Clear and Muddy Loss of Love

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A natural moat called the Luo river split the great land into two. Jing of the north, and Wei of the south.

One was the Prince of the grass plains who had no worries nor sorrow. One was a lawful Princess who received exclusive favour of the Emperor.

A war turned the Prince of the grass plains into an orphan, she who had laid dormant for ten years had originally planned to become a sycophantic official, to manipulate the enemy kingdom into chaos, but was appointed as Fuma at the Chionglin banquet.

Wait and see, how this debt of grudge from a fallen kingdom and devastated home will be settled.

Associated Names
One entry per line
Jing Wei Qing Shang
JWQS
Kính vị tình thương
Revenge of the Prince
Truly Love Wrongly Given
Two Adamant Hearts
泾渭情殇
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Female General And Eldest Princess (4)
The Witch Nichang (4)
My Wandering Spirit Lady (4)
The Dragon (4)
Jianghu Demolition Squad (3)
Eastward Flow (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Just a List
  2. read wuh luh wuh
  3. Read Already (yuri)
  4. Yuri and Other \(0 v 0)/
  5. Baihe/Yuri novels I've read

Latest Release

Date Group Release
05/14/20 melts extras (end)
05/12/20 melts c301-303
05/11/20 melts c291-300
05/11/20 melts c281-290
05/11/20 melts c279.5
05/11/20 melts c271-280
05/11/20 melts c271
05/11/20 melts c261-270
05/11/20 melts c251-260
05/11/20 melts c241-250
05/11/20 melts c231-240
05/11/20 melts c221-230
05/11/20 melts c211-220
05/11/20 melts c201-210
05/11/20 melts c191-200
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76 Reviews sorted by


Amalith
New Amalith rated it
April 20, 2025
Status: Completed
Fair warning, despite the score, this is going to be a mostly negative review. This is because the score (cut down from 10/10) was from when I just finished the novel, and while I was originally planning to reread and write an actual review, what really ended up sticking with me was the ending, and I simply couldn't bring myself to reread to be left with that ending. At the same time, however, I strongly felt the need to write down and express how much and why I dislike the... more>> ending. So keep in mind that I really really enjoyed most of the book, and what follows is a very negative opinion centered pretty much entirely on the ending portion. It's entirely possible I'm misremembering some aspects since it's been some time, but overall the ending clogs up most of what I remember about this book so it should be mostly accurate.

To put it very bluntly, this author's endings are awful. I think her writing quality is generally very high, and plot progression varies wildly from book to book but is often great (in this book's case it's great), but she cannot write an ending to save her life. So, why did I end up with such negative opinions on this ending that it makes me unwilling to re-experience a book that I rated as exceptionally top tier even when weighing in how awful the ending was?

Spoiler

First of all, I don't believe the ending from a character perspective. At this point in the story, Jingnu and Qi Yan have gone through a lot a lot. Frankly, I would argue a lot of what happened beforehand was worse than what kicked off the ending. I simply do not really believe that it makes sense for Qi Yan to run away to that extent especially when Jingnu gives both strong reasoning for why she's doing what she is from a political perspective (which, as a reminder, is essentially for survival considering how they're still in the relatively tumultuous and politically unstable period after a new emperor, a female one at that, rises) and gives a plan for how they can be punished after the political situation calms down. That's a lot more than can be said for a lot of the earlier conflicts.

I understand that the idea is that now that she's accomplished her revenge and Jingnu is in a position of power, Qi Yan is a lot freer to leave. However, clearly she doesn't consider herself as having fully accomplished her revenge, otherwise this conflict wouldn't exist in the first place. Add in how much the previous conflicts have left both of them reflecting on how much pain and suffering it took to finally be together, and I just don't believe Qi Yan's actions as a response.

