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It’s Better to be the Empress Dowager
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Web Novel (CN)
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Rating(4.3 / 5.0, 454 votes)
5    62% (283 votes)
4    20% (89 votes)
3    11% (48 votes)
2    4% (17 votes)
1    4% (17 votes)
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Support Book (#ad)
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One entry per line
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Year
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2021
Status in COO
Status in Country of Origin. One entry per line
135 Chapters + 8 extras
(Completed)
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Completely Translated
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One entry per line
English Publisher
One entry per line
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Release Frequency
Every 73.2 Day(s)
Activity Stats
[Graph]
Weekly Rank: #6466
Monthly Rank: #7372
All Time Rank: #1402
Reading List
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On 5199 Reading Lists
Monthly Rank: #1008
All Time Rank: #1390

Description

Links are NOT allowed. Format your description nicely so people can easily read them. Please use proper spacing and paragraphs.

Tang Shishi was the number one beauty in the court. She was arrogant, domineering and aggressive. She accidentally picked up a book and learned that she was just a vicious female second lead in a palace struggle. Later, she would fight for favor with the female lead, and eventually she was ruined and died miserably.

Now, they have just entered the fief of Jing Wang, and the first meeting of the male and female leads has not happened yet. There are two paths before Tang Shishi. The first is to hold the heroine’s thighs tightly and join the female lead camp early; the second is to please the male lead and steal the favor of the female lead.

Tang Shishi chooses the third way.

Tang Shishi knew that the male lead’s adoptive father Jing Wang seemed to be low profile, but in fact he was overly ambitious. In the near future, he will invade the capital and proclaim the emperor before the imperial court, but it is a pity that he passed away before passing the throne to the male lead.

This year, Jing Wang is twenty-four years old, still young, and has yet to marry a wife.
Anyway, she already in the Forbidden City. Instead of being the concubine of the male lead, it is better to be his adopted mother, the empress dowager in one step.

————–

Zhao Chengjun had no intention to get married, so he adopted his subordinate son as his heir. He thought he would be with his army in his whole life.

Later, the imperial family sent a team of beauties to Prince Jing, and the leader was named Tang Shishi.

His young, adopted son and his subordinates also persuaded: Your Highness, this is a beauty trap.
Jing Wang: I know.

The so-called beauty trap was merely a bait for those who wish.

Associated Names
One entry per line
宫斗不如当太后
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
I Became The Stepmother of My Ex-husband (5)
Greetings, Ninth Uncle (4)
Second Marriage (3)
The Crown Prince in the Jade Pendant (2)
I’ll Be the Male Lead’s Sister-in-Law (1)
Married To The Male Lead’s Father (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. 100% reread
  2. ANCIENT
  3. Beneath the Wind of Dynasties
  4. Good read
  5. Ancient China

Latest Release

Date Group Release
12/31/21 Just for Fun Trans c143
12/29/21 Just for Fun Trans c142
12/28/21 Just for Fun Trans c141
12/26/21 Just for Fun Trans c140
12/25/21 Just for Fun Trans c139
12/23/21 Just for Fun Trans c138
12/22/21 Just for Fun Trans c137
12/20/21 Just for Fun Trans c136
12/19/21 Just for Fun Trans c135
12/17/21 Just for Fun Trans c134
12/16/21 Just for Fun Trans c133
12/14/21 Just for Fun Trans c132
12/13/21 Just for Fun Trans c131
12/11/21 Just for Fun Trans c130
12/10/21 Just for Fun Trans c129
123…10
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133 Reviews sorted by


Sunshine515_
New Sunshine515_ rated it
November 22, 2024
Status: --
Hello, everyone! It's been so long since I last left a review.

Recently, I finished this novel. Honestly, it wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible either. First and foremost, I want to thank the lovely translator for their dedication and for giving me the opportunity to read this novel. May your life be full of blessings and happiness!

Now, onto the review of the novel:

... more>> Plot

The plot? Not bad, but not exceptional either. For me, the author wrote a very logical and realistic storyline. I mean, who wouldn’t panic after learning about their future? That curiosity about how the story would develop kept me hooked. This is what makes the novel unique. Please keep in your mind, the female lead (FL) isn’t a transmigrant or someone reborn; she’s just a young woman trying to figure out how to save her life.

So, thank you, author, for your work. I hope you continue to thrive and create even more amazing stories in the future.

The Female Lead (FL)

Our FL is undoubtedly beautiful—this gets highlighted often—and I loved it. Who doesn’t love a beautiful lead? 😆 She’s not particularly smart and is a bit foolish at times, but her naivety isn’t annoying. Also, she’s incredibly lucky. Every time she’s in trouble, there’s always a savior—and yes, that’s the male lead (ML).

Reading about her, I began to understand her selfishness. It likely stems from her tough childhood and the constant need to defend herself. That said, her selfishness isn’t malicious. She doesn’t harm others; she just prioritizes herself and avoids helping others altogether. By "others, " I mean everyone.

