Thousand Miles of Bright Moonlight

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Yaoying transmigrated into a novel.

In the chaotic and troubled times, many nations were at war. Her father happened to be the most powerful of those vying for supremacy, her brother turning out to be the male lead that finally dominated the Central Plains.

As the male lead’s younger sister, Yaoying was ready to accept this benefit that came without her having to lift a finger.

But it turned out that the male lead hated her to the bone, going as far as to have her marry the sixty-year-old grassland tribal chief in place of the female lead.

Yaoying was forced to marry. Wolves in front, tigers in the back—beasts surrounding her—all coveting the lovely-as-a-flower Chinese princess.

At the moment of crisis, the novel’s young and legendary lord who was destined to die young passed through with his troops.

To escape from their clutches, the trembling Yaoying pointed at the sickly lord: This princess fell in love with you at first sight. If you won’t marry, I’ll seek you out with a dowry!

The lord’s subordinates paled with alarm: Princess mustn’t speak so casually! Our king is a monk, a noble-blooded Buddha’s son!

Yaoying, with a face full of grievances: This princess doesn’t disdain that you’re a monk. In life, I am your person; in death, I am your ghost!

Monk: ….

From then on, the tale of the Buddha’s son and the Chinese princess began to circulate through the grasslands.

Monk whose reputation couldn’t be cleared even if he plunged into the Yellow River: ….

Note : The title refers to an expression that for friends, family, and lovers separated far away, moonlit nights would make them miss each other more.

Associated Names
One entry per line
TMBM
To Marry a Monk
嫁给一个和尚
月明千里
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Eight Treasures Trousseau (2)
I Am This Type of Woman (2)
The Green Lotus Peasant Girl (2)
Eastern Palace (1)
Life: A Black and White Film (1)
Wishing You Eternal Happiness (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Memorable Reads
  2. Novels with Clever Strong Female Protagonist
  3. (GXB) Villain, cannon fodder or similar situations
  4. Ancient novels I have Read
  5. Ancient China Novels

Latest Release

Date Group Release
09/20/23 mitchytranslations c149
08/28/23 mitchytranslations c148
08/24/23 mitchytranslations c147
08/21/23 mitchytranslations c146
08/17/23 mitchytranslations c145
08/14/23 mitchytranslations c144
08/12/23 mitchytranslations c143
08/10/23 mitchytranslations c142
08/07/23 mitchytranslations c141
07/20/23 mitchytranslations c140
07/17/23 mitchytranslations c139
07/15/23 mitchytranslations c138
07/13/23 mitchytranslations c137
07/10/23 mitchytranslations c136
07/09/23 mitchytranslations c135
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mitchytranslations
mitchytranslations rated it
January 20, 2021
Status: Completed
Hello, translator here! I hope you give TMBM a try before dismissing it. The summary gives me mixed feelings because it simultaneously does a good and bad job at explaining this novel (mostly bad tho).

The summary makes the novel seem rather light-hearted when it is most definitely not. The novel has mostly well-fleshed out characters who are morally grey, villains who were 'bad' for a reason and good guys who weren't all 'good'. There was depth to them.

... more>>
Spoiler

I mean that mainly toward the Emperor, Li Xuanzhen, and Haidu Aling. The female villains are actually kinda one-dimensional.

[collapse]

The novel wasn't perfect by any means but it was realistic to a certain extent, which I care about a lot. I don't believe there was too much plot armor or that our MC has a FL halo. What I hate most is when things happen to go perfectly right for the plot to advance.

Li Yaoying, our MC, is intelligent, resilient, and brave without being too OP. She's described as a heavenly and unsurpassed beauty but it isn't without a purpose. Like, she isn't pretty just because all MCs have to be beautiful. It actually goes wrong for her since she was given to the tribe leader because of her beauty. The ML is strong, responsible, and kind. I don't really want to go too much into it, because that would spoil things.

Romance happens pretty late in the novel since MC and ML only meet around chapter 50ish in the raws. Even though I read this for the romance, I wasn't anxious or annoyed that their relationship was developing slowly. I especially liked the early middle portion the best in general, but the ending left me fully satisfied and as a whole, it wasn't boring at all. For the most part, the plot didn't feel like it was dragging, and there wasn't any one part where I felt a lull.

I tend to judge novels by whether they made me emotional and if I get immersed in the story. This novel did both. I cried, I got frustrated, and there were parts where I held my breath wondering what was going to happen next. The author is a fantastic writer who can weave intricate characters and created an insanely good plot. This was a roller coaster ride and I really hope you give it a whirl.


Some things that some people may not like:

- The author reminding us every ten chapters about Yaoying's beauty which I find repetitive but I try to keep in mind that her outstanding beauty is the reason for a lot of things going wrong in her life. Yaoying is also righteous (if that's the word?) to an unbelievable extent and kinda Mary Sue-ish in her perfection (going against what I said before, she's OP but also not?). She has a lot of outside factors that goes against her though.

