The Imperial Guard’s Revenge

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Wang Yanqing’s father died in battle. She was adopted as an orphan by the Marquis of Zhenyuan. She loved Fu Tingzhou for ten years and would go through fire and water for him. However, this woman carried a family history full of scars, and ultimately, Fu Tingzhou sought another woman to marry.

Ten years of effort turned out to be a joke.

Fu Tingzhou accompanied his fiancé to buy incense outside the city, completely forgetting that it was Wang Yanqing’s birthday. On the road, they encountered an ambush and Fu Tingzhou became busy protecting his fiancée. While defending Fu Tingzhou, Wang Yanqing lost her footing and fell into a cliff.

After waking up, she lost her memory and only knew that she had to repay her gratitude. The man sitting in front of her bed smiled and reached out to touch her head: “Qing Qing, have you forgotten? You were plotted against by the Fu family and lost your memory.” We’ve always known each other; we were childhood sweethearts.

She didn’t know that the man sitting in front of her was the renowned commander of the Imperial Guards, Lu Heng. He was also an old enemy of the Fu family. He was the main culprit of the assassination attempt on Fu Tingzhou that resulted in Wang Yanqing falling off the cliff.

After Wang Yanqing was taken, Fu Tingzhou went crazy. Fu Tingzhou rushed to the imperial guards desperately. Just as he asked Wang Yanqing to leave with him, he was stabbed by her sword.

Fu Tingzhou looked up in shock to see her acting coquettishly with another person: “Older brother, I caught the Fu traitor.”

Wang Yanqing didn’t know that after she walked away, Lu Heng drove the sword deeper and smiled at Fu Tingzhou: “Thanks for taking care of Qing Qing for the past few years. What a pity. Now she is mine.”

Associated Names
One entry per line
锦衣杀
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
The Possession of My Beloved (2)
Beloved at the Door (1)
A Complete Explanation of the Negative Textbooks for the Imperial Examination (1)
Greetings, Ninth Uncle (1)
I Became The Stepmother of My Ex-husband (1)
It’s Better to be the Empress Dowager (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. We are family - or are we?
  2. Novels I've enjoyed
  3. Historical/ Fantasy BG
  4. History, reincarnation, transmigration
  5. Hiatus

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Review
16 Reviews


AetherRaid
New AetherRaid
Mar 05, 2024
Status: Completed
I think with most historical webnovels, the plots center on political scheming, faceslapping in the manor or outsmarting the harem. It was refreshing to get to go on detective mode and follow Lu Heng and Qingqing’s adventures on solving the cases handled by the Jinyiwei (imperial brocade guards). Although some other readers think there is not enough romance, I actually think that the love story of Qingqing and her “second brother” progress as they take on more cases. You can see their mutual understanding, trust, and support for each other... more>> grow and the relationship they foster is unparalleled to any other.

This is because both the FL and ML grew up thinking they were alone and were always on the defensive. Qingqing is hyperaware of everyone’s thoughts and emotions so she behaves accordingly to please everyone. Lu Heng is originally suspicious and doubtful of everyone because he can be stabbed in the back at any moment. He is in a precarious position of power because he has to be extra cautious as the emperor’s right hand man to complete all tasks well but not undermine the emperor’s authority. I know that some people are upset that he lied to her at the beginning, but he never wrongs her and does his best to treat her as equal and protect her, something that even her original second brother was never close to doing. I also do think that FL’s response when she regained her memories was appropriate to what ML deserved for deceiving her.

They are both so good for each other and to each other and I am happy to have followed their journey to a HE :) <<less
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frostcrystal
frostcrystal
Mar 05, 2022
Status: Completed
I always like to follow this author because she has generally unconventional plots and more importantly, her stories are usually well-written and the plots not too holey.

I read to the end from the raws, so this is my review of the novel as a whole, not just what's currently translated.

