Clear Waters Embrace the Moon

Yu Qinglan, the eldest legitimate daughter of the Yu family, returns home after spending ten years studying at her maternal grandparents' estate, only to find the household transformed. Her stepmother, Madam Lin, is in charge, while her younger half-sister, Yu Mengyao, is doted on. At the homecoming banquet, Yu Qinglan wins her father's favor with her superb musical skills and polished manners, all while quietly sizing up the powers within the family and demonstrating remarkable insight. Yu Mengyao acts affectionate but lays traps at every turn. In front of their father, she pretends to care about her elder sister while implying that she lacks proper manners, but Yu Qinglan deftly turns the tables. Yu Qinglan discovers that her stepmother, Madam Lin, has been meeting strangely with a shopkeeper, and also notices her sister's secret ties to the Prince of Qi's household. She begins investigating in secret.

At the banquet, Yu Mengyao tries to humiliate Yu Qinglan, but fails and instead gives away her true intentions. Tensions between the sisters begin to surface, and the battle within the household officially begins.