- The politics, if you can call it that, can be a little draggy. Although it takes a little bit of brain cells to think about, I do think it's an important part of the novel because all of the fighting and conflict between countries has been talked about since literally the first chapter, and it plays a vital part in the plot. You could just skip through it, however. Not understanding the politics won't hinder your understanding of the novel at all.

- ML being a monk. Let me assure you that this novel requires you to have zero understanding of Buddhism and ML being a monk was done quite well without being awkward or being degrading towards Buddhism. <<less
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xxchroniclerxx
xxchroniclerxx rated it
June 21, 2021
Status: Completed
Spent the last 10 mins thinking how I could review this so that people would instantly put down their thoughts and go ahead to read this novel. I don't give too much thought to my reviews but this novel made me want to do that.

This story is a literal journey portrayed through very simple words that makes one imagine the vast desert and oasis, lush mountains and the lively festivities. We follow the arduous journey of a young girl as she glides through these places and we readers as pilgrims... more>> follow her till she reach her place of salvation. Her every step towards the end of her journey is worthwhile, and the novel being 200+ chapters (with epilogue) is is a very slow and long read and written so beautifully that I didn't even notice how days passed by.

It's very clear how meticulously the author wrote the characters, all of them are so very complex and feel so real, the central characters as well as the side characters and villains whom somehow I ended up feeling bad for.
Spoiler

Apart from the Emperor and ML' sister. I didn't feel an ounce of pity for them and cheered when they met their end. I even wished they would suffer a bit more but considering that their decisions brought pivotal changes to our central characters, I could feel a bit better.

[collapse]

The female lead is someone who has a fixed character, there's not much development for her but she's one of the most strong female leads I've read about. She's someone with a sickly constitution and yet she is as sharp as a whip. I just love her and how she makes use of whatever little opportunity she has been given in any situation and makes the best of it.
Spoiler

I like how the author gives her 'repercussions' of changing the original plot. She changes the plot greatly 3 times, that is she saved people who were meant to die early and the very last time she faces her consequences makes me wonder if it was the actual reason for her to transmigrate. Maybe, Buddha really saw how much the world suffered, how much his devout followers suffered, especially the ML and so sent her to that world to pull it out of the misery, but more importantly save the ML, who gave up his entire life for the betterment of his people and followed through his belief till his last moment and so after he met her, she became his new belief.

[collapse]

The male lead.... is amazing. I don't really have anything to say about him without spoiling except that I love him so much because he is a great person. He's calm, composed, withdrawn and yet caring, and a very good leader and king. He's so true to his character that I had such a hard time realising what his real thoughts were. As stipulated in the summary, he's a monk and so withdrawn from the mundane world, but the FL very slowly dyes his world with her colours, but don't expect too much as he's a monk and it's a slow burn story but very much worth the wait. I think he can easily become one of the most frustrating MLs if not written well but that's not the case and even the most seemingly simple ML like him is such an intricate character.

Spoiler

He's really the most pitiful male leads I've read about. He spent his life away to stabilise the court without asking for anything in return but was met with betrayal because of his birth. It broke my heart to see him do so much for the people and yet they turned against him after being influenced by instigators.

It's so interesting to see how he had 'two' sides to him and they are just parts of him and not his split personality or anything. There's not much different in his personality when he's under his mask or without his mask, except for the fact that maybe he can indulge himself a little more when he's under his mask. Sometimes I just wanted to knock his head on wooden fish or something and yell that it's okay to be a little more indulging but obviously it's frustrating for us but very much understandable and makes him who he is.

Everything makes the ending so much more wholesome and beautiful. When he decided to follow his true heart and put down his robe, I really cried because it felt so touching. After everything he's been through, he could finally attain some happiness for himself. I think the most prominent moment for me was when he tells his follower (not naming because MTL no matter how great always butchers names) that he didn't want to be buried in the temple, but rather be sent to the FL, as he could not be selfish in his life so he wanted to be a little after his death. It just broke my heart because he knew that he won't be able to live long and no matter how much his heart desires, he can't attain what he wants in his life and is unwilling to hold her down and so let's go of everything and wishes to indulge in his longing after his death. Alright I teared up again.

[collapse]

Apart from them, the characters who made the most impression on me were the two brothers of the FL, especially the crown prince.
Spoiler

