The Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage

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Shen Miao, the Di daughter of a military family, was pure, quiet, gentle, and gracious. Because of her foolish love for Prince Ding, she forced her way into becoming his wife.

After six years of assisting her husband, she finally became the mother of the world: The Empress.

She had stayed with him during the fight for dominion over the empire and during the efforts to expand its territory. She even went so far as to put herself in danger and be taken hostage by a neighboring empire. In spite of this, when she returned to the Imperial Palace five years later, she no longer had a place in the Imperial Harem.

That beautiful woman he kept in his embrace gave her a bright, stunning smile and told her, “Older Sister, the country has settled down. It is time for you to step back as well.”

Her daughter died tragically and her son the Crown Prince was deposed. No one in her Shen family, who had been completely loyal to the Emperor, were spared. With arrival of a new reign, everything was overturned!

Shen Miao never thought that all of the perils they encountered as husband and wife, all of the assistance they gave each other mutually, were nothing but a joke in his eyes!

He told her, “Because you have been with this Emperor for more than two decades, this Emperor will allow you to keep an intact corpse. You should be grateful for this kindness.”

Beneath a meter of white silk, Shen Miao established a malicious oath: Once the day of reckoning arrives, every single one of you will die!

Once reborn, she returns to the year when she was only fourteen years old, a time when tragedy has not yet befallen, when her family still lived, and when she was still the pure, quiet, gentle, and gracious Di daughter of a military family.

Close relatives conceal evil intentions, her cousins are vicious and merciless, the new concubine is like tiger watching its prey and that scum wants the previous life’s events to be repeated?

Her family must be protected, the great enmity must be avenged, and the prize must include the empire’s imperial throne. In this lifetime, let us see who comes out on top!

But that Xie Family’s young marquis, that tyrannical and arrogant spear-wielding young man on horseback, stays stubbornly on her side and proudly declares, “It is merely toppling the Imperial Family. Do not forget, the world belongs to you, and you—you belong to me!”

The Thirteen Capitals of You Zhou: This belongs to you.

The Ding Yuan City in the North Desert: This belongs to you.

The Southern River of Yu Zhou, the Eastern Sea of Ding Xi, the Green Lakes of Lin’an, the Ancient City of Luo Yang: All of these belong to you.

“Xie Jing Xing, if all of this belongs to me, then can you tell me what you want?”

“Alright, I want you.”

Associated Names
One entry per line
Chong Sheng Zhi Jiang Men Du Hou
Rebirth of the Malicious Queen of Military Lineage (Mànhuà)
RMEML
The Rebirth of the Vengeful Empress from a Military Family
Tướng Môn Độc Hậu
Venomous Empress Reborn (Webnovel)
นางพญาท้ารบ
将门嫡女之定乾坤 (重生之将门毒后)
Related Series
The Rebirth of an Ill-Fated Consort (Shared Universe)
Rebirth of a Star General (Shared Universe)
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Recommendation Lists
  1. Best Female Protagonists
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  4. MLs in Grayscale
  5. The BEST Historical Novels (BG only)

Latest Release

Date Group Release
05/26/21 verdantscribe c11
05/17/21 verdantscribe c10
04/20/21 verdantscribe c9
04/20/21 verdantscribe c8
04/19/21 verdantscribe c7
04/18/21 verdantscribe c6
04/17/21 verdantscribe c5
04/19/21 verdantscribe c4
04/14/21 verdantscribe c3
04/14/21 verdantscribe c2
08/19/19 Zazajunnie ss 2 part2
08/15/19 Zazajunnie ss 2 part1
08/08/19 Zazajunnie ss 3 part2
08/05/19 Zazajunnie ss 3 part1
07/29/19 Zazajunnie ss 4
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blazikens
blazikens rated it
May 2, 2019
Status: --
When I was younger, this was one of my favorite rebirth novels.

Certainly, it's one of the best ones out there that are currently translated. The MC is not some OP girl with wonderful skills, astounding intelligence, and devastating beauty. Instead, she's flawed and a lot more realistic - she certainly is intelligent and capable, but a lot of it came from her own hard work, even if it was for that scum husband of hers. The romance is also well-developed and not love at first sight - it develops as... more>> the ML and MC begin to work together in their personal plans, even if I do agree w/ other people that there is still isn't much romance in the overall story, it's more towards the end.

(Actually, I feel like the strongest parts of the story are in the beginning, especially the academic examination - even if it's unrealistic the MC could be that good of an archer w/o any physical training beforehand, it was still so good to read and see how she proved them all wrong. It was like she was truly being reborn on that stage. I recently reread it and I was still blown away, definitely my favorite part of the whole story. Even the interactions w/ the ML are still good in this part.)

But now that I'm older, I can see the flaws this story has and the things that make me not like it as much as before.

