Story of Yanxi Palace () is a 2018 Chinese television series created by Yu Zheng for iQIYI. Starring Wu Jinyan, Charmaine Sheh, Qin Lan and Nie Yuan, the series aired on iQIYI from July 19, 2018 to August 26, 2018. The series recounts the struggles of a palace maid in the court of the Qianlong Emperor.
Distributed in more than 70 markets worldwide, Story of Yanxi Palace became a huge hit across Asia, catapulting Wu Jinyan and Xu Kai to stardom and revitalizing the careers of Qin Lan and Charmaine Sheh. It was the most googled TV show in the world in 2018, despite Google being blocked in Mainland China, and was streamed over 15 billion times on iQIYI that year. A spin-off/sequel titled Yanxi Palace: Princess Adventures was released on Netflix on December 31, 2019.
Plot Embroidery Bureau (Episode 1–7)
During the Qing dynasty, Wei Yingluo enters the court of the Qianlong Emperor as an embroidery maid to secretly investigate her older sister Wei Yingning's mysterious death. Yingluo survives the machinations of other embroidery maids jealous of her skills and impresses Empress Fuca with her wit.
Changchun Palace I (Episode 8–27)
At first believing the imperial guard Fuca Fuheng to be the prime suspect, Yingluo schemes to approach his older sister, the Empress Fuca, and succeeds in getting transferred from the Embroidery Bureau to Changchun Palace. Yingluo serves the Empress together with head palace maids Erqing and Mingyu, where she eventually becomes a trusted confidante of the Empress and learns that the Fuca siblings are innocent of the crime. Yingluo and Fuheng also fall for each other in the meantime.
Yingluo eventually catches the attention of the Emperor himself. Although she is not of noble birth and illiterate, the Empress teaches her how to read and write, as well as the proper etiquette and mannerisms for noblewomen. The Empress also saves her several times from punishment for probing too deeply into her sister's death. In turn, Yingluo helps the Empress survive a series of schemes by her rivals. The two develop a close friendship.
Over time, Yingluo discovers that her sister was raped by Prince He, the fifth son of the late Yongzheng Emperor and a younger half-brother of the current Emperor. To cover up the crime, the Prince's mother, Consort Dowager Yu ordered Yingning to be put to death. Yingluo hatches a plot that leads to Consort Dowager Yu's death by a lightning strike.
Hard Labour Department (Episode 28–36)
The Empress feigns anger over Yingluo's actions and banishes her to the Hard Labor Department, allowing her to escape a potentially more severe punishment from the Emperor. There, Yingluo befriends a conniving eunuch, Yuan Chunwang.
Without Yingluo, the Empress falls victim to the machinations of Noble Consort Gao, which puts her in a coma. News reaches Yingluo, who visits the Empress' chamber to care for her. Her devotion, quick wit and defiance attracts the Emperor. Developing an infatuation, he forbids Fuheng and Yingluo from marrying, pointing to Yingluo's lowly origins and cunning character. Despite this, Fuheng persists in his feelings. However, when Yingluo faces a death sentence after being schemed against by the jealous Consort Chun, Fuheng backs down to appease the Emperor and agrees to marry Erqing, breaking Yingluo's heart.
Meanwhile, Consort Xian leverages on Yingluo's plan to avenge the Empress and eventually drives Noble Consort Gao to commit suicide. Consort Chun, scorned by her unrequited longtime infatuation with Fuheng, turns away from Fuheng and Empress Fuca. Instigated by the now Noble Consort Xian, who manages the Imperial Harem while Empress Fuca lies in a coma, Consort Chun successfully strives to become the Emperor's new favourite, and bears the sixth prince, Yongrong. Empress Fuca awakes from her coma, but is unable to walk anymore. She pleads with the Emperor to revoke his decision that Fuheng and Erqing are to marry, but to no avail. The Emperor relents on his tough stance towards Yingluo and allows her to return to Empress Fuca's side.
Changchun Palace II (Episode 37–40)
At the Fuca Manor, the relationship between Fuheng and Erqing, already without mutual affection from the start, quickly deteriorates. Fuheng leaves to lead a military campaign for the Emperor. Under the care of Yingluo and Mingyu, Empress Fuca eventually recovers fully and can walk again. Erqing, now Madame Fuca, returns to Changchun Palace as a guest, and pushes Empress Fuca to become pregnant, against the advice of the Imperial Physicians. Empress Fuca gives birth to the seventh prince (Yongcong), almost dying from difficult labour. The birth of the seventh prince is a setback to Consort Chun. She arranges for a fire to break out in Changchun Palace while Yingluo is away, killing the seventh prince. Adding to Empress Fuca's desperation, Erqing makes the fake confession to the Empress that she was pregnant from the Emperor. The devastated Empress commits suicide.
Summer Palace I (Episode 41–42)
After Empress Fuca's death, Noble Consort Xian is made Emperor Qianlong's second wife, Empress Nara (the Step-Empress). Yingluo is exiled to the Summer Palace to guard over Empress Fuca's tomb and memorial tablet. She stays there with Yuan Chunwang until the Emperor and the imperial consorts arrive for the summer to celebrate the Empress Dowager's birthday. During the celebrations, Yingluo learns that Consort Chun was responsible for the late Empress Fuca's death. She decides to reenter the Forbidden City and avenge Empress Fuca. However, her decision also breaks Yuan Chunwang's heart.
