Searching for spoilers!! I was searching for a thread about this novel, and haven’T found out so i decided to create this...
Tried to mtl. Female MC is apparently very talented and well-versed in literature in contrast to the rumor that she's a female tiger (being the daughter of a general, the stereotype of military men lacking in sophisticated brain and acts brash). Apparently, she hides her talent so the ML is so shocked when she brought him to her "studio", which shows her true personality and talent in arts and books. When he was the emperor, he never even stepped foot there (probably didn't even know it existed since he is not interested to accompany her in er hobbies). Hiding her abilities is actually a smart move, because the reason the previous him " favored" (fake btw) her is because he deemed her stupid and not threatening. If the previous him found out, he would have secretly force her to suicide for being a hidden threat. He can't have a super smart woman with unknown ambitions by his side. Now though, he was quite indignant when he found out. Everyone knows that he likes talented women so his concubines tried to verse themselves in literature to win his favor, she does the opposite. He was upset that if he never turned into a puppy, she would have fooled him for his whole life and never know her hidden side which is a gem. Lol. ML had actually fallen for her further and annoyed that her adorations before were fake (quite a hypocrite I say) Oh, and it seems his childhood love actually hates him and is tempted to kill him though I can't understand why. Edit: Not actually childhood love, but current love who is quickly running out of favor in present chapters. His first love is with the consort who gave birth to the first prince I think? The woman died because he was still inexperienced and naive so the other people conspired to kill her. This is when ML starts to be aware of surroundings and hide his feelings. He favored the first prince but didn't show it. This is also why he act to favor the MC, giving her the power and prestige. He is using her as a cover up and shield for the fave consort. Fave consort can't appreciate it though and is jealous of MC
@worldtraveller thank you so much... i was hoping for spoilers for this novel so much... did you finished reading this? At what chapter does ML revert to his body? And is the fake emperor in love with the “true love”? If yes, what schemes does he do that will harm MC? And aside from the Shen family, are the others that ML is confident that is loyal to him, captain of royal guards and co., are just acting?
I just started to mtl today xD I am tempted to skip chapters to find when he became human again, but I think I'll get lost with no idea what's happening. And lol, fake emperor is unfortunate. He's not in love with "true love" consort. He's just a subordinate that follows instructions. A few months/weeks since the ml went unconscious, the ministers and people are questioning why he never visited his harem. They kept nagging and rumor spread that he has a problem "down" there. This is not favorable for True Love's family since they need a royal child to rise to power, and they cannot make claims if the emperor is deemed infertile. She ordered fake emperor to visit the royal harem (I think she wants it to be MC) and spent the night. Fake emperor was scared and tried to decline. Shen ("True Love") tried to threaten him about the poison in his body and talk about the antidote which is given monthly (?) and promised to help him live on. In his mind, he knew her words are bullshit, but still complied thinking that it's better to die later than sooner. When MC heard that the emperor was going to visit her, they kinda went "what the heck, why now!?". ML was livid as his double actually got the guts to touch his woman, and also disappointed as he realizes Shen fam betrayed him. MC doesn't want to sleep with ML and thinks he should sleep with his true love if he wants to visit anyone. She got a plan to make him go away, using a medicine she got from a doctor indebted to her father which seemed to make her go into period(?). ML took note of the doctor's name wanting to reward him later. It takes a few hours before it works though. So she needs to stall for time. When they came, Fake Emperor feels scared and awkward but the eunuch with him is Shen's person to monitor him. He decided to talk about her heavily injured puppy. ML hates his guts and makes sure to show it, barking heavily at him. MC, afraid of displeasing the emperor, tried to cover up by trying to put words in his mouth - holding his paw and claim he is saying " long live the emperor". The act was so cute that the fake emperor fell for MC. He began to wonder what's wrong with the emperor to choose the vicious True Love over MC. XD Anyway, he went from scared and apprehensive to YOLO, I might as well take opportunity if I'm gonna die anyway after seeing MC's loveable expression. ML was so panicked reading his thoughts, he continued to bark and was sent away. He ended up vomiting blood and losing consciousness
@araarq thank you, can you give some spoilers of what ML, while he was still a dog, witnessed the true face of the people around him... like those in the summary, some of his concubines and childrens...