For one thing, I didn't like the relationship w/ the ML - it just made me uncomfortable all over, the MC is like physically 16 while he's 19, but the MC is also mentally 30+ yrs old so it makes it all so creepy on both sides. Thankfully the ML doesn't try to control her (too much), but he is the typical overbearing and arrogant ML -.-

Another....I hate that SM allowed her cousin to be r*ped and she was in the room while it happened. For some reason, what was happening in that scene didn't hit me fully, since thankfully it's not described in detail but now that I realize how horrible it is I just want to vomit. I'm not saying SM should've allowed for it to happen to herself or that she shouldn't have protected herself, but I hate how r*pe is being used as a mere plot device in these types of stories. And how the cousin is later treated..... even if she's a horrible person, no r*pe victim should be married to their rapist, sorry not sorry. Especially considering she's just a 16 yr old girl.

Finally, the last major thing that disappointed me in the story:

Spoiler

The MC is married to ML and goes back to his real country of birth.... thus the scum husband from the previous life never really gets his comeuppance. Instead, he still becomes the emperor in the end and I feel like the MC never really took her revenge against him. That was so unsatisfying on so many levels and made me really disappointed in the author since it feels like the MC allowed the ML to work it for her.

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There was also kind of a convoluted plot line w/ time travel and stuff that dragged down the story at the end, but whatever. Either way, this story is still one of the better ones out there, altho I can't wholeheartedly recommend this story bc it has things I personally find repugnant. <<less
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Reindeer
Reindeer rated it
August 15, 2017
Status: c91
Edit: Dropped because of the ML. I can't be bothered to change the ratings or write why I hate him and what he stands for in this sort of webnovel.

Despite looking very generic at the first 10 or so chapters, the author has turned this novel into a hell hole of cliffhangers. Now people might misunderstand and think this is a bad thing, this is in fact a strong point. It means that every chapter, you're always on your toes and anxiously waiting for what's about to happen next.... more>> I myself have only reached the latest chapter today, but along the way I knew I would've died waiting if it suddenly stopped at where I reading. That was for 50 chapters straight, the author has kept me excited for that long. Unfortunately for me, I have reached the latest chapter and would have to join the people by the cliff over there. Now please excuse me....

Huh? What about describing what the novel is all about you say? Eh, let others do that, I mean they can probably do it better than I can, right? Mmm, I guess I'll mention one thing that I appreciate most of the novel... Or make that two, I wanna talk about two things.

The first thing I want to talk about is the Scheme Tag. I've read not just one novel with this tag, I'm sure I've read a lot of them. This, however, has opened my eyes to what scheming really is. The dangers of the inner courtyards were in full display. From what food to what dress to every single detail, there always seemed to be a hidden intent. With Ms. MC being the best of her game, we always see the enemies' petty schemes, not just deterred, but was always made use of by the Shen Miao to pay them back many times back. There's always a constant feel of danger, but never a feel of threat. Scheming has never been this fun for me.

The second thing I want to talk about is the Romance. Finally, for once, the Male Lead has yet to kiss any part of the MC's body, lips or otherwise. The author is sensible enough to let the love sprout and make it at least more reasonable than having the Male Lead fall in love with the MC's calm gaze or some other f*cking shit. He's still the frivolous playboy archetype, but at least we don't get to see him often. The MC hasn't fallen in love with him yet too, which is a real nice touch to the novel. Well, at least the novel isn't a harem type with multiple guys lurking around the MC, the Male Lead is apparent as day. Besides the guy is turning out to at least be acceptable for me, despite being a little irritable sometimes.

Mm, so I guess that's all. Well, all I mustered to say anyway. Give the novel a try and you might love it just like how I do.

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KKristen
KKristen rated it
September 30, 2017
Status: c90 part1
An excellent story about a woman's revenge. Don't hope for exciting, heart-warming romance -- even after 90 chapters she is still only out for blood.

Personally, I prefer it this way. It always seemed strange to me how MCs betrayed in their previous lives can so quickly trust people in their new ones. This is a woman who has truly learned the bitterness of the world.

SUMMARY:

The novel description sums this up well -- the MC was a s*upid and naive girl who became the empress. Sent to another country as a... more>> prisoner of war, her daughter married off and killed, her son framed and executed, betrayed by her relatives and the man she loved.

When she was sent back in time to her younger self, she only cares about two things -- protect her parents and get revenge on everyone who forced her towards her bitter end.

CHARACTERS:

This series has a large cast of well-developed characters. They are realistic, with distinct personalities. They make natural decisions and have reasonable flaws. The least realistic characters are actually the male lead and female MC -- who are just so much smarter, attractive, and unfathomable than anyone else.

However, this doesn't mean that the main character is totally unrealistic. She is very much an older woman in the body of a young girl. This is a mother who experienced a decade of suffering as an empress and prisoner of war, who bitterly lost everyone she ever loved. She's the type of person who is willing to (literally) set herself on fire in order to burn her enemies' house down. She doesn't bring any over-powered magic or abilities with her. And because she doesn't fully trust even the people closest to her, she fights alone.

WRITING:

This is a well-written, detailed story that will put you in the mood for revenge served cold. I recommend it if you're looking for a nice, slow build-up and burn.

The translation quality is a bit rough (lots of broken grammar) but decent enough to understand what's going on. The quotes / speech suffer the most. But the story itself is so good that it's easy to forget the grammar issues. <<less
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New Moon
New Moon rated it
December 7, 2017
Status: c105
Satisfied revenge that make you crave for more. I like this novel. MC is strong women and overprotected toward her family. I like her and MC from princess Wei yang. They both are strong ruthless clever women.

this novel is great I only like revenge thing but I don't like romance and male lead. To me male lead are eye sore and annoying. Not worth to mention male lead.
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xiaopragya
xiaopragya rated it
June 4, 2019
Status: c231 part6
I've always been a lurker but this novel made me, forced me to talk about it.

