his child w the FL he does ofc love that child... which is cruel to thee other sonss I Know but he actually explicitly has a realization that having his own son has made him more attached emotionally to the whole family. It takes about around ch. 700s I think which is kinda long considering the FL cared about the children to begin with but it's not even half way through the whole novel at least. So kinda early? Lol

I love that he had that whole arc of being aloof to the point that he was like a poor genius scholar who traveled with an old master in his youth to living in luxury with his titled wife and reading books allt he time. BUT also so straight forward and unrelenting in the face of sophistication since he grew up so pure and honest that he is decisive and deadly when he was finally put out on the job by the emperor. He was called "a secret weapon that cannot be used often" by the emperor. Ahhh how fun.

The third son honestly has a great arc too since he's supposed to be the first backbone that the ML can rely on to help his ministry after some time. The ML trains him very well but it's just sad that he got placed to far away and basically wasn't able to really come back after all.. I don't even blame the author. I think tt it's quite realistic of the times. Just too bad iss all. We get to see their lovely daughters though.

btw OOC is out of character.

1. The fact that our leads MERELY brush off the fact that their undercover agent twin grandsons of their eldest daughter gets married to a foreign princess on their mission by not necessarily the order of the emperor but thee fact that they have to do it and thee emperor approved it. When told of this, the ML and FL are distressed for a second but also are like alas nothing we can do. This OOC considering how hard the leads were working to stay safe and not get tied up in royal politics if possible. Especially in the first half.[

2. The ML becomes the master to the great grandson of the supreme emperor. I know he did it probably bc he was being asked on their deathbed but the fact is he WAS VERY AGAINST THIS for the grandson before for very vallid reasons that the ML never mentions or cares about again after he was asked this time and accepts.... Ok lol wtf

3. OMG I HATW HIS UNCLE LIKE HES SO PEDANTIC AND REAL ANCIENT MAN GET HIM OIT OF THW FAMILY. DONT TALK TO OUR GRANDSON'S DAUGHTER IN LAW LIKE THAT. YOU WOULD NOT EVEN HAVE HER OR HIM AS YOUR CHILD IF THE LEADS DIIDNT LET YOU ADOPT HIM. DOONT BE SO f*ckING PICKY. Just help her then to be more high class then. bit*h ass how. You really give a damn if she births a son immediately?? THEY WOULDN'T EVEN BE YOUR CHILDREN IF YOU WEREN'T LUCKY. BE f*ckING GRATEFUL YOU HAVE ANYTHING. SPITS. he ruined my family vibes and made the family misogynistic for the first time ever when he joined and I was so glad when he died. idc. Spits.

Now coming to the novel, the FL and the ML are both transmigrated characters. In a way, this novel is anti-thesis to farming and slice-of-life novels where the FL transmigrates and brings in new things to a novel world. Here there are actually three people who transmigrate. The other character was supposed to be the novel character who transmigrates and counterattacks the original heroine of the novel, which was the FL's daughter. This led to the destruction of the whole family. Now what is different is that the FL knows the story and so tries her best to avoid this "heroine" character and save her family. When she read the novel, she felt that this character was wrong, and when she went into the novel, she understood that it was like the real world, and the characters don't have to follow the storyline.

Now why I said it mocks time travel novels, is because when this character brings in new things, people are suspicious of her even her parents understood she was not their daughter any more. She met a rich businessman who exploited her rather than helping her (which if you think will happen in a feudalistic society). All the FL and ML did was sit on the side and watch. If they introduced new things, they did it as suggestions and intelligent characters of the era (like the crown prince and the emperor) picked it up.

In this novel, three people simultaneously transmigrate into a book: a food blogger (about 40 y.o.), a business manager (26y.o.) and a scholar (double Ph.D in Chinese and in archeology, 27 y.o.). All three are single, do not know each other, and know the plot in the book.

The food blogger becomes a child in a very poor family in an ancient village and the vicious enemy of the other two who wake up and discover that they are now peasants, a husband and wife (36+37y.o.) with six kids ages 7 to 21, their spouses, and six grandkids! A huge rural household. And the vicious snake of the third transmigree in their village who is intent on destroying every one of them, their kids and grandkids, and other relatives.

I loved how the FL managed her family as an instant wife, a mother and a mother-in law. Thank God she was an MBA and a competent business manager in a good corporation before, so she both understands people, the importance of local culture, and has skills to manage such a crowd! Truly, I have never read a better novel than this one on that topic. The characters and the descriptions of ancient Chinese mores are out of this world good. I have just finished reading the book and I already miss them terribly.

The ending is both happy and sad. The story spans about 35-40 years of their rich daily lives in ancient China and they die in their seventies within a minute from each other, roam for three years as souls, and then wake up in Beijing in our times two days prior to their accidental death and transmigration. The ML rushes to her place with the household registration booklet and ID card in hand and wants to tie the knot immediately, but...

Will they return back to their family in ancient China to have another lifetime with them or will they live as a modern couple from that moment on?

What a choice to make, especially, since they know the original plot of the book and that the food blogger will transmigrate and without them that ancient family will perish young. All of them.