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The Times Spent in Pretense 造作时光
No matter male or female, the members of the Hua clan had been loyal for generations, placing the utmost importance on protecting their nation. The monarch and his subjects were in harmony, sharing all kinds of emotions, all due to the ties of comradeship in their hearts.
Once the weather cooled, would the favored crown prince fall from power?
No.
Once the weather warmed, would the loyal and brave marquess estate be disposed of after its use?
No.
Once the weather cooled, would the favored crown prince fall from power?
No.
Once the weather warmed, would the loyal and brave marquess estate be disposed of after its use?
No.
- GenresChina
145 pages, Unknown Binding
Published January 1, 2019
3 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Yue Xia Die Ying
70 books38 followersAssociated Names:
* Yue Xia Die Ying
* 月下蝶影
* เยวี่ยซย่าเตี๋ยอิ่ง, เยว่เซี่ยเตี๋ยอิ่ง, เย่ว์เซี่ยเตี๋ยอิ่ง (Thai)
* Yue Xia Die Ying
* 月下蝶影
* เยวี่ยซย่าเตี๋ยอิ่ง, เยว่เซี่ยเตี๋ยอิ่ง, เย่ว์เซี่ยเตี๋ยอิ่ง (Thai)
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 1, 2023
This author is amazing and this book is exactly what I needed after trudging through a dog-blooded, family-feud novel about a person striving to live her life to the selfish-est.
This novel is everything opposite. There's supportive families, supportive emporer/generals, mutually supportive couples, and people who are striving to leave their mark on history (some by promoting prosperity and some by any means necessary).
I love the quiet humor in this story, centered around the pretense that fools everyone except those closest to the FL. Her ability to destroy assassination plots looks like blind luck on the surface, but it's many times due to her vigilance and proactive nature. She's always looking out for others, even others that might not like her. And I think that's one of the reasons why her white lotus act doesn't grate as much - she uses her white lotus skills for her own amusement or for protecting others. It's not something she pulls out just to proactively put anyone down.
I'm also surprised how compelling the author was able to make the main couple, considering some of their initial attraction to each other is superficially for their appearances. However, it becomes clear as the story progresses that they've long seen through each other's pretense and appreciates each other for their own, unique personality. They know each other's flaws and are willing to indulge them, or in the case of the crown prince's laziness, convince the other to improve.
I think that's one of the most touching messages in this book. To treasure the people who can understand you, especially the ones who both understand and still like you. When finding someone to love, it's not just about finding the perfect person, but the person who sees through the masks and is still willing to stand beside you. That understanding and mutual respect can help a couple avoid many misunderstandings and stay strong despite unfavorable rumors.
Overall, this was such a heart warming story. Gentle, with tons of mystery and intrigue that lightly skim by due to the network of trust around the main characters.
This novel is everything opposite. There's supportive families, supportive emporer/generals, mutually supportive couples, and people who are striving to leave their mark on history (some by promoting prosperity and some by any means necessary).
I love the quiet humor in this story, centered around the pretense that fools everyone except those closest to the FL. Her ability to destroy assassination plots looks like blind luck on the surface, but it's many times due to her vigilance and proactive nature. She's always looking out for others, even others that might not like her. And I think that's one of the reasons why her white lotus act doesn't grate as much - she uses her white lotus skills for her own amusement or for protecting others. It's not something she pulls out just to proactively put anyone down.
I'm also surprised how compelling the author was able to make the main couple, considering some of their initial attraction to each other is superficially for their appearances. However, it becomes clear as the story progresses that they've long seen through each other's pretense and appreciates each other for their own, unique personality. They know each other's flaws and are willing to indulge them, or in the case of the crown prince's laziness, convince the other to improve.
I think that's one of the most touching messages in this book. To treasure the people who can understand you, especially the ones who both understand and still like you. When finding someone to love, it's not just about finding the perfect person, but the person who sees through the masks and is still willing to stand beside you. That understanding and mutual respect can help a couple avoid many misunderstandings and stay strong despite unfavorable rumors.
Overall, this was such a heart warming story. Gentle, with tons of mystery and intrigue that lightly skim by due to the network of trust around the main characters.
July 20, 2023
It has always been hard for me to write a review of a good book/novel. It's also true for this one.
This author's historical BG novels have always been my favorites. Another one has joined the ranks now.
It was a great blend of slice of life, romance, mystery, palace intrigue, conspiracy and comedy. Though the romance part is quite subpar compared to her other novels, I think the other elements made it up for that.
The comparison between the Great Jin and Daimao kingdom also sends a great message.
