English Title: Golden Hairpin Locked in Copper Sparrow
I almost dropped this during the first few chapters because of the non-con between the main couple. However, I still ended up enjoying the story once it got going.
Set during the Republic Era, it has an older gong × younger shou dynamic. Both leads are intelligent and ambitious, and the side characters were a definite plus.
Overall, despite a few aspects I didn’t enjoy, it was still a good read. Between the character dynamics, the plotting, and the scheming, I stayed invested throughout, but the MC was the one who truly carried the story for me.