Nice ! Very good feeling !

Better writed than Eight treasure trousseau, but less profound than To be a virtuous wife. Still the ML is lesser than the ML of Eight treasure trousseau and To be a virtuous wife, in term of shrewdness and more pitiful.

The author really did her best to keep what's made her success without repeating circumstances.

I am only reviewing because someone called this story boring. Like tell me you love Dog Blood Plots without telling me you have no culture.

This is a great semi-realistic historically accurate novel. I say semi because I don't really recall all of the plot but some of what I do recall wouldn't fly historically speaking.

I'm honestly writing this review for no other reason then this -

I was scrolling though the reviews and noticed no one had mentioned this. Maybe it's just me, I've been rereading all of this author's works.

xx

At first, I thought it was a bit bland, but somehow as I read through it, I found it refreshing. It's a slice-of-life story where the characters simply live, love, and continue on until the end. Not much drama, just a literal portrayal of everyday life of the imperial couple and people around them. Overall, I liked it. It wasn't the best, but it was refreshing.

3.67 Stars

Date Read: 11/4/2024

*Sorry for the maybe disjointed rambling. I thought I was going to drop the novel at C51 and write this review. Then, I kept rereading the reviews to see if it would get better or if there were more things later on. And decided to keep on reading. So I kinda tacked on my thoughts as to what I already wrote.

Short Summary: This is an ancient china political aristocratic slice of life story. The MC transmigrated when she was a baby but it's not important because she... more>> acts like just another character here. We follow the events around the aristocratic families from when she was 10, some mu*dering schemes successfully happened, she grows up, the ML insta likes her, more slice of life of her life, she becomes empress, some political scheming happens, more slice of life, answers of a lot of curious things are answered, the ML has his climactic scheme, the end.

Personal Enjoyment: 2/5

I disliked the first half. I kept almost dropping the story. It was kinda boring actually. The MC didn’t feel like an MC. She didn’t do anything. Half the time we spent with other characters instead of her. I wish she was the driving force of the story as the main character moving things along but nope. She was like the pampered princess where everything was done by everyone else. She has smarts and personality but she doesn’t use it most of the time. At least from where I am, halfway through the story. This story is like just telling what is happening. And the MC is just one of the characters of the story. There isn’t any goal the MC is working hard towards. She’s just going with the flow if it isn’t a problem.

Honestly, I keep swinging and missing with this author’s works. I did not like the majority of them. Even though they are all such highly rated books with everyone loving and praising them. I feel like I’m missing something. The only one I liked was “Don’t Discriminate Against Species”. “The Job of an Imperial Concubine” was okay, not sure if I liked the experience of reading it but I kept thinking about all the scheming and thinking going on. “More Than A Few Blessings” was also okay, did not meet my expectations of a pure work hard, poor to rich story but it was okay. I extremely disliked “To Be A Virtuous Wife”, hated every single character in it including the MC and ML and dropped it. Nothing seems to happen in “Very Happy” that I dropped it. Same with “Doing It Over Again”, the writing for so unemotional like this happened, the MC bought houses and got government recompensation. Where was the effort?? I couldn't sympathise or root for the MC because it was so distant and factual. I keep having pretty high expectations and every time, I was pretty disappointed except for like one novel.

But after the MC became empress, it felt like the story picked up and I kept reading till the end. It was engaging enough I didn't drop it in the end. Not sure if it removed how slow and passive the first half was though.

Plot: 3.9/5

My issue is at the beginning. I feel like everyone loved the MC instantly. She didn't do anything so it felt unearned and unsatisfying. All the rationalisations and reasons people did things for the MC were interesting and thoughtful to give her a solid foundation to live happily in this era.

But I feel it would be far more engaging if the MC actually did something to make them do it. Until now, I still don’t know much about the MC. Does she do anything? The story kept mentioning how all the antagonists to the Gu family and the MC would just fall on bad times and disappear. No idea if the MC did anything to make this happen or if she is just lucky as every single person kept mentioning. If she is lucky, well that is super boring. If she did do it, I wish the story would show it. It’s been 50 chapters already and we don’t see anything amazing that the MC did. The synopsis says this is a tyrant flower. Where is this tyrant??

Also, almost dropped the story at C51 because a woman got mol*sted by a guard from one of the subordinate countries. And everyone was so pretentiously, righteously outraged. Like they were so emotionally angry in public over it. But they do worse things in secret??? Like the deaths. It was likely someone schemed it. And the MC sure wasn't publicly angry about it. Finally. After the MC became Empress the story picked up. Before C51, the story was so slow.

Writing/Translation: 3.9/5

The translation I read is from Dreams of Jianghu. Very good, no issue at all. But the author's writing style. Hmm. I dislike how we only really get to know all the important things near the end instead of as the character does things. Because of this issue, I almost dropped the novel. This might be an author choice I suppose that I dislike.

Pacing: 3.5/5

The pacing was pretty slow for the first half. I find it boring because the MC is so boring. And we only keep getting snippets of all the other characters. It’s not like we are following them and here their deep thoughts or anything. So I’m not invested in anyone.