I really hated the crown prince in the begining but later on I couldn't help but feel bad for him and pity him. He himself was a victim of both his parents, his mother's brutal death left a traumatic scar on him which he could never alleviate. His hatred against his siblings is not justified, but very much understandable. Whatever he's done can never be taken back and so he can't be redeemed but I really hoped that he could somehow attain a little peace, although I was really creeped out by him in the later half. He probably had romantic feelings for the FL from the very time he met her and so the revelation of her being the daughter of his sworn enemy just felt felt like a betrayal to him, and the fact that she was his half sister made him very much painfully aware of his twisted feelings that morphed into abuse (I'm saying this because he mentioned how he gave the FL a 'chance' to cut off her relations with Xie family and follow him before. At that time he wasn't aware of certain things and yet gave her a chance, maybe he just didn't want to harm her or cared for her since then I don't know but it's clear that his feelings were twisted as later on he almost goes crazy when he realises the mishap after he sent her off to the marriage alliance. Despite it all, I think he would've been a really good character if not for the trauma as its continuously told how he's impartial if not for his hatred, especially with how he treated his crown Princess. I really had to appreciate him for what he did for her and how he treated her. He's not a tr*shy (ex) male lead from a novel, but actually a good one who became twisted due to his hatred. It's just about the perspective, like if the story wasn't from the point of view of the FL then he would've been a good person who finished off the people who drove his mom to her death, and a brother who could've probably fought a bloody battle over the throne with him.

[collapse]

The lingering aftertaste this novel leaves is like a peaceful state of trance. It made me smile, cry, bite my lips in anticipation, made me anxious in wondering what's next and finally left me breathless and satisfied with how it ends. It leaves something to the imagination as instead of giving certain characters closure, the epilogue focuses on their experience and characters, giving us the liberty to imagine what they would do.

I would really REALLY like to thank the translator for bringing us this beautiful novel and putting so much effort into translating it.

(Ps - I actually like to compare reading these web novels as having junk food. It makes me feel good but I know it's not that healthy and basically ruins my appetite and yet I keep coming back to it over and over again. But this novel with its incredible depth and various emotionally poignant portrayals was definitely not one of such, so I would recommend this very much.) <<less
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7starkiller99
7starkiller99 rated it
January 5, 2022
Status: Completed
Novel 100% Not Recommended to read.

There is an insane amount of ridiculous and s*upid moments within the novel, all peppered together with nonsense.

The people who gave 5 Stars managed to enjoy the novel despite these crucial drawbacks:

... more>>
Spoiler

1) MC is always injured. No, I’m not joking. The MC suffers from an illness in the beginning. She is super weak and constantly feverish. Yet despite this she does countless impossible physical activities over the course of the novel to a hysterically silly amount. From jumping on arrows, to shoving people out of the way, to traversing up mountains, and even tanking avalanches the MC is the female equivalent of Mary Sue. The only reason people don’t think this is outrageous is that MC faints a bit or comes down with a short fever? Seriously?!? Countless sleepless nights, cuts, days in cold snow, walking for days over terrain with no shoes, and she’s just fine in the end? Terrible writing.

2) Implausible events with Mc: Okay so plot-wise MC is your typical unfavored daughter Princess. She has the bonus of crossing into a book world but doesn’t seem to use that knowledge to really do anything. We start off with comedy of MC harassing a scholar and having a few servants. Everything escalates until MC is rescued by ML from disgusting tribal bandits and c*ckroach villain guy who exists for almost the entire novel. All the romance bits between MC and the Buddha are extremely contrived and the author keeps writing in tons of random encounters. You can practically see the +Love bonuses appearing. Besides that, the villain guy gets way too much screen time up to his super evil shenanigans that MC already knows about but never stops. MC is a lot of times placed in areas where things happen and it’s written to make the MC look good and everyone look extra s*upid. None of it is ever described well. Okay, examples are required: MC knows evil guy is gonna use X strategy to take the city when she’s under siege. She’s leading the coalition forces (somehow) that all trust an injured always feverish but somehow super aura Mary Sue war commander. What’s her brilliant plan? They go to a city... and do nothing. She just hangs around until she gets to give the brilliant deduction that when villain shows up he’s planning a trap! So she just talks to some higher up guys and does nothing. ML and Mc’s dual brothers show up and somehow miss the villain.

3) The ML is a huge bundle of contradictions that is played up for the sake of the romance. Not only is he super pious Buddha but he’s also super mu*derous Sultan Gu. It’s your spooky alter ego thing. I don’t buy for a second that this guy has no worldly desires since he almost instantly falls for the MC what with Mc’s nonsense otherworldly beauty where everyone calls her a fairy. That after she’s been suffering for days and shouldn’t look good at all. ML also is a cultivator who has been ill all his life yet instantly is not ill when MC is around because every mu*derous scene needs to just be “wow it’s so amazing MC can calm down super mu*derous ML”... when we never see the ML do anything mu*derous. This is explained in novel by MC giving ML lovesickness and is even more BS than the events earlier.

4) Nonsense extra spoiler background China dynasty number one super yeah! : The MC and ML are both typical star crossed lovers with hidden backgrounds of being random nobodies placed in high positions. MC is an abandoned baby and so is ML. Not only that but haha it turns out the ML was half Chinese all along! s*upid monks and idiots from Ml’s group along with forgotten antagonist villainess princess reappear and get downed within a few chapters just so we can nod in unison and think, Thank God the Chinese people from the main dynasty along with our MC showed up to save the dumb ML who defended a city with nothing.