Spoiler

One debated example is Yao Pei'er, a former Empress who had a tragic life. Her younger husband didn’t love her, and she never harmed the FL. After the Emperor’s death, she was demoted to Empress Dowager and became even more miserable, trapped in the Harem despite being a virg*n. She eventually died of depression.

[collapse]

This sparked debates about whether the FL was truly selfish and lacked empathy. From my perspective, it’s complicated. Pei'er never explicitly asked for help; in fact, she told the FL to leave her alone. In the real world, if someone doesn’t reach out for help, they’re often just a passerby in your life. Over time, you might even forget them because you’re busy with your own struggles.

For example, if I were in the FL’s shoes, I might think:

"Pei'er might be fine. I grew up in a harsher environment and survived, so why wouldn’t she? After all, she’s living in the palace, not a prison. Maybe she even loves her life there."

The author didn’t elaborate much on Pei'er’s situation, so it’s hard to judge. My takeaway is: "You need to tell people if you need help, " and "No one can help you if you don’t help yourself."

That’s why people always say: "Love yourself first, because only then can you live a happy life." This, in my opinion, sums up the FL.

The Male Lead (ML)

The ML? He’s not just a green flag—he’s an entire green forest! 🌳 I absolutely adore him, though I wish he were better at communication. He’s a wonderful husband and father, "practically" flawless. Honestly, it’d be a miracle to meet someone like him in real life. 😂 Final Thoughts

That’s all from me. If you’re curious, you should give this novel a try. ❤️ <<less
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JuuHachi
JuuHachi rated it
June 25, 2021
Status: Completed
This isn't the sort of novel where ML and FL falls in love easily, rather it's the type of love story where every decision they make is based on what would be best. FL and ML are two people who grew up in court intrigue, where sincerity didn't exist and everything was calculated based on profit so it stood to reason that it would take a long time before this two would actually be together.

The thing between ML and FL is that even when they communicate and have a tacit... more>> understanding, the two are still part of two opposing factions on the surface, but in the middle of the story after FL becomes the wife of ML the two became a team even if neither realized it. Neither characters are toxic, just flawed individuals trying to survive in a place where life and death can easily be decided by one mistake, or a single move from the Empress Dowager.

ML is someone who had spent his life trying to get revenge, the appearance of FL wouldn't change that, and FL was someone who grew up wanting a better life for her and her mom, love meant nothing to her when the backyard intrigue of her home robbed her of what was meant for her. It's important to remember that this is a historical setting, where ML and FL are gambling with their lives for a better future.

The beauty of this story lies in how this two people grow together, the slow and oblivious way they begin to care for each other. The understanding that while the Empress Dowager exists, neither of them can truly live happily. The ending might be rushed for others but for me it was good enough, there's no need to go beyond establishing the fact that the FL and ML end up together, that their loss doesn't outweigh the gains.

In the battle for the throne, the rarest thing is having someone truly and sincerely love you, FL's love for ML is the selfish kind when based in the teachings of that kind, she isn't virtuous or open minded but she is sincere towards ML even if she doesn't notice it herself. The same thing goes for ML, he knows that he can't keep FL as long as his camp knows that she's part of the Empress Dowager's faction even so he uses logic to keep her by his side, uses to justify his simple love for her and the family they would built.

FL's actions of stealing from the original FL would probably turn off others but once her backstory is revealed it would make sense why she does what she does, and the same thing goes to ML. So if you prefer a story where love matters the most in the way it often depicted, which is without thinking of the consequences, then this isn't for you.

This is story where actions have consequences, the cause and effect are shown, though it is a love story it isn't the kind where anyone can just freely do things out of love. Duty and Responsibility, Honor and Revenge, are a big influence in the decisions the characters make. Each of them are just fighting for a better life in a system that is skewed, which is evident in the thoughts of the characters.

The characters from the main cast to the side characters are multifaceted, human in their actions and it means they are flawed. There is no absolute good or absolute evil among the cast but rather people who are must make a decision in order to profit, live, or even survive in a harsh political environment. Though the politics aren't the main focus of the story, it's influence is prevalent and in some way isn't that the reflection of the world we live in? <<less
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SAddict
SAddict rated it
June 18, 2021
Status: c78
The most toxic MC I've ever encountered. Trouble don't find her, she goes looking for it. ML is also toxic. Her character is really inconsistent

... more>>
Spoiler

She's already close to ML but she tries to seduce his son too. She doesn't have feelings for the son

ML was getting a wife so MC drugs ML's son to sleep with her so she can be his concubine.

MC just tries to find dirt on FL even though FL is minding her own business and want to live peacefully

MC was supposedly an awful selfish person but she saves ML's enemy because the enemy is using her family to threaten her. The same family that cheated her, mistreated her, stolen from her, sold her and etc.

ML's son was trynna get rid of MC which is understandable because MC has been trynna seduce him, everyone knows she's a spy from the Dowager faction and she's bullying people

ML's son left her to die and rot from her fever. ML's son tries to abort the child to prevent ML from being c*ckold. ML just walks in on it occurring. IN FRONT OF HIM!!!

