Episode Summary
Han Yan, the abused and abandoned third daughter of the Zhuang family, returns home but faces hostility and suspicion. She's interrogated by her perceptive brother-in-law, Fu Yunxi, about her past. Meanwhile, family tensions rise, culminating in an assassination attempt and Han Yan's brutal punishment by her own mother, Ruan Xiwen.
Spoiler Alert
The series opens with a harrowing introduction to Han Yan (played by Chen Duling), the third daughter of the wealthy Zhuang family.Despite her lineage, she's been abandoned in the countryside and suffers abuse at the hands of her alcoholic uncle and his wife.When they try to sell her, and her uncle attempts to assault her, Han Yan fights back.She escapes, battered and bruised, and collapses at the gates of the Zhuang family estate, miles away.
A young girl discovers the unconscious Han Yan, and a senior maid recognizes her, joyfully announcing the return of the Third Miss.Fu Yunxi (played by Xin Yunlai), a sharp and perceptive official from the Dali Temple (a kind of ancient Chinese judicial body), arrives to question Han Yan. She claims her aunt and uncle were killed by bandits, but Yunxi sees through her lie. He warns her to tell the truth, hinting at serious consequences if she doesn't.As he leaves, Han Yan learns from a maid that Yunxi is her brother-in-law, married to her elder sister. The maid speaks highly of Yunxi, noting his reputation for solving even the most complex cases in the capital.
Meanwhile, Yunxi raids the mansion of a corrupt official named Huang.Huang, oblivious to the evidence against him, accuses Yunxi of looting his house.Yunxi, unfazed, reveals Huang's crimes and the downfall of his powerful patron.When Huang continues to rant, accusing Yunxi of personal gain, Yunxi swiftly executes him on the spot, demonstrating his ruthlessness and commitment to justice.
Han Yan, uncertain of her place in the Zhuang household, is approached by Zhou Ruyin (played by Wang Yan). Zhou Ruyin is a concubine within the family, but she sees an opportunity to elevate her own status by befriending the legitimate Third Miss. She warmly welcomes Han Yan, providing her with a cloak and guiding her to greet the family elders.
The Zhuang family matriarch, however, feigns illness to avoid meeting Han Yan. Han Yan then attempts to visit her mother, but is coldly turned away by a gatekeeper. She overhears a commotion within her mother's courtyard and is disturbed by the fact that the gates are locked.
That evening, Han Yan overhears Zhou Ruyin reprimanding the maids, who are resentful of Han Yan's return. Only Zhou Ruyin seems to genuinely care for her.The conversation is interrupted by news of trouble in the front courtyard.A head maid then deliberately provokes Han Yan, suggesting she's cursed and responsible for ruining the arranged marriage of the fourth son, Zhuang Yuchi.Yuchi, enraged, throws Han Yan's belongings out and pushes her into a pond, blaming her for disrupting the family's fortune.
Zhou Ruyin returns, scolding her son, Yuchi, and apologizing to Han Yan.She reveals that she only married into the family after Han Yan's aunt (her older sister) passed away.Later, Han Yan brings medicine to her grandmother and witnesses an assassination attempt.She panics but protects her grandmother.Fu Yunxi arrives in time to scare off the assassin, but his suspicious gaze suggests he believes the attack was staged.Zhuang Yuchi, the prime suspect, denies involvement, claiming that while he dislikes Han Yan, he wouldn't kill anyone.
Zhuang Yuchi is about to be taken to the Dali Temple, but Zhou Ruyin pleads for him to be held until her husband returns. Suddenly, Ruan Xiwen, the matriarch of the Zhuang family and Han Yan's mother, appears with an imposing presence. She immediately orders Han Yan to be punished with thirty lashes for disrupting family rules. Han Yan is shocked to see her mother for the first time in such a situation, expecting support but receiving harsh judgment instead. Zhou Ruyin tries to intercede, but is rebuked by Ruan Xiwen's maid. Zhuang Yushan, defying confinement, rushes out to protect his "little mother" (Zhou Ruyin). The grandmother, having been tricked into witnessing the scene, is powerless against Ruan Xiwen and retreats, feigning illness. Zhuang Yushan, seeing his grandmother's inaction, blames Han Yan for bringing misfortune and then quickly kneels, apologizing for his outburst.