EXTRA SPOILER BELOW:

5) Okay these points aren’t too cohesive. All the problems are basically in the summary of the whole plot of the first 40 or so percent of the novel:

Author sets up a pretty interesting plot world. Author proceeds to make one villain guy who really wants to r*pe the MC be the big bad and never ever get killed but suffer a few setbacks. Author tosses premise of novel world out the window within the first 1/3 of the book and makes the original ML of the novel world just be an in*estuous creep who wants to have s*x with MC. MC who knows that ML of novel world wants to kill her and her brother will do bad stuff and makes zero actual preparation to protect herself and author includes BS explanation that anything bad she tries to do to ML won’t work due to magical plot armor. This conveniently vanished later in the novel as soon as the author decided it didn’t matter. MC sent off to die/be r*ped by scum other foreigners in a tribute marriage and manages to escape due to her own BS plot armor after not even trying to leave or escape. MC easily escapes then is plundered by main villain guy who wants to r*pe MC. MC gets plot armor and is fine until ML rescues her. MC is super pretty so ML instantly falls for her after MC cares about the guy who saved her. MC suggests stuff to ML and ML rescues MC countless times until original novel male lead guy suddenly realizes he is in*estuous and should find MC. MC is presumed dead because the scum foreigners were all mu*dered back then by villain guy. Mc’s brother freaks out that MC died, attacks king in public and is fine (except losing his martial arts? Oh noes!). Original novel male lead guy is mad MC is dead and so goes to kill the king too! The two brothers separate decide to find MC in hopes that they can pick up her corpse in a nonsense brain dead manner but luckily for them MC is chilling with ML and not trying to message back or anything (She has tons of people she could send to go check on her brother but never does.) And that’s just the start. Novel only continues to worsen with more and more nonsense stuff mentioned above and more that I frankly am too lazy to mention.

[collapse]

Look, it’s an extremely shallow novel that was written in a way to make the silly choices MC makes somehow seem smart and to give the ML a whole bunch of “Wow I can’t believe he saved her and is now all injured despite being a monk who can’t love haha!”

There’s barely any fluff romance between them and the ML is as shallow as it goes with amazing lines to the equivalent of “MC is so young and pretty. I can’t bring her into my dark world of monk kingship.”

There is absolutely no heavy plot, you never feel MC will have any harm (after surviving countless injuries and fainting), the romance is a slog where neither person can speak clearly, and we’ve got a classic tribal villain guy who MC and ML let get away way back several times. It’s mediocre and dull.

-700tril/10 bad.

P.S.: Novel for people who like reading about a part time damsel in distress full time Mary Sue MC. Another botched story where the crossing doesn’t matter except quite literally one conversation and for the author to create plot magic for MC to know stuff except when she forgets and it almost gets people killed. <<less
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TULI
TULI rated it
January 16, 2021
Status: c91
A little different and fresh story. Those who are bored reading typical novels, they can try it. The Fl

Spoiler

She is really a great character. She is nation's first beauty but sick by birth. The thing that attracted me most as her kindness. She isn't a silly typical one who will die for others. She is just rational and know her limit. She is pure minded calculative and scheming person. Well it's funny but that's how she is. The emperor said no one can truly understands him even his beloved wife but only she can. She has both beauty and love from commoners. But she really has no one in the court to stands for her as she eventually had to marry away.

[collapse]

I also can't hate the emperor. He is a great ruler but not father. Also his circumstances forces him to do this. Finding nothing he vented his guilt and frustration towards FLs family.
Spoiler

There is a misunderstanding in the novel as the ML is not her true elder brother. He has different mother. His mother sowed the seed of hatred and revenge in him in very young age. As such he grew up with this and became this type. Nevertheless he really has a great character. He knows his wife has another in her heart. But he never disowned her ever though it is her second marriage. So he can be said to have a kind and gentle heart.

Love the second Prince who is the true blood brother (actually he is also not. There's a twist). I think the main reason for his downfall is because he wants to be loved by his father and he couldn't accept the truth that he is just a chess piece.

[collapse]

The ML
Spoiler

The ML appeared a little bit later. He actually has double personality characteristics. I like the matter that he is really a true gentleman. He helped other just simply he can helps them and don't own anything. I never found a ML as kind as him. For protecting his country he had to learn martial arts which blacklish from time to time. Even so he never killed innocent. He dedicated his whole life for his country but just because he is a maids son, they forget all his contributions and whole country turn against him. It really chills my heart.

[collapse]

The story is basically based on the FL who is fighting her whole life to live safely and ML, a monk, who is fighting for his country's stability. They both have loneliness and many sorrows and became each other salvation. The FL has a golden finger- she knows many things which will happen in the future. As it is a royalty based one, the characters have status in the society and well described.
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Dragon_Reader
Dragon_Reader rated it
March 4, 2021
Status: Completed
A wonderful story where the FL is particularly strong despite being physically sick.

