Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang

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Bai Pingting has always been contrary to the saying, “A woman’s virtue is ignorance.”

Although she serves the Marquess of Jing-An as a maid, she leads a life far richer than most women. Her plain appearance is not what defines her — but her intelligence, far beyond many wise men.

Although Chu Beijie was an enemy general, she still cannot help being attracted to this man, despite the many lies and conspiracies…but between love and loyalty, she must make a choice. She can only hope that man’s love for her isn’t as deep as she thought.

One is a soul who seemingly destroys peace while the other aspires to be the sword that saves. Between them, lies a mountain of hate…

Who of the two most cunning people on earth cast the trap and just who captured the other?

Associated Names
One entry per line
A Lonesome Fragrance Waiting to be Appreciated
General & I
จอมนางคู่บัลลังก์
孤芳不自賞
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Chaos Of Beauty (2)
A Mistaken Marriage Match: A Generation of Military Counselor (1)
Mulberry Song (1)
A Mistaken Marriage Match: Record of Washed Grievances (1)
Sansheng, Wangchuan Wu Shang (1)
Black Bellied Prince’s Stunning Abandoned Consort (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Because of drama
  2. Historical Romance
  3. All my like
  4. pending
  5. Ancient China Drama/Serious Plot

Latest Release

Date Group Release
06/16/16 Chinatown KM dj story 1
03/24/16 Chinatown KM v3c75
03/23/16 Chinatown KM v3c74
03/23/16 Chinatown KM v3c73
03/23/16 Chinatown KM v3c72
03/23/16 Chinatown KM v3c71
03/23/16 Chinatown KM v3c70
03/23/16 Chinatown KM v3c69
03/23/16 Chinatown KM v3c68
03/23/16 Chinatown KM v3c67
03/23/16 Chinatown KM v3c66
03/23/16 Chinatown KM v3c65
03/23/16 Chinatown KM v3c64
03/23/16 Chinatown KM v3c63
03/23/16 Chinatown KM v3c62
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49 Reviews sorted by


Mizugameza
Mizugameza rated it
January 29, 2021
Status: Completed
This is a must read. I do not know how to say in words how much I love this novel and it's characters but give it a chance if you like complex characters and scheme. Be warned that you would need a box of tissue for this and can not finish the novel in one sitting.

There are a lot of twists and turns and so much angst here that it feels like your brain does not have any rest. The female lead is a strong character and she stays strong... more>> throughout which is so rare in these novels so it is quite a treat. Every side characters are so detailed and so many small thing can play such big rolls in the story. <<less
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saltNpepper
saltNpepper rated it
July 14, 2018
Status: c42
Started out great, but the MC got too annoying for me. She was selfish and rather unreasonable and I couldn't stomach it. Initially he was the one who didn't give her the chance, but when he finally did, she decided to throw that and create even more drama. Really disappointed with it and so I've decuded to drop it and just read the final chapter to see how it ends...
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Keiji
Keiji rated it
March 31, 2018
Status: --
Worth reading indeed!!! If you want a breath of a fresh air from the reoccurring plot of CNs, this is it!

The story was well written and the drama brought me to tears. Their love story and character development was awesome-not fast faced, not based on looks but grown as the chapters progressed. This is one of the reasons why I'm into CNs now.

