The translation isn't the best...I had to keep looking at the footnotes to know who's who and what means what.

Buuuutttttt.....I AM INLOVE WITH THIS NOVEL! Okay okay I need to calm down and actually talk about it. I've gotta admit some of the reviews I read made me not want to read this but I still wanted to give it a chance.

This female lead is one of those few who transmigrated to the past and actually had common sense. She minded her own business and most of the actions she... more>> made would either benefit her, keep her family safe, or be for the man she married. I would marry this woman if I could, I absolutely love her and I especially loved that the decisions she made were ones that I agreed with. It's usually rare for me to want a female lead to snap at her enemies but I definitely wanted her to. The moment she snapped I was like oh shooootttt she snapped! And I loved every second of it. The author did such a good job at developing this character.

Now, let's talk about our ML. I actually quite liked him. He respected the FL, and treated her as he should. I do admit he is a slight bit... manipulative buuutttt I still like him. Him and the FL would be winning awards for their acting if it was in modern time. I kept laughing at the scenes of them having to show emotion to others. Compared to other male leads in most historical novels, he's somewhere in the top 10 I would say. The way the author crafted his habit changes after getting married was amazing. I love this couple.

Okay now onto the side characters, I don't have much to say about the men, unless we're talking about the emperor or the fl's brothers. I loved her brothers, well I loved her family as a whole, the love they had for the FL was cute. As for the emperor...I don't want to talk about that pice of-..*ehem*

Spoiler

Anyway, he's a freaking rapist! He r*ped his daughter in law.... HE r*peD HIS FREAKING DAUGHTER INLAW!

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I do feel bad for the women in this novel, I couldn't find it in me to hate any of them, most of them were doing what they could to survive. This is actually what made me love the FL more, she didn't automatically label them as good or bad. Although it wasn't explicit mentioned, I could see that she understood.

Thank you to the translators for making it possible for me to read this wonderful story.

As for the authour, *if they even see this* I'm thankful that they brought this story to life. <<less

It's not enjoyable to me. I prefer to be a virtuous wife far better and more interesting than this. The protagonist here is not really active, just in the background and the romance.. So disappointing. I agree to the other reviewer who said this is not as emotional as tbavw.

Amazing. I’m not sure how the title is associated with the story, but anyhow this was really great. I avoided this because of the description and ancient setting, but just like the authors other works, the female MC is never slighted (so dw about the ancient setting). Give this a try, it’s a short read finish-able in two days without sleep.

One of the best, if not the best with historical and Josei genre I've read so far ❤️

Both the leads didn't fell in love at first sight, but were respectful until they fell in love. They never said "I love you" to each other but the way they love, I couldn't ask more. Hua Xi wan and Yan Jin Qiu is my favorite character. I love their characters setting. Everything about the novel.

I read some viewer say that the novel is boring. Yes, for people who like actions, more schemes,... more>> more drama, dog blood, cheerful MC, etc. THIS IS NOT FOR YOU.

I was hesitant to read this because of the historical setting. I don't like how the women in that era were forced to accept their fate and the misogyny in that era is terrible, but fortunately our novel MC isn't someone who will endure any oppression. ML, while he have taken his time to love MC (he fell in love first tho) he didn't let anyone disrespect her. Let me tell you this, ML HATE CONCUBINE.

So no one can force him to take another women.

THIS NOVEL IS EVERYTHING I COULD HAVE ASK FOR HISTORICAL GENRE ❤️

P/S: It's my fifth time reading this 😆 I don't know if I have posted a review (too lazy to check) (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) <<less

Just like TBVW, I enjoyed reading this as well. However, it also didn't give me that satisfying feeling after reading til the end. Maybe because it didn't gave that kind of a roller coaster ride experience? But it is nice pass the time. I consider rereading this after some time because maybe the fault is in me?

Would recommend if you're into this kind of trope.

The translation is kinda meh. The translator seems to be experimenting in the beginning. It would've been better to use the chinese terms instead of switching... more>> to english then back. It's kinda frustrating ngl. But that's just in the beginning. <<less

Welll... This novel is good. If you are into novels with power couple, strong FL and no major misunderstanding type, then this novel will suit your taste.

• If you're looking for romance then it'll feel little bland for some. Please, no offense. It's just my point of view.

But overall it was really nice and satisfying.

I really was looking forward to HXW's first pregnancy but story ended without much details, just at twenty she already had crown prince...😞

By far one of the best historical romances I've read.

Similar to To Be a Virtuous Wife but more darker and bloodier.

