What a roller coaster of emotions. The novel starts out so innocuously with a small-time thief (the FL) who makes the mistake of stealing from the wrong person (the ML), but because of this one small act, she gets tangled up in intrigue and political events that are much greater than she could have ever imagined and grows a lot in the process. The story is quite complex, and because of that the author switches up the POVs to not just the FL and ML but also many side characters to provide the reader with a more complete picture of what's going on. I thought the author did a fantastic job of weaving everything together and clearly explaining the plots and strategies used by the leaders and hidden agents on both sides along the way.
The core political context is that the Han are about to be conquered by the foreign Qi invaders. The Qi army has already taken the emperor and most of the royal family captive, and all hope rests on the unfavored Prince Ling'an, who escaped captivity thanks to living outside of the capital and is the last free member of the imperial family. The remaining Han army is desperate to smuggle Prince Ling'an further south to safer territies still under Han control, but the Qi leaders won't let that easily happen. The struggle for the prince's safety culminates in Lidu Prefecture, which is where the FL and ML first meet and most of the novel takes place.
The FL is Nan Yi, a thief on the streets who steals for her survival. At the beginning, her goals are simple: to survive and travel to a different city to look for her beloved, Zhang Yuehui, who left her some time ago to enroll in the army. They spent a happy couple years living together, and while they never spoke of marriage, their relationship was implicitly understood by both. Nan Yi is convinced that if only she could find Zhing Yuehui, she can have the life she longs for.
On the other hand, the ML Xie Queshan already starts off in a position of great power. He was originally a court official of the Yu dynasty, but he betrayed his country and defected to the Qi, where he now enjoys a trusted position as the confidant of the Prime Minister of Qi and works tirelessly for them as a strategist. He's in Lidu Prefecture to help the Qi officials hunt down the prince.
While it initially seems like the FL and ML have lives that couldn't be more different, one living among the bottom rungs of society and the other at the top, a chance encounter brings them together and kicks off their complex relationship. Nan Yi tries to steal a pouch containing some silvel taels from the ML, not knowing that the pouch also contained top secret intel regarding the Han army's plans to relocate the prince. Because of this, she gets drawn into the conflict and slowly grows from a thief whose only thoughts are of survival to a confident young woman with real skills. Fostering her talents along the way is the ML, who initially finds her an eyesore but quickly sees in her the potential to become someone useful to him.
**Warning: Spoilers Ahead**
The way their relationship develops is so beautifully written and the romance builds up naturally. As the ML finds himself grudgingly impressed by the FL, he slowly finds himself developing feelings for her as he appreciates her tenacity and ability to think quickly on her feet. And for the FL, she has very complex feelings towards the ML for much of the story. On one hand, she has a gut feeling that he's not as bad as everyone else says, but at the same time, he also bears the infamous reputation of being a traitor to the country. There were many instances where she gets her hopes up about him only for them to be dashed by his actions in helping the Qi. Even then, she can't help but fall for him as he treats her differently than he treats everyone else.
This sums up their early relationship pretty well:
She couldn’t understand Xie Que Shan’s every move. He clearly treated her like a plaything, yet if she looked at the results carefully, it seemed as though, whether intentionally or unintentionally, he was pushing her towards a better outcome. But if he was helping her, he constantly put her in difficult and embarrassing situations.
It's not clear from the FL's angle, but he does a lot behind the scenes to help her. For example, she thinks he's punishing her for sneaking into his study when he sends fighters after her and forces her to spend all night fleeing her pursuers in the city, but those nights actually helped the FL get familiar with the city streets in preparation for later when she actually needed to flee from Qi soldiers.
What I found most touching about their relationship is that despite everything, the FL doesn't give up on the ML even when he's given up on himself at so many points. He's been living in darkness but she is determined to drag him into the light, until finally he feels hope for his future. We all need a Nan Yi in our lives!
The whole cast of side characters was very memorable as well. Perhaps the most interesting was Zhang Yuehui, who is yet another complex character and whose role isn't as straightforward as Nan Yi believes. He ends up influencing the events of the story, for better or worse, quite a bit, as an information broker that plays both sides. It's ironic because while they've both been searching for the other, they actually have multiple encounters without recognizing each other until the truth of each's identity is revealed in a dramatic moment. Kudos to the author for pulling it off.