Loved it!
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B2j
B2j
November 18, 2017
Status: v3c50
The novel is very dependent upon its romantic nature. I don't seem to think about anything good about the romance though. It wasn't forced or anything but it was shallow and awkward. The feelings get deeper but through a lot of idiotic and miraculous events. The ML is a horrible, violent, and overbearing prick but at the same time he probably is the biggest victim in this horrible romance. He was the one that pursues the MC and relentless gives her chances. She, on the other hand, keeps rejecting the... more>> offers, against her own wishes, and makes decisions that lead to idiotic misunderstandings. The couple lacks a good communication and so their relationship is just horrible and painful to look at. Although I understand her reasons for doing the things she did but she needs to convey her messages properly. The MC is insensitive. She is described as a smart strategist and so is the ML but the strategies are typical and at the level of elementary kids. It generally over-complicates a lot of things. The side characters are not in depth and has typical ambitions, at least they had some. The plot is not as in depth as I thought it was. Overall, it was also an idiotic misunderstanding. All the characters had to do was to communicate and things would have been better but for some reasons, they only trust themselves. There is some character and relationship development for the MC and ML but the other supposedly important side characters and possible other ML is neglected and glossed over on the surface, especially when he plays a fairly important role. As the story goes, the MC just makes the ML suffers and feels betrayed over and over while the ML treats her worse and worse. I am utterly surprised that they still haven't broken up completely and kill each other for gods' sake. That would have made it enjoyable. In addition, it sometimes get illogical as it provides unrealistic descriptions and things. Sometimes it also provides info that I give no f*cks about and has no real relevance to the plot. This novel is full of sufferings and I think that might be the whole point of the story. Overall, the pace is good and is slightly unique but in my opinion, masochists would love to read this. <<less
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whosays25
whosays25 rated it
November 8, 2017
Status: c75
This is an absolute gem. It's totally been written so well, and it's one of those few novels which really made me so emotionally attach to it even after reading it thrice. (The other one is Mulberry Song, my ultimate favorite Chinese romance story). Please give it a try. If you are looking for something which has depth, I'm sure you won't get disappointed.
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Yohanna
Yohanna rated it
August 20, 2017
Status: Completed
I recalled reading the manhua and because I was so desperate to know what happens next in the story, I came across this novel. This was the first C-novel that I've ever read.

This novel holds a very special place in my heart as this is the one that introduced me to the world of C-novels.

What I loved from this novel that wasn't higlighted that much in the drama was how the male lead fell in love with her. Not because of her beauty and whatnot but because of her brains.

The... more>> characters had to experience series of obstacles like betrayals, wars to get to where they are now.

There were supposed to be more than 1 dj's but only one was translated. Huhuhu. I just can't get enough of this couple!

Bonus:
Spoiler

THEY EVEN HAD A SON!

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emilia
emilia rated it
November 30, 2016
Status: Completed
Their love blossomed through *numerous* suffering: tried and tested to be true. Definitely a must read romance novel. I really liked both leads.
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rdawv
rdawv rated it
January 23, 2016
Status: --
Review as of Ch 12. It is rare that I made an opinion this early, but the well-written prose and description of the emotional turmoil made up my mind. I believe this is a good series, but not for me as it's something that tugs on the heartstrings too much for my liking. A female reader might either empathize with the MC or detests her seemingly fragile resistance to the charms of a fiery man. As I read through the chapters while listening to Faye Wong's "Fragile Woman", the MC's emotions reminds me of the heart-wreck Otsu from the Eiji Yoshikawa historical epic "Musashi" had suffered. If you like a love story that is colored with "so close yet so far" that you see in romantic dramas, then I think you would enjoy this.

Spoiler

Translator promised it has a happy ending.

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Eclat123
Eclat123 rated it
June 24, 2019
Status: Completed
This novel is way better than its drama adaptation.

In the drama adaptation, there's a clear line between protagonists-antagonists with He Xia depicted as an unfortunate antagonist and Chu Beijie as a strong gentleman since the very beginning. Not to mention the fact that Pingting is always shown as a delicate emotional little girl. It falls into the cliche of those princessy tales and I really couldn't help but cringe every few seconds.

The novel, however, doesn't fall into the same trap. The author managed to make us feel MC's anguish to... more>> ML from the beginning, building this complex love-hate relationship that became the main plot of this story. The bertrayals are real because they each have their own values to hold on to, making it more believable as it goes on. The character development is simply amazing, my favourite being He Xia who was once described as a gentle young master then gradually lost his reasons because of his resentment to ML. MC too, from being a strong intelligent one-way thinking servant to a willful individual. I also enjoy ML development who was depicted as a semi-tyrant general in the beginning to a madman because of heartache to a wise ruler. It really covers everything beautifully.

It's just a shame that the drama adaptation successfully managed to neglect the main charm of this story and focus more on slowmo-ing ML-MC interactions with a cliche perspective. The drama scriptwriter obviously did not do any justice to this novel.

The manhwa, albeit a bit confusing, is still very good. <<less
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remems3
remems3
April 4, 2019
Status: v3c75
To be honest, I am a complete sucker for strong/intelligent female leads, and this novel did not fail in providing me just that. However, as much as I do enjoy reading the novel, the progression and development of both the story and the characters is quite skewed, thus forcing me to rate this with 3 stars.

