Husband Inheriting Both Branches? She’s Climbing a Higher Branch

Fang Qianxue is the daughter of Grand Tutor Fang, a high-ranking official whose family has been exiled following a treason case involving Prince Yong. For five years, she has been married to Lu Changqing, a scholar who placed third in the palace examination. She managed the Lu household with diligence, using her substantial dowry to cover the family's chronic debts and maintain their social standing. They share twin children, Yuan and Yao. However, her husband's affection has waned, particularly after he returns from Jiangning with Xu Miaoyan, a young woman he claims is his deceased elder brother's betrothed. Lu Changqing announces his intention to practice dual-lineage succession, marrying Xu Miaoyan in his brother's name to continue the elder branch's lineage, while keeping Fang Qianxue as the nominal head of the household.

The conflict escalates when Lu Changqing, emboldened by the fall of the Fang family and his resentment over five years of suppressed career advancement, slaps Fang Qianxue during an argument. The physical blow causes her to hit her head, dislodging a Sanskrit-inscribed golden hairpin given to her by her grandfather. This injury triggers a sudden awakening; Fang Qianxue realizes she is a character in a novel titled The Powerful Minister’s Younger Uncle and Dual-lineage Succession, Pampering Her to the Bone. In the original story, she is a cannon-fodder wife who is eventually driven to suicide after her husband and the female lead, Xu Miaoyan, exploit her Heart's Blood to cure Xu's fabricated heart condition. Her children are also killed, their bones used as medicinal ingredients. Armed with knowledge of the future, Fang Qianxue resolves to change her fate.

Fang Qianxue discovers that Xu Miaoyan is not suffering from a heart condition but is instead a schemer seeking to steal the Phoenix Maiden Destiny, a rare fortune that grants immense power and status. Xu Miaoyan plans to kill Fang Qianxue to exchange fates. When Lu Changqing demands Fang Qianxue's Heart's Blood to save Xu Miaoyan, she refuses and demands a divorce. Lu Changqing refuses, threatening to ruin her brother's reputation unless she complies. Meanwhile, Yan Fenghua, the Vice Minister of Justice and a close friend of Fang Qianxue, offers his support but warns that divorce is difficult under the law. Fang Qianxue decides to take matters into her own hands, aiming to rise in power rather than remain a victim.

She separates her finances from the Lu family, returning the household management tokens to her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Lu Wanrou, while exposing the family's hidden debts. This move strips them of the financial support she had secretly provided for years. Lu Wanrou, who had been using the family credit at Brocade Pavilion, is left with a five-thousand-tael debt. Fang Qianxue also learns from a tabby cat, which can understand human speech, that Xu Miaoyan is feigning illness and plotting against her. In a pivotal turn, Lu Changqing overhears Xu Miaoyan admitting to the cat that she never had a heart condition and that her goal is to kill Fang Qianxue to steal her destiny. Shocked and enraged, Lu Changqing confronts Xu Miaoyan, but she manipulates him into believing she acted out of envy and love, leading him to forgive her.

Despite Lu Changqing's temporary realization of the truth, his obsession with Xu Miaoyan remains strong. Fang Qianxue, now fully aware of the dangers, focuses on protecting her children and rebuilding her own power base. She receives a letter from her brother, Fang Jue, who is in exile, hinting at inconsistencies in the treason case that implicated her grandfather. Realizing that her Phoenix Maiden Destiny makes her a target for those seeking the throne, Fang Qianxue decides to step into the political storm rather than hide from it. She plans to use her grandfather's remaining connections and her own intelligence to navigate the treacherous court politics, aiming to secure her independence and ensure the safety of her children while dismantling the schemes of both Xu Miaoyan and the corrupt forces behind her family's downfall.