MC in the previous life married Prince Jin and became queen. She basically had no feelings whatsoever, she just faked loving Prince Jin but she actually gave two shits about him. Prince Jin because he's an arrogant son of a bum, he always assumed that everybody loved him and that he was perfect and it's impossible for no woman to not love him. So he had lots of concubines in the previous life in hopes of attracting MC's attention, but MC didn't care. She didn't have any likes, hobbies or anything of her own. Her entire life was based off of the original Miss Jiang's likes, hobbies, dislikes, etc. so she just copied her in order to fulfill her role.

But in reality, she didn't care, and just lived her life like this.

The original Miss Jiang ran away with someone from an enemy country, and he promised her that once he got rid of his fiancee's family (who had a lot of power in the country) that he would make her Queen. But nothing happened and she was eventually killed in enemy country before being reborn.

After being reborn, she ran back to her family and got engaged and married to Prince Jin. They married our MC to our ML, who was in a coma and shackled down I believe.

Our ML is the only son of the former Emperor, and the current Emperor was his Uncle. ML's original family was originally a general's family, and our ML was also a war hero. He saved our MC previously when her hometown was invaded after her parents were killed. Then, she was adopted by the Jiang family. Our ML's mother was previously killed by the old Emperor of the former dynasty, which is why the ML's father rebelled and became the Emperor. The current Empress Dowager is the ML's father's concubine who like didn't live in the home in the capital which is the only reason why she survived. The reason why the ML survived not being killed alongside his mother was because he snuck out to follow his father to war.

The original Miss Jiang had also seen the ML previously and also liked him, but since he was a waste and there was no future with him, she obviously preferred her childhood friend Prince Jin.

The MC and the ML slowly discover through a series of incidents why the ML went insane and what was affecting him. The ML was actually poisoned by the current Emperor (his Uncle) which was what made him go insane and kill all of his colleagues. They wanted to eliminate the ML because technically he should be the one on the throne as the only son of the former Emperor, and not the current Emperor.

Eventually the ML and MC leave the capital after the Emperor forces him to go to war with minimal troops to defend the border from the enemy country, but he goes and instead gathers troops from the different areas all around, forcing the military families to submit to him. The Emperor tries to call him back, and tries to tell everyone in the capital that he's rebelling, but eventually they become scared because the enemy country is closing in on them, there are betrayers, and then there's the fact that the ML has a powerful military force.

Eventually the old Emperor dies, and Prince Jin ascends as the Emperor. They flee the capital because Prince Jin is a coward and wanted to run away if I recall correctly.

Eventually, the whole dynasty is split into two halves with Prince Jin ruling one side then ML ruling the other side. The ML then goes, kills the enemy country and his Queen (who actually became friends with our MC) commits su*cide. He then destroys the enemy country and proceeds to subjugate all the countries around him. Once he finishes that, he sets his sight on Prince Jin's half of the kingdom.

He eventually reaches the capital, where the original Miss Jiang, who is Queen, puts on her Queen's robe and jumps into the lake and drowns herself, which is the exact same way she died in her previous life.

As for Prince Jin, he ran away with his favorite concubine (a concubine from the enemy country) leaving Miss Jiang behind.

Hilariously enough though, before he could run very far, his favorite concubine killed him.

The story ends with the ML returning home to his wife and child having united the entire dynasty under his rule.

yeah she's the one who kills Prince Jin at the end. LOL

In the middle portion of the novel it becomes more obvious that the background plot just serves to keep the romance running as many things don't make sense if you think about it more deeply. Like after New Years the emperor continues to sit on his ass and not do anything to the ML for months. The medicine guy shows up in the capital again even though he's supposedly very nervous and has been running away since his master was killed. The ML and FL are under constant watch at home but somehow are able to find time to hide the ML away for hours to fix his illness. The FL orders servants to get rid of all the incense used around the house and to perfume their clothes and the emperor still doesn't feel like anything's wrong even though previously they made a huge fuss about just a perfume ball being discovered... etc. It's like the villains all lost their IQ even though previously they were skillful enough to poison ML under the emperor's nose and then kill off the emperor...

around ch 100 as the war begins.

second FL, Jiang Ming Wei

1. A little after their marriage, he actually wakes up for the “first time” during Jiang Ming Wei’s wedding to ex fiancé. I say first because technically, no one knows he woke up already like a week ago except for the FL. Btw, they live right next door to the 2nd couple pair. Anyway, everyone runs to see because he’s gone “crazy” again. To keep this brief, soldiers are there surrounding him to “control” him (ie read “accidentally” kill him). FL runs through them and tried to protect him and says “he’s not crazy, he’s just sick”. 🥰 She then lectures and essentially says that they were bastards for treating him like a criminal when he was a war hero that saved them from being over taken. Which is true because one of the countries is only holding back on invading because they were scared of him. In the other story line, they invaded AFTER they heard news of his death.