ML is also more viscous and cunning. All I'm going to say is that if he didn't fall in love with her he probably would have killed her.

... more>> FL is lazy and doesn't care for much for anything but can stand on her own (that is if she could be bothered).

This story was much more fleshed out even if it had less chapters than TBAVW.

Couldn't really fault it to be honest. It was very good and satisfying read. <<less

The premise and setting, even though it was generic, it still had freshness in it. The FL's personality was refreshing. I enjoyed the fact that she was lazy, which I found new for females.

The ML was respectful and sweet, but I couldn't get attached to him. There seemed to be a thin layer separating us from full union as I take it upon myself to fall in love with MLs.

The romance was great, no misunderstandings, vicious women, disgusting harem. The ML was too intelligible for his era, as the author... more>> questions, maybe he was a reincarnation? Lol.

I guess I was kinda expecting more internal politics, there wasn't much of that. All in all, it was a fun read. <<less

Instead of saying I like this story, it's better to say I really like this author!^^

I've read many of the author's stories and I like them all~

I read this one after the story To Be A Virtuous Wife, and to be honest, both stories are a bit similar in setting. There are a lot of conspiracies and political schemes, and everyone has a talent of 'acting'! You never know their true face~

This story though is my favourite because it is much simpler in the romance aspect. So I find it... more>> very sweet and refreshing.. I like how they remain loyal and true to each other until the end.

And the best thing is how they are so clever in helping and support each other~^^

In short, this is a wonderful and amazing piece that is not to be missed! 👍🏻😃 <<less

Let's just say that this is one of those big brain novels that makes you question your intelligence a few times because you can't understand what's happening at all.

4/5 would recommend it to others to make them suffer my same pain.

Plus, I'm a sucker for the lazy MC trope.

Genuinely heartfelt GOOD READ.

Initially the story was in slow-pace. It really needs a person to have a good patience. The story will take time to get things heated up. Also I found great difficulty in understanding the indirect speech/double-speak of the characters in the story. I'm thankful for people in comment section below each chapter to question their doubts, put their theories and especially thankful to people who took their time to answer these doubts otherwise it would have been little difficult for many to understand what is going on... more>> in the story. As the story goes on in depth you will get on-board with story and the characters.

Had a realistic touch. I said 'touch' because, both MC and ML were within the main protagonist halo so they had almost everything perfect looks, family, status. I said 'realistic' because of their relationship which was a realistic one with how thou' they met each other only on the day of their marriage; their slow growth on relationship, it was beautiful.

Got a good impact on me when I completed it. This feel I will get only when I feel a story is good and had some impact on me. Recommended, but for readers with good patience level.

Also a kind reminder: Perfect LOVE or companion will only exist on 2D world. <<less

I don't remember much about this novel.

well then why'd you give it 5 stars huh? huh?

shut up I'm talking geez

... more>> anyway. this was one of the more realistic novels that I encountered. I was actually shocked at how realistic the relationship between the ML and the FL is portrayed because let's be honest... we see more unrealistically portrayed relationships than normal, slow-paced relationships. do I like it and often wonder why I can't just transmigrate into a novel? absolutely. do I still complain about those unrealistic relationships? yes. oof.

10/10, would recommend. also, it's short! a rarity that doesn't take up too much time. and yes, I have a lot of free time but who doesn't at this point.

xoxo, MiRA <<less

I'd say this is one of the best novel I've read.

The story is about a woman who transmigrated into Ancient China era, the good thing is MC act realistically based on her background.

She didn't have high expectations or goals in her life, just aiming for a comfortable life using the body she transmigrated in.

... more>> Going along the plot we can see how she interacts with people around her and how indirectly her transmigration and how she acts affects others.

The end might be the same, but it's different because between ML and MC they found understanding and have each other. Both of MC and ML actually have similar personality which just differs because MC is from modern age and a bit more soft and lazy.

I really like the double meaning words author use to explain the story and plot, it's poetic and interesting.

If you like reading historical novel with a bit of romance and powerful MC/ML (yet not OP) this will be a good read. <<less

It is so damn good. o (TヘTo)

I am actually reluctant to let it go (and at the beginning I didn´t even want to read it!!! I spent MONTHS thinking "nah, later" every time I saw this novel in my To Read list, man that I was blind (┛◉Д◉) ┛彡┻━┻).

The MC is awesome and everything you need in a female (strong, brave, independet, smart, supportive and so lovably flawed that it makes her real).

