At the imperial palace examination, Du Yangxi, the provincial top scholar, was awarded the title of Tanhua (third-place scholar) due to his exceptional talent. During the parade of the new scholars, a young noblewoman named Yu Xiu’e caught sight of him from her carriage and was instantly captivated. Soon after, the Du and Li families arranged a marriage. Originally, Du Yangxi was supposed to marry the third daughter of the Li family. However, after Kangning married Chai An, Mrs. Li, unwilling to let go of such a talented son-in-law, decided to substitute her eldest daughter, Shouhua, in the marriage.
Du’s mother, out of gratitude for past kindness, agreed to the arrangement. However, Du Yangxi, feeling resentful, treated Shouhua coldly despite marrying her. On their wedding night, he deliberately ignored her, leaving her to sit alone all night while he slept without even lifting her veil. The next morning, he left alone to attend a gathering at Dongjing Temple, paying no attention to Shouhua.
Despite this, Shouhua, as a dutiful daughter-in-law, greeted Du’s mother early in the morning and hid the fact that Du Yangxi had neglected her. Seeing Du’s mother spinning yarn, Shouhua offered to help, even though she had no prior experience. She humbly learned from her mother-in-law, who patiently taught her.
On the day of her return to her maiden home, Shouhua went back alone. Chunlai quickly spread the news, and her sisters were outraged, vowing to confront Du Yangxi. Mrs. Li was equally furious, calling Du Yangxi an ungrateful scoundrel for treating her daughter so poorly. She wanted to go to Dongjing Temple to confront him, but Shouhua stopped her, saying she had her own ways to handle her husband. Kangning, feeling guilty, tried to apologize, but Shouhua reassured her that there was no need for such words between sisters.
Meanwhile, Lingyao helped the drunk Sang Yanrang back to his residence. Due to alcohol poisoning, Sang suffered a stomach hemorrhage, but fortunately, Shouhua sent someone to treat and care for him in time. Fan Lianghan and Chai An called Du Yangxi to Panlou, knowing they were acting as Shouhua’s advocates. Du Yangxi mocked them for being henpecked.
In truth, Du Yangxi wasn’t intentionally targeting Shouhua. He was resentful because the Li family had broken their promise and substituted Shouhua in the marriage. Chai An reminded Du Yangxi to cherish his new wife, praising Shouhua for her beauty, talent, and virtuous character, suggesting that he would surely grow fond of her if he gave her a chance.
Fan Lianghan then ordered Du Yangxi to be locked up at home to spend time with Shouhua. With no other choice, Du Yangxi went to his mother, only to be scolded by her as well. She urged him to apologize to his wife. Reluctantly, Du Yangxi went to their room and discovered that it had been beautifully arranged, with Shouhua’s own paintings and calligraphy adorning the walls. He was astonished to learn that all of this was Shouhua’s handiwork.
Moreover, Du Yangxi overheard Sang Yanrang praising Shouhua profusely. He also noticed that his room was meticulously organized and his clothes neatly arranged, all thanks to Shouhua’s efforts. As they spoke, Shouhua arrived with Chunlai to deliver food to Sang Yanrang. Seeing Shouhua’s gentle beauty, Du Yangxi fell in love at first sight, forgetting all his previous grievances. However, Shouhua, determined to teach him a lesson, deliberately ignored him.
Realizing that Shouhua was not only talented and beautiful but also filial to his mother and caring toward his friends, Du Yangxi finally understood how lucky he was to have married such an exceptional woman. While dining with Sang Yanrang, Du Yangxi grew increasingly uncomfortable, joking that it felt like Shouhua had married Sang instead, given how well she treated him. Sang, annoyed that Du Yangxi was taking Shouhua for granted, kicked him out.
That night, Du Yangxi tried to talk to Shouhua, but she ignored him and even slept separately. Later, she used a cough as an excuse to send him to a side room. Regretting his actions, Du Yangxi sought advice from Fan Lianghan and Chai An. Fan suggested he kneel and apologize, while Chai recommended he appeal to Shouhua’s love for literature by writing her a poem.
Delighted, Du Yangxi immediately wrote Shouhua a letter, but she returned a blank sheet. Chai An quickly made up an excuse, leading Du Yangxi to misinterpret Shouhua’s intentions. He wrote another letter, but their relationship remained strained.
As the Cold Food Festival approached, Kangning and the others prepared food boxes for Shouhua, filled with dishes made by their mother and sisters. Du’s mother arranged for Sang Yanrang to dine with them. Watching Shouhua busy herself early in the morning, Du Yangxi’s affection for her grew even stronger. However, Du Yangxi had caught the emperor’s favor and was personally invited to ride in the carriage of Yu Shouxin, the Vice Minister of Personnel. This sparked jealousy among the other scholars, who gossiped behind his back. Just as Du Yangxi was about to reprimand them, a stranger named Yan Zimei stood up for him, scolding the gossips. Du Yangxi thanked Yan and shared a drink with him, forming a new friendship.
