Divorced and Married to the Tyrant the Ex-Husband Is Reborn and Regrets It Bitterly

Jiang Lanyue awakens in her body ten years in the past, on the very day her husband Wei Chi passed the imperial examinations with the third-highest rank. In her previous life, she had poured her entire dowry into supporting his studies and managing the household, only to be abandoned by him on the day of his success. Wei Chi had then remarried Shen Jiaxue, a noblewoman, while Jiang Lanyue was subjected to years of torment, imprisonment, and eventual death by exhaustion. Reborn with the memories of her tragic fate, Jiang Lanyue resolves to sever ties with the Wei family and live for herself, armed with the knowledge of future events and a heart hardened by past suffering.

The Wei family, led by the vain and cruel Madam Wei, expects Jiang Lanyue to continue funding their lifestyle and maintaining their social standing. When Madam Wei demands that Jiang Lanyue distribute reward money to servants and neighbors, Jiang Lanyue publicly exposes the fact that the Wei family’s assets, including their mansion, were purchased with her dowry. This revelation shocks the neighbors and turns public opinion against the Wei family. Madam Wei faints from anger, and Jiang Lanyue uses the chaos to retreat to her quarters, refusing to perform the submissive duties expected of a daughter-in-law. That night, she coldly rejects the care of Wei Xu’an, the illegitimate son she had raised as her own in her past life, signaling her complete emotional detachment.

Wei Chi, who has also been reborn, returns to this pivotal moment with the memories of his past life as a powerful Grand Secretary. He believes he can manipulate Jiang Lanyue again, planning to divorce her under the guise of a temporary separation to protect his reputation while he consolidates power with the help of the Duke of Liang and Shen Jiaxue. He intends to keep her as a concubine later. However, Jiang Lanyue sees through his deception. She demands a formal divorce, the return of all her dowry, and the deed to the house. To her surprise, Wei Chi, confident in his ability to win her back, agrees to all terms without hesitation, signing the papers and handing over the keys to the treasury.

Jiang Lanyue leaves the Wei residence immediately, taking all the liquid silver and her loyal maid, Shanhu, with her to her suburban estate. She establishes a perfume business, planning to capitalize on the upcoming chrysanthemum festival to build her financial independence. Meanwhile, the Wei family faces immediate financial ruin as creditors, including a restaurant where Wei Chi ran up a thousand-tael tab, demand payment. Madam Wei attempts to retrieve funds from Jiang Lanyue but is thwarted by Jiang’s strategic use of public spectacle and the intervention of Imperial Censor Meng, whose wife witnesses the Wei family’s mistreatment of their divorced daughter-in-law. The Censor publicly humiliates Wei Chi at court, damaging his reputation and delaying his appointment to the Hanlin Academy. As rumors spread about Wei Chi’s ingratitude and the Wei family’s true financial dependence on Jiang Lanyue, both parties begin to realize the consequences of their actions, setting the stage for a long-term struggle between Jiang Lanyue’s quest for freedom and the Wei family’s desperate attempt to maintain their status.