Marrying into Two Branches? Why Regret It Now That I've Married the Prince Regent?

Xiao Fuguang, a noblewoman of the distinguished Xiao military family, returns from a century of spiritual wandering to her past life, determined to avenge the extermination of her entire household. In her previous existence, she had naively accepted her mother-in-law's proposal for a dual-household marriage, allowing her husband Gu Chuan to take his widowed sister-in-law, Zhuang Linan, as a co-wife. She had devoted herself to managing the Gu family estate and raising Gu Chuan’s orphaned children, only to discover that Gu Chuan and Zhuang Linan were already lovers who had conspired to have her father and brothers killed in battle. After her family was massacred, she killed the couple in revenge but was denied entry into the afterlife due to her lingering resentment. Reborn at the pivotal moment when her mother-in-law first proposes the dual-household marriage, Xiao Fuguang is no longer the submissive wife she once was.

The core conflict ignites immediately as Madam Gu and Gu Chuan attempt to pressure Xiao Fuguang into accepting Zhuang Linan into their home. In her past life, she had agreed out of sympathy, but now she coldly exposes their hypocrisy, revealing that Gu Chuan and Zhuang Linan have been secretly entangled while her eldest brother-in-law’s coffin is still en route. When Gu Chuan attempts to strike her, Xiao Fuguang retaliates with lethal force, wielding a golden hairpin and demonstrating martial arts skills she had acquired during her century of spiritual training. She threatens to kill the entire Gu family, forcing Gu Chuan to back down by reminding her that her natal Xiao family is now vulnerable due to the deaths of her father and brothers. Realizing she cannot act recklessly without endangering her remaining family, she leaves the Gu residence, vowing to destroy them on the day of her brother-in-law’s funeral.

The turning point occurs during the funeral procession for Gu Shan, the General of Martial Virtue. Xiao Fuguang orchestrates a public spectacle that ruins the Gu family’s reputation. Lin Fan, the deputy general who survived the border conflict, arrives with evidence proving that Gu Chuan and Zhuang Linan committed adultery and plotted Gu Shan’s death. A letter, written in Gu Chuan’s handwriting, details their scheme to provoke Gu Shan into reckless combat. Although Gu Chuan denies authoring the letter, multiple officials, including the Censor-in-Chief, verify the handwriting as authentic. The public exposure turns the crowd against the Gu family, labeling Gu Chuan as a fratricide and an adulterer. When Gu Chuan, in a fit of rage, attempts to assault Xiao Fuguang in public, she feigns weakness and collapses, spitting blood to elicit sympathy and further condemn him.

Xiao Fuguang demands a mutual divorce, but the Gu family attempts to stall, using the excuse of respecting the deceased to delay the proceedings. In response, Xiao Fuguang’s mother, Madam Xiao, arrives with a funeral procession for General Xiao and Young General Xiao, bringing memorial tablets to demand justice. Their presence shifts the balance of power, drawing the attention of Xuanyuan Jing, the Prince Regent. Recognizing Xiao Fuguang from her previous life’s end, the Prince Regent intervenes, confirming the Gu family’s guilt and granting the divorce. He orders Gu Chuan to be beaten and imprisoned for investigation, while issuing an imperial decree that formally dissolves the marriage. Xiao Fuguang leaves the Gu residence with her dowry intact, having successfully struck the first blow in her revenge. However, Gu Chuan, humiliated and vowing eternal enmity, remains a dangerous adversary. The story concludes with the Prince Regent observing Xiao Fuguang from afar, intrigued by her transformation, setting the stage for a prolonged struggle between the restored Xiao family and the disgraced Gu family.