I Became The Stepmother of My Ex-husband

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Lin Wei Xi found out after she died that she was just a cannon fodder in a novel, used as contrast to the gentle and considerate and virtuous female lead.

The male lead was her ex-husband, the dignified heir of Yan Wang, his family were superior and brilliant, but the female lead was not her.

The female lead was her concubine-born younger sister, and her husband’s white moonlight, his cinnabar mole, no wonder! After Lin Wei Xi died, her husband finally married her sister as he wished.

She watched coldly at the two like honey in the oil, in love and harmonious, everyone using the success of her younger sister to contrast the impropriety of the original wife.

Lin Wei Xi sneered, okay, since your love moves the world, then this sister will come back and be your stepmother!

So she married her ex-husband’s father, the father-in-law she never met in the previous life, the country’s God of war, who has not remarried after losing his wife, the one that hold military power, the brilliant Yan Wang.

Later Yan Wang, who was in his prime years and used to act decisively, looked at his small, delicate, much younger wife, and had a headache.

No matter, she is still young, he have to spoil her, indulge her, teach her.

Associated Names
One entry per line
IBTSOME
ข้ากลายเป็นแม่เลี้ยงของอดีตสามี
我给前夫当继母
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
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Married To The Male Lead’s Father (8)
Rather Than The Son, I’ll Take The Father (4)
Second Marriage of a Wealthy Old Man (3)
The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir (3)
When Spring Comes (3)
Recommendation Lists
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l8rose
New l8rose rated it
March 1, 2024
Status: Completed
Rather enjoyable, but quick, story about a woman who has suffered at the hands of a transmigrator and gets a second chance at life by taking on the life of another person.

The FL is Xi, the di daughter of a Duke household, who married the heir of Yan Wang. Only to be abandoned by her husband and die a lonely death inside her courtyard. She is reborn in the body of another girl, with a similar birthdate and name, who had just passed away. Surprisingly, the FL's first reaction is... more>> not to seek revenge for what happened but to simply live a happy life. Unfortunately, nothing goes her way except for the ML and from there, she becomes the step-mother to the man she married in the first life.

Spoiler

As soon as she takes over the body, she has to deal with a multitude of people trying to steal her things (from the magistrate to her aunt). Then it was people trying to matchmake her with various men in the village as if she doesn't have a choice (in this case, she has no immediate relatives or maternal family so she has a little more say then normal but only to finding someone to vouch for her). Then her new cousin tries to sexually assault her.

Which is why she runs to the ML and convinces him to take her out of the village and find her somewhere safe to live.

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The ML is Yan Wang, a military commander who was part of a group of three left behind by the previous Emperor to help safeguard the new one (who was just still a very young child when he gained the throne). He is a full generation older than the FL but agrees to marry her after she asks. A typical general, he is rather strict but he acts kind to the FL and endulges her to the point of near silliness.

Spoiler

Such as wanting to leave a meeting with the Emperor early which resulted in the Emperor sending a sedan chair for the FL instead.

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Through the story, we get to see the FL's interaction with her former husband (who begins to develop feelings for the new her), her half sister who is now the husband's wife and the other assorted family members she left behind. She doesn't go out of her way to cause trouble for anyone but she doesn't allow herself to become a stepping stone for anyone. As things progress, we see karma hit all those who had wronged her in the previous life in spectacular ways. Major points behind the spoiler.

Spoiler

Her half-sister schemes against the woman about to become a concubine for the former husband by using the yin yang pot (allows you to pour two different drinks from it). The FL reveals the pot to the former husband and it begins a crack in the relationship (especially once the former husband hears how the half-sister has been lying about their initial meeting and the marriage with the FL's original body).

The pot leads her former father learns that he has been spoiling a concubine (and her children) even though she was responsible for the death of his legal wife as well as schemed against his most beloved concubine in the same way. He flat out says she is going to be sold in the morning and then leaves the manor in his grief (over the death of his wife, concubine and how much he had ignored his di daughter). In his turmoil, he ends up having an accident. The concubine doesn't reveal that he left the manor upset so no one goes to look for him and he dies.

This leaves the Duke family with no heir (the half-sister always assumed it would be her brother but he is a shu son so that would reduce the title by several levels and the clan doesn't want that) so they plan to adopt a relative under the FL's original mother. The half-sister tries to scheme both this adopted son and the FL (as she was pregnant at the time) by drugging a horse to crash into the FL. This is the downfall of the half-sister who is then confined for the rest of her life.

And the former husband begins to realize that his wife has been reborn as his now-stepmother which causes him to develop feelings for her. This is made even more awkward by his father, the ML, realizing that his son clearly had inappropriate thoughts about the FL. The former husband never acts on his feelings, just watches in anguish as the FL and ML are very doting to one another.

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The antagonist in this is actually kind of silly. She has roughly 35-ish years of experience (26 when she transmigrated over as a child) but never progresses past what she knew as a modern woman. She alternates between thinking she is better than everyone else (because she's a modern woman) and thinking women need to control their men.

Spoiler

It's actually a little deranged as she is the one who instigated her mother into all the acts that led to them becoming favored in the Duke household. We don't see these events but she basically helped her mother stress out the legal wife (which caused her to miscarry and then die from complications), helped her with the yin yang pot to scheme the other concubine and explained that she needed to make the half-brother flatter and act like a good son so he could take the position as heir (even if that was impossible).