ML just let it go that his soon to be wife is trynna get with his son and also let go of the fact that his son and his son's wife is trynna kill MC in front of him

His son obviously have a little hots for his stepmom

I don't understand the Dowager's logic either. She has no descendants and she's old. ML is pretty much just waiting it out

No one is related to anyone by blood in this royal family. MC is the only one trynna work out he pregnancy and even then she doesn't want it

[collapse]

Thanksgiving must've been awkward <<less
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WindyWind
WindyWind rated it
June 11, 2021
Status: c100
Love it!

Reading the description I thought it was going to be the usual - FL gets a cheat, takes advantage of the events and using peerless knowledge will worm her way into power.

This is not exactly what will happen.

The book containing the story is very under powered - the chapters are locked and they are unlocked when it gets to that point in real life - that is by the time FL gets to read about the event, things have already happened. The chapters also don't contain useful information and... more>> are mostly just about the books FL (not the MC) doings, small things. There is no information about hidden agendas, secret powerhouses, magical treasures to be found. So at best the MC uses the titles of the chapters to try to guess what will happen, and try to take advantage of the situation.

I say 'try to take advantage', because she really tries - but often that not fails miserably, due to her, lets say, eccentric way of thinking xD.
Spoiler

At one point, the Prince she wants to get the favor of, is under attack by assassins. Her first thought is to run away. Why? She knows that she, like the books FL, could go and try to protect the prince. Its the perfect opportunity to cultivate feelings. But sorry, she is someone that does not want to suffer hardship! There will be other opportunities, so bye!

[collapse]

The FL is very headstrong, and is very unwilling to suffer hardship. Give her an inch and she will want a mile (the ML words). It is hilarious FL trying to scheme and get ahead, yet to fail miserably because her way of thinking is different that normal ladies. She is very transparent, what is why she gains the trust of the enemies and to which the ML takes interest in. Unlike what the description says, she did not aim for the ML, but tried the second option, which is to gain the favor the prince (The ML of the book), yet it is all the failures to do so that bring her closer to the ML.

Now the ML.

At first glance he is your usual ML - cold, abstenent, powerful, merciless etc. You know the deal.

The FL knows her boundaries and the ML is very strict. Yet very slowly, we see that change. Inadvertently, the FL pushes the ML boundaries, and ML relents. Again and again, we see him give more leeway to the FL. The FL also becomes more brazen as time goes on, but nothing changes. The ML bottom line just keeps getting lower and lower.

At one situation the ML comes to a realization. He saw that the FL is obviously faking the situation. If he were to give in, he would have no bottom line left for her. It is best for him to walk away...

So he sighs, turns around, and lowers his bottom line.

He is an absolute s*ave to his love. The FL pretty much breaks his every taboo, yet he cant bring himself to do anything to her.

Once an accident happens and FL gets pregnant with his child, we see that even more. The FL can cuss at him, command him, break his orders, and the only thing he can do is sigh, and go along with her. Mind you, that the novel takes place in ancient china, where the male are in control, and the female have to follow the mans every word, or get thrown out. So its even more gratifying seeing the ML lower himself to the ground, while FL is free to step over him.

The care and effort he shows her is just so freaking sweet, and how he himself discovers sides and feelings to himself he never thought he would have. WARNING, MAJOR FLUFF SPOILERS
Spoiler

At one point the baby in FL stomach kicked her, and upon touching her belly, the ML also felt it. The ML never knew such a thing was possible, and somehow took a very keen liking to it. Every day he would touch her belly tens of times of day, record every moment it happened down in a notebook, and try to predict when it would happen again. Once he managed to succeed in predicting, he would even run from meetings just to feel the baby move in her belly.

[collapse]

It is so awesome to see a man become a father in such a realistic way. He wants to give her and the child the best. The care and passion he holds is unrivaled. I just love how much focus the novel gave to the ML showing his care and love to the FL.

Overall this is a very nice novel. Definitely recommend giving it a try! <<less
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asami78
asami78 rated it
December 28, 2021
Status: Completed
Spoiler ahead:

First of all, this isn't an omnipotent FL who is reborn nor a protagonist who is a transmigrator. She is only a normal seventeen years old who found a book and found out she was a second female lead, and the book isn't even complet so she doesn't know all the future events to navigate easily. It only get updated after the events take place, like a record. So she can only rely on guessing the future events from the titles of the next chapter and try changing things.

I... more>> think for someone as intelligent and as controlling and domineering as Wangye, who grew up in the palace and knows the disgusting schemes in the inner courtyard, someone like Shishi is quite good. True, she isn't the typical wise, calm and intelligent FL but she is good in her own way and feels more human and real. She isn't too smart and scheming, she is true to herself. Has ambitions but admit it upfront, not the kind who will hide and backstab you when you trust her and let your gards down. She really doesn't know how to play mind games or has a knack for deep scheming and deception, everything is practically written on he face. She isn't a white lotus, knows her personality isn't the best but she isn't really evil and dare to assume responsability for her actions. She knows who to be grateful to and always kept in mind her mother's situation. She is clumsy, naughty, prideful and haughty but also has kindness and gratitude in her. She knows that she has no backing, her situation is precarious but isn't really weak and never wallow in self-pity.

