Episode 1
Prince Chu, also known as Yehan, has been drugged by his long-time fiancée, who bears a scar on her face. As Prince Chu attempts to end their engagement, she questions if her disfigured face is the reason. He sharply responds that her heart is far uglier than her face. Tears stream down her face. He pushes her to bed and covers her face with chiffon fabric and claims that even if she uses dirty tricks like this to take him to bed he is disgusted by everything about her. It seems they have sex, but it does not change anything between them. We see her trying to hang herself in her bride clothes.
It appears to be a show that the renowned physician Ling is viewing on her phone. She criticizes the woman for deciding to end her life over a man who does not love her. As her phone battery depletes, she suddenly finds herself in the body of the woman who was hanged.
The third daughter of the Ling family comes to claim Ling’s bridal dowry jewelry as is her entitlement. (how come it can be her right if she is not the one marrying, I have no idea). Dr. Ling diagnoses her sister as having a short temper and advises her to exercise self-control. When her sister attempts to slap her, Dr. Ling retaliates, and then uses a needle to induce uncontrollable laughter in her sister. After her sister departs, Dr. Ling concludes that the disfigurement of her sister’s face is unnatural and likely caused by poison.
We watch her getting ready for the wedding, vowing that since she has become this woman, she will lead a good life for her sake.
Amidst his anger, Yehan executes sword sequences. Concubine Liu Yiyi remarks that it’s all Ling’s fault and vows retribution. Huo Chong, the prince’s guard, is halted by the sword thrown by Yehan.
Ling’s father, in his insensitivity, comments that for someone as unattractive as she, being chosen as a princess is a great honor.
Yehan confirms that all his requests for the wedding chamber have been fulfilled, intending to humiliate Ling for her desperate attempts to marry him. Conversely, Dr. Ling, bound by an imperial decree, has resolved to marry and then divorce Prince Chu, whom she has no desire to wed. The groom arrives, humorously presented as a rooster adorned with a red bow, prompting jeers that “an ugly woman weds a rooster.” Dr. Ling declares her compliance with the imperial decree, equating the rooster to Prince Chu, and challenges the onlookers to immortalize the scene in a painting, offering ten gold teals to the artist. She vows to display the painting throughout the city, showcasing Prince Chu’s ‘noble’ stature. Furthermore, she provocatively questions what it implies about the King if Prince Chu is likened to a rooster. At that moment, Prince Chu makes his entrance. Yiyi commands her maid to lift Ling’s veil, revealing that her scar has miraculously disappeared.
She says to Prince Chu “let’s marry today and divorce later.” though he does not believe her, he cannot stand against an imperial order. They marry.
Next day, Yiyi removes every chair save one on the breakfast parlor, drops Ling’s breakfast and slaps her servant in the name of teaching her respect.
Episode 2
Yiyi is shouting for help. Chu and Chong are moving towards the breakfast parlor when they see Yiyi crawling out of the room. Ling comes out, says “morning” and then pulls Yiyi back into the room to continue to teach her a lesson.
As Chu enters the room, he finds Ling and her servant having breakfast at the table. Yiyi accuses Ling of attempting to kill her. Ling retorts that Yiyi is merely a concubine, whereas she is the Princess Consort, appointed by imperial decree, and that Yiyi’s disrespect warranted a lesson. Chu declares his intention to divorce Ling eventually, to which she nonchalantly agrees. Claiming she has had enough to eat, Ling exits the parlor with her maid.
Yiyi strides into Yehan’s room, tossing his armor to the ground and trampling over it. Summoned by Yehan, Ling steps into the room, immediately drawn to the books on the table. She picks up a few of the medical tomes. Alone in the room, her gaze wanders and falls upon the desecrated armor. It once belonged to a General who perished while protecting Yehan’s life. When Ling confronts Yiyi this as a set up, Yiyi brings forth the drugging incident and wedding and how cunning Ling is. Yehan decides to confine her to the woodshed and not allow her to leave until she has chopped all the wood.
Jiu, the General’s orphaned ward, enters the woodshed with Yiyi, who attempts to turn him against Ling. A piece of candied hawthorn lodges in Jiu’s throat, causing him to collapse. In the ensuing struggle, Ling performs the Heimlich maneuver on Jiu while Yiyi slanders Ling to Yehan. The candy is dislodged, but Jiu remains breathless. Ling begins CPR, but Yehan, misled by Yiyi’s instigation, believes Ling is harming Jiu and tries to strangle her. Ling bites Yehan’s hand and resumes CPR. Yehan commands that Ling be executed. The guards drag her away, and as they begin to beat her, Jiu regains consciousness.
Episode 3
Jiu wakes up and recounts how Yiyi gave him candies, causing him to choke, and then she instructed someone to pour water into his mouth. Meanwhile, Yiyi attempts to flee discreetly. She is subsequently placed under house arrest, and Ling is sent back to her room. Yehan arrives with a cream designed to accelerate Ling’s healing process. They bicker, how Ling did not express herself, how Yehan does not believe anything she says…
Yehan grows suspicious, and Chong confirms that the fingerprints on the armor are Yiyi’s. Consequently, Yehan decrees that Yiyi shall receive only one meal per day.
Ling is determined to find out who poisoned her, leaving a mark on her face. Her maid presents the doctor’s case, customized according to Ling’s specifications. It appears she decided to visit her family without waiting for Yehan. The women in Ling’s family, known for their cunning, seem all too pleased to humble her in Yehan’s absence. Following the squabble, they gather at the table for lunch. A financial issue arises, and suspicion is cast upon Ling’s mother. (If she is taking care of bringing the money, what are the others doing at that household?) Ling steps up to defend her mother’s rights, leading to a confrontation with her father.
