what year is the empress set in

Seven years ago, at Nina and Chandler's wedding, a tragedy unfolded when Nina's father murdered Chandler's father, leading to a deep rift between their families. After a chance encounter, Nina saved Chandler from a drugging incident, resulting in her giving birth to his child. Now, desperate to save her daughter Tracy, who battled leukemia, Nina found herself in Chandler's bed once more. Despite Chandler's outward humiliation, his heart remained conflicted with love and resentment. As their complicated relationship unfolded, long-buried truths from the past began to emerge. Ultimately, Chandler came to Nina's and Tracy's rescue, and the family finally reunited when the truth was revealed.

On the day of her engagement, Emery Smith was pushed to her death — only to wake up six months earlier. But she wasn't the only one reborn. Her half-sister, Tina, had come back too... and stolen the life Emery once had. By a twist of fate, Emery flash-married the mysterious Gabriel Parker, unaware of his hidden identity. Again and again, Tina and Adam tried to crush her — humiliating, scheming, setting traps. Yet every move they made, Emery turned against them, with Gabriel secretly guarding her every step. In the end, Adam landed in prison, and Tina lost everything — locked away in a madhouse.

Joanie Sadler and Laurent Goff met and grew up together as children in an orphanage. After leaving the orphanage, Laurent set out to build a career and promised to one day give Joanie a home. Joanie was later adopted by Peggy Boswell and Benjamin Francis, a couple who had lost their own daughter. Peggy sees Joanie as a replacement for her lost child, and when Joanie's birth parents later come to claim her, the Francis couple forges false paternity test results to keep Joanie. Years later, the Francises' real daughter Joanna is found, causing the couple to immediately turn against Joanie and send her back to her birth parents. Joanna also resents Joanie for living the life that should have been hers. At this time, Laurent, through a paternity test from years ago, locates Joanie and arrives at the Francis household, bringing a billion-dollar investment project. However, due to a series of misunderstandings, Laurent mistakenly believes Joanna is his childhood friend Joanie.

Over the past few years, Xena had been working hard to earn money, allowing her son, Leon Cale, to attend college. Leon promised to take his mother to the city to live once he got into college. Ten years later, Leon achieved great success and forgot about his mother who lived in the village, forgetting about his own humble beginnings. This play carries a profound positive energy, showcasing the greatness and selflessness of a mother's love. It also serves as a reminder to the audience to never forget gratitude and to cherish the silent sacrifices of their mothers.

Since childhood, Melanie Llyod has lived under the shadow of loss, her mother gone and her stepmother intent on securing a vast inheritance. Raised in a world of fragile comfort, Melanie grows weak and dependent. But after a sudden accident, Ashton Llyod reappears in her life, urging her to find strength and independence. The emotions they've suppressed for years begin to surface. Though they share no blood, they've lived as siblings for 18 years. But in the 19th year, everything changes… Kate Llyod, determined to steal Melanie's fiance, relentlessly tries to expose the secret connection between Melanie and Ashton. Amidst the growing misunderstandings, Melanie decides to bury her feelings and honor her engagement. Ashton, too, chooses to distance himself, focusing on his responsibilities. But when a twist of fate leads to a murder attempt, Ashton is left gravely injured and hospitalized. At last, both must confront their true feelings for each other. Yet, the challenges ahead are far from over…

Under his disguise as an ordinary odd-job worker, Hugh Lane suffered unending humiliation and witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly of mankind. Now that he had been restored to his former formidable identity, he vowed to make everyone who once humiliated him grovel at his feet!

Once destined for college, Violet Payne's life was stolen when her best friend took her admission letter, an act that ruined her future and led to her father's death. Ten years later, her friend became CEO, and she raised pigs in the countryside. Refusing defeat, she uncovers the truth and rises to become a successful entrepreneur, reclaiming her life and triumphing.

Modern-day doctor Luna Winslow accidentally travels back to ancient times and becomes the unfavored consort of Lord Henry Reign. Little did she know, there was a deep-seated grudge between her and Lord Henry from their past lives. Upon her arrival, she encounters severely wounded patients and narrowly avoids being wrongfully imprisoned. As their paths continuously cross and clash, their relationship gradually transitions from estrangement to closeness, ultimately coming together in true love.

Rose Cole, a fresh graduate, ended up having a one-night stand with Thomas Gray, who was drugged, after covering her mother's night shift at a hotel. Later, when Rose applies for a job at Thomas Corporation, she happens to be hired as Thomas' assistant. After getting along with each other for some time, Thomas realizes that he has fallen for her. At this time, his girlfriend in name, Mia Jones, finds out their relationship and warns Rose to stay away from Thomas.

Stella lost her parents when she was just a child and grew up in heartbreaking circumstances. But through it all, she stayed bright, strong, and kind-hearted. At eighteen, she happened to save Riley, the elegant matriarch of a wealthy family. Grateful, Riley took her in as her foster daughter. To Stella's amazement, her six new brothers were anything but ordinary. From a girl nobody cared about, she suddenly found herself at the center of a powerful family—as their beloved little sister.