This is hands down, the best novel that I've read of it's kind. Honestly.

The biggest factor that I feel works so well for the book is that the characters are just so human. Especially our MC. Though everything seems to work out for her, thanks to all her prior knowledge of the future and acquired skills and experience from her past life, her thoughts and behind the scenes effort that she has to give into... more>> every scheme shows her insecurities, sacrifices. She's not as OP as everyone including the ML seems to think she is. She constantly second guess, worries and panics. But her experiences from her past life teaches her to be cruel and decisive.

Spoiler

The biggest example I feel is from the incident of her burning down the ancestral hall. It was a very fierce move but she knew she would have to do it. And it's clear from what she tells the ML. She tells him she's using her life to confirm a future for herself and her family. This is also the incident, according to me, that really makes Xing Jing look at her in a new light.

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As for the ML, he is by far, the best ML that I've ever come across. To me he is a bit similar to the ML from Eight Treasure Trousseau. He is also someone who is so well hidden behind his mask of rebelliousness and laziness and people don't see just how indifferent he is.

The romance between them is slow but JUSTIFIED. Like I can site reasons and incidents which made the ML love the MC. And I can see exactly when and how the MC finally accepts her feelings for the ML.

Spoiler

Love is not something that the ML had time or convenience for when he still hadn't taken up his true identity. His life was always in danger and he always had to be suspicious of everyone and everything. So it is obvious that he was always cautious of Shen Miao. Though his kindness of helping her out whenever he could and the leniency that he seemed to show her spoke of some ambiguous feelings, they weren't profound or acknowledged. Thus to me that one incident of choking the MC seems absolutely and completely justified. The MC had stumbled upon his secret at the worst time possible and it would spoil his whole plan which would end up with him dead and his country (as we come to know later on) ruined. What is one woman in front of all the other things at stake? However, his actions goes to show his unconscious consideration for Shen Miao when he can't bear to see her eyes while he chokes her, can't bear to see her tears or can't bear to see the pain and defeat in her eyes, so much so that despite everything, he still ends up letting her go. Shen Miao on the other hand seems more crueler as she feels no qualms at all in stabbing him with her hairpin viciously. It is unfair to see Shen Miao's actions as self defense but Xing Jing's actions as wrong or domestic violence. However it was the scene after that that spoke a thousand things for me as Xing Jing got his wounds tended to and played with the hair pin Shen Miao stabbed him with saying he really shouldn't have been kind in a helpless kind of way.

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Plot: 5/5

Character: 5/5

Pace: 5/5

Writing style: 5/5 <<less
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LunarDay
LunarDay rated it
June 19, 2019
Status: --
Goddamn

This is more irritating than those fighting CN. Even fighting CN does not have this many side characters commentary and tr*sh talking the MC. The author also like to waste words by reminding us how calm the MC was after every nasty remark by the side-characters. That's like the only emotion she has. Whoever said this novel was void of fillers clearly have not read filler-free novels. You can read the first paragraph and skip to the last paragraph of each chapter and you would not lose out... more>> on any important information and all that happened was that she picked up her brush and drew a few strokes. No need to bother reading how each of her (brush strokes, blinking, smiling, walking, etc..) was full of grace, and that the only person who could ever have such gracefulness was someone like the empress. This novel is full of angst and disgusting people. 9 out of 10 characters are two-faced backstabbers or have mental disorder. The MC might be the biggest psycho in this novel since I do not get how she can remain sane even after the loss of both of her children in her past life. I suspect that she was already broken. Typical plot about ancient China where the lives of citizens were meaningless to the imperial family. It does not help either when translation quality is not much better than MTL. So many broken sentences and grammar.

However the novel does have it's good points. One way or another, the author always managed to let us understand how the MC's every actions affect the future by either preventing a disaster or ensuring that good deeds goes unnoticed so that the horrible things in her past life would not happen again to the innocents while the evildoers will face their punishment. <<less
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Mingming
Mingming rated it
March 20, 2019
Status: Completed
Just finished reading the raws. How do I say this... this story is quite heartwarming. I love how Chen Miao takes revenge on all who have wronged her. Her methods are quite creative and I look forward to the downfall of every enemy. A lot of the times there may be an antagonist that look like he may actually cause trouble for Chen Miao, but Chen Miao pretty much always gets out in one piece, with the antagonist dying somewhere. That's because she either already knew their plot because they... more>> did the same thing in their previous life, or her smart AF brain sort of realises their plan or Xie Jingxing found out about Chen Miao's predicament and so hurried to her and played hero. Basically, 有惊无险, translated as 'looks scary/shocking, but in actuality there is no danger'.

Near the end of the story, I got more and more scared. Sure, Chen Miao's situation had gotten better. Her position rose, she is together with Xie Jingxing, everything is happy and fluffy. But trouble that comes right when Chen Miao is supposed to be happy and settled down is much scarier than when Chen Miao in her worse state.
Spoiler

Like that Li Mei. And when Chen Miao went into a coma after giving birth to the twin boys.

