When I Woke Up in Rulan’s Body

A modern woman whose ideals are grander than reality transmigrates into Rulan. This time, she’s determined to stop Rulan from marrying a man who lives off his wife’s family, help her mother keep Lin Xiaoniang in check, and punish Molan. But when she runs into Molan again in the household’s inner quarters, it becomes a contest to see who can outmaneuver whom.

The early story stays close to The Story of Minglan. Later, however, many new plotlines branch off. The characters remain the same, but the story develops in ways that have little to do with either the drama or the novel.

1. This book has two male leads. Male Lead 1 is Prince Huan, an ambitious man with grand aspirations and the whole realm in his heart. To him, love is nothing compared to a lasting empire. Male Lead 2 is Liang Han, a dashing, roguish playboy with no real ambitions or bad intentions, a thoroughly useless young nobleman.

2. There are major changes. Later, the story moves into a more loosely fictionalized era, and the personalities and characterization of some roles are changed as well. The early part focuses on household struggles in the Sheng family. The two male leads appear later, bringing both sweetness and heartbreak.

3. The heroine is a little unhinged. Her motto is: Don’t bother me, and I won’t bother you. If you do, I’ll make sure you’re wiped out to the last root. At first, she only wants to protect Rulan’s family while they’re in the Sheng household. Later, after meeting the male leads, she decides to live for herself. Without realizing it, she starts seeing herself as her modern-day self and does many things that are forbidden in that era, leaving her to wonder, “Who am I, really?” Eventually, she sees through love and romance and decides to build a career and be herself in this era.