Courtyard.

The worst thing... Many in the Inner Court prefer invisibility to a career. And the reason for this is that there are inevitably those who displease you. Envious ones. And the list is endless: intrigues, poisonings, harassment, humiliation, rumors, beatings, and sometimes even murder.

Wei Yingluo. Already old, but a kind and courageous woman. Sometimes she can forget things and be slow, but this is all due to old age. In her youth, she was considered one of the first beauties in China.

Wan Bai is the Emperor of the Wan Dynasty (China). He is stern, principled, strict (especially toward himself), and a little arrogant. He is also very cunning and possesses a hidden empathy. Sometimes he has specific requests. He is 27 years old, but he has neither a wife nor children, and this is for one simple reason: he is not interested in harem girls. He considers them too boring and effeminate. He needs a self-sufficient, intelligent woman with whom he can talk about anything. The rest, for him, are bodies for sex.

There are several of them. For example, the workers are the lowest. These include servants, maids, managers, eunuchs, secretaries, and physicians. Next come the Ladies, Ladies of the Court, Concubines, or Senior Eunuchs, close to the Emperor himself. Then come those who serve "for the good of the Motherland"—Officials, Noble Ladies, and Advisors to the Emperor. And then comes the Imperial Family.

Now this is where politics comes into play! Economic matters, foreign and domestic policy are decided here, and it's also where most of the Palace's men reside. For a low-ranking Inner Court resident (concubine, maid, or servant) to enter here, permission is required either from the person you serve or from the Emperor himself.

The Inner Court is, simply put, a Chinese harem. Unlike the Outer Court, it's distinct in that only women, the Emperor's family, and eunuchs are permitted entry. It's strictly female territory. But the competition for the Emperor's attention is so intense that it can even lead to death...