... more>>
Spoiler

FL is in a book where she and her blood brother are hated by the emperor (their father) and the Book!ML (their half brother). The whole situation is too tragic just coz of the bastard emperor who simply refuses to admit he was wrong.

Later, MC has to run away and uses ML to escape the clutches of a v cruel man

[collapse]

Romance is v slow and happens only after 100+ chapters. Even then there's some angst
Spoiler

ML's dying coz of some cultivation technique, turns out not really. All he needed to do was unknot some heart demon or whatever to completely become fine. Then MC collapses coz each time she changes the book fate (aka her brother's death, her death, ML's death), she will face consequences.

[collapse]

Politics is really good. MC knows a lot of stuff (a little exaggerated tbh but it's a novel so that's fine). Author completely ties up all lose ends and there's some extras too.

Book - 5/5

T/L - 5/5 <<less
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ShenMiao98
ShenMiao98 rated it
January 19, 2021
Status: Completed
I don't bother to rate novels here very often. But this time, . I had to, because this was that good. It's quite lengthy, but nowhere near as long as the usual webnovels. Somewhere between RotMEoML and Chu Wang Fei,...I think.

I loved all the characters here. They're all so well-developed, and the politics is all so intricate... the delicate balance between court politics, war and ascetism that the ML has to experience on a daily basis, was so well written. There are no stereotypical villains and cannon fodders, there are... more>> clear reasons and goals behind the actions of every character.

As for the main leads,... they were absolutely amazing,... each in their own rights. Tamara Gha has to be the most pitiful male lead out there without contest. <<less
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ShenMiaoFan
ShenMiaoFan rated it
August 29, 2021
Status: c72
Everyone, as soon as you click on Thousand Miles of Bright Moonlight, YOU MUST READ IT! In the beginning, judging from the summary, you may think this novel will have a comedic atmosphere, but you are greatly mistaken. Although there are moments in certain chapters that are funny, most of it is just plot or in the first half, flashbacks.

As for romance, you can see from the tags, it's late. If you want to know when the male lead appears, spoiler, it's when you're around 70 chapters into the novel.... more>> You may think "the most important part about a romance novel is romance, how am I going to go through 70 chapters without any appearances of the male lead?" BUT THIS NOVEL HAS NO NEED FOR A MALE LEAD, well, at least in the first half of the story; we need the monk to save our precious princess anyways.

As I was saying, the most important thing about this book is not romance or drama, but how the author magically spins the story into a touching and fantastic tale from the perspective of our precious princess. We are able sympathize and pity her as she struggles to survive in a world where the weak are bullied by the strong, and human lives are regarded as dust. We are able to be touched by her kind actions toward those who are also in the same situation as her, struggling to survive. We are able to be touched by her unwavering loyalty and love towards her family members (exclude the father out, categorizing him with tr*sh is an insult to tr*sh itself) like her brother (Li Zhongqian) and her mother, and; for them, she can sacrifice herself for the sake of preserving their lives.

If you're still hesitating because you're worried if the antagonists have problems with their brains like in some other ancient chinese novels, don't worry, they're fine and not 2D! Moreover, some major antagonists in this novel like the original male lead (Li Xuanzhen) even have a backstory to why they became how they are.

Every story has a problem within it, after all, nothing is perfect. The only problem I can see with this story is that in the beginning, it can be a bit slow (like.. in the first 10 chapters or so), but no need to stress; as you progress, the story becomes more intense and you'll start to look forward to how our precious princess will use her intelligence and resources to the best of her ability as a way to protect herself and those around her. Although there's not as much face-slapping scenes as you would see in your typical transmigrating-to-ancient-china novel, you will definitely receive plenty of satisfaction when those harming our precious princess and her loved ones meet their downfall.

To top it off, I'll tell you a secret. It's not like there will be dozens of people who'll read my review in the future, so don't tell anyone, ok? Ok? So here's the thing... AFTER READING THOUSAND MILES OF BRIGHT MOONLIGHT, IT HAS REPLACED THE REBIRTH OF THE MALICIOUS EMPRESS OF MILITARY LINEAGE AS MY FAVPRITE NOVEL EVER!! <<less
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Tobboki
Tobboki rated it
March 15, 2021
Status: --
please, if you have time, consider read this story..

It so wonderful.. The development, the characters, plot all can drive you in deeply..

Sorry I can't write english well but it is one of the best story that i've read

I do love the ML, the pain that he goes through can make you cry, and the FL, she is lovely..

Overall this is masterpiece 👏🏻👍🏻
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Wisteria227
Wisteria227 rated it
September 5, 2021
Status: Completed
I will rate this after I've finished the novel, but I just want to leave a review for the meantime.

From the summary, I thought this was going to be a light-hearted novel with early romance. I normally hate long, dramatic, and depressing novels. I mean, life is already stressful enough so why bother to add more frustration lol?

