Golden Stage

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The notorious imperial court lackey and the meritorious military general were well-known for their mutual dislike, a pair of arch-enemies set in stone. Who could have foreseen the unexpected change in the winds of heaven: the general injured on the battlefield, both legs disabled, and even forced by the emperor to marry his nemesis.

With one marriage edict, two people with mutual hostility are forced to marry and live under the same roof. Yet after these long days together, they come to the realization that this fellow is not truly devoid of any saving grace/unattainable and high out of reach.

Associated Names
One entry per line
Golden Terrace
Hoàng Kim Đài/Đài Hoàng Kim
Huáng Jīn Tái
หวงจินไถ ปรปักษ์เร้นรัก
黄金台
Related Series
Fight the Landlord, Fall in Love (Spin-Off)
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Recommendation Lists
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  4. All BL Novels I've Read Part (1)
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192 Reviews sorted by


Chinatsu
Chinatsu rated it
October 30, 2020
Status: --
I read this novel because of so many positive reviews. I love novels with political affairs, the story is good! but I don't understand why there is so much praise for MC and ML as a couple... I really didn't like the MC because he is irritating, selfish and extremely ungrateful. ML is that kind of man who deserves someone better. The ending is very unsatisfactory too.
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hisui298
hisui298 rated it
October 23, 2020
Status: c56
Tbh this story kinda lost me around chp 50.... it was going super strong, but the characterization slowly became clouded and overshadowed by romance...... which is one of my biggest pet peeves in romance stories.... when the characters realize their mutual love and stop acting like they have been before and there's not even any big reason for them to act different, and the chemistry just becomes inexplicably bland. highkey feel like some of yalls might disagree with me but..... still just putting a warning out there...

The original characterization pre-confession,... more>> pre-mutual feelings was super nice and well-developed tho, especially
Spoiler

before the big misunderstanding happened, I really loved how the author wrote their chemistry in their younger years and how well they got along was super sweet.

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It was such a shame cuz I really wanted to like this story too so I felt kinda disappointed that the characterization started to break at that point.

Anyways, its still pretty cute so although it didn't have the strongest characterization it was pretty nice and fluffy while it lasted. <<less
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Roseon
Roseon rated it
July 14, 2020
Status: Completed
What should I say, this story was really a rollercoaster ride full of emotions !

The plot was really good and easy to understand, not many complicated war scenarios or as such. Our couple - Fu Shen and Yan Xiohan were THE best, I loved thier relationship so much from being enemies to inseparable lovers who had an equal footing and respect for each other. Everytime I read about them my heart just melted away, their interactions were so lovely, especially when they showed their jealousy was really funny.

My heart going... more>> jelly with this lines like this:

“He’s mine. Take your country back; I won’t trade him.”

They're my ultimate power couple. ✧◝ (⁰▿⁰) ◜✧. I woul really like to thank the translator Chichi for doing a commendable job. The translation was top notch and had great flow and rythm, everything was just perfect (ᵔᴥᵔ). And the translator after notes were fun to read too.

Overall ratings:

Plot-5/5

Main couple-10/5 (◍•ᴗ•◍)

Side characters-4.5/5

Romance-10/5 (ꈍᴗꈍ)

Translation-10/5

An amazing read ! One should definitely read it. <<less
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phobosdeimos
phobosdeimos rated it
April 14, 2021
Status: Completed
The only thing I hate about this novel is how underrated it is!!!

C'mon, we need more fanarts of Fu Shen and Yan Xiaohan!

This novel's summary is a complete lie. True, they were 'enemies' technically and if you're expecting some hardcore enemies to lovers trope (which I was) then you should stop for a minute because the only thing these two fights about is how to take care of themselves. Seriously this novel called me 'single' and 'ugly' in so many different ways.