This is a pretty entertaining novel along the style of 'detective case-solving'. ML is the commander of the Imperial Guard and his main job seems to be tackling hard-to-handle cases under the eye of the emperor. He takes a fancy to... more>> FL early on because (I don't consider this a spoiler because it becomes apparent very early in the novel) she has a real knack for reading people and an innate talent for interrogation. This is very useful in his line of work, obviously, so he decides to take advantage of her amnesia to keep her around instead of ransoming her, plus a side of disdain for 2nd ML for not having appreciated a diamond in the rough. He's quite the likable villain - absolutely no moral or ethical reservations, very mischievous, occasional proponent of chaos just for fun, but reliable when it counts. He also treats FL extremely well throughout, with the obvious exception of making up her backstory out of whole cloth.

The mini-arcs of the cases are interesting enough against the backdrop of the romance. There's a lot of plot dedicated to the politics and the casework, so despite the story being about her, FL doesn't get a huge amount of screen-time, but she is quite intelligent and likable. I rather enjoyed her character growth via amnesia.

I'm also intrigued by the fact that the antagonist/2nd ML is... not entirely a bad guy, but just scummy enough not to deserve the FL (or the wife his mother arranges for him, for that matter). To put it another way, if she hadn't been the FL, him having a political marriage and a lover on the side for 'true wuv' would have been a complete non-issue. But well, we don't read light novels for realism, do we.

Spoiler

2nd ML basically just repeats his mistakes with FL all over again with his wife, just with a different reason this time, the self-centered bastard. I feel sad for all the women connected with him. His tragic ending will likely endear him somewhat to the reader, however.

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Finally, a shout out to my favorite side character, the emperor, for all the times he was secretly rolling his eyes at the ML but managed to somehow keep a straight face.

Downsides: The really big potential turnoff is that the relationship between the leads is very one-sidedly manipulative. ML spends a lot of time lying (very well) to FL and manipulating her while she's in a vulnerable state. Unfortunately, not only is this baked into the plot, but it actually makes a lot of sense if one considers the character of the ML. You'll have to decide if that is something you are alright with. If it is, I think you will enjoy the novel.

The second flaw is that it gets rather draggy at the end. Quite a number of things happen after what is probably the novel's climax. It's good to see how all the characters end up, but there were definitely a lot of little finale arcs in which I had already begun to feel disengaged from the plot. <<less
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ricachuu
ricachuu
May 27, 2022
Status: Completed
As a fan of detective stories, this novel was extremely fun for me especially since the cases involved are in an ancient China setting where grievances are literally everywhere due to the power imbalance within the empire. The summary is very direct to the point and the passage can actually be seen in the novel.

The FL, Wang Qingqing, is an orphan that was raised by a noble military family alongside the heir of that family, which is the second ML. Of course, she grew up to be raised to be... more>> the heir's wife but since her family background is low and some certain circumstances, she was instead pushed to be a concubine. The second ML, Fu Tingzhou loves her to the bones but has to marry a noble girl to solidify his position. FL's heart was chilled and actually planned to leave before she fell and lost her memories after ML calculated 2nd ML. After losing memories, thinking that ML is her 2nd brother, she became dependent on him. With ML's constant reassurance and appreciation, she learned to think on her own for her own sake. It was quite a nice character development progression to read (disregarding my initial discomfort of ML deceiving FL lol).
Spoiler

FL learned to stand on her own feet without having to consider others' thoughts, do what she wants to do, and like what she wants to like. Of course, she later regains her memories right after the wedding ceremony and felt betrayed by everybody, She wanted to leave and run away from both ML and 2nd ML, which they allowed. After ML's silent pursuit and the Emperor's words, she realizes that she fell in love with the '2nd brother' after losing her memories, which is the ML himself and not the 2nd brother (2nd ML) that she grew up with.

