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The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir
“I can’t accept this! I can’t! Even as a ghost, I’m going to spend eternity cursing that your relationship will shatter like glass! Break apart like a pair of mandarin ducks that fly away from each other!” With such a persisting obsession, it would be difficult for the vengeful departed spirit to move on.
Ji Man had only read a light novel to pass the time, but she was unexpectedly pulled into a very strange dream. She had become the novel’s most vicious villainess.
The novel rewinds to the beginning. The villainess that had been ordered to commit suicide reappears onto the stage and begins to follow the plot as she walk towards the novel’s ending once again. In a courtyard deep inside a marquis’s residence. A female lead that’s like the Holy Mother. Countless cannon fodder. The imperial family’s favor…
Ji Man had only read a light novel to pass the time, but she was unexpectedly pulled into a very strange dream. She had become the novel’s most vicious villainess.
The novel rewinds to the beginning. The villainess that had been ordered to commit suicide reappears onto the stage and begins to follow the plot as she walk towards the novel’s ending once again. In a courtyard deep inside a marquis’s residence. A female lead that’s like the Holy Mother. Countless cannon fodder. The imperial family’s favor…
ebook
First published January 1, 2014
21 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Bai Lu Cheng Shuang
81 books26 followersAssociated Names:
* Bai Lu Cheng Shuang
* Little Egrets In Pairs (English)
* 白鹭成双 (Chinese)
* ไป๋ลู่เฉิงซวง (Thai)
* Bai Lu Cheng Shuang
* Little Egrets In Pairs (English)
* 白鹭成双 (Chinese)
* ไป๋ลู่เฉิงซวง (Thai)
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
December 5, 2019
A bit of a ridiculous story at first of a reader becoming a character in the novel she's reading - and a bad character at that! The heroine, Ji Man, enjoyed being a modern working woman and is totally dismayed at the typical life of women in ancient China. She treats "remaking the villainess into the heroine" as a job, keeps her head down and tries not to hurt anyone who isn't hurting her.
Imagine dropping into Game of Thrones as a supporting character whom you know is going to end badly and deciding to make sure your character dies in bed, an old woman surrounded by your loved ones! It takes a lot of work but Ji Man manages to do it even in the face of some serious violence, family politicking and the ghost of the original character she replaced. The plot is clever and quite funny at points and the author handled the sad plot points very sensitively.
Luckily, the romance section is fairly limited and the political conniving takes up the other 3/4 of the novel. That's that I want to see - more conniving!
Imagine dropping into Game of Thrones as a supporting character whom you know is going to end badly and deciding to make sure your character dies in bed, an old woman surrounded by your loved ones! It takes a lot of work but Ji Man manages to do it even in the face of some serious violence, family politicking and the ghost of the original character she replaced. The plot is clever and quite funny at points and the author handled the sad plot points very sensitively.
Luckily, the romance section is fairly limited and the political conniving takes up the other 3/4 of the novel. That's that I want to see - more conniving!
June 15, 2020
Let me begin by saying, this is one LONG book. 260 whole chapters, phew! But definitely doesn't disappoint.
For having such a wide variety of characters, the author really does a good job of keeping track of them, and also manages to flesh out their backgrounds and personalities well!
Our MC, Ji Man, is smart, sneaky, independent and totally on a one track mind about going back to the modern world after her transmigration. And honestly, I felt the same. You begin with absolutely detesting the ML (male lead), Ning Yuxuan - who's just as sneaky and clever as our MC.
Ning Yuxuan is the typical narrow-eyed courtier every Emperor should keep an eye on. His harem politics is in a disarray, he feels as if he knows everything, is manipulative and has a slightly skewed moral compass.
Ji Man, or Nie Sangyu (NSY) whom she transmigrated into, fortunately is the perfect opponent for him. She's sneaky right back, manipulates him according to her convenience and hates him for leaving his first wife (NSY) to marry another woman, so she has no scruples creating problems for him.
However, that's the selling point. I loved how they were both flawed characters, definitely had to undergo lots of personal trials that led to them slowly changing themselves enough to suit each other.
For a story that revolves around romance, Ji Man certainly doesnt feel one lick of it, not until she realises that it has a chance of being reciprocated. That was satisfying, truly. In the cutthroat environment of ancient China, she adapts to it with such alacrity that she ends up being the main influencer of the story.
Ji Man and Ning Yuxuan are equals. More importantly, they start recognising each other as equals, giving each other due respect, and then slowly trust and affection. It takes time, it takes effort (LOTS of it), and takes some major political upheavals and revenge plots before they start depending on each other instead of planning around the other and using the other in their plots.
