The stakes in this chapter are layered like an onion made of political intrigue and parental anxiety, and I am HERE for it. On the surface, the conflict is simple: the court officials don't want the crown prince leaving the palace, and Zhao Zhen wants to let him. But dig one inch deeper and you've got the legitimacy question, the military weakness of the Song dynasty, the threat from Liao and Xia, and the fact that Zhao Xin is basically the only person in this entire story who understands what's actually happening. What gets me is how the author makes you care about a six-year-old's request to go outside. Zhao Xin isn't just a smart kid trope—he's genuinely trapped. His sister Huirou pins him against a wall and twists his arms while Consort Miao and Empress Cao are packing his things for the outing. The most powerful boy in the empire can't even leave the palace because his own sister is stronger than him. "In the face of absolute power, strategy is useless!" The author literally says this and I laughed out loud because it's so true. The memorials piling up outside are the external manifestation of the conflict, but the real tension is internal—Zhao Zhen knows his son is right about everything but also knows he can't let him out of the palace. If he does, the officials will revolt. If he doesn't, he's raising a sparrow in a cage and wondering why it can't fly when it's time to go to war. And Zhao Xin? He's stuck between being a genius who sees everything and a child who just wants to eat yellow bean cakes and look at the world. The chapter ends with him being physically restrained by his sister while trying to leave. That's the entire dynasty in a nutshell.
Let's talk about Wu Qingchuan's dialogue because this man says absolutely nothing and yet communicates everything. His entire contribution to the scene where he brings Shen Niao food: 'Come in and close the door. There are mosquitoes in the evening.' That's it. That's his line. He's standing there with lunch boxes, clearly went to the trouble of bringing her food, and his most expressive sentence is about mosquito prevention. And yet—the narration tells us he placed the chopsticks 'neatly and perfectly straight, just like the man himself.' The man is a walking metaphor for his own personality. Shen Niao's voice is so much more expressive. 'I just woke up,' she says with a smile, 'Sorry for making you wait.' Casual, warm, unbothered. She hooks a stool toward herself with her foot. She wipes the chopsticks clean without being asked. She's comfortable in her own skin in a way that seems to completely confuse Wu Qingchuan. Zhang Cuihua's dialogue is pure warmth. 'How pretty! Such a graceful figure. A young, beautiful girl should dress herself up. Like a blooming flower.' This woman is just... so happy to be alive and talking to a young person. Her dialogue feels genuine, not forced. She's not performing kindness, she's just genuinely pleased. Shen Su's dialogue is where it gets interesting. Her fake tears and 'Chengzu... don't worry. No matter what happens, I'll stay by your side'—you can practically see the calculation behind every word. And then Wu Chengzu's response: 'Su'er... thank you.' The nickname! He calls her Su'er! This man who can't muster more than a sentence about mosquitoes for his actual wife is calling his fake-devoted wife by a tender nickname. The dramatic irony is SO thick I could spread it on toast. The narrative voice itself is also worth praising. It's close third-person, dipping into characters' internal thoughts without ever feeling intrusive. When we get Wu Qingchuan's perspective about Shen Niao's feet, it's handled with this deadpan humor that makes me snort-laugh. The author has a great sense of when to be serious and when to let the situation speak for itself.
