I, The Substitute, Am With The Main Character

Description

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He Xulan is a heartthrob, adored by everyone. The new emperor likes him, the prime minister and generals in the court admire him, and the late emperor even had the Astronomical Bureau fabricate the absurd lie that marrying He Xulan would cure his illness, just to make him the lord empress.

As for Xueya, he is merely a substitute used by those who can’t have He Xulan to amuse themselves.

At first, Xueya only wanted to survive, even if it meant wearing clothes meant for women. But then he discovered that his dreams could predict the future. In that future, he meets a tragic end, dying in the palace with his body wrapped in a straw mat. Wanting both life and wealth, Xueya decisively decides to replace He Xulan. Thus, he embarks on various paths of sabotaging He Xulan in various ways, even going so far as to sow discord between He Xulan and others.

**

But one day, when he sneaks out of the new emperor’s palace late at night wearing a skirt, he encounters a drunk He Xulan.

The next day, Xueya sees the skirt shredded into strips…

From that day on, his skirts always end up shredded in He Xulan’s palace, and he no longer needs to fake the marks on his body…

[Reading Guide]

He Xulan is the top, a heteros*xual man in the face of men other than the shou; facing the shou, he automatically bends like mosquito coils.

The top only likes the bottom, with an exceptionally thick arrow, which is not evident in the early stage and has no intimate behavior with others.

The bottom is a pretty fool.

Associated Names
One entry per line
I, the stand-in, am with the real lord
替身的我跟正主在一起了
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
N/A
Recommendation Lists
  1. (BL) Chinese ancient novels (1)
  2. Cross dressing [BL]
  3. PART 3 (Manipulative/black-belly/Yandere MLs) comm...
  4. Some more tbr =-=;
  5. Novels I'll read again when it's fully translated

Latest Release

Date Group Release
02/01/25 Lazy Girl Translations c69
02/01/25 Lazy Girl Translations c68
02/01/25 Lazy Girl Translations c67
01/25/25 Lazy Girl Translations c66
01/25/25 Lazy Girl Translations c65
01/25/25 Lazy Girl Translations c64
01/18/25 Lazy Girl Translations c63
01/18/25 Lazy Girl Translations c62
01/18/25 Lazy Girl Translations c61
01/11/25 Lazy Girl Translations c60
01/11/25 Lazy Girl Translations c59
01/11/25 Lazy Girl Translations c58
01/04/25 Lazy Girl Translations c57
01/04/25 Lazy Girl Translations c56
01/04/25 Lazy Girl Translations c55
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Review
3 Reviews


UsaYuki
New UsaYuki
Jan 26, 2025
Status: Completed
The reviewers before me did a wonderful job analyzing this novel. It made me really want to give this a try!

This could be spoilery, so read at your own risk :)

Honestly, I wouldn’t categorize MC as a „typical“ green tea. He’s not scheming enough, he really just wants a good (and luxurious) life with whoever can provide it to him (at first). Also he’s... to silly :)) at some point I was really starting to feel annoyed with him, but author really always picked the right time for him... more>> to be pitiful, to tell his past etc, so that you are not annoyed by him anymore.

It’s really a miracle all these guys could fall for him, it felt more like MC should and is the original protagonist of some „sm/dark BL“ who just „luckily“ had ML to prevent it from happening (maybe I’m exaggerating). I really don’t think his dreams changed his actions all that much, just maybe that he’s more motivated. But really, how did all these people fall for him??? He’s not really all that sweet to them, seems selfish and cares more about himself than others. All his decisions are based on this. He keeps lying and there’s almost no part that is self-sacrificing for the sake of others (tho maybe more at the end of the main story). But maybe that’s what makes him... real? Humans are indeed selfish, on what basis is it expected of you to sacrifice yourself for others. Also he’s not bad enough to be a hateful characters. Just annoyingly selfish, but maybe everyone would think like him if they were in his shoes.