Some may say that she didn't love him but she did. She herself said that she wasn't the sentimental kind of person which I can relate to and didn't know what "love" was when growing up due to her father and didn't know what being in love was like. But she truly respected him and thought he was a good person from the bottom of her heart and it was her blessing being his wife. And don't forget that she, at multiple times choose to protect him even when she knew it will cost her life.

Yes, it's not the typical sweet, intense love story. But I really loves their relationship and interactions. It felt more real.

For Zhao Zixun and Concubine Zhou, they really are the same kind of person. Always playing the noble and victim card. They never admitted their wrongs. Always justifying their actions as them being forced by others or by situations, truly shameless no wonder they were attracted to each other. They never believed, never gave their sincerity or were open with others but expected it from others.

For Lu Yufei, I really couldn't hate her. True, some of her actions and choices were rash and s*upid but she was also a victim of a cruel and rutless husband. I really felt bad for her and the last Empress Yao Peier, what a life. Dying of depression at the age of 23 because of the greed of her family. Being laughed at by others for getting married to an eight year old Empror at the age of fourteen, neglected by him all her life, chided by the empress dowager for not bearing a child and never knowing what freedom was and dying a virg*n with no children, pitiful.

For the couple's first time, some of you may be indignant as what the ML did. Taking advantage of her when she was drugged, which is bad. But please, don't forget that's a fictional story and this is the way the author choose to develop and advance the story. At least the ML didn't go with the usual trop and told her that she was the one who throw herself at him and inticed him and glossed it over it. Whe she confronted him, he told her that what he did wasn't right and he would take responsabilty, marry her as his Wangfei and would accept whatever way she treated him.

Overall it's a really good story, funny and sentimental. It's more of a josei than a typical romance shojo.

Big thanks to the team for the amazing translation. (灬º‿º灬) ♡ I would recommend not to drop the story due to the low ratings, give it a try and you won't be disappointed. (✯ᴗ✯) <<less
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remyrem
remyrem rated it
January 17, 2022
Status: Completed
I've been on a 九月流火 binge and I really enjoy how every FL from this author is different (the MLs are a little more identical) and the concept used to explain the future life memories is always unique and interesting. First off, I gotta mention, the actual story is actually different from the summary, and our FL is a lot more of a dumbass (I say that with affection).

Actual summary:

Spoiler

Tang Shishi is the legitimate daughter of the main wife, but she has had an unfortunate fate since birth, with her father openly favoring his concubine to the point of letting them antagonize the main branch and her mother being too weak to fight them. When they think they've gotten an escape through a good marriage for TSS, the palace calls her in to become one of the beauties given to Prince Jing as a maid/concubine to his son, but actually to be a spy. The only thing her mother can do for her is buy a blank book from a monk.

She thinks it's a scam until suddenly one day it starts to update itself chapter by chapter on the life of one of her rivals, telling the story of how the ML becomes emperor and replaces the empress from his first wife to the FL, his favored concubine.

Tang Shishi, whose only goal in life is to have power so that she will never be in her mother's position and can go back and force her father to leave the concubine for revenge, is upset at finding out she is simply a minor unfavored concubine who will die early in the story.

She starts trying to change her fate, make the FL less favored and herself more favored, but she's a dumbass and most of the time she just ends up f*cking herself over. She gets caught up in spy shit, lowers her favorability with the ML even more, and misses every chance to change her fate because she doesn't understand romance (she also at one point nearly gets a girlfriend instead). Instead, she accidentally charms the ML's father, Prince Jing himself.

[collapse]

Tang Shishi (the FL with a name that definitely sounds like it belongs to a side character) is like a more selfish female Naruto. (I'm sorry but it had to be said.) She's fierce, cheerful and hardworking; when she makes a mistake, she stands back up and keeps going. However, she's also a dumbass, and her "cunning" is more like a little kid trying to be cunning rather than a genuine cunning woman like Cheng Yujin in GNU. Every attempt she makes to win over shizi ends in a disastrous failure one way or another. Pregnancy and motherhood is surprisingly a big thing in this story, so her character arc is more about calming down and maturing, which can make her a little boring to people who really loved how eccentric she was before.

Zhao Chengjun (the actual ML/original ML's father) is a scary dictator who develops a soft spot for TSS' dumbness. He has a strong personality, but if I describe that personality in a quote it would be: "I'm a feminist, women and men will both be punished for annoying me." His relationship with TSS is less "doting love interest" and more "possessive bully who won't let other people antagonize his victim". Unsurprisingly, he's just as secretly h**ny as this author's other MLs. He loves to tease her, but gets mad when others upset her. He's very indulgent towards her, to the point everyone else is convinced he's going to marry her before he even starts to think about it. Their relationship is actually pretty fun to watch develop. Once they actually get married, he softens even more and becomes a henpecked husband, but he still takes responsibility over TSS. Most confrontations post-first birth are by ZCJ while he tells TSS to take care of herself.

