Episode 1 recap: Hua Qian made up her mind to start over.
In the late night, a group of soldiers were chasing after a fleeing woman named Hua Qian (played by Zhou Ye). Hua Qian was the daughter of Hua Wen Ang, the steward of the Zhong family. It was snowing heavily, and Hua Qian hurriedly tried to escape. Seeing no obstacles ahead, she quietly hid in a place in the forest. However, she was eventually captured.
Along the way, Hua Qian kept insisting that she was the main wife of the Zhong family. To her surprise, the soldiers threw out the bodies of her mother and brother. Hua Qian's entire family was exiled. She had planned to escape, but she was caught and everyone mocked her, saying she deserved to die. Hua Qian felt extremely frightened by their expressions and suddenly coughed up blood, collapsing on the ground.
Hua Qian couldn't understand why she ended up in this situation. She had plotted against so many people, thinking she could live without worries, but it resulted in this outcome. She suddenly remembered the first day she entered the Zhong family as a bride, and even the deceased maid, Qian Zhi, was by her side. When Hua Qian was taken away, Qian Zhi was beaten to death on the ground.
Through Qian Zhi's reminder, Hua Qian realized that today was the day of her marriage to Zhong Ye Lan, and her family was still alive. Hua Qian was overjoyed and couldn't help pinching herself. She wanted to go see her parents immediately, but Qian Zhi held her back. At that moment, a subordinate delivered a message that Zhong Ye Lan was drunk and wouldn't come today.
While Zhong Ye Lan was still eating, he suddenly heard that Miss Mu Yao was in trouble, so he used being drunk as an excuse to leave first. Qian Zhi felt that Hua Qian didn't deserve such treatment, but Hua Qian believed that since she had been given a chance to start anew by fate, she wanted to cherish it.
Initially, Hua Qian used Mu Yao's identity to enter the Zhong residence and forced Zhong Ye Lan to marry her by drugging him. In the end, she also framed Mu Yao's family, leading to Zhong Ye Lan's unforgiving attitude. Her father was executed, and the rest of her family was exiled.
Hua Qian suddenly woke up from a nightmare and felt that it might not be too late to tell Zhong Ye Lan the truth. After all, her obsession had gone too far, and she didn't want the entire Hua family to follow the same path. She decided to inform Zhong Ye Lan of the truth in advance.
Meanwhile, in the Zhong family residence, The eldest princess learned that after the wedding banquet, Zhong Ye Lan went to the study to rest. They all knew that Hua Qian's marriage into the Zhong family was not simple. Su Wu Niang was still upset, expecting Hua Qian to be more restrained upon entering. Tomorrow, they would have to pay their respects, and The eldest princess wanted to see if Hua Qian had changed.
Early in the morning, Hua Qian was awakened by a maid. She noticed that the incense used today was different from her usual one, but she couldn't pinpoint the problem. Soon, Qian Zhi came to do Hua Qian's makeup. It was her first time returning to the Zhong residence as the main wife, and Hua Qian saw that all the clothes she used to wear were white, so she asked for a change to other colors in the future.
At that moment, Zhong Ye Lan also arrived. He took Hua Qian to meet his mother, and Hua Qian felt excited as she looked at the scenery along the way. However, Zhong Ye Lan remained gloomy, and Hua Qian suddenly realized that he might still be worried about Mu Yao.
Yesterday, Mu Yao was wanted throughout the city and was going to be exiled. Zhong Ye Lan managed to save her, and he must still be worried about her safety. At first, Mu Yao thought she was doomed, but in the end, Zhong Ye Lan arrived just in time and took her away.
When Hua Qian opened the window, she caught a glimpse of Hua Rong Zhou begging on the street. Hua Rong Zhou even took a few glances at Hua Qian. Zhong Ye Lan brought Hua Qian to Zhonghua Garden, and as the head of the family, Zhong Xi Wu (played by Wang Xing Yue) hurriedly called his brother, Zhong Ye Lan, to go and meet their mother.
Hua Qian thought about how Zhong Ye Lan and Zhong Xi Wu would become rivals because of Mu Yao. Until now, Hua Qian couldn't understand why everyone liked Mu Yao. At this moment, Zhong Ye Lan arrived with Hua Qian. The eldest princess advised Hua Qian not to do anything inappropriate in the future. Hua Qian knew that if she wanted to save her life, she had to change her image.
Hua Qian's words surprised everyone. The eldest princess was still talking to others, and Hua Qian felt uncomfortable and made a slight movement. Because the eldest princess had always been biased against Hua Qian, she spoke harshly to her. However, Hua Qian changed her attitude. In this lifetime, the main wife did not confine her to the room but instead asked her to go to the garden to enjoy the fish.
While Hua Qian was still carefully observing, she was unexpectedly pushed into the water by a maid who had approached her. Fortunately, Hua Qian knew how to swim and suffered no major harm. Soon, Zhong Ye Lan learned about Hua Qian being pushed into the water while he was discussing matters with Zhong Xi Wu. Hua Qian had just changed into clean clothes when Huaman came over and sarcastically mocked her.
Although Hua Qian and Huaman were sisters, their relationship was not good. Huaman was the first chief historian of the eldest princess, and Hua Qian suspected that the eldest princess had set her sights on her.
That's it, and the ending is great. With the money given by the princess, they won't have to worry about food and drink for the rest of their lives. And Hua Rong Zhou, the beautiful guard, will be there to accompany them for a lifetime.
They will live such a comfortable life. Then they can have a good-looking child. That's a truly happy and fulfilling ending.