She also constantly schemed against her half-sister as they were growing up. She made a point of showcasing how awesome she is but as it's pointed out in the books, it was easy for her to appear better because she had the knowledge of an adult woman behind a child. The thing with the husband was a little messed as well, she helped a random stranger and gave him a pendant instead of her name. All so she could say it was her sister if the man came looking and wasn't up to her standards. Once she discovered that it was Yan Wang's heir, she immediately claimed her sister stole it all from her.

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The ending is fairly decent, not too anti-climatic even though it feels more like a 'slice of life' kind of ending. The happy couple end up with a child between them and going off to the fief to live happily ever after.

Only issue is that there is a lot of 'tell' when it comes to things. There will be paragraphs upon paragraphs of just explaining why someone is doing something, and it often repeats what was already said. There is also an unneeded gut punch with one of the after stories which focused on the former husband's feelings (to make him not as bad I guess?). <<less
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crystalwings
crystalwings rated it
September 14, 2020
Status: Completed
I would've rated this a 5 star if it weren't for that 1 part at the end.

The way that one part played out really broke my heart. I found it absolutely annoying, and it ruined my impression of the story.

That being said, I would like to clarify that it's nothing like cheating or along those lines. In fact, it might not even bother some people, and the rest of the story is very sweetly written.

I just didn't like how the characters acted in this part.

Spoilers

... more>>
Spoiler

So in this part, ML started having doubts/suspicions about MC's identity, because she was reborn.

She is pregnant with his child at this point, and he starts avoiding her due to said suspicions. It's due to this and certain reasons that the ML then leaves the capital. When MC is giving birth though, he rushes back to accompany her. To be fair, in this section, he is full of worries and genuinely regrets leaving her at such a dangerous time for her.

However, the good impression I have of him is pretty much cracked by what happens next.

Basically, they reunite and she removes all the doubts in his heart by pleading with him. She half-apologizes for being such a stubborn person, states that he's the best ever, and pleads for a new start. ML is touched, accepts, and lets go of the problems in his heart.

I don't get this. MC didn't even choose to be reborn, it just happened that way. While she was never completely honest, it's not like she outright lied about it either. She also keeps her appropriate distance from her previous husband, and does her best to care for her current one, the ML. I really don't see where she did anything wrong.

The only thing I can think of that should reasonably upset the ML is that she didn't really marry him for love. However, she had a valid reason for doing it, and he accepted it already.

So I can't understand why the story needs MC to become like this. If the ML suspected something, why didn't he talk to her? She didn't even really do anything wrong, she didn't interfere with your interests, why do you accept an apology?

If MC hadn't come to the ML, then would he have just gone about his life forever not letting go of this issue?

What I really couldn't stand that after all that the MC went through, in the end, she had to bring down her prideful and (imo) lovely attitude to appease ML.

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There are several omitted details ofc, and I may have misunderstood/forgot something. Especially since I burned my eyes with MTL.

However I can't seem to find a way to come to terms with this. I understand it's a small part of the book and ML is very good to MC otherwise, but you judge people by how they are when facing problems.

To be honest, I should have really seen it coming, MC's personality after rebirth changes and I already didn't like some things.

All in all, I can't say that it's a bad novel since it isn't. Aside from this one section, the problems I have with it are very minimal. There's so much cuteness and fluff, which makes it more of a shame for me. <<less
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xuexin
xuexin rated it
October 23, 2020
Status: Completed
First of all, the translation for this is really disappointing. However, if we don't take the translation into consideration, this is a very good novel. MC dies, but wakes up in a body of another individual who is in the same world and timeline after her death. In this life, she is able to marry Yan Wang who actually treats her with love and respect that she never received in her previous life. She never went out of her way to specifically marry her ex-husband's father for revenge or anything... more>> like that. Let's be clear that revenge was not the main point of this story. MC does not scheme against anyone in this novel. There is a decent amount of fluff, but not too much. It's enough to show you that the ML cares for her very much. It's a nice story about a cannon fodder given a second chance at life with a loving husband, while also watching the people who schemed against her fall through their own faults.

The reason this novel is still good without MC doing any dirty work is because people eventually show their true colors. Everyone around her fall from grace from their own actions. People still get what they deserved, because the truth of what happened in the past come to light. People who scheme end up being found out. Some people are just too greedy.

Spoiler

MC's ex-husband is really inadequate. He can't be an ML in any way. He has no achievements; only banking on his father's achievements and status. Second, he left his first wife in the dark until she died, because he believes she lied to him, but never confronted her about this. She never lied about anything, because they never even talked about it. His two marriages were failures, because he was a bad husband. All these failures before he even turned 20, lol. Then he realized he has feelings for his step mother? Oh god...

Gao Ran is a transmigrator, but is just a green tea b*tch. She was pretty dumb in continuing to scheme instead of fixing her relationship with her husband first. She keeps pushing her luck thinking she has the golden halo. She thought that because she was a transmigrator from the future that she was better than any of them. She was too conceited and overconfident. She really brought everything on herself...

