慕南枝(Mu Nan Zhi)

No of Episodes: 517 (Audiobook 1); 620 (Audiobook 2); 662 (not complete – Audiobook 3)

Author: 吱吱 (Zhī zhī)

Audiobook 1 – Multiple Voices – 花爷、 郑重 (Hua Ye, Zheng Zhong)

Audiobook 2 – Multiple Voices -灿烂的调调、阑珊梦 (Can Lan De Diào Diao, Lán Shān Mèng)

Audiobook 3 – Female Voice -将语若(Jiang Yu Ruo)

Ebook

Comment:

Audiobook 1 – The first 50 episodes are free.  You will need to pay RMB1 per episode after.

Audiobook 2 – First 81 episode are free.  Subsequent episode costs RMB1 per episode.

Audiobook 3 – This is free unfortunately, it was only up to episode 662.

The multiple voices audiobooks are good.  If you are not willing to pay to listen to the book, it is better if you do not start.  The story has an interesting set-up and you will slowly get drawn into it.

I told myself never pick any incomplete audiobook.  But I still make the same mistake.  I started this book some time early 2019 and stopped at episodes 217 and waited till the entire book has been completed recorded before I continued on. I thought I could finish the book in lrts site but I was wrong. Lrts does not accept foreign credit card payment.  Audiobook 2 is also multiple voices recording unfortunately it was still in progress. It only completed early this month. Audiobook 3 stopped at Episode 662.

Summary:

Jiang Xian (FL) became an Empress for 3 years and then Empress Dowager for 7 years before she got killed by her stepson, Zhao Xi.  FL and the Emperor (Zhao Yi) grew up together in the palace.  Zhao Yi is FL’s cousin and married FL to get military support from her family to get rid of his own mother.   Zhao Yi did not consummate his marriage with FL and make FL the laughing-stock when he slept with a palace maid who gave birth to his first-born son, named Zhao Xi.  The palace maid, Xiao Rong Niang got promoted to a consort after that. After Zhao Yi passed away, FL rule the country for Zhao Xi.  FL never expect Zhao Xi would one day kill her.

When FL woke up again, she returned to 13 years old.  FL was happy to see her maternal grandmother who is the Zhao Yi’s grandmother.  FL wanted to find out who was the real mastermind behind her murder in her past life.  Zhao Xi was still very young at that time and he has many methods of killing her.  But Zhao Xi used the most direct method to kill her.  FL wondered whether Zhao Xi was aware that killing her might backfired and deviate him from becoming an Emperor. 

After the rebirth, FL told herself she was not going to marry the Emperor again.  She wants to marry a man, have babies with him and grow old together.  FL found out that Zhao Xi was the product of an affair between Zhao Yi and his nanny, Fang Shi.  FL finally understood why Zhao Yi gave so much power to Fang Shi after he became an Emperor in her previous life.  FL knows Zhao Yi will revolt against Empress Dowager Cao to get the ruling power and Cao Empress would be killed.  FL told her paternal uncle, General Jiang Zheng Yuan how unreliable and incompetent Zhao Yi would be and convinced Jiang Zheng Yuan to spare Empress Dowager Cao’s life to make both of them fight each other.

FL met Li Qian, the man who she hated in her past life.  FL recalled that she and Li Qian’s relationship was good before.  Until one day, Li Qian intruded her chamber with a sword and demanded that she made him a Prince.   Li Qian saw FL’s emotion changed rapidly from happy to disgust when he first met her.  Li Qian got puzzled and wondered where he might have offended FL.  FL knows Li Qian is a capable man and his future potential.  When FL has no one to help to investigate Fang Shi, she got Li Qian to help.  Very slowly, Li Qian started to fall in love with FL.  FL helped Li Qian a lot giving him suggestions and clues how to play his role between Emperor Zhao Yi and Empress Dowager Cao.  FL recalled in her past life after she discovered the affair of Zhao Yi and Fang Shi.  FL killed both Fang Shi and Zhao Yi.