To the ML, other guys and all my confusions:

Spoiler

REALLY didn’t get how they all fell for or were captivated by MC. Like, he really didn’t do anything, maybe except to ML. The emperor... I think he’s just broken on the inside. He may have not turned out this way, was he not the emperor. The prime minister... I didn’t understand his purpose. Did he really like the ML? What’s with him and the hairpins? Why did he jump MC like that? What was with him and MLs mother or was there no connection and I read too much into it? Why did he take the prince (the child „raised“ by MC for a while) and will there be any side CP? (It was kinda hinted at that the boy (thREE YEARS old) will like MC, but then also there didn’t seem that much of an interest, so maybe he will like the prime minister???) I kinda hope he misses MC a little when he’s faraway from him, but we didn’t get more information regarding this.) why did the general kinda seem like he secretly likes MC or at least treasures him??? They had no encounter to spark this interest, actually none of them did, it just felt like love at first sight, which also makes no sense :))

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I feel like there was left so much left unexplained, but at the same time I’m glad it’s finally over and they can have a good life together. The extras were quite nice, the fox one was also quite cute!

Spoiler

Additionally like the other reviewer, I also kinda wish it was open harem. I think this would have had great potential in that aspect, but ML really cut off all the possibilities :))

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Before sending this off, I just want to say that y’all should read kakipii13‘s review, it’s amazing and I think I agree 100% and also motivated me to give it a try while also giving a head up of what to expect!

Lastly, the cover looks amazing! <<less
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Kakipii13
Kakipii13
Sep 15, 2024
Status: Completed
You know those "green tea" characters in Chinese novels, who are s*upid but try to scheme their way to success anyway? Who want to be loved by all the handsome love interests, only to become hated because of their inherent selfishness? Who keep making bad decisions and falling for traps at the promise of wealth and glory, only to eventually be ruined? That's our MC. A typical political intrigue novel set in Imperial China being told from the point of view of this type of character, and whether or not... more>> this character can actually get a happy ending in this situation, is the premise of this novel.

The MC is going to be frustrating for a lot of readers. But what makes him a good character is that he isn't transmigrated into this role, he hasn't regressed and learned from past mistakes, and he doesn't go through an ordeal that completely changes his character. He's a true, ineffectual, antagonistic, legit "green tea" cannon-fodder, start-to-finish. That makes him unique amongst "cannon-fodder" protagonists, but it's also the entire point of his character. The MC is more than just a simple 2D character, though he is a very shallow 3D. He does get a little character development by the end of the story, but not a lot.

The MC cries at the drop of a hat, believes obvious lies, makes s*upid decisions, and doesn't think about the consequences of his actions. He doesn't think critically about the implications of having vaguely prophetic dreams (or anything else that goes on around him, for that matter) or how he could use them for his own benefit... He's spoiled, immature, ignorant, and incredibly pitiful, but he never gives up fighting to secure his future only way he knows how.

He struggles the entire novel, sometimes because of his own actions but a lot of times for reasons beyond his control. As the story goes on, it becomes increasingly obvious that a lot of the MC's callous attitude originates from trauma, and his story is surprisingly moving as you follow the MC's struggles and cruel circumstances. His continuously difficult situation, his fight against his fate, and the exploration of his tragic circumstances make you want to cheer him on despite his annoying character.

The writing is good, but some people might not see it that way because the MC is the shallow "green tea" character type that is supposed to not be written well in the first place. But again, that's the point - taking a character archetype that is usually a poorly-written side character without significant character detailing -> writing a character that way on purpose and making them into a main character without completely changing their character archetype -> giving that person more focus and a cohesive story... this is really hard to do. But this novel does it.

This novel might not be for everyone - the MC is the entire point of this story, and if you can't stand him, you aren't going to like this novel. The writing isn't phenomenal but is thoughtful, different, and is an actual "cannon-fodder character MC" story. I gave it a 4/5 because there were some things I disliked or wanted explained more and, even though I usually don't like complete tearjerkers, thought the story could have benefited from detailing more of the MC's tragic backstory and potential angst to create more emotional drama. Still, it was a good and surprisingly emotional read. <<less
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RanMizuki
RanMizuki
Jan 07, 2025
Status: c57
This green tea type character make me laugh and cry at the same time.

... more>>
Spoiler

my heart hurts when MC forced to wash clothes and when he say that he didn't deserve to be loved by someone. I wish this series is open harem. I didn't like the ML at first because he like a old wood, good at outside but in inside, just a tr*sh. He say that he like MC at first, I know we can't belive that someone saying they like you for the first time we meet. But, when MC know that all just a charade make me seed tears.

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Well after all, I still like this series. Bcs this is the first time I found a green tea that fool, cute and innocent. <<less
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