Empress with no Virtue

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The free-spirited and brutally honest Ye Zhen Zhen was unwillingly chosen as Empress to the playboy Emperor Ji Wu Jiu. Their very first wedding night, she kicked the Emperor down from their bed and he sought out his concubine instead. This completely disastrous start was only the beginning of their eventful life together.

Associated Names
One entry per line
Huánghòu wú dé
ฮองเฮาผู้ไร้คุณธรรม
皇后无德
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
To Be A Virtuous Wife (7)
Heavenly Divine Doctor: Abandoned Concubine (7)
Why Harem Intrigue When You Can Just Raise a Dog Instead (6)
Living As the Villainess Queen (6)
Refusing to Serve Me? Then Off With Your Head! (6)
Beloved Empress (5)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Delightful Story
  2. Most Popular Historical BG
  3. BG favourite novels i read
  4. A Little Love, A Little Lust
  5. To Read

Latest Release

Date Group Release
05/27/20 PlainlyBored c91
07/28/18 Translator K c101 part2
07/22/18 Translator K c101 part1
01/21/18 San Guniang c100
01/14/18 San Guniang c99
01/07/18 San Guniang c98
01/01/18 San Guniang c97
12/31/17 San Guniang c96
12/24/17 San Guniang c95
12/17/17 San Guniang c94
12/13/17 San Guniang c93
12/10/17 San Guniang c92
12/03/17 San Guniang c91
11/26/17 San Guniang c90
07/29/19 PlainlyBored c90
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89 Reviews sorted by


jiwujiu_lover
jiwujiu_lover rated it
January 4, 2018
Status: c97
This is probably one of my favorite novels ever (cough cough, hence my ID). I was getting tired of the overrated novels with the MC transmigrating and being totally OP, but this was completely different and refreshing. I loved the development between the FL and ML. Once this gets completely translated I can see myself reading this over and over.
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JojoChua
JojoChua rated it
November 30, 2017
Status: c91
Can't help but love this story. I find this book funny yet refreshing. No assassin, no transmigration, no time-travel. In the beginning I was not interested after reading the description, thought it was another boring arranged marriage, but later on I was proven wrong. This book is really hilarious and the story is quite out of ordinary.
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tehrealone
tehrealone rated it
March 22, 2016
Status: --
Top quality comedy at least 4/5 if not 5/5

Female protagonist and emperor have so many misunderstandings about each other’s actions, situations, reasons, etc.

At least 50% of the characters believe something when it is not true.

TL: DR: Couples with misunderstandings are enjoyable to watch
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Isha
Isha rated it
February 9, 2022
Status: --
At first the FL seems like a smart cool intelligent young woman. And her interactions with others were funny. But than she turned into a overconfident mary sue, to the point of becoming foolish. I couldn’t keep liking her anymore and trust me I tried. The ML at first was what you would expect of an emperor From the ancient times, except for his weird and pointless hate towards fl. Plot and the story line is very obvious and cliche.
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kuroimochi
kuroimochi rated it
September 23, 2019
Status: Completed
Still my number 1 favorite series in this website, and I've re-read it more than once and still enjoy it a lot. Aside from the fact that it is not transmigration or a reincarnation, which is rare for this website and is a BIG plus for me, this story has genuine romance with interesting ML & MC.

MC came from a powerful family, almost as powerful as newly crowned the emperor (ML), and was pretty much spoiled as a child. MC began as a major pain point for the ML because... more>> of this. It didn't help that MC started out really indifferent. She is quirky and likable, mostly because she gives 0 damn about the harem plotting, but have her own non-malicious yet satisfying way to deal with them.

ML is the highlight of this story due to his character growth. He started out as an emperor who does not think much of women, with shallow view of beauty, plus an established harem where women fight for his attention. While not exactly a ML material, the portrayal is understandable, considering that he was the emperor in a the male dominated society where he can pick his choose.

BUT! What I like about this story is that while there's plenty of humors and laugh out loud situations, author managed to delivery a believable love story. Unlikely some story where ML fell simply due to heroine halo effect (met when 5 years old! Picked up a pencil!), there was process, character depth and experiences which happened to both MC and ML in such a way that changed ML's perspective of MC, and ML eventually redeemed himself.

