Shen Yuzhu, the daughter of the greatest imperial merchant in Shangjing, spends her entire family fortune supporting impoverished scholars. On the day the examination results are announced, all three top candidates turn out to be men she sponsored. Yet Gu Heng, the childhood sweetheart who placed third, repays her kindness with betrayal. He publicly humiliates her alongside the Minister of Revenue's daughter and demands that she become his concubine. She turns away and marries Xie Yuan, the Chief Grand Secretary who achieved the rare distinction of placing first in all three imperial examinations and now wields immense power at court. On the very day their marriage is decreed, she strikes back against the ungrateful man. After their wedding, the couple join forces and carefully plot their moves. Gu Heng is exiled and dies a miserable death, while the Zhou family is destroyed. Only then does Shen Yuzhu discover that Xie Yuan has secretly loved her for six years. From a marriage of convenience to a love that blossoms after marriage, they stand together and protect their home in Shangjing.