[2] Set in the Northern Song dynasty, the story revolves around Sheng Minglan, the daughter of a civil official and his second concubine.

After being neglected by her father and legal mother and bullied by her half-sisters, Minglan learns to hide her skills and true intentions.

She helps him guard against his unpleasant relatives, purges the court of corrupt ministers and ultimately succeeds in avenging her biological mother's death, as well as obtaining a status above the entire family as the wife of a marquis.

His official wife is Wang Ruofu, a bad tempered but good at heart woman who is always at odds with Sheng Hong's favored concubine, Lin Qinshuang.

Lin Qinshuang, a former servant, pretends to be weak and sympathetic, gaining the pity and affection of Sheng Hong, to Wang Ruofu's dismay.

Liang Han's mother, Lady Wu, prefers Minglan as a daughter in law and despises Molan.

She is sent away to the family's farmstead, and Minglan reveals to Lin Qinshuang that Molan's marriage was part of her scheme of revenge for Wei Shuyi's death.

Molan eventually suffers in her marriage as Liang Han has a lot of concubines, especially favoring his maid Chun Ke.

He is the son of the Marquis of Ningyuan, but he has a poor relationship with his father and his stepmother Lady Qin despises him, though she pretends to dote on him as her own.

Gu Tingye also has a horrible reputation, known to frequent brothels and act carelessly, eventually fathering two children with his mistress Zhu Manniang, who eventually leaves him when she believes he is of no worth but turns back when it appears he may be wealthy after all, only to be cast out by Gu Tingye when he learns to truth.

Gu Tingye proposes to Sheng Minglan after being impressed by her, and although she refuses at first, she agrees after realizing he has changed his old habits and will be devoted to her.

She strengthens her relationship with her siblings, father, and stepmother Wang Ruofu, and helps other nobles find success in their respective families.

(Incomplete) In the novel, the protagonist is a 21st century woman who died and whose consciousness entered the body of a fever-ridden, five year old Minglan.

Minglan's father is vacillating when it comes to settling the competition between his wife and his favorite concubine, but he is reasonable and fair towards his children.

Minglan warns Gu Tingye that Manniang is a power hungry gold digger putting on an act, points out some flaws in her reasoning, and predicts a series of events which all come true.

Following the death of Minglan's friend's sister, Gu Tingye performs an investigation and eventually decides to expel Manniang.

Minglan, however, chooses to maintain the image of a virtuous, traditional wife who manages things using the proper methods.

It has become a major trending topic on social media, with related hashtags being viewed hundreds of millions of times.

[22] Many netizens have praised the television series for revealing problems and contradictions in real life, such as traditional Chinese families' preference for boys over girls (重男轻女), NEET (啃老族), and generational conflicts when it comes to providing care for the elderly (家庭养老).