Chinese Novel Review 1

Imperial Favour

Rate 4/5
COO 96 translation 18

Summary:

In the capital city, the eldest daughter of the Tang family’s main bloodline, Tang Zhuo Zhuo, lavishly married into the Eastern Palace. Yet, she chose to spend her remaining years within the broken walls of the Cold Palace’s courtyard.

Till her death, she never forgot the general who always resided in her heart.

But only after her death did she know that the cold-hearted emperor, who was thought to harbour hatred towards her, had watched the candle flame of his wife every night from above the Cold Palace’s courtyard walls.

Whilst the general had married the girl of his dreams from the start.

Who would have imagined that the scene that greeted her when she opened her eyes again was the event that happened when she first entered the Eastern Palace – where she grimaced in displeasure towards the future Chong Jian Emperor.

The male’s face whitened with fury.

Tang Zhuo Zhuo flinched, ‘I…I’m done for!’

Huo Qiu had an uncanny feeling. His wife, who had rejected him so severely before, seemingly changed into a new person. Not only did she not create any disturbances, but also made him some pastries.

In the face of the sudden goodwill expressed by his beloved, the future wise, divine and mighty Chong Jiang Emperor frowned, but naturally accepted everything.

Review:
The story is good but a bit hard to understand in MTL. I like some twist in the story, unfortunately there's no follow up on other characters. ML is too OP, in some part it seems ML is forced to show his weakness so MC could save him. Towards the end it become forced and abrupt.
MC was an empress, she went to cold palace because she fought with the emperor for another man. MC loved a general and betrothed to him, but ML force MC to marry him when he was a crown prince. MC died in the cold palace and saw ML who loved her while the man MC love already marry another woman. MC realized that ML always protect and helped her even if she is in cold palace.
MC rebirth to her first fight with ML, she is still crown princess. MC slowly changing her attitude towards ML so he could notice that she no longer love the general. MC found out that ML was poisoned with gu, she helped him solve it. Not sure about this part, later it was said MC moved the gu to herself and seems like need the person who planted the gu but he was dead, no other explanation when MC cured also she is not sick due to gu. ML trust her even if he doubts when MC learn medicine. MC never said anything to ML.
Some background story of ML, his mother was the first empress who died when he was born. The emperor loves the first empress and ML, to protect ML he made first empress sister aka ML aunt as the second empress. The empress is unfavored in her family and only close to her sister the first empress. She took care ML but never met the emperor until he was dying. After the emperor's death, it was said that actually emperor love the second empress from the start. The second empress also love the emperor but she hide it because of her sister.
ML took MC out to Xijiang, there's bandit issue or some issue so ML need to inspect it. They met robber, MC went down and gave them some jewelry to let her entourage pass. She didn't want them to know ML is emperor because they went incognito. But I don't know why don't they just killed them all since ML have a lot of guards. In the end ML also killed them after they went into the city. This is the second part I felt it was forced so MC could display her usefulness.
ML got sick due to plague which is his enemy scheme. The source is MC painting from the general who MC loved. ML open the painting because he was jealous, and accidentally got the plague. And here MC help ML again. MC told ML's subordinate to bring back medicine from capital. But then ML got worse so MC went up to the mountain to find medicine for ML. MC got the medicine but she was attacked by bear and hurt her face. It was said it will scar but actually she has medicine to restore it. MC fed ML a medicine which turn out it should save MC who is sickly from birth. She become barren because of this but it was found out later.
MC and ML went back to capital and the emperor died. MC fought with ML because she suggest ML to get new concubines. Later they make up again and went to autumn hunting. MC met her best friend, Zhu Liu (ZL) in the last life she married mongol khan who she loves and looks happy. MC got confuse because ZL seems didn't want to marry the khan because khan have adopted sister. The adopted sister keep provoking ZL to stay away from khan. Khan has promised the late khan to protect the adopted sister so he indulge her, in the same time he love ZL and want to marry her. ZL choose to marry Ji Han, he travels a lot and seems not care whoever he married but since he decided to marry ZL he took care of her. Khan still force ZL and propose to ML so he could marry ZL. MC suggest a race to let ZL decide what she want, if she lose the race then she will stay but if she win then she should marry the khan. The adopted sister ask to join the race. ZL always follow behind the adopted sister but never passing her, she want to lose and show that she actually can win and choose not to win. MC followed nearby when adopted sister whip went to ZL tight and not sure how making MC fell, in the end 3 of them fell from horse together.
MC lost her baby and found out she couldn't get pregnant again. The khan protect the adopted sister and punished her 40 plank hit. ZL felt guilty and burnt the khan tent, her beast attacked the adopted sister face and injured her badly. ML and MC protect ZL and covered her. The khan realize he has lost ZL and they would never get together again.
There is a small story about ML general. ZL brother was found out with Bai Jing a girl from Qi estate. MC got confuse because the mastermind is the girl's brother who was rumored pampered the girl. ML told her that Qi estate got wrong daughter, the first lady is the true daughter who was raised outside while the Bai Jing the second lady is the child who got swapped and has no relation with Qi estate. The first son Bai Yu actually love her as woman and scheme her in order making her couldn't marry and stay with him. There's no other explanation if they are together or not. Poor ZL brother who got used.
The empress dowager aka ML aunt forced MC to send a woman to ML. ML got angry again and refuse the woman. MC met the empress dowager alone and expose that she want to gather power because she want to send 2 woman from her family to bear ML child. MC threaten her with a vodoo doll she found in empress palace. Turns out the empress dowager killed her own sister which is ML mother, so she could become empress or she love the emperor. She is afraid ML will find out and she will lost her only family. In the end she went to temple to pray for lifetime.
MC told ML that the miracle doctor is her master, she met him in temple when she was 13. MC got another pill from her senior sister. Not sure again about this part. Both the senior sister and the master didn't have any feeling for each other but they got a daughter. The senior sister is ML strategist wife. MC thought the daughter is the strategist child. In the last life the senior sister died early making the strategist betray ML and went to sixth prince. The daughter was raised by sixth prince wife, but due to jealousy, she killed the daughter. The strategist stop helping him and ML captured all of them.
It was told that the master when through some ordeal to make the pills which can cure MC and somehow he got intimate with the senior sister and have a daughter. The master want to take his daughter but the senior sister didn't want it. She give her last pill to MC and ask her to take care her daughter. Not sure what she did in order to keep her daughter from the master, she disappeared leaving the strategist. The strategist never search her and he got thinner. But that's it...
MC also keep dreaming about her master got imprisoned and tortured in the last life, but she didn't know why. In current life the master released the general who MC loved and cured him. Not sure again why. There is no explanation and the story end.