Translated stories I like enough to recommend. I review them so expect some spoilers (I try not to spoil major events.)
(Please read the novels on the original translator's site which can be found on novelupdates!)
At the age of fifteen, her ethereal beauty caught the attention of Prince Rui, who fell in love at first sight, and beseeched the Empress Dowager to arrange a union between them.
At the age of sixteen, Li Zhi’s unparalleled allure captivated the heart of the reigning Emperor, who resorted to abominable tactics to abduct her as his own concubine and keep her hidden away in a gilded palace.
With the Emperor’s favor, she rose to the position of a highly sought-after Noble Consort that was envied by all.
Only she knew…
In three years’ time, the Emperor and Prince Rui would turn against each other, and their once great empire would be ravaged by war.
As they fled, a formidable army of one hundred thousand soldiers stood in their way, pleading with the Emperor to order the execution of the treacherous Noble Consort. The Emperor could not bear to see her suffer such a fate, yet in the end, he offered her a three-foot length of white silk. Without hesitation, Li Zhi turned to Pei Ji and flung herself into his protective embrace.
Thoughts:
NTR LET'S GOOOO~
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HEAR ME OUT AGAIN! The premise of this novel is rather similar to The Gilded Cage, wherein a powerless woman in ancient china is abused by her husband and seduces someone to help her.
Keywords: powerless, ancient china, abused.
However despite the similarities, there are still noticeable differences between them. Personally, I feel like this story has a more fleshed out plot and characters. Like, there were a lot of moments wherein I could see why the antagonist did what they did, even when I think their actions are so fucking dumb I question if they actually think at all.
There were so many stupid characters, but the emperor is undeniably the dumbest, with his brother being a close second.
FL is the so called "calamitous beauty" we often stumble upon when reading historical novels. Despite FL transmigrating and knowing future events, she did not use her knowledge to prevent some things from happening because she does not have the power/right to. It's more realistic this way as well.
She became a woman from ancient china who does not have a strong family protecting her, so how could she resist against the emperor?
ML, on the other hand, is a general and the emperor's cousin. He is not perfect, but I love him! Unlike the male lead from The Gilded Cage, he actually has familial love and loyalty towards his cousins. He feels guilty throughout the novel, but can't stop the affair since he already fell in love, even when he knew she was just using him (I felt so bad for him during these times).
In his own words/thoughts: (excerpt from chapter 55)
"He felt like a fish on a chopping board, helpless and at the mercy of the person holding the blade. And she was the one wielding the knife."
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So yeah. Honestly, the novel felt like a slice of life up till the ending chapters. It went from secret affairs to WARRRRR in an instant.
Also shout out to ML's parents! There were scenes and extras dedicated to their love story which made them feel like the leads of another novel. Like a prequel to this one. They raised ML well!
Try it!
BTW the extras are not translated (for free), so if you'd like to read it, just search its chinese name 贵妃裙下臣, which you can find on novelupdates. I loved the extras so I recommend you read them as well!
