I Became the Male Lead's Sister-in-Law

Mu Mingtang was born into a prosperous merchant family in Xiangyang, living a sheltered and happy life until the age of twelve. When the city fell to invading Jie forces, her parents were killed protecting her. She fled north with a stream of refugees, surviving only through the protection of an elderly stranger, Granny Zhou, who died shortly after they reached Chenliu. Left alone and destitute, Mu Mingtang was accosted by a pawnshop owner who falsely accused her of theft. During the ensuing struggle, she was discovered by the wife of the Deputy Commissioner of the Three Bureaus, Jiang Honghao, who was searching for her missing eldest daughter, Jiang Mingwei. Noticing that Mu Mingtang bore a resemblance to her lost child, Madam Jiang adopted the refugee girl as a substitute, renaming her Jiang Mingtang and integrating her into the noble Jiang household.

For a year, Mu Mingtang suppressed her true, sharp-tongued nature to扮演 the role of the gentle, refined Jiang Mingwei. She lived in constant fear of being discarded, having experienced the brutality of the refugee trails and knowing that dignity was a luxury she could not afford. Her primary purpose was to serve as a placeholder for the marriage contract between the Jiang family and Xie Xuanji, the Prince of Jin. Mu Mingtang viewed Xie Xuanji with a mix of awe and distance, recognizing his deep devotion to the real Jiang Mingwei and accepting her status as merely a shadow. She prepared herself to live a life of quiet servitude, grateful for the safety and status the Jiang family provided.

The delicate balance of her existence shattered when the real Jiang Mingwei suddenly returned. Jiang Mingwei, who had eloped with a Northern Rong prince in her previous life and suffered a tragic fate, had been reborn and rushed back to reclaim her rightful place. Upon her return, she and Xie Xuanji reunited, clearing up past misunderstandings and reaffirming their love. Mu Mingtang, hiding in the shadows, witnessed their heartfelt reconciliation and realized she was now an obstacle to be removed. Instead of being simply dismissed, she was summoned by Jiang Honghao and Xie Xuanji, who informed her that the emperor had approved a new marriage arrangement. Rather than marrying the Prince of Jin, Mu Mingtang was to be wed to Xie Xuanchen, the Prince of Qiyang.

The Prince of Qiyang was a figure of terror in the capital. The legitimate son of the late emperor and a former military genius, he had gone mad after a bloody incident and now lay half-dead, alternating between unconsciousness and violent, murderous rages. His residence was guarded by elite soldiers who rarely survived six months of service. Marrying him was effectively a death sentence. Mu Mingtang pleaded with Jiang Honghao, revealing her fear and desperation, but her foster father remained unmoved, viewing her as a tool to secure political favor and a promotion. Xie Xuanji also offered no protection, coldly instructing her to care for his cousin and bear him children. Realizing that her humility and obedience had earned her nothing but exploitation, Mu Mingtang snapped. She publicly denounced Jiang Honghao as a hypocrite and Xie Xuanji as a fraud, shattering the hairpin that symbolized her identity as Jiang Mingwei. She declared that she owed them nothing and would face her fate on her own terms.

While Mu Mingtang prepared to enter the perilous household of the Prince of Qiyang, Jiang Mingwei fumed with jealousy. In her previous life, she had learned that Mu Mingtang eventually became the Empress, married to Xie Xuanji, while she herself died in obscurity. Determined to prevent this outcome, Jiang Mingwei sought to ensure that Mu Mingtang did not marry the powerful Prince of Qiyang either. She viewed the Prince as a fallen hero who belonged in her memory, not in the bed of a vulgar refugee. The story moves toward a confrontation where Mu Mingtang, stripped of her protective disguise, must navigate the deadly politics of the Prince of Qiyang’s residence, while Jiang Mingwei schemes to control the fates of both men she once loved.