Return to Hongyan

Whee! Finally! This novel is just SO GOOD!

"What he yearns for in his dreams are the mountains of Libei. And yet, he now has to remain in Qudu and forget about the freedom of riding horses. Father and I have both let him down.”

QJJ OFFICIAL ENGLISH LICENSE IS HAPPENING!!! 😭🔥😭🔥😭🔥😭🔥

Cezhou! 🥺🩷

“But, he, Shen Zechuan is the student of Qi Huilian; the last disciple of Ji Gang of Duanzhou; the former Northern Judge-cum-Vice Commander of the Imperial Bodyguards; and the head of household of my – Xiao Ce’an’s – future residence. He has nothing to do with any other names.”

god xiao jiming is such a character. he's one of the four great generals, he's gentle and calm, he commands a heavy armored cavalry that he changed to be flexible and faster, he's fierce in battle and his name carries so much weight that even when he's injured, nobody touches libei. he's shorter than his younger brother, he takes after his mother, he cried at his wedding because he loves his wife so much, he doesn't hesitate to intimidate the emperor when xiao chiye is in danger, he would've led his troops to qudu for xiao chiye even while being grievously injured if his father hadn't overruled him. he sees himself as a sanctuary for his family. i'm so obsessed with him, if he doesn't end up happy i will be on the news.

Reading Qiang Jin Jiu really reminds me a lot of my first read of the Lymond chronicles.

The period of getting used to the rhythm and flow of the stories took like a whole book I and some of book II. Nearly DNF but I persevered because of the convincingly good reviews of the series. And I did not regret it!

My opinion of the MC(s) and other side characters changed from "nah.. i don't really care about these guys much." to "I love each and every one of this cast. Please don't hurt them anymore and let them all have Good endings!"

Must be read slowly in small doses to ponder about the complex intricacies of the plot/hidden allusions. (Thanks to the translator of qjj for all the footnotes! LC didn't have any I had to look them up online, some I still don't know to this day😅) But also shouldn't spend too long away from the books or reading other series in between or else I'm gonna forget the names and the plot points I've been invested so hard to remember.

Francis Crawford and Shen Zechuan have a lot in common. Because of the different settings of the story, Idk who'd win if they were to compete in a game of political power. And I'm not even sure if they'd be friends lol.

When you finally decided to read Qiang Jin Jiu but it's been taken down for licensing

.... and now you have to wait a year or two to read everything

Raise a Glass by Tang Jiuqing, Chapter 71: Trickery

"Shen Zechuan’s eyes were cool. He said, “I serve in the Brocade Guard. What would I want an army for? My only path to salvation is in Qu capital. Outside the bounds of this city, I lose all of my leverage. I am Shen Wei’s eighth baseborn son, and you are the Wei family’s second trueborn son, but has your life been easy, or has mine? It seems that the hierarchy of one’s birth doesn’t make much of a difference after all. That’s the thing with people— before we’ve reached the end of our roads, no one has the last word on us, not even the heavens.”"

Next chapter, Li Jianheng continues to drive Hai Liangyi towards an early grave.

Sketch of Xiao Chiye from Qiang Jin Jiu

A mother's love knows no bounds 🥴

“Qudu is your old home,” Shen Zechuan said. “I heard Xi Hongxuan say before that you always return to the capital in spring every year. Next year… or perhaps a few years later, you will be able to take a good look at the springtime scenery.” 

Yao Wenyu knew Shen Zechuan was comforting him. He flashed a slight smile and did not answer him

inconsolable sick to my stomach wanna break everything in sight etc etc

MANHUA CEZHOU AAAAAAAAAAAA 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

“To marry me, two million isn’t enough; I want Lanzhou’s priceless smile that even a thousand gold cannot buy.”