But it works. Goddamn their story is a GOOD one. And so highly addicting. If you dont end up loving the mess Ji Man is, I'll be surprised.
Also, tiny bit of SPOILER ahead.
The best part? Or at least, my most favourite part - is having the ML fall in love with Ji Man, and not the character she transmigrated into!
(I mean, not caring that he's being called a gay man because he wants to spend time with his cross-dressing wife was truly the tipping point xD)
For having such a wide variety of characters, the author really does a good job of keeping track of them, and also manages to flesh out their backgrounds and personalities well!
Our MC, Ji Man, is smart, sneaky, independent and totally on a one track mind about going back to the modern world after her transmigration. And honestly, I felt the same. You begin with absolutely detesting the ML (male lead), Ning Yuxuan - who's just as sneaky and clever as our MC.
Ning Yuxuan is the typical narrow-eyed courtier every Emperor should keep an eye on. His harem politics is in a disarray, he feels as if he knows everything, is manipulative and has a slightly skewed moral compass.
Ji Man, or Nie Sangyu (NSY) whom she transmigrated into, fortunately is the perfect opponent for him. She's sneaky right back, manipulates him according to her convenience and hates him for leaving his first wife (NSY) to marry another woman, so she has no scruples creating problems for him.
However, that's the selling point. I loved how they were both flawed characters, definitely had to undergo lots of personal trials that led to them slowly changing themselves enough to suit each other.
For a story that revolves around romance, Ji Man certainly doesnt feel one lick of it, not until she realises that it has a chance of being reciprocated. That was satisfying, truly. In the cutthroat environment of ancient China, she adapts to it with such alacrity that she ends up being the main influencer of the story.
Ji Man and Ning Yuxuan are equals. More importantly, they start recognising each other as equals, giving each other due respect, and then slowly trust and affection. It takes time, it takes effort (LOTS of it), and takes some major political upheavals and revenge plots before they start depending on each other instead of planning around the other and using the other in their plots.
But it works. Goddamn their story is a GOOD one. And so highly addicting. If you dont end up loving the mess Ji Man is, I'll be surprised.
Also, tiny bit of SPOILER ahead.
The best part? Or at least, my most favourite part - is having the ML fall in love with Ji Man, and not the character she transmigrated into!
(I mean, not caring that he's being called a gay man because he wants to spend time with his cross-dressing wife was truly the tipping point xD)
September 25, 2022
the ML is too narcissistic and only thinks about his dic*
it's just so hard to cheer for him and seems like there'll be no change in the nearest future so bye dnf it is
it's just so hard to cheer for him and seems like there'll be no change in the nearest future so bye dnf it is
March 3, 2020
BEWARE of SPOILER
I felt like a fool when I read the writer's note at the end of this book. It's like I got invested in this book for nothing. The clue is in the title itself.
Anyway, Ji Man found herself in a body of one of the character in a book she read. Because she mostly skimmed the book and even forgone the ending, she have not much information except for the basic outline. That triggered my conscious because when a book tend to lean toward the boring side, I did the same too.
Nie Sangyu was the abandoned main wife and the body that Ji Man inhibited. To get back to her world, Ji Man have to help Nie Sangyu achieved her one wish. In the book, Nie Sangyu was portrayed as a selfish woman who would do vile thing to get the ML. Ji Man got glimpsed of Nie Sangyu's life and what turned her into a villain. So, Ji Man got a one track mind to help Nie Sangyu and at the same time exact revenge.
But, as the story progress, the writer decided to turn it into a HE. And so, we couldn't have a black-bellied ML anymore. How to turn a black-bellied ML into a hero deserving praise? By making Ji Man realized she and Nie Sangyu were two different people and what happened to Nie Sangyu shouldn't affected her. All the ML bad deed were push towards someone else; either his other women or anyone really as long as it's not the ML.
I almost abandoned this book because for the life of me it's not romance anymore. It's more like a Stockholm Syndrome. The writer did her best to tie up all loose end but hey, she's only human.
I felt like a fool when I read the writer's note at the end of this book. It's like I got invested in this book for nothing. The clue is in the title itself.
Anyway, Ji Man found herself in a body of one of the character in a book she read. Because she mostly skimmed the book and even forgone the ending, she have not much information except for the basic outline. That triggered my conscious because when a book tend to lean toward the boring side, I did the same too.