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holachica
holachica rated it
February 4, 2021
Status: --
I just wanted to say this. At first I thought the ex-ML was s*upid af. But thinking about it, I mean seriously, think about it: he grew up from childhood with
Spoiler
    1. A delusional mother who spent all her time instilling him with nonsense, since he was young. When nonsense is repeated day in day out, with no other views to contradict it, especially considering that
      she was his mother and that she was just a child, the fact that ex-ML was practically brainwashed comes as no surprise.
    2. A cold grandmother who didn't like him, courtesy of his delusional mother. This, obviously, would've pushed him closer to his mother's side, because she was all he had.
    3. The ML, his father, was an absent figure.
    4. Of course, the ML had his completely justified reasons (fighting in the courts and in the war to save his family from demise--a big duty), but the fact remains that he did not play many parts in ex-ML's life. He didn't even show up for his son's first wedding. True, he does, internally care about the ex-ML but outwardly? Outwardly he's done very little. In fact, he laments about how ex-ML isn't as great as he wants him to be, but that's like putting your hopes on an ignorant toddler. Human development is half nature and half nurture, i.e. bother your genes and your environment play a part. When you consider how the ML has the genes of a delusional person, and how his childhood was stuck around a delusional person and a father who was never present at all... that he didn't turn out completely wasteful is already lucky enough. IMO if you cut out the blood relationship... in terms of interactions and involvement... the two could almost be considered strangers.
    5. The ex-ML had, IMO, a pretty psychologically f*cked childhood. Even if he doesn't realize it himself. I don't blame the author for trying to whitewash him. Of course, that he neglected the MC remains, and it doesn't cancel the rest of his actions, but it serves to mention that he, by himself, shouldn't take all the blame. I do agree that he should own up to his actions... I mean ditching your wife, despising her stubborn qualities, and neglecting her to die alone... but later when 'she' appears again in your life, the same person she always was, (albeit not 'herself', i.e. Gao Xi anymore) and suddenly you become head over heels? Bruh.
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xjgg
xjgg rated it
August 19, 2021
Status: --
the ML made my teeth itch. He mentioned several times how he was disappointed with his son. What right does he have to be disappointed, seriously? He knew all along that the employees in his estate weren't quite right and mentioned to MC that he was going to clean them up. You were willing to do that for your new wife, why didn't you do it sooner for your young son before you up and left for the war? That's the least you could do for him if you wanted... more>> to leave him with your delusional wife. Like, I'm sorry to tell you this, but being a father means more than getting tutors and hope for the best that your son will turn out alright when the people surrounding him ever since he was born are barely in their right minds. I'm pisssseeeddd. I thought he was the typical too-lazy-to-deal-with-inner-house-affairs that's why he let his wife's staff stayed and hovered around his son. But when it came to FL he was going to clean up the staff before she even let out a peep. /Yell/

now you have a young, beautiful wife and suddenly you turn into someone gentle and pampering. Your wife is someone new in your life and you are willing to do all that for her. What right do you have to feel disappointed with your son when you barely raised him? <<less
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Liyu
Liyu rated it
February 12, 2021
Status: --
A question, a genuine one : where do people see that the MC is smart?

She is dumb as hell, can't contain her emotions and doesn't know how to act. She is VERY childish and brainless, suits more the characteristics of a cannon fodder. She easily lets things slip up, I don't know how people didn't suspect her at all?

It ruined it for me, really idiotic. The MC also didn't learn her lesson. She is acting as if getting along with your spouse is a disgraceful thing, granted whoring yourself and... more>> suppressing your opinion is a no, but the examples of "getting along" that she gives are simply a show of affection, the same thing she expected from the ex-ML and current-ml. It's a mutual necessary thing in a relationship. She is acting as if being a wife is being a house manager or something and that the emotional part should be left to the concubines. Like it's a noble thing to not be affectionate with your spouse, it's a weird mentality. But anyways, the polygamy in their times probably is a natural killer to any true emotion between spouses. <<less
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Jevanka926
Jevanka926 rated it
September 10, 2020
Status: Completed
This novel is beautiful.

It's logical, funny, sweet, and sad at the same time. The characters inner struggles are in line with their characters, thus making it more believeable. I'm deeply attracted to this novel because when I tried to read it, I found out that FL is not a bloodthirsthy one. She was furious, she was depressed she was disappointed. But that didn't mean she would become cold blooded.

The ML, as a general who shouldered a heavy burden from his clan since he was younger than 18, admitted that he... more>> was a great general, but never be one present father. Which is one of the reason why his late wife succeded in 'brainwashing' their son. Sometimes he was also self conscious, especially when the people around him reminded him of his, and FL's age. But we could see how a strict general who had no lust, no hobby, no preferences, became more human, and having desires. It's great to see that ML isn't flawless. He broke his body and mind wiwth his own hands for the sake of his clan which wass declining. He took matters on his own hands and went to the fierce battlefield and the tricky court when others in his age had someone to rely on. But him? Who should he rely on? The emperor was suspicious of his father, and he knew, once something happened in his family's territory, it would be his family's head on the ground. ML is decisive, strict, gentle, and know what to do. He's not fickle at all, unlike some other MLs I've read. His decisiveness in the later part of the story would reflect his personality even more.