Not sure how I feel about the ending though. When I thought the ML had died in the most painful way after sacrificing himself for the country, I was extremely upset and questioning why I was reading a story tagged as tragedy. He's sacrificed SO much for his country already, including his personal happiness, and all I wanted for him was to enjoy life with the FL and his supportive family. I want my happy ending, gosh darn it!
But then in the extra chapter, you hear from Zhang Yuehui's perspective that he actually switched out the ML with a corpse (so he's alive, yay!) and administered a drug to the ML that causes him to lose his memories (but lost his memories, boo), so it's a mixed bag. However, in the very last chapter, the FL is approached by someone asking for a ride using the exact same lines the ML used before, so it's presumably the ML, but we will never know!!
There weren't that many sweet moments between them in the story; instead there was a lot of sexual tension and later on instances of the FL trying to motivate the ML to live happily together, so I thought for sure that the author would throw in some fluff at the end, but nope, we were deprived of even that. It would've been nice to have something more than the very ambiguous ending we got, but the ML's "death" was definitely very emotionally impactful and I felt more upset after reading about it than I have reading any other book in a long time.
I'll end my review with some of my favorite quotes from the story:
one of the first instances where the FL glimpses the ML's vulnerability
Xie Que Shan’s mind rang, and he could no longer hear what Nan Yi was saying. Song Yushu, Song Yushu... These two names had countless possible pronunciations, but he immediately realized that it was “Yushu,” meaning “give me forgiveness.” This was the name he had given himself.
The last string in his heart was still struck by him.
It was like a wound, deep and raw.
If there was still one person left in this world who wanted to save him, it must be Song Mu Chuan.
But he had already made his heart as hard as rock.
Suddenly, a cold touch brushed against his cheek. He lowered his eyes to see Nan Yi’s fingers.
Nan Yi seemed to have noticed that Xie Que Shan was crying. She couldn’t believe it and cautiously reached out to touch him. Just as she tried to pull her hand back, he grabbed it firmly.
He tightly held her hand, his palm gently brushing over her knuckles, silently wiping away the tear stains.
But Nan Yi clearly felt the wetness on his hand.
She didn’t dare move or speak, feeling as though she had glimpsed Xie Que Shan’s hidden vulnerability.
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He reached out to brush the snow from her face. As a martial artist, his palm quickly warmed up, and where his hand touched, it felt like wildfire scorching dry grass.
He said, “Don’t betray me.”
A betrayer, yet he repeatedly told her not to betray him.
Nan Yi’s smile slowly faded, eventually freezing into a stiff curve. She realized that Xie Que Shan was serious.
But what does betrayal really mean? She had lied many times, helping others deceive him—was that betrayal? She tried to understand him, but deep down, she could never fully side with him... does that count as betrayal?
At any moment, she would prioritize her own life. If there came a time when she had no choice but to betray him, would that be considered betrayal?
She began to seriously contemplate this question, only to realize she had no solid answer.
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ML slowly realizes his feelings for Nan Yi
The reason he orchestrated this whole scene was simply to test whether she would tell him the truth.
She did, and that was enough for him. He had really done something rather boring.
He wanted her to fear him, but he also realized that relying on that fear would not keep her. So, little by little, he opened the door, inch by inch, letting her get closer to him, hoping she would trust him.
In the end, he wanted her by his side.
Bit by bit, all the reasons he could voice, and all the reasons he hadn’t yet figured out, intertwined into a kind of obsession.
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really good tension build up
A hidden desire to conquer arose within him. Watching her still struggle, unwilling to give up on breaking free from the ropes, he roughly forced her hand open, sliding his fingers between hers, deliberately interlocking their fingers, trapping her with nowhere to escape.
Captivity and entanglement were two sides of the same coin.
They were too close, close like two beasts entwined with each other, shedding their humanity and dignity, leaving only claws and wounds.
Even they did not know whether the next moment would be one of battle or embrace.
Xie Que Shan raised a hand to cradle Nan Yi’s cheek. For the first time, his palm felt cold.
And then, his kiss fell upon her.