Nie Sangyu was the abandoned main wife and the body that Ji Man inhibited. To get back to her world, Ji Man have to help Nie Sangyu achieved her one wish. In the book, Nie Sangyu was portrayed as a selfish woman who would do vile thing to get the ML. Ji Man got glimpsed of Nie Sangyu's life and what turned her into a villain. So, Ji Man got a one track mind to help Nie Sangyu and at the same time exact revenge.
But, as the story progress, the writer decided to turn it into a HE. And so, we couldn't have a black-bellied ML anymore. How to turn a black-bellied ML into a hero deserving praise? By making Ji Man realized she and Nie Sangyu were two different people and what happened to Nie Sangyu shouldn't affected her. All the ML bad deed were push towards someone else; either his other women or anyone really as long as it's not the ML.
I almost abandoned this book because for the life of me it's not romance anymore. It's more like a Stockholm Syndrome. The writer did her best to tie up all loose end but hey, she's only human.
October 10, 2021
Mini-Review:
Total of Ch510
Low Estimate: 1,530 Pages
Okay! I've read my first light novel. Well, the first one I've read from start to finish. =P
The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir is a Chinese historical fantasy story. Ji Man read a light novel on her day off. She skimmed most of it, but didn't have the patience to read to the end because it was a predictable tale of love and woe. Who knew that she would wake up as a character in the light novel. She's not the main female character. She's the antagonist that's fated to die.
I loved Ji Man's practical nature. I liked that she was portrayed as a well-rounded character with the full range of emotions, hopes and fears. She had her moments of brilliance and awkward flops. Plus, the romance was drawn out in a believable slow burn from a flickering ember.
If I was only going by the translation, I would give the story 3.5 stars. It's epic, but there are loose story pieces and threads all over the place. The characters are well drawn out in their respective roles. The plot had a nice twist on a popular, Asian story theme: portal/transmigration, stuck in a story. I loved the details for poetry, religion/philosophy, culture and most of the political shenanigans.
The translator did a nice job of writing the story as close to the original without making it too awkward in English format, and making little notes to help understand what ornaments, clothes, hairstyles, food, etc would look like.
Total of Ch510
Low Estimate: 1,530 Pages
Okay! I've read my first light novel. Well, the first one I've read from start to finish. =P
The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir is a Chinese historical fantasy story. Ji Man read a light novel on her day off. She skimmed most of it, but didn't have the patience to read to the end because it was a predictable tale of love and woe. Who knew that she would wake up as a character in the light novel. She's not the main female character. She's the antagonist that's fated to die.
I loved Ji Man's practical nature. I liked that she was portrayed as a well-rounded character with the full range of emotions, hopes and fears. She had her moments of brilliance and awkward flops. Plus, the romance was drawn out in a believable slow burn from a flickering ember.
If I was only going by the translation, I would give the story 3.5 stars. It's epic, but there are loose story pieces and threads all over the place. The characters are well drawn out in their respective roles. The plot had a nice twist on a popular, Asian story theme: portal/transmigration, stuck in a story. I loved the details for poetry, religion/philosophy, culture and most of the political shenanigans.
The translator did a nice job of writing the story as close to the original without making it too awkward in English format, and making little notes to help understand what ornaments, clothes, hairstyles, food, etc would look like.
March 20, 2020
okay! i'm not actually done yet -- i'm on chapter 343 out of 511 -- but seeing as i don't want to wait months for the translation to finish before i review this i'll count that as enough for now. i think this is pretty engaging for a historical harem story but i'm very frustrated with the male lead. he's so despicable i really can't imagine how 白鹭成双 can convincingly write ji man falling in love with him. a person who -- how could we believe it if she wrote ji man changing her mind about him? i really just want her to leave him behind, succeed in carving out a life for herself in the world, and maybe find a way to bring peace to nie sangyu's heart so she can go home
unfortunately i can sense i'm not going to get that so we're sitting at a solid 'okay' for this story. i'll update the rating in the future if 白鹭成双 manages to surprise me
3 stars
unfortunately i can sense i'm not going to get that so we're sitting at a solid 'okay' for this story. i'll update the rating in the future if 白鹭成双 manages to surprise me
3 stars
August 10, 2025
~ Spoiler Alert ~
1 star because the male lead ruined everything!
I wanted to like Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir. It had all the makings of an intriguing plot: a modern woman transmigrated into the body of a villainous first wife who flips the script, using intelligence and strategy to survive and dominate the male lead’s growing harem of wives and concubines. The harem setup initially put me off, but I decided to give it a chance, I kept reading, hoping for a clever twist or satisfying payoff. The female lead, Nie Sangyu (Ji Man), started brilliantly to scheming, manipulating, and always staying ten steps ahead. Sadly, the decks were stacked against her in a world where women’s worth depends on a man’s whim.
