Off the top of my head-
The Empress of China (Wu Ze Tian)- though the costumes were nice, they were slightly historically inaccurate and I thought it was overall mediocre.
The Legend of Dugu- three different sisters (surname Dugu) and their respective marriages and rise to power. Mixed Baggage.
Story of Yanxi Palace- Qing Dynasty, so the costumes are a bit different. Extremely fast-paced and well-liked.
The Rise of Phoenixes- loved this, but the first couple of episodes are slow and then the plot picks up very quickly, so it's not for everyone.
Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan (Zhen Huan Zhuan)-A Classic, but pretty old (2000s)-well-liked. I haven't watched it so I can't comment.
Here's an ancient-set drama that is not historical, but set in a fictional dynasty:
The Legend of Fuyao
Here's one famous one where the FL does not become the empress in the end, but she triumphs over her family (well-liked and highly rated)
The Story of Minglan
Legend of Luzhen- Same actress as TSoM, not empress, but becoming the first female prime minister. Pretty good, but from 2013.
*All of the above dramas include Romance.
These were all C-Dramas as I haven't watched any historical K-Dramas yet.
Anyways, check them out! Hope you enjoy some of them.