With a deafening roar, the long-delayed thunder arrived. All pretense was torn away, and the monstrous desires, like beasts, surged through the fissure.
Forced to tilt her head back in response to his relentless advances, she felt like a puppet in his arms, controlled by his strings. Inch by inch, she was invaded, with nowhere to escape. At last, driven to desperation, she clumsily and recklessly bit his lip.
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Xie Que Shan’s joy was partly genuine.
A heavy stone had finally fallen to the ground.
He knew that his risky move had paid off, and he had successfully extricated himself, cleared his name, and regained Wan Yanjun’s trust. Every step had to be precise, and the final success could only be attributed to great luck.
He had placed all his bets on Nan Yi. He had relied on her strong will to survive, shattered her jade bracelet, and gave her a chance to escape. He gambled that she would go and warn the Yucheng army. Only if this step succeeded would there be room for things to change.
And she had never let him down.
In the end, it was him who had disappointed himself.
He was selfish, petty, domineering, and dictatorial. Perhaps it was because he had nothing of his own in his life, and he had developed possessiveness toward her. He had immersed himself in the little moments he shared with her and wanted to keep her by his side.
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awww I love how he's secretly watching out for her
In this ruthless world, there would be no waiting for her to slowly grow and face the storm. The crisis was everywhere. He could only use extreme measures to force her growth. He wouldn’t let her remain like a floating reed. He would help her find her roots, so he could finally let her go.
She was nothing more than a passerby in his long life. They traveled together for a while, and that was all. The fleeting emotions between them would quickly dissipate with the passage of time. He had become accustomed to being the villain, so he didn’t need her gratitude. In fact, hatred and fear would be preferable.
Such a farewell was the right one.
This was the last time he thought of her. He hoped that her future would be bright, and that one day she would live the life she had long dreamed of.
And then, forever, never to encounter him again.
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the moment when he finally admits his feelings
Just thinking about the suffering she was enduring now made his heart twist. His wound, which had been healing, started to hurt again—more painfully than the one she had inflicted on him.
As she wished, he had indeed been cursed.
Admit it, he loved her.
He loved her resilience, her softness, her untamed nature, and everything she had pierced through him. Love is unreasonable and overwhelming.
He was the last person in this world who should have had the right to love, yet he fell in love with someone. He had always thought that this insignificant love was something he could control. He had been too arrogant.
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He was pleading with her—pleading for her not to move any closer. He wanted her to stay far away, to walk a safe, well-paved road. That was the best he could offer her.
The closer she got to him, the more wounded he became. He was willing to remain in the darkness, but why was she coming to walk alongside him?
“You don’t want to tell me? That’s fine. I’ll find out for myself. If you’re a complete traitor, one day, I’ll drag you down with me. But if you’re not...” Nan Yi finally couldn’t resist his strength any anger. She gave up, gazing at his eyes with a mix of helplessness and determination. “Then let me come to your side.”
This was a kind of sweet rain.
But he feared his barren land couldn’t give her even a single oasis.
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Her presence was undeniably a form of harm, yet he could only drink the poison, finding it both bitter and sweet. It hurt, so much so that he could no longer hold himself together. He felt like a fragile shell, just a mortal man of flesh and blood.
So he clung to her tightly, as though she were the only piece of driftwood keeping him afloat in the vast sea of his life. Without rhyme or reason, they kissed again, tangled like two untamed beasts clumsily expressing their mutual acceptance.
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ML's constantly so down on himself :(
She cursed him, and with each word, his heart felt a little more complete. Thankfully, it was dark, and no one could see his eyes misting over.
She stormed into his life, lively and bold, swinging her tiny fists, but she always struck the most vulnerable parts of him, shattering his defenses in one blow. His lifeless existence had gained color and warmth because of her presence.
He was so lucky to have met someone like her. But she seemed so unlucky, for he was a terrible lover. He even hated himself a little for dragging her into this mess, this entangled relationship. Now, it seemed, he had nothing to offer her.
