until MC met the bit*h who stole her past life's husband, the prince, I will explain in cons.

Just see MC's circumstances, in her past life she blindly loved the prince, one-sided love. She always give, never receive. Her poor judgment of people makes her always to be a victim of scheme. In short, she cannot tell other's intention at all. The only thing that covers this downside is her future knowledge, that's it. Moreover, ML is described as frivolous and at the same time also pushy and straightforward. In past life, people around her always covers their intention while interacting and that's why she tries so hard to uncover ML's intentions even tho his only intention at first just that damn "she's an interesting and devious girl" plot.

Even tho it's cliché, their romance progress with the right pace. They both have their goals, their first impression for each other is that "I need to be cautious of this man/girl" and it is so justified remembering that their goal is far from being a saint. While MC tries to avoid ML to prevent unnecessary disturbance, ML tries to get close to her not just bc she is interesting but also to ensure that MC will not be a negative variable for his plans. The turning point of his impression is when she gambles with her life to do her scheme (she burned her hand), he found out that she is struggling to live (I am so sad in this part) among her poisonous so called family. I think this is when the haters start coming and say ML steal her spotlight. Well, I can understand haters, this is when the genre start tilting to romance than revenge. But from ML pov, this is what he would do. He pitied her and he wanted to help her. But at the same time, he still has his own goal as priority (that choking scene in the secret room) and that makes him conflicted. Her tears makes him feel guilty so he let her go, I don't really agree ML already love MC at this point, he just pitied her, that's all. Ugh, describing the plot will be wayyy too long so I will stop here. The point is, the plot and characters' trait complement each other that I will say again the plot line development is nailed.

Second, even tho many disagree ML's trait as mainstream and unlike able, this story really need ML with those traits. MC is confirmed having PTSD even tho is not well described, which makes her as passive girl who couldn't make a new relationship either love or friend. She does everything alone that it will make the story awkward if she suddenly develops friendly trait while interact with new people. Well yeah, I admit ML kinda like a creep by not letting her has her privacy. But, bc he is so pushy and frivolous, MC could get out from her comfort zone and has better character development.

Third, didn't have unnecessary misunderstanding. I really hate those bs fillers that only makes chapter longer.

Forth, allies around her also got time screen to develop their character while her enemy describes as complete tr*sh is a little bit shameful. I was hoping at least they have reasonable excuse for what they did, which didn't, they just are described as third rate villains with bird brain.

And for cons, I feel ashamed telling that the biggest cons is MC herself. In her past life she is described has one-sided blind love to the prince and also is an empress with dignity and wisdom after her harsh life in palace and other country, until the end she loved the prince dearly. This is so contradicting that I feel frustrated. I mean, IF she were blind to love she loved the prince till her end, it doesn't make sense that she woke up with those hatreds point out to the prince. I mean, she loved him so bad that her wisdom couldn't even make her has a slight doubt of the prince's act. When she woke up, actually she should be broken first, fault herself and not to the prince, she wants to hate the prince badly but she loves him blindly, what can she do? That is the most logic one.

It doesn't make sense that she is said as wisdom but cannot see through people close to her. IF ONLY, in her last years from past life, she has doubts about the prince, it means she start to see things what she couldn't see before but it's already too late that she died, if it were the case, it will be justified she woke up with those hatred.

While the other characters are well made, MC herself has too many holes. Her past life is one, the other holes was MC couldn't stay true to her original trait. The story is well made until that bit*h who stole the prince showed up, she no longer has wisdom and clear judgement, she became a PTSD patient with broken self confident. I'm not telling it was bad, only placed in the wrong order. Her anxiety is actually better placed before she married ML, before she opened her heart, while she still had the lingering remorse. By accepting ML is like a point where she starts to realise how to embrace herself, to love herself. And by showing her anxiety when bit*h appeared in the latter, it's not just show how she still doesn't develop to be better person also that she's still doubting ML's love.

Ah, those third rate villains. I won't say much. Their appearance was made only to fill the hole that MC is back for revenge, that's it. It's so sad that it was decided MC will revenge her enemy thus her enemy was made, it will be much more better if her enemy wrongdoings was well made first then affecting MC's character growth and not MC's character affecting how her enemy will be wrongdoing her.

How her return is explained, I'm not really fond of it but I will not complain since other novel with the same bg has it worse.

Wrong target revenge. While she hate the prince and do scheme to drag the prince down, the one who actually made her anxious and miserable is the bit*h who stole the prince. Look how clouded her judgement for the bit*h compared to her judgment for the prince. I don't even remember anymore who is the worst scheming against her.

The empress got her second chance, and she is going to out manuver those who tried to plot her. The plots are sometime over simplified, tangled but not very much so. Still, i'll rate the tactics 4...

Slow romance with both sides prodding each other before the male lead fall in love first and decided to conquer her. The protag, as a jilted empress, innocent and dense in the way of love is so cute to watch. In short, cute romance but once again overly... illogical on someway so i'll rate it 4 again.