The beginning was fairly good, it had a great set up and the characters were so-so, but sometimes, just when you feel like you know the character enough, they'd do something completely off hilter which... more>> makes it a bit inconsistent from how they were initially built or portrayed; in a sense it is a form of character development but the transition between the changes makes the story feel underdeveloped and sometimes exhausting to read.

Especially at the latter parts of the story, where a character changes so much, or an event has progressed to a point where it being unexpected just comes off as weird or rushed, it really changes the way you perceive and feel about the novel. I mean at the end, they do sort of tie back and weave things better but when reading, what matters is the journey and not necessarily the end, so I don't really know what to do with these mixed emotions.

But to wrap this review up, the story and characters, though had great potential, were either rushed or underdeveloped, to the point where it had affected the story's capability to compel readers. However, by no means does it mean that the novel is awful; it's still quite a good read but frustratingly underdeveloped. If you don't mind the either rushed or prolonged developments then I guess this is the right book to read <<less
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ghost2612
ghost2612 rated it
September 20, 2021
Status: --
To be honest, I love the 2nd male lead more than the main FL and ML. It start great and then it become more annoying af. Both FL and ML become cringy as hell, just make up ur mind woman!!! It would be great if the ending resolved with the ending the country split into two, and continue with ML & FL and 2nd ML children.
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shahrshin
shahrshin rated it
September 13, 2021
Status: Completed
When reading a novel or even watching a drama, sometimes I can't overcome the sadness (or twist) of it, but I rarely drop reading or watching it. After some break, I continue reading or watching.

It happened in this story.... When

... more>>
Spoiler

the female doctor was supposed to be killed by wolves.

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After reaching this part, I stopped reading it for almost 2 weeks. Then I continued to the end.

The fact that I almost dropped this story and it took me over 3 weeks to finish it, in my dictionary means that this story is not "something you couldn't sleep at night until you read it all".

About the translation, It is brilliant. About the author, s/he is very talented. I can tell.

And about the story, the plot is very interesting, I like it very much.

I must agree with most of the reviewers, I didn't like the FL either. She does nothing to prove her love, and even trick the ML multiple times, but she constantly tests the depth of ML's love.

Spoiler

In the war, when she play qin, He changed his course of action for her safety, but she did not afterward.

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But there is a ship I must admit, I wanted to read about more:

Spoiler

the female doctor and her lover.

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And there is the 2nd ML, he is not twisted, in my opinion, he is deeply heartbroken.

Spoiler

He lost his country, family, a very dear friend, honor, and dignity, all in one night. If the FL was by his side, maybe he didn't lose himself.

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Vanna
Vanna rated it
December 5, 2019
Status: Completed
I really enjoy reading this novel. The translation is good and easy to follow. I have tried to watch the drama but could never get into it. After reading the novel, I think I might try to watch the drama.

I love the the leads' relationship and how the story battles out at war. It was interesting to read. The only downfall I felt was the leads didn't have a lot of scenes together. Regardless of that, you can still feel the chemistry of them two.

I definitely recommend reading this novel.
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whereismori
whereismori
October 14, 2019
Status: Completed
I think I read this went I first came out and if the passing of time reminded me of anything it would be I cried so much reading this and I don't think I can stop.
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Agneyi
Agneyi rated it
September 27, 2018
Status: v3c75
Found this story when I stumbled upon the drama "General and I" on youtube. I immediately fell in love and had to find the novel. It quickly became one of my favorites! Both of them are wonderful and I truly recommend it.
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xuexin
xuexin rated it
September 15, 2018
Status: Completed
The story is boring and long despite having less than 100 chapters. The plot feeds off misunderstandings, loyalty, betrayal and sacrifices. However, I did not enjoy it that much because there's always something that goes between the MC and ML. ML is strong, but he becomes weak because of her. MC is smart, but is weak. I can understand how she is conflicted, because if you look at it from another point of view, it looks like she has betrayed her country and her master who she's known for 15... more>> years.

I was personally fed up with how the love story was going half way. In my opinion, nobody was really a winner in the end. While the ending may appease some people, I personally felt that it was very lacking for how long the chapters and story dragged on. <<less
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mh
mh rated it
August 4, 2017
Status: Completed
Why were the chapter links from moonbunny removed/replaced on novelupdates?

