[Male protagonist’s perspective | A light ensemble cast | First person interwoven with multiple perspectives | Alternate world]
[The male protagonist has a “not very useful” golden finger]
[Reader advisory: The setting changes early on, and the pacing varies. This is not a harem story. The protagonist loves women, but he also loves ordinary people. Both women and men get their moments in the spotlight. The story has a dark side and inevitably touches on women’s suffering.]
I am the Crown Prince of Great Qian, Mu Jingyu: a man of striking bearing, exceptional talent and ambition, heaven’s favored child, and a free spirit who loves nothing more than doing as he pleases.
From birth until I came of age, everything went smoothly.
Then, one year, I was ordered to travel incognito and investigate the realm.
I witnessed the people’s lives (✓), encountered a beauty (? More like a strange character), and got caught up in a baffling case (…).
After touring the land and returning to the Eastern Palace, I found it brimming with talented people.
In this world, a hundred flowers compete to bloom, and beauties vie for attention.
But they are not competing for favor, nor fighting over love.
After all my journeys, I am left with one question:
Are women truly inferior to men?
Some are driven by bold ambition, some conceal their talents; some break through and thrive, while others sink into the mire and perish.
Are they truly born inferior, or are they simply trapped in cages, unable to take flight?
*
Each woman has her own way of living.
Childhood sweetheart: This time, I stake the affection we shared in our youth.
Shadow guard: Master, would you like to try a tender blade?
Crown Princess: If I have any regrets, they’re probably about that childhood friend.
Some want to become the most exalted concubine in the world;
Some are reborn and return to tear apart scumbags and torment their legitimate elder sisters;
Some seek to clear their fathers’ names;
Some fight for the position of family head.
When the cage doors open
Those who spread their wings will soar through the skies.
(^▽^)
Must give a five-star rating! I was attracted by the title of the book and thought it was a stud harem story, but it turns out that the male protagonist has some respect for women. The plot incorporates some serious social issues, including women's suffering, women's awakening, and men's alienation in the system. The author seems to be trying to explore how all individuals, whether men or women, are disciplined, how they struggle, and how they can find "their own way." Looking forward to the male protagonist's useless cheating being revealed! I hope the follow-up doesn't end badly! Oh, I heard that the author is already thinking of a new book title. I hope he can choose a good name that won't trick people into killing them (don't ask me how I know, because I wrote this [OK]) ~