Yanxi Palace I (Episode 43–57)
To achieve her goal, Yingluo skillfully charms the Empress Dowager and becomes part of the Imperial Harem, being bestowed the rank of noble lady (five ranks below the empress). With the help of Mingyu, Hailancha and Fuheng after his return, she succeeds in captivating the Emperor, and even though other concubines sabotage her frequently, she rises quickly to the rank of Consort. She exposes Consort Chun's role in the late Empress Fuca's death, and has Erqing killed for her involvement in Empress Fuca's suicide.
The Step-Empress starts to perceive Yingluo as a threat to her position. In secret, she employs Yuan Chunwang, who has returned to Yanxi Palace as Yingluo's head eunuch. Yuan Chunwang bears grudges against Yingluo since she has abandoned him to become an imperial concubine, and on the Step-Empress' orders, he makes it known that Yingluo is secretly taking contraceptives. Yingluo immediately loses the favour of the Emperor, who has fallen for her at this point.
Yingluo teams up with the Empress Dowager, whose own relationship with the Emperor has been put to the test after the Step-Empress reveals that the Emperor is not the biological son of the Empress Dowager, but of Lady Qian, a Han Chinese consort of the late Yongzheng Emperor who had died under mysterious circumstances. It is implied that the Empress Dowager had killed Lady Qian to adopt her son.
Summer Palace II (Episode 58)
The two women once most dear to the Emperor go into self-imposed exile in the Summer Palace, leading the Emperor to feel guilty for doubting his adoptive mother, who is undeniably the one who raised and protected him for years.
Yanxi Palace II (Episode 59–70)
Some time later, a new threat in the form of newcomer Concubine Shun calls Yingluo back to the Forbidden City. Yingluo sets out to reclaim the Emperor's favour, but finds herself befriended by her rival. However, the beautiful Concubine Shun has her own agenda and proves to be cunning and dangerous. Teaming up with the Step-Empress Nara, she frames Yingluo for attempted assassination, putting Yingluo under house arrest. This gives Yuan Chunwang the opportunity for revenge by starving and mistreating Yingluo. Nevertheless, Yingluo is able to reverse her situation, reveal Concubine Shun's treachery, and reclaim the Emperor's affections for her. At the same time, Yingluo is discovered to be pregnant with the Emperor's child, much to his happiness. Having reached a stalemate at this point, Yingluo negotiates a truce with the Step-Empress Nara on the condition that neither of them will harm any imperial offspring despite their rivalry.
Over the next ten years, Yingluo goes on to bear two daughters and two sons. Her first son dies in early childhood, and her health slowly deteriorates. She also raises the Fifth Prince Yongqi and is the Emperor's most favoured consort.
Yuan Chunwang, now Step-Empress Nara's trusted servant, betrays his new mistress by causing a series of mishaps in the palace that destabilise her rule. He uses Prince He's affections for the Step-Empress to instigate a rebellion. They plot to sabotage the imperial southern boat tour and seize power, hoping to free each other from their eroding positions. One night during the tour, a group of rebels suddenly storms the imperial ship. Fire breaks out in the Empress Dowager's cabin, prompting the Emperor to charge into the flames to save his mother, seemingly perishing in the process.
The next morning, as Prince He gallantly appears to restore order from the overnight coup, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager emerge safely from a secret passageway designed by Fuheng and expose the treachery. The Step-Empress betrays Prince He, having always loved the Emperor and hoping to use the rebellion to prove her devotion to her husband. Just then, Yingluo emerges from hiding under the protection of the Emperor's guards, being the only consort to have received such protection. This overt favouritism, after all of her years of devotion, causes the Step-Empress to break down into a fit of rage and cut off her hair, a taboo in Manchu tradition.
As the Emperor sentences Prince He to confinement and the Step-Empress is taken away, Yuan Chunwang proclaims his innocence, only for Yingluo to reveal his role in the failed coup and recent chaos. Yuan Chunwang announces that he is the illegitimate son of the late Yongzheng Emperor and the full-brother of the Emperor. Years ago, the late emperor was met with a bandit attack in the Taihang Mountains; Lady Qian happened upon the attack and exchanged clothes with the late emperor to distract the bandits away from him and took him home to recover from the attack. Years later after Lady Qian's death, Lady Qian's family was approached by the Prince Lian , who told Yuan Chunwang of his supposed imperial heritage. Hoping to meet his father and claim his birthright as a prince, Yuan Chunwang allowed himself to be castrated and serve as a eunuch at the Yongzheng Emperor's manor, but was instead met with denial and labor. Feeling owed, he vowed revenge upon the imperial family.
While the Empress Dowager confirms the Yongzheng Emperor's attack, she denies that Yuan Chunwang is the late emperor's son, implying that he is the child of a bandit who took advantage of the situation and raped the disguised Lady Qian. Realizing he has been misled by a lie and all his scheming was for nothing, Yuan Chunwang is driven into madness. But when the Emperor decides to execute Yuan Chunwang, the Empress Dowager asks the Emperor to spare him. The insane Yuan Chunwang is banished to the Hard Labour Department for life.