Anyway this novel is so good, the drama is also wonderful with Angelababy but it just doesn't do the characters justice. The characters change and mature throughout the novel as we get to see more sides of them through layers of schemes that seem to test the love between our protagonists over and over again. Re-reading this, I pick up on more of the motivations and little nuances that define the characters and managed to understand they way they moved... more>> even better, especially He Xia.

Spoiler

I really feel bad for him, He Xia was forced to change so much after his house fell and his parents were killed. The difference between the laughing son of a Marquess in the beginning and the fallen general and defeated man who regretted and yearned for his dead wife to fulfill a broken promise he'd made on a whim now that he found himself treasuring her always makes me cry.

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Though the end, I feel that the countries have really lost too much... but it's fitting I suppose. Anyway, I highly recommend this. It's not a light read and is filled with turbulence and fluctuating emotions as everyone is swept by this huge wave of ambition, war, and schemes (I got really frustrated sometimes lol). I'd give it around a 4-4.5, some of the scenes could've have been better executed to me, but the results were still very satisfying so it's easily overlooked.

Overall it's really one of my all time favorite novels. <<less
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Ashress
Ashress rated it
November 27, 2016
Status: Completed
I really like the 1st half of the story because it is center around just the MC and her love. The author played with your heart string like Pingting played her qin (cries). This is one of my first romance, historical-ish tales but I can tell this story is different than the others. Each character has their own problem and concern. I really love the character development :)

But as the story goes on the perspective expanded, this is probably because she grew older and become mature. Her fame slightly... more>> diminished but this is good, I mean she suffered a lot so I can understand that she want to settle down and be more dependent. Being a reader you got to adjust to this, (or it's just me).

Overall, it's a beautiful love story. I recommend it, even if it's a little bit sad (hang in there!).
Spoiler

(rant) But seriously, Pingting hate how Chu Beijie was late for the 6th day. She exclaimed that he was choosing his country and family over to her. Yet she calls him out of the mountain when she was finally forced to do it because she wants to protect her little place. (The transitions between a lot of romance centering around her and the Duke to barely minimum talk. I felt like the Duke loves her but more of because of the 1st half part of the story, because he felt like he still loves her.) So she use him to secure a peaceful life for her place. Really.

Maybe this is because I really don't like the transition between the perspectives but it's really bothering me. But at the end of the day, I ignore that feeling and finished the story. Still love it but the transition still bothers me so a 4 stars rating.

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blue-y
blue-y rated it
October 8, 2016
Status: Completed
This is my first time reading a Chinese novel, so I don't know how this series fares when compared to other works, but I do know that I have very much enjoyed reading this series, and I like how we get both the state politics and romance in this story. There could have been improvements on the further development of both aspects - and it would've been nice to have even more depth to the characters thoughts and emotions being delivered to us the readers, but I'm not complaining much.... more>> Perhaps part of this was somewhat lost in translation... how I wish my understanding of the Chinese language is sufficient to read this (and other novels) in their original language >__<

Chu Beijie x Bai Pingting has become one of my favourite ships XD <<less
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Katra1212
Katra1212 rated it
May 27, 2016
Status: Completed
Chu Beijie, a renowned general, famous for his exploits and intelligence. What will happen when he meet a meek woman who could sing a tune that transcendence music itself behind the curtains, yet in the face of war against him, was actually the one calling the shots!?

Bai Pingting, one of the most famous musician in court, a strategist in war and a retainer of the Marquis. How will fate turn out when the man she fell in love was also her greatest enemy? A man filled with indulgence, spoiled her... more>> rotten, yet at the same time made her suffer. Will the conspiracy made against them break the thread which holds their feelings together? Or will their misunderstanding shatter the remaining image of their respective images in their hearts?

I finished it in one sitting and at the end, made me realize I should have read it slower, to savor the bittersweet heartache of witnessing their respective actions against each other. Chu Beijie is one of the best character I've read so far. Although, the novel has a similar set of historic china, women are greatly respected. Bai Pingting, oh Bai Pingting, sometimes being too intelligent isn't too good. Must you always challenge everything under the sun, even Chu Beijie's undying love?
[spoler] Well, he did prove himself. I really like the scene of Chu Beijie being heartbroken so much when Bai Pingting died. His actions said it all. His love should be unquestioned.

Spoiler

Don't worry they end up together. HEA

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