Novel's Tidbits & Discussion

Mar 7, 2024 04:52 pm

Hi, just wanna share tidbits from the novel. Write here so we can discuss it or read it again later.

As I said in the comments section, I have not read the entire novel. So, feel free for anyone to correct me if I make a mistake about the story, and please anyone to add some parts I don’t mention. (I'm not used to retelling stories and English is not my first language, so pardon me and bear with my long post).

There are 3 persons who rebirth from their previous life with their memory intact. They are Li Rong, Pei Wen Xuan, and Su Rong Qing.

Main story:

Li Rong and Pei WenXuan rebirth remarried and became allies. They promise they will be divorced after they get what they want, i.e. power.
It can be seen that LR & PWX love each other no matter in previous life or now. It is just they do not realize it plus miscommunication.
After remarried LR stated that their relationship was a close friend. They sleep on the same bed. For LR, it would be too much trouble if PWX slept on the floor and he needed to tidy it in the morning. While PWX takes it like he just needs to take a cold shower.
I don't know what happened in the middle, but they indeed divorced. They live in a separate house.
Although divorced, I think it is only status because their love for each other is stronger. They took turns sneaking into each other's houses to chat and plan their moves. And at night they kiss and sometimes sleep together.
Their relationship is very nice at this point. They trusted & knew each other brains, planned together, teased each other, and fought side by side. And it is so sweet how PWX always puts LR above every single thing.
The start of the climax was in the winter hunt. Consort Rou planned to kill Crown Prince Li Chuan (LR's brother) while LR planned to kill Li Cheng (Consort Rou's son and the only Emperor's other son besides Crown Prince). FYI, at this time Emperor is more on Li Cheng's side. Consort Rou is a favored concubine despite her low status.
Short, both of them are still alive but Li Cheng is in critical, dying.
At the same time, LR finally learns the truth behind her death in her previous life. She broke down to disgusted truth as everyone betrayed and killed her. All is her nearest when she has done so much for them. Only PWX trusted and knew her completely.
PWX calmed a very low-spirit LR after she learned about the ugly past. They had a heart-to-heart conversation on the bed.
Basically, after this was the fight in the palace for the throne and also the fight inside LR about whether she will trust again her nearest who has killed her in her previous life. In this life, they haven't done any bad. PWX convinced LR that this lifetime may be a new world after all.
Then happy news about LR's pregnancy. But, they need to keep low about this news because of the situation and because of their divorced status.
First, LR wants to escape the city, while inside is in chaos. But, halfway through, she hears that Consort Rou & Su RongQing (FYI, LR had a special relationship with SRQ in her previous life but in the end SRQ betrayed her) want to rebel so she decides to go back to the city, enters the palace.
The Emperor was in bad health (CR poisoned him slowly before). The plan was CR & SRQ to wait for the Emperor to die while Li Chuan was still inside the palace, then they would enter the palace blame him, dethrone him, and make a way for LiCheng to take the throne (although at that time LiCheng was already dead and the one with them is the fake one)
LR entered the palace and sent LiChuan and their mother out of the city. The previous LR may have killed the Emperor, but now she does not want to. She just chatted with him to buy some time. Outside of the city, LiChuan waits for northwest troops to squeeze back in.
In the morning CR, SRQ & other ministers rush to the court hall. They ask about the absence of the Emperor and accuse LiChuan killed the Emperor. But LR said it was not true since LiChuan was not in the palace and the Emperor was still alive, recuperating.
At the court, LR was alone facing CR, SRQ, and their companion. After a long talk, they got the news that LiChuan with troops were on their way to attack back to the palace. So, they want to tie & hang LR at the city gate as hostage.
Then, suddenly PWX came and barged into the palace himself. One step ahead, PWX already made hostage all of SRQ & his companion families in LR's residence. With that, PWX can break into the guarded palace. He said to LR, that he was ready to accompany her to death or bring her home. Wow, this is cool for me.
Because their families are in PWX's hands, they cannot do anything to harm LR & PWX. So, CR immediately goes to the Emperor's room. Now, stealing the Imperial Jade Seal and killing the Emperor is the only way to make LiCheng ascend the throne.
In short, LiChuan managed to break into the palace with troops. CR almost killed the Emperor to get the imperial seal. LR & LiChuan managed to come to the Emperor's room from the court hall before the Emperor died.
When CR suddenly wanted to stab LR, LR's guard managed to shoot her head and CR died. SRQ runs and PWX chases him.
PWX and SRQ fight each other in Wei Yang Palace and in the end SRQ hurt, PWX burns Wei Yang Palace so everyone thinks SRQ is dead.
The injured Emperor finally died while LiChuan was at his bedside. LiChuan ascends the throne as Emperor but chooses not to appear at the court. LiChuan did not want to repeat his mistake in his previous life when he became Emperor but had to kill LR - his sister—this time he wants LR to become Princess Regent and manage the court. PWX became the youngest Right Prime Minister.
PWX remarried LR again with a grand wedding. LR gave birth to a Princess, named LiXi. LiChuan gave Li surname to her because he adored her so much.
In 3rd year, LiChuan told LR that he wanted to go north, he wanted to see the tribe and the border. After fighting for a while with his sister, he finally leaves for the North.
In 4th year, LR gave birth to a son, named Pei QingYun.
In 7th year, LiChuan came back with his wife and son. He gave LR northern territory maps. But when LR asks him to let his son stay in the palace, he disagrees. He said that he is afraid someday they will fight with LR and feels that a free life out there is more suitable for him
14th year, LiChuan abdicated and passed the throne to LR. LR became the first Empress of DaXia. Then, LR appointed Princess LiXi as the heir apparent.
On the day of LiXi's coronation, LR received a gift. The gift was southern territory maps with the river management plan to control floods. There was no name of the sender but from the hand-writting she knew, it was SRQ.
WeiYang Palace has a secret exit. At that time, PWX left medicine and deliberately burned the palace, giving SRQ a way out.
LR and PWX's relationship is just like that, they often quarrel until LiXi says to her brother "Since I was born, how many divorce letters have they written? Don't worry they will not be separated." They are only cultivating their relationship.
Finally, the last sentence from the novel. "Some love transcends mountains and rivers, some love transcends time, and some love transcends life and faith, tempered thousands of times, never to be separated."

