rich/powerful/revenge/justice.

At the very end of the novel, the MC is 15, and her and her brothers have all found their place in the world, but are all single. There is a large cast (especially in the Capital, Fengjing) and the side characters and development were satisfying.

From the village to the town to the city to the Capital to the aristocracy to the imperial family, the story slowly unfolds on the little ragtag family and their hidden backgrounds.

The epilogue chapters are good too, but I could only find a few. I hope the translator can do them all.

(Having said, prepare a bucket of tissues bc PEOPLE f*ckING HEARTBREAKINGLY DIE WHEN THEY DO AAAAAAAAHH.)

No romance, please look at the tags.

Jiang Sheng never fully goes back to the Jiang family, it's not a matter of being slow. She just has a family she never leaves in the first place.

This is a family-orientated tale, both found family and blood family.

Our MC, my baby Jiang Sheng, is but one character out of an assemble cast. She has a focus, but she is not the focus.

I repeat, this is not a romance. Not a rom-com, not a childhood sweetheart take, not a phoenix rising to meet a dragon, or a 'doting CEO, weather is cold, bankrupt someone'-isk romance, NADA.

I was hoping that Young Master Wang Feng would live through the end and some miracle cure would come

"He liked being called Fufeng. He especially liked it when Xu Mo called him that way, like right now, calling him once, then once more, and once more."

"Xu Mo bent down, his head full of white hair. He finally reached out and picked up the only soulmate he'd ever know in this life. "Let's bring Fufeng home.""

😭😭😭

and it turns out the 5th brother becomes the emperor.I'm assuming he went back to his og identity because his siblings kept fighting their political opponents and were too weak so he had to step up the game.

like the 2nd prince and Fang Yuan when they k/lled the nomad's 3rd prince. Or the swapped daughter

When the swapped daughter fall off the ledge, how could her handmaid just not see her walking to the ledge?? Author wrote this scene wholly from the perspective of the fake daughter, and even with how chaotic things were at the scene, how could anyone not noticed?

Another one where 4th brother's first mentor, Dr Wu, was supposedly sent by the emperor to supervise/aid the 5th brother. If Dr Wu was just a wandering retired imperial physician who had once had superb influence, I would accept that as it is. But then it was described that Dr Wu was young, and apparently hes from a clan that the emperor confided in making it that the emperor was watching 5th brother from afar like an awkward expression of love.., it just feels like Author was trying to give 5th brother another bond tht chains him. EVEN THOUGH, it was claimed repeatedly that emperor has casted all his love to the eldest prince. Contradicting lol

Fufeng would live and be with them 😭😭

the fake daughter felt like her world was crumbling after JS was brought back, her brother tried to be fair to both of them but she was greedy and wanted him to be on one sided - hers. Granny loved JS only, even the dad was partial to JS visiting her instead of the family secretly before seeing the emperor. She could be a bit selfish but other than a bit of bullying she did before anyone knew JS was the real daughter, she didn't do harm. The mom was the one making schemes and showing preference to the fake girl. Only the mom was on her side up until it was discovered her maternal family made a scheme for the mom to abandon JS under the guise that granny's maternal family already did a switch and her child was d3ad all so she would raise her sisters daughter as her own. She went mad after they proved she was lied to. The poor fake daughter (sorry I can't remember her name) ended up feeling there was nothing left and after her cousin told her to leave their marriages Jiang family she did... through death. But none of them ever wanted her to suffer; other than the cousin being harsh and telling her to return to her bio family, the others were willing to let her stay with the jiang identity and protection. But she was too focused on her misery to listen.

Fufeng was Xu MO's love interest if this was a different genre they would definitely. Because they have scenes that any other couple whether straight or queer would be romantic but this novel isn't about romance. But they got moments where they yearning for each other, promising to live life to the fullest for them (Fufeng is sickly and fated to die young 😭 he died way too soon those evil family of his made it so) they once stared at each other part way through a conversation almost forgetting there were others in the room Xu Mo himself called Fufeng his soul mate 😭😭😭 other than his family he would never bend the rules or do something that went against his principles but for Fufeng he did. Xu Mo has a kind righteous and just heart but for avenging his soulmate he did do some cruel things. The revenge against the wang family was good within the laws but to the heaviest punishment save for the girl cousin. I almost felt bad for her on how she passed but was reminded how she treated both 3rd brother and Fufeng, trying to drive them to d3ath.

In my heart Xu Mo immortalized Fufeng in his heart as a white moonlight even I was moved when Fufeng decided to use his last moments to incited rebellion against the crown for corruption in the government all while dressed in white and playing the zither (? Or something similar) the d3ath scene only moments after had me crying so hard and the burial chapters afterwards too.

finding out who his father was, that was soo irrelevant. They had him cut off ties with his mother long ago and I doubt any reader was interested in what random man was visiting brothels 16 years back. Maybe if he had been introduced earlier and add a bit of a dog blood to the plot it would have been fine but not in the last ten chapters.

unlike those in other novels, most of their FL are so r*etardly-childish.. Haha

The oldest of the bunch. His father was the magistrate and wrongly accused of treachery and bribery. Parents unalived themselves and Xu Mo's legs were crippled. He wants revenge. He's a straight-laced kind of guy, very honest, very upright but eventually learns that he has to bend to cater to the situation. He's a scholar and very diligent. Lots of people try to harm him but he fights his way to become the top scholar.

His mother was a prostit*te and he lived in the pleasure house with her till they found that he wasn't good looking and very useless so they kicked him out and abandoned him. This 2nd brother was a crybaby and super timid in the beginning. He had great character growth and eventually became a brave, cunning merchant. He's the one who helped bring in the riches imo.

His troubles caused the most issues for all the siblings haha. But like they said in the novel, since they've stuck together as a family, his troubles are theirs to help solve too. He is the son of a great General who died at battle. His mother died of depression and initially sought the help of her maternal family to raise him. But both the Fang family and his maternal family were corrupt and wanted to kill him. They're both powerful families that caused the kids a lot of trouble. Fang Heng is the strong martial artist in the family and later leaves to go to the border to get stronger. He eventually becomes a young general, following his father's footsteps.

Soft-spoken, sweet boy. He was the pampered child of his parents who were doctors. They were wrongfully killed for a petty reason. Zhu Zhi, the man who cause Xu Mo's death, wanted 4th brother's father to treat his concubine. Dr Wen refused and he and his wife were killed for that reason. Wen Zhiyun later takes on his father's mantel too and learned medicine. He's the sweet healer of the group. He's often forgotten but actually he plays a role in the novel too. Despite his timid nature, he drives himself to work harder to help his siblings and at some moments, he's actually very daring and brave. I love that he tries so hard to push himself despite his introvert nature, just to lend a helping hand in the family's troubles.

This boy is a black-bellied scheming bun. He's gorgeous, androgynous. Doesn't seem to want to do anything. He just goes with the flow but he ends up being the strategist in the family, often consulting with eldest brother Xu Mo to solve problems. He gives advice here and there to help out. Eventually the last arc is focused a lot on him, regarding the political battles and intrigues as he's the 5th Prince.

She's the light of her brother's life. She's the one who gives sound advice that helps awaken the brothers' from their darkness. She's so optimistic and full of life. She ends up being the real daughter of a prominent Jiang family swapped out due to a foolish scheme. She does not hate the fake daughter nor is there any s*upid faceslapping involved. She ends up still staying with her adoptive brothers but having an additional grandma and father to support her in her endeavors.