Xia Niangniang

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A blind concubine lives in the cold palace. The blind concubine has a snow white cat. Day after day, year after year, he lives quietly in the courtyard of the cold palace. It is as if he has already been forgotten by the entire imperial palace. Until one day, the young emperor accidentally chances upon him…

Associated Names
One entry per line
The Blind Concubine
瞎娘娘
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Cold Sands (4)
Ban Lu Qin Jun (2)
Gaze at the Scenes of Debauchery (2)
War Prisoner (2)
Turns Out I’m Crazy (1)
Yeho (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. To be read
  2. Best BL Novels
  3. BL novels (finished)
  4. a crown in this enthroned delight
  5. Comp -- Gay -- Asian

Latest Release

Date Group Release
05/19/14 Luxiufer c14
05/07/14 Luxiufer c13
05/02/14 Luxiufer c12
04/29/14 Luxiufer c11
04/24/14 Luxiufer c10
04/23/14 Luxiufer c9
05/30/13 Zoola c8
05/30/13 Zoola c7
05/30/13 Zoola c6
05/30/13 Zoola c5
05/30/13 Zoola c4
05/30/13 Zoola c3
05/30/13 Zoola c2
05/30/13 Zoola c1
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holachica
holachica rated it
March 31, 2020
Status: Completed
Rating? I was thinking 4, but then, after some consideration, I gave it 5 to boost the rating a bit. This is probably a 4.3-4.4 star novel.

I dare say... I AM THE REVIEW YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR. For those who want to know the story, but don't wanna read (I understand you guys)

First: Summary

... more>>
Spoiler

The ML (Emperor) meets the MC (Blind Concubine), who resides with his servant and cat, and plays with the little prince, by chance, one day. The romance develops (up to chapter 17/18 ?), and all is well... for a while. But then, General Qi Sheng (a side character ML) comes by to whisk him away from the palace, to a faraway place, under the orders of the Empress Dowager. He brings MC to a side character MC's place (Jue Yu, who gets together with Qi Sheng) We get 2 chapters of peacefulness. Then Emperor comes storming in to bring the blind concubine back. The blind concubine, under the fear of the Empress Dowager and "not wanting to ruin the relationship between mother and child", begs to stay (outside the palace), and says it was all his idea to leave the palace with Qi Sheng.

The Emperor misunderstands this (because Qi Sheng was also like, 'it was my idea! Don't blame the blind concubine!' when interrogated, and thinks they were having an affair. He's pissed, takes MC back (who along the way keeps pleading, which only pisses off the Emperor more), throws him in the prison. Under the impression that the Emperor doesn't like MC anymore, a Court Official (idk who) has the guards dump 10 pails of ice-cold water on the MC. The Emperor didn't plan to see him at first, but under the little prince's convincing (if you don't see him now, you might lose him forever, ie. MC might die!) he goes. He discovers what the guards had been doing to the MC, and brings the MC into his arms and to the living quarters, where he gets the doctors to try and heal him up. But, of course, MC cannot stand the cold, and the ice-cold pails of water make him very very very ill/near death. From then on, the MC is disillusioned. He doesn't know that the Emperor misunderstood him and General Qi Sheng, only that the Emperor let the guards do the water punishment.

sh*t gets worse, and shortly after getting a little better, the Empress Dowager tries to poison him with Osmanthus cake, which he almost eats except his cat steals the bite and dies. This sort of... breaks him.

Now mind you, there's the matter of the MC's blindness, which was caused, Woah! by the Emperor... sort of. Turns out in the past, the MC's father was a doctor and him being a loved son, followed his father along, as his father, a famous (?) doctor, had been called to look at the former Emperor, who is dreadfully ill. The MC, as his father looks at the former Emperor, wandered off, playing in the snow, till he chanced upon an open door (or something like that), and saw the not-yet-Emperor changing the post-death edict (presumably to make himself Emperor, or some other political thing), which is punishable by the death of nine generations of his family (which means his mom, Empress Dowager, will be killed, as well as the rest of the family) if caught. The MC doesn't know what is going on before he's grabbed and dragged into the room. Of course, he doesn't know who is who and is totally clueless. Unfortunately, the Empress Dowager instigates the (her son) not-yet-Emperor to blind the MC. The not-yet-Emperor, in a moment of panic, and without considering that the MC is only an innocent child who does not deserve it, gives the order, and hot charcoal is put onto MC's eyes, blinding him. The MC was then cast into the Cold Palace (or something similar) to waste away.

Now back to present times, the MC (assumedly) found out that the ML (Emperor) was the one who ordered his blinding way back then, if we read between the lines of his weird behaviour somewhere during chapter 15-17. Anyways, it's later confirmed that he pretty much knew all along, except for in the beginning. But he had no hatred in his heart, which was obvious given how he and the Emperor pranced around.

