This was such an action packed volume! This volume introduced some new characters, such as the boisterous General Lou Yue and his daughter Lou Wanjun. Lou Yue was a friend of Huo Wujiu’s father, making him sort of an uncle figure, and Lou Wanjun is Huo Wujiu’s childhood friend. Of course, Jiang Suizhou is aware that the two were a famous couple in the historical record, and therefore suffers from anxiety about his feelings and whether it’s “right” for him to have them towards Huo Wujiu.
I really loved Lou Wanjun’s role in the story, and how she was kind of a “stalking horse” for getting Jiang Suizhou to admit to his feelings. All she wants in life is to troll Huo Wujiu and she seizes upon it at the funniest possible time. She’s a great addition to the cast, as she’s rebellious enough to stand up to Huo Wujiu’s antics. Her sensibilities are much more modern, and she’s kind of a proxy for the reader to remark upon the drama happening in front of her.
This was also the volume where the plot went from court maneuvers to shit hitting the fan real quick. Major spoilers up ahead.
Pang Shao decides all bets are off, and our duo has to do their best to counter his plans to raise an army and strip Lou Yue’s forces. Honestly, if I wasn’t aware that this was a 4 book series, this felt like it could have ended here. I thought these events were going to take up the majority of this book and bleed into the 4th volume, leading to a final conclusion, but things were resolved much more quickly than I expected. Of course, that’s because there’s a “bigger bossfight” behind Pang Shao’s defeat, and I’m curious to see how things end in the next book.
The cuteness of Huo Wujiu and Jiang Suizhou’s relationship reached it’s actual peak, and they are so adorable. They finally clear the air between them and get together! Huo Wujiu is insufferable as a man in love. He’s so down bad for Jiang Suizhou and will basically listen to anything he says. These two are quite entertaining and enjoyable to read about, as there’s plenty of flirting towards the end of this book. I’ve read in other forums that Danmei tends to be very censored when it comes to certain kinds of scenes, but this was nothing egregious. The reader is told enough to understand that the main couple is having an intimate time (and how), but it’s fade to black otherwise. Not anything out of the ordinary for a mainstream historical romance, no butterflies or flowers here.
Overall I quite enjoyed this volume, and I pretty much devoured it over 2 days. Sometimes I feel like my tastes must be quite outside the usual danmei reader demographic, because I’ve read opinions from others about how the 2nd half of Liu Gou Hua’s plots tend to peter out towards the end, and are disappointing compared to their premise. I honestly think that this is a misunderstanding of what the author is trying to accomplish. I feel that they clearly care more about the depiction of the main couple having quality time and development in their romantic scenes compared to plot developments in other areas, and their focus is appreciated.
Despite all the crap going on in this book, the focus is primarily on Huo Wujiu and Jiang Suizhou’s growing steadfast love for each-other. When they run into problems, they solve them together, and strengthen their bond along the way. The author seems to dislike usage of the miscommunication trope, and I’m grateful for it.
The final volume is out in November, I can’t wait!
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