FL inner struggle was in line with her background as a spoilt princess by her maternal family, but highly unfavored by her paternal family, especially father. It was deeply ingrained in her mind that she had to learn harder so people would also appreciate her. She became unconfident, and kept questioning herself (whether she had done things right, whether she really is spoilt like people say, whether she is as bad as others thought of her). And it's realistic! Sometimes one would question one's self even though they know they're not at fault. She's a girl craving for family's warmth. She's bold, smart, yet also unconfident of herself. But I really admire her for staying sane.

Even with the wide age gap (which I usually avoid) I have to admit that this story is extremely moving. Both leads got warmth from eachother, something they never expected to get. ML healed and nurtured FL's wound meanwhile FL gave ML a life he never knew he could have.

Both leads trusted each other, and there's no draggy plot lines. ML explained matters to FL clearly and FL chose to trust ML. When ML realized that FL was jealous, he tried his best to explain his relationship with his late wife (trust me you won't like her). Both leads had a failed marriage that tortured them, but they finally moved on from the past and lived their life to the fullest.

Spoiler

People from the late wife, FL's ex and Gao Ran, really liked to poke on FL's sore spot-- the legendary love story of ML and his late wife. ML was upset when he knew that people used the stories of his 'affection' towards his late wife as a weapon to attack FL.

The truth is, there's no story between ML and his late wife. Remember those 'moving' fairy tales? It's simply just the late wife's delusions. ML did save her, but he also saved dozens others. But his late wife kept chasing him, then spread rumours about her and ML. ML didn't even know her name until the rumours spread like a plague. ML's reputation would be just fine, but he told his mother he had to get married anyway. So they married. That's it. There's no 'legendary' story that moves the heaven or so on. They're just the late wife's delusions, and her servants' nonsense. None of ML's comrades liked his late wife, and even though they had persuaded ML to get married again, he always refused. Which is why they were so ecstatic about FL.

The late wife was a reallllly spoiled one. She was pampered by everyone in her house like a pearl--- but dude, her stepmother isn't the only one who thinks she's overspoiled, even I, a modern girl also feel it too. ML finally understood why her stepmother looked at him with pity.

She was whimsical, and extremely ridiculous, to the point that ML would rather stay in the barracks than returning to his mansion. She always forced her delusions on ML. She made everyone believed that ML's favorite food is fish, which, is not. In fact, he didn't really like fish. And FL's ex who was being considerate towards ML never knew about ML's preferences and blamed FL when she tried to change the menu.

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There is this interesting part of the story when

Spoiler

ML found out that FL is his reincarnated daughter-in-law. He was confused, sad, angry. All complex feelings mixed up inside him, but in the end, he chose FL. He was jealous and angry because he feared that FL could not move on from her past, his son. But after he cleared his mind, he found out that FL had completely moved on and made up her mind to stand side by side with him.

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There's no heavy politics nor revenge here. I think the story consists of; Politic- 10%, Revenge- 20%, and FL's and ML's daily life, inner struggle, and healing 70%

Yes, there's still revenge, but FL revenge is more that she didn't want her paternal family to be ruined, not because she wanted to kill them. I really love both leads here, and I'm having withdrawal syndrome : ( <<less
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Hanmy
Hanmy rated it
September 6, 2020
Status: Completed
This story suits my taste. FL is not overpowered and no revenge even though FL reborn.

... more>>
Spoiler

In the past (before reborn) FL, Lin Wei Xi was Gao Xi, wife of Yan Wang's heir. Their married life wasn't good. Her husband neglected her. He didn't like her strong character. He thought she had taken her sister's position. After being married for a year she died of illness. Three month later her husband married her sister.

Right after her death, she woke up in body of Lin Wei Xi. She met Yan Wang (her father in law in the past). She asked him to took her away from the village. After that he took her to the capital. She came back to her former residence, Yan Wangfu as Lin Wei Xi. She met her ex husband and sister.

She did not intend for revenge. She wants to start a new life as Lin Wei Xi and doesn't care about ex husband and sister's marriage. But still, she couldn't completely escape the past. Gao ran, her sister thought she's very pleased to see and she intended to marry her off to son of Qian family. Lin Wei Xi was very upset and finally asked Yan Wang to marry her.

Their married life is very enjoyable. At first they married without "love". However, they actually have special feelings to each other. Lin Wei Xi admires Yan Wang, and he also doesn't want to lose Lin Wei Xi. Yan Wang treats Lin Wei Xi well, he accepts her strong character and love it. Lin Wei Xi tries to be a good wife to her husband and he spoils her.

There is no major conflict or bloody revenge in this story. Some conflicts are between FL and sister, servants or conflict between FL and ML because of ex-wife, former Yan Wangfei, Shen shi (I feel sorry for him for marrying a "sick" woman like her).

In the end, her ex husband regretted neglecting her. He had lost her, and his father got her. Of course his father deserves to be her husband because from the beginning he accepted her as she is.

