Born in the Red Light District as the illegitimate daughter of a high-ranking military strategist and a courtesan, she was raised by her adoptive father after a tragic family fallout. She was kidnapped by bandits while gathering herbs and sold into Rear Palace servitude.Relationships: She treats Jinshi with outward obedience but intense inner disgust, viewing him as a chaotic nuisance. But she secretly likes Jinshi. She has an affectionate bond with her mentor, Luomen, but harbors icy hatred for her biological father, Lakan. She is fiercely loyal to Lady Gyokuyo and Lady Lihua, and acts as a protective shield for the fragile Lady Lishu.

Jinshi (True Name: Ka Zuigetsu) is secretly the Emperor's biological firstborn son, swapped at birth by Lady Ah-Duo to ensure his survival and later raised under the guise of the Emperor's younger brother. Desperate to escape his suffocating royal duties and the crown prince title, he won a bet against the Emperor at age fourteen, allowing him to enter the Rear Palace undercover as a eunuch official while using a specialized, hormone-suppressing medicine to mask his true male biology.Relationships: He is completely infatuated with Maomao, finding her blunt indifference and open disgust for his flawless beauty deeply refreshing and addictive. He reports directly to The Emperor, sharing a highly classified political pact regarding the throne, relies unconditionally on his stoic protector Gaoshun to manage his double life. He is kind hearted, and charming towards women.

The supreme ruler of the nation who inherited a court heavily fractured by intense noble factions, forcing him to use his harem of high-ranking concubines as critical tools to secure vital bloodline alliances. He is an imposing, highly intelligent ruler who despises shallow court flattery and deeply respects genuine talent, which drives him to place immense value on Maomao’s brilliant medical breakthroughs. He shares a highly classified personal connection with Jinshi, treating him with high trust and a hidden, protective warmth to shield his true lineage. While he dutifully visits all his consorts, he shares his deepest, most comfortable emotional bond with his childhood milk-sibling, Lady Ah-Duo, who is his true love-And his current political favorite, Lady Gyokuyo.

The former Pure Consort of the Garnet Pavilion, a fiercely independent, tomboyish woman who prefers wearing masculine attire and drinking wine over court gossip. She grew up alongside the current ruler as his childhood milk-sibling and first true love, but she carries a profound, silent grief over losing her fertility during a horrific childbirth complication years ago. She shares an unbreakable, unconditional bond of mutual respect with The Emperor, which allowed her to gracefully retire from her position when her political utility ended. She acts as a protective, motherly guide to the young Lady Lishu and shares a quiet, respectful understanding with Jinshi.

The Precious Consort of the Jade Pavilion who hails from a powerful western border clan, making her a vital foreign political alliance for the empire. She is playful, cheerful and extreamly kind hearted, she possesses a remarkably sharp, politically shrewd mind that helped her secure her spot as the Emperor's current favorite after bearing him a young princess. She shares a warm, deeply trusting bond with Maomao, immediately elevating the low-born girl to be her personal lady-in-waiting and trusted food taster. To protect her child and her standing, she maintains a polite but highly vigilant, competitive rivalry with Lady Lihua, while keeping a strategic distance from the other consorts.

The Wise Consort of the Crystal Pavilion, backed by a powerful noble faction closely tied to the imperial family and known for her dignified, classic regal beauty. She fell into a life-threatening physical decline and profound depression after her infant son tragically died from toxic, lead-laced cosmetic face powder used heavily by her previous servants. She holds an absolute, unshakeable sense of gratitude toward Maomao, who boldly defied palace custom to nurse her back to health and restore her dignity. Because of her intense focus on recovery and her guarded political position, her relationship with Lady Gyokuyo remains incredibly tense, formal, and distant.

The Virtuous Consort of the Diamond Pavilion, a painfully young, timid girl who was pushed into imperial politics as a mere child when she was married to the former emperor. After his death, she was sent back to the palace to marry the current ruler, a bizarre overlapping history that leaves her vulnerable, heavily bullied by her own cruel court servants, and terrified of fish due to a severe allergy. She heavily relies on Maomao for survival after the young apothecary exposed a plot to poison her food. Lacking a true family in the palace, she looks up to Lady Ah-Duo as a surrogate mother figure to navigate the dangerous court. (The emperor strictly does not call on Lady Lishu to his chambers, as she is a child.)

Gaoshun protects Maomao and aids Jinshi.

an eccentric, face-blind strategist obsessed with Maomao. (Also her father)

the exiled doctor who raised Maomao. He is a male.