The whole story, thought feature revenge and second chance as main theme, is not as poisonous as Princess Wei Yang. So, for people with less... affection to cruelty, this novel is a good first step to introduce in to the genre. The entire plot line and character growth, i'll rate it 5.

Just like Princess Wei Yang, the ending left us with warm and fulfilled feeling. This certainly deserve another 5.

saving her brother from being framed into a scandal being forced to marry a wife who eventually led him to his doom, getting rid of the lady who would forcefully become her father's concubine and end up killing her mother and making her father a joke as she was married and had children.

Later in the novel, we find out that he was actually the brother of the Yongle Emperor from the country, Da Liang, and is instead called Rui Wang. He was put here at the Lin An Household by his mother, the empress to protect him. Just to confirm, Yongle Emperor trusts Xie Jing Xing, so no evil plots there.

One of her relatives tried to frame Shen Qiu, the MC's brother, into a scandal, where he (under the influence of alcohol) "sleeps" with the Old Furen's (the MC's step-grandmother) distant relative, Jing Chu Chu, who was "visiting." In the previous lifetime, this had actually happened. Jing Chu Chu was seemingly well-behaved, but would cheat on Shen Qiu with an influential official's son. Once he found out, he killed the son, only to end up in more trouble and eventually, leading to his death. In this lifetime, Shen Miao manages to change fate so that it was the Old Furen's favorite grandson and MC's cousin - Shen Yuan, who faces what the Shen Qiu had faced in the previous life and end up being beheaded for murder.

The presentations of Guang Wen Tang and other youths:

Chapter 71:

Chapters 140s-150s, can't remember which chapters:

And finally, MY FAVORITE SCENE. Literally the best scene of the novel, probably, chapters 190s

Basically when they go to Da Liang, I felt like the new plots were totally crammed into the end.

Kudos to luckychaams! This story with its long title that I can't even remember is also now my all-time favorite! Just a day ago, I had declared Chu Wang Fei my all-time favorite, and I picked this up as a recommendation from CWF, and overnight this one has now suddenly taken the lead. I stayed up until 8 am reading all the translations in one sitting...

The transmigration premise is slightly different from the more mainstream ones. This time, a woman dies in her ~late 30s and goes back in time to when she was 14 to fix her life to prevent evil people from completely ruining her life along with the lives of the people she loves. In her first life, she thought she was in love with him, but at her deathbed I guess she severed all these feelings... not sure yet because in the English translations we have yet to see her interact with that character personally and who knows she might still have lingering tender feelings for the as*hole (THOUGH I REALLY HOPE NOT).

So the character goes back in time with all the knowledge about the two-faced people that she didn't know about in her first life until too late. The beginning of the story that lays out the background of her tragic end felt a little bit heavy-handed, but it ended up helping us really make sense out of the endless wrath that she carries in her second chance and you really don't feel overwhelmed by her merciless dealings. She is out for blood, but in a patient, abiding way...

This actually reminds me a lot of the Hunger Games. They both have some settings where the main character is like "on stage" and performing in front of a larger audience. And they both have this sort of noble lone girl resisting against the evil greater rulers and astonishing heaven and earth... And finally, the way she gets to perform and come out on top as the underdog. It honestly feels really good. This sort of "coming out on top" is way better than the OP'd characters in Stunning Edge of Genius Doctor. This one is actually a good story. Of course, our character also has her sense of OP-ness...

but at least it's not completely ridiculous. At least in my case, I was truly not certain about which things she would win at and at which things she would lose...

As for the romance; it develops very slowly, but it's there! It's just well entwined in a larger, exciting plot. In any case, when I read romances I also appeciate if the characters are good and if the plot is good, and in this case, all of these things are here. I think that the romance in this story might defeat the one in my beloved Chu Wang Fei... I thought Chu Fei Yang was a good male lead, but this guy actually gives him a run for his money. This story's protagonists are a smidge younger than in CWF, but they actually interact a little bit more. It feels a little more natural, watching how they might end up falling for each other...

I also think this transmigration (really it's more of a time-travel) story is my favorite because it is just clearly better written. It's a really good translation too. The translated prose is fine and the elegant, the punctuating, key phrases are harrowing and succinct.

Highly. Recommend. It feels like a short read but it took my like 9 hours so it is a nice escape.

Also, her entire family, children included, was killed by the f*cking plot of her "beloved husband the emperor, her cousins and their family, and about half a dozen other greedy families that wanted a piece of the pie called "emperor's favor!!!!" So you can understand her rage when she comes back to being her younger self, before the incident, and plots to get her revenge. One of such revenges involves switching places with her "elder sister" when they go to a temple to pray. However, the b*tchy old madam has made a deal with Prince Yu, a man that is at least double of Shen Miao's age, who is renowned as being especially cruel (in that sort of way in bed). So when she switches places with her elder sister.... (the rest should be implied)