I'll tell you. I've never been so frustrated and detested a character so much as mc's dad. No matter what excuse he has, I won't be able to sympathize with him. I've been... more>> disgusted with how the ministers, those despicable bastards schemed our MC, but his decision and indifference to it made me so absolutely frustrated so much that I was filled with righteous indignation towards MC's situation and how helpless she is against everything. As a ruler, your interests are for the nation, and your interests are for the people. But really! I can't help getting mad whenever I think about it.

Spoiler

That Fukang girl, that dumb B. I'm aware its ancient thinking but, DUDE if you can't even bother to think twice to sacrifice ur OWN daughter in replacement of a woman who's not even ur child, as a solider, as a general, and as a ruler, who do you even want to protect? Why tf man, is there any meaning to ur life? I mean, wtf are u fighting and ruling for if all lives are just dirt beneath your feet, and so easily disposable? Come on, just how do you find the will to live everyday? I'm sorry, I know it's just a novel I keep telling myself to calm down but this guy is seriously making me mad that I needed to leave my rant somewhere LMAO.

[collapse]

The ML has yet to appear unfortunately. I'm just straight up binging everything to quickly get to the part where things become more light-hearted, but the MC and ME probably has to go through more up and downs before then. Right now, I just need romance to warm my chilled heart so pleaaaseee ML, you need to appear soon! Even comedy is better but there's none : (

I'm honestly reluctant to continue reading because depressing stories aren't really my thing, right now I'm just asking myself what have I gotten myself into. I literally forgot how mentally exhausting can political intrigue and dramas be, and this novel just reminded me that. I'd probably revert to reading comedies after finishing this LOL.

。。。

To be reading this is like becoming a monk alongside with the ML, you need extreme patience.

This is a really, really lengthy novel. I was entertained but also felt tired with the amount of drama, and also tired of copying and pasting chinese text for the 1000th time for better translations for nearly a month. Also DUDE, MC NEEDS TO CATCH A BREAK FR. actually I need it too-

I got badly tricked! I thought they were gonna be together at the 105th chapter, but turns out I had to read 70 more to really see them actually getting together ಠ_ರೃ.

Many thanks to the translator for introducing this novel ☆〜(ゝ。∂) thank u!! Now I have nothing else to read again. <<less
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RedcRown
RedcRown rated it
September 3, 2021
Status: Completed
This one is such a gem. I’m not good with words but i’ll try my best to express my thoughts and opinion upon reading this. This story deserve a long standing ovation so just bear with me.

This novel is the perfect cup of tea for those who’re searching for an excellent political intrigue/romance story. Upon reading this novel I can just feel how much thoughts and effort the author put into this novel. The war strategies and perfect buddhist quote for every situation is just *chef’s kiss* in my opinion.... more>> It’s not the novel where author just skip all over the planning and strategizing phase of the war, she/he just put it there step by step and as a layman in this war games, I was just blown away at how many layers of deceit and lies and intrigue that you have to swim through just to win one freaking war. And she/he didn’t just write about a single war, you will get one war either big or small in just a few chapters apart. Simply amazing.

For people like me who like their story with just enough dose of angst it’s just flawless. It’s sad but at the same time you’ll thank the god because the protagonist survive all their past experience to make them who they’re now.

THE ROMANCEEE!!!!! OMG, I just can’t rave enought about that. You got a monk ML, so you’d expect a slow burn romance, and that’s exactly what you’ll get but so much better that I am left without words. It’s simply BEYOND PERFECTION. The MC is without doubt one of the character I admired most in all of the novels I've read. She’s just simply up there with the best. She’s adorable, damn smart and to top it off she’s the most beautiful woman during her time, but in this story it’s not potrayed as a good thing because she doesn’t have the kind of protection that she should get with that kind of beauty. Being too beautiful in ancient time - power/protection= disaster.

The ML is scarred all over from his battles and struggle when the MC just pop into his life like a firework, bringing all the warmth and beauty together into his dark and lonely world. I know it sounds cliche but the struggle that he face is so real and true to people with power that had responsibilities weighing heavily on his shoulder.

When they finally decide to just be together, I kid you not I was screaming into my pillow at 3 am in the morning. It’s just so beautiful that I felt like crying. After all that struggle, *teary eyed*, my babies are finally free to express their affection for each other. The extras is *wink*wink* dang hot too. (●///▽///●) It’s simply a goddamn ride, the kind that you never want to get off. Sadly, i’m once again left with this hollow feeling that such a good story is finally ending. I wish I could just delete my memory and read it all over again. Definitely gonna be a reread.

Lastly I just want to thank the translator for leading me to this gem. Thank you. <<less
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nnshii
nnshii rated it
January 27, 2021
Status: Completed
First of all, I agreed with what the translator said in their review. The summary does a good and bad job explaining the novel. The first impression, I thought the novel is a funny or easy novel. But I was wrong.

The plot is so heavy and feel real. It makes me cried, make me happy, make me feel tired, make me feel god when this gonna end please save these characters. The romance is a bit slow since the ML only appeared around chapter 40 or 50 like that.