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ML (Lu Heng) is a perfect man who knows how to get what he wants and it's frustrating and astonishing at the same time. He is the commander of the Jinyiwei, which serves to protect the Emperor and is the Emperor's sword. He grew up with the Emperor and can speak to him bluntly about matters so he was trusted. He is wicked, extremely cunning, and knows how to play his hand. He schemed against 2nd ML to just piss him off but never expected to get the second ML's pseudo 'sister', the FL. After realizing FL has amnesia, he immediately used the situation and presented himself as FL's second brother which is actually the 2nd ML. He initially just wanted to use FL to negotiate terms with 2nd ML and frustrate him. He later planted himself on FL because he fell for her warmth, capability, and overall existence.
Spoiler

FL is able to judge whether someone is lying by reading their micro-expressions while ML is very good at deducing things even with the finest details so they became a power duo when solving cases. ML is also extremely cunning, knowing when to retreat and when to advance. This is definitely the main reason why their love did not end up tragic, and they were able to quickly reconcile (in a month) after FL received all her memories. ML didn't go the usual overbearing ML path (even though he is) and instead gave FL time and space to think properly while silently brushing his presence on her in the name of solving palace cases. FL knows this and wants to avoid falling into ML's trap but failed in the end since she truly loves ML despite all the lies. FL is a great character, but I think that the ML is the MVP in their relationship lol.

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The reason why I didn't root for the 2nd ML and why I allowed myself to accept ML's manipulation on FL is because
Spoiler

2nd ML does love FL so hard that it drives him mad but he's scum. He always expected that FL will always be waiting for him and always love him, taking her love and care for granted. He never noticed that FL liked different things and that FL suffered so bad for him long ago, which made FL not trust him at all when he tried to convince her that he was the real 2nd brother. He made FL into a doll (figuratively) that only caters to him and doesn't have an ounce of her own self. He does realize he is sh*t tho but still never gave up on trying to steal back FL. ML, while he is despicable for lying and manipulating FL (cause that's just his personality initially), he genuinely cared for FL. He learned about her monthly discharge pain and have her take medicine to recuperate that illness and make her feel better. He felt distressed by FL's stubbornness and recklessness in waiting for her '2nd brother' who now became him. He constantly reminded FL that she is her own person and that she can like what she wants to like and do what she wants to do. He let FL use her abilities for the greater good, listened to her opinions, allowed her to grow while protecting her, and at the same time, corrected the weird perspectives that FL had. He knew that FL would definitely hurt him or leave him once she regains her memories but he didn't want to hurt her. If FL really tried to stab him, he would most likely just allow her to off him. Despite wanting to lock her up and completely take her to become his (as that is his most real personality), he gritted his teeth, distanced himself from FL, made himself busy with work, and silently helped her (despite it being all too painful). Because of this, FL felt his sincerity for her and her only knot was that she was deceived. He was able to embrace the beauty after so many efforts of restraining himself so yay!

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I really enjoyed this, especially since the ML and FL didn't rule the country or anything. ML was loyal to the emperor at all times and was able to enjoy all the things that he wants in the end. FL is really happy now and lives infinitely better with ML than she was in her 'adopted' family. <<less
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ragingphoenix
ragingphoeni
Jun 20, 2022
Status: Completed
I've only read two works by this author, the other being 拯救美强惨男二, which is a xianxia book transmigration with a strong FL. (FL in that novel is the Heavenly Dao, of course she's strong.) The setting for this is completely different and honestly from the description I wasn't sure I wanted to read it.

I hate reading about FLs suffering, and ML is, as the description states, a manipulative a**hole.

The setup for this novel is literally that a girl with doormat tendencies gets taken advantage of while she has memory loss.... more>> I went in hoping it would be a FL-turns-the-tables type of story. Which, it is not.

But, once I started reading this, I couldn't put it down.

This story is much more about ML than FL. Despite that it is tagged for a female MC on the JJWXC page, since the important parts of the story are written from ML's perspective, it being tagged 'male protagonist' here is correct.

This story isn't about harem intrigue. The backdrop focuses on national politics and how someone in the Embroidered Guard keeps his head above water despite pissing off literally everyone on the political stage.

