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Like Pearl and Jade
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Rating(4.5 / 5.0, 371 votes)
5    68% (251 votes)
4    18% (65 votes)
3    11% (42 votes)
2    2% (9 votes)
1    1% (4 votes)
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2019
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98 Chapters (Complete)
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Completely Translated
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Release Frequency
Every 73.4 Day(s)
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Weekly Rank: #2065
Monthly Rank: #4298
All Time Rank: #1138
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On 6863 Reading Lists
Monthly Rank: #818
All Time Rank: #853

Description

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

Many people thought that the sweet-looking second miss of the Gu Family must be a gentle, kind and soft person.

Yet sometimes, the truth was in the hands of the few.

This is a story of a tyrant flower in the guise of a delicate flower and a seemingly sickly but extremely long-lived and infatuated emperor.

The infatuated emperor’s each day: spoil the tyrant flower, and take care of government affairs along the way.

In truth, this is a sweet story.

Associated Names
One entry per line
如珠似玉
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Eight Treasures Trousseau (7)
To Be A Virtuous Wife (5)
The Job of an Imperial Concubine (4)
Ascending, Do Not Disturb (3)
The Times Spent in Pretense (3)
The Brocaded Tale of The Girl Si (2)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Ancient China
  2. novels I'll always go back to
  3. To You with Love (ML x FL)
  4. Top Ancient China Reads
  5. He falls harder MLs (CN)

Latest Release

Date Group Release
03/21/22 Dreams of Jianghu c98
03/15/22 Dreams of Jianghu c97
03/03/22 Dreams of Jianghu c96
02/26/22 Dreams of Jianghu c95
02/13/22 Dreams of Jianghu c94
02/07/22 Dreams of Jianghu c93
01/29/22 Dreams of Jianghu c92
01/24/22 Dreams of Jianghu c91
01/17/22 Dreams of Jianghu c90
01/11/22 Dreams of Jianghu c89
12/31/21 Dreams of Jianghu c88
12/23/21 Dreams of Jianghu c87
12/16/21 Dreams of Jianghu c86
12/11/21 Dreams of Jianghu c85
12/02/21 Dreams of Jianghu c84
123…7
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82 Reviews sorted by


cardialgia
cardialgia rated it
July 19, 2021
Status: c55
To sum up this novel in one word: Boring.

It's not bad. The details of the world are fleshed out, and the translation carries the original writing through. But the MC is bland, a "delicate flower" who only does exactly the correct things and seems to have no internal thoughts of her own. The ML is bland, a noble son of heaven doing his best, wise and upright, besotted with the MC. It's too perfect, like modeling dolls living a perfect life. There's no charm in this kind of romance at... more>> all. The ML dotes on the MC? So what? Of course a perfect man like jade would do that. The MC is romantic towards the ML? Who wouldn't, with a man so perfect it's unreal? There's no excitement or suspense or interest at all. Our boring MC and boring ML traipse happily towards their happy ending, without a hint of conflict. They're lovers blessed all too heavily by the heavens, so everything goes smoothly for them.

This kind of story, while readable, is the most boring and mind-numbing. There's no point. <<less
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honeybunny55
honeybunny55 rated it
June 2, 2020
Status: Completed
Another story by Yue Xia Die Ying that I've greatly enjoyed so far. Dreams of Jianghu explained the premise of the story rather well: whereas To Be A Virtuous Wife focused more on the schemes of the harem, and Eight Treasure Trousseau focused more on the fight for imperial power between princes and their women and familial relationships, Like Pearl and Jade focuses on the hidden fights between aristocratic families within the capital.

To start off, I loved TBAVW and ETT. I also adored Ascending, Do Not Disturb which I thought... more>> was rather different from TBAVW and ETT. Although TBAVW and ETT had sweet moments, much of it was mostly acting at first between the two couples who didn't fully trust or feel affection for each other. ADND was a sugar sweet story full of romance and pampering and silly misunderstandings that added to the comedy of the story.

As Dreams of Jianghu stated, LPAJ is kind of in the middle of ETT/TBAVW and ADND. There is little focus on the actual fight for imperial power that the young, sickly Emperor makes, but more about the fight between aristocratic families, and the fight between imperial power and the aristocratic families.

At first I didn't think this would be that different compared to TBAVW and ETT, but I was wrong. It just offered me another interesting perspective in the fight for power among the ambitious families of the capital. In this case, most of the aristocratic families don't have nearly as much power compared to the past, as the imperial power holds much of it now.

My favorite thing about this story is likely the Gu Rujiu's family, the Gu Family. All the family members are wonderful and the familial relationship is both heartwarming and amusing. I thought that the family members were relatively practical as well, esp after Gu Rujiu becomes

Spoiler

engaged to be married to the Emperor. Especially Jiu Jiu's mother, who gives her realistic and heartfelt advice before she marries.

[collapse]

What made my heart absolutely break though was

Spoiler

the death of Jiu Jiu's eldest brother's wife, Chen-shi, who was pregnant with his son. The two had been married several years with no children, and she had just found out she was pregnant when she was killed in an accident by Sima Xiang's brother.

[collapse]

I didn't tear up per se, but I definitely felt really upset at that. And it was further exacerbated by how horrible the Sima's third room reacted to what happened. Like screw you guys LOL

Regardless, the story is not long - only 98 chapters - but it is incredibly enjoyable. One of the things I love about this author's stories is the fact that she never makes anything too long or too short - the story's length perfectly fits the content of the story.

I've pretty much been binge reading this story all day, and will likely finish by tonight. I'm greatly enjoying it! At first I worried that there wouldn't be much interesting story content left after Gu Rujiu married, but as usual the author proved me wrong and there are still quite a few interesting things going on.

I still feel really bad for

Spoiler

Jiu Jiu's eldest brother. He loved his wife so much and was so happy that she was pregnant, but then she died. I really hope he finds at least some semblance of happiness by the end of the story, because I just feel it's so unfair to him... : (

[collapse]

All in all, give it a whirl if you like this author's other stories. She hasn't disappointed me yet!

EDIT: I finished it.

There's something about this author's stories that always make me feel a little bittersweet when they're finished. This story was no exception. I think for this story, I felt especially bittersweet for certain character's endings and their wives.

There's a lot of intrigue that goes on between the aristocratic families, including secrets you find out later on in the story towards the end about events that happened at the beginning. This is one of those stories where reading the epilogues made me feel somewhat sad for the people who fell down from so high up. Not all of them directly committed a sin per se, but they might have profited from those sins or they might have indirectly allowed them to happen. There are also mentions of other people in the story that I'll admit, I felt bad for at the end. For some of these people, you never see them directly committing some horrible sin or acting arrogant and terrible. So reading about their somewhat bleak ending that isn't bad per se, but not as beautiful as it could have been, made me a little sad.

I'll admit that the biggest intrigue in the story had a sort of anti-climactic end, and the build up getting there felt somewhat draggy, but ultimately in the end I still enjoyed the story a lot. There is one particular issue that is heavily implied that I somewhat saw coming, but I wouldn't say that was disappointing, but rather, it made me feel sad for all the players involved.

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY

Spoiler

MC's eldest brother gets remarried and to someone I didn't expect but I really enjoyed that!! I felt both happy and bittersweet about that. But in the end, I'm glad he got some happiness ;_; because he deserved it.

[collapse]

In the end, I really enjoyed it. It wasn't as pure sweet fluff as ADND was, but it wasn't as mature compared to TBAVW and ETT. It truly was a pretty decent blend of both but it still is able to stand on it's own without becoming 'just another TBAVW or ETT novel' which I feared it would fall into.

Anyways, I'd recommend this story especially if you enjoy her other novels! <<less
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aesprica
aesprica rated it
April 12, 2020
Status: Completed
Just finished reading the raws so I figured I might as well review since the English translation has just taken off.

This is another slow and sweet novel written by 月下蝶影. It's very similar in concept to To be a Virtuous Wife and Eight Treasures Trousseau in that the main FL is a transmigrator but doesn't have any special powers beyond that. I would say compared to To be a Virtuous Wife and Eight Treasures Trousseau, this one delves a lot more detail into the scheming between the noble families. Obviously,... more>> the other two novels had that type of scheming but this one takes it into a whole other level, likely because the emperor in this novel took the throne at the age of 12-13, so everyone wants to take advantage of a 'young, naive' emperor. The side characters are fleshed out and I found myself actually caring about their stories. Some of the plot twists are very well done and I was actually proud of myself for guessing them.

I would say the FL is more similar in personality to the one in Eight Treasures Trousseau in that she's more 'hands-off' and 'lazy'. There's definitely more to her than appears at first impression to the readers, which I enjoy. She is very realistic just like the other heroines and starts off not expecting too much from the ML when he promises to love only her. Her paternal family is more similar to the one in Eight Treasures Trousseau in that they're very loving and care about her.

There are lot of undercurrents and reading in-between the lines here to see what's really going on and just how much the main characters know (and just how much they're pretending to be ignorant). It definitely kept me guessing and wondering how the main plots and sub-plots would end up winding up and even though I knew it was a happy ending I still felt somewhat apprehensive as the action wove together.

Another enjoyable read by one of my favorite authors, and I definitely see myself coming back to it to read again like the other two! <<less
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silent hobby
silent hobby rated it
May 23, 2020
Status: Completed
I like this story, it's just fluffy and light.

The ML was a beautiful young emperor with many great traits. He was loyal to his lover and also a great emperor.

The MC was a cute and lovely girl as the author described. She has a loving family, the best mother in law and of course the most powerful man as her husband. It can say that she hold the whole world in her palm.

I like the author emphasized many times in most her/his novels that as a woman, she doesn't need... more>> to make things difficult to other women deliberately. As a women, they already have to bear heavy burden and pressure from family and society, why not peacefully live amongst themselves. Why should a woman chase the unrequited love and harm the other women, in the end there is no one can laugh happily. Just let go what is not yours and you will liberated and be a happy person without regret.

I really enjoy the novel. <<less
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Gushishi
Gushishi rated it
July 19, 2021
Status: c44
Plain plain plain.

Too modern for an ancient times tag.

Too cliche for the flow of the story.

I felt like this is a childish version of an ancient times' ambiance and ambition......

Not recommended.
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GoliathQueen
GoliathQueen rated it
July 16, 2020
Status: Completed
月下蝶影 truly never disappoints. The author who wrote Eight Treasures Trousseau and To Be A Virtuous Wife, one could really tell that she really thrives in writing historical fiction set in Ancient China. I'm not very familiar with Chinese culture and history but I think she really does a lot of research or knows a lot in this regard. I learn a lot of new things from each novel.

This book is different from ETT and TBAVW but there's a sense of familiary. For me this book is more similar to... more>> ETT in politics. In some way, LPLJ's ML is like ETT's ML.
Spoiler

They are both gentle and beautiful, looking very harmless but are actually very cunning and ruthless. The female leads are also lazy and carefree but actually know more than they let on, and are smart.

[collapse]

I love the couple's relationship built on trust, respect, and love. Unlike ETT, their romance is very fluffy and sweet.

The antagonists are somewhat complex. There's an antagonist that's so hateful, and incorrigible.
Spoiler

Sima Xiang is just evil from inside out. Nothing justifies her actions.

[collapse]

There's an antagonist who at first made me feel like this person seems to be not so bad... but later the story proved me wrong.

I would also like to talk about the MC's family. Like in ETT, the MC's family is heartwarming. The entire family practices monogamy from the parents to her brothers which made me wonder at one point whether her parents are transmigrators because that's really rare. There are no conflicts within the family, even the sisters-in-law are likeable. Though
Spoiler

Chen-shi's death really made me sad. She was pregnant after waiting for a long time and was really loved by the family. I'm glad that they got their justice though. The brother later remarried to someone I didnt expect

[collapse]
Overall, it's the most perfecr family to have as a girl in the ancient times when women are viewed as the lesser s*x only to be used for establishing connections and making babies.

I love how the author wrote it as if there's a dark mystery, making me unable to put down my phone till I uncovered that mystery. I just love this book.

My favorite would probably be when I learned why the book was titled so. Like Pearl Like Jade.

P.S. It's not hard to MTL unlike most ancient china novels. But I'm probably going to read this again once the translations are done. <<less
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lightmoon22
lightmoon22 rated it
March 25, 2021
Status: --
I felt really bored with this one

I tried to keep up with the story because all of the good review about it I thought maybe it will be interesting later on but that never happen. I didn't feel any joy reading this story but I felt it's more like homework that you need to just finish so I drop it eventually
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iaintcreative
iaintcreative rated it
December 29, 2021
Status: c89
The detailed and superb translation is a 5 stars all on its own, so much props to the translator (s) for their excellent work in translating the small nuances of the book into English.

Without the translation- the book is a solid 3

I have mixed feelings about the book- the plot had no noticeable plot holes, the actions of the characters are all explained and within reason, and there's no horrible characters to hate. But that's the thing, it's almost dull.

This is a great book to past time with and... more>> falls under one of my own categories of good books to read during break.

Yet, the female and male lead are TOO perfect. The female lead Gu Cun Jing has it all; perfect family that loves her and adores her (so much so that it's mentioned in every other chapter), sweet innocent face, shining bright eyes, dedicated lover, and rationale. She doesn't suffer anything at all- there's no conflict between other women, no internal struggle, no character development. Gu Cun Jing strolls through life with ease while everyone tries to shield her and protect her.
Spoiler

Yes, she was sad during the death of her eldest sister-in-law's death but even during that- she was praised for kindness and solemnity. Then again, that sadness passed after four chapters so the depth of human grief wasn't even explored

[collapse]
She's so perfect and has such a good life that even as a reader, you're starting to either get bored or begin to even feel envious of her through the eyes of other less fortunate characters. Hell, at this point, I even like Sima Xiang more. At least Sima Xiang had struggles, failures, and hate that made her feel human. Gu Cun Jing felt like a porcelain cute doll.

The male lead is very much jade- described as perfect in appearance and a competent wise ruler who dotes on his wife like no tomorrow. That's it, that's all he is. His background and struggles that he had faced before being appointed emperor could have been perfect to expand his character and our understanding of him but it's all coated through with romance.
Spoiler

The book mentions him being the bullied son before adoption by his step-mother, but even then it's embedded in between scenes of him doting Gu Cun Jing so you don't even feel any pity or understanding for him.

[collapse]

Overall, it's a good book to read to past time but that's all it is. This is very much rant-like and probably is rant, so thank you for coming to my ted talk. <<less
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Shinygold13
Shinygold13 rated it
August 2, 2020
Status: Completed
Why is it always so hard to read through the endings of this author’s works?

It really hurts when you reach the end. A mixture of melancholy and happiness seem to pervade. Sigh.

This is making me teary-eyed so bad, man, I wish for more but alas, stories must come to an end.

Bittersweet with a sprinkle of HEA.

Good pacing, lovey dovey stuffs, and political intrigue. Additionally, little childcare interactions for the readers to aww upon.
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darkelf01
darkelf01 rated it
January 25, 2021
Status: c49
This novel is like a... a mu*der and conspiracy mystery wearing ancient romance genre.

The undercurrent tone was both mischievously disturbing and innocently peppy. The author slowly disrobed this novel's white rabbit persona and turned it into a chilling ancient court drama.

Most of the troubles didn't revolve around MC, which is great because I'm tired of the the same-old way that authors of ancient China novels senselessly overab*sed their characters. The characters also didn't suffer from a mass nosedive of IQ. You can see and agree with what they were... more>> thinking, even if it's wrapped in their own perception, envy, jealousy, or helplessness. Also, the ML is amazing. This is the example of his thoughts in chapter 16

Spoiler

What thoughts did the men of these families who had beautiful wives and filial sons have that they would find other women and harm their wives' hearts?

[collapse]

And I loved, loved the two courtiers who served the ML so hard, they often acted like a tsukkomi to the ML's boke. Imagine them standing beside the ML with polite, respectful faces while inside, they were stunned silly at how smitten he was. Their interactions had me giggling like a loon. I love that for once, you're reading a sightseeing drama about the ancient court but beware, you can still see the sharks swimming under the water. <<less
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panisa365
panisa365 rated it
April 19, 2022
Status: Completed
This is a more laid-back, more romantic, but less face-slapping, and less political-intrigued story from Yue Xia Die Ying.

As a fan of this author, as well as the translator Dreams of Jianghu, I enjoy reading this one very much. It's lovely and sweet. The characters are smart and most of them are well-developed. Even the villains are not flat stock characters but has their own dimensions.

However, there are also a few things I noticed about Yue Xia Die Ying's novels. The author often skipped the key scenes or glossed over... more>> it briefly which make the supposed climax felt... well, anti-climatic.

From TBAVW and 8TT to LPJ - all of them didn't deliberate on the political schemes and just explained away as the male lead being super genius or something.

There are quite a few subplots that were left unexplained or confusingly narrated.

There are characters who didn't get to complete their arc or even reach their own ending.

For this novel, I'd say it's a light, enjoyable read. Something I feel warm and nostalgic towards that I might pick up again after a year or so.

The female lead is lovely. Her family is amazing. The male lead is vicious yet adorable. Definitely one of the better male leads from this author. The plot is not too thick but still got a charm that keeps one wanting to read further.

Best of all, the translation is top-notched.

I always look forward to stories that Dreams of Jianghu picks up coz I can at least expect the plot to be substantial and characters well-developed. And I wasn't disappointed with this one. <<less
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neri21
neri21 rated it
February 2, 2021
Status: c10
This novel has a very unique timeline: the cusp of sometimes violent and oftentimes overwhelming changes within a prosperous nation after its old and much-hated emperor dies and his 12-year old nephew takes over. The old clashes with the new; old vanguards are overthrown; while the more rational and progressive young blood take over and shake the new world order.

And along with the dawning of the new era is the introduction of a different cast of characters with their own schemes, their own ambitions, their own dreams. Some will win.... more>> But others will lose and lose spectacularly and oftentimes, heart achingly.

Oddly enough, the story unfolds from different perspectives, notably, the empress dowager, two concubines, two men who wanted to marry the MC, two bickering eunuchs, the MC's parents, her siblings, and two old guard families in cheek-to-jowl relationship with the old and corrupt emperor. From there, the story branched out into a family drama that involves the young emperor, his uncles, and schemes and assassinations that involve old and young people.

Jiu Jiu, the female lead character is a transmigrator but she is not overseeing and omnipotent, hence, the shift in perspectives. But she is at the center because she pulls everyone within her orbit first, through the lenses of the two young men who fell in love and wanted to marry her and later when she married the young emperor and became the empress.

The story starts with a death and the introduction of a young group of people whose lives and fates will be ascertained at the end of the novel. The individual struggles are pretty sad. It is almost inevitable with change and the surprise turnover of power. Nothing is permanent, not even reputation, honor, wealth or social status. But the heart of it really is about women whose lives are thrown away because they are convenient and of little value. The novel dives deeper into the emotional core of the women of the harem. These women fought each other to the death to be in favor of one man but in the end could show nothing for it except their fragility, their crushed souls and depleted bodies.

The story of a once-favored concubine made me cry. Before she entered the palace and became a concubine, she loved a man. But this man never asked for her hand in marriage, never even told her he loved her. Her family deemed her useless because she was merely a concubine's daughter. So, she was given away to the emperor to be his plaything while the man she loved married another and had many children with her. In the end, she wondered if she truly loved him or was just keeping his memory alive just to warm her cold heart.

What she didn't know was the man also loved another woman but since he was also deemed useless and weak by his and her family, he could only watch powerless as the woman he truly loved married his elder brother. This man, the villain in the book, is also a multi-layered character. He's so c*cky and corrupt but in the end, he was just a pitiful man living on borrowed time.

The novel time skips to tie up the fates of the rest of the characters and it's sad and heartbreaking. The only people who turned out good lives were really the emperor and empress, obviously because they're the leads. But in the end, you sense a return to the old ways after the emperor abdicated in favor of his son.

Forty years have since passed and the new world order is back to zero. By then, the characters who survived the new world order that came with the MC and ML were already old and looking back with tired and weary hearts at their past younger selves. Most of it were not happy memories but life continues, even if you lose a loved one or not. <<less
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Rabills
Rabills rated it
May 11, 2024
Status: --
I have a hard time understanding why this book has such good reviews. Like it makes no sense to me. It was boring. Very boring FL and ML. Her family was cute but the interaction between the two was very lacking. All the surrounding plot lines were not enough to make this novel work either.
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Marsianot5
Marsianot5
January 17, 2022
Status: c90
The translation quality is amazing, really excellent. You can tell the translator and editor work hard. But even their hard work cannot save this story.

The two leads are as bland as white bread. I thought I wanted a story that was finally problem- less, a sweet story I could read without complications, and enjoy at my leisure.

However.

The only way this story is enjoyable is if you completely shut your brain off and don't think about the plot/characters for more than 5 minutes.

... more>>
Spoiler

The MC being 14 and having a child makes me uncomfortable, though it is nice that she seems to have a brain and can think through problems..

Everything goes right for this couple. They have no difficulties, no overcoming anything through trial and error. Whatever problems they face they aren't interpersonal, only external and they're resolved within the next 1 or 2 chapters. The two leads are so sickeningly in love with each other it's almost nauseating.

The ML is also very annoying because of this as well. He's obsessive. He can't go more than 5 minutes without being next to his wife. Like... it's okay to spend some time apart, people!

They are also bland as dry toast. They don't grow or change as people, and I find it hard to believe that 15 year olds would be this mature in any way shape or form.

[collapse]
<<less
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trash_generalist
trash_generalist
January 10, 2023
Status: c32
This novel ended up not being my style. The slow pacing was just a little too dull for me. It reads like a literary film, if you know what I mean? It gives off the feeling that the first hour of the movie has nothing happening at all, only for there to be all sorts of twists and turns by the end. XD IDK. Just, it's not my thing. I won't be rating it because I didn't make it to the halfway point, but in my opinion, it's a pretty... more>> good read, it's just a matter of taste.

Summary: The FL is a transmigrator, but that aspect is not all that important. She was reborn when she was a child, and had been living the life of the spoiled youngest daughter of a Count's family. The transmigration aspect is really just to give her a reason for being more mature than the rest of the girls of her age (she stars off at the age of 10 in this novel), as well as give her a modern outlook that contrasts with the people of these times. She's not very ambitious, and all she wants is to live comfortably. It's her fortune that she ends up grabbing the attention of the Empress Dowager and the newly crowned Emperor (the ML, who is 13 at the start of the story), leading to her rise in the future.

ALL IN ALL, if you like slow stories with lots of attention on political intrigue and character relationships, then this is not a bad choice for you. If you're looking for something romantic and sweet, then it's probably best to choose another story --- since the romance is very slow (the main CP start off young after all). The MCs are also not the focus of the story anyway. The scope of the novel is quite wide. So, although there is a clear heroine and male lead, their more like the most important characters in a history book (a.i. They get a lot of screen time and affect the progress more than others, but the reading is dry and distant.) This tone doesn't work for me, I like character-drive stories with close perspectives. So, such a distant approach bored me out. XD If you don't mind it though, it should be fine! I'll try reading it another day when I'm in a more contemplative mood, but for now, I'll leave it unfinished. <<less
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Njtrisha
Njtrisha rated it
December 5, 2021
Status: --
I really like the works of the author, they are my favorite most of the time, but somehow this novel seemed a little boring to me compared to the other ones, idk why the MC seemed a bit lacking than other MC's and her character seemed a little dull.. Same with the ml. Still the novel is pretty good
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Krystaize
Krystaize rated it
April 20, 2021
Status: c45
Haven't finished: chapter 45

I'd probably change the stars to 3 (but +1 just for the writing structure)

This review includes vague spoilers. I suggest not to read this if you have yet to start this novel.

... more>> The development was very smooth with very little flaws to pick out. But because the story was too smooth and the FL was basically mary sue, I found it boring as I progress towards the end.

FL was very calm and collective, utilizing her knowledge well. She was pretty much the ideal woman. Strong, collective, intelligent and humble. But I found it boring and I didn't really enjoy reading this story. She was born into a noble home and is very much favoured. Everything was handed to her. Among her competitors (girls who was trying to become empress) she was probably the first to meet him and spent the most time with him because of her family connection. The ML also already had a favourable impression of her in their first meeting, so gaining his love was a easy for the FL.

I found the ML to be really cute but he was also a little bit cliche (for my opinion).

I really enjoyed their emphasis on the FL's qualities (at least they didn't make her the most beautiful woman too). In addition I loved FL and ML's interactions.

Few things I didn't appreciate was the obvious intention of using the death of some characters to improve the ML's and FL's relationship. Some of them were too convenient for the FL and she didn't even have to do much. Additonally, I felt like some deaths were just randomly placed to lengthen the story.

I still recommend reading this story though.

The translation is very good compared to most translated stories I've read online. <<less
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Lexandrine
Lexandrine rated it
March 24, 2022
Status: Completed
It was so good! Not to mention, I'm following the translator since ASSID and I know their work was top notch!

The story was very predictable and it scratches a certain itch lol, full of palace intrigue but everything falls into place at the end. FL's transmigrations weren't really important, at some point, you would forget about it since it was probably only used as a plot device to make her more mature. ML was also charming and I like the duo. Tbh, ML was raising the bar through the roof... more>> so it makes my heart ache when I realize men like him don't really exist (even if they do, one in a million), not to mention this was ancient china. I ALSO LIKE FL'S FAMILY!

Go and read it, extremely recommended!

Sidenote: I've read a lot of stories and I find the predictability/dullness appealing. It's nothing dramatic but I really like the story telling although the plot was cliche (emperor, empress type of stuff). There were plotholes I gladly ignored (nothing major that would raise any eyebrows). If there is one I could share it would be:

Spoiler

Jin Yang our ML was too ruthless and I had no idea where he learned it from? He also has some secret men (dark guards or something) that sprouted out from nowhere. He was raised by the Empress Dowager and I am willing to bet she had nothing to do with those things. He was too smart and the plot of the story couldn't support it.


Anyway, as I said, I happily ignored that part.
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nxtlvl
nxtlvl
March 31, 2021
Status: --
Gossip Girl but make it ancient China.

Like others have mentioned, this follows a similar concept to Eight Treasures Trousseau and To Be a Virtuous Wife. As with most books from Yue Xia Die Ying, ML is hopelessly in love with FL while FL swings between a firm meh to friendly affection for a good chunk of the book. And that's exactly how I feel about most of Yue Xia Die Ying's novels: meh. Loved the first one I came across, but once you read one, you've read them all. All... more>> the romances feel the same and the most interesting thing about her writing is the way she weaves in political intrigue, which albeit feels the same after a while, too.

One thing I did love is that ML and FL met during childhood, which sets them up as young sweethearts. It created a situation where they begin on a more leveled playing field with one another and must learn to navigate political struggles at the same time. <<less
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YellowNoodle
YellowNoodle rated it
June 17, 2020
Status: Completed
As expected of Yue Xia Die Ying bringing another and different perspective of political power.

Unlike Die Ying's other novels, this story centers on the noble families in the capitol as they frolic at banquets, plan for marriage, and scheme for their daughters to be Queen.

The pace is not to fast nor too slow and there isn't much exaggerated drama. Both the ML and FL's relationship is much like Die Ying's other stories; monogamy (bless) and respect between partners (as it should).

The author also captures the pride of the nobles well... more>> even as their power is declining and the Imperial power inclines.

Another thing the author captures well is the role a ancient woman plays in the family. There are many women who have no choice but to resign to their fates of being decorationor, a tool, or a baby making machine.

The story is well written, however others may find the story boring because there isn't "in your face detailed" drama and more of a "one line summary" explanation drama.

But it's still a good read ^♡^

Enjoi and Adieu!

10/10 <<less
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