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reblog if you’ve read fanfictions that are more professional, better written than some actual novels. I’m trying to see something

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To be this beautiful and still pull off crossdressing as a man.

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STORY OF KUNNING PALACE 宁安如梦 (2023)  EPISODE 38

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Rewatching doesn’t lessen the pain. My Tantai Jin and Pian Ran deserved better. As did I. I wish everyone involved in the production that made the decision to end things the way it did, steps on Legos every day.

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It's a miracle. You're being gross again.

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Pete The Hedgehog

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Wang is too emotionally mature for these people. He deserves the world 😭

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The loneliest thing in the world is finishing a book and having no one to tell

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180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us finale has been emotional and heart breaking. But Wang was the MVP of this episode. Every word out of his mouth was a slash at my heart. 💔

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KINNPORSCHE WEEK 2022 DAY 1

Favorite character: Vegas Theerapanyakul (pt.10/11)

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Love Between Fairy and Devil  苍兰诀  |  Moon Supreme’s wardrobe collection 

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If 成化十四年 is your jam then this might just be totally up your lane, it has the same doses of crime-solving, political strife with just a bit more of angst and sexytimes with a gorgeous happy ending!!! One of my fave reads of the year no doubt. You guys know I love my tropes and I am more than happy most of the time to get brainrot from simple danmei as long as it hits all the right buttons, but once in a while a masterpiece like this comes along and I’m like YASSSSSS!! 

Summary

A story between a Prince Regent and a new-to-court scholar who’s just made it past the imperial exams and catches the eye of said prince regent. Li Shi is prince regent and rules the empire with an iron fist in the place of an emperor who’s too young to hold onto the reigns of power just yet, and meets Sui Cen for the first time at an eating house. Li Shi and his guard, Qi Lin, are chasing a member of an assassination group Qu Ling Er, and Qu Ling Er manages to hide behind Sui Cen. Sui Cen has no idea who Qu Ling Er, Li Shi or Qi Lin are, but he’s got one hell of a temper and can see the way Li Shi is smiling coldly at him, and so defends Qu Ling Er, causing a scene to protect him, from Li Shi and Qi Lin. A few days later, during the last round of his examinations, he sees Li Shi - prince regent known for being cold, aloof and merciless - and the man gives him a difficult question to answer in everyone. He’s sure he must have failed the exam, but Li Shi passes him, and after a round of political plays where the top three scholars are invited to various factions within the imperial courts and forced to pick a side, Sui Cen decides to go with Li Shi, and the man places him with the department that clears crimes and conducts investigations. 

Sui Cen then realizes that Li Shi, that old, sly fox, has basically dumped him to do paperwork rather than be allowed to step into any cases - he’s angry, and chances upon a murder case, where his immediate supervisor is rushing to close up the case, and interrupts. But he doesn’t have any power or authority to conduct this investigation, and so he looks for Li Shi, remembering the way Li Shi eyed him and his body during their first meetings, certain that the man was attracted to him, and likewise. And so begins something like the historical times s/ugar daddy kind of arrangement, where they sleep together when Sui Cen wants something. Li Shi is more than ten years older than Sui Cen, and is looking to guide and train him to be his lover and also a useful sword in the shadows of the fight for the throne. 

They both fall in love with each other with every case, but circumstances are beyond them with multiple conspiracies and groups of people vying for the throne at play. They end up separating for a few short years, in which time Sui Cen grieves over knowing that he and Li Shi can never be together after what transpired, and almost moves on, almost marrying another woman, knowing that Li Shi is safe and sound in the imperial city and if they have to be apart, then so be it - but right before his marriage rites, he gets word that Li Shi has been thrown into jail and is due for execution.

Conviction to justice, knowing that he might never be able to be with Li Shi properly, Sui Cen knew he had bring the truth to light, and he was thrown into prison as a result of that. Li Shi, who gave up 50% of his authority and power in court just to get a promise of Sui Cen’s safety for the next few years even if they might never be together again, because he loves him. So much longing but being forced to let each other go, almost coming to terms with that, but all that changes when the news of Li Shi’s plight is known, and Sui Cen drops his to-be-wife, willingly is disowned by his parents and family, just so he can go back to the city and save Li Shi, even if they end up dying together.

