Zhao Mingyan was born into the prestigious Zhao family, the daughter of a concubine. When her father was implicated in treason, the family was destroyed. The men were exiled, the women were sent to the Pleasure Bureau, and her mother died in despair. In her previous life, Zhao Mingyan had preserved her chastity, only to be rescued by her fiancé, Chen Xingwei, who intended to make her a concubine. She spent ten years suffering in the Marquis Xuanping’s household, bullied by her sister Zhao Mingzhu and ignored by Chen Xingwei, eventually dying alone and hungry on New Year’s Eve. Reborn to the day of her family’s downfall, Zhao Mingyan resolved to change her fate. Understanding that her mother’s lesson was correct—that a woman in the Pleasure Bureau must cling to a man to survive—she deliberately served an older patron for seven nights to secure her release. Her sisters and aunts cursed her as shameless, but she remained indifferent, having already secured her freedom while they chose starvation and death to preserve their chastity.
Upon leaving the Bureau, Zhao Mingyan encountered Chen Xingwei, who had arrived to rescue his true love, Zhao Mingzhu. In the past life, Chen Xingwei had ignored Zhao Mingyan’s pleas, but this time, enraged that she had lost her purity, he demanded she return with him. Zhao Mingyan firmly refused, exposing the hypocrisy of the Marquis’s household, which had waited seven days to see if she would break, thereby ensuring she would be less valuable. She declared their engagement void and chose to leave with Nan Yan, the older man she had served in the Bureau. Nan Yan, a rising star in the imperial court and the youngest Grand Secretary, had intervened to save her. Chen Xingwei, furious and humiliated, warned her that she would regret her choice, but Zhao Mingyan remained resolute.
Zhao Mingyan entered the Nan residence, fearing the reputation of Nan Yan’s wife, Madam Wang, who was known as a fierce and jealous woman. However, Madam Wang was nothing like the rumors suggested. She was straightforward, kind, and treated Zhao Mingyan with genuine warmth, calling her "Sister" and insisting she rest rather than perform menial chores. Zhao Mingyan, accustomed to servitude, initially tried to help in the kitchen but was gently rebuffed. Their bond grew stronger as Madam Wang shared her own past, revealing she had been wronged by her first husband’s family and had found stability with Nan Yan. Meanwhile, Zhao Mingyan’s former relatives, including Zhao Jiahan and Zhao Mingzhu, struggled in the Pleasure Bureau. Zhao Mingzhu, rescued by Chen Xingwei, began to scheme within the Marquis’s household, while Zhao Jiahan, realizing no one would save her, decided to serve clients to escape on her own terms.
Soon after Zhao Mingyan’s arrival, agents from the Marquis Guangping’s household attempted to frame Nan Yan by delivering chests of gold containing leaked imperial examination questions. They targeted Madam Wang, assuming her rustic background made her easy to deceive. Zhao Mingyan, however, detected the trap. She questioned the steward until he revealed inconsistencies, forcing him to flee and drop the incriminating evidence. Nan Yan, upon returning, was astonished by her sharp intellect and quick thinking. He realized that Zhao Mingyan was not merely a concubine to be kept quiet, but a capable and intelligent partner. The incident solidified Madam Wang’s admiration for Zhao Mingyan, and the three formed a close, supportive unit. Zhao Mingyan, no longer bound by the expectations of the Zhao family or the Marquis’s household, began to carve out a new life, relying on her wits and the loyalty of her new family. She remained determined to protect those who had trusted her, such as her cousin Zhao Mingshu, while ensuring she never fell victim to the same fate as in her previous life.