Our FL, Hua Liuili, is a sickly and delicate beauty who is totally a face-control. But there is also a twist. Only if you read, you'll know.
Ji Yuansu had such an infuriating poisoned tongue but he was such a wife-slave too. I liked his character a lot. I wanted more scenes between these two.
And finally an emperor who is not a dog. The relationships among the imperial family were also quite unique. The emperor was definitely a good father. I felt for the Fourth prince. Poor boy.
The translator also did a great job.
This novel made me laugh, it also made me tear up so many times. And no matter what I just couldn't put it down either.
Definitely worth it!
"Some people in the world always ask why they should give up an entire forest for the sake of one tree. She thought, perhaps it's because that tree is the most beautiful, the most upright, and the most pleasing. With the existence of that tree, all the other trees in the forest become the same and no longer attracts one's attention."
This author's historical BG novels have always been my favorites. Another one has joined the ranks now.
It was a great blend of slice of life, romance, mystery, palace intrigue, conspiracy and comedy. Though the romance part is quite subpar compared to her other novels, I think the other elements made it up for that.
The comparison between the Great Jin and Daimao kingdom also sends a great message.
Our FL, Hua Liuili, is a sickly and delicate beauty who is totally a face-control. But there is also a twist. Only if you read, you'll know.
Ji Yuansu had such an infuriating poisoned tongue but he was such a wife-slave too. I liked his character a lot. I wanted more scenes between these two.
And finally an emperor who is not a dog. The relationships among the imperial family were also quite unique. The emperor was definitely a good father. I felt for the Fourth prince. Poor boy.
The translator also did a great job.
This novel made me laugh, it also made me tear up so many times. And no matter what I just couldn't put it down either.
Definitely worth it!
"Some people in the world always ask why they should give up an entire forest for the sake of one tree. She thought, perhaps it's because that tree is the most beautiful, the most upright, and the most pleasing. With the existence of that tree, all the other trees in the forest become the same and no longer attracts one's attention."
September 27, 2024
3.5 stars
July 29, 2023
Another good historical fiction story from this author! I've read both her regular and danmei stories, and hands down I've enjoyed all of her regular historical stories a lot more. The Times Spent in Pretense was no exception. It's a bit different from her other two historical novels (Eight Treasures Trousseau and To Be a Virtuous Wife) in that it's not a transmigration story.
The MC, Hua Liuli, is the sickly daughter of two powerful and well respected war generals. She's the only daughter in the past three generations of the Hua family, so she's the darling of the whole family. However, she grew up on the border in the midst of war, so while her family did spoil her, she didn't grow up into a spoiled daughter. Spending time among the suffering soldiers and seeing families torn apart by death will do a lot to help a person mature quicker.
The story starts with her and her brother's arrival in the capital, where she quickly establishes her reputation as a sickly beauty who coughs blood and feels faint at the tiniest bit of provocation. As she adjusts to life in the capital, she slowly meets and grows her social acquaintances, including the ML, Ji Yuansu, who's the Crown Prince. The romance is a slow build up, and it feels very satisfying when the MC finally changes her mind and agrees to marry the Crown Prince.
**Warning: Spoiler Ahead**
I had a strong suspicion that the MC was actually not as weak as she made herself out to be, and sure enough, it was shown quickly that she has some formidable martial arts techniques under her belt and is much stronger than she seems, despite her dreams of being known as the #1 sickly beauty in the capital. It was hilarious reading about how she single-handedly took down all of their kidnappers and then attributed all of the efforts to Jiamin afterwards, and no one questions it at all, not even Jiamin's parents XP
Speaking of which, I freaking loved her friendship with Jiamin. They start out on unfavorable terms, since HLL was supposed to be engaged to the Eldest Prince, who Jiamin had a crush on and hoped to be married to. Then they get kidnapped together, and Jiamin becomes the first person who's privy to her secret, and after that, HLL latches onto her as a close friend, for better or worse XP Most of my favorite comical scenes involve Jiamin despairing as everyone around her, friends and family both, get drawn into HLL's influence and start admiring her.
Like this scene, where Jiamin's mother is admonishing her:
Princess Shunan admonished her daughter, "Jiamin, Fushou Junzhu is weak in health and has a timid temperament. Please take care of her in the palace and don't let her suffer."
After all, no one could afford to provoke her mother.
Yao Jiamin felt like crying but had no tears. Whenever she was with Hua Liuli, she was the one who always felt mistreated. How could anyone say that Hua Liuli was the one who was suffering?