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It's a nice story to read in leisure time. <<less
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astroblues02
astroblues02 rated it
September 5, 2020
Status: Completed
5 stars because this story has the elements found in To Be A Virtuous Wife, Eight Treasures Trousseau, and Doomed To Be Cannon Fodder - stories that I dearly loved and remembered. But unlike those stories, although this also feels slow-paced, mention of politics is minimal. This is like storytelling after the transmigrated "heroine" (in the "heroine's" POV) has married the husband of her dead sister, aka the villainess (in the "heroine's" POV).

... more>>
Spoiler

What will happen if you resurrected in another's body and finally know what happened after you died? What if, by a series of coincidences, you met your ex-husband and your ex-sister and live with them in the same mansion? What if, just to prove yourself, you offered marriage to your ex-husband's father, who is also 15 years older than you? Will you let yourself go and finally live free to yourself?

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The focus of this novel is more so on self-healing and letting go of the past. And of course, love but not too obvious. I also just realized that in ancient times saying "Iloveyou" is very contrasting. It's when you decide to be with the person for a lifetime that makes it appropriate, I guess. <<less
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Bunbun
Bunbun rated it
October 25, 2020
Status: c2 part1
I wanted to give this more of a chance because the reviews were so good, but the translation was such a hard read. I was very confused about what's going on and had to read reviews to understand what was happening in the first few chapters. Maybe later, I'll give it another try, but right now, I'm unable to push through the clunky grammar.
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akiraa
akiraa rated it
December 25, 2020
Status: Completed
first of all, I want to clarify that I considered giving it 4 stars, but because it's a rare occasion to come across a historical josei that I genuinely enjoyed (other example would be eight treasures trousseau, I just want to recommend for people who is new to this genre)

MC's past is heart wrenching, as a modern woman I don't think I could bear letting myself be wronged like that. I wouldn't be so nice to not retaliate but we have to understand that women in old days were... more>> powerless. MC is a smart, calculating and witty woman which is expected as even during her first marriage she was already handling the fu very well. when she married the ML, the fu changed for the better.

ML is very good, although he does appear as 老牛吃嫩草 and I don't recommend this to people who cannot stomach huge age gap and relationships between a legal adult and a minor (MC was 16 when they married and first had s*x, ML was 33) and personally I imagined she was of legal age... can't really tolerate it but her age isn't really mentioned. I really like how ML pampers MC, mainly because I just love to read novels about ML completely indulging in MC.

the main antagonist is MC's shu born sister. tbh such a character is quite refreshing, she's a modern woman who transmigrated to the ancient world so basically she already has advantage in the first place. so in other way if we read the novel from her POV she would be the common transmigrated FL who just face slapped everyone
Spoiler

she even "invented" a Go game from the modern days and claimed it as her own creation lol, talk about being shameless

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let's talk about the most pitiful character: MC's ex-husband (aka ML's son from his first marriage). honestly, I wish the author was less forgiving (?) towards his character. author really tried their best to make it sound like nothing he did was his fault. well, technically he was manipulated and raised by a mentally ill mother and her calculating servants. however I still believe that if he had just a bit of backbone and conscience he wouldn't easily believe what others say. he's the shizi for god's sake. I don't know, no matter how the author tries to whitewash his character I just cannot like him and only think that he is pitiful and too naive as someone who is supposed to be the heir of a wang.

4/5 for storyline. would give a solid 5 if author cuts down with the ex-husband's redemption stuff. <<less
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bakarutt
bakarutt rated it
January 25, 2021
Status: Completed
I overall enjoyed the story: cute interactions between characters and happy to see LWX "win" in various situations (favorite scene is LWX scolding that one widow). Also, we all want a Yanwang in our lives. XD

I liked that the author shows other characters' perspectives/thoughts as well; if you're not familiar with how ancient times worked and what their values are, these perspectives are quite insightful and provide a nice contrast/comparison of the characters' personalities/decisions.

I feel sorry for GCY and him having to suffer from loss due to one mishap, but... more>> that's life. Not everyone can be happy.

I would have loved this story more if it wasn't a rebirth story (like what's with that convenient heaven book), and I have issues with an overly beautiful female lead (gives me the impression that looks are more important than personality). <<less
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Jeez Louise
Jeez Louise rated it
June 29, 2021
Status: Completed
Almost didn't read this because of the comments about what the ML did towards the end but I actually think what he did was justified!

... more>>
Spoiler

If one day I discovered that my husband was actually my deceased previous son-in-law, like damn if I won't freak out the way he did! It's understandable that he wanted to get some space away from her and organize his thoughts coz that's a hard pill to swallow. Although the timing wasn't the best because he did leave (though he still has his trusted people stay by her side and report her every action to him) while she was pregnant with his child but at least he came back regretting his cowardly actions just at the right time. After that, he learned to accept it and move on with his life together with his beloved wife and children and tbh I couldn't think of a better ending than that!

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In short, I enjoyed this novel so very much! Would definitely re-read this 2, maybe 3 more times in the future. If translator-nim decide to get an editor to clean up minor grammar errors, then I'd read this 5 more times! Kekeke JK ✌ the translation wasn't bad at all. It wasn't perfect but at least it was far from MTL-bad and torturing my remaining braincells. So thank you for your hard work translator-nim!!! <<less
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BillionJellyfish
BillionJellyfish rated it
March 21, 2021
Status: Completed
This was an ok read, not too engaging, but not too terribly boring.