Unfortunately, after the punishment in the prison, and then the subsequent death of his cat due to poisoning from the Empress Dowager (he loved his cat a lot. He found it five years prior present time, frozen, and picked it up to nurse back to health. His cat was one of his lifelines), he starts a downward spiral. (Also, the little prince was almost killed, too, by the poisoning) All his love for the Emperor gradually turns into hatred (which isn't helped by the fact that the Emperor pretty much doesn't even come to see him when he's sick), and by the end of it, everyone is hurt and no one wins. The Emperor, probably 2-3 chapters before the end discovers the truth of things (b/w Qi Sheng and the MC, or at least I assume he does?) and goes to coax the MC. It is at this time he learns that it is he who caused MC's blindness (Jue Yu, who was begged to help MC's ill health, tells him).

However, too many horrible things happened to the MC in too short an amount of time (grave illness, poisoning of his cat at the hand of the ML's mother, near-death of the little prince) and he cracks. He's broken thoroughly. Also, the Emperor tries to send his servant away. MC begs for him back and gets the servant back (albeit reluctantly), and later forces the servant (doesn't tell the servant) out of the palace (with Jue Yu and Qi Sheng, who was removed from his post after the whole escape debacle). It is during that time that the Emperor, after realizing the truth (I think he did, at least, or he just softened up anyways) and regretting his actions, in both present time and the past, treats the MC like a treasure. But, like mentioned, it's too late. The MC is no longer willing to forgive him for what he'd done (both present and past), even though he'd once been willing (even after learning at some point it was the ML--he didn't know at first--was the Emperor (and put two and two together) who blinded him). The leniency in him is gone, and he's just broken. No matter what the Emperor does, he doesn't cave. The love in his heart is gone, and the Emperor realizes that, that the MC now hates him. The MC slowly wastes away, and the Emperor seeing this, finally acquiesces to the MC's desire to leave the palace. So the MC is lead out from the palace to a new residence 'outside' the palace, and he starts to get better. Except he's not really out of the palace. He's been moved to a pavilion far away from where he used to live, still within palace grounds (I think?), and under that guise, the Emperor continues to watch him from afar. MC, of course, doesn't know this. Without the companionship of his cat, or his servant, he whiles away alone. And bam, it is at the very end, the readers realize, that while he 'hates' the Emperor, perhaps, he doesn't hate him that much at all, anymore.

See this passage:

"He soundlessly reclined on the soft divan. He suddenly felt that his surroundings were excessively quiet.
His eyes were unable to see, reclined in this place and reclined in the yard at the Cold Palace, actually didn't have much difference.
At that time, Yu Li was cuddling in his arms, once in a while would swing her tail. Xiao Bao would run about to splash the water, doing chores, feeding the two birds which hanged on the eaves.
But now, there wasn't a single sound anymore.
He was already unable to distinguish, was he actually still alive or already dead. He was already broken up into pieces.
At first, it was only his eyes that unable to see, now, his heart also had become a blank space.
Previously, there was someone who would secretly look at him attentively from quite a distant, despite he would never be able to see forever.
But now, that person would never look at him anymore.
Didn't matter if that person's heart was sincere or not. He didn't want it.
Because he wanted to leave the Palace badly, from the very start, he had prepared to give up everything.
Sometimes he would also feel pain.
From the bottom of his heart raised a kind of sharp pain like being gnawed.
When he felt that kind of pain, his body would tremble greatly. He would curl his body into a circular form while his face was covered with tears.
But only at that time, his heart would be at ease.
He could only be certain.
He was alive."

Note:

"Previously, there was someone who would secretly look at him attentively from quite a distant, despite he would never be able to see forever.
But now, that person would never look at him anymore.
Didn't matter if that person's heart was sincere or not. He didn't want it.
Because he wanted to leave the Palace badly, from the very start, he had prepared to give up everything.
Sometimes he would also feel pain.
From the bottom of his heart raised a kind of sharp pain like being gnawed."

I interpreted this as, he wants to love the Emperor, but he also wants to get out of the palace that has caused him so much torment. However, now that he's 'outside', he realizes the Emperor will never watch over him again. He refuses to accept his feelings on this, as 'he'd prepared to give up everything', which I assumed to be, he was prepared to give up the Emperor's love, if only to be free. But even then, now, he feels pain, knowing that he'll never see the Emperor again.

And that's the worst part. He's not truly out of the palace, and the Emperor continues to watch him, if only from afar. But he doesn't know that, and he can't know that, because then he'd also know that he was still in the palace, and that he never truly escaped. So the Emperor can't tell him, thinking that the MC never wants to see him again, despite the fact that the MC is actually desperate for companionship. But hey, tragedy tag, people!

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Second: My thoughts?

Spoiler

Damn, Ch. 19 was the game-changer. If the misunderstanding had been cleared up (b/w MC and Qi Sheng, with the Emperor), then the possibility that the Bad Ending wouldn't have happened is high. On one hand, you'd think--you'd hope for the Emperor to know better, to know how much MC loves him and all that, but mind you they'd never confessed to each other, at least not on the MC's part. This, and how he'd disappeared so suddenly, and the pleading he gave when 'caught', only served to deeper drive the misunderstanding in. Of course, the Emperor wouldn't suspect his mother, as his mother had now 'withdrawn from politics'. If only they'd communicated better. All the MC had to do is say 'Empress Dowager is after my life', or something along those lines--yet at the same time the Emperor doesn't know that the MC was the kid he blinded 7 years ago. The MC knows the Emperor doesn't know, and he doesn't want to ruin the relationship b/w the Emperor and his mother, so he stubbornly stays silent (because he's SO kind-hearted, you know?) But then again most misunderstandings are like that--simple to fix with words, yet never resolved.