Or this scene, where her mom wants her to follow HLL:
"Mending the pen after the sheep are lost, it is not too late," Royal Princess Shunan took a deep breath, "Since we can't hug the Crown Prince's thigh, we can still hug Fushou Junzhu's thigh. My good girl, fortunately, you are friends with Fushou Junzhu, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to save face."
Yao Jiamin felt like crying but had no tears. She and Hua Liuli were really not friends.
"It's your good fortune that most girls your age are gentle and don't have many bad intentions, unlike our generation, where demons are everywhere..." In Royal Princess Shunan's mind, Leyang was the biggest demon.
As for Wei Mingyue... she was a devil.
Yao Jiamin's lips trembled intensely. She wanted to grab her mother's hand and shout: No, that's not the truth. Hua Liuli is not human, she's a tormenting devil. Wake up.
But she couldn't say it.
She had promised Hua Liuli before; she couldn't go back on her word.
I loved all of the side characters. Each of the princes had their own distinct personality. My favorite was the 5th prince with his love of painting. Everyone thought he couldn't paint and still complimented his painting skills, until he present a conventional painting to the MC and ML for their wedding and it was actually not ugly. The 4th prince didn't have much of a presence until the end, but I respect him for speaking out against his consort mother once he realizes what she did. And poor Eldest Prince, who genuinely falls for HLL but no one actually believes that and thinks he's still trying to use her for his own schemes XP
The romance was done well. The MC and ML are a good match for each other, despite all of their respective family and friend's concerns. They're both intelligent individuals and worked well together to flush out the master behind the scenes at the end. It took a while for the prince to win over HLL, who had a cynical attitude towards love and marriage after seeing so many couples separated by war, but eventually he convinced her to give marriage and lifelong commitment a try.
Those concerned about HLL:
The Crown Prince was mean-spirited, ill-tempered, and lacked consideration for others. Fushou Junzhu would undoubtedly suffer so much hardship and injustice by marrying him.
And then HLL's family who's worried about the Crown Prince:
She just had some concerns. If the Crown Prince did something wrong in the future and her daughter ended up physically attacking him, how would their family handle the aftermath?
The ML's attempts to stop her from flirting around with other men in the meantime were hilarious. She visits a music establishment with some female friends, and the very next morning, the Crown Prince is there with the emperor's permission to conduct investigations into these types of frivolous establishments. He imprisons their lead male singer due to "suspicious behavior", and coincidentally enough, the singer actually is a spy placed there by the master plotter, but he has no idea that it was the prince's jealousy that landed him in prison and not any of his actions that gave him away XP
I quite liked the ML as well. He has a reputation for being arrogant and lazy, but that's just because he doesn't care about how others think about him. Behind his arrogance, he's actually quite intelligent and has a reason for doing most of the things he does, but it's just he's too lazy to prove his actions to others. I loved this moment, where the Xie family head realizes they've been tricked by the Crown Prince:
As this realization sank in, Elder Xie was enveloped in a chilling sensation. Ji Yuansu, this person, was truly ruthless. The rumors about his arrogant behavior and disregard for others subconsciously overshadowed his calculations and methods.
Yes, it all made sense now.
The Crown Prince who was so highly regarded by Emperor Changlong, whose position as the Crown Prince had been unshakable, regardless of his arrogant behavior, cannot possibly be a fool.
Elder Xie suddenly realized that the Xie family, in their self-perceived cleverness, had unknowingly fallen into the trap set by the Ji family.
The last thing I wanted to mention about this book was that I appreciated how much the emperor trusted the Hua family and the crown prince. In every other historical fiction book I've read, the emperor's traditionally been wary of his generals because they're the ones who hold the military power. And obviously the emperor paranoid about the Crown Prince because he'll be the next emperor, so he has all the reason to expedite the emperor's death. But despite all attempts to crate a rift between the emperor and the Hua family and the ML, none of attempts were remotely successful and the master plotter is left scratching his head as one after another of his plots fail. It was a breath of fresh air to read about the strong familial and friendship ties the emperor has with everyone here.
The MC, Hua Liuli, is the sickly daughter of two powerful and well respected war generals. She's the only daughter in the past three generations of the Hua family, so she's the darling of the whole family. However, she grew up on the border in the midst of war, so while her family did spoil her, she didn't grow up into a spoiled daughter. Spending time among the suffering soldiers and seeing families torn apart by death will do a lot to help a person mature quicker.