Let's talk about the central tension of these chapters: the secret. Ruan Ning asks Zhai Yu not to tell 'Miss Lin' about what happened on the mountain. She's already married, already has a daughter, already has a life she's painstakingly rebuilt. One scandal and it all crumbles. So she begs him for discretion. And his response? He kisses her and says 'at least something like this should happen to warrant secrecy.' He's turning her fear into leverage. The secret isn't protection — it's a chain. But then Shen Yi shows up and completely flips the power dynamic. He knows everything. He was there. He saw her shivering, saw her trying to pull away, saw Zhai Yu pin her against the pillar like she was property. And he doesn't care about secrets — he punches Zhai Yu in front of everyone and tells him straight: her husband can make her happier than you ever could. That line is a plot bomb. It establishes that her husband exists, that he's supportive, and that he's emotionally available in ways Zhai Yu never was. It also sets up the inevitable confrontation that's coming — because what happens when the husband finds out about the mountain? About the kiss? About Zhai Yu showing up at her apartment cooking noodles? The plot is building toward an explosion and every chapter just adds more fuel. I'm not ready for what comes next
I need to talk about this one exchange because it perfectly captures the narrative voice of this novel. Zhao the Elder opens his mouth at dinner and drops this: "Uncle Qian, tomorrow I'll go to town to buy some wedding things for my little sister. How much money does Uncle plan to put up?" And the entire Qian family's response? They "pretended not to hear and kept his head down eating." The Qian children also pretended not to hear. "After all, if Old Qian didn't contribute, they were the ones who benefited—why would they speak up?" Let that sink in. The stepson asks the stepfather for money at the dinner table, and the stepfather's own children stay silent because they'd benefit from the stepfather NOT paying. That is some next-level family dynamics right there. The dialogue is so sparse in this scene but it carries so much weight. The narrative voice itself is this incredibly dry, almost deadpan observer. It doesn't judge the characters outright—it just lays out the facts and lets you sit with the moral discomfort. Take this passage: "Though Madam Zhao had her own selfish motives, and sometimes schemed for Qian family property, among all stepmothers she really was one of the best—taking only what she was entitled to." The author just... drops that in like it's a neutral observation. Selfish motives AND one of the best stepmothers. Both things are true at the same time. The narrative doesn't resolve the tension; it just holds it. And then Old Qian's response to Madam Zhao's demand for equal treatment: "I can contribute some when your three children marry, but it can't be compared with my own children. If it's too much, it means touching the property. How about this—when Qianqian marries, I'll give twenty yuan as a dowry contribution. When your two sons marry, I'll add fifty yuan each to their bride price." Twenty yuan for the daughter. Fifty each for the sons. His own children obviously get more. He frames it as "not touching the property" but the math is crystal clear: he's protecting his bloodline's inheritance while giving the Zhao kids a pittance. The dialogue here is so natural—it's exactly how a pragmatic, somewhat selfish man would actually speak. No villainous monologue, just a man stating his terms like he's being generous. The author's voice also has this wonderful habit of inserting dry commentary right after dialogue, like: "Twenty yuan? So for her daughter's marriage, she wasn't even worth one month of his salary?" That's not a character thinking that—that's the NARRATOR dropping a truth bomb. It's sharp, it's funny, and it cuts deep.
One of the things I don't like about this novel is the constant holding back nonsense.If you're superior to your opponent, it just becomes uninteresting if you hold back all the time. Just crush them with strength so overwhelming that it makes reader's and the people in the story understand your dignity, esteem and that you're not a force to be trifiled with. And seriously 2 chapters just for that fight with Iaeptus got me fuming, especially since he could've finished the fight earlier.I'm truly hesitant to even spend coins on this for fear of of disappointment and rage.
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Too early to judge the story but I'm leaving this review. Will come back again once this reaches 30+ chapters. Mc is bit sassy through out the entire story. There is also a system which somehow gives him mission and quest what to do
Great early chapters and wish I could explore the world more. The build up and plot is good? Lots of questions needed to be answered and looking forward to knowing more about this real identity, I feel like he might be a God or something if even an angel considers him special. Overall great work
Older chapters will be undergoing revisions to improve their coherence and connection with the rest of the story. I'll be enhancing the narrative to ensure better flow and stability throughout the plot. Please be patient as these updates are made, and stay tuned for a more polished and engaging reading experience.
every single character seems stupid and acts like 3th rate chinse urbans................................... .... ................... .. .. . . .
Loving the novel? Fighting ✊✊. You can do this
Giving it five stars because the first chapter was a hook, hope you won't stop updating early on. I want to read more of Iris and Lucas. Keep writing author nim