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Spoiler

Otherwise, the MC didn't hate the Emperor for blinding him in the past, but hated him due to the stacking of present events. The hurt that was caused to those close to him, and especially the death of the cat--who mind you, was one of his lifelines--is what fully flourished his hatred.

If Ch. 19 had gone differently, then everything probably would've gone differently. The worst part, is that the breakage caused from the events then on were never fully healed. The MC had become unable to forgive, and when he was finally willing, it was too late because the other continued to think he was unwilling. The ML had wanted forgiveness, and in being unable to get it, decided that the least he could do is give the MC what he wanted--yet months after it was finally given, he did not know that deep inside the MC had started to forgive.

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For what he'd done in the past, the ML is punished (though in truth, it's punishing both parties) in seeing the person you love so close to you, yet never being able to meet them or touch them or talk to them in person ever again.

If at that point, there was one thing that could be done differently, it'd be the ML giving the MC time, perhaps half a year, and at the point where the novel ended, steel himself to meet the MC. It wouldn't be suspicious. He could simply be visiting. And then, if he was able to cajole and coax, he could probably work his way into MC's heart again by providing MC that companionship he so desperately needed. Unfortunately, he is also the Emperor, with little time to spear.

Welp, it's a tragedy, folks. I'd say, despite the Bad Ending, if the author had devoted a few more chapters, or perhaps an actual epilogue to the scene I described above, it could turn into a Happy Ending.

The tragedy isn't what happened in the past, but what happened in the present (due to the past).

Ciao, folks. <<less
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Alta
Alta rated it
July 6, 2017
Status: epilogue
I loved it! From start to end.

It lured you in with a seemingly soft and classic romance with a hint of mystery.
Spoiler

Until it stabbed you in the gut with a plot twist that re-evaluated everything that you have been cheering on from the start!

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I see people not liking the ending but I personally loved it.

Spoiler

It just feels so poetic.

It's like they're back at the start in that garden for the first time.

But, by the end of it, a lot of things have happened and many secrets were uncovered that the readers know and feel that everything has fundamentally changed.

You would visually see the same scene where the Emperor stands from afar in awe of Mu Yan who wouldn't even know he was even there. But now, the readers have the unfortunate pleasure of knowing all the hurt, betrayal, and complicated feelings that run beneath the serene surface.

It shows the relationship between a reader and the story: how different your perception is at the end of it all.

And it's beautifully merciless to end it just there. Because now you're in a high where you can't get down from. There's still a lot of questions and unsolved feelings towards the characters but you're not allowed to descend into an ending and move on.

And I think that's beautiful.

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Skyblu629
Skyblu629
June 12, 2018
Status: epilogue
There is a beautiful poignancy to the characters. Although I didn’t feel much of the chemistry between the main couple, I was still moved by their circumstances and their tragedies. At times I feel that Rui Xuan (the Emperor) is more of a plot device to enhance Mu Yan (the blind concubine) than an actual character.

With how the past happened, the ending was inevitable.
Spoiler

Rui Xuan directly caused Mu Yan’s tragedy, and he has to bear the consequences of his actions. My Yan had to lose his sight, his innocence, his family, his pride, his everything for Rui Xuan’s throne. Isn’t it right that Rui Xuan has to bear the consequences of his actions? Sometimes, love isn’t enough to save a person.

Although the ending felt rushed, the actual events were provoking. There is a beautiful symbolism in something coming full circle. The story starts with an emperor staring at a blind concubine who was unaware of the company, and it ends in this manner, but everything has changed. There is no more Yu Li and no more Xiao Bao, Mu Yan is all alone in his ordinary house. The young Emperor now knows what love is, but he can no longer grasp it, but he also cannot let go.

There is a beautiful bittersweetness to both characters getting what they want, but not really. Do I dream that one day Mu Yan might be willing to let go of his hatred, absolutely, but I don’t expect to happen, as that is against his character. He already has so little, he should be able to keep something of himself.

This is a tragedy of Rui Xuan’s greed. He was greedy for the throne so he blinded Mu Yan. He is greedy for Mu Yan’s love so he cannot let go. Mu Yan is his punishment, someone he wants so badly but cannot have.

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Overall, this is a beautiful short story with some beautiful characters and the nature of humanity.
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clanof7
clanof7 rated it
February 26, 2018
Status: epilogue
When I started reading this, I expect a fluffy story about a forgotten concubine and the emperor.. Never knew.. That it could be so dark and hideous but so pure and tragic that left such an empty feeling in my heart. It was a brilliant story, how the story being told. The rollercoaster journey, the point where you think it is over.. But yet it still continuing. Please read and you will know it.
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Gxmwp
Gxmwp rated it
November 9, 2020
Status: Completed
The first half of The Blind Concubine starts off relatively fine with most of the story being filled with fluff and light hints towards some sort of mystery surrounding the circumstances of the concubine's blindness. The second half is a mess. To make matters worse most, if not all, of this mess is directly related to the Emperor, aka the main love interest, aka the guy you're suppose to be rooting for. While the first half of the series made his mischief seem like a light fun loving personality trait,... more>> it quickly becomes apparent in the second half that it's just a part of his childish and selfish personality.

