Her husband runs off on their wedding day!
An imperial decree turns Lin Wanyi’s wedding into the capital’s biggest joke.
Before the veil is even lifted, her husband Xiao Heng heads off to the northern frontier, leaving her alone in their marriage bed to face the Marquis’s mansion, a labyrinth of intrigue, sisters-in-law with agendas of their own, and a mother-in-law who enforces strict rules.
If the path of the virtuous, docile wife is too hard, she might as well live life her own way!
And so begins the chaos at the Marquis of Cheng’en’s mansion:
She sets the koi free? She’s ruined the feng shui!
She writes a poem to express her feelings? She’s branded reckless!
She stands up for someone in trouble? She’s offended her eldest sister-in-law!
The precious orchids? The cat’s clawed them to shreds!
Everyone calls the new young madam a troublemaker and waits to laugh when she’s cast out.
But amid one uproar after another, Lin Wanyi exchanges letters with her husband far away and makes a lively life for herself, unexpectedly finding understanding and protection from afar.
Until one day, the cold-faced heir, a man with power over the entire court, returns in triumph.
Everyone assumes he has come back to discipline his household and set it straight.
Instead, he puts an arm around his little troublemaker in front of everyone. Facing the crowd of accusers, he remains cool-eyed, his tone indulgent:
“What trouble has my wife gotten into this time? No matter. Tell me, and I’ll take care of it for you.”
