Ye Cishu, a thirty-year-old modern corporate auditor, awakens in the body of the seventeen-year-old fourth daughter of the Ye family in the fictional Dayu Dynasty. The Ye family is the most prominent imperial merchant household in Gusu City, wealthy enough to supply the imperial court but socially looked down upon by the scholarly elite. Ye Cishu finds herself in the midst of a public scandal at the Chun Bu Wan teahouse, where she is accused of exchanging private tokens with Wang Lianju, a fellow Provincial Graduate, while betrothed to Su Xiaosheng, the top scorer of the current examination. The incident appears to be a carefully orchestrated frame-up designed to destroy her reputation and that of her family.
Rather than succumbing to the panic that would have paralyzed the original host, Ye Cishu utilizes her modern legal and auditing mindset to defend herself. She calmly requests that the local magistrate adjudicate the matter publicly. When Wang Lianju presents the alleged evidence, including letters and personal items, Ye Cishu systematically dismantles his claims. She points out that the maid who delivered the gifts did not conform to the strict dress codes of the Ye household, which uses specific colors and pearl accessories to denote servant rank. Furthermore, she reveals that the handkerchief and pouch are made of ordinary mulberry silk, whereas the Ye family exclusively uses rare tribute-grade tiansi silk for their inner quarters. An expert embroiderer from the Ye family also testifies that the needlework quality far exceeds Ye Cishu’s known abilities, proving the items were not made by her.
The exposure reveals that Wang Lianju was deceived by a third party who impersonated a Ye family maid. The true mastermind behind the scheme is identified as Su Xiaosheng, Ye Cishu’s fiancé. Su Xiaosheng, who had been supported by the Ye family during his studies, now seeks to sever ties with them to pursue a more advantageous marriage within the scholarly aristocracy. His reaction during the scandal—offering false sympathy to Wang Lianju instead of defending Ye Cishu—confirms his complicity. With her reputation cleared, Ye Cishu immediately petitions her grandfather to break off the engagement. The Ye patriarch, realizing Su Xiaosheng’s ingratitude and ambition, agrees and begins to quietly undermine the young scholar’s prospects before the upcoming metropolitan examinations.
Following the resolution of the scandal, Ye Cishu retreats to her eldest sister’s courtyard to recover. During their conversation, she learns that Chun Bu Wan is not merely a teahouse but a covert intelligence network operated by the imperial family, specifically under the control of Princess Pingning. This revelation places Ye Cishu in proximity to the highest levels of political power. Meanwhile, her birth mother, Concubine Wei, and her younger brother Ye Xuhui visit, unaware of the deeper political maneuvering. Ye Cishu navigates these familial dynamics while preparing to establish her independence within the complex hierarchy of the Ye household, setting the stage for her future rise in a world where merchant wealth and imperial intrigue intersect.