JoJe

Mar 7, 2024 05:15 pm

Qin ZhenZhen and LiChuan's story

(I will add Qin ZhenZhen, Pei WenXuan & LiRong back story here)

Qin ZhenZhen is the daughter of Qin family. Her father and Pei Wexuan’s father are friends. That’s why PWX and QZZ are betrothed at an early age. They have known each other since young and despite love or not PWX and QZZ’s relationship are good.
After PWX’s father passed away, it was his second uncle who took over Pei family
PWX and his uncle are not in a good relationship, then PWX and QZZ’s engagement breaks off. At that time PWX's status was still low/ poor.

Previous life :

LR married PWX. She chose PWX despite his low status because she knew that her Emperor Father would not let her marry to gain stronger power. Her Sangguan family background from her Empress Mother is already too dashing. So, PWX was a safe choice plus PWX is very handsome.
After marriage, LR and PWX's relationship was not that good. It is because they do not communicate well. Although they respect and like each other, everything between them is miscommunication and misunderstanding.
Also because of political arrangements, LiChuan as Crown Prince married 5 wives – 1 Crown Princess from the Shangguan family (Shang Guan Ya) and 4 concubines. QZZ is one of the concubines.
Shangguan family was the strongest aristocratic family since 3 generation Empress was from the Shangguan family (including LR & LiChuan’s Mother). However, LiChuan never loves SGY and only loves QZZ.
This really brings disaster. All eyes were on QZZ and everyone was jealous of QZZ.
QZZ often gets in trouble in the palace and PWX always helps her.
Actually, PWX towards QZZ was more responsibility than love. It is just because they have known each other since young so PWX helps her.
LR knew this and thought PWX still had feelings for QZZ. To this misunderstanding, when LR asks him, PWX doesn’t know how to explain and doesn’t bother to correct it.
From this, LR and PWX's relationship becomes colder. LR feels lonely and lets Su RongQing stay at Princess Residence as one of her attendants. LR often drinks and watches dance & song.
PWX often sees LR & SRQ together, so he thinks that LR does not love him but SRQ because after all PWX comes from a lower family status than SRQ’s Su family (the Su family is one of the aristocratic family).
PWX & LR's relationship was just like that cold for 30 years. Even though they consume their marriage, LR cannot get pregnant because of her health and stress. FYI, a little jump to their rebirth: although both of them are in a good relationship and want children, LR still thinks that she can’t give PWX a child, like in her previous life. PWX doesn’t mind it as long as they are together. So, when LR got pregnant, it was really the happiest news for them.
Back to QZZ, after LiChuan ascended the throne and after she gave birth, because of political interest she got killed inside the palace.

