The life of Shen Qingyuan, the concubine of the Yongning Hou Mansion, was originally an inconspicuous gray shadow in the deep house - her biological mother died young, her aunt was unkind, her sisters were estranged, and her father was indifferent. In the strict rules of the Hou Mansion, she learned early to hide her edge and stay humble, using meekness and forbearance as her armor. With a marriage proposal, she married into the Jingyuan Hou Mansion and became the wife of the eldest son, Jamel Xiao. This marriage was arranged by the imperial power. No one expected that she, a "concubine who fills the house," would be able to take charge of the palace, and no one expected that she would find her own way in the turbulent situation.
After the wedding, the husband led his army to the northwest frontier. Shen Qingyuan was ordered to face the crisis, starting from taking care of the trivial matters of firewood, rice, oil and salt, dealing with the crisis of skyrocketing rice prices, quelling the chaos in the kitchen with no one in charge, appeasing his bedridden mother-in-law, and moreover, he had to use softness to overcome hardness to stabilize the hearts of the Hou family. She did not rush to show off her talents, but like a craftsman who was deeply involved in the workplace, she polished the hard skills of housekeeping and management, and also cultivated the soft wisdom of hiding clumsiness and keeping fools. She quietly built a solid foundation for herself amidst the whispers of maids and servants and the secret trials of relatives.
The letters home from the border were her only comfort, and the promise of "waiting for my good news and enjoying the spring of Chang'an with you" supported her step by step in the deep house of the Hou Mansion. However, An Wen was not the norm in the house. The rumors spread by the remnants of the former Zhenbei Hou Mansion spread like poisonous ivy. The slanders of "colluding with foreign enemies" and "intention of rebellion" were pointed at Jamel Xiao. Even the Jingyuan Hou Mansion was involved in the vortex of suspicion. The undercurrent in the court had already penetrated Zhu Qiang, and the jealousy and calculations of the Minister of Household Affairs pushed the couple to the forefront.
When the outside world is about to storm, Shen Qingyuan is no longer the concubine who swallows her anger.
