The Emperor and Zhen huan are still grieving over the their child. He hasn't entered the Imperial Harem in a while. Both Zhen Huan and the newly demoted Consort Nian have fallen out of favor. The Empress sees this as an opportunity to have another woman capture the Emperor's attention. Who is she?

Due to Hua Fei's reign of terror, Zhen Huan unfortunately loses her child. Hua Fei is punished severely and the episode revolves around the aftermath of the miscarriage. It turns out, there are more sinister forces that caused the miscarriage beyond Hua Fei's arrogance and punishment. Instead, it is Hua Fei's, now demoted to be called Nian Fei, special fragrance called Huan Yi Xiang that is the root to many mysteries in the palace. Thanks to Zhen Huan's friends, the Imperial Doctor, Wen Shi Chu, and An Ling Rong, a fellow concubine, Zhen Huan is able to understand why.

The Empress got what she wanted or rather who she wanted. The Emperor and Empress leave the Forbidden City for a short trip but that means leaving the newly promoted Noble Consort Hua in charge. What will happen during her reign of terror? Spoilers starting roughly 21:40.

In this episode, the Emperor and Empress begin to lay their traps for their respective prey. Hua fei's brother is becoming increasingly insolent but the Emperor is aware of all his actions. The mother of the 3rd Prince, Consort Qi, is tricked into becoming a willing pawn for the Empress. Hua Fei is promoted to a Noble Consort but many are not happy about this news.

In Episode 27 of Empresses in the Palace, the main character, Zhen Huan is pregnant andjust in time for her birthday. The emperor is very excited to celebrate with her and even asks his brother, the 17th Prince, to help plan the festivities. It's quite a display and, of course, causes many of the other ladies in the imperial harem to be jealous. Unfortunately, the rest of the episode isn't as rosy. One of Zhen Huan's main friends in the palace, this cute and bubbly girl who loves eating sweets, meets an unceremonious end during a trip out in the garden.

Our heroine is pregnant but plenty of people are seething at this news. Hua fei is upset that she's not pregnant and tries everything she can to become pregnant. We learn a bit more about old feuds and past miscarriages. Zhen Huan gets promoted to a Concubine but does she realize the danger she's in? Spoiler section begins at 27:50

A seemingly harmless garden viewing party at the Empress's palace ends in chaos when the Empress's cat "accidentally" attacks the pregnant concubine, causing her to have a miscarriage. This accident was orchestrated by none other than the Empress herself and her new pawn, An Ling Rong. In a surprise twist, Zhen Huan, the main character, finds out she is also pregnant. While she is very pleased, it's clear that her pregnancy will attract a lot of unwanted and harmful attention.

Episode 23 and 24 is focused on the plague that rocks the imperial palace. Even though everyone is trying to find a cure, Consort Hua manages to infect Shen Mei Zhuang with the disease as a way to get rid of her for good. Fortunately, Zhen Huan steps in and asks her friend, the imperial doctor, Wen Shi Chu to help. Zhen Huan is also able to help clear Shen Mei Zhuang's name after the fake pregnancy scandal。 She shows the Emperor evidence that Consort Hua was the mastermind behind everything. However, Consort Hua ultimately does not get punished. Elsewhere in the palace, Noble Lady Fu Cha is pregnant (for real!) which is exciting and disappointing to many in the imperial harem and we see further glimpses of the Empress's true nature.

Hua Fei's side hustle is working quite well for her. She is making a fortune accepting bribes. Everyone at the Palace more or less knows what's happening but will anyone stop her? Meanwhile, Zhen Huan and An Ling Rong continue to drift apart. It's almost the New Year so the concubines head to the opera! We'll discuss Peking Opera and exactly what the ladies pick to watch. Only in this drama do they make us do so much research on opera titles and stories to understand how they're trying to talk to each other. Enjoy!