The Maid Fu Yao

[Household intrigue + power struggles + ensemble cast + groveling ex] Song Yao was a servant in the prime minister's residence. At eighteen, the mistress of the house took a liking to her, and she went from being a second-tier maid to the prime minister's adopted daughter. Then she was married off to the Jia merchant family in Huzhou, her marriage used to secure wealth for the prime minister's household. She entered the Jia family believing that husband and wife should support one another and share in each other's fortunes. At the wedding, the eldest son, Jia Lianghan, was refined and gracious, with impeccable manners. She thought she had found a man she could entrust her life to. She never expected to be humiliated so soon. Her mother-in-law was unkind, her relatives were difficult, and a concubine provoked her. On the very day after the wedding, that concubine was found to be pregnant, bringing shame upon her. But she wasn't someone who could be pushed around so easily. She managed the household and outwitted the women around her. For the sake of her own prosperity, she would fight for what she deserved. Yet when she became pregnant, all it took was one decline in the prime minister's fortunes for the Jia family to try to demote her from wife to concubine and cast her aside. Unable to demote her because of the powerful forces involved, they settled for taking a “co-wife.” Her husband even dismissed his concubines for the sake of this “co-wife.” Later, with the support of a powerful benefactor, she divorced her former husband. He knelt at her feet and begged her to reconcile, but she took her child and her wealth and walked away. Sons of the capital's most prestigious families came seeking her hand, bringing countless treasures and riches to offer her. She merely raised her eyes and told them to get in line...