Spoiler

Everything first starts going down hill during the first, and thankfully only, god awful s*x scene of the novel where the protagonist describes the horrors being done to his lower body as being akin to the most traumatic event in his life, having his eyeballs seared with coal. Through out this intimate moment the blind concubine is in immerserable pain all because the jackass of an emperor couldn't be arsed to, idk, go slower when his supposed lover is literally bleeding out in front of him. There's absolutely no mention of lube, which did exist back then just look up carrageenan, or even ye ole trusty (not really but it at least would have shown some sort of effort from the emperor) saliva as an alternative. Worse of all this leaves the blind concubine incapacitated for a few days since the brute just went ham on him despite the fact you're told multiple times through out the story that the concubine is frail and has a weak constitution. At first I thought 'ok that was pretty bad but this novel is old and china still isn't well known for it's s*xual education especially surroundinh homosexuals'. But then it just kept getting worse and worse.

The emperor's selfishness in bed isn't just a one off 'oops I'm inexperienced sorry' personality trait. His selfishness and, again, childishness acts as a toxin infecting almost every plot point after this. My extremely well established and loyal general for some reason relocated my controversial lover whom I paraded around in front of everyone? Better not think about who I left in charge of matters regarding my palace or who would have the power to erase a persons identity. Instead I'll just beat him before selling him as a s*ave. I'm the reason why the blind concubine has neither sight nor a family anymore and I was directly there when all of this happened years ago? Well how was I suppose to remember mutilating a boy and destroying his prominent family! He's being too petty and should forgive me for something so trivial that happened so long ago! The blind concubine just lost his beloved pet and is only happy around the two kids he treasures? How could he be so mean to me!? I'd better send away that pest he loves so much since it's not fair he gets the concubines love! It's a never ending string of s*upidity and cruelty on the emperors part and yet the book never writes it as if we're suppose to think "what a douche". Instead the author wants us to think "what a complicated situation", but all I can see is an arrogant man child who never learned to treat others like people and still needs his mommy (whom he never confronts for trying to kill the man he supposedly 'loves' along with his little brother) to look after him. This is best exmplified in the ending where, instead of respecting the blind concubine's request to be free, he instead tricks him into thinking he's been given a remote home outside of the palace when in reality he's just been relocated to a secluded corner of the palace. The emperor then resigns himself to having to watch him from afar as the lie would be exposed if he ever approached him again. The blind concubine by the end is effectively a prized fish trapped in a fish tank while the emperor is his owner who can only stare at him within said tank. If the emperor had cared enough he could have even planted a few servants to act as 'neighbors', but no. The emperor does not want to see that person smile at anyone other than himself and would rather he wallows in isolation because the emperor is selfish.

(Side note: The fact he couldn't remember what he had done to the blind concubine either implies he's, once again, dumb or he has a tendancy of extreme violence when he doesn't get his way. His disregard for the general despite us being told of his huge achievements and dedication to the crown also points towards this along with his thoughts of wishing to kill the blind concubine when the concubine was obviously suffering from the loss of his cat and would not talk to him. Also can I just say searing his eyes makes no sense at all. You don't want him to TALK about what he saw so why would you not CUT OUT HIS TONGUE?????)

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tldr: The emperor is a childish, selfish prick who is willing to spout off how much he loves to blind concubine when in reality he just does whatever he wants without consideration towards what the concubine wants. His entire character actively sabotages almost everything in the novel including what could have been an interesting reason behind the concubine's blindness and exile to the cold palace. I have no idea how anyone could feel sorry for the emperor of all people when the only one to suffer from the tragedy in this novel is the concubine and his loved ones! The emperor's flaws would have been fine if the author made it obvious through the narrative that he was the one totally in the wrong, but instead he's also treated as a poor victim of this tragedy. The only victim he is is of his own s*upidity 😐

I like sad endings, but I don't like it when a sad ending is achieved as a result of s*upid plot twists and contrivences. There's more I want to say, but I doubt anyone would want to hear an old lady ranting and raving for 3 whole pages. <<less
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jxn.24
jxn.24 rated it
February 21, 2018
Status: epilogue
Waaahh! I didn’t want to cry, but the MC’s thoughts and feelings really got to me!

This novel is quite well-written. Don’t mind the other low-raters. The novel is a tragedy, meaning that it gets real sad. Sure, it doesn’t really get a happy ending, but not all tragedies have to have a happy ending.

It’s kind of rushed and as detailed, but the feels you get overrides that.

I really loved this novel, however I wouldn’t read it again. Otherwise I’d start crying all over again T^T, lol.
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Majin11
Majin11 rated it
February 9, 2018
Status: Completed
Before reading..

Please remember that this story is tagged as TRAGEDY..

... more>>
Spoiler

Honestly, I don't like these kind of stories.. I hate sad or tragic endings!!!!!! Especially in BL!!!!!!

What the hell!!!

Especially, this one..

He's blind.. His cat died.. He had to force his little servant away from him.. He had to spend the his life alone.. And the emperor.,.. T-T

I seriously feel like this author is the type who wants to watch the world BURN..