Compared to the xianxia novel, the author has really improved in writing style.

ML is a fascinating character to read about despite being awful. He knows what he wants out of life and how to get it. He is willing to accept the consequences of his actions. He knows you can't reap great rewards without taking any risk, but he also knows which things are worth betting on and which are not. So even though I couldn't help but think, "My god, how can he be so awful? Seriously, what is he doing?" most of the early story, I couldn't help but respect him. He is awful but he knows when he's being awful and doesn't make excuses for it. And, he's willing to pay for the things he does. (... only if really necessary, though.)

By the middle of the story I was actually rooting for him, because it was pretty clear by then that he was the best option for FL. Other than digging himself a hole he couldn't get himself out of at the very beginning, he was the only person who actually cared to find out what FL wanted. And he tried to give her the things she wanted out of life, unless it crossed his bottom line.

And despite that FL isn't the girlboss I typically like to read about, I was satisfied with where she ended up.

This is a great picture of living in the Ming Dynasty. It s**ked being a woman back then, but it didn't only suck for women. FL had few choices in life, but everyone had few choices in life at the time. Imperial power and caste systems are terrible, and corruption is a fact of life. The best any government can try to do is keep it in check, but that's easier said than done.

The entire cast of this story felt alive. The story was interesting. The romance was great even though ML is awful.

This is worth giving a try even if you're put off by ML's personality.

---

Just some thoughts about what things were like during that time, and about the Fu family FL grew up in:

Spoiler

Even though the Fu family wasn't likeable, they were completely understandable as products of their time. FL had no background, no property, and no dowry. And, the impression I get was that she was brought back without asking any of the ladies of the household, it was just a decision Grandpa Fu made on his own. So of course, she was never considered part of the household by anyone other than Grandpa Fu, and was never considered part of their caste due to being a commoner.

And even though Grandpa Fu apparently made it clear to the household he wanted Fu Tingzhou (2nd ML) to marry FL, he never actually made any official arrangements for their engagement. TBH that alone shows FL was never given proper respect as a marriageable lady and was likely to end up a concubine even in Grandpa Fu's plans. If there had been a publicized engagement or engagement token, it would not have been so easy for 2nd ML's mother to arrange a marriage or for 2nd ML to give in to the rest of the family's wishes.

Grandpa Fu was a general and dealing with a lady's engagement is a matter for other ladies of the house, so it's not too strange he didn't put more thought toward this. But, there are many ways the Fu family could have given FL a way out, such as arranging a dowry for her and making plans to marry her out as a proper wife to someone lower ranked. Instead, no one even asked her what she wanted to do, they just assumed Fu Tingzhou would take her as a concubine. And Fu Tingzhou assumed this as well. Despite the saying, "It's better to be the wife of a poor man than to be the concubine of a rich one, " no one ever asked her if she was willing. And Qingqing wasn't a s*ave, she was a commoner-- she had the right to decide her own future.

It just goes to show that nobility breeds entitlement.

It's interesting to me that FL never used her ability to read expressions to get in the good graces of anyone other than 2nd ML. But later I realized FL simply didn't have the ability to do that. Even though she could read expressions, she didn't have the ability or the willpower to manipulate people. At most, she could only do her best to give them what they wanted, and when she did that with 2nd ML growing up it resulted in him completely failing to notice how much she did for him and all the problems she had to face because she was that good at keeping his backyard nice and tidy.

2nd ML never thought of her as a person, he never gave her any respect, he never asked her what she wanted, and after she expressed her desire to leave, he simply thought, "Well, that's that, " and offered no support or protection. He feels entitled to everything he has and no responsibility for anything else. He never thought about FL's wellbeing at all.

And on top of that, 2nd ML's treatment of FL doesn't piss me off as much as his attitude toward the marriage he agreed to.