Definitely give this story a shot, you won't regret it! <<less
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ebolton
ebolton rated it
June 17, 2019
Status: c81
I still have not finish the story yet but I'm losing vigour to do so.

Although the translator is praiseworthy for all the hard-work and I am not really a grammar nazi so as long as I can understand then it's all great.

However, the story became overly dramatic and so dragging.

Even though I am not fan of harem, I still tried reading it hoping that the emperor's girls will eventually cease to exist but that did not happen and that's ok since I know there is some culture mixed to the... more>> story that can't be helped.

Unfortunately what I really don't like, which makes me feel like dropping this story, is adding up unnecessary characters just to furlong the plot. It is making me tired and too frustrated with the storyline. (Wishing to just reach the ending)

Spoiler

I know that the ML is a sweet character but I just can't like him back because of some factors:

1) He still look at other girls.

2) He have previous lovers that's the cause of the refusal he did to MC, although he explained his side, I still think that's not enough after-all the promises he made.

3) I don't understand why he had dinner in Xian concubine so many times without raising the important issue.

I really don't like how the men and women are not equal. Like a man can have a polygamy but a woman can only be called sullied. (For me this is the thing I hate the most but I tried to accept it because the story is slightly good and that's the culture the story is based from but the author is too dramatic, adding more harem just to create a plot which is unnecessary.)

The ML is a jealous person over the admirers of the MC, not looking his own harem which all the women seduces him in front of the MC.

As for the empress, I have mixed feelings. Although she's really likeable for having so witty and funny dialogues, there are instances that the author makes her dumb just to create a twist in the story. (Eye-rolling here)

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Overall, even if this is a funny read, the story is still to cliche.

Even now I am contemplating if this is a 1 star or 2.

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irrykat
irrykat rated it
September 16, 2018
Status: c101 part2
Okay, this was a super fun ride, and it's probably the most fun I've had reading a historical C-novel.

I admit, I went into this with a few misgivings. I thought this would be a lot more melodramatic (as many historical C-novels tend to be), and that the main lead would be insufferable. Thankfully, this was not the case!

The main character is off-beat and not too-OP, and her ways of navigating both her husband and the harem are novel and hilarious to watch. Though I think, in the end, that main... more>> lead I was so worried about ended up becoming my favorite character. Watching him fall in love with the main character is a joy to watch, especially since you don't often see a C-novel emperor ML get humbled and pushed around like this. You could feel his affection and love toward the MC in the prose and it's just great!

So the characters are great, but I think in general the best aspect of the novel is its humor. You will end up laughing, if not at least once a chapter. The comedy is always beautifully set-up, whether its character-driven or situational. The author handles the politics of the court, the scheming of the harem, and the action of the war frontlines well, but it's their ability to not overly dwell on arcs and let things flow naturally that make for a tight story.

Overall, the translation quality isn't that bad. Errors recur here and there in each chapter, but it's nothing that would impede a reader from understanding what is meant.

All in all, I had a lot of fun reading this (binge read it over a week, actually) and I totally recommend it. <<less
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Kardelune
Kardelune rated it
July 24, 2018
Status: c39
Maybe I'm forcing it a bit with the five stars, but well as of the last few chapters I've had a huge grin on my face that simply won't go away in between bouts of rolling on the floor laughter. It's not always easy to rate a story, there's so much that can influence it. So let's put it this way, to me this is light-hearted read (though not a comedy show either) and taken as such it is worth five stars.

I say light-hearted, but that doesn't mean it is... more>> all fluffy, it's not, there are clearly some darker bits, and moments where if I were the kind of person to get hung-up on morality when reading fiction I would have stopped reading.

The main characters while beautiful (as they usually are) are far from perfection, and very relatable. They are smart but can still do s*upid things, or endearing things, or downright strange things. They also don't have that gift for cruelty that is often presented as a decisive tool for justice and self-preservation that often appears in main characters that have power or are in power (at least so far that hasn't appeared). Not that I have anything against that, I enjoy the downfall of the MC's enemies too much for that, but it's nice to read something where cruelty isn't a necessary trait of the MC.

