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I Am a Salted Fish in Ancient Times
Type
Web Novel (CN)
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Rating(4.5 / 5.0, 212 votes)
5    72% (152 votes)
4    17% (35 votes)
3    4% (8 votes)
2    5% (10 votes)
1    3% (7 votes)
Language
Support Book (#ad)
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N/A
Year
Example: 2012
2021
Status in COO
Status in Country of Origin. One entry per line
97 Chapters (Complete)
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Completely Translated
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English Publisher
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Release Frequency
Every 20.2 Day(s)
Activity Stats
[Graph]
Weekly Rank: #15815
Monthly Rank: #526
All Time Rank: #3934
Reading List
[Graph]
On 2258 Reading Lists
Monthly Rank: #1945
All Time Rank: #4467

Description

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Xiao Shan is a famously profligate prince, the kind that makes his emperor father angry just by being seen. Xiao Shan’s greatest wish in life is to be a salted fish who lives without any worldly strife, until his father bestows upon him Xie Zhui, a ger who has been mixing with men, to be his bride.

Xie Zhui took his brother’s place in the army at fourteen, achieved great merits by successfully defending against enemies outside the northern border city at sixteen, and was discovered to be a ger after being seriously injured at eighteen.

After returning to the capital, the emperor pardoned Xie Zhui’s crime of deceiving the monarch and bestowed him to Xiao Shan as his rightful spouse.

Everyone says that Xiao Shan has married a ger who came out of a pile of men, with a vast grassland above his head. They think about how much the emperor must dislike Xiao Shan to have given him such a troublesome marriage.

Associated Names
One entry per line
我在古代当咸鱼
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Married Thrice to Salted Fish (4)
After the Disabled God of War Became My Concubine (3)
The General’s Favorite Husband (3)
Marrying the Contemporary Crown Prince (2)
The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua (1)
After Dressing up as a Woman and Marrying the Crazy Eunuch as a Substitute (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. sweet, smart couples only
  2. Big/manly bttm
  3. Just BL
  4. My reading list
  5. Annyira nem tetszettek

Latest Release

Date Group Release
10/01/24 MarachneTL c97
10/01/24 MarachneTL c96
10/01/24 MarachneTL c95
10/01/24 MarachneTL c94
10/01/24 MarachneTL c93
09/30/24 MarachneTL c92
09/30/24 MarachneTL c91
09/30/24 MarachneTL c90
09/30/24 MarachneTL c89
09/30/24 MarachneTL c88
09/30/24 MarachneTL c87
09/30/24 MarachneTL c86
09/30/24 MarachneTL c85
09/30/24 MarachneTL c84
09/28/24 MarachneTL c83
123…7
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50 Reviews sorted by


Mochirily
Mochirily rated it
May 31, 2025
Status: Completed
Palace drama novel filled with harem intrigues, twists and turns, every person with their own ambitions and desires. An emperor that is neither a bad ruler nor father, his wives/concubines none of whom are vapid beauties, and his sons/princes with varied skills, intelligence and temperaments. Focus is on the imperial family and less on ministers and scholars.

This novel stands out from others in that here the emperor is effective and powerful, holding firmly onto all the different powers under him from his sons and wives, to generals and ministers. And... more>> yet despite his capabilities, harem struggles and palace intrigues are still brimming under the surface. Even when an emperor doesn’t neglect any facet of his ruling, people and the fight for power continue to create chaos. In the end, being the emperor is a lonely job, especially when you are trying your best to maintain peace in the realm.

Surprisingly, I found the story and relationship of MC and ML to be quite mundane. They have a very genial relationship and never once argue, both giving and receiving never ending patience and understanding, resulting in a very bland romance. Although MC is entertaining with his words and actions, ML is written very blandly for a supposed great general and ger. This is an issue I often find with novels that have a seme MC. Too much emphasis is on the seme MC doing everything and the shou ML just hanging in the sidelines, even if ML is supposed to be a powerful character.

Some readers complained that all the villains were women, and they aren’t wrong, but the author wrote them each well and I could respect their ambitions and actions. No one was truly unlikable except that angry old lady Marquess of An. But even she had her own twisted reasons.

The author seemed to forget that gers existed except to make ML a ger so he could give birth. There were hardly any other gers in the entire novel. The middle parts also drag for a bit before a whirlwind climax that makes the calm before the storm make sense. Overall an enjoyable read, even with random inserts that are completely unnecessary, like the dream glimpse into the modern world. <<less
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Irissska O_o
Irissska O_o rated it
May 31, 2025
Status: Completed
I liked it quite a lot bcz it is one of the few noves where you can see genuine brotherly love in ancient royal family setting. And it was one of the main focuses of the novel. It was very heartwarming.

