Empresses in the Palace (2011)

A story about the life of the young and innocent Zhen Huan as she blossoms into a powerful empress. At the time of Emperor Yong Zheng's reign, the 17 year-old Zhen Huan (Sun Li) together with her close friends Mei Zhuang (Lan Xi) and Ling Rong (Tao Xin Ran) joined the search for the emperor's concubine. Zhen Huan only intended to join as a stopgap, however, the emperor becomes deeply intrigued by her intelligence, courage, and dignity such that all three friends are chosen to be the emperor's concubine. Because Hua Fei (Jiang Xin), another concubine of the emperor, is arrogant and keeps on causing trouble for the three, Mei Zhuang becomes subject to injustice, Ling Rong becomes ruthless, and Zhen Huan becomes one of the most astute concubines of the palace. When Yong Zheng (Chen Jian Bin) realizes Nian Geng Yao's (Sun Ning) ambition for the throne, he orders Zhen Huan's father to get rid of the Nian clan. Not long after, Zhen Huan's father becomes a victim of the literary inquisition and gets imprisoned. A devastated Zhen Huan gives birth to her daughter and leaves the palace to become a nun. There, she meets the 17th prince and falls in love with him. But it is as if fate plays with her and she continues to encounter many trials that will mold her into becoming an empress that is revered by all.