I had some difficulty getting into the story at first and skipped a lot of chapters because I kept cringing at TSS' mistakes, but it was pretty funny watching her constantly get into trouble and manage to barely scr*pe by because she seems so dumb that everybody is willing to excuse her. Her first pregnancy is a bit of a turning point in the story, as after that the funny misunderstandings are gone and it's all drama and dogblood. Once their relationship settles down, most of the intrigue is from external factors, mostly dealing with the original leads and politics, so a lot of people will probably start thinking both the leads have become boring.

The extras are very sweet. The first is a view of the future with more kids, and the second is another AU where the original TSS becomes a ghost after dying and travels back in time to meet ZCJ as a child and accidentally convinces him that they were starcrossed lovers and ZCJ caused her death by pursuing her as a married woman. Needless to say, it was a very interesting extra and I wouldn't loved an entire webnovel spin-off.

All in all, absolutely love and recommend this story.
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Meatshield
Meatshield rated it
June 12, 2021
Status: --
I skimmed through this while bored and honestly it was whatever. I thought the premise sounded interesting enough but the execution was meh.

What probably bothered me most about this story was the fact that the MC was so dull towards the ML. Unlike the synopsis, she doesn’t actually go after the ML until way later in the story. For a good chunk of the story she tries to use the book’s hints to seduce his son, the story’s original ML, and steal him from the original FL. She misunderstands the... more>> ML a whole bunch of times before then and it takes her an incredibly long time to really believe that he actually loves her. The whole time I was here like woman he likes you! Stop being crazy!

Overall, this isn’t worth reading imo. <<less
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bookmunchies
bookmunchies rated it
February 15, 2022
Status: c143
Well written, the tl is great with very slight mistakes, but the site, THE SITE!!! Ugly so ugly, no shade to the one who chose that look but I legit thought some of my addons were interfering with it, cause it's looks like an expanse of white.

The story itself is porridge style, no strong flavors nor diverse ingredients. It follows our MC, who was one of 10 beauties trained by the palace and chosen by the dowager as beauty traps for the border defending Wangye, the previously most favored prince... more>> of the late Emperor. On the way to his fief, she discovers the once empty 'miracle book' her mother payed a fortune for in her early childhood, has mysteriously been written in. And the contents follow another beauty's life of fighting for favor in the harem of the Wangye's adopted son, who later became Emperor. The catch is, it's not finished, and the chapters update in hand with the real time development, but just based off of the table of contents she comes to find out her status as cannon fodder concubine meant to die. Believing in her own beauty and capability of charming men, she decides to fulfill her ambition and climb the Emperor-to-be's bed and gain his favor. Things don't end up going according to plan as her movements catch the Wangye's eye and she comes to realize neither of them are quite who she expected them to be.

It's very MC focused, with her being the most described character.

The MC is a very clear cut person, with great ambition and easy to see thru motives, whose self confidence, vanity and selfishness are her most attractive points. Her overall motivation is never betrayed, and the character development is well done. Being a person who strives for position but refuses to act like someone she's not, she's naturally the kind to stand out, and the fact that she knows herself and her flaws enough to accept and change her direction when she finds herself incapable is nice to see. Her way of thinking is very pragmatic and solution based, and she doesn't blame herself for perceived failures and tries hard for as long as she sees a possibility of success, but can let things go and completely change directions when her efforts don't bare fruit. While some people dislike her for chasing one and ending up with another, I completely can't understand that perspective. From the beginning her goal is power, power to get revenge on her family, status to show off to the people who mistreated her and her mother. She neither wants nor craves for love, is very much aware that beauty and charm are what she is wanted for and the only way she can live is using them. She knows she's seen as a fox by most and knows what the most likely ending for her will be. Knowing all that she chooses the most probable path to achieve, and the Wangye from her perspective, is never a possibility, so why would she ever even think of him as as one? Truly do some people have 0 brain or smth.... With her position and objective 'value' in that society, and his strict manner and life desire, she just doesn't see any possibility of him ever taking an interest in her, and so she doesn't try to win him over, and doesn't want to win him over, and so never sets him as the target. The reason they got together and his behavior at the time also gave her a mistaken impression, so the fact she is unaware of his viewpoint isn't surprising. I like her a lot.

ML is, well he does pamper her but tbo I'm not into him, like he is too controlling -he do be a man AND a royal so not surprising- and his behavior towards s*x is truly terrible. I wasn't really expecting that tbo, like it was smwht surprising to me bcs of his previous quite acceptable impression, but it's not very out of the norm so ya know. And his insistence on not telling her anything in very important moments, like he doesn't consider her much at all. Treasures her more like a jewel not like a person. He's also bad and selfish in bed.
Spoiler

As for his behavior to the Shizi, tbo when you expect nothing but obedience, don't try to make an actual connection short of ordering smn, don't share your thoughts or reasons, it's not very unexpected that you'll be disliked and misunderstood after some time.

[collapse]

Their relationship dynamic is very much sugar daddyXsugar baby and hedgehogXcaretaker. They have a 7 year age gap and not a bigger one as assumed. I do think they are both satisfied with the relationship, it just isn't really romantic or the kind a person would strive for. He gets to have her, and she gets her wishes fulfilled. It is realistic, as a person in power does usually prefer that kind of relationship, her anger and tantrums are easy to resolve her wishes easy to fulfill, her ambition will not step on his toes, because it's realization depends entirely on him.

