The protagonist of the story, a concubine in the Qing dynasty imperial harem belonging to the Uya clan. She is recently promoted to the rank of Defei (Virtuous Consort) after giving birth to an imperial son. Shulan is portrayed as gentle and virtuous yet also mischievous and practical in her approach to palace life. She prefers simple, comfortable celebrations over grand banquets, as demonstrated when she celebrates her promotion by grilling meat with her son instead of hosting elaborate ceremonies. She shares a warm and relatively casual relationship with Emperor Kangxi, who finds comfort in the ordinary family atmosphere of her palace, Yonghe Palace. She is the mother of the Sixth Prince, Yinzuo (also called Little Six), and is served by her loyal maid Jinhua. Shulan is shown to be a devoted and thoughtful mother who wants her son to develop independence and good habits, such as learning to feed himself. She is pragmatic about harem politics, pretending ignorance about promotion rumors while secretly knowing the outcomes.