But after the MC became Empress, we started getting some answers to the questions and things started heating up. More clashes. More conflict. More drama.

Setting/Worldbuilding: 4.5/5

Very good. So complex with a lot of underneath the underneath. You are constantly thinking and wondering about all the character motivations. Very good for the political intrigue of this time era. The mystery is probably a big draw for the story. The details of everyone's thoughts on etiquette and behaviour and their meaning while doing everyday actions are great.

Characters: 4/5

Up to C51, the MC is painfully boring. Because she is so passive. She’s just happily living her life while all these events happen around her, not affecting her. It’s hard to grade this section because the side characters have such variety, their own goals and personalities. But the MC is kinda eh. I think the issue was the writing style. We only get to know more of the characters at the end.

After the MC joins the imperial family, finally things start happening. Plots are happening more frequently and the MC and ML actually start doing things on screen. In the epilogue, we have a chapter dedicated to the ML’s POV from when he was driving to the capitol for the first time. Then we get a sped-up version of his POV until the end of the story. I wish we had them early so I could get invested in him from the start though.

Romance: 3.9/5

The romance is meh. The ML had insta love with the MC from the very beginning so that was kind of dull. It was just a doting love interest thereafter. Kinda boring. No friction. No drama. It’s so perfect it is super dull. Where is the chemistry? There is no banter. Why do they even like each other? I can somewhat understand the MC because the ML treated her so nicely the entire time. But why did the ML like her?? Just because she looks adorable? How shallow for such a deep doting love.

Finally, at C52, we see his reasons for liking the MC. I feel it is too little too late but we did get his reasons. One of the cons of this author's writing. They like to explain things far far in the future. By then, a lot of readers would have stopped reading already.

My Created Lists (I include my rating and review in the list itself XD)

• All Novels I've Read Sorted By Rating - Where I ranked every single novel I read on novelupdates.
• Family/Village/Wealth Building, Poor to Rich, Business Management - lots of nothing to something type of stories, like this one!
• To Read Novels: Poor to Rich, Farming

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It's worth a read, but it's not a particularly exciting novel. It's more slow-paced that I was glad to see a lot of the intrigue and political struggles that happened after they became emperor and empress.

FL was truly blessed and fortunate. She had everything handed to her on a silver platter without much effort. I found it a bit off that people just naturally loved her even though her personality and skills weren't really that interesting. BUT, she was level-headed though this is not the novel to read if you... more>> want scheming. Though there was political struggles, ML handled most, if not all, of them. FL did not really have much to do. <<less

Hi, everyone!

I've finished reading this novel, and honestly, I would rate it a 4.5.

The translation is magnificent; I have no complaints.

... more>> The plot is rather good; it's a relaxing novel without a heavy storyline, to be honest.

The female lead doesn't stand out too much. She is clever and not dumb; it's just that her actions aren't showcased much and not much impact.

The romance is considered good, with many scenes of them together, but it's not overly fluffy, just okay.

The revenge plot was there, but it felt a little bland for me. However, the effort was evident.

And I must say the reason for the missing 0.5 rating is because every point is not fully engaging and rather bland; they just exist without much impact. <<less

The mature and cozy feeling this novel gave me was spectacular. There's a huge amount of trust from the MC to the ML which I adored. I definitely recommend it. Be ready to binge read this amazing story.

Sweet, kind of slice of life, but the characters seem well thought out and loose ends are tied up. It’s a smooth journey without much difficulties or details and I enjoyed it.

Very good story - loved the main characters - both are ruthless and caring and gentle.

Before I read this novel, I read the reviews and I had to say I agree with some of them. It is somewhat bland and boring.

I usually like the works of this author and even recommended them in some of my reviews. But no matter how I like the author, I cannot lie to myself and to other readers. Even up to c52, I still don’t know who the real antagonist in the story. There’s no conflict. There’s no real obstacle or challenge to the protagonist. I like some face... more>> slapping even just through words but there’s none.

At the beginning, we were introduced to various characters from royal family members, ministers, aristocrats, relatives, foreigners,.. But none of those characters actually pose threats or challenge to MC/ML’s stable life. There was the Li and Sima family but they didn’t really scheme at all even the third branch didn’t really do much hateful stuff that warrant revenge or face slapping. The story is lacking on that side.

On the plus side, I like that the author fast forward events like the ML mourning which supposed to last for months or FL’s coming of age party, etc. Because no dramatic situation happens, I didn’t want to waste too much time reading. <<less

Great story, this author never disappoints me. I didn't like it as much as her other works, but it was still entertaining to read.

My favorite characters were the empress dowager and the MC's family. It was refreshing to have an empress dowager that seemed more human - she valued her relationships, was sensible in her interactions with others, knew what she wanted to do. MC's family was lovely in how close and supportive they were. I really enjoyed reading about the sibling relationships. I didn't like the ML that much... more>> in comparison, he seemed kinda bland.

Spoiler

I was quite taken back when his "dark side" was revealed. I mean, I get no emperor is innocent, but the way he was portrayed early on in the story didn't seem to hint towards this at all. Maybe I need to read more carefully.

