It was good overall, there was a lot of world-building. I think the pacing could be better - ML doesn't learn the truth until chapter 231 (!!!) The misunderstanding part should've been shorter and the wife-chasing arc should've been longer... I wanted the ML to wallow in regret a lot more. I kept binging to get to the big reveal, but then after that it started falling a bit flat and losing tension for me. But I can tell SQC put a lot of work into writing this.

This book started strong, but it ultimately fell short. (I came across this title in Reddit thread when I was looking for something similar to 2ha).

While the suspense and plot twists, kept me turning pages, the characters did not evolve in a meaningful way as they didn't show much growth, particularly in the later half of the book.

I was left with more questions than answers in the end, which was frustrating. Also, the gettingtogether in the end so easily after all they'd endured, did not work for me.

Overall, there were... more>> moments of excitement but the lack of character growth and resolution left me wanting more.😑 <<less

finally done reading! I love fws and xba so much. they’re everything to me, even if, at times, they drove me to frustration.

a lot of people argue that if only fws and xba communicated, then things wouldn’t turn out this way. this, imo, is a fundamental misunderstanding of xba’s character. yes, him keeping things from xiao jiu was frustrating—but his intentions have always been clear. his actions pre-emperor kong hua was motivated by one thing only: protect xiao jiu. and even if he explained himself, which he did (although only... more>> revealed very little information), zzx didn’t want to believe him.

and this is also understandable! yes, they had a brotherly bond. but consider this: in this dark and gloomy palace, entangled in disputes among the consorts and the empress, you only had this big brother as a genuine source of warmth; this big brother nurtured you, raised you, taught you. your entire existed is rooted and devoted to this da-ge who has loved you wholeheartedly—or so you taught. and mind you zong zixiao was 14 when all of this happened - a perilous time for development. naturally this would leave a long-lasting mark on his soul. no wonder he carried this grief for two lifetimes.

zzh on the other hand was already being crushed by the weight of everything. yes, he has the imperial core but that doesn’t guarantee anything. only that he is a reincarnation of a celestial being.

as for the side couple and the love triangle... wcj could have been a five star if not for that. I understand the point she was trying to make: love corrupts—people will do anything for life. but love is also liberating. to be loved is to be freed. and this is true.

but the reason for their falling in love was... meh? for me. it felt so shallow. the love triangle I COULD give the benefit of the doubt but the other one... well, I guess it has to do with opposites attracting each other.

anyway, overall good novel even if some parts were a drag. <<less

I normally don't do reviews, but this book was a masterpiece up to around chapters 200 or 220, I think??? When the ML - who is the younger brother- literally sexually ab*sed and tortured his older brother (the MC) all the time in their past life and in his current self felt nooo remorse and even victimized himself to make the MC look like the bad person. And the MC has nooooo backbone at all omg😭😭😭😭 it literally makes me soooooo mad like he is literally useless asf. Anyways, it... more>> was good while it lasted. The last chapters literally disgust me soo much I had to drop it. <<less

Exciting plot and I was really looking forward on how the ML will redeem himself however, the story is running around in circles and I feel I was left hanging after completing the novel. Kudos to the author despite it not being what I expected, I feel like I'm addicted to it and wanted to finish it.

The side characters were a heart throbs. The MC here had his ups and downs but he was scenic. Turbulently scenic. The ML is stubborn. It was all balanced in the end. And there’s this one character, the first ever character I’d respect so much from a novel. SCG is amazeballs.! Like this world would have been a better place if he was real.

If you are a sucker for those novels where the MC and the ML are stubbornly persistent and they do wrongs and regrets and pays up and... more>> yadda yadda all that dog blood that stabs your organs and twists and when the onion ninjas retreat you get to the savour the sweet pleasant aftertaste. This is it. <<less

I laughed, cried and suffered along with MC... sometimes it was really hard but as long as is HE I can endure.

Either way, good plot, good characters. Lots of emotions very well described.

Yo!, this took me 2 days to finish, yeah I didn't read it properly, I skipped some parts because I didn't like it, I just don't like how ML treats MC. Shh, I wish they have BE in their relationship but unfortunately they got HE 😅.

Warning: some chapters contain NSFW content (about 5/6 chapters), it's detailed smut, mostly r*pe

SIGH.... this novel reminded me of 2ha so much... love, hate despair, obsession, sadness, happiness... perfect mix. SQC did a real good job. You may not be able to forgive zzz for sometimes and in fact, I broke two glasses out of frustration I felt because of him but, if you can forgive mo ran, you should be able to forgive him too.. anyway, a must read. Be sure to give it a try !