Unfortunately, the male lead, Ning Yuxuan (Marquis Moyu), ruined the story for me. He was manipulative, controlling, a lustful playboy and casually cruel, treating people’s lives and emotions as pawns in his games. He pitted women against each other, collected concubines like trophies, and hypocritically slept around while reacting with jealousy if they showed independence. His arrogance made him impossible to root for, and his most despicable act; engineering the destruction and mass murder of the FL’s Ning clan to strip her of all power made him irredeemably evil and entirely undeserving of her loyalty or affection. That was the last straw in a long list of unforgivable actions.
I skimmed through the rest of the story, convinced Ji Man’s wit would lead her away from him, but instead, they ended up together. The plot had potential, and Ji Man was a fascinating heroine, but Ning Yuxuan’s toxic, malicious personality and the disappointing romantic endgame left me cold. In the end, it felt like a dark, loathsome villain had been forced into the male lead role, and the story suffered for it.
In the future, I will be actively avoiding stories where the female lead is pushed into a harem or concubine relationship, as it only depicts abuse and dehumanisation of women and completely destroys my enjoyment of the story.
1 star because the male lead ruined everything!
I wanted to like Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir. It had all the makings of an intriguing plot: a modern woman transmigrated into the body of a villainous first wife who flips the script, using intelligence and strategy to survive and dominate the male lead’s growing harem of wives and concubines. The harem setup initially put me off, but I decided to give it a chance, I kept reading, hoping for a clever twist or satisfying payoff. The female lead, Nie Sangyu (Ji Man), started brilliantly to scheming, manipulating, and always staying ten steps ahead. Sadly, the decks were stacked against her in a world where women’s worth depends on a man’s whim.
Unfortunately, the male lead, Ning Yuxuan (Marquis Moyu), ruined the story for me. He was manipulative, controlling, a lustful playboy and casually cruel, treating people’s lives and emotions as pawns in his games. He pitted women against each other, collected concubines like trophies, and hypocritically slept around while reacting with jealousy if they showed independence. His arrogance made him impossible to root for, and his most despicable act; engineering the destruction and mass murder of the FL’s Ning clan to strip her of all power made him irredeemably evil and entirely undeserving of her loyalty or affection. That was the last straw in a long list of unforgivable actions.
I skimmed through the rest of the story, convinced Ji Man’s wit would lead her away from him, but instead, they ended up together. The plot had potential, and Ji Man was a fascinating heroine, but Ning Yuxuan’s toxic, malicious personality and the disappointing romantic endgame left me cold. In the end, it felt like a dark, loathsome villain had been forced into the male lead role, and the story suffered for it.
In the future, I will be actively avoiding stories where the female lead is pushed into a harem or concubine relationship, as it only depicts abuse and dehumanisation of women and completely destroys my enjoyment of the story.
dnf
October 28, 2024Dnf
Its really really hard to like this male lead. The girl has suffered enough and I can't read any futher. He just kept fucking and getting other women pregnant.
Its really really hard to like this male lead. The girl has suffered enough and I can't read any futher. He just kept fucking and getting other women pregnant.
avoid
June 21, 2024self note : avoid - real harem situation.
reviews said that the H sleeps with all his concubines and gets multiple women pregnant (including the h) at the same time!
reviews said that the H sleeps with all his concubines and gets multiple women pregnant (including the h) at the same time!
February 20, 2024
It's now 2/19/24... I don't even know if I'd call this a romance - and I hated the "actual story" like what in the actual fuck.
I wish we could do half stars ...
I dunno, C-? Still so upset/annoyed at the "surprise/big reveal" - what utter shit.
I was also disappointed with the "side story" of their son - I just wanted MORE. And ... I dunno - I just didn't like how it turned out.
It was sweet how everything worked out but I dunno how I felt about ML. I guess I remain unconvinced. Although he ... did eventually fall in love more than her I guess.
Didn't really get a good feeling from this book but there were a lot of good points/enough for me to read it through .... [heh guess I'm getting grumpier again and shouldn't be writing "reviews"...]
~*~*~*~
C22… uh… how is it FL (NSY is the daughter of her father’s first official wife, and her older brother is the son of the second official wife that was married after the death of FL’s mom?) Unless his mom was a concubine first? - lol thanks translator, I was right - it’s addressed later. Anyway go FL for doing business but *sigh* ugh knowing her servant betrays her I don’t love her being privy to all this 😒😐
C25 lol this truly is a trash ass man & I’m glad I read reviews that this shouldn’t be treated as a romance. Some said not till the second half but like >.> maybe not ever?