Other character are mostly alright but there is definitely some questionable choices in their behavior and the resulting plot points.

Things I dislike:

Spoiler

The whole called another family to interfere with MC's pregnancy situation, like, leaking this kind of situation outside and the following behavior is truly incomprehensible.

The girl who threw her weight around in the prince estate, no matter what, that was pure disregard for status so idk why MC let it happen.

[collapse]

The view on adoption, blood connection, chosen family,
Spoiler

nurture as bound to lead to betrayal. The situation mostly happened bcs of the given personalities of the two. The ML not actually making a connection to the ogML, and the ogML's growing inferiority complex and the growing number of misunderstandings twisting his mindest more and more.

[collapse]

The view of abortion as wronging the father or the possibility of a child -bcs it's never guarantied that the child will even come to full term not to mention be born alive or live past the first months-.

The r*pe, he used the aphrodisiac as opportunity and excuse, and has so little regard for her that even passed out from the drug she just remembered the pain, as we are later shown he still only thought of himself and she even mentions how she might just be a person who can't enjoy s*x. I do consider her on the ace spectrum but she is not shown or hinted as s*x repulsed and/or inherently opposed, but after her bad experiences comes to believe she just isn't capable of liking it.

The 'not like other pregnancies' trope of 'still being beautiful unlike them other ppl when they're pregnant'

The repeated mention of the young Empress dowager being a virg*n and her unfortunate situation, she deserved better tbo, I would've liked it if they were made friends and she was shown as having recovered from depression down the line alas, no such luck.

Deff a recc if you like "he won't establish a harem bcs of MC<3'' kind of stories but aren't really in the mood for drama. Ch are on the long side. <<less
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MajorGPuff
MajorGPuff rated it
September 3, 2021
Status: c64
I see there are mixed reviews 🤔

As for me, love the story. The keyword for me is believable.

The characters have believable back story which are pretty consistent with their present behaviour.

... more>> The comedic aspect is good too: it's crazy how our FL is the center of the comedy, even when she still behaves as a villainness.

Not too much description of their beauty--it gets tiring in other novels how the author kept praising each of their characters, but in this one, is so believable, like: yes, she's pretty, but it's only in her hometown.

So refreshing, to read our FL's cheats are limited, and how her faults are shown too. The romance is pretty slow, but it's so believable.

The translation is good too, they manage to convey the humor-it doesn't get lost in translation! They kept the title, give us description to understand the context, and most of all, I love how they can still convey that this is a c novel--you know, there are other translated novels that has lost their 'flavor' due to impeccable translations of every person's titles? Yeah, this doesn't. <<less
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Radhika Singhal
Radhika Singhal rated it
October 28, 2021
Status: c60
Oh God! The summary is kind of misleading. The story is not what you expect it to be. From the summary it seems like the MC becomes aware of the entire story at the starting but that's not true. She tries to find more hints and keeps on committing mistakes. We can see that the ML of the original novel is a kind of scum and yet the MC is fixated on him instead of going for better options which is contrary to what is mentioned in the summary. In... more>> addition the author keeps creating misunderstandings one after another between the MC and ML and it is so frustrating that at one moment I wanted to cry from anger. The MC and the ML keep assuming things about each other and this leads to a lot of missed opportunities. Due to this reason I won't be able to read any further and I will be dropping this story. Sometimes when I read a very harsh review on NU, I feel like they are going out of line but today I can see that it's not without reason sometimes. I am really holding myself back from venting my frustrations while being as polite as possible. I have read other works of this author and only after being satisfied with those did I venture here but got disappointed. If you are looking for a novel where the MC sees the cons of original ML and gets together with the supporting characters after seeing his pros, you are severely mistaken. <<less
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Shakila mimi
Shakila mimi rated it
August 10, 2021
Status: Completed
It's so much nice 😌 I greatly appreciate it 🥰 Finished it almost not sleeping at night. Really love this novel so much 🤩 Thanks a lot Author for this wonderful book 😊
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Newbookeveryday
Newbookeveryday
July 29, 2021
Status: c83
I came into this story content🤗. it has great comedy and the MC is good at speaking back to people.💪

now I'm around chapter 80 and I'm just wondering where her brain went😆 she speaks smart and logically. but her thought process is lunacy and her actions are even worst.