The story itself is well paced, the feelings of the main couple don't feel forced or arbitrary, and seeing the antics the emperor goes through once he decides he wants this empress after all is quite enjoyable. Seeing the antics the empress goes through just because of who she is regardless of whether it concerns the emperor or not, is also quite enjoyable. Not to mention the misunderstandings from the people around them who can't figure out the dynamics between the two.

As for the palace intrigues they aren't over the top in terms of either machinations or cruelty. Though there's a bit both of course (we are talking about an imperial harem after all) but the writing doesn't bring it all the way to gory, which after some of the novels I've read lately is refreshing.

In conclusion, it's a nice clean read, that I would recommend to anyone who's feeling a little down and needs a pick me up and an occasional laugh, or loves chinese novels but needs something a little different and off-beat for a change of pace to rekindle that love. You know what I mean, sometimes you just need something light and refreshing (and relatively short) so you can jump back into the dark and gritty (and looooooong (but still awesome)) other stories you're reading. Empress with no virtue will do that for you.

edit: I've now finished reading and maintain my opinion ^^ <<less
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Kurobito
Kurobito rated it
April 3, 2018
Status: Completed
I never wanted to read this book at all when I first saw it. The reason was because it was still ongoing and the ML has many wives which turns me off. But after reluctantly I read the first few chapter, I started to enjoy the flow of the story and the comedy in it. As the story goes on I began to like the ML very much. This novel really need to take time to slowly fall in love with it
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Starvenus
Starvenus rated it
February 16, 2016
Status: --
It’s quite funny.

The main lead is Ye Zhen Zhen. She’s coming from powerful family, her grandfather is the Emperor teacher. Their wedding been set when the emperor was the crown prince. She doesn’t want to be wed to the emperor. Her thinking is rather modern.

The male lead is the Emperor, Ji Wu Jiu. Chapter 1 he’s 20 y/o. He has several concubines. 1 is his favorite from his crown prince days, another 1 is from the Fang, the other powerful family to counter Ye family in the inner palace. The... more>> rest of the concubines aren’t worth mentioning. In the court Ye and Fang are rivals. This rivalry off course happen in the inner palace too.

Ye Zhen’s dealing with the vicious methods of these concubines are rather funny. The one made me laugh is the toad. She’s quite generous too, give rewards left and right. Lol <<less
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XiaoFanTuan
XiaoFanTuan rated it
June 23, 2020
Status: Completed
This was the first thing that I’ve read ever since I discovered NU through 3L3W:TPB so I might be a bit biased in my review.

I really enjoyed reading this that I’ve re-read this a couple of times whenever I’m at lost what to read again. Just enough mix of politics and not much on the harem crazy, which I’m not a fan, maybe in the beginning but everything changed after the ML started developing feelings for the FL.

Please, please read this☺️
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littlemetaball
littlemetaball rated it
April 2, 2020
Status: c101 part2
Rating: 4.6-4.7/5.

This is a light novel with some of the best character growth as individuals and as a couple.

It's also refreshing to read after reading a lot of romance light novels about a poor (often times Mary Sue/ white lotus) female protagonist who is all about fighting for equal status among the people in harem (even though people in harem are mostly nobles, whether by birth or promotion, instead of worrying about the actual populace in the streets), yada yada.

The FL is from basically the most powerful noble house other... more>> than the royal family, and is arranged to marry the emperor as his empress. She doesn't want it, but her grandfather kinda pushes her to it, ML doesn't want it but accepts the marriage so he can keep an eye on FL's family that he thinks is threatening his power.

