due to her father's abilities in court. She turns bitter toward Ruyi after being manipulated by Consort Jia, and secretly conspires with Empress Fuca and Noble Consort Hui against Ruyi in an effort to rise in status. After falsely framing Ruyi for murdering the children of Concubines Yi and Mei, the Emperor grants her the title of First-Class Attendant Shen. Although the entire palace believes she is heavily favored by Qianlong, he actually uses and despises her. Eventually, it is discovered that A'Ruo framed Ruyi, and she confesses that she has always hated her. She is stripped of her title and sent to the Cold Palace as a commoner, where she commits suicide.

A yueqin player from the Southern Mansion. She is detested by Consort Hui, who considers her inferior and rivals her in talents. She was the first pawn sent by the Empress Dowager to spy on Qianlong, and the first woman brought into the harem upon Qianlong's ascension to the throne. Though initially favored, she gives birth to a stillborn son who was born with a terrible deformity, thus her health declines and she eventually loses the Emperor's favor. Although she initially believes that Ruyi was responsible for her son's death, she is later manipulated by Consort Jia into thinking that her son had actually been killed by Empress Fuca and she is used as a chess piece by Consort Jia to cause the Empress's death. However, when her actions are revealed, she is used by Qianlong as a scapegoat to weaken the Empress Dowager's control within the harem. She ultimately dies a grievous death after realizing she had taken revenge on the wrong person.

A beautiful, straightforward and good-natured young woman, recommended to enter the Palace by the Empress Dowager. She is a good singer and enjoys poetry, a passion she shares with Qianlong. Despite being the second pawn sent by the Empress Dowager to spy on Qianlong, she is loyal and devoted to him and has long been sincerely in love with him, having first seen him during one of his walks. She stays out of internal conflicts within the palace, preferring to keep to herself, and becomes good friends with Ruyi. Unbeknownst to her, for years Qianlong gives her a contraceptive disguised as a conception medicine, due to her connection to the Empress Dowager. When she stops drinking the medicine she becomes pregnant with a son, the 10th prince, much to Qianlong's reluctance. However her son has a delicate health and when he dies, she becomes depressed and unstable. When Consort Ling reveals Qianlong's true intentions to her, she commits suicide.

Very naive, hypocritical and easy to manipulate, she often sides with any imperial consort who is favored at the time, but lacks the cunning to act on her own. She was the third pawn sent by Empress Dowager to spy on Qianlong. She is the daughter of the Vice Minister of the Court of Sacrificial Worship. After Concubine Mei makes her drink a medicine that makes her infertile, she begins working for Consort Ling.

The first Mongolian princess to become a member of the harem from Mongolia. She comes from Mongolian royalty, and she is very skilled in cavalry and archery. With a cheerful and honest personality, she is close to Consort Ying and hates Consort Ling.

Intelligent, spirited and eloquent yet blunt, she is the second Mongolian princess to join the harem and serves as a representative for all the Mongolian imperial consorts. She is said to have a "southern beauty." She despises Consorts Ling and Jia, and becomes close friends with Ruyi. After losing her daughter to a miscarriage caused by Consort Jia's dog, instigated by Consort Ling, she adopts and raises the latter's daughter.

Arrogant and defiant, she was the third Mongolian princess to join the harem and quickly becomes favored by the Qianlong Emperor due to her exuberance, despite being over 30 years old when she joined the harem. However, as she loses the Emperor's favor after it was discovered she was spying on him for her father, she begins to fabricate lies. Along with Consort Ling and Maoqian, she falsely accuses Ruyi of having an affair with Ling Yunche to make her lose the Empress position, which she desired for herself. When the Emperor discovers she had lied about Ruyi, she ultimately loses her title and is sent to the torture chamber.