Also I feel like the summary was a lie. this girl's plans revolved around trying to catch the prince's adopted son. FYI the son is is a romantic scum and I felt disgusted watching her trying to get him to like her.... more>> btw the son has 12+ women chasing him smh. if not for her being the MC, her planning would have been the death of her, heavenly book or not.

she basically doesn't use her brain, and it gets worse once the romance starts with the prince. the worse part is how she looks at the prince as a dead man. in the beginning she never even thought of trying to get with him, just trying to get the son, because she knew the prince would die. in the book the son would be emperor, prince would die in battle, and Im pretty sure she died too. after she gets the book she's working so hard to change her future but can't use 1 brain cell to think of using/helping the prince😪... but you know plot.

also, whenever she goes to make a plan I get scared😅... in a funny I want to slap you kind of way

the plot is amazing but I guess it was too strong, taking over the mc🤣🤣 <<less
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asampe_tae
asampe_tae rated it
November 1, 2022
Status: c138
How the author managed to write a MC so boring and useless is beyond me. Tang Shishi is irredeemable and not only because of her wishy-washy ways. I only read to the end because I was trying to avoid my irl duties. MC had no substance. She is too moronic for words. Being materialistic and calculating is not a bad thing in my book. Human beings are all like that irl, we just don't make it obvious. Her own method is just too dumb. It probably doesn't help that I... more>> just came off reading a stellar book, Greetings, Ninth Uncle, with this exact trope - MC needing to marry well to escape in order to have a better future and escape a bad family life. It was well-written and the romance was slow-burn and touching. You will actually like and root for the MC despite (or even because) of her flaws. While the romance btw MC and ML was slow, it was also nothing to write home about. MC became unbearable, the ML was a wimp and I really thought he deserved better. He also never called her out when she was being a dick. Li Chengjing would never!

Also, what is it with authors not knowing how to segue into a quality romantic and physical relationship and just decide to take the lazy way out by using aphrodisiacs? Really? That's the best you can do? And the shitty alternate universe sh*t in the extras! Is that supposed to make me feel that their love is destined and eternal or pity the MC? It only made me deduct a star. I was so pissed, I stopped reading. Yeah, bad plot points and boring romance didn't make me drop this book but the extras did! If you want to waste your time or feel your life has been too easy lately and you want to raise your blood pressure, I highly recommend. But if you want something similar but of higher quality, read Greetings, Ninth Uncle. This is just a cheap imitation of it. <<less
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roseqanne
roseqanne rated it
July 22, 2021
Status: --
3 stars because the translator had a good job because it written so well.

This novel is not a cup of tea for me because of MC. I'm sometimes cringy own myself when MC going forward. The things is MC waiting for the book > the book given a title > MC acting shamelessly to rob opportunity. When she talking to Momo, she looks inteligent but after she readings the book and taken action she doesnt even think. She just want to taken action first, even people know she is ambitious... more>> to get favor. The things is her guess is always wrong but she get benefit because she is MC. Maybe the author want it be funny? For me it is so dumb, naive and cringy.

Just because you know something, you cant just strike it out and hope a luck? Her character is really likes a the annoying side character (actually she is if we count the original books lol) but she is MC and ML just ignored her and letting her do as her wish. <<less
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joonsgalaxy
joonsgalaxy
December 24, 2023
Status: --
Everyone wants a truly villainous villainess until it’s time to actually read about a truly villainous villainess. *Eye roll* like pls be so fr.

Shishi is never regarded as a good person. She doesn’t act like she’s a good person either. She is a woman in a society where being born one is already an indictment. She’s scheming and does bad things but like at the end of the day, this is fiction. I’m not reading for morally just characters. I’m reading for entertainment. And she’s entertaining.

the story itself isn’t anything... more>> new. Same old ancient setting with same old ancient rules and societal expectations. The ML is entertaining for the most part, too. Obviously the story could be better but it’s not terrible and if you really want to read about a bad (as in personality and motives) character then I suggest reading this story <<less
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fallinlight
fallinlight rated it
March 24, 2022
Status: Completed
Pretty decent read. I have my moments where I just want to strangle the MC because of the s*upid decisions that she made and her sometimes excessive actions but that's also the only reason that I stayed lol. I don't really have anything to say about the story because personally I don't really like how the story flows but I LOVE the side story in the extra chapters about how MC became a ghost and went back in time. I like the extra chapters much better than the main story.

... more>>
Spoiler

This doesnt really matters but I honestly don't like Princess Jingshu. (MC and ML's eldest daughter). She was mentioned in one chapter and she already became my second least favourite character. On the extra chapter, she messed her brother's work, evade punishement from her mother by faked being sick, and somehow don't receive any punishment. And I also hate how MC complained about her eldest daughter being arrogant and unruly but scolded the ML when he tried to discipline her. Like, wow. I wonder how she became so unruly.

damn I really just wrote a whole paragraph just to express how much I hate a not significant character who only appeared in the side stories lmao 😭

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Overall, the story was kinda meh for me and the translation was below average so it doesn't really have a high place in my heart.

Personal rating : 3.5 <<less
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Arenaphrodite
Arenaphrodite rated it
January 1, 2022
Status: Completed
Love. Love. Love it!!

I won't write any detailed review because the above line says it all. But I just couldn't stop myself from coming here to contradict some people who gave negative reviews. Especially these two kinds who either-

1. Thinks that "MC is toxic. She's selfish and doesn't love ML at all." I think you guys didn't even bother to go halfway through the novel but already decided to lebel her as the most toxic MC ever, which is bullsh*t.

... more>> 2. Condemns MC because she didn't follow ML from the start.