... more>> (♡⸃ ◡ ⸂♡)

The ML is... frustratingly good, he spoils, pampers, schemes, acts and does everything just right (blacked bellied to the bones, definitely, but that just make him THE Male god) （*/∇＼*）.

The interaction between MC and ML is simply blissful, the romance is gradual in the way that, at the beginning, it is just for looks but turns slowly into the real deal, overall being warm during all the process.

I loved the Author, Translator AND the fandom.

The first, for making a great story that majorly implies the twists and meanings instead of putting everything in an explicit way with long and boring explanations, as many authors of the genre tend to do.

The second, for using and explaining the chinese terms in a entertaining and easy to read way, in the process aporting funny comments.

And the last, for actually taking the time to explain the subtleries and implied meanings through the comments for those readers who don´t actually understand them (I admit that, at the beginning, I was one of those until I caugh up the rythm so I am deply grateful for my fellow readers).

Thanks Author, Translator and fellow readers.

Super Recommend for sure!!!! (ﾉ´ヮ´) ﾉ*: ･ﾟ <<less

The flow of the story and the characters are good. It was direct to the point. Well some novel are like circling around same villains and flow so it was annoying, disappointed and to the point you want to drop the novel. Well this one was not, it was nice to read.

If I was going to re-read thia novel l again... Maybe I will, if I don't have nothing to do as past time

This is the second time I'm reading this and I bet I would reread this again in the distant future. Both TBAVW and ETT are from Yue Xia Die Ying so some comparison really can't be helped. Unlike TBAVW where the MC is too cold and the ML that you can't grasp if he really was sincere or not, this couple from ETT had a heart-to-heart talk which I wanted the HH and QQJ to have. HXW and YQJ aren't the types of people who loved the other more than... more>> themselves, the love they give each other was just enough to leave some for themselves. HXW and YQJ loved themselves more, but the sincerity they hold for each other was moving. I can only lament that it is too short, I had wanted to read about their children but oh well. <<less