But this is reality..

If it was me, I wouldn't know how to forgive the person who caused me to lose everything in the past and now.. So I kind of understand why the author ended it that way..

But still.. It hurts my heart.. T-T

I'm going to read more fluffy BL after this one.. T-T

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wandering cat
wandering cat rated it
July 17, 2016
Status: --
This story is really good. I love how the author slowly show us the hidden side of characters. The writing is good too.

But then, the ending destroyed all of that. It's not like I can't accept that it's tragedy. But the story and the character didn't lead to this ending at all. There're many many way to end the story more logically. So it made me really disappointed that the author chose to end it this way.
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Delhaia
Delhaia rated it
January 2, 2022
Status: Completed
The story doesn't make any sense. In chapter 1, we're told they got together by the end of the novel, but this is clearly BE

Very rushed, only angst. If you want to cry, maybe try this. If you want a good novel, skip it
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Lucy666
Lucy666 rated it
October 3, 2022
Status: Completed
I hate everything in here. This novel reminded me why I hated reading historical bl so much. Apart from all the necessities that become a luxury in the ye olde times, there's also the fact that people in historical times are just plain rotten and you can't do anything about that.

The ML, frankly is a rotten piece of shit. I am sure he's never loved anybody other than himself in his life. He literally ... more>>
Spoiler

blinded the MC, r*ped him and injured him, took advantage of the fact that MC was blind to make him live a life worse than death for the rest of his entire life

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I have no idea how people can find excuses for that absolute piece of stinky tr*sh. There's a difference between having to harden your heart to serve as an emperor and torturing somebody so much that they feel like death is a better ending than whatever life they are living. As if the MC hasn't suffered already, he had to
Spoiler

spend the rest of his life alone, unable to see anybody or even hear the sounds of living people because he was living utterly alone. Shame on the ML, he cares nothing about the MC. The ending makes me cry so much cuz the MC is in constant physical and mental pain for the rest of his life while that piece of maggot sh*t ML looks at him from afar in his free time as if MC is his pet canary. The only way this could be a happy ending is if somebody managed to stab the ML a few hundred times and then elope with the MC to live a calm and carefree life. The MC is a darling who deserves all the love in this world.

But in the end, MC can only live alone with the false notion of being far away from the emperor. The MC is tired and no longer wants to be a plaything of the emperor but the ML, who is apparently in love with the MC, still doesn't respect his wishes and basically punishes the MC for wanting to escape from the place that destroyed his life. This man (ML) isn't a human.

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I feel so, so sad for the MC. I hope the ML can burn in the 18th level of hell for the rest of eternity. Those people who are saying "he's an emperor, he didn't have a choice" need to rethink what being an emperor is about.

How good of an emperor could he be if he could blind an innocent child and then throw him into the cold palace after destroying his entire family just because he was scared that the child saw something he shouldn't have. Worse than this is the fact that he doesn't even really feel guilty or remorseful towards the MC whose life was completely destroyed. He even proceeds to barge into MC's life seven years later as MC is trying to come out of the shadows of his past. Just as MC was barely starting to heal, the ML comes again and this time breaks both his will to live as well as his body. He tortures the MC and then doesn't even feel guilty about it. Oh my god if all emperors were lowkey like this I'd rather not read a single historical bl ever.

Ranting aside, I gave this 3 stars because it managed to do its task, aka make me absolutely enraged and hence make me feel some strong emotions. From the point of view of a reader, I'd say the story was written decently, it wasn't great but the best part was that it only spanned 28 chapters, so the pain of reading it was like a bandaid. Rip it off quickly. This story is good to make you feel angry as hell but in no way is it a qualified romance, neither are the characters mildly likeable (except the MC, his poor servant and his cat). Ironically, I especially hated the Jun guy who healed MC's body, cuz he kept forcing MC to come back to life. He was sure that with how much MC had suffered, he wasn't going to live past 35, and that too was a generous estimate. MC himself didn't want to live, and honestly his life was so painful death seemed like a better option. But that Jun guy kept bringing him back to life from his half dead condition; a condition that MC always reached due to the ML's direct or indirect actions. I honestly hate the ML and his mother so much I'd agree ro transmigrate to this book if I could get a chance to torture him a little bit and make him and his mother understand what it felt like to live in absolute agony for the rest of their lives. <<less
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jiainoue
jiainoue rated it
May 30, 2021
Status: Completed
×The story seems a bit dull but it's kind of poetic at the same time.

×Rui Xuan is heavily driven by pettiness. ×Wen MuYan's trauma, bc of what happened to him, he doesn't seem to want to open up a second chance for forgetting and forgiving. But I understand, it's what makes his character very human-like. ×I'm neutral about the ending

×But there are a lot of possible better ways to end this story

×But still my heart feels nothing while reading this, no emotions were evoked.
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Otwentyfirst
Otwentyfirst rated it
March 14, 2018
Status: Completed
What the hell was with that s*upid ass epilogue. Seriously! It was just rambling. Had my hopes up for nothing.