Second, I dislike the ending from a morality/fairness perspective. This ending would make significantly more sense and even be in some specific ways cathartic if the story largely involved Qi Yan constantly making sacrifices for Jingnu. However, I would generally argue that over the course of the story, both of them made reasonably equal sacrifices and compromises for the other, and if anything I would argue that Jingnu compromised more for Qi Yan overall. (Feel free to take or dismiss this point as you please; I ended up with the feeling that Jingnu did more for Qi Yan over the whole duration of the book, but trying to justify it further would require the aforementioned reread that's not going to happen so if you feel differently that's fine.)

The counterargument that I can see involves the fact that Qi Yan lost more (her entire tribe and way of life) than Jingnu, but I disagree for two reasons. The first is that I would argue this isn't really relevant to the relationship directly between Qi Yan and Jingnu - if anything, Qi Yan reflects at several points that she's hurting Jingnu despite how Jingnu wasn't really responsible. The second, closely related, point is that I don't believe Qi Yan would hold that against Jingnu. Again, Qi Yan's internal monologue considers herself as hurting Jingnu for things that are not Jingnu's fault, and it was never really brought up even during earlier conflicts where Jingnu compromises because she feels that Qi Yan deserves vengeance. It's possible that Jingnu becoming the emperor makes things feel differently to Qi Yan, but frankly if this is the case I'm very unconvinced it's backed up enough by the actual text and starts to feel like making excuses for the plot instead of examining it.

Finally, I think this ending fails to provide a satisfying conclusion. If the goal was to write a tragedy, then write a tragedy. This ending is claimed to be a happy ending, but then even ignoring everything else, it fails from both a background and foreground plot view. In terms of background plot, the idea that Jingnu can just stop being the emperor and that Qi Yan finds some magical fake death pill does not feel adequately backed up.

In terms of foreground plot, there's quite a few issues. After a big melodramatic plot where both characters reflect multiple times that "it sure is nice that after all of this struggle and suffering we've finally managed to get together, this love really is worth holding onto", ideally a happy ending would provide moments of actual happiness for the characters; it's a reward, like how when a book writes a big political struggle it'd be pretty disappointing if the aftermath was relegated to one sentence at the end of a book, or if a big mystery ends with the criminal just getting away anyways or getting arrested offscreen. There's a reason Sherlock Holmes lays out all the little clues instead of just going "anyways I figured it out, dude's arrested, peace".

Another issue is that amnesia as an ending is almost always an awful idea. Introducing amnesia that isn't later reverted into a relationship naturally makes the relationship feel way more hollow. It strips out all of the complexities, the growing of feelings, the struggles and learning that makes a relationship, especially one as tumultuous and complicated as this one, special. The fact that it's implied "oh well maybe she'll get her memory back later" just makes it worse; at that point just write in her getting her memory back then.

Ultimately the ending feels extremely rushed, has very questionable setup, and even if you don't care about any of that, it more or less feels like it puts the actual happy ending x years down the line, and we just never actually get to see them talking over their problems, reuniting for real, living a life they enjoy, etc.

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Anyways this was basically just a huge rant but it was extremely satisfying to finally write out my thoughts on an aspect of a writer that I think severely hurts an otherwise great writer, and hopefully the next time I get annoyed thinking about her books I can look at this review instead of rethinking about the ending from scratch all over again. Hopefully if you're someone who also got very annoyed by how the novel ended, this does something similar to you. <<less
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etheraxia
etheraxia rated it
March 4, 2020
Status: c150
Gotta love the slow burn and character growth (--thinking of the 2nd and 3rd princesses). I think the author definitely decided to forgo any complaints and truly flesh out the characters like they wanted to in this novel.

Only read this if you like slow burn. It takes about 15-16 chapters until the leads meet each other and love takes a long time to develop. There's plenty of scenes where the leads are interacting or thinking about each other. However, it is getting darker as the MC is diving deeper into... more>> her revenge schemes.

My favorite angsty novels are the types that causes my heart to wretch in pain... This one definitely does that. And like Female General and Eldest Princess this will have a happy ending :).

The translator is doing God's work...