2nd ML is clear from the beginning what the purpose of the marriage is. He marries his wife to get political support from her mother's maiden family. But he feels that the act of marrying her is enough to get that support. And, he's right... after her maiden family and her mother's maiden family see the situation clearly, they give 2nd ML a concubine-born girl from their family as a concubine since the legitimate wife is unlikely to bear any children due to 2nd ML making it so obvious he disliked her.

Meanwhile, 2nd ML reaped the benefits of their marital alliance early on and was able to climb the military ladder quickly.

Whether or not the wife in question was a good person is irrelevant. (She isn't. But she isn't particularly evil, either, she's just a product of her environment.)

2nd ML made a business deal but did not uphold his end. On top of that, the wife was immediately sacrificed by her maiden family as soon as it became clear she wouldn't be useful.

2nd ML is a guy who wants to have his cake and eat it, too. And he never figures that out about himself, which is why he takes deals with short term gains up to the very end of the story, to his own undoing.

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xxchroniclerxx
xxchronicler
Jul 26, 2022
Status: Completed
Another well written story from the author!

The one reason I really like this author's works is because of the characters that they write. Most of them are written with so much complexity (compared to other novels here) that I can't help but just try to delve into their psyche as the story progresses.

The plot in this one isn't very complex or heavy, it's more about the inner workings of the Imperial guards focusing on their Commander aka our ML. While the ML is certainly a very complex character, he isn't... more>> the only one I loved in this story, but to my surprise I loved the character of the 2nd ML Fu Tingzhou as well. The 2nd ML is a typical ML from any novel, who comes to realise the importance of the person besides them after he looses them, except unlike other novels he isn't able to win back the love of the fl.

Spoiler

After the FL is 'lost', he comes to realise her place in his heart.

Now he's a person typical of his time, he has to shoulder the responsibility of the entire clan by himself and he realises that he doesn't have enough power and one way to get that is to tie their family with another that will bring him benefits and so he does that regardless of what the FL would've thought about it as he felt she's understand and tolerate him like before. Now this is the part where he became undeserving of the FL's loyalty and love, he didn't give a tiny rat's a** about what she thought or felt, he instead felt angry when she acted cold towards him, and forced her practically to do something she clearly didn't want to (go to the temple to offer incense where she'd meet his fiance). Now this part I wanted to slap the bratness out of him but once he looses her, he starts to realize his own insensitivity towards her as well as how much he had taken her for granted.

Now the parts that showed how much he had changed would have to be after she regains her memories (all thanks to him again.. No sarcasm intended tbh) where she clearly tells him that the past is the past and that the future is upto her and whatever feelings they've had between them before, she's lost them. It was honestly the biggest blow to him but he accepted that. He came to realize his follies, came to realize how powerless he still was to give her what she wanted and that even she he could she was unwilling now, and also realised how much she had to endure in his house before contrary to how she was much more happier than before and now that she wanted to leave and go away, he didn't have any rights to stop her and he didn't even try. Now that was the point where I started to really pity him because he didn't hold on to his ego and let her go simply because she wanted to.

After he learnt about her marriage with the ML, he didn't try to come inbetween them or spoil anything, honestly I was half expecting him to go evil cuz that's what the usual trope is but he didn't and that's how it proved that his feelings were not shallow and that he was truly a good person (can't be sure that if the ML was in his position he wouldn't have messed up the situation)

Although I felt bad for his wife, but I couldn't blame Fu Tingzhou for how he treated her, she probably reminded him of what he had done and he couldn't face that, he was decent with her and treated her with respect initially till she wanted much more than that which he couldn't give. She did come off as a vain person but that was just how she was, a spoiler daughter who was brought up in the inner courtyard without knowing anything else. I sympathized with her but that was it. She herself came to terms to it eventually but that was just sad how it's supposedly the reality of many women of her times.

So, when he eventually decides to return to battlefield and succumbs to his injuries, it's much more bittersweet that I had expected. He was a young master favoured by everyone, brought up by his grandfather who was a great general, took up the responsibility of the house as his vain parents couldn't, lost his love as he wanted power, wasn't able to let go of his regrets and eventually decides that in his life he had achieved nothing but as a general he should protect his honor and if he were to die he's do it with grace on the battlefield as he eventually did.