MC: given a second chance in life, the MC strives to hug a big thigh and live happily

ML: a mature war general

Honestly, the characters are a lil bland and boring, but on the bright side, the ML is mature and pampers the MC. Even though the MC has been reborn, her personality is a mix of mature and childish actions. In front of outsiders, the MC is fairly mature, but in private with the ML, she is a... more>> child (one moment being happy, then another moment throwing a tantrum at the ML).

Overall:

There is nothing special about this novel, no hook that kept me engaged. <<less
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craloney
craloney
September 6, 2020
Status: Completed
It was a amazing story. Not too dramatic. Lightweight but not too light. They are both very understanding too each other.

Spoiler

The FL is pure ancient woman. That's why she knows and did her responsibility seriously.

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.

And I like her because of that.

The FL just wanted to live a good life in her second chance. But Gao Ran is just too jealous.

Good for someone who's looking for lightweight but sweet story.
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Ghost_of_a_Witch
Ghost_of_a_Witch
June 2, 2022
Status: Completed
This won't be a proper review as I finished this ages ago and read too many things since to recall all the details clearly, I'd just like to address some issues raised by fellow reviewers as well.

So, the ML shouldn't be nominated for father-of-the-year award anytime soon, that's a fact, but I agree with him in also finding his son to be quite disappointing. I believe some things don't need to be taught, and in this case the ML actually served to be a positive role model* for his son:... more>> In the son's mind he was only torn away from his beloved due to war and needing to protect the country, while said beloved was spoiled at home. Then when his former wife died, because his love was so great, he never remarried again.

But what did our former ML do??
Spoiler

Since the kid's head has been stuffed with nonsensical stuff from a young age about his parents' "great love", his biggest wish was to emulate it. The wish seemed to come true when MC was identified through the jade accessory and he married her, but when the real savior -- the half-sister -- came along everything fell apart, and MC as the "wicked woman" had to be punished for ruining his "fated marriage", the neglect leading to MC's death.

The son is a real case of not knowing something's worth until losing it as it's later revealed that he started falling in love with her before the half-sister's intrusion and now is regretting very much that he let her die. And he didn't marry the half-sister so soon out of love, but instead of some misguided sense of wanting to make it up to his deceased wife. Like seriously, it would be so comforting for anyone to know that the person who caused their death is being carried of the palm of their former spouse's hand, rofl.

However, he couldn't treat his new wife right either. The half-sister was nothing like her sister, and in contrast with his original dream of a two person world, he started picking up mistresses left and right while chasing after his deceased wife's ghost. Whenever his newest squeeze didn't live up to his expectations he went looking for the next one, letting the women deal with each other which caused the inner courtyard of the estate to become a mess. The MC also got caught in the crossfire, both due to being the true lady of the house and his budding affections.

You've read that right, in his quest for a substitue he wouldn't let go of even his father's new wife! As her mannerisms were the same, MC greatly reminded him of her original self and he fell for her again. And after he figured out her true identity, he would have fought his father for her if not for the main couple retreating to the countryside in the end.

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*As readers we get to know that in reality ML wasn't such an exemplary husband either -- I don't think his son was ever told the truth about his parents though --, but his situation was completely different and I can't really blame him either. His way of dealing with his past made him more human to me. Alas I have to give that making the wrong choice in their love lives, which would propagate their later misery, seems to be a hereditary trait between ML and his son.
Spoiler

Although ML could have avoided disaster if he wasn't such a goody two-shoes toward his previous wife, he was practically forced to marry her. I think everyone met at least once the type of bimbo who wants to repay a lifesaving grace with her body already in their webnovel reading career, now, the ML's former wife was exactly this type of bimbo. With the help of her family she started weaving fanciful rumours about them being lovers and put ML on the spot. As I said, if he wasn't so concerned about her reputation he wouldn't have been so miserable, but in the end he agreed to marry her because he needed an heir and he thought he could grow to care for her even if he didn't love her. Unfortunately for him, the woman also had a few screws loose that didn't become apparent until he started living with her as even after getting the real deal, she still preferred the Yan Wang in her daydreams.

The woman must have been a real piece of work if he ran away to war instead of dealing her -- yup, that's the sad truth. His chosen method of dealing with his problem was avoidance and to avoid his wife he decided to distance everything related to his trauma. His brainwashed household, and this will sound cruel but his son as well -- he still gave his son everything to thrive, but I don't think he ever would have gotten involved with his affairs if he didn't make a mess.

As for him finally dealing with the people of his deceased wife, I didn't read it as him doing it for the MC, but for himself, so he could have a fresh start without being plagued by them.