The thing with the children happened before the event I mentioned above (just finished typing it out). ML escaped and tried to go to his palace and tell his trusted subordinates his situation (either the guard captain or Shen consort) but was caught by a consort who hates MC (Li concubine, I think?). They threw him in the pool to drown, but ml pretended to drown and escaped when they left. He then ended up on the princes and princesses area. The children found him ugly and ordered the servants to chase him away but when the princes heard him cry, they changed their mind. They turned sadistic and ordered servants not to let him get away as they beat him up. They kicked, threw stones, and broke his tail. ML tried to escape to his secretly favored first prince (child of first love) but was ignored. He almost died until fourth princess came and told them to stop bullying as he is the dog of MC and it is unbefitting for a noble to act that way. They seemed to be wary of fourth princess so they complied. ML felt grateful until she suddenly changed to a cold tone and left him in the flowers and covered him with plants. I didn't understand but she seems to have a conflict with the MC (probably due to palace intrigue) and said that she already did her a favor by doing this much. She then turned and left, but hearing ML's whimpers, felt a bit sorry and ordered her servants to uncover the head so they can easily find him. If they can find him on time, he lives. If he cannot, then it is only his fate
Some of the insider info, ML heard it from MC's mouth when he's a dog. Like the previous miscarriage, MC complained that so and so concubine sent the consort this, that so and so concubine did what, this so and so concubine sent an inauspicious item. Yet, the blame for it fell onto MC. When doggy first meet Shen consort, she intentionally puncture a wound into its body causing him to bite her. In response, she threw him to the ground and complained that MC should not bring an untrained dog around and sent MC to stay in her palace and not to leave until the dog is trained out. Also, there's a conspiracy to frame MC by hiding talisman with emperor's DOB in MC's place. Doggy help to sniff out those talismans to avoid her from being framed. After the "fake" emperor slept with Xian consort, she purposely flaunt the hickey around. ML was incensed because Xian Consort could not even distinguish the real from the fake. Even the prince regarded the fake as his father. ML was angry because only MC was able to realize that the emperor was fake and none of the other consorts did.
Fake emperor wasn't in love with Shen consort, in as much as he's a puppet forced to do her bidding. I think the consort force him to kill one of the prince and doggy ML was unable to save him. The ML had loyal dark Wei who did his bidding when he woke up and secretly usurped the "fake" emperor and killed off the Shen family.
ML recovered his body by mid of the story. After he cleaned up the inner and outer palace, he spent a large part of the story trying to curry favor back with the MC. Extra ending: When MC is pregnant, the ministers sent a memorial because ML refused to visit other concubines. Ministers: It's your duty to sleep with them. ML: Who I sleep with is up to me. Who are you to decide it for me. Ministers: But your majesty.... ML: Since you want to interfere with my backyard, then I'lll interfere with your backyard too... Comes out with a list of miss-happening with the ministers. So and so visited the brothel. So and so gave the management rights to the concubine, leading the wife to die. So and so usurp the wealth and power of the wife. So and so's child was poisoned to death by his concubines.
@worldtraveller thanks, i posted before you edited your post... @Capa waahhh...thanks a lot... so what happened? Did the fale emperor became a puppet who obeys the Shen fam? Why does ML need to “usurp” fake after he woke up? I would’ve thhought that since he originally favored those schemers they would be glad to have him recovered? Or did those schemers felt that having their puppet as the emperor is better than having ML in the throne so they just want to let the fake stay?
The fake was a royal guard (I think) who took in a poisonous face shifting pill to assume the role of the emperor because a country cannot have an incapacitated emperor. At this time, the real body was in a coma while ML spirit reside in the dog. The fake will die anyway as long as he remained face shifted because the method is poisonous. He gets weaker by the day. Shen Consort initially wanted the fake to be a stop gap until the real one woke up. Eventually, the power got to her head because the fake have to obey all her instructions. At one point, she had thoughts of suffocating the real body so that he really dies. However, Shen Consort backed off, realizing her horrible thoughts. By this time, the ML as the dog already realized the scheme and look in dismay as the Shen tried to grab power among the officials, killing off his children etc, all so that Consort Shen would eventually be the Empress. I believed Shen consort also had the fake's child so that she have a heir to the throne. The public should never know that there was a fake on the throne so everything had to be done quietly. So, he could only replaced the fake quietly and undo all the misdeeds as if nothing strange happened. And punished the others under a different crime etc and not under the charges of green hatting the emperor.
Does all of his children die? Like the prince’s, because they can inherit the Thorne. Also can you give more details of how he deal with Shen consort and her father when he gets his body back?
There mght be a few mistakes, but from what i’ve been able to understand so far, Shen concubine poisoned everyone, the children and the concubines. She got found out when the emperor and empress dowager schemed to exposed her. Her end is that she is kept alive by the other concubines in a misrae state, unable to die. Another concubine wanted to poison/use her child for a plan to gain the emperors favor or something. She waned to do this because the child was already poisoned by the shen concubine and a sickly child wasnt any benefit to her. Fortunately, the emperor knew about it and made an edict saying if the prince is still sick, she will also get beaten. This deters the other concubines from using their children and makes them take careof them.
The emperor also tries to give MC a dog that looked like him, but she immediately saw through it because it had slightly different mannerisms than him. She still raises the dog though.
So ML remains faithful to MC throughout the rest of the story? I usually skip stories where despite having met MC, ML continues with other women - makes me sick even if later ML remains with MC only. The only reason I am considering this story is because of the dog . Ironic really - ML with his multiple concubines has his soul go inside a dog which is how a man with multiple relations is usually described as