TBH I'm not sure what day I ~finished this book? I also don't feel like I can rate it cuz I skipped a huge chunk of it. After reading SO MUCH abuse I was like "wait ... I should check if there even is a HEA, considering. And then I find out ML IS DEAD?! And then I hunted down the extras to read myself/they weren't all there ... and it seems ... guy ISN'T dead? But there's no explanation - like other guy said he was going to drug him to put him in a coma and erase his memory as I note ... and everyone thinks he's dead, including FL. And that's the whole point ... and then in the like last or second to last extra ... oop? Seems ML is with FL again? And considering that 99.9% of the book everyone thinks ML is a villain? *sigh*
No thank you. ~*~*~*~ Why Not Sail Together
1 FL is Nan Yi? … who is this Zhang Yuehui who gave her a bracelet? 🫥 don’t tell me this heartless Xie Queshan is ML… 🤦🏻♀️ oh no she stole his money … concerned about this “misfortunes” business
2 😱 oh shit XQS is a Qi (commander?) … and why is he so out to get FL just for 10 taels?! Who is this Pang Yu AND WHAT IS ON THAT SCROLL IN THE PURSE … ah fuck, caught. And the plans of that prince’s escape
3 WTF Pang Yu is Pang ZiXu who was Qi but betrayed them?! these twists and turns! (And 😱 FL betrayed PY?!) … XQS’s real name is Xie Chao’en, & he & PY were childhood friends?! Poor cannon fodder PY
😱😱😱 4 it was arranged she’d betray PY if they were caught. *shivers*
5 🙄😒 this fucking dog blood novel & The missed carriage - stupid AF Why didn’t FL call out, DUH. Ugh … was Xie HengZai already mentioned? Too many fucking characters named. Do I need to care about his companion this Qiao Yinzhi chick? 😒 Now who TF is this Xiao Yingxian … oh O.o her literal prostitute mother?! How would people know her name. Ugh and bio dad is Qin Yue. Uhhh XQS found a corpse to cover for FL - WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING?! 🫥 FL is both smart & stupid … stupid to trust anything the Qin says … slightly smart to realize there are problems… just ugh she’s definitely trapped. I’m stressed
6 JFC her dad is fucking trash Oh what a mess FL and her supposed husband are on the same side but all this secrecy. *sigh* I get it but ugh
7 … XHZ died during the ceremony so … 🤷🏻♀️ and XQS saw FL…
8 😱 FL’s almost husband is XQS’s biological older brother?!
9 is … XQS a traitor but not really? And oh to XH Z being slowly poisoned
11 oh the Xie family abandoned ML & his mom when they fled. And f this concubine Lu for claiming FL is an ill fated star, blaming her for XHZ’s death. These fucking evil families
12 Jesus Christ they beat him so badly they broke the “family law” cane
13 XQS’s dad Xie Jun is a giant POS. Unknown about his uncle Xie Zhu
15 *blinks* he’s lowkey helping her… VERY lowkey…
17 yeah I def think now that XQS is actually helping his home nation, and not really for Qi but he’s ~teasing them along - and def has (justified) resentment against his family
18 omfg they just … forgot ML & his mom. Honestly 🤷🏻♀️ wouldn’t blame ML for actually “becoming a traitor” … and the trash Yu dynasty doesn’t deserve loyalty 🤷🏻♀️
19 😅 just like that FL gets the rights to manage the household. (I guess it wouldn’t matter? But FL … I wish she could defend herself 🫥)
20 *sigh* MTL shit. Wish it could figure out family connections/the people “editing” it would. 🙄😒 considering what I think all this shit from the author to “mislead” us is just exhausting & annoying. Trying not to judge FL for not being bright but 😒
22 🤦🏻♀️ Xie Sui’an is sweet but a giant pig teammate
25 Will this Song YuShu come into play later?
27 why does she keep trying to betray him? WTF Did she think she was going to do with the city defense map?
31 😱 is ZYH (her ~ex) bad? And this CY fake/spy. *sigh* XSA will never figure it out in time. Interesting XQS keeps helping FL; was training her…
(Came back to it on 3/1) 🙊 33 XSA’s fiancé is the deceased Pang Yu 😿 Also huh he cut her nails for her & is teaching her to read & write. I kinda have whiplash. (Plus his sharp insight on her “fiancé.”)