----

Edit 3/18/2020:

My GAWD I've never seen a translator update so fast! I need a donation button for them!! They've added 50 chapters in the span of 2 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(I also recommend following a jjwxc guide to buy the entire novel via the app once it's complete.) <<less
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Riptide01
Riptide01 rated it
March 9, 2020
Status: Completed
I binged read this all the way to chapter 100 in one night, and I gotta say, it's fantastic! For those of you who are hesitant because of the Yuri tag, I say, don't be! Although essentially this is a GL novel, it's more of a historic novel with plots full of revenge, brothers fighting for the throne and intriguing mysteries that leads me wanting to know what happens next. The translation is superb, I can actually follow along with no problem. The only thing that bothers me is the... more>> chapter 101-110 is unaccesible for some reason... I'm hoping that the translator can upload it and make it accessible soon... otherwise, it's amazing so far!!! I LOVE IT.

EDIT 7/31: Finally finished reading this absolutely wonderful masterpiece after all the updates were done. Was able to access all the chapters this time: thank you translator-sama for all your hard work. This novel is so amazing that I have shed tears by the end of it. I can't even see my keyboard rn cause my tears are so blinding. Qiyan Agula's slow revenge was written perfectly and the main couple's unbreakable love was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. It's been so long since I felt anything for fictional characters but the author was able to toy with my heart so easily with this story. Please, I beg you to read it, you'll be missing out otherwise. <<less
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C104 rated it
May 13, 2020
Status: c303
Absolutely great,

I habe rarly read a novel/book with such character depth, development and growth. The story itself is also superb, completly without the usual plotholes nor the usual plot amour. (There are still some open plotlines but they add to the realism, and the author might work on them in her extras) The characters are smart but far from almighty, they suffer, sometimes they rise above, sometimes they fail. The balance is perfect. This novel singelhandly saved my opinion of chinese novels.

One of the most important and well executed... more>> features of this novel is the character growth.
Spoiler

The FLI basically turns from naive manipulation target to badass schemer and female emperor. And the MC from revengeful malicius genius to still genius wife of the FLI with a well written inner conflict

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Critic:
Spoiler

One thing that annoyed me extreamly is the illness of the MC. The condition on her lungs is comletly fine, the "water condition" reflects a real medical condition after considerable lung damage through drowning. What was not okay was the effect on her brain, it was just so random, seemed to be a self insert from the auter had no actual effect on the story and was later just abandoned and forgotten. The "I got dementia now suddenly, without any reason" was so annoying and useless. However the story was so good that I continued reading.

The other thing I was slightly unhappy about was the ending, it should have been flashed out more. But maybe I got that feeling only because I had to wait for every new chapter, because at that point the story wasnt fully released. The auter also wants to add extras where this problem might be amended

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This book is also extremely gripping, so I advise to start only when you have 3-4 days completely free. I didn't. I also couldn't stop reading and missed at least 4 deadlines and 1 meeting!

Great read, just take your time 5/5 <<less
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trixam
trixam rated it
March 10, 2021
Status: c303
This story just isn't a fun read for me, they claim the two are in love but for every crumb of romance that's thrown our way is an unending wave of contrived fights and anguish designed to try and make the readers feel bad. I'm not even sure where to start with this, but the main character is every single meaning of the word unstable. Until the bitter and extremely confusing end she will express sole and devout dedication to the princess and in the same breath vow to never... more>> again trust a wei dog and decide to die, it's insane how she doesn't get whiplash from the extreme changes in direction her moral's take. Also somehow most of her plans involve convincing the FL that she's either been horribly injured or is f*cking another woman? Isn't she supposed to be a super genius or something and you're telling me the only way to get the princess to listen is if she catches the MC f*cking her stepmom? She's downright abusive at the start of the marriage too, gaslighting, acting sweet one day and ignoring the next, it's not okay the things she does. If it weren't for "romance magic" that relationship would have been over day one.

