English language
Published Jan. 3, 2022 by Peach Flower House LLC.
It is year twenty-five of the Yuantai Era of the Great Zhou Empire. The renowned Marquis of Jingning, commander of the Beiyan Cavalry, Fu Shen is injured on the battlefield at the northern border. Returning with a broken leg to the capital, Fu Shen learns that the emperor has conferred a marriage for him―with another man. To make matters worse, Fu Shen's spouse is his political nemesis: the famed Imperial Investigator of the Feilong Guard, Yan Xiaohan.
In spite of the political differences that stand between them in court, Fu Shen and Yan Xiaohan gradually start to accept each other's presence in their shared home. Yet as they learn to navigate their new life together, it is the calm before the storm. The mystery behind the attack at the northern border begins to unfold, unveiling dangers that threaten the peace of Great Zhou.
The last extra story bumped this up a star for offering a really intriguing twist, but the story as a whole ultimately ended up up falling short by trying to be five different things at once.
Do you like slow-paced court intrigue and political backstabbing? An arranged marriage of two estranged men, both of whom would rather flay themselves alive than talk about their feelings? And they’re both assholes? Then this is the book for you.
Vol. 1 of this duology starts off slow and plodding. It took me a while to get all of the factions and characters to stick in my head. Think of Game of Thrones but with less hand-holding. It’s still a good time, and I like how morally dubious the two leads are. Like they’re just wretched guys, but they have to be to have ascended so far up the ladder. Looking forward to the second part. Think of this rating as a rounded-up 3.5. The prose got a little too vague in some parts.