The only princess of East Turkestan to join the Inner Palace of the Qing Dynasty, of an exquisite and irresistible beauty. She is a beautiful young woman brought to the palace by General Zhaohui after her tribe was conquered by the Qing Empire. However, she hates her stay in the Forbidden City and her sole goal is to assassinate Qianlong to avenge her fiancé, Han Qi, who was killed by an avalanche while she was being forcibly taken to the capital. She gets along well with Ruyi, to whom she is grateful for saving her from her depression. Her beauty, which captivates the Qianlong Emperor, causes fear and jealousy in the harem upon her arrival. Qianlong becomes obsessed with her and gives her extraordinary gifts to win her love, however, she abhors the Emperor and maintains her loyalty to her deceased fiancé, knowing he does not truly love her and only desires her for her looks. Although she does not love Qianlong, she eventually accepts her place in the harem. She is a melancholic yet straightforward woman who is not afraid to express her true thoughts, and she takes advantage of her great beauty and influence over the Emperor to tell him what no one else dares to.

A Mongolian woman, she is close to Consort Ying and hates Consort Ling.

Father of the Qianlong Emperor. After deposing Empress Ula-Nara, he objects to Hongli choosing Ruyi as his primary wife, ordering him to leave the palace and having him choose Fuca Langhua instead. However, he allows Ruyi to return to the palace as a secondary wife after Hongli begs him to forgive her. He dies six years after Ruyi's marriage.

Ruyi's paternal aunt. A rival of Niohuru Zhenhuan, she is placed under house arrest along with her son Hongshi at the beginning of the series, after being accused of plotting against the emperor. The fall from grace of her aunt, the Empress, compromises the reputation of the Ula-Nara clan and greatly affects Ruyi's position in the court, as she is seen as the disgraced niece of a traitor. She dies locked up in her palace, not even allowed to attend the funeral of the Yongzheng Emperor.

One of the Yongzheng Emperor's former imperial concubines who was banished to the Cold Palace, although the exact reason is unknown, it was supposedly due to Niohuru Zhenhuan's influence. Despite being in her 30s, she has the appearance of an elderly woman. While in the Cold Palace, she met Ruyi and tried to kill the Empress Dowager, whom she hates. After this assassination attempt, she is taken away and executed.

Third son of the Yongzheng Emperor and Empress Ula-Nara's adopted son. He was stripped of his noble title and banished from the palace after being falsely accused of treason against the Emperor.

Fifth son of the Yongzheng Emperor. He chose to stay out of the succession battle.

Elder daughter of the Yongzheng Emperor and the Empress Dowager, and a half-sister to Qianlong, whom she resents for marrying her off to a faraway land at a young age. She was initially married to Dorza Khan and becomes High Princess of the Dzungar Khanate. After her husband is killed, she is forced to marry his usurper, Dawachi Khan.

Younger daughter of the Yongzheng Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Initially chosen for a marriage alliance to Khorchin's tribe instead of Jingse, she is later married to Deputy Minister Zong Zheng.

Third daughter of the Qianlong Emperor by Empress Fuca. A proud and arrogant young woman, Jingse is Empress Fuca's only surviving child. She looks down on the imperial consorts due to her noble birth, since she is the daughter of both emperors and therefore the legitimate princess. She is resentful of Ruyi due to her rivalry with her mother, and for having been a key piece in Qianlong's decision to send her away to marry Septeng Baljur, prince of the Mongol Khorchin tribe, with whom she lives an unhappy marriage. Her position as Grand Princess is higher than Ruyi's as empress, due to the princess's blood relationship with the Emperor, so she seeks to harm Ruyi time and time again due to her mother's wish expressed upon her death. After her son Qingyou is seemingly saved from drowning by Consort Ling, she supports her in her plans to destroy Ruyi, until Jingse realizes her great ambition.

Eldest son of the Qianlong Emperor by Imperial Noble Consort Zheminm, and therefore the 1st Prince. Innocent and mild-mannered, he is abused and neglected by the nannies after the death of his biological mother. He becomes Ruyi's adoptive son, whom he affectionately calls "mother." Later, when Ruyi is sent to the Cold Palace, he becomes the adoptive son of Consort Chun. Initially a shy and simple-minded young man, Yonghuang later grows up to be ambitious and yearning to succeed his father. Yonghuang is manipulated by Consort Jia into believing that Empress Fuca had killed his biological mother, causing him to lose the Emperor's favor. He later dies of a serious illness.