The princess is the same, they'll be in trusting blissful unity for 30 chapters and then the MC will go do something she already discussed she was going to do with the FL and the FL will just start losing her sh*t breaking things in the room because she might be defecting (?). They both act like they're 14 years old, just for the entirety of their time together and it's infuriating. Nobody talks to anybody else until it's just barely not too late, it just all feels so calculated.

I really figured since it was so difficult to get to the point of the big reveal in the story that the author would reward us with a happy ending or a nice satisfying ending but instead
Spoiler

the suffering just continues until the very dreary and sudden end. There was some Power Rangers villain behind everything the whole time who never really gets dealt with. Somehow despite not actually discussing what their last fight was about the miracle couple ends up together in retirement town, pretty much the same ending as FGEP. I dont know what happens in the extra chapters because quite frankly I'm not sure they deserve extra chapters in my mind.

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There's some really just weird arbitrary plot choice too. Like
Spoiler

when the northern tribes are attacking the luo river nobody in the Wei kingdom can think of a way to defend the river, so the MC has a flashback to when her father recalled the enemy having "sudden ice castles" and is inspired to freeze the river into walls. The enemy she took this from was the Wei kingdom. Nobody in the Wei kingdom including the general that had made that strategy in the past could think of this strategy? And to top all of that off the Masked Villain coincidentally had harvested like a few barrels of oil years ago that perfectly countered ice walls so there was no point for this entire sequence of events anyways.

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In the end I kind of regret powering through my initial displeasure to finish the main story. I was expecting for all the anguish for there to be some sort of cathartic release at the end, you'd look back at the hardships and appreciate the journey that took them there, but it's just more anguish. This box of lucky charms came with no marshmallows but if you insist on eating that catfood they use for filler that's on you.

Great translation by Melts tho <<less
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bijx204
bijx204 rated it
May 13, 2020
Status: c303
Caution: not for the weak-hearted.

This is a slow-burn novel. It's not everyone's cup of tea. If you came for fluffy romance, this isn't for you. There's a lot of heartbeeaking scenes.

However, PDL is an amazing author. Her writing is phenomenal, and Melts did an incredible job with the translation. The characters are all fully fleshed out and are three dimensional. Even the side characters are amazing.

This novel is quite long but PDL never lost sight of her story. Everything that occurs makes sense and goes over the course of 17+... more>> years. Yup, it's long. But it also moves at a fast enough pace. The angst that occurs early on don't necessarily take too long so it doesn't feel that bad. I won't spoil too much. But if you love a good literary work, this is it. My heart broke so many times throughout this novel. The angst, the trauma, the love, everything about it is so good. Definitely give this book a chance! <<less
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potato128
potato128 rated it
August 11, 2020
Status: Completed
This was the first time in my entire life reading something that made me feel so emotionally involved with the characters and that's saying something as I've read thousands of books. The love between the main characters is so deep and I've never read something like it. The author is a master of letting actions speak louder than words. Something I noticed that's uncommon among chinese/japanese/korean/etc. Authors is that they don't talk much about what the character is thinking about, but this author does to the point that you feel... more>> like you're going through everything yourself. It's the reason I felt every emotion the characters felt.

Tbh, while reading this I couldn't help but wonder if I was a masochist as it constantly rips your heart apart and puts it back together, but I don't regret reading it for a single moment. I really recommend reading this and setting time apart from your life to finish it in a few days as it allows you to remember everything and enjoy it much more. I wouldn't be worried about it being dark if that's what people considering reading are thinking. The novel eases you into everything so you don't feel overwhelmed and the pain I felt while reading this was really just from the emotional angst between our Qi Yan and Nangong Jingnu.

