In her previous life, Su Yanjing trusted her childhood sweetheart, Zhou Yuheng, only to discover after marrying into the Zhou family that he had long been secretly involved with her cousin, Liu Ruxue, who was already pregnant with his child. Forced to raise her enemy’s child, she remained childless all her life and labored for decades, only to end up wrapped in a straw mat and hurriedly buried. She could only watch as Liu Ruxue and her son took everything from her.
She wakes with a start, reborn on the eve of her coming-of-age ceremony, the nightmare of that fateful day still vivid before her eyes. With her mother’s secret incense recipes in hand, she quietly runs her own shop, Lingfu Studio. She has already seen through the weakness and selfishness beneath Zhou Yuheng’s gentle facade.
A single dose of fertility medicine from Huairen Hall tears open the sordid secret Zhou Yuheng has hidden at Hengzhi Courtyard on the outskirts of the city. Su Yanjing no longer harbors the slightest hope. Despite pressure from her second uncle’s household and all the Zhou family’s attempts to manipulate her, she proceeds with care, decisively breaks off the engagement, and escapes the mire.
After ending the engagement, she encounters Yi Qingyu, an easygoing prince. He seems indifferent to courtly strife, but is shrewd and holds powerful cards in his hand. At a glance, he sees both her talent for making incense and the difficulties she faces, and offers his help.
They recognize kindred spirits in each other and join forces. With her exclusive fragrances, Su Yanjing sweeps the Jiangnan Incense Competition and turns Lingfu Studio into the finest incense house in Jiangnan. With Yi Qingyu’s help, she wrests the Su family’s entire incense business back from her greedy second uncle.
Her elder brother, Su Mobai, devotes himself to his studies, places third in the imperial examinations, and enters officialdom. Together with Yi Qingyu, he supports him in and out of court, helping root out corrupt officials.
When the turmoil finally settles, Yi Qingyu ascends the throne and chooses Su Yanjing alone as his Empress. With the fragrance of incense rising beside the emperor, every hurt and regret from her previous life is finally made right in this one.