This lifetime :

LiChuan refuses the political marriage arrangement.
LR worked together with SGY and opposed it too. So the story about LiChuan having to marry 5 wives doesn’t happen in this lifetime. Even LiChuan does not recognize QZZ until the last part of the novel.
Something bad still happened to the Qin family and Qin family was slaughtered.
QZZ manages to escape and LR promises to help her to seek justice for Qin family.
QZZ is a woman who has high martial arts.
In short, QZZ agrees to LR that she will pretend to die and change her name, and after Qin family matter is finished she will go to the north to raise the army there.
LR gave her a new name: XunChuan. QZZ is very loyal to LR. LR managed to clean Qin family name. For QZZ, LR was not only her savior but also her friend, her sister, and her monarch.
At the end part of the novel, it’s QZZ who comes to the city of HuaJing with the army from the north. She meets with LiChuan outside the city before the rebellion happens. Both of them broke back into the palace.
After they all manage to be inside the palace, it is also QZZ who shoots CR's head before CR can stab LR.
When LR is already Princess Regent and before QZZ goes back to the north, LR gives her an official letter which to give QZZ's real name back so she doesn’t need to live as someone else.
In the 3rd year when LiChuan wanted to go to the north, LR asked QZZ to arrange everything for LiChuan.
In the 7th year when LiChuan came back to bring his wife and son, LiChuan’s wife was QZZ.

JoJe

Mar 7, 2024 05:23 pm

The ‘ugly truth’ behind LiRong’s death in her previous life :

I will start with LiChuan had ascended the throne after their father, Emperor LiMing died. LiRong held great power at that time and kind of represented the aristocratic family.
Alone on the highest throne LiChuan feels insecure and becomes a cold, ruthless king. He trusts no one. He struggles to balance power and considers everything to be a chess game that he needs to balance all.
As time passed, LiChuan’s health declined. He became more and more insecure, even with his sister LR.
Then, LiChuan’s alchemist suddenly died because of drunk then fell to the lake. But, LiChuan thought that there was a conspiracy and LR wanted to kill him
LiChuan ordered Su RongQing to start poisoning LR. The poison's name is Fragrant Beauty, it consists of many ingredients that will slowly react, so over time it will seep into bones and spleen.
SRQ and SGY as Empress know about this. They slowly put an antidote sachet in everyone, so when LR smells it, it will delay the poison. FYI, LR and SGY are friends.
LR's life is in SRQ and SGY so killing or saving LR is easy for them.
On the morning before LR’s death, LiChuan vomited blood. LiChuan summoned PWX to write a posthumous edict.
LiChuan asked PWX what would happen if LR rebelled after his death, PWX answered that LR is his sister so LR would never do such things.
After that, before LiChuan fell into a coma, he gave a death order to poison LR. For LiChuan his death means unbalance power. He thought only if both of them died, the power will balance.
Knowing that LiChuan was in a coma state, SGY locked down the palace and then informed SRQ that this was the best opportunity to control LR’s residence.
PWX did come to LR’s residence to talk about the posthumous edict but in the end, LR’s death was not because of him but a conspiracy between LiChuan’s order, SRQ, and SGY – her nearest.