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Fortunately this story didn't end up as a tragedy,
Spoiler

Or if Xie Jingxing had lost his memory after his injury and fallen for Li Mei (these didn't happen)

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otherwise I would have put "Beating Up Qian Shan Cha Ke" in my bucket list.

Spoiler

Well, I did cry at three parts. One part is where Empress Xiande's bracelet broke (showing that Emperor Yongle won't live), another part is where Empress Xiande killed herself, saying that although she was brave enough to support Emperor Yongle for so long, she wasn't brave enough to live without him. The last part was when Chen Miao was able to wake up from her coma, and the first thing she heard was her family. Well, to be precise, one of the twin boys peed on Xie Jingxing and the other twin refused to eat and they were both crying and screaming and so he got pissed. Xie Jingxing, aka the Emperor Xiaojing, aka the palace's most effective babysitter.

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Spoiler

I live for the ending though. Xie Jingxing had stayed true to his character and officially became a gangster Father who sits on a throne. Gangster to the point that all the court officials seem redundant. Then, he stubbornly abdicated and passed the throne to his mature older son and his playboy younger son the moment they turned 18 just because he had been impatiently waiting for the day where he can run away with Chen Miao.

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Eclat123
Eclat123 rated it
September 28, 2018
Status: Completed
The MC is indeed malicious, yet somehow I can't help rooting for her. She's not too OP, just have enough beauty, enough talent, enough family background, yet very cautious and have a sharp mind because of her past.

And what I like the most, this transmigration / reincarnation novel actually make sense. The people around her think of her change in character as her maturing from being harrassed too much, without immediately jumping to think that she's posessed or a different person, like the generic plot of this genre. It makes... more>> sense.

In the end the author tried to give some logics to the universe-jump she experienced, and though it was too rushed, it's quite interesting. And of course, makes so much more sense than those generic novels that have no explanations or include a god character to deal with the logic.

At the end though, when she tried to wake up from a coma and jumped into another universe, she met with the priest that explained to her there's more than 10, 000 possibilities in this world, and her conscious mind is living in one of them. That pretty much implicitly explained the basic concept of multiverse.

And it was also implied that in every lifetime there are just those people who will make a big impact in one's life. No matter what they do, they can't get out from the loop of fate, similar to Buddhist teaching of karma. <<less
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Skite
Skite rated it
May 3, 2021
Status: --
I stopped reading it.

It is very, very well written. One of the absolute top novel in terms of writing quality. The main character truly is malicious, with some targeted killing intent, which is very fun to read when one is in a gleefully violent mood. The plots and intrigues are detailed and well executed. The characters are nuanced and unique. The world built has rich details, which stay consistent and don't bog us down.

I still stopped reading it.

I mainly stopped because the female lead is so single minded and... more>> heavy handed.

She has zero ability to empathize with others, to the point where I find her hypocritical. In her mind, it's perfectly fine for her to scheme and plot for her husband's attention... but the second his other wife, the one who was by him for the first 5 years of his reign, and whom he actually loves and chose to marry, and is good at ruling, tries? The woman is obviously evil and deserves the worst possible fate. Same with her cousins. Never mind that the Emperor was going to slaughter their entire family anyways, and they barely managed to broker a deal which ensured the safety of their immediate family members, and won't have the best of lives as middle-aged spinsters drowning in a sea of harem beauties, they deserve

Spoiler

To be brutally r*ped and tortured to the point of literal insanity, and then forced to carry their rapist's baby to term.

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Because that's a reasonable reaction to them encouraging her to wear ugly clothes which she actually liked.

She has little to no regard for what is good for the country. She doesn't give a thought to "how will this effect the lives of every single other person in the country besides me?" and instead destroys the careers of some very good and upright politicians, and actively stuffs corrupt and terrible leaders into high-powered roles. Because the good officials recommended she be a hostage in her past life, which, incidentally, was vital to her country winning a war. But her husband cheated while she was gone, which is obviously their fault.

She seriously does not give a s*** what happens to anyone else, so long as she gets hers.

It felt like the true villains, (her ex husband, her Aunt, and her absent-to-the-point-of-it-being-abusive-neglect parents-- oh, how I hate her parents) all got off lightly, while she ran around like a total psychopath, slaughtering the rest.

She's also an unreliable narrator. Pretty much everyone in her first life agrees she is bad for the country and a crap Empress. Everyone. You can see it in her second life, with how she's still an uneducated, brutal, rube. Same with them agreeing that her son s**ked and wasn't fit to be Crown Prince. She spins this epic love she had for her husband into a grand tale, ending in woe when he betrayed her.... but she was basically an unattractive, bossy stalker, who made him marry her by purposefully compromising herself at his house, and then used daddy's money to force the issue. Then she and her family backed him into a corner until killing them was the only choice to maintain the peacetime stability. She blames her terrible (terrible!) reputation on her teenage cousins' highschool level of teasing, but never acknowledges she's the one who liked those clothes, did the bad things, screwed up all of the stuff, and had the explosive temper herself.