A solid HE, plus there are two other couples!! One ends up in tragedy due to conspiracy and it’s pretty heartbreaking I cried a bit, and the other one is between Qu Ling Er and Qi Lin - super sweet!!! I’d say the angst is only like 30% more towards the last arc. And although we don’t need deaths to make a danmei a good one and yall know I hate it when I get BEs, but the overall rollercoaster I got from this was so worth it; every single part was so juicy!! Age difference yessss so if you’re not into that you might wanna skip this, like I said, historical s/ugar dad vibes.

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Characters

1. Sui Cen 苏岑 - An intelligent young man looking to change the world and do good, a little naive at times, but only due to his age. Has a strong sense of justice, and is willing to give his everything if the truth comes to light. Begins a transactional relationship with Li Shi in the beginning, but ends up loving the man for real as time goes on, as he sees this older man who’s seen so much and sees way beyond what he sees, tries to protect him at every turn in his own way, but never compromising his self-growth, even if it comes with hard lessons. Devoted to Li Shi, and is devastated when saying the truth on his last case inevitably means the end of him and Li Shi, and a one-two years later when Li Shi meets him again in a friendly, diplomatic setting, Sui Cen finally makes the decision to let the man go emotionally, and marries whoever his older brother and parents have in mind for his future wife. He would have gone through with it too, burying feelings for Li Shi deep down in his heart for the rest of his life and giving his to-be-wife the highest level of respect he can muster, never thinking about Li Shi again, but that was only if Li Shi was living well and fine in the city. And when he realized that Li Shi basically planned for his safety, for everyone’s safety, at the cost of his own, Sui Cen leaves his bride at the altar and cuts off ties with his family, because all is for nothing if Li Shi is dead. 

2. Li Shi 李释 - Middle-aged, cold and merciless prince regent who holds a majority of power in the imperial family and has been tutoring and teaching the young emperor how to be a good emperor who acts for the welfare of his citizens. It’s a tough job, considering that there are other princes who are vying for the throne in the shadows, and the emperor’s mother, the empress dowager, wants Li Shi dead so all power can fully be transferred to the young emperor. With so many forces at bay, Li Shi has never once seriously taken in a lover, after his wife died many year prior during their first year of marriage while was at war. Sui Cen is the first young man he’s taken to his bed for long, and one that he’s been so patiently indulging in decades. He protects Sui Cen in the only way he knows how, and is insistent that Sui Cen plays political dodgeball, but Sui Cen is a stubborn man who Li Shi can never plan or account for. After a few times of ‘punishing’ Sui Cen for disobeying him, he realizes at some point, as the crimes unravel, that their end is inevitable. But Sui Cen always surprises him, and they both love each other more than the other thought they did.

3. Qi Lin 祁林 - Li Shi’s lead guard. Very muscular, huge build, he and his fellow team of guards are loyal only to Li Shi, and he falls in love with Qu Ling Er who he hated in the beginning. They get together, and work past their differences considering that Qu Ling Er worked previously for the enemy. Was ‘forced’ to rat Li Shi out towards the end as Qu Ling Er was being held hostage.

4. Qu Ling Er 曲伶儿 - An assassin who defects from his organization, and finds refuge in Sui Cen’s house, becoming his guard and assistant. Falls in love with the brash caveman-like guard Qi Lin.

Other Things I Liked in the Novel

The young emperor is really cute and I think it’s really nice that with Li Shi teaching him, he’s internalized his teachings and has learnt to discern right from wrong for himself, rather than be susceptible to his mother’s ulterior motives. He likes Sui Cen a lot too, and actually didn’t want to be emperor for the first few years, always crying when things go wrong, but Li Shi would scold him and then he composes himself, agreeing to make decisions etc. with the most pouty and sulking face ever

There’s a bit of a hot and cold situation because Qi Lin and Qu Ling Er both like each other, are attracted to each other, but because of their identities and the way Qi Lin is naturally suspicious of everyone, he ends up stabbing Qu Ling Er by accident and blames himself for it. Qu Ling Er forgives him as it was a complicated situation, but Sui Cen isn’t as kind - he ‘exchanges’ his body again to Li Shi for the promise of Li Shi punishing Qi Lin (he does, but then Qu Ling Er is sulky after that because he doesn’t want Qi Lin to suffer)

The cases are intriguing as well and are very well connected; pacing is undoubtedly a tad bit slower and the connecting dots definitely lengthens the whole thing by quite a bit, but overall a healthily packed piece

Just the way that Li Shi is trying his best to give Sui Cen the things he wants but also trying to teach Sui Cen to be smarter really gets at me ;-;

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Ohm & Nanon + CHICTEEN magazine