This novel has been on my radar for some time now. Although the translation isn’t perfect (because English isn’t the translator’s first or second language), it’s still readable. My OCD of always wanting to re-write sentences have calm down a lot since I started the journey of reading translated Chinese novels. It no longer bug me like it used to.
We first meet the ML who is Xiao Zhi Zhi. He was an orphan that was adopted by a monk who taught him martial arts. His skills in martial arts allowed him to improve his status rather quickly and by the time he was 25 years old, he was already a well-known general who held 1/3 of the country’s military power.
ML suffers from insomnia and hadn’t slept in 3 days. He consulted with an imperial doctor for a cure. The doctor suggest he sleep with someone as he has a cold body and the warmth of another person may make him able to fall asleep.
Although the idea is ludicrous, ML grabbed a serving maid, hugged her, and closed his eyes. After a moment, he lets go and made a comment that the maid is too skinny and holding her feels too loose. Next time, he wants a fatter one.
Our MC is Chu Zhu Yu, the (plump, not fat) daughter of the owner of a renowned teahouse. Her father is the second son of the Chu family. When her paternal grandfather died, her elder uncle wanted to separate the family. Of her grandfather’s assets, they were only given the teahouse, which at that time was not doing well. Now that MC and her father managed to make the teahouse profitable, MC’s elder uncle and cousin wants it back. Their excuse is that once MC marries, the teahouse would leave the Chu family if it’s left to MC (as her father have no other children). MC tell them she would remedy this by finding someone who would take her surname so the teahouse would stay within the Chu family.
MC is unable to find anyone willing to marry her. Her uncle had put out words that whoever marry her would die without a son. MC then hears about a maid who had an affair with her master and became pregnant and thus was able to become his concubine. MC decided this would be the route she’d go. She would become a maid, get pregnant by the master, and then the master would have to marry her. If not, she can always have a baby and the baby could have her surname.
The next day, she goes to a residence to apply to be a maid. She is told that she would be serving the general. She is confused as she thought she was applying to be a maid at the Kang Residence, only to find out she went to the wrong residence.
MC is bummed over the mixed-up. She purposely choose the Kang Residence as the young master of the Kang Residence is known to be a playboy who already have several wives and yet still indulged in affairs with courtesans. Thus, the likelihood of her becoming his concubine is much higher. Unfortunately, she ended up in the General Residence. Which meant that she is really just a maid since the General is known to be misogynistic.
At night while she is enjoying her tea and reciting poetry by the open window in her bedroom (in the General Residence), she encounters ML. He looks at her and asked who she is. She replies that she’s a maid there. He responds that she is good enough. Confused, she asked him what he means so he tells her that she is not too thin, hugging her wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. She is outraged that he think she is fat. But he tells her that she is not. ML had followed the scent of tea and came to her window. She is ecstatic meeting a fellow tea enthusiast. When she asked what kind of tea he likes, he named off a really expensive tea. She urged him to try her tea which he really liked. He told her about his insomnia so she made him another tea that is good for insomnia. Then he hugs her and holds her to sleep. She’s fighting him as it isn’t appropriate and because she is so noisy, he hits her acupuncture points so she can’t move. The next morning, ML wakes up and is full of energy.
I adore the relationship of the two. Especially in the beginning when MC has no clue that ML is the general. She overhears the other maids talking about how good looking the general is and she can’t help but wonder if the general is as good-looking as the man that came into her room the night before.
Although she is upset that he’s taking advantage of her, she pities him when he tells her all about his inability to fall asleep. Therefore she allows him to hold her to sleep every night. One particular night he didn’t get back until very late, when he enters her room, she’s already sleeping. He feels upset that she didn’t wait for him. He nudges her and she wakes up telling him that he took so long, she felt drowsy and fell asleep. She then urged him to get in bed as it’s very cold. He became happy knowing that she did wait for him.
This whole time, she thinks that he is an imperial guard for the general. When he realized she doesn’t know that he’s the general, he purposely gives her another name: Jue Qing. He likes that she’s not scared of him as usually people would be scared of him when they find out that he’s the general.