I just really don't understand why she deserved this second chance, and I found the endless emphasis on appearance wearingly annoying. <<less
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yoyoyou
yoyoyou rated it
December 10, 2019
Status: c57
I'm trying really hard to get into this story. Most of the reviews are stellar. The premise of reincarnation and revenge is really interesting, and the main character isn't an idiot. But I swear every three sentences, the side characters talk about what an idiot she used to be compared to her cousins and how much she has changed, paragraphs on appearance and demeanor, and how calm and cold she is now like an empress. I get it. Please move on with the story. I think it could be 1/3... more>> shorter without all of that filler. The most interesting scenes so far are the ones with the male lead since it actually moves the story along, but I can count their meetings on one hand at chapter 57. Unfortunately, he also suffers from male lead OP syndrome aka everything he does is unequivocally the best and no one can compare. And don't worry if you forgot how OP he is, the author will remind you the next time he shows up. Hopefully things might improve as I continue, but it's really difficult to get past this repetitive exposition. <<less
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fireutsie
fireutsie rated it
March 13, 2019
Status: --
The story setting is decent, we've seen this kind of setting done over and over again, it doesn't manage to stand out nor does it feel bad or cheap. What really makes the story is the female main character.

I like the main character a lot. She fights and works hard for that which she cherishes. She has faults, has emotions and her hate for her enemies is not unjustified. She has morals, but also accepts that she cannot save everyone, she knows of the virtues and justice, but also knows... more>> that only fools blindly follow these ideals. There is not a thing that I dislike about her.

However, what I do dislike is the male lead. He's the typical perfect tsundere, stalking, overly-assertive, and obsessive guy in these kind of romance novels. Cold to everyone, haughty, domineering and ruthless to everyone. And obviously, what is his weakness/soft spot in his heart? The female main character. Everytime he shows up, there are multiple paragraphs of praises for his beauty, courage and whatever. Despite the main character trying to push him away, he just wedges himself into her life with the help of the author of this story. I dislike these kind of male love interest. I mean come on, who the hell doesn't get creeped out if some guy just break into their house and treats himself as a guest, evenmoreso if it's in the middle of the night in an unmarried ladies' room in those ancient times? Can I really root for someone who sexually harasses his way into the female leads heart?

I also want to say something about the translations. I'm happy and thankful for them, but it's kinda frustrating to have your immersion broken by some very obvious spelling or grammar errors that ruin the flow of the sentence.

I give it a 3.5/5, I would've rated it much higher if not for the problems I personally have with the male lead. If you don't mind such a male lead, then you will definitely like this story. <<less
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Milk Tea
Milk Tea rated it
August 16, 2018
Status: Completed
Favourite novel in the genre of Second Chance/Ancient/Female Protagonist/Revenge.

Why? (lots of spoilers, beware!)

1. The Female Lead. Shen Miao is written so well. She's not like a lot of other female protagonists of this genre who are always REVENGE REVENGE REVENGE and super violent. You can tell that there's always a bit of the old Shen Miao left, the kind and quiet girl who never really thought about hurting people. In fact, she says it herself, her goals in this new life is to 1) live well and 2) protect... more>> the people she loves. If people did not scheme against her, she would not scheme against them. However, it's also clear that she can't really forget about the tragedies of her past, and bits of her past is thrown in here and there to make the story heartwrenching. Examples include how she can never forget her kids from her past life and how she really doesn't know what romantic love is. Shen Miao isn't super duper smart or omnipotent, and has to use what she has to create a better future for her and her family, as the butterfly effect is really clear from the beginning.

2. The Male Lead. Xie Jing Xing is probably one of my favourite male protagonists. He does not fall in love at first sight with Shen Miao (which I find super realistic judging by his past) and it's clear that he has his own plans. He respects Shen Miao and her intelligence, but is also the "frivolous young marquis" which makes their interactions super funny (and sweet!) a lot of the times later on. He's super patient with Shen Miao in terms of romance but is also kinda forceful (not in a super creepy way though). Also the descriptions of his appearance... lol

3. Plot/Revenge. Revenge is super satisfying. I like how it isn't super gorey as some other novels of the genre, as it does not fit in with MC's personality (her rival in her past life loves using these gorey methods and MC hates her) and makes sense realistically. Some people commented that they aren't satisfied with how the MC's ex-husband died, as he was the person who brought the most pain to MC in the past life. However, I feel that it fits well into MC's growth. By that time, she's already married to ML and has learned to let go of most of the pains of the past. Ex-husband disgusts her and I think it's rationale for a person to want to think less about the pains and disgusts in their lives. The plot is kinda slow in the beginning but speeds up around chapter 30-ish. The last arc of the book takes place in another country (ML's) and focusses more on the romance between MC/ML than revenge. Also like how the book isn't too long. It wrapped up most loose ends and didn't really introduce many useless plot lines/characters. I would say the plot overall is around an 8.5/10.

4. Rebirth is explained. A lot of novels in this genre has the MC just reborn without much consequences/explanations. MC's rebirth is explained pretty well and she gets to learn what happened in her past life which helped her "let go".

5. Pei Lang. I don't know why I like this character so much. He's not really a 2nd ML but he's definitely integral to the story. I love his interactions with MC and the explanations/truths of his actions and feelings.

