Yan Qing, the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Revenue and granddaughter of a revered three-dynasty general, awakens on her wedding day to Lu Qiao Nan, the Heir of Wu'an Marquis Manor. In her previous life, she had waited three years for her childhood sweetheart, only to be betrayed when he consummated a union with her half-sister, Yan Tan, on their wedding night. That betrayal set off a chain of tragedies: her maternal family was framed for treason, her brother was murdered, and she died in bitterness. Reborn, Yan Qing resolves to change her fate and exact revenge on those who destroyed her family.
Standing outside the study in her red wedding robes, Yan Qing hears Lu Qiao Nan and Yan Tan inside. Instead of weeping or confronting them directly, she calmly orders her maid to set the study ablaze with flammable willow catkins. As chaos erupts and guests rush to save the Heir, Yan Qing sits impassively. When Lu Qiao Nan emerges from the flames with Yan Tan in his arms, the scandal is laid bare before the entire capital. Yan Qing slaps Lu Qiao Nan, publicly denounces his actions, and presents a divorce agreement, severing all ties with the Marquis Manor to protect her family's honor.
After leaving the wedding, Yan Qing returns to the Yan residence to prevent another disaster from her past life. She rushes to Qingzhu Courtyard to warn Gu Huaizhou, a seemingly powerless cousin living in the West Courtyard who is actually the hidden son of the Emperor and a future key ally. She finds Gu Huaizhou drugged by Madam Zhen, Yan Tan's mother, who intended to frame him with a slave girl. In the confusion, Yan Qing is forced to help relieve his condition, leading to an intimate encounter that leaves her flustered but secures her bond with him. She also discovers that Yang Xuan, the Prime Minister's illegitimate daughter, was the intended victim of the frame-up and hides her to prevent further complications.
The next day, Yan Qing faces her father, Yan Junyuan, who is furious about the divorce. She counters his anger by revealing that her actions saved his political career from impeachment. She then proposes a new arrangement: Yan Tan will marry Lu Qiao Nan as a concubine, parading through the city three times to publicly acknowledge her shame. When Yan Tan refuses, Yan Qing threatens to send her to a nunnery, forcing Madam Zhen to agree. Yan Tan is subsequently humiliated as she enters the Marquis Manor as a concubine.
Yan Qing then turns her attention to her mother, Ye Xi Ruo, who has fallen ill after vomiting blood. Suspecting poisoning, Yan Qing summons multiple physicians and discovers that the family doctor, bribed by Madam Zhen, has been administering harmful herbs. She exposes the conspiracy, securing her mother's safety and beginning her campaign against the concubine's faction. Meanwhile, Gu Huaizhou, aware of Yan Qing's intervention and their shared secret, begins to take a keen interest in her. Yan Qing navigates the treacherous waters of the Yan household, determined to protect her remaining family members and dismantle the enemies who ruined her in her past life, all while managing her complicated relationship with the hidden imperial heir.
