An Jia, the primary matriarch of the Marquis Manor, goes to see the dancing girl Liu Mei'er whom her son insists on marrying, but is mistaken for Xie Lingyi, the grand tutor's legitimate daughter. She is splashed with swill, forced to sign an annulment letter, and ordered to kneel and serve concubine tea. Liu Mei'er smashes an imperial jade token and imprisons the princess, while her father uses the heir's name to collect wealth and seek official positions. After Princess An Jia reveals her identity, her son Pei Chengyu remains obdurate and signs a severance agreement to protect the dancing girl. An imperial decree strips him of his heir position and expels him from the Marquis Manor. Princess An Jia adopts Pei Yunzhou, an orphan from a collateral branch, as the new heir. Pei Chengyu is eventually abandoned by the dancing girl, while Pei Yunzhou tops the imperial examinations, restoring glory to the Ningbo Marquis Manor.