The two are like oil and water, really, but they are also both smart and educated. FL is spunky and doesn't try to flatter the emperor, but is also quick on her feet and straightforward. ML is scheming and calculative and doesn't trust FL, but he ends up falling in love with her before the FL. It's a very sweet fall. :3

What is unrealistic, just one thing:
Spoiler

The ML's vow to only love the FL. I get the logic behind it and also that this is a novel, but this ending would not happen in a society that encourages polygamy for the emperor. Is what I think. Which is also why I like this novel; it shoots for an ideal, whether right or wrong, and packages it beautifully. Haha

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Basically, these two are a power couple! <<less
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owlzeyes
owlzeyes rated it
July 17, 2019
Status: c101 part2
This is a fun read. A love-hate/tsundere relationship. Both the female lead and male lead are definitely not perfect but together they're perfectly cute. Really entertaining. I would recommend if you're looking for a historical romance comedy. I do have to say sometimes I get a little disappointed with the ML but that's only because the MLs I'm used to reading are all pretty much are stone cold towards any female that's not FL. However, this ML in the beginning isn't like that, so it did hurt my heart a... more>> little. It's okay I think the misunderstandings, bickering, and jealousy moments help to build their relationship. <<less
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Kaparin
Kaparin rated it
January 20, 2019
Status: Completed
Spoiler

To keep it short, the Emperor was a typical Emperor with his harem but over time was attract to his newly appointed Empress which he was supposed to resent/detest because the Empress's grandfather is a minister in court and had always given him some sort of trouble. The Emperor tried to do it with the the Empress countless times but she ended up puking each time halting it as she sees him as dirty and disgusting since he slept with so many women. In order to seek out why she was acting this way, he went on a disguise to a brothel and paid a woman money each time she answered his questions. Over the course of time, the Emperor began holding back for the Empress and she finally accepted him and they did it like crazy. Don't worry they're devoted to each other and won't do others, it's only the Empress that was almost r*ped like 2 times I think (when she was in the outside world).

Around midway was when politics and war came in and it was those usual stuff. But the plot slowly got boring. Not that I hate politics and war and would judge a novel for just putting that, however, it was not written in a very interesting way. And then there was those people who liked to rebel/scheme and stuff like "your Father killed my blah blah blah, I'm here to take back what was mine/or revenge". Plus, there was also the 'gu' smh, omg idk how many stories I've read that has this element already.

The couple traveled together frequently where the Emperor was supposed to go undercover, but the Empress was so pressed to join him every damn time. She's always in danger btw.

Oh yea, around the end of the novel, the Emperor's real background was revealed. He was actually the illegitimate son from the previous Emperor and a woman but she married somebody else. He took her kid and replaced it with the Empress Dowager's dead child (apparently the prev Emp had some poison and he did it with his harem, kids who were born were destined to die however the Emp Dowager thought that her husband personally killed her son to replace it with an illegitimate to secure the throne for kid) which was why the Empress Dowager secretly resented the Emperor and poisoned him with the gu.

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Wish I could rate it as 3.5.

Gosh, I hate MLs that always hide stuff from their partner. I mean he reveals political stuff to his wife but not life endangering ones. As for the MC, I don't know whether she's smart or s*upid. Many times I found her quite unreasonable, I guess the author only gives her some smartness when she needs to for the plot to keep moving.

I didn't fully enjoy the novel because it was kind of cliche or the author did not make it very exciting at all after midway. When I was around chapter 80, I kept praying to for the story to finish faster. I don't like dropping novels if I have read over half way. But be rest assured:

Spoiler
    • couple is devoted to one another
    • it is somewhat funny here and there
    • HE
    • the harem is non-existent after 30 chaps? I forgot
    • a lot of doting
    • they travel together a lot
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wintia_blue08
wintia_blue08
September 24, 2018
Status: --
This is not only about this light novel, it's for chinese novels of ancient times stuff that usually involves the man having several wives and concubines: ... more>>
Spoiler

The schemes and plans of the wives and the quarrel of their children is the reason why one should really only have one wife. (I mean, sure, full blood siblings also quarrel for positions and inheritances, favors and the like but that just gets more complicated if there are children from different women as well!) The men just wish to indulge themselves and look at pretty ladies and have lots of descendants. The men have problems at court, so the women have to suffer through inner palace struggles as well?

[collapse]

Just wanted to say. But then again,

Spoiler

It's interesting to see a popular man chase a girl. That even if he has a harem, his true love will be a single person.