Anyways the story itself was good, despite the plot holes. It starts of cute then gets serious at the half way point. Keep in mind, it's unrequited love, not romance, so don't expect anything along those lines.
Spoiler

1. I expected the blind concubine to have a different background because of how well versed he was with the court. Like maybe he was jiggy with the previous emperor and got abandoned.

2. Why blind him? Wouldn't cutting his tongue so he can't speak be a better way to keep him quiet?

3. Why didn't he go back home?

4. How does a blind concubine isolated in thr cold palace keep to date about the war outside and know anything about general Qi what's his name?

5. And finally. Come on emperor. You can't see him everyday, but you can certainly visit him once a season. Emperors go out for the summer and stuff you know.

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it's a somewhat bitter ending but I wouldn't call it a tragedy. Would recommend as something to read that's short and easy. I really enjoyed how the author teased the mystery aspect of the story out. That was very well done. On the down side I thought the author was a bit ham fisted with the feelings. Author was trying too hard to make the story emotional. It would have been better to show than to say I think.

i feel like it's the perfect story for fanfic as there are a lot of loose threads to play with.
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rayraybites
rayraybites rated it
November 2, 2021
Status: Completed
I'm very confused??

I'm not sure whether it's just a problem with the translation but the plot feels really inconsistent like the author changed their mind midway and forgot what they previously had written. In ch 1, the last part was clearly hinting there would be a happy ending but what the heck is this, especially the 'epilogue' which is actually the author's note--they apparently wanted to portray why a man might be gazing at someone longingly across the pond, day after day, but without ever venturing into their yard.

Is it... more>> poetic? Idk... are we reading the same translation here?? I almost suspect the people who reviewed it 'poetic' read the novel in Chinese but there are too many of them for that to be the case. Maybe the raws might've read in a poetic way but these clearly don't... well, like part of it does at ch 18 iirc, the translation quality dramatically improved but it almost read like an MTL before that. Is Luxiufer a translation team with multiple translators? But well, ig at least they changed it to past tense. Zoola's translation was pretty good but they choose to write in present tense for some reason, which doesn't fit the themes here.

Agreed with some of the other reviewers; the empress dowager was completely forgotten. She wasn't even punished for trying to poison the MC while knowing there was a high chance the little prince would get poisoned too.

Also, the general and the other guy. What the heck is that lmao??? There are basically six human characters, all male for some reason too, in this story and four of them are gay. (The author is clearly straight lol.)

Overall impression: This story is highly overrated. But I've seen worse hence the 2-star rating and I did like the MC though, and the cat rip.

If you want poetic bl angst, try 'Living to Suffer'. <<less
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ike_00000
ike_00000 rated it
September 11, 2020
Status: Completed
There is a time, being sightless, is also a form of happiness. More accurately, there is a time where "happiness" can only be obtained because he is sightless.

Well DANG what a roller coaster. But hey, you see the drama tag, you know what you're getting into. Honestly I appreciate all the characters in this story, and also the ending. My only complaint is that it honestly doesn't make sense for the ML to like MC so much, particularly in the beginning; however, I feel like a lot of the... more>> true devotion later on is obsession, possessiveness, and guilt, not necessarily all love. That said, for a short story, it was written very well so no complaints.

Spoiler

I also think it's interesting that if ML never revealed he knew the truth, perhaps MC would also pretend it didn't happen. He's buried the past events for so many years, with no hatred; even when ML reappears, MC doesn't like him but it's still not quite hate. However, ML revealing he knows is like ripping open the scars so they bleed and hurt all over again...

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The ending is very poetic, and I like it for that reason. The ending is like the moment they first met, except time stops and the things lost ache again. I also like that the ML's continued devotion is not necessarily love, which I find much more realistic for an Emperor with a thousand beauties in the harem.

I also like all the characters, and I can understand the actions of all the characters. It's just that due to this being MC's perspective, it's easy to criticize and hate on his opponents. However, even in other stories, there are many characters who have been wronged like MC for the sake of some other thing, it's just that these cannon fodders are fated to never get their justice.

I really really REALLY like the unveiling of the whole story and the plot twist. In the ML's perspective I can understand why he did what he did; not necessarily happy about it, but understand it at least. In fact, from other points of view it could even be considered "merciful" in the cruelest way...

Spoiler

The only thing that makes me sad is MC is all alone at the end, without even xiao bao... ai, it was much better for him to have lived in the Cold Palace without the Emperor's love.

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Dragon_Reader
Dragon_Reader rated it
January 6, 2021
Status: Completed
5 star for the absolute tragedy. This story deals with a question we readers tend to never think about - What if, after schemes and manipulations, violence and death and torture, the prince who sat on the emperor's throne fell in love with one of his innocent victims?

If you want a nice big cry and remain feeling heavy hearted and sad, this is for u.