His character was so bittersweet that I am not sure how to feel after all this. I surely don't like him for what he did at first but as the novel progressed, so did he and so I couldn't help but feel sad on his passing.

Like others I too feel he's unworthy but as a character he's not without development.

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Coming to the protagonists, the FL and the ML, they're really different from most characters I've come across which makes them very intriguing.

Spoiler

The FL lived on thin ice catering to everyone everyday of her life after she came to the Fu mansion, but after loosing her memories, with the urging of the ML who provides her with a safe and tbh very healthy environment, she learns to live vivaciously for herself (yeah I'll omit the deception he caused cuz well.. Why not).

The ML is well quite interesting, he's someone with no morals, he himself admits that his moral values fluctuates high and low as needed. He's very very ambitious, he wants to have a great career for himself and doesn't give a sh*t about others till ofc he meet the FL. Now now, he's not that vain and cringe that he falls for her once he sees her. He wanted to use her and once he realised she has amnesia, he is thrilled because of how much of a Trump card she would be to deal with Fu Tingzhou. He admits that he immersed so much in his role that it became increasingly harder to understand what was real for him and what was not, as he eventually realises that maybe she does matter a bit to him. I liked how unlike other MLS who are like insomniacs and falls asleep around the FL and becomes oh so comfy immediately, he doesn't, even though he realises he liked her, he couldn't betray his instincts of being on constant guard with someone near him even if it was her, ofc he becomes much more comfortable later on and turns into the biggest perv.. ahem

Anyways, the ML is by no means a good guy, keeping everything he has to do for his job aside, he would feel nothing if he were to use underhanded means to get his way, he admittedly says that he has embezzled and well, simply the fact that he decides to quickly marry the FL and cook the rice before she regains her memories to basically tie her down shows that he's not a nice person. But that's the catch, the FL is surprisingly clear headed and realises all this, and she accepts him for who he is, what's important for her isn't how much of a good person he is, but how much she likes him. The ML is inherently an unkind person, he is someone who cleans up the blood behind the court and harem intrigues, if he's someone who is forgiving and kind, he would t have been able to hold onto his position. The story doesn't try to excuse his ways or character but gives it as it is making him very very likeable.

I have the most complex feelings for the emperor.. Like he's a good emperor but with so many catches. His obsession with taoism and the pills incident was honestly very hard to digest. How he treated his empresses and concubines were even more hard to digest. But his methods to keep the court in check as well as this methods to bring peace to his land were honestly good.

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Everything aside, this was an enjoyable read, although the ending felt quite rushed. Everything concluded in 2 chapters and I felt robbed of something. Although there weren't any epilogues, I guess the story tied up the ends pretty well.

Tl;dr, the story is easy going with some interesting plots of angst, mu*der mystery, memory loss and romance. The characters are well written and well developed. Definitely worth the read~

A big thanks to the translator (s) for translating this novel and bringing it to attention :D <<less
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xXLicorneXx
xXLicorneXx
Mar 17, 2022
Status: Ch.30
DON'T READ THE SUMMARY! It's a total spoiler for the first few chapters!!!

Like Frostcrystal has mentioned, this is the Author of "Greetings Ninth Uncle", "Crown Prince in the Jade Pendant", "Married to my sister-in-law's husband"... so you can expect good things :)

So far the novel is in its early phase but I like the MC so far: strong, dedicated, kind. And the possible ML... let's just say that I have a weakness for villains so this is exactly what the doctor ordered!

Also, the premise is interesting and there seems... more>> to be a plot, not just mindless romance so I'm more than in!

Weird that there's so few comments on this, so I left my bit here. Definitely a novel that so far, I would recommend! <<less
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Avrohom
Avrohom
Oct 19, 2022
Status: --
I love this writer, I trust her, so I endured the first chapter and then the novel took off. So good!