The story starts with her and her brother's arrival in the capital, where she quickly establishes her reputation as a sickly beauty who coughs blood and feels faint at the tiniest bit of provocation. As she adjusts to life in the capital, she slowly meets and grows her social acquaintances, including the ML, Ji Yuansu, who's the Crown Prince. The romance is a slow build up, and it feels very satisfying when the MC finally changes her mind and agrees to marry the Crown Prince.
**Warning: Spoiler Ahead**
I had a strong suspicion that the MC was actually not as weak as she made herself out to be, and sure enough, it was shown quickly that she has some formidable martial arts techniques under her belt and is much stronger than she seems, despite her dreams of being known as the #1 sickly beauty in the capital. It was hilarious reading about how she single-handedly took down all of their kidnappers and then attributed all of the efforts to Jiamin afterwards, and no one questions it at all, not even Jiamin's parents XP
Speaking of which, I freaking loved her friendship with Jiamin. They start out on unfavorable terms, since HLL was supposed to be engaged to the Eldest Prince, who Jiamin had a crush on and hoped to be married to. Then they get kidnapped together, and Jiamin becomes the first person who's privy to her secret, and after that, HLL latches onto her as a close friend, for better or worse XP Most of my favorite comical scenes involve Jiamin despairing as everyone around her, friends and family both, get drawn into HLL's influence and start admiring her.
Like this scene, where Jiamin's mother is admonishing her:
Princess Shunan admonished her daughter, "Jiamin, Fushou Junzhu is weak in health and has a timid temperament. Please take care of her in the palace and don't let her suffer."
After all, no one could afford to provoke her mother.
Yao Jiamin felt like crying but had no tears. Whenever she was with Hua Liuli, she was the one who always felt mistreated. How could anyone say that Hua Liuli was the one who was suffering?
Or this scene, where her mom wants her to follow HLL:
"Mending the pen after the sheep are lost, it is not too late," Royal Princess Shunan took a deep breath, "Since we can't hug the Crown Prince's thigh, we can still hug Fushou Junzhu's thigh. My good girl, fortunately, you are friends with Fushou Junzhu, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to save face."
Yao Jiamin felt like crying but had no tears. She and Hua Liuli were really not friends.
"It's your good fortune that most girls your age are gentle and don't have many bad intentions, unlike our generation, where demons are everywhere..." In Royal Princess Shunan's mind, Leyang was the biggest demon.
As for Wei Mingyue... she was a devil.
Yao Jiamin's lips trembled intensely. She wanted to grab her mother's hand and shout: No, that's not the truth. Hua Liuli is not human, she's a tormenting devil. Wake up.
But she couldn't say it.
She had promised Hua Liuli before; she couldn't go back on her word.
I loved all of the side characters. Each of the princes had their own distinct personality. My favorite was the 5th prince with his love of painting. Everyone thought he couldn't paint and still complimented his painting skills, until he present a conventional painting to the MC and ML for their wedding and it was actually not ugly. The 4th prince didn't have much of a presence until the end, but I respect him for speaking out against his consort mother once he realizes what she did. And poor Eldest Prince, who genuinely falls for HLL but no one actually believes that and thinks he's still trying to use her for his own schemes XP
The romance was done well. The MC and ML are a good match for each other, despite all of their respective family and friend's concerns. They're both intelligent individuals and worked well together to flush out the master behind the scenes at the end. It took a while for the prince to win over HLL, who had a cynical attitude towards love and marriage after seeing so many couples separated by war, but eventually he convinced her to give marriage and lifelong commitment a try.
Those concerned about HLL:
The Crown Prince was mean-spirited, ill-tempered, and lacked consideration for others. Fushou Junzhu would undoubtedly suffer so much hardship and injustice by marrying him.
And then HLL's family who's worried about the Crown Prince:
She just had some concerns. If the Crown Prince did something wrong in the future and her daughter ended up physically attacking him, how would their family handle the aftermath?
The ML's attempts to stop her from flirting around with other men in the meantime were hilarious. She visits a music establishment with some female friends, and the very next morning, the Crown Prince is there with the emperor's permission to conduct investigations into these types of frivolous establishments. He imprisons their lead male singer due to "suspicious behavior", and coincidentally enough, the singer actually is a spy placed there by the master plotter, but he has no idea that it was the prince's jealousy that landed him in prison and not any of his actions that gave him away XP
I quite liked the ML as well. He has a reputation for being arrogant and lazy, but that's just because he doesn't care about how others think about him. Behind his arrogance, he's actually quite intelligent and has a reason for doing most of the things he does, but it's just he's too lazy to prove his actions to others. I loved this moment, where the Xie family head realizes they've been tricked by the Crown Prince:
As this realization sank in, Elder Xie was enveloped in a chilling sensation. Ji Yuansu, this person, was truly ruthless. The rumors about his arrogant behavior and disregard for others subconsciously overshadowed his calculations and methods.
