The Legend of Zhen Huan

Empresses in the Palace
Also known as	'The Legend of Zhen Huan Hougong Zhen Huan Zhuan'
Genre	Romance, historical fiction
Written by	Liu Lianzi, Wang Xiaoping
Directed by	Zheng Xiaolong
Starring	Sun Li Chen Jianbin Ada Choi Jiang Xin Li Dongxue Tao Xinran Lan Xi Zhang Xiaolong Leanne Liu Sun Xi Lee Tien-chu
Country of origin	China
Original language(s)	Mandarin
No. of episodes	76
Production
Location(s)	China
Running time	45 minutes per episode
Production company(s)	Beijing TV Art Center
Release
Original network	Dragon Television
Original release	26 March – 2 May 2012

Empresses in the Palace, also known as The Legend of Zhen Huan and Hou Gong Zhen Huan Zhuan (simplified Chinese: 后宫·甄嬛传; traditional Chinese: 後宮·甄嬛傳), is a Chinese television series based on the . It first aired in China on 17 November 2011.

The series is adapted from a novel of the same name by Liu Lianzi, and the story centers on the schemes between Emperor Yongzheng’s concubines in the imperial palace during the Qing Dynasty. The pure and innocent 17-year-old Zhen Huan is chosen for the emperor’s harem, and after entering the palace, she finds herself caught in the fierce infighting between the empress and the concubines, realizing that the palace is a cruel and harsh place. Zhen has to learn to survive on her own, sometimes by unorthodox methods. With her wits and talents, Zhen fights her way through and wins the emperor’s affection, ultimately becoming the most influential concubine in the imperial palace; and ascending to unparalleled glory and wealth. However, she also becomes a woman with few real friends at her side, even after she is rid of all her enemies.

Along the way, she experiences a miscarriage due to mistreatment by Hua Fei, who is the second most powerful in the harem and who is only below the Empress in rank. However, even though Hua Fei's mistreatment contributed to the miscarriage, the primary reason for the abortion was because of an ointment to heal wounds that she used regularly. The ointment had ingredients that could induce an abortion and was given her by a "friendly" sisterly concubine she thought was her friend and who Zhen Huan had once saved. Eventually, Hua Fei is imprisoned in the "cold" palace for her many misdeeds. In the end, Hua Fei is given a death sentence and told to commit suicide. Although Hua Fei refuses to at first, Zhen Huan makes a visit and tells her that the emperor has not actually loved her for a long time and why so. She also tells her the reason for her infertility. In the end, Hua Fei commits suicide but refuses to do so in a way that was decreed.

Due to a plot by the empress, Zhen Huan becomes disillusioned with the emperor and is transferred over to a nunnery where she becomes a nun. There she falls in love with the emperor's brother. However, she eventually comes back to the Forbidden Palace when she mistakenly believes that the emperor's brother is dead. In the palace, she gives birth to twins. However, even though she passes them off as the emperor's, the father is the emperor's brother. Zhen Huan then continues to fight with her enemies in the power fight and the struggle for the emperor's affection.

...
Wikipedia