Qiao Qinghe: Daughter of a wealthy Yuhang merchant and the true power behind the Qiao family.
On the surface: A frail legitimate daughter, gentle and harmless, who has spent years “recuperating” in her chambers.
In reality: The true strategist behind the Qiao family’s business empire. Her two older brothers take the lead in public while she plans behind the scenes. Raised from childhood by Song Ruoyan, her maternal aunt and the secondary wife of the household, she learned the Song family’s way of “overcoming strength with gentleness.” Her birth mother, Song Xinyu, also taught her the art of “turning circumstances to her advantage” before she died.
Defining trait: Utter clarity of mind. She has never believed in love, only in “exchanges of value” and “binding interests together.” She chooses the Marquis of Zhennan not because she has no other options, but because he is the best one.
