Song Jinyin is a sixteen-year-old maid in the Guogongfu residence, the estate of Pei Yanzhou, the Shizi. Her life has been defined by servitude since she was seven years old, when she and her mother were brought into the mansion after her father, a county magistrate, died during a flood relief mission. Her mother, now Concubine Liu, sold Song Jinyin to Pei Yanzhou eight years ago to atone for a past incident involving the death of the Duchess. Since then, Song Jinyin has served as Pei Yanzhou’s bed-warmer, enduring a life of humiliation and abuse. She suffers from chronic abdominal pain caused by a potion called Bizi Tang, which she is forced to drink to prevent pregnancy, yet Pei Yanzhou interprets her inability to bear children as evidence of her cunning schemes.
The central conflict arises when Pei Yanzhou begins serious marriage discussions with Miss Ye Wanqiu of the Ye family. Ye Wanqiu, spoiled and resentful of Song Jinyin’s proximity to Pei Yanzhou, demands that Song Jinyin be punished for perceived disrespect. Pei Yanzhou, harboring deep hatred for Song Jinyin and her mother due to the Duchess’s death, indulges Ye Wanqiu’s cruelty. He forces Song Jinyin to kneel in the rain for hours and allows Ye Wanqiu to slap her, all while maintaining a facade of affection toward the prospective bride. This public humiliation is compounded when Madam Qi, a rival concubine, insults Song Jinyin’s father’s legacy, prompting Song Jinyin to defend his honor with unexpected defiance, though Pei Yanzhou ultimately sides with the punishment to assert his authority.
A key turning point occurs when Song Jinyin expresses her desire to leave the mansion and reclaim her freedom. Pei Yanzhou reacts with violent rage, revealing that he will never return her slave contract, the Maishen Qi, and threatening to destroy her remaining connections, including her mother and her late father’s reputation. He asserts that she belongs to him until death, trapping her in a cycle of abuse and dependency. Despite his cruelty, there are fleeting moments where Pei Yanzhou’s actions suggest a complex, unresolved attachment, such as when he orders a maid to watch over Song Jinyin after she collapses, hinting at a possessive care that contradicts his stated hatred.
The story direction follows Song Jinyin’s internal struggle as she navigates the treacherous politics of the Guogongfu. She is caught between her desire for freedom and the harsh reality of her entrapment. Her only ally is Xueyu, a loyal maid who offers emotional support, while her mother, Concubine Liu, remains distant and indifferent, having severed ties to survive in the mansion. As Pei Yanzhou’s marriage to Ye Wanqiu becomes more imminent, Song Jinyin faces the prospect of being replaced or discarded, yet Pei Yanzhou’s refusal to let her go suggests that his hatred is intertwined with a deeper, more dangerous obsession. The narrative explores themes of power, submission, and the lingering effects of past traumas within the rigid hierarchy of a noble household.