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I think it speaks volumes about the MC if the most memorable part of the book were her male leads. The only thing I can say is that she and her half-sister are written according to a popular trope in this genre, where the daughters of the main wife must be noble and virtuous, trained in running a household (aka. To the elders preferences), not concerned about the affairs of men and women (often looking unfeeling), bear an heir early, and believe feelings will develop as the husband's acknowledgement of their hard work. While the daughters of the concubines/mistresses are dumb, scheming pogo stick charmers with superiority complex and always needing to be praised by their surroundings as the best. <<less
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wethairdampskin
wethairdampskin rated it
March 3, 2021
Status: Completed
finished it by MTL but the translation is just near the end so it's best if you can patiently wait, the translation pace is very good, shout out to the translator

AND THE STORY JUST GIVING ME A TOOTACHE T.T it's very very sweet. And it's kinda ironic because theres no "pampered wife blabla" in the tittle while in the whole story ML always treat FL good and pampered her T.T contrary to some novel which tittled "pampered young miss blablabla" but the FL always facing bunch of mishap :)

I... more>> Love this kind of Age-gap story, just try to read this, don't bother to hesitate, come come, enjoy the dog food for us single dogs :3 <<less
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Hualian bae
Hualian bae rated it
October 15, 2021
Status: c1 part1
--"Who is that?"

-"Yan Wang." *clutching my heart* SUCH AN AMAZING STORY!!

SIMPLY ONE OF THE BEST! SO IT IS EASILY A 10/10.

FIRST OF ALL, I want to defend our ML. ... more>>
Spoiler

He is also a victim of a loveless marriage. A MAJOR SPOILER---------He didnt even know his 1st wife till he got home. she was just a random person whom he saved and she got obsessed over our ML. He didnt have time to fall in love. His wife was delusional and didnt even care about him. he was 15-16ish when he married and he tried to keep the marriage going... alright. then a son was born while he was constantly fighting in war. He wasnt ready to accept a child that early BUT he did his best as a father and he regrets that he was not there when his son grew up. That regret was clearly there. so no one can say he was heartless towards his son. "someone commented that how our ML was disappointed in his son and it was wrong of him to think like that." try to imagine the scenario in our MLs point of view. he tried his best to educate his son. gave him his freedom. was always in look-out for him till our FL happened. even so he acted like a mature person. I love that quality about him. he met our FL 10 years after his wife died. So does he not deserve a chance to fall in love for the first time? All in all the son is such an unreasonable person. He didnt thrive to go forward like his father did when he was in his age. he was hung up in a delusional dream which his mom created where his parents were so in love and regarded FL as a third person. like bruh come on drop it and move on? this was just one aspect. there are many more layers to this!

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sorry for my rant but ML is a mature and a reliable man. *heart eyes* I also want a Yan Wang.

Spoiler

AND ALSOOOO... hahha there is no stopping to my thoughts that shows how much I like the story XD...i saw some comments below saying that our ML didnt manage his household well...I think that was because he didnt have the experience with a proper wangfei to help him manage his house. at a young age he got married and few years after he lost both his mom and wife leaving a 7 yr old child. He was in the care of his moms servants. So our ML didnt interfere but cared for him from a distance... he didnt mind as long as the servants didnt make a threat to him and his son. He is very much of a go with the flow person. I REPEAT this is all before FL came into the picture.

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And I love our MC too
Spoiler

She took the initiative to ask our ML to marry her. LIKE WOW THAT SCENE...I WILL FOREVER REMEMBER THAT XD I love when our FLs are proactive. AND also she didnt deliberately make it hard for the supposed OML and OFL... there were reason to what she did. it was nice to see some good face slapping going around

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!!!! They were so cute together... soo goood!! SO SO GOOD!! AND hahaha the best part about this story is having a selfish and an extremely self-centered modern girl transmigrate as a cannon fodder... she thinks that she is the MC but nah...

Spoiler

and the age gap...i really didnt mind it because first, it was ancient times... modern rules dont apply there, as readers we have to know that, secondly our ML was a mature and a magnanimous person who treated out FL really well, thirdly, I love age gaps because it is refreshing to see how two people from different personalities fall in love. It is a break from everyday romance.

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Also ahhhhh I have so much to tell hahahah I love how the author kept our ML vague... like she didnt describe MLs facial features... the only thing she described was his aura. the way his black robes swayed when he steadily walked, the way he commanded, the way his subordinates treated him, the way he talked etc etc It was all actions I was super amazed how the author created a perfect ML with just his actions and personality while not giving him a fixed face... in comparison, author described FL pretty beautifully. I love that contrast.

I JUST LOVE THIS STORY!! FELT LIKE WATCHING A DRAMA WHILE READING THIS!

Please do give it a chance!! <<less
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En-Jay99
En-Jay99 rated it
July 4, 2021
Status: Completed
Transmigrator vs. Reincarnator could be a good title too.

Very Well done. A fun casual read.

I liked it from the first chapter as It brought up a really interesting point about the unfairness of transmigration.

MC is a genius in her own right, but because the younger sister was a 26 year old transmigrator she simply could not compete. Even though she was older, this 6-year old younger sister so much more 'mature' that all the praise went to her. This story does a really good job of showing how unfair transmigration... more>> can be to other parties, especially other children who simply can not compare to the maturity of an actual adult. ANd also does a really good job of showing the pitfalls of a transmigrator. After all a little child reading classics is impressive, but everyone grows up and the difference lessens. There are only so many shortcuts you can take.

MC doesn't feel jealous of her younger sister because she seems more intelligent but hates her because of her cheap schemes that harmed her mother. MC is a very generous person with a strong sense of justice. Funnily enough the 'modern transmigrator' is the more narrow-minded person.

