The Great Official

The part where they chase after Emperor Jianwen was truly toxic. Eight enemy soldiers singing a song moved the protagonist to tears, while seventy or eighty government soldiers died without any reaction. I thought it was a Manchu rebellion 😐. The enemy was beating their comrades to a pulp, and you still felt sorry for them? It's truly absurd.

Reading this book, Zhu Di is portrayed as a complete idiot. The author has exaggerated the emperor's character.

After reading over 400 chapters, I really couldn't take it anymore. The difference between this and the previous chapters, like "Official Rank One" and "Minor Grand Secretary," is just too great! It's not at all up to the standard of "Three Precepts"... Was it written by a ghostwriter?

It feels like the Zhu Di family and the author have an irreconcilable feud. The first half is really good, but the second half is incredibly stupid. Zhu Di embodies all the traits of a tyrant and a foolish ruler, except for the following: suspicious, stubborn, tyrannical, militaristic, and autocratic. Zhu Gaochi is only benevolent, completely lacking in political acumen.

To be fair, I've read this book three times. Those who say it's bad in the comments section are brainless. Take a closer look; considering the pre-Ming dynasty setting, the monks are portrayed quite well. The characters' personalities are quite fitting, and the author of the Yongle edition is right—it's a very good book.

Honestly, the male lead's character flaws are too obvious. He's completely captivated by any woman he sees, a pushover who thinks he's deeply affectionate, open up to everyone, and has no defenses against anyone. If it weren't for the author's endorsement, I don't believe someone like that could achieve anything great in the end. Of course, ultimately it's because the author wrote poorly; they couldn't write the romance scenes and just had to make them awkward...

The first 100-odd chapters were readable before the story even left the county town, but the protagonist became inhuman afterward. It whitewashes Jianwen and vilifies Zhu Di. One could argue that the protagonist was entirely self-serving, but he isn't; he's completely in a position of overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming, eliminating Zhu Di and supporting Jianwen.

The early chapters were really well-written; the writing was very delicate, and the characters were all vividly portrayed. However, the style became increasingly rigid after Jianwen Jun's reign. The portrayal of the main supporting characters, the Yongle family, was particularly weak. Compared to historical texts written in vernacular Chinese, this is a decent piece. At least the logic is sound.

I almost couldn't continue reading a few parts, but I gritted my teeth and persevered. The portrayal of the women in the male lead's harem was far too idealized! The first wife, who had gone to great lengths for her brother, even selling her possessions, became timid and insecure after entering the protagonist's harem, and even busied herself trying to find other women for her husband...

Even Shennong could be poisoned. Those who say this book is good are not only brainless but also stupid. I couldn't bear to read it anymore. The character descriptions, especially the emperor, are simply unbearable. He lacks any domineering presence; he's just utterly stupid.