He tells his childhood sweetheart(?) that he just married as his second/now official wife since FL has been demoted “ looked at the person in his arms and said, “What there’s for you to get over? No matter how many women I have, aren’t you still the one that I love the most? As soon as you’re unhappy, don’t I obediently come back to you? En?” … *throwing man in dumpster gif* I get it’s historically accurate but…
C32 oh shit I was wrong I only read Wen Wan was the one the Marquis wanted to marry & thought she was a childhood sweetheart. OMG they only met six months ago?! … I hope FL makes him suffer for three lifetimes.
C88 the translator has mentioned it before but I hate FL ~tricking Errong into thinking her brother likes her like WTAF
C92 thank god she finally tells her brother to make the final marriage choice
*snickersnort* c101 FL treats their first time “like doing it with a [gigolo] - 5 stars” - although I was slight whiplash she’s so whatever after being so resistant for so long. I guess she accepted it as inevitable 🤷🏻♀️
😐 c129 welp the reason for the chapter title about rumors comes to light. Argh. While I don’t want to blame the victim FL I feel like she was way too unguarded re Wen Wan. It looks like “ML” knew about it too & just let it go. (FL as a modern woman should’ve known this bailianhua would be a problem.) ugh I don’t want to hate everyone.
C135 she def should take her money and run. Sigh that she won’t.
C143 I can’t believe FL thought it was ok to drug her brother. And that was way better than TALKING TO HIM. Omfg.
😒 c231 Honestly at this point I’m so suspicious I think Wen gave birth to the girl & Yun the boy but whatever. Also *sigh* I hope FL gets her baby back. And sufficient revenge.
C246… major continuity error? Isn’t the one month old prince Nie’s son? Didn’t she give birth BEFORE FL whose son is like 7 months old? 🙄😒
C283 🙄😒 FL only now saying she shouldn’t have pushed her brother & Errong together if he didn’t like her.
😹🤷🏻♀️ c293 loves for FL def thinks of him as a dumb fuck in her head. Tempted to go find the original Mandarin. Also seriously 😒😡 does he like her or not. I still think MingJue is the best…
😐 c311 well he’s in love with her but he’s divorced her & her entire clan was executed. I knew she should’ve taken her money & run like 300 chapters ago.
C321 it really is too stupid for FL - Ji Man to use that name everywhere 🤦🏻♀️😖🤦🏻♀️
Glad she finally figured out HaoHao is her son & gets to (temporarily?) reunite with him though.
C340 the author is way too okay with male characters being raped and it being NBD. Also omfg the Qian Yingchen & Zhu Yurun storyline her brain is rotted trash.
C356 oh no ZYR was drugged too & tried to protect QYC but oh man what a mess of it. Poor baby. X2
C363 lowkey feel like I’m going to have an aneurysm - Wen Wan & MingJue’s wife are besties? Damn I didn’t want to hate that junzhu.
C395 glad trash ass evil junzhu’s true colors were exposed to MingJue. Hope he supports whoever else now. (Ex crown prince? 🤷🏻♀️ I still don’t think he’s good… though better than P2)
C423 (prev chapters *sigh* those two dummy Nie siblings. Of course the crown prince would betray them.) anyway in this chapter with ML & FL imprisoned together… *hums “there’s something there” from beauty & the beast* 😉😇
C425 WenWan is such a goddamn cockroach 😒😡
C437 ok I’m actually mad throw ML into a wood chipper that stupid fuck. Granted FL telling him she was a celestial immortal was also dumb but ugh.
C440 omfg even with the slight spoiler hint & seeing it was all a dream in a comment I DON’T KNOW WHY I WASN’T EXPECTING THAT *screams*
C442 🤦🏻♀️ and we’re back again
I liked the Qian Yingchen & Zhu Yurun extras but it was annoying too see basically she’s stupid cuz she’s fat/that’s a strong sense of it. Also especially since the book had said she was only chubby because she was pregnant. But then they change it.
😐 welp I’m actually mad I read the author’s notes.
I read it here: https://www.fuyuneko.org/work/#/dsb/
I wish we could do half stars ...
I dunno, C-? Still so upset/annoyed at the "surprise/big reveal" - what utter shit.
I was also disappointed with the "side story" of their son - I just wanted MORE. And ... I dunno - I just didn't like how it turned out.
It was sweet how everything worked out but I dunno how I felt about ML. I guess I remain unconvinced. Although he ... did eventually fall in love more than her I guess.
Didn't really get a good feeling from this book but there were a lot of good points/enough for me to read it through .... [heh guess I'm getting grumpier again and shouldn't be writing "reviews"...]