I want... more>> to give 5 stars at first but I admit I did skip some of the chapters. The novel is great, it has a good plot, characters written well but I feel like it some parts doesn't do anything for me. That's my thought only. I'm going to check out the author's other novels. <<less
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whitespade
whitespade rated it
June 18, 2022
Status: Completed
MTLd, a little too hard but not impossible. The story is too good I don't care. Might reread in several years after this is completely translated.

Before you start, just understand this novel is heavy in military and geography. Of course you can just not care and read without understanding whatever they are saying when they talk about how to move the army from one point to the next. This novel is readable by only focusing on the result of the characters plotting.

If you come here specifically for romance, don't. It... more>> is very sloooooow. The first kiss is around ch170 and this novel has 200ch. You must not read this novel expecting love at first sight between the leads. However the payoff is really good. I feel like they go through fire and water for their love and it's not perfunctory like in other novels where we see the leads love each other just because they are the most handsome and beautiful people in the area.

MC and ML are perfect Mary Sue and Gary Stu but you will literally don't care. Their perfectness is not to overwhelm the reader about how awesome they are, but their perfectness is to carry heavy burdens that less than perfect MC and ML can never carry. For MC, she is the most beautiful woman on Earth. This beauty caused everyone to easily help her, but this beauty also caused everyone to go crazy trying to own her. For ML, he is the strongest person but also the person in the most pain for that strength.

Aside from MC and ML, the antagonists are also nearly perfect with boundless strength and intelligence. This is what make the novel great. Everyone have high IQ, it's just that our MC and ML wins because they have just a little bit more foresight, especially with our MC able to deduce a lot of things from her previous life.

I also love how rich in culture this novel is, specifically about Buddhism. You can imagine easily in your head with the author's vivid description. The role of culture, race and religion in bringing people together and pulling them away is skillfully used to create tensions and conflict.

Please read! <<less
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Fulminata
Fulminata rated it
April 5, 2021
Status: c69
First and foremost: this is not a light-hearted, nor a feel-good kind of novel. You'll see struggles, some depressing things, realistic things, but it'll not be the type where "all light is lost". The political aspect of this novel, with its intricate plots that are executed with heavy prices and bargains, are one of its most polished aspect. We have a smart and cunning MC, and I'm delighted to tell you that you'll hardly feel the presence of any plot armor trying to keep her snug and safe and warm... more>> at all. She is independent in the sense that she has a high degree of agency in her choices, and consciously use it to trade one benefit with another. Yet, the constraint of the world and common sense here is mostly enforced to the max. She will plot, she will win some, lose some, and she will definitely pay the price. And it's hella enjoyable to watch. The characterization of the MC and her brother are simply lovely to behold. Flawed and resilient, yet you can't help but to root for them and their familial bond. For other characters such as the "villains", some are presented with an intriguing inner monologue that adds depth to the story. I resent some of them, but the way that they're presented is just that good, I couldn't help but think that they've indeed served as a superb supporting characters. They're not a 1 dimensional cardboard, and they're also not devil incarnate; just some multifaceted characters with their own ambitions that coincidentally served as a foil in another soul's story. The overall tone of this story is a bit somber. The plot is seriously good and tightly-woven, the characters will make you feel invested in their well-being. You'll be frustrated, you'll cry, you'll laugh. It's that good, with beautiful translations, and I think it's one of the best in nu. The drama is far more manageable than some that are intended to be a tear-jerker like mei gonqqing, ballad of the desert , because I don't think this novel deliberately intended to make you cry. The crying part just naturally happen as a byproduct of superb storytelling.

So. If you're tired from all the feel-good wish-fulfilment fluffs and is looking for a more somber and seriously good political romance, where the MC is as smart as she is ruthless to herself to protect the things that she cared about, then this one is for you. <<less
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Snoweee
Snoweee rated it
August 17, 2021
Status: Completed
it’s been a while since I’ve read such an amazing novel from novelupdates again!!

This novel exceeded my expectations. I’ve spent 3 days to finish the whole novel. Though there are small loopholes but everything is perfect. The romance is really comes out a bit late but the flow is just right and so many twist and turn that will make you so hook to spent all your days reading just like what happened to me. There’s really no big dramas/slapface like other historical novels out there instead. It’s worth reading... more>> it!! <<less
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taohua098
taohua098 rated it
August 20, 2022
Status: Completed
A beautiful and poignant story.

This novel is unlike any other historical novel I have read.

Li Yaoying is one of my favourite protagonists, she is smart and always plans ahead, she struggles and grits her teeth and desperately clings onto hope, fighting for herself and her loved ones and also, for her fellow countrymen, so people can live in peace and prosperity, without the fear of war.

... more>> At first, it’s very heavy on world building and geography but once you pass it, the plot slowly gains momentum and keeps you captivated.

