Story of Yanxi Palace

In the midst of intrigue and treachery, a young woman named Wei Yingluo enters the Forbidden City as a seamstress to uncover the truth behind her older sister's tragic death. Believing the imperial guard Fucha Fuheng to be her sister's killer, Yingluo cleverly schemes her way into the empress's household, where she learns that the Fucha siblings are in fact kind and honest people. As she navigates the complex hierarchy of the palace, Yingluo discovers that her sister was actually raped by Prince He, the fifth son of the late Yongzheng Emperor, and that the Prince's mother murdered her sister to cover up the shameful act. Determined to bring justice to her sister, Yingluo successfully hatches a plot to kill the culprit, but her actions lead to her banishment to the palace's hard labor department. There, she befriends a conniving eunuch, Yuan Chunwang, who helps her escape a potentially more severe punishment from the Emperor. Meanwhile, Empress Fuca falls victim to the machinations of Noble Consort Gao and eventually wakes from her coma pregnant again. However, Consort Chun murders both Empress Fuca and her newborn son, prompting Yingluo once again to enter The Forbidden City in order to exact retribution on the evildoers. Yingluo skillfully charms Qianlong, becoming part of his harem and rising through the ranks, exposing those responsible for Empress Fuca's death and ultimately becoming the new empress herself. However, threats continue to loom over her, especially from her former sworn brother Yuan Chunwang, who reveals that Yingluo is secretly taking birth control, and DOes not have the true reason for entering the harem

You can stream Story of Yanxi Palace on: Rakuten VIKI

Some TV shows that have similar genres and were produced around the same time as Story of Yanxi Palace include Shin Koihime Musou, Shōgun, The Artful Dodger, Say Nothing, The Leopard, Blue Eye Samurai.