2. A little after he actually wakes up and is able to walk around, she complains to him about being bored. He suggests she go watch a play but she doesn’t want to leave him alone. Then she remembers that they live next to Xi Xuanji and Jiang among Wei. She had heard recently that XXJ was favoring a concubine instead and was giving her control of the house finances. Our FL essentially says, there’s a play next door already. Let’s just go there. So they literally go over to just stir the pot. Seriously, they ask questions they shouldn’t ask under the guise of “elders” (they were older based on ML’s age/lineage). At one point, XXJ, JMW, and concubine are arguing and our ML is on the side peeling nuts for FL to eat. The actors realize that and looks over. Our FL says, “oh don’t mind us, keep going in your conversation” 🤣 this happens a few other times where FL will literally stir the pot between XXJ and JMW, she knows they don’t have a good relationship even tho they were childhood sweethearts, because she’s bored and wants to see some entertainment. ML will just accompany her to watch but he’s almost always out of the loop since, you know, he’s been in a coma.

3. In fact, another favorite moment is when FL would tease ML for being “old” and out of touch with the current trends. This was a small part that happened where they spent an afternoon or something to compare notes on what was popular right now. She just kept the gag going but this kind of comes back later to bite her. 🤣

4. I need to stop because this list will keep going if I don’t. Much later in the story, once our ML realized that he can act “sick” to gain pity points and to get FL to spoil him, he takes full advantage of it. In one of the later chapters, he comes back from a mission with a slightly deep but surface wound. She doesn’t know that it’s not serious because she hasn’t seen a lot of injuries. He takes full advantage and acts like his arm was almost cut off and get FL to baby him. She dresses his wound and feeds him because he “can’t use his arm”. Everyone else who knows that the injury was not that serious is like 😦. However this back fires on him because he wants to snu snu but she said no since he was injured. I believe she did cave a little but for the rest of his “recuperation” there was no snu snu. 🤣 Plus, she does find out and gets real mad at him. Like they’re first argument in a while.

In her previous life it was stated that she became a woman, but when expressing how she just did it with her husband for the first time she said it was not how she expected (having s*x would be like?). When she saw the meals MingTang prepared for her husband, she felt inferior because as a lady who grew up in the city she was supposed to have more knowledge with different dishes... Author forgets that she also eloped to another country so she should also know dishes from there, etc.

when the ML told the youngest son of the xu family that he has a princess and won't sleep with other women he was so shocked. When he tried to understand why the ML told him if his wife had another man because he was away he would have felt so bad and want to kill the man so his wife will feel the same.

I know he just said this and thinks in this way because of his special circumstances. If he married the FL in the normal circumstances he would not think in this way. Also, I loved the women in the xu family so much that's why when the younger brother thought about how his brothers sleep with women when they're outside the town I felt so uncomfortable.

I wanted them to return to the capital city. Their home was there. The tree he planted for her was there. The wine they buried was there. Not to forget the people in the village told them that they are waiting for them. Also, I wanted to see him take her to her hometown. When he thought he was dying he was thinking that he hadn't taken her to her hometown yet. I find it wired that they didn't go there.

he loved her so much and was waiting for her. However in the end HE DID IT WHEN HE WAS DRUNK IN THE TRAINING HALL.

I hate it. After all the waiting why it happened like this!

it's the first time for her but in the end, it happened like this what made it worst. HE DID NOT KNOW WHO WAS SHE.

I don't understand why making it like this!

When I read this I thought "will he sleep with any woman if he was drunk?!"

He is a general who can be away from home for a long time. Drinking around women happens often.

To be honest I was shocked because the FL didn't question him like this. That was out of character for her.

the emperor who was their neighbor. The ML said himself that he loved him so much and treated him like a son. He was good to him more than his father. At the end what the ML did after this man die? HE KILLED HIS SON. Yes, he killed his son and take the throne because he couldn't accept him as emperor.

