The Guogong is missing, has his wife been enshrined in the Taimiao?

Shangguan Jin, a thirty-six-year-old investment banker and mother of five in her previous life, transmigrates into the body of the Duchess of Dingguo Gongfu. The original host, the eldest daughter of the prominent Shangguan family, died of frustration after overhearing that her husband, Dingguogong Shen Huaichen, had been killed three years prior. The imperial family suppressed the news to maintain military morale, leaving Shangguan Jin to endure years of social humiliation and financial drain from lavish gift-giving. Upon waking in the luxurious mansion, she assesses her situation: she is the mistress of a powerful but seemingly abandoned estate, with a missing husband, a suspiciously deceased younger sister who was an imperial consort, and a household on the brink of financial ruin.

Shangguan Jin immediately shifts her strategy from passive endurance to active management. She discovers that her private treasury is nearly empty, depleted by three years of extravagant gifts to noble families who mocked her. Determined to restore the family's finances and status, she decides to host a grand birthday banquet for her mother-in-law, Old Madam Shen, ten days earlier than scheduled. This move serves a dual purpose: it replenishes the household's coffers through incoming congratulatory gifts and publicly reasserts the Dingguo Gongfu's presence in the capital's social circle, breaking the three-year silence that allowed rumors of their decline to spread.

Her preparations involve mobilizing the entire household, including her five children, to work alongside the staff. She implements austerity measures, replacing expensive delicacies with ordinary meats to save costs while framing the decision as a tribute to the soldiers at the border, thereby claiming the moral high ground. During the banquet, she faces scrutiny from noble matrons who attempt to probe for weaknesses. When the Marchioness of Wuding criticizes the quality of the tea, Shangguan Jin deflects the insult by praising the simplicity of the soldiers' lives, leaving her guests unable to respond without appearing disrespectful to the military.

Simultaneously, Shangguan Jin uncovers a personal threat: her eldest daughter, Shen Qingyao, is engaged to the second young master of the Wudinghou family, a man known for his debauchery who has been seen with another woman. Shangguan Jin resolves to protect her daughter, planning to disrupt the engagement during the banquet. She also discovers that her loyal maid, Dongmai, who was previously forced to become a concubine to help manage the household, remains her most trusted ally. Dongmai helps Shangguan Jin monitor the gifts received, ensuring that no families attempt to shortchange the estate with inferior items.

The story follows Shangguan Jin as she navigates the treacherous political landscape of the Great Yu Dynasty. She suspects that the disappearance of her husband and the death of her sister are linked to a larger conspiracy involving the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Rather than fleeing or succumbing to despair, she chooses to stabilize her household, rebuild her financial independence, and gather information. Her actions begin to unsettle the noble families who had previously preyed on the Dingguo Gongfu, setting the stage for future conflicts as she seeks to uncover the truth behind her husband's fate and protect her children from the political machinations surrounding them.