It is not just interesting, it is clean, fresh and poetic in its language and has an amazing FL and a very reliable and smart ML who actually does something meaningful besides being someone's husband.

However, this guy is not honest, he lies to the FL all the time. He lies so much, I wanted to stop reading. He is actually worse than all those bad people whose crimes he investigates... more>> and reports to the emperor. But the FL does not mind it in the end, so it's between them two (or three if we include the author who created this couple and their relationship based on ugly lies).

Her first fiancee, the 2nd ML, might be an OK guy who pretends to know how to do politics, i.e. Understand and engage people, but she spoiled him to the point that he stopped noticing her as person of unusual and rare talents, enormous wit and immense influence, got a bit too c*cky and negligent and he paid for that dearly.

I mean, it is not really about who gets the girl anyways, this story is much more interesting than that (that is if you are in the mood for a police procedural), but it is a HE, because the FL got the guy that cares for her, a guy that both deserves her and is her match in business and in life. <<less
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Eeria
Eeria
Sep 21, 2022
Status: Completed
It’s a nice story liked that the FL is smart and resilient. The ML was quite cunning but very charming. The story is centered around solving cases so romance is not the main focus, still romance was slow and somewhat cute.
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AmuSushar
AmuSushar
Jul 21, 2022
Status: Completed
This is really good. ML is a cheeky rascal I initially thought his manipulation as second brother too much and dropped it but again I picked it up wanting to know how MC will react, I secretly wished she gave him hard time and made him cry for her but... that didn't happen not that I complain. Reading inbetween I skipped few chapters coz I couldn't stand his manipulation. The story gets better and more fun from their marriage. I started to love ML more and more, I wish I... more>> could read more novels with ML's like him.

I felt little bad for Hong Qingui (not sure of spelling), she's just a spoiled and pampered young lady who doesn't know how the world works but she didn't deserve what happened to her.

As for second lead Fu Tingzhou, he is an such douchebag he deserved the ending.

Oh and the emperor is also very likable character ignoring one or two things on how he handled the palace maids killing incident.

Overall I loved the story <<less
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ragingmisandrist
ragingmisand
Jun 22, 2022
Status: --
I'm only 30 chapters in so I might change my mind but so far I really love this! I was a bit hesitant because of the reviews & warnings of the ML but I was very delighted to find that he isn't the abusive scum kind of evil.
Instead he's helplessly cruel with a soft heart. In all honestly he is my favorite kind of male lead. A bit sinister but very kind to the ones he cares for. He actually reminds me a lot of my beloved You wuming... more>> with his silly antics and compared to her childhood sweetheart he is much better for the fl.

I also adore the fl.

Some people say she's not "strong" but I think she's a very clever and noble person. I only fear what will happen when she learns the truth of her predicament. <<less
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woddyleia
woddyleia
Aug 24, 2023
Status: c34
I actually really like the story so far. It isn't your typical plot wherein FL's first love is an as*hole and will regret his actions when he a new guy enters the picture and treats her well. Both MLs are gray characters one way or another.

About the MLs: ... more>>
Spoiler

The novel differs a bit from the usual since Fu Tingzhou (first love) isn't purely evil or an a**hole. To me, he's an overall good person it's just that Qing Qing's (FL) level of love and devotion for Fu Tingzhou exceeds his feelings for her and that's the gap in their relationship. (For what its worth, I do have to mention the synopsis leaves out the detail wherein Fu Tingzhou does notice and try to save Qing Qing before she falls).

Lu Heng (ML) on the other hand is highly clever and manipulative. He has a cold demeanor (as he should as an ML character 😂) but can show warmth when he wants to. He also genuinely treats Qing Qing much better and sees her worth as a person better than Fu Tingzhou (I just love how both he and Qing solve the crime cases together 🥺) but then at the end of the day he knows his priorities lie in his revenge plan.

