Splendid Deep House: the Legitimate Daughter Heads the Household

Shen Qingci, the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Rites, was taught by her mother since she was a child and was well versed in the ways of being a housekeeper. She also possessed the composure and sharpness of the legitimate daughter of an official family. A marriage contract promised her to Gu Yan'an, the Marquis of Yongning with outstanding military exploits. They were a perfect match, but something went wrong when the wedding was approaching - Gu Yan'an unexpectedly accepted Luo Yunchu, a girl from the south of the Yangtze River, as his concubine. He doted on her and even let her live in a courtyard next to the main courtyard, clearly showing his contempt for his wife. He was humiliated before passing through the mansion, but Shen Qingci never lost his composure. When she married into the Hou family, what she wanted was not a moment of tenderness from her husband, but the honor that a head wife deserved, the real power to control the middle court, and the confidence to keep the entire Hou family in order. Faced with her husband's deliberate alienation, Luo Yunchu's overt and covert attacks, and the prying eyes and calculations of various forces in the back house, Shen Qingci worked step by step: using the ancestral rules as a shield to block unseemly provocations; using meticulous thinking as a blade to uncover hidden secret tricks; and relying on the fairness of a bowl of water, she gradually won over people's hearts. She sorted out the messy accounts, purged the lax servants, and stabilized the foundation of the Hou Mansion amidst the turmoil. She also made the Marquis, who had his own heart, slowly see who was the person who could share the lintel with him and control the back house. From the cold eyes and doubts when he first entered the house, to the admiration and surrender of the whole house later; from Gu Yanan's indifference and alienation, to the unconscious reliance and respect. Shen Qingci used the pattern and methods of the official daughter-in-law to earn herself the unshakable position of mistress in this deep mansion and live a life that was respected by everyone.