Their relationship is so freakin' healthy that they literally... more>> screamed #couplegoals. There's no plot dragging misunderstanding throughout the novel and even if there is, they would immediately settle it down. Fu Shen and Yan Xiaohan invented communication and said 'f*ck toxic BL relationships'

What can I say but read this amazing novel :)))) <<less
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Rootea
Rootea rated it
March 25, 2020
Status: c44
I'm not so fond of giving review since my english is not that good, but!! I cannot not review this novel. Or, to be exact, I cannot help myself to not recommend this novel.

It's a really really good story! I LOVE both MC and ML characters so much. They have mutual respect, there's no power play, they communicate really well. One don't feel inferior to another, eventhough one is crippled and one is an adoptive son of a eunuch. They are both strong characters with distinctive personality. At first I'm... more>> not sure who's the gong and who's the shou haha. It doesn't really matter tho, as long as they're together!

I don't know why this novel is not that popular. It's such a wonderful story! So far I really enjoy the plot, the mistery, the connected events, it's enticing. And I really love the translation. The words flow beautifully, like the chemistry of the main couple.

I wish this novel gets more fame. <<less
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Muantlau77
Muantlau77 rated it
March 10, 2020
Status: c40
I really love this novel. The characters are well fleshed out and really surprised me as I thought they would get stuffed in their tropes like most other bl novels. Really big brained MC and ML lmao.

The translator has done a good job too. Give it a try you won't regret it :)
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bmb
bmb rated it
April 13, 2019
Status: c4
It looks really promising.

Since I love novels with political affairs and also romance and badass protagonists, I think I will really love this one.

Also, the translator's work is quite good and every term and chinese expression is explained well so you won't have problems understanding it.

Althought I have to say that its not your typical simple novel without many details on the context. No, in this one its thoroughly explained -- which is necessary of course, for the sake of the plot and to understand everything like why some things... more>> happen, why some characters behave like that, etc. -- I feel I have to say this because there were some comments on the translator site saying that some parts in the first chapters were boring -- because the author was explaining the context -- I find this type of comments really ridiculous, I mean are you saying you don't need to know the world and the context of the novel you are reading? THAT is what would be boring

Anyway, Im surprised this is the first comment tbh because the plot looks so GOOD; I think I will succumb to MTL-ing because Im so eager to know what happens between these two! <<less
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Huahua21
Huahua21 rated it
October 2, 2021
Status: c1
There's no logic in this novel, honestly this is so overrated so I'm giving it 1star to bring down average. If you think about the story, it doesn't make sense, there's no character or story development. Characters are so 1d, the story is just plain. The feelings of CP are also out of nowhere, because the author wanted and they don't make any sense.
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Dumdada
Dumdada rated it
August 17, 2021
Status: Completed
This book won my heart. Very good ❤

I need the manhua version of this book!!

First, I apologize for my bad English. This is the first time I have added a review and a star to a novel. Because this book is really good. At least once in your life, you must read this book. The dynamics created by this couple are very good. Their communication too. There are no long-standing misunderstandings. They finished right then and there. The romantic plot is measured very well. This book really won my... more>> heart. I really hope that one day this book will have a manhua version. A story as good as this deserves 5 stars. I have no complaints about this book.

*Sometimes I reread this book when I miss Yan-Fu's sweet moments :))

ILY AUTHOR FOR THIS MASTERPIECE YOU MADE 💖 <<less
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lilacwood
lilacwood rated it
July 2, 2021
Status: Completed
This is it, you guys. This is the one that lives in my head rent-free. It's a gem, no joke. The main characters are multi-dimensional and equal, and they just respect and balance and love each other the whole time and communicate their way through any rough patches. ((Healthy relationships? In MY danmei?? It's more likely than you think.))

The beauty of this one is that all of the conflict comes from OUTSIDE their relationship - they get to be a united front against it all the way through... more>> until their HE.

The plot is super tightly-written (court intrigue! War strategies! Shocking twists!) and the side characters are almost as well-rounded as the MC and ML.