6. Writing. I'm a native Chinese speaker and I have got to say that the writing in this novel is really good. There's a ton of idioms and poems and everything just "flows" well. It's clear that the author is well versed in the Chinese language/history/culture. Most web novels are written by amateurs and a lot of the time, the writing can turn people off. This webnovel is written excellently. Translation is also decent. There are some mistakes here and there with some choppiness but it's well done overall. If you can not read Chinese but can understand it, I recommend checking out the audiobook.

Here's my two cents on this novel compared to Princess Wei Yang. The premise of this novel and Princess Wei Yang are very similar, empress abandoned by her husband, kids died, evil family etc. However, the characters/revenge/plot are quite different. PWY's MC and ML are incredibly different compared to Military Empress's. Shen Miao is much less violent and extreme than Wei Yang and they have different goals in the beginning. Wei Yang basically only lived for revenge in the beginning while Shen Miao's main goal is to protect her family. Li Min De/Yuan Lie also falls in love pretty quickly and is the type of ML to do everything for MC while Xie Jing Xing falls in love a lot slower and has his own goals. PWY's plot is more focussed on revenge while Military Empress has revenge, but is more focussed on the growth of the relationship between MC/ML.

If you like books about extreme revenge, cold MC and an ML who is more of "fall in love at first sight", go for PWY. If you like something with more mellow revenge, and great development between MC and ML, go for Military Empress. Both are good books. <<less
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bethatcat
bethatcat rated it
January 28, 2023
Status: --
I stuck with this novel long after the 150c mark because that's just strong this novel is up to this point, when it's actually about the malicious empress. The fact that the author lampshades the MC moral grayness, doesn't try to portray her as some justice crusader righting the wrongs of her past life and doesn't excuse some of her low-key evil actions (what happens with Shen Qui is f*cking crazy bruh) is what convinced me that this is really unique for the genre. Real talk, some of the... more>> things the MC does is heinous (rip Shen Qui FR 💀), and if the author tried to portray her as something other than a low-key evil bloodthirsty bi*ch I might have dropped. But the self awareness from the MC made me think that this was a great novel.

Then the romance happened. All that characterisation out of the window. I've read tropes and stuff, you have to, and those aren't inherently bad. But when it veers into cliche, then it makes me nauseous. Even more so because my expectations were sky high and MAINTAINED for over 150 chapters. The shock was what did me in. Like- "really, author? You wrote 150 chapters of this genuinely unique, bad ass, horrible MC, and then you do this with her?"

It's crazy because the writing is so... COMPETENT. It's well written, it's emotional, it's heartfelt, it's intelligent? Like... When you read and you can just feel that the author has intentions and thinks things through. Again, I'm extremely experienced in reading tr*sh. You have to have a different mindset when reading tr*sh, one that just lets things slide- when reading this you have to focus and you FEEL THINGS like PANIC AND FEAR for the character, and OTHER things too. So the f*cking romance... It BOGGLES the mind. I was FLABBERGASTED, I was DISCOMBOBULATED, I was BEFUDDLED to the extent that I kept going FAR LONGER than I should have.

(Side note: as a veteran reader, I am very cautious in keeping an eye out for red flags and very quick to drop stories tbh. A common red flag is a sexists world view, not of the character but of the narration- of the author. It was such a weird experience reading this, because at the same time that the narrative seemed very aware of the sexism of the society in the story, it's seems to... Accept it? Like, why go out of your way to point out that there is an unfair male-female dynamic IN THIS STLRY ABOUT A BADASS FEMALE LEAD, only to play into that unfair dynamic AND ROMANTICISE IT NO LESS for the central romance??? What??? In this unbelievably dark and grimy revenge novel? It makes me think that the author was never smart, this entire f*cking time, author was s*upid. I'm so mad lol 💀💀 I feel cheated 💀💀)

How did the author trick me into thinking that they actually cared about this MC, cared about this character. Like... It's actually shocking. I was okay with the romance at first, until it turned into That. I don't need to explain it to you. Imagine EVERYTHING that sucks about the worst cliché male romance characters- pair this guy up with who was previously the most badass female character, who you've grown attached to for the past 150 chapters, and watch how she is now forced to conform to the average female MC to fit the male lead. Wtf. <<less
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JaeShiiZou
JaeShiiZou rated it
April 1, 2019
Status: c220
For those hesitating, run awayyy

I cl**ked on chapter 1 and marathon-ed to 220 in 2 days.

Dedicated love interest, smart and strong FL, romamce momemts were like a drop of water in a pool, small movement but it ripples throughout the ponds

There was also little jokes rarely appearing in the translation that was like a communication between translation team n readers (which I enjoyed btw).

I really like this and for more in-dept review you can scroll through.
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Kikiji
Kikiji rated it
July 12, 2018
Status: c158 part2
If you're going to read this story for anything, don't read it for the romance.

When I first took a look at this story, I thought I struck jackpot. It was a very intriguing and entertaining read so I ended up I binging every chapter that had been translated at the time.

