A Swallow Leaves the Deep Mansion

Shen Qinghe, daughter of an imperial physician, falls on hard times and is forced to become the secret concubine of the heir to the Marquis of Yongchang, confined to a country villa outside the capital. She appears docile, but secretly studies medicine and saves money, all so she can escape her cage one day. The heir, Lu Yanzhi, treats her like a plaything, but the principal wife, Lin Jingshu, sees the resentment in her eyes.

Born into a distinguished family, Lin Jingshu married into the marquis’s household for her family’s benefit and has long been planning a divorce. The two women, who should have been enemies, form a secret alliance beneath the high walls of the inner residence. Qinghe helps Jingshu uncover irregularities in the household accounts, while Jingshu opens a path for Qinghe to escape.

There is no rivalry between women or melodramatic nonsense, only clear-eyed women supporting each other in troubled times. In the end, Qinghe travels far to Jiangnan, where she practices medicine and builds a life of her own, while Jingshu successfully divorces and becomes a successful businesswoman. In their own ways, they tear through the shackles of their era and prove that a woman’s world is not confined to the few rooms of the inner residence.

This is a historical romance about escape, growth, and women supporting one another.