If I was going to recommend a single danmei novel to a first-timer it would be this one. The translation is also top-notch, huge thanks to Chichi :) <<less
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Raizel_Pendragon
Raizel_Pendragon rated it
April 9, 2021
Status: Completed
I came looking for dogblood drama but ended up staying to eat dogfood.... I kept putting this off cause I'm not too keen on palace politics. But once I started reading I was almost immediately hooked.

"So freaking amazing!! A perfect 5/5! Read! Re-read! Re-re-read!! Copy lines/paragraphs onto your note to read and admire from time to time.".... So on and so forth screams my shamelessly fangirling heart that still can't move on from this masterpiece. (ʃƪ^3^) ❤

This novel has everything I look for in a romance story (be it... more>> BL/GL/BG...)

- Want a ML who is NOT the run-of-the-mill factory version of the stoic/OP/tyrannical? A ML who can actually show his emotions through words and actions, one made of flesh blood and tears, yet keep respectable distance and never push the MC for instant reciprocation of affection?? Read on!

-MC with both wits and strength. Loyalty whittled away by repeated betrayals from the ones he tirelessly fought to protect. Yet unrelenting in his duty of protecting the realm and it's people. A nobleman to the bones.

- A Switch Couple with lots of mutual respect, communication, trust and teasing!! The number of times and ways they make eachother speechless is just....😩👌

-Villains/side characters who are NOT there to just glorify the main characters. There is no instant gratification/face slappings here. Each move against them is planned and worked on. The only inadvertent help they rendered the CP is probably that marriage sanction!

-World building that is detailed without going overboard. It is both logical and realistic within the framework of timeline and dimension.

-Amazing translation that gets the story across in all its beauty!

The only downside that I can point out is that the side characters don't have much development/screentime. I'd have loved to read more about FS's sister and both their subordinates. But this is understandable considering the length of the story.

Well, reading this reminded me of Ron's tessomancy reading for Harry in P.o.A- "... you're going to suffer but you're going to be happy about it." Cause now that I'm done reading this, I'm left this gratification of knowing an amazing pair who I wholeheartedly wish gets lifetimes worth of happiness alongside the feeling of a void that I am not exactly sure how to fill.

Overall ratings:

Plot-5/5

Main couple& Romance- Level unreadable cause value exceeded limits! ♾️

Side characters- 4/5

Translation-10/5 <<less
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Lighthouse Snail
Lighthouse Snail rated it
February 11, 2021
Status: Completed
Reading this novel feels like someone is pouring sugar on my mouth continuosly. Every single moment between the main couple means a new round of hearbeats and sweetness crawling all the way up to the heart. It's hard to even describe how much I loved the romance in the story. The couple has the most respectful relationship I've seen until now. They never force each other to do anything and never take advantage of one's moment of weakness. When facing difficulties they both do their best to stand by each... more>> other's side, not pushing their own beliefs into one another's mind and forcing them to adhere, but communicating and opening their hearts to understand what the other has to say. The development of their relationship is something really adorable to see, getting more and more pleasing to the eyes. 10/10.

Main Plot

I'm not the type of person who is fond of breaking my mind trying to understand stories with political stuff and conspiracy issues, but the main plot in Golden Stage was quite good to read and I got myself immersed in all the events, even those that are not directly related to romance. It's was not difficult to process what was actually going on, unlike some other stories with the same theme, and we are able to see some nice ideas about the way a governance treats it's own domain and it's own people, as well as a scenrio that perfectly fits the phrase: “a house divided against itself cannot stand.”

Spoiler

Zeng Guang statement, which was the main inspiration for Fu Shen's ideas of how the structure of a government should be, is something not to be overlooked: “The world is a world of its denizens, not the private property of one family. A land’s destabilized governance does not reside in the rise and fall of one surname, but in the sorrow and happiness of all its citizens.” That was very well written.

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It was the first time I read a novel with antagonists who are not smartasses, but rather some useless dumbasses (yeah, I'm talking about you, Emperor Yuntai and your s*upid sons). The author didn't throw in the plot some machiavelic conflicts, but just political plays that are likely to happen in real life (as it surely has happened somewhere in human history). The characters feel real and human, and their angst is also very not-out-of this world.