JoJe

Mar 7, 2024 05:44 pm

Shangguan Ya & Su RongHua's story

(I will add the ‘disgusted truth’ that LR and SRH learn at the end of the novel here)

Previous life :

Shangguan Ya was forced to marry LiChuan as Crown Princess through political marriage. She never loved and never be loved by LiChuan.
The force by many parties for Shangguan Ya and LiChuan to produce an heir makes them need to drink medicine only for them to be able to consume the night.
After they have done it, they will throw up and take a bath. They feel disgusted with each other. This is crazy and they have to do it not only once but many.
Shangguan family was still angry that after a long time, SGY was not yet pregnant while Qin ZhenZhen (LiChuan’s favored concubine) got pregnant first.
Frustrated SGY makes her look for another man. And at that time Su RongHua was willing to help her. SGY & SRH actually love each other even before SGY becomes Empress.
Then SGY got pregnant and had LiXin whom no one knew was not LiChuan’s son but SGY and SRH’s.
Then SRH kills QZZ to protect their son LiXin.
Then LiChuan also uses castration to humiliate and kill SRH & all of Su's Family because he knew about SGY & SRH’s affair and because of his anger for his beloved concubine's death.
This is also why, SGY and SRQ (SRH’s brother) ally at the end and watch LR die when LiChuan is also on the brink of death. It is because they want to protect SRH’s last bloodline LiXin to ascend the throne.

This lifetime :

The first meeting for SGY & SRH in this lifetime was when LiRong chased SGY to stop SGY. LR wants SGY to decline the political marriage that makes her Crown Princess. SGY jumps from the window and SRH catches her.
Since that time, SGY & SRH have become friends who like to play and drink.
Although SRH is the eldest from Su Family, he doesn’t want to be the Su family's successor. He rather play outside and make his brother Su RongQing be the successor and do family business.
SGY agreed to work together with LiRong so that a disastrous political marriage doesn’t happen. LR, SGY, and also QZZ become great friends who work as allies.
This lifetime SGY is still a free spirit, loves to gamble and play SGY that never wears a heavy makeup mask like in her previous life.
Towards the end, SGY & LR stand at different path with SRQ. SGY & LR want LiChuan to ascend the throne while SRQ works together with Consort Rou to dethrone and kill LiChuan.
That’s why at that time SGY ask SRH what he want to do in the future. SRH who didn’t know anything when being asked only answer that they will always play happily.
So, SGY drew the line, even wanting to marry another man (Lin FeiBai). It is because she thinks that she and SRH won’t have a future since they walk a different path and SRH will never want to inherit Su Family to stop SRQ's scheme.
Only after that did SRH learn everything, even he knew what happened in his previous life from SRQ.
SRH always loves his brother SRQ and wants to stop him since Su family is never involved in the throne battle.
But at that time SRQ already knocked out their father and wanted to knock him too. So, SRH can only run away. SRQ also already arranged for Su's family army to get ready to follow him to rebel.
SRH tips SGY about SRQ's plan to rebel with the army. Then SGY chase LR until outside the city to tell LR (this happened when LR escaped the chaos city while being pregnant). LR decides to go back and enter the palace.
SRH managed to take control of the Su family’s army and help SGY & LiChuan with QZZ & the north army easily come inside the city.
In short SGY, LR, PWX, and LiChuan win. Everyone thought SRQ died. SRH held a funeral for him, and then SRH took the whole Su family out of the city.
At PWX & LR’s grand wedding, Lin FeiBai told SGY let’s not delay each other. He can see that SRH is willing to die for SGY, so let’s forget about marriage.
In 7th year, after LR received northern maps from LiChuan, SGY asked for an expedition to the North. So, LR and SGY together go to the north.
All this year, SRH stayed low out of the city. He thought the Su Family SRQ once disobeyed LR and caused chaos, so he was afraid that although Su family already retreated but marriage between Su and Sangguan will cause SGY trouble.
But, now that he hears SGY is going to the north, SRH thinks that maybe he can’t see SGY again and suddenly feels selfish and wants to cause SGY trouble by meeting her.
So, finally, after 7 years, they held their wedding. Although Su family is not as glorious as before, their wedding is grand and SRH can come back to the city
SGY told SRH what kind of person LR is. LR has the world in her heart, not political schemes. So, as long as LR is here and as long as SRH loves SGY, they can always be together.

