The Great Houses

This is a historical romance novel by Liu Yue Haoxue, centered on Lian Yueyao, the legitimate daughter of the Lian family. In her previous life, she came from a scholarly household and was renowned in the capital as a talented young woman, yet because of her uncle's coldness, her fiancé's betrayal, and her aunt's scheming, she was ultimately sold to a merchant as a concubine for two hundred thousand taels of silver, and died with resentment, driven to despair. After being reborn, Lian Yueyao carries the memories and wounds of her past life and vows that no one will ever control her fate again: she will protect the family members who truly care for her and carve out a splendid future with her own hands. The story unfolds layer by layer around clan conflicts inside and outside the Lian mansion, the distinction between legitimate and concubine-born children, and disputes over marriage and property. Her aunt, Madam Mo, stirs up trouble to pay off debts for her natal family; her uncle, Lian Dongfang, lends silver yet orders her to reflect in the small Buddhist hall; even the thickness of gifts between sisters conceals rank and status. Lian Yueyao lays plans step by step among the clan school, in-laws, her maternal uncle's family, and business ventures, gradually overturning the passive, beleaguered situation of her previous life. The book totals over six hundred chapters, with several side stories told from the perspectives of supporting characters. Written in a slice-of-life historical-romance style, it centers on women's awakening and self-fulfillment under feudal ethics.