I hate/ loathe tragedies whose basis lies on really s*upid shitty reasons but this one is heartbreakingly realistic.
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earlydiaries
earlydiaries rated it
December 2, 2021
Status: Completed
wow, I haven't been able to cry in a long while ever since the pandemic. I would go through novels numbly, seeking positive emotions from them so I could only read quick paced ones for a short moment of happiness. It was shallow and made me feel hollow so I sought out some angst, something I had been avoiding for a while because I already felt quite miserable, why would I still seek this? Alas, I could only find angst novels that were as poor in quality or substance as... more>> the overdramatic shows my mother would watch on tv so I came to the forum, seeking recommendations with very specific conditions and someone replied with this novel. It did not tick all the boxes in the conditions for what novel I was seeking but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. It has been a while since i've read a story that hit me quite deeply.

this novel is well-written. The author could extract so much emotion in such few chapters, I am incredibly in awe. The MC is dear to me, as well as the characters on his side, save for one person. The words in this story flowed peacefully like a river, as opposed to the underlying pain and suffering the plot later thrashes you with.

from here on out, my review will spoil a lot of things because they will include my reactions to the happenings in the story. Be warned. Reading everything beyond the spoiler dropdown will most definitely ruin your experience of reading and fully appreciating this novel.

Spoiler

I cried hard for the MC, something I hadn't done in a while. The author was, as simple and as genuine as my brain can put it, "so good." they slowly unraveled the pains of our MC and when the full truth came out, it's like they tore the bandaid off a still-fresh wound. I felt how the MC lost himself from that day. I felt how his heart grew space solely for resentment and turned into a void full of hatred. I felt how he saw his whole life stripped away from him, the people who would know him by his name, the people whom he'd see when they'd smile, laugh, or cry—all gone. When the MC showed hints of being terrified of the emperor. I already knew he had something to do with everything. Excellent foreshadowing, subtle but it does the job of hinting at us about what's to come. I never felt bad about the MC fearing the emperor before I knew the truth, not because "oh he's the emperor, it's natural for him to be feared" but because the mc's fear wasn't normal and obviously exposed that he had a terrible experience relating to him. The fact that the emperor couldn't pick up on this was already hinting at his personality. When you grow older, you can tell the difference between someone being dramatic versus someone whose words of pain contain meaning. I could tell the mc's words were the latter.

sigh. We find the truth behind everything later on. Jy conveniently explains the entirety to us, or to the emperor, rather. From the beginning, the emperor showed a kind, gentle, and indulgent demeanor to our MC. Before all this, they appeared to be so peaceful, the typical picture of a noble who was fawning over the flower he discovered atop a mountain, seemingly only for him to find. Thankfully, I wasn't naive enough to think this was true. I never forgot how the MC reacted towards the emperor. His behavior in regards to this topic quickly revealed to me that it's not easy for him to fall in love, or that he possibly has no more room for feelings besides the ones he already had at present.

i have no way to segue into this so i'll just say it outright and put it bluntly: the emperor is unreasonable. Truly, he is deserving of the role. He is overbearing, with a poor temper and only the desire to possess, possess, possess. He merely acted chivalrous because he was attracted to the MC. He was still the emperor at the end of the day. He wouldn't mind if our dear MC is blind for as long as that keeps him by his side forever. Even if the MC hates him, he would entrap him within his sights. He is mad because of the way the MC treats him. What does this grown man and tyrannical ruler expect? He was the one to have blinded him and watched on as the MC shrieked in pain and forever lost his sight and himself. He had made him bleed on their first time in bed, still going as he continued to bleed. He had lost his temper at him and imprisoned him when his own mother had sent the MC away and the MC could only secretly take the blame. He didn't question him one bit. He sees only his own idealized and romanticized version of the MC. Had he truly loved him, he would've been able to tell that something was wrong when he left. Had he truly loved him, he would have left him alone. Had he truly loved him, he would have been gentler that night and treated him better. He does not love the MC, he merely wants him the same way he had wanted the throne and he grabbed the throne by any means. Look, how else did things get to this point?

i understand why the ending may frustrate people. Our MC never gets the freedom he truly desires. He was deceived into believing he was rid of his captor who had made him suffer since seven years ago. Alas. He was just fooled into being put into a glass container where the ML could watch him from time to time, for his own selfish "love." I thought I would find myself angered by how things turned out. I wanted an MC who would actually express anger at his situation, an MC who would finally stand up for himself and have the self-respect to go. This was not what I wanted, but I respect the way things turned out. Our MC was doomed from the start, the moment he stepped foot into the palace. The ML was never meant to have him. He didn't deserve him. No matter what he did, he took away the mc's life. No amount of reparation can make up for that. I'm only glad that he was willing to let the MC go at least to this extent, but I despise him all the same. I did not love the ending and I didn't think it was right, but I could only accept that things are the way they are, the same way the MC has to and the same way the ML has to. My only complaint is that there's a sliver of sympathy meant to be evoked in the scene of ML watching the MC from afar. He was a monster. If he pines, he pines. What "gaze lovingly from afar"? He brought this all on himself. He took away everything from the MC because of his selfishness and unwillingness to be punished for his crime. He thinks that because he "loves" the MC, the MC has to forgive him. I hope he rots in hell and is never to be reborn, and I hope the MC has a good and peaceful life in his next one. There is no justification for what he did. In this tragedy, he has no place to be pitied. I won't say anything about how unjust everything was for the MC and how wronged he was, but I will at least be mad about this supposed sympathy for the ml. He doesn't deserve it, alright? He was the cause of all this. Author, even if he is your child, you can't make us feel bad for him. He has to face the consequences of his actions, yet he doesn't even get retribution for what he's done! A broken "love" is the smallest thing against this guy, if it can even be counted as love, really.

