I had no idea this was so long. Truly I did not see things clearly.
I...maybe...enjoyed it? I found it a little hard go enjoy the Jing Prince's relationship with Xiao Hua at first because she was FIFTEEN to his TWENTY SIX. Yes yes it was common back then. But she spent the much of their earlier relationship under dubious consent (how could a lowly palace maid refuse the Prince? Was she asking for death or just tired of living?!) so I was very conflicted.
Also friends at least FOUR PEOPLE were reincarnated! One of which from "modern times" and the rest seemed to have reset when Xiao Hua had.
None of whom told each other by the way. One of whom randomly disappeared and reappeared like a thousand or more pages later.
The translation was awkward quite often (this was fan translated) as if either the translator was not a native English speaker or used machine translation for much of it without tidying up for flow.
The story was average enough - I quite liked how clever the Jing Prince was and it was honestly refreshing that even though many had warm close relationships much of the principal cast was pragmatic.
It wasn't just the Jing Prince who changed due to Xiao Hua's influence - many others were able to adjust themselves/their lives as they adapted to the reality of the Jing Prince solely favoring one little servant concubine.
In the end was spending 4+ weeks on this book worth it?
This humble reader can only think that all things have a reason.
- English translations done by a fan was really fantastic!
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Just a warning, this isn't cutesy romantic story. It is realistic. The main characters are all ancient people that lived by ancient rules and ancient gender roles. And guess what? Surprise! The past is f*cking sexist and women have no rights. - h 15/ H 25
Xiao Hua's journey was way too long and tedious for my liking. Having a taciturn male lead didn't help either. Congrats to the writer for being able to carry this book from the female lead point of view without too many lovey-dovey moment. What I like about this book was the side characters. Their story was more livelier. I guessed I got what the writer wanted to share. Different couples in different situation and how would they face and handle it.
Xiao Hua for example, wanted a quiet live after being reborn. She never set her eyes on anything higher than her. But, once she tasted it, she wanted more. And one day, she realized she was being too much with her behavior and spent days thinking about it. This was one thing I like about the way the writer processed the story. She wanted readers to know that human could be like that. But, that didn't mean they were greedy or needy.
Thank you also to the translator. The journey took us almost a year and it finally ended.
This book was absolutely AMAZING! I've never enjoyed reading a book more. While it may not have been perfect, I believe it deserves a solid 5-star rating, especially for keeping me invested for three days straight. I sacrificed a lot sleep but I don’t regret it one bit. I loved the romance, the drama, the politics, I devoured all 3000+ pages. I feel sad I have to part with this couple now.
It's now 4/2/24 and ... I dunno - I don't think a dude translating this had that much affect on how I felt about it/the tone [lol though like ... tongfang? translated as "chambermaid" was ... something. 🤦🏻♀️] I had a DIFFICULT time with this though, cuz the set up. Like it's obviously a romance, but goddamn the way they "get together" ... in a western romance that shit WOULD NOT FLY and hell even for a c-novel it was ... rough. I think cuz like I mention below ML "didn't know how to sex" but beyond that was definitely ... I dunno if it's "on the spectrum" cuz holy hell his trauma. Like that MADE him the way he was ... but YIKES. So it was a difficult read. I'm not mad I read it, but I honestly don't know if I'd rec it to others. Heh I'm lowkey crushed so far this guy is the only translator I've seen who has made epub etc of the books T_T ... I would fight some other people for certain other translated books.
I think ... C, C-? ... C--? ~*~*~*~
C31 damn, a) the prince’s history b) it’s based on reality 😱
C39 😡 those fucking bitches poisoned her. And I’m so sick of Eunuch Fu’s stupid little games that just torture FL. Keeping the other maids all in the same room. Fuckhead.
C42 ah goddamn I had a bad feeling when the translator said to check the tags on NU but didn’t & hoped I was wrong but I wasn’t. He raped her. Why, authors. Although I … GUESS masters were allowed to just do whatever? But WERE they? Though everyone knows that was her purpose of being brought over. And he’s a prince. But ugh. Hopefully the translator is right & ML starts transforming into a darling. I liked he offered her a place in the empty western pavilion. And that she refused it. She just wants OUT.
C52 I literally yelled “NOOOOOOOOOOOO” at my phone. Stupid prince not understanding FL. And 😭 now she’s stuck. Stupid cunt consort Jing.
C58 cracking up the author told readers not to call Jing a dumb cunt. A) I can call her whatever I want to B) she is one and you wrote her that way!
C64 FL is impressively smart but also not that smart to only just realize ML doesn’t know how to sex. … this is not a romance though and so far I’m of the opinion the author is fucked in the head to think so. Of course maybe I am too for continuing to read this. I’m still mad FL’s dream was crushed. And how largely useless/not helpful Eunuch Fu is what gold finger. Asshole.
C75 oh I should’ve realized ML only goes to FL when he knows she *won’t* get pregnant. (Glad stupid consort Jing is temporarily out).
