逐玉 (Zhú Yù, Chasing Jade) by 团子来袭 (Tuán Zǐ Lái Xí)
Chinese historical romance published in 2023

After her parents passed away, Fan ChangYu faced a string of hardships—her childhood sweetheart broke off their engagement, greedy relatives wanted to seize her inheritance, and with a sickly five-year-old sister to care for, she decided to take a matrilocal husband in name only.

Her plan centered on a man she had saved: wounded, with nothing to his name but a strikingly handsome face. They quickly reached an agreement: she would take him in to recover, and he would pretend to marry her, helping her hold on to her family assets.

Once the family business was secure, Fan ChangYu prepared to write the divorce agreement, as promised. However, a war erupted, and soldiers were recruited; her “husband” was conscripted and vanished without a trace.

The next time she saw him, he was drenched in blood, lying in a wounded soldiers’ tent. His handsome face was smeared with blood, while his simple soldier’s uniform was torn to shreds. Seeing the hardship he had endured, Fan ChangYu’s eyes reddened with tears.

“Don’t be a soldier anymore,” she whispered, her voice choked. “Come back. I’ll slaughter pigs to support you.”

He barely opened his eyes, coughing up blood. “You… wanted a divorce…”

Her eyes filled with tears. “No divorce, no divorce!”

[Mini Theater]
Xie Zheng, the Marquis of Wu’an, became renowned at a young age, his achievements in battle granting him the title of marquis before he even turned twenty. His methods in military command were famously strict and ruthless, making him unmatched across the entire Dayin dynasty.

Recently, however, the soldiers noticed something peculiar about their marquis. He no longer resided in his spacious command tent, preferring instead to squeeze into the cramped and shabby tent designated for the wounded.

Though he’d taken a serious injury—a wound deep enough to bleed through his armor—under normal circumstances, he’d be back on his feet within a couple of days. Yet this time, he’d been lying there for over ten days with no sign of improvement.

The camp’s grizzled strategist clicked his tongue after visiting him. “Hmph. If someone is by your side to wipe your brow and feed you medicine, of course the wound takes longer to heal!”

It wasn’t until the marquis’s mysterious wife—who had never shown herself before—snuck into the barracks, wearing her husband’s tattered soldier’s uniform, and took his place on the front lines, fearing her “delicate, sickly husband” might die on the battlefield. Only then did the “gravely wounded” marquis leap up from his bed in shock, hastily don his armor, and rush to chase after her.

As the blood-red sun set, a lone goose cried across the vast sky.

With a butcher knife in hand, Fan ChangYu hacked off the enemy general’s head and squinted toward the distant friendly troops kicking up clouds of yellow dust as they approached. She pulled over a nearby soldier and asked, “The one charging at the front, wearing that bright armor with the Qilin shoulder guards and riding that big horse… why does he look a bit like my husband?”

The soldier: …Isn’t it possible that he actually is?

Naive but fierce Little Sunshine (Female Lead) vs. “That woman is so crude” to “Why doesn’t that woman like me?” Marquis Xie (Male Lead)

Just reading the book blurb/description made me chuckle again. Does it give a lot away? Sure – but actually not that much. (These books are long though this book wasn’t that long at 180 chapters including the extras, and a lot of these cnovel chapters are shorter than you’re used to.)  The author, 团子来袭, is a new favorite for me. In fact immediately after finishing this book I read another fully translated book by [her], and am eagerly waiting for the others in the works to be finished. (And hoping if she has a larger backlist they get picked up!) Anyway the theme for December’s TBR challenge is “it’s a party” and … I guess … there are parties in this book? Nothing is jumping out at me but there are various celebrations and it’s one that feels like it most fits out of my recent reads. (And yikes my reading seems to have really slowed since November which … let’s not get into why 😒.)

Fan ChangYu is our heroine, our “female lead” (FL), and she is an absolute delight. I loved that the book was all about her strength – her abilities allow her to live her best life in this novel, rather than it being all angst and melodrama and her having to fit into a certain societal mold. Although that is realistically addressed too – I liked the book was smart and assumes the readers are too. It’s been a few weeks since I read it but I can’t remember overly annoying plot holes and such. She only knew her father as a butcher, so that’s what she does. And our girl is super strong. I mean literally – there’s a scene where she stuns a pig by slapping it on the head once. Her little sister thinks she’s amazing. I loved it. There were times I wanted a bit more detail or interaction, but I get there was so much more to address. Fan ChangYu is so damn practical, and it’s because she has to be. Who is going to take care of things if she gets ill, or hurt, or just wants to wallow? Nobody. And she has to care for her frail little sister. And injured husband. And her elderly neighbors she treats like family and vice versa. She’s a bit naive at the beginning, but it makes sense because she’s a simple girl from a small village, who has specifically been sheltered by her parents, because they had major secrets, and a serious enemy. The book opens up with just countless punches. I would love to be friends with her. She becomes a general and she’s just so cool. And kind. And smart – she experiences a lot of growth and human nature, but she doesn’t let it corrupt her.

