at a later part when he has already said OVER and OVER again how much hes into FL and how loyal he is to her, it is still kind of implied that he flirts with one of the members of his harem... UGH... disgusting.

(the handkerchief incident and going to check/antagonize the flute girl) in a very showy way with a pompous language

the MC admits the men are unfaithful and women are left to suffer so if she said that the young women should want to be main wives instead of concubines because then they will get more respect from people include their husbands I will agree, instead in a very Marie Antoinette's moment the MC implies that the young women are wrong to want prestige as imperial concubines and talks how love is better when as most marriages are arranged, unless the women are very lucky they won't have even warm relationship with their husband and mostly because of his actions.

infiltrate the palace to kill the MC.

Well, this is awkward. This book got so many rave reviews that I wonder what the heck is wrong with me.

1. I don't mind that some terms were not translated. I've watched too many Chinese dramas to know what the terms meant. But, for the sake of translation, it should have been translated. Some reviewers said that the untranslated terms gave off the authentic sense of the story. Nope, it didn't. It's just plain lazy.

2. Was there any difference between this imperial harem and any other imperial harem story out there? None, except for the part where a soul from the future took over FL's body. Oh wait, it has been done before. I would have preferred it if instead of transmigration, the FL rebirth and went bad-ass on the people who ab*sed her.

Those were the two main downsides of this story. The story was lazy on the writer's part and lazy on the translator's part. At least I am done with it and can move on to a greater story.

"How long He Heng could tolerate her, that was how long she would run rampant. When it came to the day that He Heng couldn't tolerate her, the worst was just death."

"From a certain perspective, she enjoyed the good He Heng gave her, and she would return the same to He Heng. If He Heng really had feelings towards her, she would be delighted. If He Heng had no feelings for her, she wouldn't be heartbroken. And she had the confidence that before she would die in exhilaration, she would dig a hole for He Heng.

Love wasn't essential in life. But if there was love to flavour her life, she wouldn't reject enjoying it.

In the novels, the women tortured themselves because of love. But she wasn't the female protagonist, she didn't have to walk the road they did. She wasn't even scared of death; would she be scared of this thing called love?"

eventually (like the last 2 chapters or smth), FL does have some kind of feelings towards ML, inexplicitly---following FL's mindset of 'show, not tell.' They never really show if FL loves ML, but ML settles on that she does after seeing her caring and deep actions. the epilogues were so sad and complex tbh.

I'm sure that if this was the modern world, ML definitely wouldn't be the person who FL ends up with. His feelings would probably be one-sided (still kinda are, but yk?), as FL wouldn't even give him a chance in the first place, unlike here, where they were literally married from the very beginning. Do I have any proof for this? No. Will I change my mind? Also no!

It feels like the author wants me to feel for He Yuan, but seeing his past actions and how he treated ppl in the past, I can only sigh that perhaps if the emperor and his mother hadn't spoilt him so much, he would've been a good leader and brother---maybe even found his interest in art quicker. But, the thing is, you can't be mourning unchangeable possibilities of the past. He's an a**hole, an ab*ser, and a rapist---but he got a good ending. He 'changed'. Yes a few, or more, women died, but thats all worth it isnt it? Those lives he's ruined, those women he's killed, his own life should've been taken. Why are those characters villainized, but the epilogue poses him like that? Poses him like... his life was pitiable because a girl didn't return his one-sided feelings that came from god knows where? No. he was so privileged. He had, and still does, a good life. He's still privileged, it's just that the privilege is slightly lesser than before. He had a good life, he had a family, he had wealth. And the s*upidest decision was that he was spared. I'm still upset that the author decided on that for NO REASON. According to ML's character, he would've definitely killed He Yuan off. And even un-according to his character, a realistic emperor would still kill He Yuan one way or another. And I can even see ppl pitying him in the reviews, and I'm like ????? Did we read the same novel???? Joke of a life. I don't care that he 'suffered more alive than dead'. Bffr the only thing he suffered was a girl didnt return his feelings. Suck it up. (-⭐, -⭐)

edit after completed reading: the freakiness was nice to read........ until I found out her age. her age wasn't really specified, but I for some reason always thought she was 21.... later on, when the FL is pregnant, she thinks in a scene 'this body is only 16 and already pregnant, good thing I'm older inside' or smth along those lines and im like ?!?!?! excuse me???? now, thinking abt the s*x just.... ugh. I can't enjoy reading this book without thinking abt that. the previous paragraph that I wrote, rereading it, I'm getting too disgusted (*Φ皿Φ*)...

That being said, this novel does the job, showing what it's like to be a woman in ancient China. Not through the main character, but through other women that surround her. With FL's main character buff, she had a fairly good life compared to an average woman of the time. FL is very privileged, but she forgets her privilege, forgets that unlike her, these ppl are mentally and physically children. eg; The girl that'd been the first to 'serve' ML, was FIFTEEN when she lost her v*rginity. Now, she's spent 5-6 years, now aged 21, with ML. She's clearly became dependent. Her thoughts are so easy to understand, what will she do if she doesnt have his favour? If she's dismissed, her life will literally be ruined forever. Yes, she took his v*rginity, but did anyone think about how he too took hers, a 15-year-old's? About how, she probably didnt have a choice? And if she used this fact, used that 'she was his first', as her defence, as her only way to survive, what's so wrong with it? That's why this novel is realistic, because it portrays ML as a good guy. These men in history, of course they'd be portrayed wonderfully. At first, FL seems to know this. Seems to know that ML wasn't a good person, but, for the sake of the 'happy ending', you can slowly see the line in her thoughts blur, you can see her starting to soften up to him. And I hate it. If someone like the FL DID exist, they'd probably have to 'fake it' their entire life. Because if ML can discard those other women for being too desperate, too boring, why can't he do the same to her? (-⭐, and im being generous.)

The novel repeats, though not in exact words obviously, that men want FL due to her 'unique' charm, her aura that seems 'out the world'. FL obvious IS 'out the world' because she grew up with education, freedom, a past life not of ancient China. Every time the novel mentions anything vaguely related to ppl wanting her for her unique attraction, I can't help but think of the quote: The way my mother always explained it, the traditional man wants a woman to be subservient, but he never falls in love with subservient women. He's attracted to independent women. "He's like an exotic bird collector, " she said. "He only wants a woman who is free because his dream is to put her in a cage."

As long as you don't think too deeply (me lol), you'll definitely enjoy, or at least not hate this novel. Even I enjoyed this novel, until the epilogue abt He Yuan just hit me like cold water, and I thought back and analysed everything I was previously bothered by but had brushed off. Would've given this 3/5, but 4.6 IS too good of rating for this novel, just like what @LotionBottle_Venerable said (their review's a huge W, I agree with all their points!!)