The story is not a revenge story at the center. It's more about healing and MC regaining confidence and learning to live a good life. MC does have a temper but she's not a fool and the ML is good to her. They are both good for each other. The story doesn't run on s*upid misunderstandings and the couple freely communicates.

ALso, really like how the plot points like false accusations of adultery are handled in the story. In most stories set in Ancient times, there are continuous attempts of assault or drugging and tricking into some fake adulterous scene but this story doesn't treat people like fools and takes things like this Very Seriously which was great to see. <<less
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xxchroniclerxx
xxchroniclerxx rated it
March 26, 2021
Status: Completed
This novel absolutely appeals to my heart! If you're here for some face slapping after rebirth then there are plenty of such but if you want some satisfying revenge against those who had wronged her then there's none of such, and I love it!

For once, the FL absolutely acts her age ... more>>
Spoiler

Even though it is a rebirth, she is reborn in someone else's body a month or two after her own death so physically and mentally there's not much of an age gap.. She really is a teenager and a smart one for that matter

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About the Ml, ngl it kind of put me off that he was really older than the FL and even had a son who was similar to age with the FL but oh man did I come to love this man, he is an absolute sweetheart!! He's so patient, caring, supportive and cute that he's legit one of my fave MLs now. As for the ending part which someone mentioned before, I'd like to say that
Spoiler

The ML is very observant and keen and arrives to the conclusion himself that the FL is actually his previous Daughter in law (whom he never met) and he gathered that from his own observations and when he finally accepted it, he wasn't repulsed by it or suspicious but rather confused, he wanted to take some time to calm himself down and sort his thoughts not to mention he was somewhat aware that his son had feelings for her :v, although he did leave her when she was pregnant, I think he might had to eventually leave for a while anyways due to the the problems in the royal court as well as the disasters, but he always updated himself about her wellbeing and when he realised that she was skipping food and all.. He decided to come back early (worked out well for him as she went into early labour) and he regrets leaving her. As for when the FL confirms his thoughts, I didn't think it was an apology of sort but rather soothing his thoughts. By this time, she knew that he had known about her but both never said anything, and just as FL was upset due to the previous wife, the ML too was upset due to his son and wondered whether she married him so that she can come back here, so instead of apologises, it was more of a confirmation of their feelings towards each other. (Also, please keep in mind that FL is not a transmigrater but she is an ancient woman brought up with ancient values and same for the ML and for an ancient man, he is very accepting and open-minded.

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Rounding up, this is a very fluffy novel and absolutely a delight to read!! Would definitely come back for re-reading after a while. A very big thanks to the translator, as even though the first few chapter started out wobbly, it improves greatly and contributes to a great read. <<less
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Skite
Skite rated it
March 18, 2021
Status: c103 part2
Causes a reader to second guess some common rebirth/ isekai tropes we usually except at face value.

One of my favorites is: We know a transmigrated person is a 20-30+ year old adult in a child's body, and generally accept that she needs to be amazing in school, relationships, and take down her enemies in the new family. But if we flip that and are forced to face that the "enemy" is a literal 6 year old who had no say in being born to the main wife, we have to... more>> wonder--wtf kind of adult goes full out against a kindergartner? We have to think about the effects of a literal child being compared to an actual adult's capabilities and being found wanting. There's also the debate between experience, hard work, and genius. What happens when an average adult masquerading as a genius child suddenly finds themselves among newly adult peers who are actual geniuses who worked hard for the past 10 years, unlike the transmigrator, who coasted on borrowed knowledge and cheap tricks? They're shocked it's time to pay the piper: they aren't so smart anymore and the tactics that worked so well when everyone thought they were 5 don't work so well at 20. Also, what sort of ~40 year old would be attracted to and marry a 16 year old? That's super gross, and the answer is: a pretty childish one. Another is the assumption that ancient people are automatically s*upid or inferior to modern knowledge. They aren't. They're the exact same, just in a different time.

But I think my favorite part about this is that it doesn't follow the typical male tropes for harem/ historical dramas. Usually, there is so much scheming and backstabbing from the women, while the male object sits far above it. S*upid, completely oblivious, and blindly accepting whatever silly play is put on before his eyes, while women destroy people behind his back. But, Yan Wang always knows the little lies and deceptions the women put on to trick him, and prefers his straightforward wife. Gu Cheng Yao was painfully young at the start, marrying his first wife at 15 and as the spoiled, sheltered, and coddled boy who was raised by overly indulgent servants and womenfolk. But he eventually grows out of this to realize he has been misled and needs to wake up and form his own conclusions, and stop idealizing what he's fed at face value. Even our MC's POS father realizes he's been a blind moron. It's very refreshing to have male characters who are fully rounded people.

Our main character doesn't change/ evolve very much, and I find I'm ok with that. The emotionally neglected daughter of an irreproachably correct and graceful mother and granddaughter, she will do things the correct way, and you can accept or get a tongue lashing. Her evolutions are small. She didn't need to change her methods, she just needed to find someone who appreciated them. That person is Yan Wang. Through his steady support and affection, she grows from thinking her only worth can come from being an efficient manager, to realizing she is lovable and smart, and then to being confident enough to demand indulgence. The extremely prickly girl covered in thorns becomes a tactile and sweet one, though she still keeps her standards. <<less
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