ML becomes increasingly dependent on MC and starts to fall in love with her. He becomes more possessive when he accompanied her to a temple where he overheard her praying for a baby. He thinks she has someone she loves and wants to have a baby with that person. He tells her he won’t allow her to leave him. Sometimes I feel like MC coaxes ML like a mother coaxing an unruly child who’s upset… giving false assurance.
The first time MC finds out ML’s real identity is when the Emperor was ill so ML was called to the imperial palace for a few days. He was so exhausted from his lack of sleep and rushed back to the General Residence. As soon as he arrived, he “disappeared”. This cause everyone in the household to go search for him, leaving MC all alone in the kitchen tending to the fire. ML had gone to MC’s room but she wasn’t there so he followed her scent. As ML was hugging her, MC heard his stomach growled so she stole some of the freshly made cake that the kitchen staff made for the general to give to him. He demanded that she feed him so she kept feeding him but she tells him that she can’t give him anymore food otherwise she would be in trouble. As she heard an entourage of people coming their way, she tried to convince him to go back to her room so people won’t see him. She goes out of the kitchen first to delay the people so that ML could get away. But when everyone enters the kitchen, ML is still there. He’s holding a piece of cake in his hand. Everyone else is stunned while MC is trying to find an excuse to give the head housekeeper. In the meanwhile, ML walks up to MC, put the cake in her hand and tell her to feed him. Then everyone bows and greet him as the general.
MC was kind of upset after finding out but she realized in hindsight that she should have known from the beginning. When he hugged her and pulled her to bed, she tells them that they can’t sleep together anymore because now everyone knows. ML tells her he wants to marry her because he loves her and he doesn’t want her to leave him. MC does have feelings for him but she feels guilty as her intentions for entering the General Residence wasn’t completely innocent.
There are quite a few plots before the end. MC has a love rival in the form of a royal princess. She’s considered the most beautiful woman and wants to marry ML. However, as a favor from the Emperor to ML’s monk adopted father, ML is given the freedom to choose whom he wants to marry. So the Emperor could not decreed his marriage to the princess. While ML was in the palace to see the Emperor, the princess sent him an invitation to see her. He declined. Her maid overheard ML tell the Seventh Prince that he already have someone he loves. This caused the princess to be jealous.
During a rebel uprising, the Emperor called for ML to go there to handle the problem. ML took MC with him. Near there, he meet with his adopted father as he wanted to introduce MC to him. We find out that ML has a weakness that was foretold by a fortune teller. His weakness is that he has misfortune in love. He will die due to love. But ML doesn’t want anyone to tell MC about it. A few other things happened while they were there. MC gets kidnapped by the Third Prince. The rebel uprising are bandits who are actually the army of the Third Prince. He finds out from the princess that ML has a lover and so he had her abducted to stop ML. This doesn’t bode well for the Third Prince as ML isn’t the God of War for nothing.
When he finally rescued her, he won’t let her out of his sight and she is guarded 24/7. This drove her crazy as she just wants to try out the teahouse in the city. So when she finds out that he would be gone for a while, she snuck out to go to the teahouse. He came back early to find her missing. He closed the city gate to look for and find her in the teahouse. He’s upset as he takes her home and almost forces himself on her. However, she was poisoned and became unconscious. He finds out that this is the work of the princess. She had someone poison MC. The only antidote is to have intercourse but the poison would tell be consumed by the other party and that party would die. ML didn’t hesitate to sacrifice himself. When MC wakes up, ML is hiding from her and has forbidden anyone from entering the garden. She stood outside to wait for him. In her exhaustion, she tried to stab herself with her hair pin so she could stay awake but ML finally comes out as he doesn’t want her to hurt herself. Anyways, long story short… ML’s adopted father has a way to save ML by using a gu insect but this would mean MC and the child she’s carrying will become weaker than normal people. MC agreed while ML opposed but in the end, MC won. MC became pregnant the first time they had intercourse (antidote to save her).
In the end, MC showed up at the teahouse and she’s 6 months pregnant. Her elder uncle and cousin are lecturing her than ML shows up.
Thoughts & Opinions 