Yes, it all made sense now.
The Crown Prince who was so highly regarded by Emperor Changlong, whose position as the Crown Prince had been unshakable, regardless of his arrogant behavior, cannot possibly be a fool.
Elder Xie suddenly realized that the Xie family, in their self-perceived cleverness, had unknowingly fallen into the trap set by the Ji family.
The last thing I wanted to mention about this book was that I appreciated how much the emperor trusted the Hua family and the crown prince. In every other historical fiction book I've read, the emperor's traditionally been wary of his generals because they're the ones who hold the military power. And obviously the emperor paranoid about the Crown Prince because he'll be the next emperor, so he has all the reason to expedite the emperor's death. But despite all attempts to crate a rift between the emperor and the Hua family and the ML, none of attempts were remotely successful and the master plotter is left scratching his head as one after another of his plots fail. It was a breath of fresh air to read about the strong familial and friendship ties the emperor has with everyone here.
Read
April 13, 2024Gaaaah realized this is the book the drama Royal Rumors is based on and ... :X I don't think I can read this book [yet] ...
~*~*~*~
Tried again on 4/13/24 and ... bleh nope. :|
~*~*~*~
Tried again on 4/13/24 and ... bleh nope. :|
March 1, 2024
Yue Xia Die Ying has always been one of my favourite authors, her works managing to amuse me and intrigue me. This one was more on the humor side, and I loved reading every moment of it!
Hua Liuli, pale and sickly daughter of Hua military family, who absolutely cannot fight, oh no sir, not at all! And no scheming in that innocent face of hers either, how could you say that?
And her brothers, well they're all very simple and sober and staunchly loyal as well!
Combine this with the frivolous personality of the Crown Prince—who loves to spend his time on leisurely activities, and has not a care for the empire he will inherit, not a single care mind you, not even a bit—somehow makes for a disastrously hilarious couple. These two can take the world by storm!
It's a simple plot, and a simplistic writing, but a great execution! Loved it to pieces.
4⭐️
Hua Liuli, pale and sickly daughter of Hua military family, who absolutely cannot fight, oh no sir, not at all! And no scheming in that innocent face of hers either, how could you say that?
And her brothers, well they're all very simple and sober and staunchly loyal as well!
Combine this with the frivolous personality of the Crown Prince—who loves to spend his time on leisurely activities, and has not a care for the empire he will inherit, not a single care mind you, not even a bit—somehow makes for a disastrously hilarious couple. These two can take the world by storm!
It's a simple plot, and a simplistic writing, but a great execution! Loved it to pieces.
4⭐️
May 19, 2023
Very slow start for me. It took me weeks to really get into this book, reading bits at a time. It's only after the male lead started developing feelings that I was finally interested. After that, the book jogged along well like the author's other works that I've liked.
December 19, 2025
Absolute all-time fave Yue Xia Die Ying historical novel I cannot believe it took me this long to finally get around to it >.< Hua Liuli is my QUEEN I need to find more protags like her 1000/10 would always recommend.
May 27, 2025
Penso di averlo già letto in passato ma senza mai recensirlo, non è un libro che lascia il segno ma è piacevole
August 27, 2024
This is my first book from this author, I would say it’s quite hard for me to grasp the writing type. Is it humorous or serious or entirely different thing… also the translation can contribute to a lot of my confusion too. But once you get the hang of it, it is an enjoyable story.
Both ML and FL have interesting characteristics. I wouldn’t say fresh but definitely not bland either. Love the misunderstanding plot between them. Definitely not an angsty one so I thoroughly enjoyed it once it gets solved. I also love the family dynamic of the emperor and ML, not the typical relationship between imperial families that people often imagine at that time.
Just one thing to nitpick is just the plethora of times author mention the FL is sickly and delicate in the first half. Like yeah WE GET IT. Don’t need to rub it onto our face on every chapter.
Both ML and FL have interesting characteristics. I wouldn’t say fresh but definitely not bland either. Love the misunderstanding plot between them. Definitely not an angsty one so I thoroughly enjoyed it once it gets solved. I also love the family dynamic of the emperor and ML, not the typical relationship between imperial families that people often imagine at that time.
Just one thing to nitpick is just the plethora of times author mention the FL is sickly and delicate in the first half. Like yeah WE GET IT. Don’t need to rub it onto our face on every chapter.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews