National Beauty

Description

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Song Jianing was charming and beautiful.

She accompanied her mother on her remarriage to the House of Guo Gong.

Though she tried to be dignified, she was still targeted by her domineering stepbrother.

Her heart trembling, Song Jianing secretly stuffed Zhao Heng with a piece of candy: I’ve been good to you, so you have to support me in the future.

Zhao Heng then supported her all the way, sharing the glory and beauty of the country.

Associated Names
One entry per line
国色生香
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Eight Treasures Trousseau (1)
Greetings, Ninth Uncle (1)
The Beloved Imperial Consort (1)
The Job of an Imperial Concubine (1)
To Be A Virtuous Wife (1)
Where is the Morality (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. (4) DESIRES of the HEART part 4
  2. Top BG Romance Novels on JJWXC ~ (CN Edition)
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  5. Nosebleeds from heaven - 4

Latest Release

Date Group Release
05/16/21 The Roving Griot c3
05/09/21 The Roving Griot c2
05/04/21 The Roving Griot c1
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9 Reviews sorted by


GoliathQueen
GoliathQueen rated it
May 9, 2021
Status: Completed
I'm so glad the translator picked this up! This is a sweet story but not quite as light-hearted as you'd think. The characters are flawed and there are parts that will probably make you uncomfortable... mainly, Song Jianning's tragic past life. In her past life, ... more>>
Spoiler

she was hurt by two men. Sc*mbag #1 was her husband (she was a concubine), who sold her to Sc*mbag #2 in exchange for power. Sc*mbag #2 trapped her in a golden cage, and she became an outside mistress, not even a concubine.

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In her second life, her life turned around at the beginning, she didn't really do anything. I've read some complaints (from official site) saying that SJN's rebirth was useless, but I disagree. "National Beauty" is Song Jianning getting a chance to fulfill her desires (to live a good life, to marry a good man, to be honored and respected) which were ruthlessly stolen from her in her past life. For me, that's enough. I love how even though she's simple, she's not entirely naive.

The ML is really good.
Spoiler

I liked how the author didn't make his 'stutter' magically go away because of the FL. For him, like the romance between the leads, it was a process. Just like how they went from two people who saw each other as 'likable enough' to husband and wife who loves and respects each other, his 'stutter' took time and patience from both of the leads.

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Spoiler

There is actually one additional timeline which is a happy ending. I love how the author put that twist there. I would like to believe that that was how SJN's first life went. She ended up, in a way, with the ML

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I would like to talk about the various other relationships in this novel, specifically the Emperor and his favorite son, Prince Chu. How everything unfolded makes you feel bittersweet but it's not unacceptable, based on how the author wrote their characters.

Overall, I think it's a good novel to read. The side characters and relationships are as well-written as the main ones. <<less
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silent hobby
silent hobby rated it
May 15, 2021
Status: Completed
It is nice to read, I just hated the the step brother, he is a pe*vert and I couldn't feel any sympathy for his stubborn obsession.

The MC is a chubby beauty that likes by many. She just want to have a happy life after rebirth because in her previous lifetime, she was forced to live in "golden cage".

Beautiful plot with three dimensional characters.
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
whitespade
whitespade rated it
October 26, 2023
Status: c118
You know how someone with room temperature IQ still have room temperature IQ even when they grow old until 70? This is the MC. Just because someone is reborn does not mean their brain get an upgrade. If you accept that MC is mentally r*tarded similar to Forrest Gump then you can enjoy this novel a lot. Not a good brain, but very good luck.

I enjoy this novel a lot, just docked one point because author have a tendency to repeat how beautiful ML and MC is so I'm kinda... more>> bored. <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
ByleeM
ByleeM rated it
September 26, 2021
Status: c60
So strangely enough I like everyone in this novel, even the canon fodder villians but the one person I dislike is the MC. Holy lord she's annoying! She's like those scheming antagonistic green tea cousins that pretend to be cutesy weepy and softspoken to get to the ML in these types of novels only MC lacks the depth and personality to make it work.

I don't kmow why the author decided to play the rebirth card. The novel would have been a full 4 stars if she was an actual 10... more>> year old but she's 17 doing a redo and all she does is whine about being hungry, cry all the time, worry about the possibility of MC finding her eyes seductive and wanting her mom! She literally does nothing to help her mom (or herself), she's so focused on her "past life" she doesn't even notice her mom is selling herself until the day before the wedding, like WTF? And then the maternal family that abandoned her after her mom die rock back up suspiciously into the picture (only coz her mom's marrying up so they cant afford to be snobs) idiot MCs like "Thats good tho, they treat me well in this life time so what if they watched me get sold over and didn't even bother visit me the first time? Wish I could stay with these 2 faced people all my life?!"

I just really cant! I like that for once the MC is a big girl, I was expecting to see a smart confident curvaceous beauty instead I got a curvaceous beauty with the wit and courage of a mosquito🚮 <<less
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hybridiris
hybridiris rated it
May 10, 2021
Status: c30
I haven't finished this novel but I did MTL it. The characters were very alive and imperfect in a human way. I couldn't read any further because I just simply don't like the MC. Yes she lived a passive life of being trapped in bad relationships but I guess I found her current reborn self just as simple as before. She's so passive and just lets things roll over her and even takes a backseat to her mom's story for the initial part of the novel. While I'm sure there... more>> is some character development that'll happen later, the way she just embodies a salted fish life letting stuff coast by good and bad as if she's waiting for someone to rescue just doesn't sit right. The novel so far doesn't really go much into her eating disorder that makes her self soothe by eating. I'm not saying I ask a novel to have dog blood and vengeance, but she's all afraid, cowardly and jittery everywhere and of course that's within reason due to her past and circumstances. Her inner thoughts are nice at this point as it seems she's starting to understand that her new family can back her... I mean I can see the novel is probably going to turn around but I can't help but be a little triggered reading how hopeless her last life was. This novel feels pretty period accurate in describing the way men treated women in those days. MC and her mom really had a tough time. I know this novel has the potential to be good and I see there are other good ratings. But I cannot make myself like the MC no matter what. It's like she's lived so long and then goes back in time and still acts like a child. Yes in some ways she is "acting" like a child but her thoughts are still mild, simple and really like she's only learned almost nothing from her previous life. She spends a lot of inner thought just thinking she's this way because of her past, dragging it everywhere making it the excuse for her every weakness. Also clever protagonist tag?? Must be happening later because right now she's not in the least bit clever. She's completely the opposite of OP at this point in the novel and she doesn't even do much to help her mom. Just flat out salted fish relying on everyone else like woe is me I am so pitiful and all I want is a nice life. All the characters are pretty well written and consistent with the time period, MC included. I just can't stand her character though even if it'll change later.

If you can take a long wait for character development, my guess is this will turn out to be a good novel perhaps. But I just can't stand her character. Right now it just feels like rebirth is a total waste on her even if someday she becomes the one the ML needs... it's like the author is trying to make the MC as bland as possible in the hopes that their audience will imprint their own personalities into her character.

Read it if you have great patience. I'm sure it's not a bad novel. MC is just not someone I like reading and that's a matter of personal preference. The novel so far seems well written aside from MC's personality. <<less
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darkelf01
darkelf01 rated it
June 25, 2023
Status: Completed
A very satisfying read. The author took great care to tie up any loose end, even the fates of minor characters.

Reading the first few chapters, I thought I wouldn't like this MC because she wasn't the usual archetype of ancient reborn girls that I liked. Turned out that she was so endearing that I didn't even mind her simplicity. In turn, her personality made the usual rain-and-thunder ancient genre to be something quite unproblematic.

Everyone ended up liking her (me included) except for the third girl, the princess, and the stepfather's... more>> first wife's sister and niece. The antagonists were only the ML's second brother and MC's stepbrother. For once, I felt that I was reading an ancient story with more melon eating vibe than even the showbiz genre. It's even more apparent in the first part of the story, where the MC looked more like the daughter of a beuatiful Mary Sue heroine lol

I've completed the story, and what stuck with me the most was how peaceful the MC was. She didn't have any other wish other than living peacefully with her loved ones, but the ancient genre is rarely so quiet, innit? So the story spiraled on and on until her girlhood, womanhood and motherhood. And! The author wrote a surprisingly good war and power struggle scenes. I can imagine them actually happening in real history.

PS: the genre tags 'smut' and 'slice of life' should be added. <<less
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Eeria
Eeria rated it
February 10, 2023
Status: Completed
It’s at least a 3.5

i liked the story and the characters. The most annoying of them all is the 2nd male lead. For the god of me, I couldn’t stand his “love” (more like an obsession) for the MC. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree because I found the father of the 2nd male lead equally annoying.

I didn’t find the FL annoying but didn’t find her as smart as the story wants her to be. The ML is the cold immortal type who slowly warms up to the... more>> FL. I do like that the story features a curvy and voluptuous FL who gets called fat by almost all the characters.

Finally I am so glad the FL didn’t end up with her jerky lover of the previous life.

I feel the story would have been more complete if the 2nd male lead had woken up memories from his past life and realized he had it all until he had nothing at all. <<less
1 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Mesi911
Mesi911 rated it
May 4, 2021
Status: c1
Read ahead for a few chapters and it’s too soon to tell but it looks good. The MC’s inner monologue and funny death scored a laugh out of me. Translation is good too.
1 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
PechDepi
PechDepi
May 5, 2021
Status: c105
I read a few chapters ahead, and I can assure you that it’s pretty sweet to current chapters.

Ok down below is gonna be spoilers, so unless you need it: STOP. But if you ok then let’s go!

... more>>
Spoiler

last life she was the concubine for the son and now current life (after dying by lychees) her mother caught the attention of the father. The father willing to marry her as main wife and treat the Female lead as the true born.

•the father’s family is not the villain family, they actually get used and like the mother and daughter. Even the old madam warm up to them.

• The son (the man she serve before in her last life) seem to really convert her and try everything to ruin her reputation so that she can’t marry and end up in his hands. (The father and the male lead end up knowing about it)

•Most of the kids in the family is good, aside from Yanfeng (3rd girl) she is a bit jealous and arrogant. Other then that they all good kids (mostly)

•In chapter 100-105, Song jianing and the male lead get marry.

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