During the Republic of China, there was a castle-like Chen Mansion in a town. The rich man Chen Zuoqian already has his wife Yuru, his second wife Zhuo Yun and his third wife Mei Shan. Song Lian, a 19-year-old female college student, was forced to drop out of school due to a change in her family to marry into the Chen residence, becoming the fourth concubine of Mr. Chen. According to the rules of Chen's house, when Mr. Chen wants to spend the night at his aunt's house, a big red lantern will be hung high in front of the aunt's room; The red lanterns were wrapped in black cloth and hung high to show that they were no longer favored.
As soon as the young and beautiful Song Lian entered the Chen Mansion, she was involved in the open and secret struggle between several wives, and the maid Yan'er who dreamed of becoming a concubine was also hostile to her. Song Lian, who gradually fell out of favor, pretended to be pregnant in order to gain power, so that the "eternal light" was hung in front of her door day and night. But Yan'er discovered the truth when she was washing her clothes, and secretly informed her second aunt, Tai Zhuoyun, Songlian was "blocked". Before Yan'er's whistleblower, Songlian discovered that Yan'er was hiding old lanterns. She originally planned to keep it a secret, but after she found out that Yan'er was the whistleblower, she exposed the matter. Yan'er knelt on the snow but refused to admit her mistake, and eventually died.
Yan'er's death caused Song Lian to be in a trance and become increasingly depressed, and she often used alcohol to drown her sorrows. After getting drunk once, she inadvertently broke the secret of her third concubine Mei Shan's fornication with Dr. Gao. Mei Shan was then hanged in the corner house of the Chen Mansion. Song Lian collapsed and became a lunatic. The next year, Chen Mansion welcomed the fifth concubine. Song Lian, who had gone mad, was wandering in Chen Mansion wearing a schoolgirl outfit
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