I hate ungrateful people

till the end I was waiting for the emperor POV to know how he did all that to the ML and why, Where did he find out about this drug, from when did he start drugging him, did the ML father knew about it? But unfortunately, we didn't read anything about it

she started taking care of ML and even though he was reluctant in the beginning and urging MC to leave him and remarry after a while he started to get better. No one in the imperial palace wanted the ML to get better as he was the rightful heir to the throne so MC had to secretly take care of him

it's good, the relationship between the protagonists is truly amazing and heartwarming. the reborn lady who was given a second chance has to watch how life takes a different turn only not as amazing as she had imagined. I pity her. the romance cant be said to be fast nor slow...i really don't know how to describe it. They had always treated each other as their partner however it wasn't until chapter 90 that they been made their feelings truly known despite how they acted pretty close full of trust, care, respect even doting however they did this annoyed me as well as how they had their first night. he was drunk.

a more critical review on the plot would be that it needs more refining, the concept was good (nothing too new) but the shallowness of how it was written made this a more passer-by story. A novel that could have been full of classical taste was reduced to something to read to pass the time. A lot of plot holes and vagueness in places more importance could be given. For me, even the romance after so long turned draggy and in the end I wasn't completely satisfied with how the author described their bed matters and things related.

don't be discouraged by my review I guess I'm only dissatisfied because of how much better this could have turned out with better execution however for a simple read this will definitely satisfy you. It's really uncomplicated no in-law-drama, no s*upid cannon-fodder villains (actually the emperor and ml's cousin but they are solved too swiftly at the end so they don't count) no struggle for wealth and the only rough patch the MC and ML seemed to go thru was at the very beginning of the book when the ML had just woken up and had a weaker joint (not body because he was unbelievably strong still compared to normal man but he was weakened due to drugs and lying in a coma for long)

The whole first time of this couple is really wrong. He is drunk, but she's not the one to ab*se the situation but the drunkard instead. However, she is clearly not willing at the moment and is quite forceful. So is the second time and the rest that come after, never describe it as something the Female Lead trully likes.

I know it is a trope to write "no" when wanting to say "yes", but it is not cute, it isn't healthy, and it keeps romanticizing abusive behavior. What makes it worse this time is the fact Xie Xuancheng isn't this type of man, at least not with his beloved woman. It'd felt more natural if he'd worked his way into her desire to make it.

Another user already commented on it but:

Xie Xuancheng allegedly rebelled against a Child Emperor and killed him. On top of that, he was the successor of the man that treated him better than his scumbag of a father (who dared to rise outer rooms and even made her an Empress).

When is explained is done in the same paragraph/s they explain how Xie Xuancheng became a mad-man, so one always assumed this was one side of the story, as the part of how Xie Rui ascended to the throne due to it is also explained from one sided point of view then. However, even though the other events get re-told later with the truthful events (how Xie Rui schemed to drug him, make his own father imprison him, killed his brother Xie Yi and usurped his throne), we never get told why would a man like Xie Xuancheng kill a Child just for the fact of being one and steal his throne.

There's a subtle hint that even the reason why this would happen, so Xie Yi would become the Emperor, could had been instigated by Xie Rui (his uncle, brother of Xie Yi), but is never confirmed nor developed to explain.

One can only think the man (Xie Rui) had not military power, but was a scholar-based person, so he might had schemed his whole life to take advantage of his nephew's work to become Emperor. The only problem was that when they first rebelled, someone else became the Emperor and he wasn't related to the Xie family, so there's a possibility Xie Rui used his newly gained power under the new regime to get rid of that Emperor, to put his brother in his place. Of course, there was the problem of the Child Heir to solve so he might had used the ML to get rid of him. The reason why he wouldn't occupy the throne himself, is because at that moment the military men were still too powerful and he wasn't one but Xie Yi still was it.

However, even with this conjectures, when Xie Xuanchen remembers these events (several times in the novel) he never seems sorrowful for having killed a Child Emperor. There's not even an explanation (whether the regime was in chaos, or his supporters were corrupt) on why they would need to kill him. Only that he had always loved power.

ML can succeed into rebelling against his Uncle and Cousin in the end, because all those military officials that had been discarded or looked down upon, are willing to join him.