Xie Zheng is our hero – our male lead (ML). He’s a bit cold and aloof, but he’s also been on his own essentially since he was five years old. Here we have … the more usual angst and melodrama … I spent so much time being angry at his mother – he was too – until we find out the truth, and oof. (Although I felt the author did kinda ignore that later in the extras/later story … Anyway.) He keeps himself separate – kinda like a nature documentary observer for much of the beginning, but is won over by Fan ChangYu. She’s really inspiring and so sweet. And he starts to wonder why she … really wants to cut things off so cleanly with him. (Because you never told her who you are, silly, so you can’t expect her to treat you the same way! Plus you were kinda an asshole to her at the beginning.) Heh. Lots of “guy eating his own words” here. I liked that he experienced growth too, despite being the golden prodigy that almost the entire world looks up to – other than that purported cruel streak. Plus once he falls in love, he’s totally gone. The way he handles the big hurdle between them … you really have to read it. I can’t tell you about it.

The politicking was complex, but well written – I didn’t skim through it or not care generally, because it was all important, and made sense, and didn’t devolve too much. (Or 😅 that’s the case if I’m thinking about the right book. As I said, I immediately read another book by the author upon finishing this one – I liked Chasing Jade more. Especially our heroine.) Fan ChangYu, other than her strength, has no cheats. She was rebirthed or a modern day transmigrator, she’s just a little girl – I think just sixteen, trying to raise her sister on her own – and dealing with awful relatives. There’s so much going on in this book, with arcs that flow into each other seamlessly. Almost every character was well developed with proper motivation. Even the annoyingly ridiculous reason the “ultimate villain” had for his actions … weren’t all his fault, and were ludicrous enough to be believable because sometimes real life is just that way.

Our two leads here are so GOOD. But they’re not pushovers by any means. In fact, one of FCY’s “hobbies” is beating up anyone who badmouths her or causes her trouble. At least in the beginning. (Look, it was a different time and place, ok?) She’s also the one who has the least power and standing. In fact she literally tosses a sack over the head of a guy who was slandering her, and beats him. He deserved it, and it was incredibly satisfying to read. XZ acts as her lookout – at that point I don’t think she knew he was very skilled in martial arts. Definitely she didn’t know his actual identity. There’s a lot of humor thrown in as well, it’s not all just realism and suffering and sad. I was smiling and laughing for a lot of the book. And we always love to see evil people reap what they sow. Get those just deserts!

That being said, the author really takes you through the gamut. In fact, part of why I chose to review this book is because I connected to it so deeply. There’s on scene where FCY thinks she’s going to die – but in willingly sacrificing herself will hopefully save thousands of people. And I sobbed like a fucking baby. I can’t even remember all the details of it now but just thinking of that scene, I’m tearing up as I type. I’m also recalling this book has been adapted into a drama – I think the booting ceremony might have just happened? And … if they add this scene I really hope they do it justice, cuz man. Seriously if all they do is change nothing and pull key scenes from the book, it’ll be an incredible drama. (PLEASE DO THAT AND NOT SOMETHING AWFUL, SCRIPT WRITERS. WE CAN’T TRUST YOU.)

Ahem.

The secondary characters are very well written, and XZ has good reason to not tell FCY his actual identity for a long time. (First, he doesn’t know her. Second, it’ll only cause her harm. Then, when he wants to, other things come into play. … And then once he DOES tell her … well then we hit some angst and drama and man that was a hurdle. Blessedly resolved in multiple ways, which I also appreciate. This author was layered!

I don’t want to give more spoilers – the blurb covers a lot, and yet that’s only something like halfway through. Or, it felt that way to me and my sieve memory. We did get a smidge repetitive at the end, all those palace coups and awfulness, but what I really loved is the author equally focused on the relationship between FCY and XZ – he’s deeply in love, and she’s in love, and they’re married and it’s sweet and they were married but not really and then they actually truly get married and it’s all just *hugs self.*

I’m definitely going to be re-reading this book. I hope you read it too.

Grade: A-