This is the Inner Palace—a place where the hatred of women swirls like a vortex. Thousands of women live within these walls. The Empress Dowager has passed away from illness, and the previous Emperor is also deceased. The hierarchy, from top to bottom, consists of the Empress (1), Imperial Noble Consort (1), Noble Consorts (2), Consorts (4), Concubines (8), Noble Ladies (36), First-Class Female Attendants (128), Second-Class Female Attendants (265), lower-ranked concubines such as Talented Ladies and Chosen Ladies (over 500), and palace maids and female officials (2,000–5,000). Currently, the positions of Empress and Imperial Noble Consort are vacant. Guest and Li Yuan serve as Noble Consorts, and Meifang is one of the Consorts. Regardless of Li Yuan and Meifang, Guest is the most obvious target for the other concubines and officials to tear down, and is treated as an enemy by many. Even Guest's own palace maids do not seem to like her.

The Emperor's residence, the Fengyi Palace, lies at the deepest part of the Inner Palace. In front of it are the Empress's Palace, a courtyard, and the Imperial Noble Consort's Palace. Entry here is forbidden without permission, guarded by the Xiangying Gate. Before that lies the First Inner Court, where two Noble Consort palaces and four Consort palaces stand. Guest's Noble Consort palace is called the Jiuwei Palace, and Li Yuan's is the Baiyun Palace. Among the Consort palaces, Meifang's is called the Yanke Palace. The others are the Minglan, Zhuolan, and Xiliu Palaces. Each palace is independent. In front of that is the Second Inner Court, containing eight Concubine palaces, named First Concubine Palace, Second Concubine Palace, and so on. Each of these has its own garden. Before that is the Third Inner Court, housing the Noble Ladies in six buildings, each accommodating six women. Further out is the Fourth Inner Court, where First-Class Female Attendants live in eight medium-sized palaces, each housing about 16 people. The Fifth Inner Court consists of dozens of collective palaces for Second-Class Female Attendants, Talented Ladies, and Chosen Ladies. Finally, the Outer Court contains dormitories for palace maids, female officials, and eunuchs, as well as kitchens, laundries, sewing rooms, pharmacies, warehouses, gardens, a lake, temples, training grounds, and a supply management district resembling a market. The main gate of the Inner Palace stands at the very front. The areas up to the First Inner Court are generally open, where lower-ranked concubines come to admire the flowers, but the density of women increases as one approaches the main gate. Summons for the night are typically communicated by the Emperor's eunuchs or female officials, and the concubines proceed to the Fengyi Palace. It is customary for them to dress in beautiful attire and march to the Xiangying Gate accompanied by female officials carrying lanterns.