Fin.

I only want to say that no matter Li Rong & Pei Wen Xuan, Qin Zhen Zhen & Li Chuan, Shang Guan Ya & Su Rong Hua, or even Su Rong Qing in the south, they all have more and more beautiful life & beautiful ending in this lifetime. For Li Rong and Pei Wen Xuan who rebirth with their memory, this life is a kind of beautiful redemption as they succeed in carving a new path to their better and happy life. As for Su Rong Qing, although he chose the wrong path, at least he has a kind of peaceful life far in the south.

FeiJin

May 3, 2024 07:53 am

I think In the last paragraph you mistakenly wrote Li Rong,Pei Wenxuan, Li Chuan instead of Li Rong,Pei Wenxuan, Su Rong Qing bcz SRQ was the 3rd person who has the memory of past life like the main cp

fancy

May 17, 2024 04:20 am

Wow, I admire her willingness to forgive because I personally feel like I would only pretend. I'm not going to be able to look past my brother killing me.

JoJe

May 30, 2024 01:43 pm

Xiao An:
I think In the last paragraph you mistakenly wrote Li Rong,Pei Wenxuan, Li Chuan instead of Li Rong,Pei Wenxuan, Su Rong Qing bcz SRQ was the 3rd person who has the memory of past life like the main cp

I might be wrong but I thought Li Chuan also has the memory of past life. That's why I grouped Li Rong, Pei Wen Xuan, and Li Chuan as the ones who have the memory of their past life, redeem their past mistake, and have their happy ending while Su Rong Qing has the memory of past life too but choose the wrong path and has a bad ending.

JoJe

May 30, 2024 01:52 pm

fancy:
Wow, I admire her willingness to forgive because I personally feel like I would only pretend. I'm not going to be able to look past my brother killing me.

Yes, I too will find it hard to forgive. Her brother works together with her nearest person to kill her. Whatever the reason that's crazy. However just like the case in this novel, sometimes forgiving gives a more peaceful life and her brother did redeem his past mistake in his rebirth.

QueenSpringDay

Jun 23, 2024 06:10 am

I haven't finished reading the novel yet but, thank you for summarizing important key points of the story, especially because I'm relying on machine translations for latter chapters. I just want to point out how much I adore Pei Wenxuan for his very steadfast dedication to Li Rong. Also multiple times throughout the story he kept mentioning how he's loving the fact that his wife is powerful (my wife can go to court while other's can't) XD

Blockskiddy

Jun 27, 2024 11:32 am

Thanks JoJe for posting the novel content 😌

Harry heartman

Jun 27, 2024 06:29 pm

Wow thanks 😊

twinty

Jun 28, 2024 01:14 am

This sounds much better than some of the comments I read about LR and SQR. According to your summary of the novel, LR did not have any intimate relationship with SQR in either lifetime. Am I correct? I read a few comments which said she did and Pei Wei knew about it.

twinty

Jun 28, 2024 01:16 am

Thank you for doing this!

JoJe

Jun 28, 2024 03:20 am

twinty:
This sounds much better than some of the comments I read about LR and SQR. According to your summary of the novel, LR did not have any intimate relationship with SQR in either lifetime. Am I correct? I read a few comments which said she did and Pei Wei knew about it.

In my understanding, LR and SRQ relationship was not too intimate. In the previous lifetime, SRQ is more like a companion who gets closer over time. LR trusts him enough to let him accompany her, always be by her side, and protect him because she thinks SRQ is also lonely with his family burden. Besides, LR needs 'someone' to maintain her high self-esteem (because she thinks PWX has another woman in his heart, why can't she). But that's the maximum, not more like kiss, etc.

It can be seen in this lifetime. LR is only comfortable holding SRQ's hand but not more. When SRQ needs to touch her stomach so that her clothes won't sound while they are hiding in Tuo Ba Yan house, she feels awkward. On the other hand, LR let PWX sleep beside her, offering her back to support sleepy PWX. In addition, although they always bicker, it speaks old couple who know each other deeply. Out of topic, but her maid who laughs seeing them bicker is an extra point!