Also MC was a germ, he was lucky to be a prince with such a personality and his father emperor being a loving father enough to tolerate him to some degree.

As for the villains I guessed one identity early though the plot twist behind their actions was still unexpected. So... more>> the novel did manage to give me some surprises.

Some things were left unanswered (like who is xi chens lover? Where did his adopted son came from? What was the end of prince yi? Etc. Etc.). But they were minor, not really essential to the main plot.

Was this novel misogynistic? Idk, for the first time I cannot say that for sure. You must understand the historical setting of that novel where a woman has no power over her fate at all. The only way for her to survive was to ensure that she is favoured by her husband and his family and that her sons have enough power to keep her safe in the future. And considering brothers fighting for power among each other and killing each other despite blood ties, being scheming and striking first might seem as the only way out.

Spoiler

The only true female villain here was madam an, imo; I mean, well someone did not want to marry you, you cannot force love and definitely cannot take revenge for not being loved and then feel wronged that your husbands family were not appreciated enough after failing their duty to support the soldiers at the border (though in fact they even contributed to the downfall but that was a secret while abondaning fighting soldiers was a well known fact). Yes, she was forced to marry someone she did not want to marry, too; but that does not justify her following actions.

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Anyway, I do recommend this novel if you are into ancient royal family setting. <<less
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readingaddict1
readingaddict1 rated it
February 19, 2025
Status: Completed
5 beautiful stars!! ⭐️✨ ⭐️✨⭐️ I have been putting off reading this novel for some time, and I finally decided to read it and genuinely enjoyed it. It is well-written and has many really good plot twists that you’ll enjoy.

I will miss this novel very much. I wish it were longer because it’s so good. A few things were left open-ended, but not in a bad way. It gave you just enough to satisfy your curiosity but not enough to make you completely full.

Give this novel a chance. I truly think... more>> you’d enjoy it! <<less
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cherryb379
cherryb379
February 10, 2025
Status: Completed
I loved it!!! The storyline was captivating and great.. loved the character of the MC... loved the relationship between MC and the oldest brother was really fun.. the one thing which I disliked was the cbaracter ML not getting enough attention... iwould sayhis character was not what the author implied at the beginning... he was tough and c. ear on what he wanted and moreover a war general... later on he was kinda reduced to a regular person with a very contented life as a husband. I thought that was... more>> a character regression and not a growth... I was disappointed because I expected something else from his character.... well anyways keeping only that aside, the rest of the story was great... Marachne's translation was great.... thanking the author and the translator for bringing us this piece of gem 💎 🙏 <<less
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Saphie
Saphie rated it
January 5, 2025
Status: Completed
Political intrigue is good, simple but kept me wanting for more. Romance is a bit... dull. Though our general shou is good as he is, I don't feel him for the most part, even though he's there. His characterization is as dull as his character. A pity. The story is still good, however. Our MC Gong is smart, and puts his smartness into good use— being a salt fish.

Everything is good, a little simple but enough to keep you going, the only let down is the romance and the Shou... more>> — for me. <<less
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waitingforupdates
waitingforupdates
January 3, 2025
Status: c52
Given the character description, I should be inlove with the MC and ml's dynamic and I really should have, if only the author followed Zi Chui's character befitting of a war general. I may have been saying this too early, but Zi Chui seems to be reduced as Xiao Shan's ger despite the author and also the Mc's relentless effort in the beginning to contradict this. It does not make sense to me for a once war general to be contented in the confinement of his husband's courtyard, although free... more>> to do what he wants, still won't compare to the battle he was used to and his lack of desire to or even an inkling to miss those times. To wait upon his husband, be his confidant, and to suddenly find training with swords boring with his husband not in presence — this is not to say the first two things mentioned are something to be dislike, but a pity, that this is use to further hammered Zi Chui into losing his own character. It is a futile attempt to have Xiao Shan kiss all the general's scar for its owner to be mellowed out eventually along with the story it carries. This to say, I actually found the brothers relationship more interesting and strongly built that I kind of doubt who were the main characters here or whose story is this around.

I will continue to read the story, and will wait to be slapped by the plot though. <<less
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fawx
fawx rated it
December 2, 2024
Status: Completed
Great story filled with unexpected plot twists. I started reading without any expectations and was therefore pleasantly surprised. The story gets better as it progresses, which gives it extra points. The translation is also wonderfully done.