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<<less
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mshh
mshh rated it
March 25, 2018
Status: c100
I loved this story. This isn't your typical backroom political stage where MC is trying to outsmart everybody for love, revenge, etc. It is quite novel in that she wanted a peaceful life and accepting of other wives yet want nothing to do with her husband, the emperor. It also had its funny parts.

... more>>
Spoiler

What kept it entertaining is that the ML learned and took steps to get the MC to love him. There is a scene of spousal r*pe? IDK if it is strictly classified as that as the MC requested something of ML and ML said he wanted her body then she initiated the touching which stirred him up and he didn't stop. And the MC didn't plead for him to stop; just stayed silence throughout the process. It is at least blackmail. However, their interactions later are so cute and touching. The ML really love the MC and always consider her first. It was adorable when he was jealous of his own son!

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<<less
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tohukyo
tohukyo rated it
March 18, 2018
Status: Completed
One of the best novels I've read. It's concise. Not too much extra drama. It's quite the perfect amount. And the OTP is a true power couple; both are very clever but also stubborn young and naive horses (FL=17 and ML=20). But they grow up so fast too. Their emotions are true and when at peace, they're adorable. Their character development and their couple development and dynamic is a story you don't want to miss out on. It's only 100 chapters- a blessing for a novel and the story's perfect... more>> balance is quite a miraculous feat but 100 is also a curse because of how much you fall for the characters. Don't pass this up. The smut is enough to be imaginatively delicious too. <<less
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Cerealgirl
Cerealgirl rated it
October 18, 2017
Status: c41
Initially, I was all pro Ji Wu Jiu, the spoiled emperor who never had to work to get laid be on a conquest of experiencing the taste of first love. The banter between Ye Zhen Zhen and him was cute. I found the whole 'walnut grab' at night cute yet a bit unsettling. What finally brought me here to rant about the book is chapter 41. I can try to understand Ji Wu Jiu for his unforgivable actions but I honestly don't want to. He saw her clear discomfort with... more>> all that intimacy but still proceeded. I want to rage quit this book because of this one-sided development. Never was a fan of one-sided love. I think I will continue reading, though. <<less
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NastyOlRoshi
NastyOlRoshi rated it
May 28, 2017
Status: c102
This novel is pretty decent, there are some illogical events and constant drama-scheming but it's overall a good read. I also like the fact that it's relatively short. You won't feel like you wasted your time even if you end up disliking what happens. I think 4.2-4.3 would be the perfect score for this novel, not bad but also not mind blowing.

Now about the plot and things I disliked. Male lead is kinda s*upid, he has placed so many women around him from different factions that are constantly creating trouble... more>> for him. There's your usual jealous women fighting over which one of them, the MC likes the most. Another semi-important character his old mother which is pretty much an annoying hag. Romance between Female and Male lead is done quite well and never really cringed with their interactions. He's also only commited to her after a certain point. As I said previously he can't easily punish severely his other women so there's trouble lingering around at all times which is kinda whatever. I think what kinda ruins the story is the perfect timing they have with each other when it comes to escaping from sticky situations and the last 15-20 chapters which were unnecessary. I'd prefer a slightly less adventurous ending and perhaps 2-3 more chapters similar to the last one. <<less
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pliszka
pliszka rated it
November 7, 2016
Status: c11
Romantically, it is at best a potential romance. For political reasons, the main character becomes Empress, the main wife (of many), at 17, while the emperor is young, energetic and with limited common sense (apparently, quite intelligent). They do not like each other, but slowly, they start seeing each other better sides. Rather than romance, there is a lot of intrigue and occasional mu*der. Since "police" cannot enter the Inner Palace that is formally ruled by the Empress and men have no access (with one exception, of course), she is... more>> responsible for solving the mu*ders, or her unloving husband will add "negative points" to her evaluation. He is getting ready to replace her, and he has the bureaucrats to convince her, which in ancient China is no joke at all (unless you want to be case as "the wicked last emperor of his dynasty"). However, as the Empress stays aloof from the intrigues and solves the mysteries, it will be harder to find someone better to play her role (bureaucratic, not as bed mate) .

That does not sound overly exciting, but there is a lot of humor. <<less
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