In conclusion, I loved everything about this novel. The translation was also amazing and pleasing to read! Thanks to Chichilations, who did a great and admirable job in translating every term and writing some interesting side notes.
I hope to read more novels like this one in the future. <<less
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EUGEO SYNTHESIS
EUGEO SYNTHESIS rated it
January 5, 2021
Status: c1
This novel is perfect... They have a good plot, they have a good character and they have a good story line too..

But for me, the reason this story have a high rating is because the story is very heartwarming and the way the author write the characters are completely real, none of the characters in this story have golden fingers things... well 10/10 for me...

AND HERE MY FAV PART BETWEEN MC AND ML

... more>>
Spoiler

The boy Emperor struggled to follow the Grand Tutors' book study and character practice. Sometimes, he would get someone in the palace to write a letter to his uncle on his behalf that asked when he would be coming back, as he wanted to take him to view the freshly-planted lotuses in the imperial garden.

He'd never once asked a word about Yan Xiaohan, but he'd also never once forgotten that petty wife of his uncle's who was decent to him, yet made people unable to like him.

Later on, when the Chengming Emperor had grown up and turned into the lord of the land that sat within a sea of wealth, he still firmly remembered what Yan Xiaohan had said to him in the palace that day.

"He's mine. Take your country back; I won't trade him."

[collapse]

Well the things that happend to Fu Tingxin (I think it's transmigrating mix with amnesia) is surprised me, because they really have sad ending in the first life (Imperial era)... Fu Tingxin have die at war, and after that Sun Luo keep single until death too, (He death when the territory that he rules at imperial get attack by enemy...)

Spoiler

That went completely in one ear and out the other for Sun Luo. He didn't care what Fu Tingxin said; just him responding was enough. He soaked for a time within the sudden tenderness and contentment, having a surplus of complacency, then suddenly thought to himself: why didn't he go find Fu Tingxin for confirmation back in the day?

Why didn't he listen to his own answer with his own ears? Even if he voiced a rejection, that would have been overall better than seven years of bullheaded painful torment and endless separation.

Why didn't he dare to believe that this person, who was so good to him, would never hurt him?

"Let's kiss again." He pulled Fu Tingxin's face towards his own, impatient to seek out the gentle comfort between those lips and teeth, and said once more: "I like you. I've liked you for really long time."

"What a coincidence." Fu Tingxin welcomed his lips. "I've liked you for a really long time, too."

"Nn?"

"Starting from our last life.

[collapse]
<<less
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Staringatastar
Staringatastar rated it
November 25, 2020
Status: Completed
I'm still processing the novel - it was definitely a gem. The characters are beautifully drawn, the translation is meticulous, and the extras (especially the alternative universe one) almost felt like a new story, in all the right ways.

While the main point of the book is unraveling court conspiracies, most of which might lose their novelty after the initial expose, this is still a story I could re-read multiple times to enjoy the relationships and slowly digest the nuances of the conspiracies.

This is not a light read - don't let... more>> the chapter count fool you, this will probably take a full day or two to binge. However, there's moments of absolute sweetness and humor, sweeter than most mindless novels with much fewer plot holes and brainlessness. I felt like I was getting steeped in Chinese history and culture throughout this book, especially with the wonderful footnotes and links throughout the translation.

At the same time, the author uses the story to explore power, addiction, devotion to the state and greater good, and what makes a good government. At one point, the author nudges the idea of democracy (in the Roman sense of the word), but settles for a more democratic monarchy. I'm not sure I agree with the author that a democracy is the full answer to better government (the democratic Rome still found a way to sink into dictatorship, some modern democracies are cesspits of corruption, and democracies introduced the world to hi*ler and Trump). However, the novel was thought provoking on what it means to be loyal, and when loyalty to a nation necessitates disloyalty to the nation's leader. <<less
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Voleak26
Voleak26 rated it
November 6, 2020
Status: c1
This is now my Top 10 novel!