Now I'm gonna go cope with not having to read this novel anymore now. ALSO please be reassured that no matter what happens or seems like is gonna happen both our characters are gonna live a LONG and happy life with each other in the end. <<less
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toukonotto
toukonotto rated it
May 11, 2020
Status: c303
  • This story is marvelous. Do not hesitate to read it. I bet you guys won't regret it in the end. If you guys like this one, I'll recommend to read "Female General And Eldest Prince" by the same Author. Both stories are superb.
  • I have linked to the translation to the chapter that are out until now. If you guys are curious about why chapter 271 link is alone, It's because 18+ moments are included in there. While in links together with 271-280 chapter 18+ content was removed. Chapter 279.5 happened after chapter 279.
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meow-chan
meow-chan rated it
May 13, 2020
Status: c303
Qi Yan/Qiyan Agula is undoubtedly cruel. The riveting kind of cruel.

After reading the entire story, I know I'd be having a difficult time reading another.

melts' translation was superb. If it's not melts, it takes time for me to get into.

This has been such a great ride. Thank you.
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blazingseraph
blazingseraph rated it
June 10, 2020
Status: Completed
I didn't expect to like this so much with how many warnings were in place before reading it. It's essentially a revenge story embroiled with political intrigue and plotting that is muddied by the romance. The muddying is deliberate though, and it enhanced the rest of the story with it.

Characters: 5/5

I enjoyed reading about all of the characters. Even if I didn't particularly like them as characters, they were well fleshed out and had their own motivations. The main characters had amazing amounts of character development and I especially loved... more>> Agula.

Plot: 5/5

It was such a long and well thought out story. Everything happened for a reason, and a lot of things wove together beautifully. I went into this knowing the author also wrote FGEP so I wasn't disappointed at all. The political intrigue really grabbed me, and it made sense too.

Romance: 4/5

Honestly... I'm only giving it a 4/5 because Jingnu pissed me off near the end. I believe that Agula was right in her revenge and I also think she deserves better. BUT, that doesn't take away from how well-written the romance was. It was a very long slow-burn and a lot of things about it would be considered problematic, but it was real and raw. As a pure love story, this would be really shitty, but as an accessory to the greater plot? It's phenomenal. The romance and the main plot go hand in hand, and it made the story much better for it.

All in all, I really loved reading this. <<less
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Nofacetoslap
Nofacetoslap rated it
August 2, 2020
Status: Completed
Another unforgettable story, we have here folks. The emotion that this story bring will go straight to your heart.

It is a heart wrenching and tear-jerker love story. I love both the growth of both protagonist. Their happy ending is worth for their amazing story.

I actually having second thoughts reading this book because the Female General and the Eldest Princess already bring so much heart break on my little heart. But then I got curious, without knowing it I already got engross to it, breaking my little heart once more. But... more>> then again I actually have not regret reading it.

Thumbs up for the author and for the translator for their amazing job. <<less
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welliu
welliu rated it
July 13, 2020
Status: --
This novel made me freaking cry multiple times. It made my heart ache so much while reading the damn angst and I WAS f*ckING DOWN FOR IT.

I have never read a novel that would impact me so much. I still think about them after reading this. The translations are AMAAAAAAZING OMG.

Spoiler

The only con is that I wanted to read more about how Qi Yans younger sister and the 2nd princess developed feelings for each other. Still an amazing story though

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also loved the characters <3
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Lingxiao
Lingxiao rated it
July 11, 2020
Status: Completed
This. Is. So. Good.

I tell you all, read it!!! The translation is superb, the whole plot, story, and the ending just making me sob all over again.

No spoiler here, just read it!!
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Ishikawa Kiyoko
Ishikawa Kiyoko rated it
June 3, 2020
Status: Completed
Angst. Angst. Angst. Angst. HAPPY END! ?

My heart hurts even now. Very Good Novel! I love it...... very much ? (Damn~ When did I become a masochist??) When I saw it first released, I didn’t read it immediately as I was bracing myself for the pain. Now I read it as I thought I was ready...... and I realized I will never be ready for any pain. The characters suffered so much, the author suffered too and, of course, me and my fellow readers. We did well guys ??

Very Good!... more>> Very Good! I’m looking forward to My Wandering Spirit Lady~ See you there folks~ <<less
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DreamChaser
DreamChaser rated it
July 2, 2022
Status: --
So this is a hard review to write.