~*~*~*~
C22… uh… how is it FL (NSY is the daughter of her father’s first official wife, and her older brother is the son of the second official wife that was married after the death of FL’s mom?) Unless his mom was a concubine first? - lol thanks translator, I was right - it’s addressed later. Anyway go FL for doing business but *sigh* ugh knowing her servant betrays her I don’t love her being privy to all this 😒😐
C25 lol this truly is a trash ass man & I’m glad I read reviews that this shouldn’t be treated as a romance. Some said not till the second half but like >.> maybe not ever?
He tells his childhood sweetheart(?) that he just married as his second/now official wife since FL has been demoted “ looked at the person in his arms and said, “What there’s for you to get over? No matter how many women I have, aren’t you still the one that I love the most? As soon as you’re unhappy, don’t I obediently come back to you? En?” … *throwing man in dumpster gif* I get it’s historically accurate but…
C32 oh shit I was wrong I only read Wen Wan was the one the Marquis wanted to marry & thought she was a childhood sweetheart. OMG they only met six months ago?! … I hope FL makes him suffer for three lifetimes.
C88 the translator has mentioned it before but I hate FL ~tricking Errong into thinking her brother likes her like WTAF
C92 thank god she finally tells her brother to make the final marriage choice
*snickersnort* c101 FL treats their first time “like doing it with a [gigolo] - 5 stars” - although I was slight whiplash she’s so whatever after being so resistant for so long. I guess she accepted it as inevitable 🤷🏻♀️
😐 c129 welp the reason for the chapter title about rumors comes to light. Argh. While I don’t want to blame the victim FL I feel like she was way too unguarded re Wen Wan. It looks like “ML” knew about it too & just let it go. (FL as a modern woman should’ve known this bailianhua would be a problem.) ugh I don’t want to hate everyone.
C135 she def should take her money and run. Sigh that she won’t.
C143 I can’t believe FL thought it was ok to drug her brother. And that was way better than TALKING TO HIM. Omfg.
😒 c231 Honestly at this point I’m so suspicious I think Wen gave birth to the girl & Yun the boy but whatever. Also *sigh* I hope FL gets her baby back. And sufficient revenge.
C246… major continuity error? Isn’t the one month old prince Nie’s son? Didn’t she give birth BEFORE FL whose son is like 7 months old? 🙄😒
C283 🙄😒 FL only now saying she shouldn’t have pushed her brother & Errong together if he didn’t like her.
😹🤷🏻♀️ c293 loves for FL def thinks of him as a dumb fuck in her head. Tempted to go find the original Mandarin. Also seriously 😒😡 does he like her or not. I still think MingJue is the best…
😐 c311 well he’s in love with her but he’s divorced her & her entire clan was executed. I knew she should’ve taken her money & run like 300 chapters ago.
C321 it really is too stupid for FL - Ji Man to use that name everywhere 🤦🏻♀️😖🤦🏻♀️
Glad she finally figured out HaoHao is her son & gets to (temporarily?) reunite with him though.
C340 the author is way too okay with male characters being raped and it being NBD. Also omfg the Qian Yingchen & Zhu Yurun storyline her brain is rotted trash.
C356 oh no ZYR was drugged too & tried to protect QYC but oh man what a mess of it. Poor baby. X2
C363 lowkey feel like I’m going to have an aneurysm - Wen Wan & MingJue’s wife are besties? Damn I didn’t want to hate that junzhu.
C395 glad trash ass evil junzhu’s true colors were exposed to MingJue. Hope he supports whoever else now. (Ex crown prince? 🤷🏻♀️ I still don’t think he’s good… though better than P2)
C423 (prev chapters *sigh* those two dummy Nie siblings. Of course the crown prince would betray them.) anyway in this chapter with ML & FL imprisoned together… *hums “there’s something there” from beauty & the beast* 😉😇
C425 WenWan is such a goddamn cockroach 😒😡
C437 ok I’m actually mad throw ML into a wood chipper that stupid fuck. Granted FL telling him she was a celestial immortal was also dumb but ugh.
C440 omfg even with the slight spoiler hint & seeing it was all a dream in a comment I DON’T KNOW WHY I WASN’T EXPECTING THAT *screams*
C442 🤦🏻♀️ and we’re back again
I liked the Qian Yingchen & Zhu Yurun extras but it was annoying too see basically she’s stupid cuz she’s fat/that’s a strong sense of it. Also especially since the book had said she was only chubby because she was pregnant. But then they change it.
