The current Emperor of Li, the eldest son of the former Emperor and Empress Dowager An. Spouses: Ah-Duo (formerly), Lishu, Loulan, Lihua, Gyokuyo. As the only surviving son among the former Emperor's three children, he abolished the eunuch and slave systems upon ascending the throne, building on the foundation laid by the previous Empress Regnant. Since becoming Emperor, he has taken many concubines and is known as a lecher. However, he lost several children due to lead-based face powder. During this time, he had Ka Zuigetsu disguise himself as the eunuch Jinshi to manage the inner palace while burdening him with numerous official duties as a member of the imperial family. It is said he made a certain bet, which refers to making Ka Zuigetsu the Crown Prince. Ka Zuigetsu, not wanting to become the Crown Prince, has been trying to make the Emperor father another son.

Nickname: Xiaoling (Little Ling). The first daughter of Empress Gyokuyo. She has slightly dark hair and turquoise eyes, bearing a striking resemblance to Gyokuyo.

A eunuch who manages the inner palace, aged twenty-four (actually 19). He is a mysterious figure who holds a high rank for his young age. As the official managing the inner palace staff and consorts, he frequently visits Consort Gyokuyo, Consort Lishu, Consort Loulan, and Consort Lihua to check on them, while visiting middle-ranked consorts and below about once every ten days or once a month. His purpose is to verify their loyalty and chastity toward the Emperor; he reportedly cuts off any middle or lower-ranked consorts who try to flirt with him. Gyokuyo and Lihua are the ones he personally judged worthy and recommended to the Emperor to become high-ranking consorts. According to Maomao, he looks somewhat old, but when his expression becomes serious, he looks quite young. With an appearance as beautiful as a celestial maiden, he is an object of admiration for women, and men often say they might lose their reason and pounce on him. He is the most beautiful character among the men (and perhaps women) in the story, possessing a beautiful, androgynous, and pretty face rather than a ruggedly handsome one. This is due to his mother's strong genes, and he is well aware of his beauty, using his charms without hesitation.

Nickname: Xiaomao. Always expressionless and calm even in most situations, she is clumsy at conversation because she grew up in an environment isolated from others. She also tends to be obsessed only with fields she is interested in (especially pharmacology and poisons) and is very dull regarding things she doesn't care about. Her curiosity for pharmacology is so extreme that she willingly risks her life, wounding her own body or consuming poison to test drugs. Seeing her grin after letting a venomous snake bite her arm shows she is a complete eccentric. At the start of Volume 1, she is 17 years old. She has black hair with a green tint and purple eyes, with a very thin and small frame that makes her look like she's in her early teens. Her chest circumference is about 2 shaku 5 sun (around 75 cm). The Emperor once jokingly dissed her, saying he wished she would stick out just 5 cm more. The most prominent feature of her appearance is the freckles on her face, which are actually a disguise Maomao made by dabbing clay mixed with water to make herself look ugly and avoid being kidnapped during a time when woman-hunting was prevalent.

A lady from the prestigious Shu clan of the Li border regions, she is a childhood friend of Gyokuyo. She entered the palace as a lady-in-waiting when Gyokuyo became a middle-ranked consort and has served as the head lady-in-waiting ever since, making her the most senior member of the Jade Pavilion. Because of this, Hongniang's loyalty is absolute, and Gyokuyo treats her specially as one of the very few people she truly trusts within the politically treacherous inner palace. Highly competent, she is credited as the primary reason the Jade Pavilion functions properly despite the suspicious and meticulous Gyokuyo employing a minimum number of servants compared to other high-ranking consorts. She serves as the practical administrator and disciplinarian of the Jade Pavilion.