Now to answer you guys-

1. I don't think doing what's best for oneself is considered to be toxic. At first, all she obviously wanted was just to live but when she learned that she's just a side character, she didn't want her life to be that way anymore so she decided to be in the ultimate power. Not every MC in every freaking novel has to be perfect. They don't necessarily have to be considerate, selfless or the kindest person ever and this is exactly what I like about MC. Sometimes she's selfish, proud and arrogant but then she also goes out of her way to care for ML, she tries to protect him consciously and unconsciously even when she knows that she might get in danger because of it. Why? Isn't it evident? You guys just have to complete the novel to understand.

2. I seriously don't get this!! She found the book which obviously tells her that Jing Wang's son is the ML, she's gonna be HIS concubine in the future so why the heck would she go for his father?? It's another thing that ML falls for her but she doesn't know about his feelings so why blame her?

I agree that this isn't the most perfect novel to exist because the ending seemed a little rushed to me but the extras make up for it. And this novel definitely doesn't deserve the rating it got!! I almost dropped this after reading some negative reviews but I'm glad that I decided to continue it. And I'd recommend it to everyone who's looking for a proper historical novel. <<less
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ghuiling
ghuiling rated it
October 20, 2021
Status: c94
Oh I love this. To be honest, reading the description I had low expectations for this novel but wow the storyline didn't dissapoint. The main character isn't like super genius, talented, or have golden fingers. She's just a selfish (and kinda s*upid) girl that's a tad bit lucky (or unlucky). I dare say she's not even as annoying as the typical I'm-not-like-the-other-girls MC. And her relationship with ML is reasonable too, not too fast or not that slowburn and full of misunderstandings. Its reasonable that there's still some line... more>> between them even after they got together bc at the start they're from different side.

Spoiler

From the current development seems like there will be problems from the ML side. I hope the adopted son didn't have rebellious thought huh. And how dare he talk to his father about beauty trap when he's also infatuated by the OG FL? Btw I have soft spot for ZSH so I hope she's not becoming a dissapointing villain at the end.

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Mariad
Mariad
July 1, 2021
Status: --
I love the protagonist has defects but she knows how to use it and the love she has with the male protagonist develops very well, they are very compatible and I love how their relationship is, they have everything I like
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theliongirl
theliongirl
June 14, 2023
Status: Completed
Quite good. The summary is kind of misleading - it's more like the MC failing miserably to seduce the original male lead while inadvertently having the actual male lead fall for her. The plot is solid, the romance is cute, and the first half of the novel is quite humorous.

The MC is unique, she's really fitting to be a brainless and vicious supporting female lead, but her luck is so good that she gets out of trouble often lol. I like her very much. The male lead treated her very... more>> well and was quite charming; I found both of them and their relationship very likeable.

I only have one major issue - their first time was while the MC was under an aphrodisiac and wasn't the best. Tbh I'd consider it r*pe. If you can skip that chapter the ML is great the rest of the time. <<less
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Peanut_transmigrator
Peanut_transmigrator rated it
May 29, 2023
Status: c109
This is the first time I am writing a review.

Translation: It was really well done. I hope more novels will be translated like this instead of just feeling like copy-pasted from MTL.

Now to the actual Novel review:

I liked this story in the earlier stages. Most people may find the slow-burn romance a hassle and may be bored in just a few chapters, but thats kind-of what I like. It feels more realistic when two leads take time to know each other and fall in love with the person and not... more>> just the face. In this aspect the novel was going really great.

I really liked the earlier shenanigans of the FL and I was lokking forward to the sweet payoff of slow romance. That has not come till chapter 109 that I am currently reading now.

Some people may consider their interactions after she got pregnant as fluff, but for me it was more like the FL being a scumbag and the ML giving in to her everytime. I really like my share of couples who are mutually understanding, respectful to each other and considerate of the other person and their efforts. This couple is hardly any of that. The ML banged the FL that too under the action of aphrodisiac and left without telling the FL anything and with no sufficient protection considering his supposed long absence. In my opinion after the ML returned from his mission, with the care and love he showed towands FL, he more than redeemed himself. While the FL became worse after that. She never cared to show respect and consideration to the ML in front of his subordinates and did not even care that much about him in their private conversations. She repeatedly blindsided his very obvious efforts that he took to take care of her and spend time together.

I know that the FL is shown to be not-so-perfect and kinda s*upid but I just couldn't ingore it the further I read : how she spares no thought about his position and dignity in front of their employees, how she makes everything turn out to be his fault, how she does not acknowledge the efforts taken by the ML for her and their son, how she talks rudely to him (I guess this repeated segment of rude talks in front of other people and being a scumbag from FL is to tell how much she is favoured as the ML never says anything in return and gives in every time.)

Overall, I just felt that if the roles were reversed and it was the ML who gave the cold shoulder and talked rudely everytime, this novel would not have such high ratings. In my very frank opinion, the ML deserved way better and I don't think the FL will reciprocate to his so many efforts even in the coming chapters.

It is a good read if you can ignore the scummy-ness of the FL and lack of communication from the ML. <<less
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