I love rational, intelligent, and strong MC and ML who won't let others bully them for shit!

The politics plot are great! I love how the author doesn't drag out unnecessary problems and storyline. The Pace of the story is also perfect as well!

I found this gem after reading Qiang Jiu Jin (Which is also super amazing! Pls check it out also if you like politics and intelligent, and strong MC and ML tho there's a lot more angst huhuh)
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Arenaphrodite
Arenaphrodite rated it
October 16, 2020
Status: Completed
5/5 but If I could I would've given more.

Hands down to one of the best historical novel I've read in a longgggg time. Every damn thing was so perfect that I was feeling it in my gut. Seriously, the plot, the characters especially the plot twists were mind blowing. I literally had goosebumps all over me while reading the last few chapters. The translation is top notch. And the dog food delivered by Fu Shen & Yan Xiaohan gave me diabetics.

So what are you delaying for? Quickly give a read... more>> to this amazing novel. Definately recommended! <<less
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amruta
amruta rated it
October 13, 2020
Status: Completed
Much better than what the synopsis implied.

The main couple is amazing together. They are so sweet. OMG!! And yet, the focus of the story is not the romance at all. The politics is very detailed. Its not all unicorns..... Especially Fu Shen's sister. Kudos to the author for NOT giving her a perfect romance just because she is Fu Shen's sister. Her story was very fitting for the time period the story is set in. The extras were a pleasant surprise.

A 7 year romance in the making. Good story. RECOMMENDED.
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CrunchyAsphalt
CrunchyAsphalt rated it
July 28, 2020
Status: Completed
I'll tell it honestly, this book has a lot of history dumps, but it's really good. I have nothing bad to say about it at all.

READ TO THE THIRD CHAPTER, THE FIRST TWO ARE NOT WHAT THE BOOK REALLY CONTAINS!!!

The disability addition was really lovely as well. Coming from someone in a wheelchair themselves, this made my little heart feel warm and cozy.

... more>> The book is very plot heavy which I love cause I love palace politics in my historical drama/novels.

The romance is excellent as well, and since it's shounen-ai don't be leaving comments saying "There wasn't enough romance" cause there was actually a lot of it, and it was very enjoyable. Plus both ML's being strong and capable made it that much better, rather than one being weak and pathetic for the sake of the other character appearing strong.

Being honest, the ending did feel a little rushed, but after reading over it more than once I don't find any faults with it.

It obviously won't be for everyone, but give it a go if you love strong ML's, and actual romance with substance, that contains understanding and genuine love. <<less
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BillionJellyfish
BillionJellyfish rated it
July 15, 2020
Status: Completed
This is a beautifully written historical bl story!

MC: a famed and loyal general coming from a family of generals and military achievements

ML: a famed court lackey and schemer that is favored by the Emperor

... more>> Summary:

This is an unusual story between a general and a court official living in tumultuous times. From court intrigue to warring lands, the general and the court official struggle to bring peace and stability to a country on the brink of collapse. Not to mention, the general and the court official have different beliefs and values they abide by. The general is a loyalist down to his very bones while the court official is a schemer that plays by ear. This story depicts the journey of this unlikely pair finding love amidst major upheavals.

Overall:

This is one of the first historical bl novels that I've read and I am very satisfied with the characters and plot developments of the story. Both the MC and ML are mature characters with their own thoughts and considerations. Most importantly, they know how to properly communicate with each other! The author balances both romantic aspects and the court intrigue/schemes very well, building suspense throughout the story. <<less
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ShezyKNowall
ShezyKNowall rated it
June 14, 2020
Status: c76
The other reviewers have already reviewed the story, so you know it's amazing, and is definitely a must read. What I want to appreciate here, is the wonderful work of the translator! It's clean and concise, with minimal errors (which you have to be super nit picky to notice). And the best part? They have managed to beautifully preserve the poetic flow of the story, often lost during translations! You can easily count chichi as one of the top translators around, if not THE top translator.
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