There were multiple points in JWQS where I felt like I couldn't put down the book and marathoned chapter after chapter to find out what happened next. I loved the main leads and their romance. Qi Yan especially is just a treat of a character, the manipulative, cold-blooded chessmaster trope but as a woman. A woman who f*cks with gender on top of that. She's an incredible lead and tracing her development through the story is wonderful.

Nangong Jingnu also goes through almost an... more>> absurd amount of character development that never feels forced, and their relationship develops from the most delicious slowburn into something equally deliciously unhinged where they're feral for each other.

The plot, however... some of the angst hits hard, but quite a lot of it is dedicated to political maneuvering that I ultimately just didn't find that interesting. And that's coming from someone who really loves fantasy politics! But unless you're genuinely interested in the way a taxation or economic or trade policy might affect the imaginary kingdom, you're probably going to roll your eyes a bit the fifteenth time the salt reserve policy is brought up.

There are also a ton of different plot threads introduced, and while some of them are brought back around cleverly, a lot of the time it seems like we're building up to a big emotional climax, only for the story to resolve an issue at breakneck speed. Always with a solid, believable explanation, but it almost made me wonder why the author bothered to include all this if it isn't going to have a tangible emotional impact on us or majorly affect the lives of the characters.

This also meant that a ton of side characters are introduced and then barely used in the plot, which gives you lots of names to keep track of without much pay-off. I also desperately wanted to be rewarded for getting attached to them and see more interactions between these side characters and the leads, but at times it was almost like they were immediately forgotten about once off-page. This is all exemplified by the ending, which is a beautiful emotional ending for the leads but drops about a thousand other plot and character threads seemingly without care.

Spoiler

For example, we get a cool side romance with Xiao-Die and Nangong Shunu, but we never find out how their story ends or check in on them during the finale. We know that NGSN's mother disapproves of their relationship, but it's not really resolved in any way, just brought up. And surely XD deserves to know that her sister is alive at the end?!

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The story in general seems chronically disinterested in anyone not named Qi Yan or Nangong Jingnu, which made me really crave more attention paid to their other relationships.
Spoiler

Qian Tong, for instance―we get this great setup with a servant who's incredibly loyal to Qi Yan and a cute scene of him fussing over her health, but there are so many opportunities for him to be around in a scene, talk to her, actually bond with her that just aren't taken until he needs to roll back around for more plot. Qi Yan adopts a new horse to replace the one she lost at the very beginning of the story, bonds with her, and then gives her away to Qian Tong to keep her safe, and likewise the horse is just never seen again. Bayin chooses to break things off with Qi Yan but feels conflicted about it, Jinwushu has inherited his grudge against the Wei kingdom but still wants to see his "father"... neither ever get mentioned again, and we only hear about the kingdoms being united sometime in the distant future, which makes all this division between the two virtually irrelevant.

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Spoiler

And what happened to Jiya and her son? What happened to the main f*cking antagonist whose influence Qi Yan had been fighting against the entire story? The former princess just peaces out to the north of the Luo and never bothers anyone again? Are you kidding me?

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It's such a shame, because there are point where the story really shines, and the leads are so compelling. The writing is, overall, carefully crafted and pays attention to detail. (Perhaps too much attention at times.) But by the end of the novel I was really craving something more character-focused, that gave me a little more downtime to just enjoy the characters being in each other's company. One that takes its time developing meaningful relationships with people who aren't each other, which at this length it could so easily have done by leaving a few of the less interesting bits of the plot to the side.