Similar to To Be a Virtuous Wife, 8TT is a period drama set with women having lower statuses than men. Maybe because I've read the former first so I have high expectations, but for me, this story's overall rating is 3.5.

~~~~~~

... more>>

Spoiler

The story begins with our MC, who is a transmigrator from the future who had a reputation as a female with no beauty. She was decreed to be married to our ML, who was widely known as a good gentleman with no ambitions to become the next emperor. 8TT was a story on how they fight the ML's competitors and taking the position of the emperor and empress all while gaining a deeper understanding of each other's foundations and character.

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Though I generally felt indifferent to the MC, I can say that she, and her mother, were outliers during this era - even MC's own father agreed with that. By outlier, I meant she did not bend nor shape her foundations to what was expected of women at this time. She knew what she's capable of and what her priorities are - she even tried to demonstrate her martial prowess in front of ML to intimidate him that she's not the kind of wife who just obeys everything. For more information on her character, I think these excerpts fit her well - first one was how ML described her and the second was a sentence she said herself in the story:

• She was lazy but not s*upid, beautiful and intelligent, emotional but cool.
• If status of men in the entire dynasty depended on the good relationships between women, what was the use in having these men?

ML was a prince-nephew of the current emperor, which meant he's not the first in line for the fight to the throne. Unlike TBVW's ML, this ML was painted with a contrasting personality with regards to whom he was interacting - a loving, scholarly and gentlemanly personality towards the crowd to mask the dark, cunning and brutal personality he used while indiscreetly fighting for the throne. That dark personality of his was what draw me to his character because it made him more faithful to his setting as an imperial family member who had designs to become an emperor. That personality was what TBVW's ML lack as a character with the same circumstances.

The character that I like the most was Zhang Huo, the official from the Guard Office. Up until the end, it was not clear on which faction he belonged to - he was bold enough to make the emperor angry but not as just as he portrayed himself because of the facts that he hid from the cases that he'd investigated. I saw him as your typical politician-inspector who wanted to make himself known but was smart enough to know how to play by the rules - a character who, for me, had the most realistic personality given his circumstances.

At first, the story had so many subtle hints and hidden meanings - it would be a bit hard for a reader to deduce future scenarios based on conversations and idioms mentioned if one did not have a bit of knowledge on the culture (thanks translator/s!). At one point I thought that this was a mystery or suspense novel, minus the scary or surprise part. I therefore do not recommend this story's beginning as a first read on any Ancient-China-themed novel, but it would be a good insight on how flowery and indirect people of the past converse and make or break connections.

But as the story progressed, the characters of the story became much more 'direct' and 'predictable', like the author (or translator, I don't know who to blame since I've only read the translated version) suddenly ran out of ways on how to make the plot more mysterious so he/she suddenly reverted back on the style he/she used for TBVW. That pissed me off a little bit, because it felt like the build up done at the beginning was suddenly washed away with cold water. Don't get me wrong - the plot remains, but the excitement and mysteriousness of their conversations vanished, so it became a bit boring when reading it towards the end.

If you like plots about fighting for power and period dramas, then consider this novel. <<less

I had to put a review because I keep seeing people say all they do is have s*x and the love isn't believable... what's not believable is other reincarnation/transmigration novels where its instant fluff and instant love. The MC is brilliant she's incredibly intelligent and can be cunning but she would rather laze her days away and eat good food. Everyone thinks the only good thing about her is her face which is hilarious because she sees right through them but she truly can't be bothered to entertain people unless... more>> they go pass her bottom line. The ML, in the end, does have feelings for her but she's not receptive. She doesn't shun him shes very realistic she knows she's stuck in a time where her choices and freedom are limited and she doesn't' try to scheme or be someone great. She accepts the marriage and lives with him without issue but shes knows he's cunning and that his affection, especially in the beginning, was false. However, as the novel progresses he does care for her she just doesn't accept it right away. I think it's hard for some people to get because they don't outright state things they have lines you have to read between which for me was interesting but in the end, she even says herself if someone takes 99 steps for you the least she can do is take one. It's clear she chooses to give the relationship a try for real and that she cares in the end. It's ambiguous and you get the feeling he cares more but its all because shes guarded. Love her though she can fight for herself and isn't a damsel in distress she knows her husband does dirty things in the dark and pretends otherwise and he knows she knows but says nothing and then he starts to like her not because she's some white lotus and pretty but because she has a temper on her and will kick his ass lol. I loved figuring out the hidden meanings of the story. <<less

This story is often compared to TBAVW, but frankly I was a little disappointed because of this comparison.

The MC is too passive and lazy for my liking. I appreciated her laissez-faire attitude at first, but I really wished she became more involved in the political scheming / intrigues of the plot. While she was more or less aware of everything that happened, it was all "behind the scenes". There wasn't really anything for the MC to deal with - at least in TBAVW the MC had to deal with other... more>> concubines / SILs / MIL / her family. I did like how this MC had a loving family supporting her though. It was nice to see for a change!

The ML was interesting, but I didn't feel the chemistry between the MC and the ML compared to some of the other pairings in other novels I've read. This was probably my biggest disappointment.

There was also a lot of underlying, hidden meanings in dialogue that I don't think I picked up the first time, so I will probably have to reread it to fully understand all the foreshadowing. I really appreciate the hard work of the translators! It must have been difficult to translate.

Overall, an enjoyable read, but not mindblowing. <<less

This was a truly entertaining read! I highly agree with some of the reviews as I was also someone who read 'To Be A Virtuous Wife' first too. This indeed has a pretty similar feel to that except our Xian Wang-Wang Fei couple is more sort of 'detached' from the scheming grounds, while they are definitely involved, they are pretty hands off most of the time and its the others that does the work for them. I agree with that someone who said this is pretty much more 'watered down'... more>> than TBAVW. Our FL is much chill-er and lazy than Qu Qing Ju and has pretty much absolved herself of doing unnecessary effort, keeping true to her aim of living idly lol but she does know how to act properly when she needs to and by no means a weak woman. She is indeed a perfect match to our ML who has such a deep scheming mind and his vicious nature deeply hidden. Ever since TBAVW, Qu Qing Ju has been my favorite female lead but now I can say Hua Xi Wan would is pretty close there too (QQJ is slightly above because I liked that she was more expressive, its opposite for the ML though, I liked Yan Jin Qiu more)

This was by the same author as TBAVW so I did expect a lot and I was not disappointed, I must say I really enjoyed this one more in terms of writing, I liked that there was a lot to read between the lines and the schemes weren't explicitly laid out, realizing how things happen on your own has its own flavor for a reader (especially if you are someone like me who probably have read hundreds of these types of stories)

Some people might say its boring but we have our own cup of teas that we prefer I guess? I think its actually this novel's charm, the way the focal point of the story is about the leads' (trying to live) domestic idle life whilst schemes and troubles are brewing in the background and the readers are engaged further in trying read between the lines and catch the subtle hints on the schemes of our main couple. The writing is just *chefs kiss*. If you are 50/50 about reading this like I have I suggest you give a try, I ended up very satisfied so you might too. <<less