When her husband, Shen Yan, wanted to take a daughter of a powerful family as his concubine, Lu Mingtang didn't cry or fight for his favor. Instead, she brought out a letter of recommendation and sent him to the Censorate.
Shen Yan thought his wife understood her place and was paving his way to success. But after taking office, he discovered that the first old case assigned to the Censorate concerned the accounts of his prospective concubine's family.
During their six years of marriage, Lu Mingtang had managed the Shen family's accounts, covered their shortfalls, built connections, and maintained their respectability. Now she was settling every account and taking everything back, piece by piece. Ledgers, official notices, IOUs, and dowry inventories: these were the gifts she left the Shen family in return.
The more the Shen family tried to make her step aside, the more determined she was to make everyone see who had really upheld the dignity of their household.
She sent him to the Censorate, and she sent him into her trap.
Theme: Women should not be nameless support on someone else's road to success. They deserve the courage to settle old scores and rebuild their lives.
