This is the story of Ai Xi, a courtesan who mistakenly placed her trust in a scholar named Xu Zi'ang. After buying her freedom, she intended to marry him, but the scholar betrayed her for money and a promising future, handing her over to Song Wenkai, a wealthy salt merchant. Heartbroken and desperate, Ai Xi attempts to throw herself into the river, only to unexpectedly discover treasure from a sunken ship beneath the sea. She subsequently becomes the wealthy Madam Du and sets out to take revenge on the faithless scholar and the salt merchant involved in corrupt dealings with government officials.