One last thing I'm going to mention, because it caught me off-guard and it generally isn't brought up or warned for in the fandom. I get that Qi Yan does plenty of awful things, and I largely love that for her, but
Spoiler

there is a very weird plotline about this beautiful man called Liu Yuan, who tries to get Qi Yan to shield him because he's caught the attention of the gross, lecherous sixth prince. Qi Yan and Nangong Jingnu respond by discussing how he's such a terrible inconvenience to them, and take the attitude that he's got a chip on his shoulder about being good-looking even though he says it's caused him to be nearly assaulted and bullied a ton, which we even see some of! They even treat it like he's doing something wrong because he doesn't want to be r*ped and is desperate to avoid it. And then Qi Yan straight up delivers him to the man who wants to r*pe him, while we get a fairly graphic description of how he's delivered naked and unconscious in a sack, and the guards who deliver him to the prince mock and grope him while he's passed out. This is never resolved, and we don't even get to see him conscious again after he's r*ped. We never hear about what happened to him after that, at all, and both the narrative and Qi Yan seem to instantly forget about him. It might have worked if it felt like it was intended to show how low Qi Yan is willing to go for her goals, but instead it feels like the story thought this was completely fine.

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In summary, I feel like I was given my ideal lesbian romance, buried under layers of plot that could have been skipped or better focused, and side characters that should have been allowed to actually develop meaningful relationships with the leads and each other on the page. Reading this alongside Langya Bang also really didn't do Jing Wei Qing Shan any favours, because that one's a master class in balancing character and relationship development between all of its large, memorable cast and intriguing political drama, and even has another awesome, chronically ill tactician as the lead. Still, tentatively recommended for the sake of Qi Yan and the main romance. I've just been left wanting a little bit more. <<less
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morikotto
morikotto rated it
October 15, 2020
Status: Completed
Original premise, fantastic first half, great translation. Unfortunately, it gets quite slow in the last half of the book, and many plot threads are left unfinished. It feels like the author bit off more than she could chew, and then had to finish it quickly before it became too unwieldy.

Ending spoilers:

... more>>
Spoiler

The ending is rushed, disappointing, and almost exactly the same as the ending to her previous book, Female General and Eldest Princess - which I also found disappointing for the same reasons. As far as I'm concerned, 'and then they faked their death and ran away' is on the same level of rushed, sloppy writing as 'and then they woke up and it was all a dream'.

Nothing is said about the masked lady, who is still in the north; nothing is said about Qiyan Agula's loyal supporters, after her 'death' or after Jingnu disappears; the final two deaths are glossed over, brief and barely touched on, despite being so important to Qiyan. It was good, but it could have been better, and the early chapters hinted at a potential that the book did not, unfortunately, live up to.

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Still, a good read. <<less
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2013722
2013722 rated it
July 19, 2022
Status: c272
Altogether up to where I read, this novel was just two character studies on Qiyan and Jingnu, and of how they worked together. The development in each is very steady, and satisfying. They are full of contradictions; conflicting feelings, and bittersweetness. This novel is the type to be more of an experience to read. There aren't really any extraordinary meaningful elements to ponder over. The author ultimately uses a lot of other characters solely for the plot to keep going & impact on the main characters (directly and indirectly). Due to the lack of purpose other characters have, there's a limit to how developed the political schemes can become. At the surface, the politics + palace intrigue have a thoughtful, complicated structure, but there was nearly nothing beneath it. It was bleak with no great meaning. Considering that the whole story wants to be focused on the main couple, not diving deeply into others is alright but it gets off-putting from how especially ignored and used some characters get. It gives the vibe that only Jingnu and Qiyan are important in the world of the story, as if everything revolves around them, to kind of a disturbing extent. In one case, it was very gross

Spoiler

A character Li YuAn would be blamed for "bringing disaster" by the main characters? Li YuAn was trying to seek help / safety from Sixth prince who was planning to r*pe him. A quote to give you an idea where I am coming from, "they seem angry that i'd make myself vulnerable more than the fact they'd acted on my vulnerability." I get the whole hierarchy thing with how Li YuAn is much lower in status and "doesn't deserve" such, that further adds to the background, but it was unexpected when Jingnu also blamed him for it. Jingnu is shown to see all as equal, that she doesn't consider the hierarchy, this was shown numerous times. For example, when she disapproved how servants and soldiers' deaths of different status would get a different compensation, which happened AFTERWARDS too. Things just don't go together, the only excuse I can think of this was that the author wanted to show how unreasonable Jingnu can get, since she was jealous from Li YuAn "showing interest" towards Qiyan, which again proves my initial point of using characters.