😐 welp I’m actually mad I read the author’s notes.
I read it here: https://www.fuyuneko.org/work/#/dsb/
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2021
I was telling a friend that "Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir" was like the "Gone with the Wind" of cnovels, only if Rhett and Scarlett had a happy ending, and Melanie didn't die and Ashley learned to love her back before it was too late. What an amazing multi-layered novel with a cast of characters to root for, hate on, cry for, care about, etc. I loved all the extra stories that the author included at the end as well. Don't skip them!
This novel seems to be controversial because of how unlikeable the male lead is in the beginning... and honestly continues to be for a large part of the book. But you know what? The female lead wasn't that amazing either and did some equally shady stuff. But I loved how questionable all the characters were. There was no black and white, only shades of grey. Like Scarlett in GWTW, I found myself utterly fascinated at the lengths the female lead would go to to achieve her goals.
But for those of you who hate harem novels and bad endings, let me assure you that your patience and perseverance are more than rewarded by the novel's conclusion. To quote the author: "I admit that I'm a cheesy and dramatic writer that's been professionally whitening the blackened male leads for the past twenty years. "
So yes, there is a happy ending. And a monogamous ending too for those who are curious. I spent 4 days binging this novel and find myself still thinking about plot points and character reveals that blew my little mind.
This novel seems to be controversial because of how unlikeable the male lead is in the beginning... and honestly continues to be for a large part of the book. But you know what? The female lead wasn't that amazing either and did some equally shady stuff. But I loved how questionable all the characters were. There was no black and white, only shades of grey. Like Scarlett in GWTW, I found myself utterly fascinated at the lengths the female lead would go to to achieve her goals.
But for those of you who hate harem novels and bad endings, let me assure you that your patience and perseverance are more than rewarded by the novel's conclusion. To quote the author: "I admit that I'm a cheesy and dramatic writer that's been professionally whitening the blackened male leads for the past twenty years. "
So yes, there is a happy ending. And a monogamous ending too for those who are curious. I spent 4 days binging this novel and find myself still thinking about plot points and character reveals that blew my little mind.
July 2, 2020
Not exactly super romantic. Even though the premise is that a vengeful spirit wants the modern woman pulled into her body to seduce the husband who wouldn't love her back, I recommend this more for harem intriguing and political machinations than any lovey-dovey stuff (especially given that the husband/love interest is a total dick). And there is a lot of drama - this took waaaaaaaaaaay longer than a day to read.
Possible turnoffs: Consent. Main character can put off sex with her "husband" but she can't actually refuse to do her martial duty. She's kinda nonchalant about it and even compares it to being bitten by a dog, but still. It comes up in other creepy ways too like the main character using aphrodisiacs to encourage a marriage she helped match-make or the Emperor getting to decide the ranks of other people's wives or concubines (i.e. a person) being a political gift. Also the drama is exciting, but not bloodless. As in literal murder, the revealing of infidelity leading to an execution, forced abortions, babies being in actual danger, etc.
Possible turnoffs: Consent. Main character can put off sex with her "husband" but she can't actually refuse to do her martial duty. She's kinda nonchalant about it and even compares it to being bitten by a dog, but still. It comes up in other creepy ways too like the main character using aphrodisiacs to encourage a marriage she helped match-make or the Emperor getting to decide the ranks of other people's wives or concubines (i.e. a person) being a political gift. Also the drama is exciting, but not bloodless. As in literal murder, the revealing of infidelity leading to an execution, forced abortions, babies being in actual danger, etc.
August 1, 2022
I loved this book! A practical heroine AND a slow burn! If it ever gets an English paperback translation I will 100% buy it. I love that the male lead is a total asshole in the beginning and Ji Man straight up tells him that he killed her love and she's not interested in chasing after him but just living a peaceful life. For like the first 100 chapters I wasn't sure that he actually was the main love interest, that's how much of a manipulative asshole he was. I also love that she lets the male lead know multiple times that she doesn't need him at all and she even starts her own businesses. There's a lot of character growth, scheming in the inner courtyard and political intrigue.
Summary: Ji Man reads a book about a perfect heroine marrying into a marquis' harem and coming out on top. Ji Man goes to sleep and wakes up as the villainous secondary character in the harem who tells her that she can't return to the modern world until she gets her wish fulfilled which Ji Man thinks is getting the asshole male lead's love.
Summary: Ji Man reads a book about a perfect heroine marrying into a marquis' harem and coming out on top. Ji Man goes to sleep and wakes up as the villainous secondary character in the harem who tells her that she can't return to the modern world until she gets her wish fulfilled which Ji Man thinks is getting the asshole male lead's love.