The only downside would be that MC-ML's relationships did not have any challenges and felt somewhat lukewarm. Moreover, the ML being a general had close to no overall significance on the story. Sure, it had a background plot, but it felt forced, as if the author only came up with it for the sake of... more>> making him a general. He accepted his fate of being married to the MC too easily, and his conduct throughout the entire plot was too well behaved, and had none of the qualities of being a general.

Despite this, the story was a breath of fresh air. The MC's personality was refreshing, and his relationship with his brother and father is one of the most satisfying relationships in any historical BL. The story itself was also very interesting. It is a palace drama done right.

Absolutely loved it and 10/10 would recommend. <<less
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Eat__tea
Eat__tea rated it
October 18, 2024
Status: Completed
Lovely couple. MC is actually smart. No minus point.

All in all mwah 😚👌🫶
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HistoricalBLReader
HistoricalBLReader rated it
October 13, 2024
Status: Completed
I completely loved this story! It has the perfect amount of drama and politics but it's still a heavy romance/slice of life for my personal taste!

And the translation was just amazing!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
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Ashie123
Ashie123 rated it
October 12, 2024
Status: --
This is a surprisingly wonderful palace drama story with stellar plot, interesting characters, sweet romance, and beautiful brotherhood; a story about trust, betrayal, and human relationship. For me, it’s a must read and probably will be a good reread as well.
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nejeriv rated it
October 10, 2024
Status: --
Hilariously, the only true deep connection and dramatic tension here is between MC and his brother. The author put everything into it. The story is all about it, too. No wonder his brother's wife is jealous of their bond. As for MC's husband, he's just an accessory, a background character. Is this intended?
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adustyspectacle
adustyspectacle rated it
October 9, 2024
Status: Completed
A pretty enjoyable read! The romance between the main couple was pretty sweet and relatively smooth-sailing, while the palace drama shenanigans was good enough. That said, why did this novel end up making me ship MC with his brother lmao
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Potatoteeth
Potatoteeth rated it
October 9, 2024
Status: Completed
This novel displays true and mutual love at its finest, which is not something easy to depict. The control of tension is also incredible. 5 stars.
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Ouryane00
Ouryane00 rated it
October 6, 2024
Status: Completed
This is a beautiful story that goes beyond the romance between the ML and MC.

I appreciate MC and ML’s love for each other but what really made this story special for me are:

  • MC’s brutally honest/frank personality 😂 He makes the people around him so angry when he rebutts them, especially the Emperor and his first brother. Their interactions are so funny I was literally laughing out love
  • The solid brotherhood between MC and his 2nd brother. I love how they genuinely trust each other and think about the other person. In novels set at ancient times, that’s very rare so it’s incredible.
  • The schemes are awesome! I thought MC was uncovering “A” scheme but it turns out there’s scheme “B” and “C” which are bigger and more shocking because I didn’t see them coming
The only thing I feel kinda sad about is what
Spoiler

knowing the loneliness Xiao Jin must be experiencing because he is the emperor. But after all, you can’t get great power if you don’t lose something in exchange. Hopefully, MC visits him in the capital more often

[collapse]
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Soliana
Soliana
October 6, 2024
Status: Completed
Definitely one of my favorite stories, I almost didn't read it when I read the tag "Imperial Harem", since I prefer 1v1 stories (to me, harems are absolutely disgusting), but thankfully this one has nothing to do with the protagonists and more like happening around them.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and the translation was top notch 👌. I would recommend it very much.
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HeenaReadNovels
HeenaReadNovels rated it
October 4, 2024
Status: c97
It is an awesome novel. The author has really great writing style.

This novel has two of my favourite things I like to read in danmei,

1st, cunning and smart MC. I already added Xiao Shan in my list of favourite danmei characters.

... more>> 2nd, historical imperial danmei. The political power game when played by main characters is always an chefs kiss.

It is an short novel for me, as I normally ready 200+ chapters novel. But the length of book didn't decreases its quality.

Now putting some of my theories related to things happened in novel

Spoiler

Main MCs accident in childhood. Only after I read the complete novel did it strike to me, that maybe, (I am only speculating here) maybe the one who pushed Xiao Shan in water at the time when he was 4 or 5 years old and almost died, maybe is Consort Lan or her people. How could it be possible for him an pampered kid to reach that place unknown to Consort Lan.

I always had this thought how come this woman Consort Lan would have lived to happily in imperial palace if she has been this s*upid. She was going around and around damaging her own son's standing in imperial palace. The we knew THE BIG TWIST. And then it become all clear why. Damn author wrote this part in such an amazing way.

This is my another speculation. WHO IS THE XIE CHEN'S PARTNER? I have 2 peoples in my head.