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The development of the relationship between ML and MC was cute though. How he started off as a brotherly figure and how he realized his feelings when he began to get jealous and worried about her future marriage. It didn't come off as ick and felt quite natural.

This story is quite mild overall, no major obstacles for our main characters, no big battles or "reveal the scheme" moments, but I find myself enjoying these kind of slice of life / imperial harem stories the best. If that's your cup of tea, definitely recommend! <<less

What a wonderful and touching story. We have an adorable and easy going MC and absolutely loving, hardworking and dedicated ML. I loved the dynamics of the leads and also appreciate how the people around helped them grow. This is one of the few novels where the empress dowager was not portrayed as an evil and unreasonable. I loved the pacing of the story. It was able to enjoy the sweet moments between the main characters and also appreciated their interactions with the people around them.

The author did such a... more>> wonderful job with the story and the translator did a superb job in getting the messages of the author across. <<less

I think I read this awhile ago and forgot to write a review.

So take this with a grain of salt because I don't remember my initial impressions anymore.

Overall I'm pretty sure I enjoyed this? At the very least, I didn't drop the novel before I got to the very end.

What I found interesting was the uniqueness of the mysterious past of the emperor. I liked how scheming/ruthless he was. I also liked the hidden intellect of the MC's family - their way of living well without trying to overreach their... more>> power made them very sensible people.

There were lots of small tensions (like the assumption by the public that the emperor was forced to marry by the dowager empress) that made the romance very entertaining.

Translation was pretty enjoyable overall. <<less

Yue xia die ying and dreams of jianghu never dissapoints.

I agree with other people opinion. TBAVW is all about harem intrigue, ETT is about fight for ascension, and this one is about fight between noble families. This one is more sweet and the couple has more trust and communication compared to the other two.

Anyway I love how smart the main characters in all yue xia die ying novels.

However, I seem to lost my interest reaching current chapter 58. Will definitely come back again someday.

This story is for people who love this author's previous translated work but wish there was more love and less drama.

It is not a very plot-based novel, but more like a super chill slice of life. I love seeing their little interaction and just observing how aristocrats behavr in ancient time.

It's so fluffy!!!

I honestly don't think the main protagonist is that special.. She even admit that she is mediocre when compare to her fellow transmigrator. She doesn't really do that much. What make her special is her interaction w her... more>> family members and the male protagonist (love him to pieces!!!)

The story has very little conflict and things are easily resolved, so if u are looking for something intense, don't read. (Like seriously, you will be very disappointed if this is ur goal).

I was hesitated to read it as first bc I see some reviewing calling this novel "boring". I could see how it is boring in people's eye, but I honestly adore every single moment of it, and didn't find it boring at all. <<less

3 stars maybe. I really wanted to love this novel. It's ticks all the boxes for what I like in a novel but it was very boring. The FL does everything right, she is never in any danger everyone "pampers" her. She is never in any real danger. Her personaility is very bland it feels like she has no feelings or emotions. Likes or Dislikes.

I don't understand what the ML likes about her. When he describes the reason he loves her, he always says something like she is very adorable.... more>> What else? Sighs The ML is so perfect, no flaws despite his childhood upbringing.

Now the secondary characters, I love them. I even had sympathy for them. I wish they explored them more in the book. <<less

Loved it! Great plot and rich characterisations. It has it all - familial ties, ancestral traditions, harem intrigues... Lovely romance to back it all up. Worthy of re- reading.

This novel had the same author as "To be a Virtuous Wife" and "Eight Treasures Trousseau" but unlike the latter where MC and ML fell in love after marriage due to imperial decree, MC and ML in this novel fell in love first then married with the willingness from both parties.

The dynasty where this story occured was also different from TBVW and ETT novel. In this story, the dynasty was more liberal and open-minded where women could have a divorce and remarry, unmarried men and women could interact openly without... more>> damaging their reputations, and later, women could also become an official.

Although MC and ML's true love was a bit refreshing, their personalities weren't anything remarkable. In the other words, they're a bit boring but overall, they're still okay. The author mentioned briefly that MC was a transmigrator but there's no other saying about MC's past life after that.

As for the conflict and drama part in this novel, I think the author did it a bit halfheartedly.

Spoiler

The rebellion part was considered meh and the finishing was also a bit dull. Also, Consort Lin case didn't manage to surface again although ML promised her family to clear her name.

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The ending was quite satisfying although not everyone got their happy ending. <<less

So good! Author has never failed me on liking her works. The plot is a perfect balance of politics and romance. I like the part where you have to conclude things for yourself because the hints from the books arent enough, it makes it more enjoyable.

I especially like the relationship between the main CP, not too cold but also not too warm, however, you can feel their affection for each other. It's like a mix of Ascending, do not disturb and eight treasures trousseau.

Both are smart and good. There os... more>> no scene where they're being taken advantage of. They're alway one step ahed. The relationship between the families are also good, no unnecessary scheming or wanting Power. I like it. 6/5! <<less