September 20, 2020
Me ha encantado. La protagonista las pasa canutas y a pesar de lo astuta que es, no es infalible y comete errores muy graves.
El romance es totalmente slytherin/slytherin, y a pesar de la rabia y lo mal que me caía el interés amoroso, acabé por encariñarme con él. Quizás un poco en parte por haberme tardado tanto en acabar de leer la historia.
Recomendadísimo, todas las intrigas son interesantes, no se suaviza que el interés amoroso tenga muchas esposas y que eso es la costumbre. Todos los personajes se sentían muy vivos y con motivaciones reales.
Los extras del final hasta me agradaron a pesar de no tener que ver con la pareja principal.
Lo releeré algún día, y espero que le hagan serie.
El romance es totalmente slytherin/slytherin, y a pesar de la rabia y lo mal que me caía el interés amoroso, acabé por encariñarme con él. Quizás un poco en parte por haberme tardado tanto en acabar de leer la historia.
Recomendadísimo, todas las intrigas son interesantes, no se suaviza que el interés amoroso tenga muchas esposas y que eso es la costumbre. Todos los personajes se sentían muy vivos y con motivaciones reales.
Los extras del final hasta me agradaron a pesar de no tener que ver con la pareja principal.
Lo releeré algún día, y espero que le hagan serie.
February 10, 2021
Dropped at 250.
I rather enjoyed the first half of the novel, but... I'm not in the mood for tragedy and while there is the promise of a happy ending, it felt like crawling over broken glass to get there and I gave up. Not to mention
The translation was very well done and all the kudos go to the work put into that. Maybe someday I may come back to this and have the resolve to finish it but that time is obviously not now.
I rather enjoyed the first half of the novel, but... I'm not in the mood for tragedy and while there is the promise of a happy ending, it felt like crawling over broken glass to get there and I gave up. Not to mention
The translation was very well done and all the kudos go to the work put into that. Maybe someday I may come back to this and have the resolve to finish it but that time is obviously not now.
December 10, 2019
For me, this was all about rooting for Ji Man and seeing what she would do to escape the next intrigue (or lay a trap of her own,) rather than the romance of her and the marquis, who wasn't remotely likeable for at least the first half or more of the book. By the end, they've both done some pretty sketchy things in the name of survival, too--no innocents, here, or at least none that survive unscathed.
September 28, 2021
I didn't find this novel particularly Compelling, and the main canon pairing is a little weird until the very end, but it was pretty good. I did wonder if the author got distracted at a few points while writing, though, because Ji Man's goal changed a few times, with not very much internal discussion (like when she goes from keeping out of harem drama as much as possible to competing for favor).
August 30, 2024
3.5 stars
The story itself was good enough but my feelings on the mc and ml... yeahh anyway
When I think of the ending and the author's note I can recontextualise certain things that if it was supposed to be 'reality' would be really... concerning...
I do think that given the ending, certain parts of the story's pov doesn't make sense unless the mc is omniscient bcuz of being the dreamer in the spring boudoir
The story itself was good enough but my feelings on the mc and ml... yeahh anyway
When I think of the ending and the author's note I can recontextualise certain things that if it was supposed to be 'reality' would be really... concerning...
I do think that given the ending, certain parts of the story's pov doesn't make sense unless the mc is omniscient bcuz of being the dreamer in the spring boudoir
August 27, 2023
cnovel-impulse-reading-bcos-got-bored pt 2
I knew this was familiar when I got to the third chapter and remembered I ALREADY dropped this novel 2 years ago because her jerk of a husband Marquis is THE ML. I should have tracked all the cnovels I binged during 2020 💆🏻♀️
I knew this was familiar when I got to the third chapter and remembered I ALREADY dropped this novel 2 years ago because her jerk of a husband Marquis is THE ML. I should have tracked all the cnovels I binged during 2020 💆🏻♀️
November 30, 2019
Que puedo decir? Me encantó, si hubo cosas que no me gustaron pero en general, muy buena
August 15, 2020
No me va gustado.
Me la he dejado cerca de la mitad. No me gustaba el rumbo de la historia ni de los personajes.
Me la he dejado cerca de la mitad. No me gustaba el rumbo de la historia ni de los personajes.
September 25, 2020
I like it.
July 26, 2021
one of the best chinese novel ever read
March 6, 2023
I lost sleep over this novel :') That's a good thing for the author I guess?
June 23, 2025
me encanta.. mucho
December 10, 2025
I don’t think any book has made my blood boil as much as this one did but I still cannot rate this anything less 5 stars.
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