First Gu ying. I don't know, but I saw an tension between them. Specially when Xie Chen first opened his eyes, that scene striked me as that way.

Second. Crown Prince. Xiao Jin. Why I thought him. In last chapters it was like author left a few loose threads for us readers.

OR IT IS TOTALLY POSSIBLE THAT MY SPECULATION ARE WRONG. 😂😂


If somebody has thought along the line or otherwise oleaee tell me. I sooo want to know.
[collapse]
<<less
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Tearlesereph
Tearlesereph
April 5, 2025
Status: c97
This novel was fun to read because of the comedic undertones were done so well. MC and all the secondary characters were naturally funny without having jokes shoved down our throat. I do feel the ending fell a bit flat and there's this strong sense of feeling unresolved because I still don't have all the questions answered and the ending felt like there could still be more chapters when it was already the extras.

As for all the reviews saying this novel seems to hate women, I disagree. I think it... more>> shows how much impact women from the harem can be despite being confined for the rest of their lives after marriage.
Spoiler

The novel also distinctly illustrates the differences that can be had between marriages where the husband respects the spouse and only focuses on one person as opposed to having many beauties in the harem and not loving any of them. Look at MC and look at Xiao Rong and his wife, they had a happy ending and happy marriage. Whereas both Emperor and Crown Prince with their multiple beauties had messy back palaces full with intrigue, schemes, etc.

[collapse]

The only thing I would say was a slight let down was the relationship between MC and ML. They got together within the first few chapters and ML kind of faded from the spot light. It felt more like he was a secondary or tertiary character. Feels like the second protagonist is MC's brother instead, which I didn't mind, but I was expecting a romance. There's no slow burn or anything, they got married and it was smooth sailing in the relationship from then on.

I do wish they mentioned other gers in the novel. ML was literally the only ger in the entire novel until the very end when the child was mentioned. And gers are not rare, it's just hard for them to get pregnant. I mean, I would imagine there would be a ton of gers in the palace instead of eunuchs since they have the physique and strength of a man but get pregnant instead of imp**gnating and no dangerous surgery would be needed on them. Also, wouldn't some of the consorts also possibly have ger babies? When Crown princess was pregnant and she went over the possibilities it only included male or female, so huuuh? <<less
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LisaxLisa
LisaxLisa rated it
March 19, 2025
Status: Completed
5/5 stars ⭐ !!!

I love how the ML decides to live his life in a chill way but adhering to the time he's in!

He could have decided to create a bunch of modern technology or tried to change the culture but he did neither! I think it helps that he transmigrated when he was a child so he was able to adapt to the world's culture and choose a third option on how to live.
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sbob
sbob rated it
March 14, 2025
Status: Completed
A great and refreshing historical palace intrigue novel.

MC is intelligent, straightforward, and has no desire for the throne. The most satisfying part is that there are important characters who actually believe in him, and he uses his wit and smarts to achieve his goals. Yes, he wants to lead a 'salted fish' life, and in some ways, he knows and puts in effort to achieve it—not just lying down and having it spoonfed to him through plot armor. It's not just annoying unfounded drama, but nicely woven plot with clever... more>> actions fueled by each character's motivations and emotions that create this richness that makes palace intrigue novels interesting.

The plot twist!! Wow

Spoiler

Fast and furious, one after another. It was so exciting.

Although, yes I do wish it wasn't mainly female villains. But if considering the imbalance of female power in that time zone, I guess they need to scheme more? Eh.

[collapse]

I usually prioritise romance, and the romantic plot line in this is secondary. As a romance novel, it's kinda meh. Lukewarm love that gradually builds. No conflict, no drama, just gently building affection for each other. I don't... get the point of introducing a third gender of 'ger'? Like a common genetic outcome to birth hermaphrodites/omegas. It added little to the ML's backstory—like to shame and bring down a general? Feel like it could have been done in other ways. For a general, ML shou is really quite soft and weak, not my preference. The
Spoiler

mpreg also felt kinda random.

[collapse]

Still, I enjoyed the palace drama (and non-drama of it) parts! The translation was also a joy to read. There are better historical novels, but this was pretty good. <<less
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AppyFizz
AppyFizz rated it
February 9, 2025
Status: Completed
Laid back story, with no unneccessary dramas. I liked all the characters. But I felt that the plot twist just Suddenly came & went, like summarized in 2-3 chapters. It would been better, if the plot twist had some development few chapters back. Overall great one to read.

Also, WHY THE HELL THERE IS NO UPDATE OR CLOSURE FOR XIE CHEN....... I was kinda waiting......
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