C82 for multiple reasons I want to beat the shit out of eunuch Fu 😡🔪
C83 ahhh all the presents! ❤️❤️❤️ and both have fully developed emotional ties by now 💯❤️
C112 😒 I think eunuch Chen Qi is a double crossed trying to benefit off ML *and* the crown prince.
C118 … I hope Jin prince crippled himself with that 苦肉計. 😒
C121 that asshole Li family. They better not cause ML (or FL) any problems 😡🔪
C126 😱😱😱😹😹😹💯💯💯 FL bandit king ML “little girl” … initially 😉😇
C145 i’m glad he FINALLY told her why he installed her decoy … But still argh. Also wtf was the result in the capital?!
C152 I guess I get it but I’m pissed Xiao gets to be empress like why hasn’t she just died. She better die off sometime in this book so FL is empress.
C170 that court case was pretty A+!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
i read about 108 chapters, it’s quite good and at the point where i stopped the main couple is secure in their relationship and political machinations have come to the forefront.
basically, my biggest problem with this comes down to personal tastes—reading concubine plots is anyways like shoving cotton candy into my brain, therefore what i want is all that matters. i favor heroines who i can find relatable, those who are short-tempered, witty, and loving, and usually punished for not thinking ahead (haha). maybe high-class, maybe misunderstood. that’s what’s fun! and leading men must of course be really charming and scheming. capability is what counts.
but in this one, both halves of the main couple are a bit strange, one completely restrained and the other mute. it’s fine for a hundred chapters but results in boredom. how much can i read about them simply looking at each other… clearly a lot… anyhow… the main point is that in chapter 108, they introduced a side couple from another one of the author’s books which hit all my preferences exactly. so i’m leaving this novel behind for that one.
It’s entertaining with a different flavor from the typical transmigration into a past life. The female protagonist wants a quiet happy life after her servitude was finished in her repeated life. It’s unusual not taking revenge on the people that caused her death. This twist kept me reading to see her outcome.
Several characters are well defined with distinct personalities. The stone faced male lead, a man of few words, take decisive actions that were satisfying.
One area that could have been better was the many author’s note explaining the characters’ actions. Eventually, I wished the author had written the chapters better so the many clarifications could have been avoided. Worth reading once.
Omg, it can be a bit boring sometimes with unnecessary detail but it get better i swear! Just skim that unnecessary things and gosh, i like it. Everything is perfect and even the fourth master and his wife get the best ending ❤️😭 however, theres a lot of character = a lot of side stories needed but we cant get all of them. Still glad tho we got the stories of Fu Fu and Aunt Qi, Ruan Siyi and Qiao-shi, their children.. im so content kbye
Slow and steady story, where every character has its own happy ending.
Autistic Ml and multiple rebirths in the novel with a transmigrated character, it is mix of several themes.
Mc is sometimes laid back and sometimes sharp, sometimes timid and sometimes bold. Ml carried his character very well. All his actions were in line with his character.
was going to rate this book 3 stars for the longest time but the amount of times this story made me emotional changed my mind.
this story was 177 chapters plus the extras, coming out to 189 chapters so there's a lot of stuff that goes up and the first half of the book is pretty slowburn. at the end, it was a very sweet journey.
Ironically, the most interesting character was Prince Jing and not the female lead, Xiao Hua. She was cool, but too laid back. All around great characters in this slice of life, imperial harem drama. The author did a nice job of balancing realistic scenes with sassy spice and showing different sides of key events.
it was a really enjoyable story.i loved the slow burn and progression.i loved the journey of Xiao Hua ,her perseverance and being able to find favor and get a beautiful life she never though possible
This story contains a few elements that fits my taste in a fictional story - slow burn romance, fluff and doting love interest - steady and patient main characters that bides their time and strikes when opportunity is right - second chances, with knowledge from past life
After the first part where the story depitcs how the female lead relives her experiences differently, using knowledge from her 1st life, the latter plots turn to focus more on the slow development of two awkward main characters that started from lust (on the male part), who then eventually learns how to love each other. These 2 main characters are definitely on the introverted scale, hence, it's natural that their development is slow. Even their day-to-day routine is relatively simple, fitting of their introverted nature. I also find it realistic on how the author depicts the male lead's experience (or lack thereof) in the romance department at the beginning, in comparison to other romance novels of similar genre.
While one may finds the female lead seemingly lacks ambition and tactics most of the time, I think it makes sense considering her rather sad childhood background. In fact, I would say she is a character with great inner strength and adaptation, molded by the circumstances and sufferings she has been through, especially in her 1st life. Plots on the male lead side of the story and the political element become mostly a summary (at least, based on the English translation I read from), so I like this quick pacing. For someone who is "mute", the male lead has great patience, will, and wisdom.
I also enjoy the side characters introduced in the stories, balancing out our 2 more introverted characters. There was also a special guest appearance from the author's other novel. All in all, an enjoyable afternoon lazy read.