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I really hope by the end is when the other characters shine.
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1zva
1zva rated it
November 25, 2020
Status: Completed
(Please read the edit)

I don't think I've ever been so pissed off at an author of a novel so much.

This story is simply a string of coincidences, filled with superficial reasons and sophistry set by the author in order to plunge both heroines into deeper despair. The author is simply sadistic, and while the story is well thought out with immense world building and characters that feel alive, I deeply abhor the author's tricks.

... more>> warning: never read the author's notes

edit: I completed it. I am full of heartache, my tears won't stop dropping. This is my 2nd experience of the author's work following the female general and eldest princess. I thought that I knew enough to know what to expect, but the misery never stops knocking on my heart. I also have a new reason to hate the author, because after reading this masterpiece I can't seem to be satisfied with any other novel anymore. <<less
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Kahirama
Kahirama rated it
October 8, 2020
Status: Completed
This was such a masterpiece.

It is a long story and it took me quite some time to finish it, by the end I was actually getting kind of exhausted by having to read something that has over two thousand pages long, so I wanted to finish it as fast as possible. Then it was over and I was satisfied.

But it came to me only the next day, what a wonderful novel this actually is. It was a huge journey, especially when I take into account how many years I spent... more>> with the characters. Suddenly, I felt a huge emptiness in my heart. This novel had such a big impact on me without me realising it.

I love the historical setting and the plot about revenge. I came here mainly for the romance but got so much more out of it. All the plotting and politics were very intriguing, although I'm not a big fan of politics.

But the characters are definitely the highlight. Whether the main characters or some of the side characters, I loved them all so much. Seeing their growth was spectacular and I also appreciate that some characters personalities turned from positive to negative. It gave the story such a realistic feeling. The main couple was written truly wonderfully, especially all the hardships they had to go through.

But I have to point out, the author stated it has a happy ending, which is true but only in some sense. It felt kind of bittersweet to me, but not because of the main pair
Spoiler

but because they basically left the others alone. I mean Xiao-Die probably doesn't even know her sister is alive. And what about Yuxiao and her brother? Poor children. But it can be also said, that it's up to our imagination what happens after Qi Yan regains her memories.

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Anyway, despite the happy ending, this story is quite tragic and emotional one. There were even moments when I cried.
Spoiler

Like when Qi Yan and Bayin severed their ties and both went their own way.

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And looking back at it, it pains me now so much more than when I was actually reading it. And that proves what a great novel this is.

Definitely recommend, but only to those who don't mind slower paced and long stories. <<less
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KAOKI
KAOKI rated it
July 21, 2020
Status: Completed
I don't have enough words to describe this novel. You should read this before you die at least once. It's beautifully written with characters that feel real. Everything is thought through, and you wouldn't ever regret reading this. A total of 303 chapters feels less.
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fritzyx
fritzyx rated it
November 15, 2020
Status: Completed
My first novel of this author was Female General and Eldest Princes. I love that series and I wasn't sure if I'd like this one but having disregarded food, sleep and work for a whole week just to binge read this... I can now conclude that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS SERIES AND THIS AUTHOR.

I don't regret being an absolute zombie and shrinking on responsibilities for this gem. It was absolutely addictive. I had to force myself to put it down to sleep when the migraine from lack of sleep was... more>> getting too much. No regrets though !

My GOD. The angst, the betrayal, the absolute pure that just poked my heart while reading this, I reccomend it to anyone who likes wlw and actually wants to read an actual story with character and plot development.

PS. I really want to support the translator and author for their hardwork but the instructions to buy chapters in jjwxc is really complicated, does anyone know if they have a patreon or how to contact them to set up a patreon account.. I think this would be really simpler for the simpletons who doesn't get jjwxc.. thanks ! <<less
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