Fiona Judd falls victim to a scheme that leads to a one-night stand with Caleb Price. When she becomes pregnant, they enter into a hasty marriage but keep their relationship hidden at work. Ironically, this secrecy causes Fiona, the legitimate wife of the CEO, to be mistakenly branded as his mistress. Throughout these challenges, Caleb remains devoted, repeatedly coming to her rescue from difficult situations. Despite the misunderstandings and obstacles, their genuine feelings for each other eventually triumph, proving that true love can overcome any adversity.

When Tanner Gary was elderly and needed a bone marrow transplant, he discovered his son wasn't his biological child. Later, he found out his assistant, Hans Nolan, was actually his wife Lorry Gary's first and true love. The son was born to Hans and Lorry, and they named him Harry. In order to seize the entire Gary Group, Hans and Lorry killed Tanner, but Tanner was unexpectedly reborn and traveled back to the day before his wedding. After his rebirth, Tanner vowed to stop being a pushover and to cherish the people around him. However, his fiancée Lorry still arrogantly believed that he would remain her loyal lapdog. She first checked into a hotel with Hans, showing no remorse, and even used the upcoming wedding as a threat against Tanner. Then, at the wedding, she confessed her love to Hans, only for Tanner to expose their affair on the spot, causing the wedding to fall apart. Her family, caught in the ensuing scandal, faced a crisis and was on the brink of bankruptcy.

In their previous lives, the empress and the consort spent their whole lives locked in a bitter rivalry. It wasn't until their deaths that they uncovered the truth—they had both been pawns in the emperor's game. Their children were used to turn them against each other, and their families had all perished at the emperor's hands. Reborn, the empress returns to the very day the emperor falsely accused her of causing the consort's miscarriage. This time, she does everything she can to protect her former enemy. But before she can offer an explanation, she discovers that the consort has been reborn as well. Once they confirm their shared secret, the two women turn from rivals to allies, determined to take down the unfaithful emperor together. In their previous lives, the emperor's power was still shaky at this point, and he relied heavily on the political influence of both women's families. This time, the empress uses his greed against him and brings him to his own downfall. At the story's close, the consort embraces a life of peace while the empress ascends the throne with grace. For once, the women of the imperial harem live peacefully, free of rivalry. Who says a woman can't wear the crown?

After her fiancé and stepsister betrayed her, Zoey Quin hastily married Henry Tyler, her fiancé's uncle. She thought it was just a mutually beneficial cooperation, but little did she know that Henry had loved her for years. After several twists and turns, Zoey was touched by Henry's tenderness and attention to detail, and she finally learned of his long-hidden affection. Then they lived happily ever after.

Felix, betrayed by his former wife Quincy and suffering from dementia, witnessed his daughter Nancy being taken away by Quincy and her lover. After the ancestral tablet was destroyed, an ancestor manifested and restored Felix's spiritual wisdom, granting him power. In order to rescue his daughter, Felix accidentally encountered female CEO Yancey and demonstrated his abilities to save his daughter. However, to completely heal his daughter, Felix needed a Viridblood Plant. Yancey, in order to get rid of Dario's pursuit, gave Felix the herb for the condition that Felix save someone and then they created chaos at an auction. Later, Felix went alone to Yancey's ancestral ceremony, even offering three incense sticks to Yancey's ancestors, embarrassing everyone present. This, however, aroused jealousy from Dario's family, who kidnapped Felix's daughter and set up traps for Felix, all of which he managed to overcome. Eventually, Felix married Yancey, and the two lived happily ever after.

Sky Fenton and Geoffrey Mooney were childhood sweethearts who promised to marry each other. When they meet again as adults, both have changed their names and don't recognize each other. Yet fate brings them together, leading to a series of amusing encounters. As they fall for each other again, both hesitate due to their childhood promise, not realizing they're actually falling for the very person they promised to marry.

Tiana, the daughter of the Chudy family, was abducted when she was born. Her brother Bennett, fearing their mother's blame, swapped her with another baby, Roslyn, at the time of the abduction, falsely claiming that the kidnapped child was a janitor's daughter. Tiana was raised by Liala and eventually employed by Chudy Group due to her talent. On her first day at the company, she was bullied by Roslyn for saving a colleague. Bennett noticed the resemblance between Tiana and his long-lost sister, delved further into the investigation, and uncovered the truth, confirming that Tiana was indeed his sister. He vowed to protect his sister from harm. With the mystery of Tiana's identity unraveled, her future got brighter under her brother's protection.

Chris Leif gave up his family inheritance to become a stay-at-home husband for his wife, Queenie. When Queenie's first love,Nathan,returned to the country, her family began to look down on Chris. Pushed to his limit, Chris chose divorce and started a new life. Only then did Queenie and their daughter realize how remarkable Chris truly was—but it was too late to win him back.