Part of what I was anticipating was the romance actually. The FL and ML were both interesting and, refreshingly, slightly antagonistic towards each other for the first part of the story. But once the romance really started, it was as... more>> if the author suddenly didn't know how to write. You don't see any (or at the very most, little) growth in their feelings for each other. It suddenly jumped from "kinda don't like you" to "I don't mind doing a lot of things that probably isn't smart of me for your sake" with no in-between or transition at all. If there was, it took place entirely behind the scenes and we don't get to witness the change. I don't know why the FL suddenly likes her love interest after years of wariness that had maybe died down into a business relationship. The only thing that would attract her would be his oh so beautiful looks (that the author uses every chance she gets to emphasize- as in every other scene he appears in and maybe even more frequently than that). However it was already established that she didn't fall in love with him just because his looks are otherworldly. But anyway, the author tells us to wave that away and just enjoy their courtship phase. So the FL is in love even though she denies it in a way that doesn't follow her character and even her actions are now affected by this situational case of OOCness. I think the author's approach to how the FL acts when her love life is involved is amazingly s*upid considering what she's told and showed us about the FL in the story.

I can see why the ML would be interested- but not infatuated- with the FL. I haven't seen how she, in turn, starts to feel the attraction for the ML- it just seems like the author changed her setting from "lowkey hostile" to "very attracted but too emotionally incompetant to know why" (which doesn't make sense since she actually is emotionally competent) for the sake of moving the romance forward. At this point, their interactions after "love" falls into the mix is simply a bunch of cheesy clichés that the couple act out like puppets. Their love isn't unique to their characters and that disappoints me. <<less
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spicyeggroll
spicyeggroll rated it
September 1, 2021
Status: Completed
This web novel reminds me of how much I love historical/period drama. The scenery, the scheming, the culture... *kisses fingers* so good.

“In ten of thousands of possibilities, I will only choose you. Only you.”

Not to say that it’s perfect. Lots of Chinese web novels seem to have numerous instances of misogyny, really unlikable male leads, annoying female leads, questionable consent, and more. This one has way less of those questionable aspects (except for the torture scenes here and there) and way more triumph for the main character Shen Miao. The... more>> chapters are long and there’s a gradual transition from a revenge plot after reincarnation, slow and gradual romance, and the eventual happy ending of the redeemed SM and her loved ones. While the ending felt rushed compared to the intricate plot and details of the beginning and end, it still satisfies readers with a HEA.

TRANSLATION
The translator was sooo devoted in their updates, and I’m really grateful for them and the editors. The translation wasn’t perfect though and had typos, names that were wrong/misplaced, and syntax errors. It wasn’t the most difficult to read but it wasn’t super easy either. I think it may have hindered my enjoyment of the story a little but for the most part it stayed true to the Chinese and was understandable. It just took a bit to get used to.

ROMANCE
When people said the romance was slow, it is slowww. Luckily the characters meet pretty early on but there’s no feelings involved. There is a slow burn as SM and Xie Jing Xing are aware of each other in the Min Qing court but not acting on anything. When the romance gets going (around ch 150), it’s adorable, sweet, and sometimes silly. Both SM and XJX complement each other in wit and scheming. They hold no prisoners and really eliminate the weeds by the roots (aka gets rid of all the antagonists cleanly). They’re a really well matched couple and I love how XJX is aware of his feelings first/acts on it while SM is more hesitant to give her love to someone again. In her last life she had a loveless marriage and horrible husband so it makes sense that she gets to rediscover the beauty of romance with the ever caring XJX. Sooo sweet.

INCONSISTENCIES/QUESTIONABLE ASPECTS
This may be because the series is released as a web novel (so by chapter I believe?), but there were small details that were inconsistent or not followed through with. SM’s age was missing a few years based on the travel time and small time skip that the author notes. Some plot details are never continued/followed up which makes me feel as if the whole scene was unnecessary. It didn’t hinder my read much but definitely made the story less than perfect.

A questionable aspect I found was the fact that (minor spoiler but still put in this review for readers sensitive to this)
Spoiler

SM could only be sweet/have s*x when she was drunk and didn't remember the next day. It's NOT non-consensual as she purposefully got drunk to have the guts to have s*x and willingly did so with the intentions of having s*x before imbibing, but I also know this is a sensitive topic and wanted to put this out there. Personally I would have felt better to see her sober when this part happened, but that's just me.

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CHARACTERS
SM is a great character you root for from beginning to end. In her past life, she was a hard working empress but was betrayed by her extended family, husband, and his concubine. Once she died by the white silk cloth in the beginning of the story, she wakes up and finds herself in her 14 year old self with the chance to redo the future. She takes advantage of this opportunity by exacting revenge and saving her loved ones that were schemed against in her past life. While she seems cold at first (as she has a one track mind for revenge), she gradually opens up. It’s a slow transition (ranging a couple of years as the story progresses) but very meaningful.

XJX is a pretty stereotypical love interest in that he’s pretty unbeatable, super rich, super skilled in combat, super smart, has great resources, and is beautiful. (Seriously, the author LOVES to write exaggerating descriptions of his beauty. Like chill sis.) But I like his character in the end bc he treats SM like the empress she is and is very caring despite a rogue-ish and cunning exterior. He’s not someone I would fawn over but I ship him and SM a lot.