Yonghuang's wife and a distant relative of Consort Chun. She is chosen to marry Yonghuang because of her humble family background.

Second son of the Qianlong Emperor by Empress Fuca. A sickly child who was always pushed to excel academically by his mother, the Empress, due to his status as a legitimate son, in the hopes that he would become Crown Prince. He dies very young from an asthma attack. After his death, his father the Emperor bestows upon him the posthumous title of Crown Prince Duanhui.

Third son of the Qianlong Emperor by Consort Chun. A kind and hardworking person, though he didn't stand out much, he is goaded by his mother to compete for the position of crown prince and becomes ambitious. After the death of Empress Fuca, he fell out of favor with his father.

Fourth son of the Qianlong Emperor by Consort Jia. A talented young man who is initially highly favored due to being the first son born after the Qianlong Emperor's ascension, becoming his favorite son. Ambitious, cunning and calculating, he eventually loses the Emperor's trust after the incident in the Mu Lan hunting grounds and Consort Jia's multiple maneuvers to make his son the lead contender for the throne, causing him to be disinherited and expelled from the palace.

Yongcheng's wife. She is chosen by Consort Jia due to her strong and noble family background.

Fifth son of the Qianlong Emperor by Noble Consort Yu and Ruyi's foster son. Sensitive and intelligent, he becomes his father's favorite son. He is very observant and talented, but is pressured to hide such skills to avoid making any of his brothers jealous, lest they target him. Consort Jia is shown to be jealous of him, as Yongqi's talent poses a threat to her plans for her son Yongcheng. Although he is initially very close to Ruyi, he eventually distances himself from her after being manipulated by Tian Yun'er. He later dies of an illness, but Qianlong blames Ruyi for his death.

Yongqi's main wife. The marriage is granted by the Qianlong Emperor as a political move and because their marriage was out of duty rather than love, Yongqi keeps himself busy with court matters while she manages his household and concubines.

Yongqi's concubine and the daughter of Nanny Tian. She is manipulated by Consort Ling into believing that Ruyi killed her mother. She is sent under a false identity to become Yongqi's concubine and ordered to sow discord between him and Ruyi. She dies by suicide after accusing Ruyi of Yongqi's death in front of the Emperor.

Sixth son of the Qianlong Emperor by Consort Chun.

Fourth daughter of the Qianlong Emperor by Consort Chun.

Eighth son of the Qianlong Emperor by Consort Jia. His saddle is secretly altered on Consort Ling's orders, resulting in him falling from his horse and being permanently disabled in one leg, and Yongqi being accused by Consort Jia.

Eleventh son of the Qianlong Emperor by Consort Jia.

Twelfth son of the Qianlong Emperor by Ruyi. Free-spirited and adventurous, his father has high expectations for him because he is the only legitimate son. Ling Yunche becomes her personal guard and they become close to each other. Yongji is used by Consort Ling as a pawn to trick Qianlong into believing that Ruyi is indeed having an affair with Ling Yunche, slipping poisonous mushrooms into his food to make him hallucinate seeing them together. Young Yongji becomes disappointed in everyone around him and falls into depression.

Fifth daughter of the Qianlong Emperor by Ruyi. She is born premature and with a heart condition that worsens after being startled by Consort Jia's dog, falling into a trap orchestrated by Consort Ling. This shock leads to her death, which is deeply felt by her parents.

Seventh daughter of the Qianlong Emperor by Consort Ling. Since her birth, she was adopted by Consort Ying, whom she considers her true mother. Jingyuan loves Ruyi and hates Consort Ling, as she knows she hurts Ruyi.

Ninth daughter of the Qianlong Emperor by Consort Ling and Concubine Ke's foster daughter. She is separated from her mother at birth and first raised by the dowager consorts, so she has a weak relationship with her.

Fifteenth son of the Qianlong Emperor by Consort Ling. At the end of Qianlong's reign, he is named Crown Prince.

Jingse's only child. He is the young heir to the Khorchin throne.

The Qianlong Emperor's paternal aunt-by-marriage and wife of Prince Xian of the First Rank.