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Cedar May
Cedar May rated it
July 1, 2021
Status: Completed
Amazingly written and made me cry like a baby. I read this a few years back and my heart still hurts thinking about it. I hate tragedy but I really recommend this one it's worth the tears.

I think alot of the reviews are low because they were expecting a romance story. Do not go into this book thinking it's happy it's a TRAGEDY. Also

Spoiler

The emperor deserves all his heart break and it will never compare to what he put Wen Mu Yan through also eff the Empress Dowager conniving b****

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MagBlueRoses
MagBlueRoses rated it
January 19, 2021
Status: Completed
This story... I don't know where to begin.

It started off super cute. I was full on gushing over how adorable the ML and MC were and the plot just seemed too sweet.

And then I noticed that the plot was too sweet to hold on any longer.

... more>> With little conspiracies, love, hatred, fear, pain, and sorrow, Xia Niangniang is the story of a very pitiful Blind Concubine and an equally pitiful Emperor sharing a bitter fate.

Since it was short, I have no complaints over how the actual story was and how it was paced (it was well paced imo), and I enjoyed reading it and going through the emotions the story makes one feel, so I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for something short and poignant. <<less
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Skyyyyyy
Skyyyyyy rated it
February 5, 2023
Status: epilogue
I always look for a happy ending stories but to be honest, I prefer if this story turns into tragic one

Spoiler

MC suffered enough. I prefer if he died in the end.

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I got high hopes for the Emperor but in the end... Meh he was

Spoiler

The Emperor sent MC to prison (which made MC suffer more) hahaha. What a big idiot. The damage was done but still he was forgiven hahaha. So yeah, I prefer MC being unalive in the end than with the emperor

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KiyokoKun
KiyokoKun rated it
May 19, 2021
Status: c28
It was all started when I got interested in angst stories and asked for bl angst novel recommendations on a discord server.

Before I start, I want to say thank you to the translator, Zoola (1-8) and Luxiufer (9-28).

In the beginning, this story is sweet and full of fluff. A gentle blind concubine, a cute cat, a cute servant, ML's adorable Lil bro, and ML. Of course, it was only at the beginning.

About MC, I really love him. I hoped that he will be protected but the fkin ML AND HIS... more>> MOTHER RUINS EVERYTHING.

*cough* sorry for swearing.

A big spoiler about this story:

Spoiler

The tragedy started when MC got drunk in ML's place and they papapaed. ML did it to MC without holding back and MC got bruised. I should've expected this cuz the tag (Male Yandere) and bec this is angst but still...

The next day: To 'protect' ML, ML's mother asked the great general (if I'm not wrong, he's ML's Lil bro's teacher) to send MC to a place far from ML. I forgot how long MC lived there but ofc ML bought him back.

THE THING I DIDN'T EXPECT IS THAT ML THOUGHT MC CHEATED ON HIM WITH GENERAL.

Did ML see it with his own eyes? No.

Did ML have any proof? No.

Seriously, I WONDER IF HE'S REALLY A YOUNG EMPEROR, HE'S JUST TOO s*upid.

ML also sent MC to prison.

P-R-I-S-O-N!!!!!!!!!

HE OBVIOUSLY KNEW THAT MC HAS A WEAK BODY BUT THAT ML STILL SENT HIM TO PRISON!!!

To gain favor from ML, some mobs splashed MC with cold water. After knowing this, ML called the imperial doctor but the doctor can't heal him, so the MC asked Jue Yu. Jue Yu is the owner of the place MC stayed in, is a talented doctor, and just like that MC got better.

A scene I copied from the translarion:

When Jue Yu hurriedly came to the serving quarter, the Blind Concubine had already fallen asleep. His sleep was not comfortable. He was sleeping lightly.

"Mu Yan's body is already so broken. At this rate, I was afraid that he wouldn't hold up until he's thirty-five. If he doesn't take good care of himself like this, even if the greatest doctor, Hua Tuo, was still alive, he would also feel quite helpless for this situation."

The Emperor retorted: "I also don't want him to be like this, however with his current temper, sometimes, he truly asks me to lose my temper to the point that I would kill him if I could."

Just like that, I came up with a conclusion. ML is really shitty, cold hearted disgusting.

Let's continue :)

ML's Lil bro came to visit MC with food from ML's mother. ML's Lil bro wanted to give MC the food but MC's cat ate it and died. Reading this scene, my patience has met its limits.

If you read the story, you will know how sad MC bec about the death of his cat.

I'll skip to the mystery of why MC is blind.

ML asked Ju Yue to found out why MC is blind, Ju Yue succeeded.

It's actually because of ML and his mother!!

Even mc's servant was someone that ML's mother assigned to watch MC, but fortunately, the servant is sincere to MC.

It's amazing how MC could tolerate ML. There are some things that I want to spoil but I don't want to ruin the fun.

The only thing I hated in this story is that ML's mother didn't get her retribution.

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Anyways, besides ML and his mother, everything about this story is great. I like the descriptions in this story.

Rating: 4

I dunno why my review appeared as 3 stars, sorry. <<less
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