35 Sigh. Just as I was intrigued XQS MIGHT have caught some feelings the focus is all on Lu Jin Xiu being a stupid cunt.
36 WTAF FL is violated and it’s just nothing? Fuck you author and your goddamn dog blood. (And fuck me for reading this…)
38 sigh word salad 😿 and she lost that ink stone saving scholar Song now Yu Shu or whatever
40 ok XQS def is catching feelings, and I appreciate him getting justice for FL
41 … wait! does Song Mu Chaun (Yu Shu) know FL is the person who saved him?! (And glad XSA knows what happened to FL & isn’t just taking her mom’s side)
43 uh won’t letting Qiao Yin Zhi live & leave (that XH[Z]’s concubine who turned out to be a Qi spy) cause major problems? Also 😡 why does everyone other than FL get to leave. Not that she has anywhere to go but
45 who is Wang YanJun (the guy who drugged XSA?) Oh shit XQS ~caused (only not really) the death of ZHY’s dad? And oh ZHY is an information broker … is he really the guy FL thought was her … guy? Ok yes definitely her. 😒 utterly done with him. Obvs as XQS said, he didn’t care that much if he left her to fend for herself. Ugh. FL DON’T BE FOOLED BY ZHY
46 Holy secret army. And 😡 I hope FL learns ZHY wants to kill her. Activate wife chasing crematorium and/but throw that trash ass man away
47 yay Song saved FL - who also saved him (again!) and herself noticing the ambush. Just omfg what a mess SO MANY THINGS. And is 2nd sister Xie good or bad?! What’s up with the Yu soldiers?!
49 *sigh* so annoyed the stupid MTL says XQS & FL are “uncle and niece” 🙄🙄😒 NO THEY AREN’T. I like that XQS wants to protect Song
51 Welp. My sympathy for that princess Xu Kouyue is down to 25%. Maybe if she hadn’t been such a cunt and stripping ML of his right to take the imperial exam none of this would’ve happened. Bitch. AND he just saved her life Ugh but that WanYan Jun raping her at the end of the chapter was awful
52 uhhh seems like there was an error/gap in the MTL C/P - or the link Pretty sure XQS knows exactly who is in the back mountain/ the prince is there. Sigh to everyone thinking they outsmarted him 😿 oh no XSA learned about PY from the stupid Prince
54 🤦🏻♀️ (tbh this book is kinda being ruined by the incorrect “next” links that keep taking the reader to the creepy smut book. Seriously WTAF is up with csmut’s obsession with peeing during sex like is it horrible translating please be horrible translating.) Also XQS def knows where the prince is… is HE actually that secret agent “Yan”? And FL knows him so well only not. Sigh.
55 bloop FL ran into her “ex”
56 😱 “He wanted her to fear him, but he also realized that relying on that fear would not keep her. So, little by little, he opened the door, inch by inch, letting her get closer to him, hoping she would trust him. In the end, he wanted her by his side. Bit by bit, all the reasons he could voice, and all the reasons he hadn’t yet figured out, intertwined into a kind of obsession.”
59 😱 (ok but where did his ~affection come from?) I don’t blame FL for being scared - she doesn’t know him! And he’s constantly threatening to kill her. I was already 🙊 when he showed up on the boat. Then they literally try to kill each other and just. I don’t see how this couple will work. Confirmed though ML is a tragic double agent.
60 … dark moment - realized “they literally tried to kill each other, I don’t see how this works” Read the last few chapters and … both XQS & ZHY die so … how the fuck is this a romance
What an awful pointless fucking book. Ugh. (I read 139-the very end -147)
Uhhh read/looked for more, seems there are actually 149 c; XQS pops up alive and memories intact in 148… how? 🤷🏻♀️ Song and ZHY agreed to save ML but ZHY said he was going to put XQS in a coma and erase his memory… so how does 148 happen? And 149 was wasted on that princess. Ugh
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
this was just so damn good i dont even know what to say. the plot is excellent, the plot twist are wonderful, but overall, the character developments?? so well written. every chatacter is a masterpiece of writing in itself. and dont get me started about the romance - it served true enemies to lovers angst. i will never forget this novel.
spies, political intrigues, slow burn, classic enemies to lovers, complex male lead, selfless and capable female lead, it has it all, what a ride it was