Sometimes, when you read other Chinese historical novels it often feels like you are reading about the female leads accompaniment of the male leads rise to the throne and that she is just his mere helper and emotional support, but not Li Yaoying.

The opponents are always intelligent and their schemes cannot be underestimated. Yet, in all battles, she strategically plans and calculates, overcoming the constant twists and turns.

The story made me cry a lot, the characters have complex emotions and backgrounds and the relationships are sometimes touching, sometimes bittersweet.

The love between her and the male lead can be described as
Spoiler

tender, the other is someone that they can lean on to soothe their weariness from the long, previously lonely, journey. You cannot help but to shed tears when they manage to overcome all obstacles and finally find true peace.

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This novel, with it’s intriguing plot and characters, is most definitely one of the best I have read. <<less
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J Doe
J Doe rated it
April 13, 2022
Status: c113
This is a brilliant story.

Li Yaoying, a neglected princess with knowledge that she's barely a side character in a "push me pull you" type of historical romance, decides to change the fate of those she loves and turns around the fate of more than just her family members. She keeps her intellect and her humanitarian gestures low key, always allowing others to underestimate her.

The other "side" characters are well formed, with compelling backstories and the world they live in (politics and war/power/strife) is fleshed out in poetic detail. It's really... more>> a treat to read.

The romance for our FL and ML is super slow going, but that's fine. I like that there's no rush. It looks like everyone else is having romance troubles enough, especially her eldest brother, the Crown Prince- ostensibly the male lead of the book they're in. His female lead is the catalyst for Li Yaoying heading off into a doomed marriage outside of their country of Great Wei. Their father, Li De, has his past and present romantic woes although his daughter sees through that to the heartless man who uses everyone to one end or another and couldn't be said to consider anyone as essential, even if he did once love his first wife. With this around her, it will take a while for her to open her heart to anyone who she doesn't define as family.

The translator is doing an amazing job of balancing the flowery language, poetic allusions and action. It's easy to follow and I appreciate the footnotes and occasional pictures. <<less
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Wu_Zetian
Wu_Zetian rated it
August 21, 2022
Status: c120
Read it!

This is a must-read. Slow, thoughtful, yet emotionally intense and full of twists and turns. This novel is about how a transmigrated FL changes a typical dog-blood love story into a suspenseful political intrigue romance. I cannot recommend it enough. The protagonist is smart, the world and characters fleshed out, and the writer makes you care. A lot. I think I cried several times. You really get a sense of how it feels to arrive in a world where survival isn't guaranteed, but it doesn't end up a depressing... more>> experience because we follow a female lead that is always resourceful and driven. This is shaping up to be one of my favourite webnovels.

On a side note, I'd like to thank the translator – I did not comment on because the website requires creating an account, but the translation is amazing, and I love the footnotes. Never feel self-conscious for putting in footnotes, even if they repeat! There's a real depth of context around this story. The translated prose is almost delicate at times, which I think really goes well with the way the story is told. Thank you :) <<less
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Ariel
Ariel rated it
November 1, 2021
Status: Completed
I must say this novel is excellent and remarkable. MC and ML are both strong-willed and wise. MC has suffered so much and she still tries her best to protect her loved ones. She doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice herself at all. And I especially love the brother-sister duo. They protect and love each other even at the risk of their own lives.
I hate Mc’s father though. He’s very selfish and cunning, always trying to suppress MC and her brother. Crown prince isn’t even that bad. I thought he would... more>> be the villain but it was the emperor.
ML is perfect and such a good ruler. He is very pitiful and his whole life is so sad. I’m really glad that he met the MC.
I definitely recommend this novel. It has a good plot and three-dimensional characters and is very intriguing. I didn’t skip any chapter and read from start to finish. It took me 3days to finish this. I read all of the translated chapters and mtl’ed the rest. Mtl is very easy to understand. So, if you can’t wait for translation, you can mtl. That’s it. Bye! <<less
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becadfn
becadfn rated it
August 23, 2021
Status: c70
Please, just start it. Ignore the idiotic sinopse, this novel goes beyond that. The main character is smart, real and honest with her feelings. She moves forward with a love without bounds for her brother. There isn't an idiotic villainess or any of the sort
Spoiler

maybe a confused and dumb bit*h whom I can't forgive as she was the catalyst for all

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Flying Jade
Flying Jade
June 29, 2021
Status: --
The plot is interesting, the characters are deep and multilayered, and the political intrigue is good. BUT (no spoiler) ... more>>
Spoiler

the writing goes from good to annoying.

There are paragraphs and paragraphs of world background info dumps, repetitive exposition, and the dialogue begins to thin out. The writer tries too hard to expand the characters emotional depth with long expositions, which are repeated in almost every other chapter as if to reinforce a point. The book soon starts to lack the actions, witty confrontations and dialogues of the characters, settling in a lazy narrative pattern with historical information dumps littering it. A disappointment to a good plot.

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Of course, after getting through that rough patch, the story picks up and becomes super immersive <<less
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