In the third year of Longqing, the splendid Wen family mansion in Linqing conceals the coldest of hearts.
Shen Yuru, the matriarch, has endured every hardship to rise from a pampered young woman of Jiangnan to mistress of the household. She guards the family's vast estate, planning every step with care.
Her younger half-brother, Wen Jingming, is infatuated with romance, secretly shelters an orphaned girl, and covets the family fortune, caring only for love and passion while ignoring the foundations of the clan.
Old Chen, the family accountant, has kept the ledgers for forty-three years. He has seen through all the romances in the household and knows that daily necessities and money are the true pillars of a family.
One mansion of splendor, two different schemes: the west wing hides tender affection, while the main hall brims with political intrigue.
The world sees only romantic entanglements, but the ledgers alone record people's hearts. In the end, this splendid mansion is half glory, half desolation.