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About FL:
Spoiler

Like I said, Qing Qing (before having amnesia) is very devoted to Fu Tingzhou. Like head-over-heals-will-risk-her-life kind of devoted, which the readers will eventually come to understand since Fu Tingzhou was one of the two people she could trust as an adoptee in his home). However, she isn't completely helpless. She still has self-respect and confidence in herself as she already planned to leave their home after learning about Fu Tingzhou's engagement. After falling off the cliff, I guess you could say we get to see Qing Qing in her purest form, meaning without any influence from Fu Tingzhou since we also come to learn that she has adapted her personality to his lifestyle prior to everything. With the help of Lu Heng, we can see her discover her self better and build more confidence in life without Fu Tingzhou.

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Pacing is quite slow so that may bore some readers (ex: some scenes stretch out to a couple chapters) but I personally like this style since I get to see the little interactions between Qing Qing and Lu Heng that reveal more about their characters. Pls do give this novel a try :)

On a side note: TL's great 👍 <<less
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sharlnina
sharlnina
Jan 30, 2023
Status: Completed
I liked it except for one thing

Spoiler

Was it really necessary to kill Fu Tingzhou? I just find it unbelievable that he did not aim to get an heir when he couldn't get the female lead. Plus the female lead wasn't sad when her Second Brother died? They were together since they're children.

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08phamann
08phamann
Jul 26, 2022
Status: Completed
Read the first 50 chapters, and there was minimal emotional development so I skipped to the end where she regains her memory and wants to break up. That's honestly what I was here for. The emotional angst. It was fairly well done, although skipping 50 chapters probably lessened the impact of it for me somewhat, but I wasn't going to spend another 50 chapters reading it, since it was a bit boring. I'm honestly surprised how ML got away without MC finding out her real identity for so long.
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Blueleaf
Blueleaf
Jun 27, 2022
Status: Completed
One of my favorites novel ever!

Even though ML is manipulate assh*le he is very endearing. Something I want to slap him hard but then I also want to smooch him hard 😂 he is petty, cunning, smart, know what he wants, and pe*vert! Really..! He's the most pe*vert ML in all author's books and this book also borderline smut for some parts, not that I complain though 🙈

FL is smart but not overly smart. I can understand her way of thinking. Being an orphan then adopted to noble family and... more>> have none to rely on other than her second brother and the grandpa, she must be very much insecure and depends on second brother a lot. But she also knows when to retreat. When her second brother betrayed her and want to marry noble lady she knows when to let go.

Anyway I have to say that this book quite complicated but not that heavy, the plot is clear, the characters also alive. Recommended! <<less
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Njtrisha
Njtrisha
Jun 13, 2022
Status: c40
I really liked how it was going, the novels of the author is quite good. And I was interested before reading the summary, the above comments spoke better how I am feeling about this novel. I wanted to read the mls character development but I'm not finding the mtl chapters yet
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custodiom
custodiom
Mar 18, 2023
Status: Completed
Completed reading thru Google translate.

This started quite strong and very promising but somehow shifted more towards political intrigue later on. IMO a 50-50 focus would be acceptable, but it turned out more like 80-20 towards the end. For a fiery relationship involving two strong characters that started so strong, the romance, in the end felt like a patronizing obligation written for those who continued reading because of it. You get whole chapters of what's going on within the palace and across the border, and by the way, here are a... more>> few paragraphs of what happened in FL and ML's married life.

Apart from the main leads, the rest of the characters are quite lackluster. FL's skill is quite incredible,
Spoiler

for an unwanted guest to be able to survive sure needs some skills, but to be able to accurately catch micro-expressions with little exposure to various kinds of people and without a master to guide is really quite a stretch. And it's not like there are any books written about it during that time (I assume).

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, but I never cared about him anyway.

I feel a little conscious because I'm one of the few who doesn't like it as much as most did, but I guess it's because I wanted a more consistent amount of focus on the romance aspect. So yeah, if you're a reader with preferences like mine, be warned. <<less
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