The other side characters range from silly and fun family members to wicked and deceiving antagonists. There’s a whole range and while the antagonists seem a bit cliche, their deviousness matches the intricate court politics of the historical time period. It do be tough out there as a concubine/illegitimate child.

OVERALL
This seems to be a fan favorite of reincarnation in the world of Chinese web novels and I’m so lucky to have started with it. The MCs are lovable while they go through their plans of revenge and the antagonists are hatable and get what they deserve. I loved the explanation for the MC’s reincarnation and thought it fit the story perfectly. Definitely a recommendation for historical drama lovers.

Trigger Warnings: abuse of all kinds, mention of torture (rape, beastiality, assault, miscarriage, cutting off limbs, and more), death of loved ones in the past, war/invasions, blood and violence

TL;DR: Read this if you're into:

  • Revenge plots where the evil people get what they deserve
  • Slow burn romance with respect on both sides
  • Male lead that will fight for the female lead and worship her
  • Bittersweet endings of some side characters
  • Lovable nuclear family and protectiveness
  • An MC who starts out pretty cold but gradually opens up as her revenge plot reaches its climax
  • Happily ever after!
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yujie.h
yujie.h rated it
November 9, 2020
Status: c197
Liked:

- Relatively realistic
- Plot was thought out
- SLs were interesting (although you knew the ML from the start)

Disliked:

- I don't know, it was interesting enough to read but I was never excited and the face slapping felt lukewarm, which is the worst thing a rebirth story can do lol. I mean if I have life & death enemies, I would want them to lose face and feel regret. I don't find it cathartic for them to be foolish to the end, traumatised and die??
- Very... more>> slow & too verbose. So many chapters could've been shorted to a few paragraphs... I love flowery descriptive writing but this was so dry, everything is written so soulessly
- Even though it's more realistic than many Cnovels the fact, that you only see her in school twice is silly, among other plot conveniences
- Her having the bearing of an Empress is supposed to be awe-inspiring... I mean if a teenage girl is acting like an Empress, it would be shameless and cringey, not inspiring lol
- A lot of non consensual kissing by the ML and MC's unwillingness being passed off as being tsundere was a yikes. The ML is the overbearing *sshole type which is only attractive until a point, and it goes beyond that point for me. I didn't really like him much.
- The translator constantly commenting on the ML was just intrusive. I could have pushed through it but watching them complain brought further attention to it and yanked me out of immersion. Seriously please remove these parts

Overall it seems like it's overrated because it's on the realistic side. But the events are so within reality, and so dryly described that the entertainment value is not high. <<less
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Tuuna
Tuuna rated it
June 28, 2018
Status: c154
A very good rebirth story. Writing this review I realise I see most of its good points in contrast to other similar stories.

First: the MC never forgets her past. Sure she does seem to be moving on a bit in the latest chapters, but her past experiences are not just used as a vehicle to start the story. The author keeps referencing her past life to explain her character and feelings.

Second: I can keep up with the intrigue. While the plots she carries out are sometimes complex I never get... more>> confused or uninterested. I know who all the characters are and who they are in relation to the MC. Often I feel like other authors get too bogged down in details or add too much information/characters which makes it impossible to follow. But this author keeps it interesting but understandable, and fleshes out the side characters enough so that they become interesting and identifiable.

Third: while the MC is pretty much hell bent on revenge she isn't over the top or arrogant, which I often get turned of by in other novels. Her revenges are fierce but she isn't a berserker high on bloodlust. She just deals out the karma people deserve.

In regards to the romance I feel it is pretty well executed. It gradually grows naturally with the story. I the beginning she is a one woman army on a mission and romance isn't (and shouldn't) be the main focus. However later on she is gradually won over, and along with the MC so am I as the audience. I also like the ML and his and the MC interactions are hilarious (though not in the "laugh out loud" way).

It is rare for me to read a romance novel with such light romance (so far). But this is definitely worth the read no matter what, and still keeps me interested. <<less
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Fathom
Fathom rated it
April 1, 2017
Status: c231
Spoiler

Another do over, where the heroine gets to go back to her 14 year old self with all her knowledge before she died in the future. She lived a completely miserable life being taken advantage constantly by family, friends and her husband. In the end she suffers a quiet death after seeing all her closed ones, including her children die in scheme after scheme.


After her rebirth, she takes revenge on everyone that did her wrong in her previous life. Often using the same schemes that her enemies did. But this time, she's forewarned with all her prior knowledge.
Most of the story is about her manipulating all the people who are out to harm her and her close ones. With so much heartache and anger towards her enemies, there's not much of a romance feeling until the end of the stories. Learning to accept her new life and let go of some her heartache takes most of the story. As a result, she's really not open to true love until the end.

It's quite a likable story, I do wish it was a bit longer and romantic, but it closed quite nicely with a happy ending for all.

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Nana (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧
Nana (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧ rated it
January 13, 2017
Status: c8
Something like princess wei yang with less controlled facial muscle, and like phoenix ninth heaven with less brain. MC is not a tiger that mask herself as a pig, I don't think she can. Even after reincarnated she still don't know how to hide one's fang. But what can I do if I fell in love easily with this sort of genre ^^
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