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A review by inmydreams
The Wife is First 妻為上 by Lu Ye Qian He
3.0
Unofficial english name: The Wife is First. Length: 105 chapters + extras. Manhua's adaptation official name: The Tyrant Prince's Last Promise.
I'm not going to lie, I actually mostly read the manhua adaptation instead of the novel, because the fan translation was confusing and writting felt flat and boring. In comparison, the manhua added fun and cute scenes in between that made the story feel compelling, as well as the relationship. Actually, this isn't my type of story (hence the rating), but overall it left me with a nice feeling, plus the manhua did a good job at making it more entertaining.
The plot has a historical setting. In this universe, nobles who aren't direct heirs get male 'wives' (which means getting married into the noble's household) and this stops them from ascending positions, it is a strategy to keep part of the royalty in line and avoid conflict between noble members. Jing Shao is the one of the emperor's sons, forced to marry Jun Qing (a concubine's son, scholar). He is angry about this fact because he wanted to rule after his father the emperor but due to his marriage he can't, so he treats his spouse really bad. The story starts when he's about to get killed by higher orders after being framed, everyone in his household abandons him except Jun Qing, he realizes too late that he's the only one who cares for him (besides his older brother) and decides to die with him. Jing Shao then reborns in his 19 years old body, the day after both got married. He promises that he would become devoted to Jun Qing from now on and correct his mistakes, so in this second life he dotes on him all the time.
The setting about the male wives was interesting. I liked how the author showed that the wife position isn't related to anything else, a perfect example is a side couple MCs encounter in the middle, where it is implied that the one who calls himself husband is on the receiving end (if you know what I mean), while the male "wife" is dominant in bed, but outside of their relationship is the other who takes more upfront role. There were also two other sides couples which were really cute, the two generals and the other between, the latest was unexpected to me but intriguing as well. I wanted more of each.
I don't have much else to elaborate about the plot, since the entire story is about the married couple getting to know each other, falling in love and supporting each other on everything. Jing Shao is the muscle and Jun Qing is the brain. Jing Shao breathes only to worship Jun Qing, and Jun Qing enjoys always being right. Both complement each other really well, plus I love a good dog and cat dynamic. Jun Qing became my favorite because I always go crazy for shous who are smart beauties, he was also harsh at times (mostly with Jing Shao) which made him even more likeable to me.
There is a few things that I didn't find great, besides the writting. The ending way too rushed, although I liked it and think it was a great closure. There's also how many evil women there are through the story, mostly being wives and consorts. I found it distateful how it was always women trying to set the couple apart or endagering their lives. I wouldn't mind it if there was a balance with evil men as well or at least if the characters were complex, but these were too cartoonish. Anyway, I guess this adds to how simple the story is, which isn't bad in itself, just not my type of novel. It isn't a bad one at all, but I'd recommend the manhua, found it ten times better.
I'm not going to lie, I actually mostly read the manhua adaptation instead of the novel, because the fan translation was confusing and writting felt flat and boring. In comparison, the manhua added fun and cute scenes in between that made the story feel compelling, as well as the relationship. Actually, this isn't my type of story (hence the rating), but overall it left me with a nice feeling, plus the manhua did a good job at making it more entertaining.
The plot has a historical setting. In this universe, nobles who aren't direct heirs get male 'wives' (which means getting married into the noble's household) and this stops them from ascending positions, it is a strategy to keep part of the royalty in line and avoid conflict between noble members. Jing Shao is the one of the emperor's sons, forced to marry Jun Qing (a concubine's son, scholar). He is angry about this fact because he wanted to rule after his father the emperor but due to his marriage he can't, so he treats his spouse really bad. The story starts when he's about to get killed by higher orders after being framed, everyone in his household abandons him except Jun Qing, he realizes too late that he's the only one who cares for him (besides his older brother) and decides to die with him. Jing Shao then reborns in his 19 years old body, the day after both got married. He promises that he would become devoted to Jun Qing from now on and correct his mistakes, so in this second life he dotes on him all the time.
The setting about the male wives was interesting. I liked how the author showed that the wife position isn't related to anything else, a perfect example is a side couple MCs encounter in the middle, where it is implied that the one who calls himself husband is on the receiving end (if you know what I mean), while the male "wife" is dominant in bed, but outside of their relationship is the other who takes more upfront role. There were also two other sides couples which were really cute, the two generals and the other between
Spoiler
Jin Shao's older brother and the KingI don't have much else to elaborate about the plot, since the entire story is about the married couple getting to know each other, falling in love and supporting each other on everything. Jing Shao is the muscle and Jun Qing is the brain. Jing Shao breathes only to worship Jun Qing, and Jun Qing enjoys always being right. Both complement each other really well, plus I love a good dog and cat dynamic. Jun Qing became my favorite because I always go crazy for shous who are smart beauties, he was also harsh at times (mostly with Jing Shao) which made him even more likeable to me.
There is a few things that I didn't find great, besides the writting. The ending way too rushed, although I liked it and think it was a great closure. There's also how many evil women there are through the story, mostly being wives and consorts. I found it distateful how it was always women trying to set the couple apart or endagering their lives. I wouldn't mind it if there was a balance with evil men as well or at least if the characters were complex, but these were too cartoonish. Anyway, I guess this adds to how simple the story is, which isn't bad in itself, just not my type of novel. It isn't a bad one at all, but I'd recommend the manhua, found it ten times better.