Empress Dowager Cao wanted her nephew, Cao Xuan to marry FL.  After FL found out that her best friend, Bai Su loves Cao Xuan, she plotted to get Cao Xuan to marry Bai Su instead. Grand Empress Dowager (FL’s maternal grandmother) worried that Zhao Yi might force FL to marry him, hence she started to find a husband for FL.  Three candidates got shortlisted ie. Jin Xiao, Zhao Xiao and Deng Cheng Lu.  Zhao Xiao played a trick and got selected as FL’s husband. 

Jin Xiao who came from the north invited all for a short holiday to a farm.  FL surprised when ML came to see her.  ML tricked FL to leave with her.  ML told FL he wants to marry her and will bring her to Shan Xi.  Everyone went looking for FL.  Jiang Lu and Zhao Xiao thought it was Zhao Yi who abducted FL.  After a few days, Jiang Zheng Yuan found out FL got abducted by ML.  Cao Xuan stunned when he found out ML has cooperated with Jiang Zheng Yuan very early on.  Cao Xuan told Empress Dowager Cao.  Empress Dowager Cao admired ML’s guts and did not want him killed. Hence, she passed an edict to give FL to ML.  Cao Xuan felt bad that FL has to marry ML hence he went to see Grand Empress Dowager.  Grand Empress Dowager prepared two imperial edicts and asked Cao Xuan to give to FL.

The Eunuch who got abducted puzzled when he saw the interaction between FL and ML.  Both looks like a pair of love birds and does not look like FL got abducted.  Jiang Lu found them and got into a fight with ML.  Zhao Xiao arrived and asked to fight ML.  Zhao Xiao lost to ML.  Cao Xuan came and asked all to stop their fight.  Cao Xuan requested to see FL alone.  Cao Xuan gave FL the two imperial edicts.  One is to get her to marry ML and other edict is to kill ML.  FL picked the former.  FL told Zhao Xiao she has fallen in love with ML.  Zhao Xiao left in anger and swore that ML is his enemy from then on.  

Cao Xuan read the imperial edict after Zhao Xiao left.  ML surprised when he heard the edict to give FL to him.  ML persuaded FL to follow him to Shan Xi instead of returning to the capital city.  ML worried that there might be changes.  FL refused but then relented.  Grand Empress Dowager wanted Zhao Yi to make FL a princess but then changed her mind after realising the cons of doing so.  Grand Empress Dowager quickly instructed Jiang Zheng Yuan and his wife to quickly arrange FL’s wedding with ML.  

After married, ML and FL lived happily in Tai Yuan together with ML’s family.  ML promised the Jiang’s family that they will not consummate their marriage before FL reached her hairpin ceremony.  FL started to understand the weakness of Madam Li (ML’s stepmother), Li Ji (ML’s stepbrother) who overlooked by ML, Li Dong Zhi whom FL took under her wing to groom into a noble woman.  FL met Gao Miao Yong, whom she dislikes and the niece to the strategy advisor of Li Jiang.

FL supported ML from behind and helped him to plan his career and to protect the Li family from getting implicated in the fight between Empress Dowager Cao and the Emperor Zhao Yi.  FL got ML promoted to Shaanxi Commander.  FL moved to Xi An with ML.  FL did not realise that the place ML based is actually in Gan Zhou.  ML asked FL to stay on in Xi An while he goes to Gan Zhou to work.  Zhao Yi Emperor agreed to promote ML hoping that he would die in war and FL would return to the capital city after she becomes a widow. 

ML’s cousin, Li Lin insisted to marry Gao Miao Rong.   Li Ji married Ms Kang, approved by FL.  Li Dong Zhi agreed to her father’s suggestion to marry to a scholar family in Jiang Nan to help her family.  ML was against her sister’s decision but relented at last.  Li Ju married a girl from the influential family who is 4 years older than him.  Li Ju competed with Li Lin to get control of his father’s business.  Li Ju knew his mother’s weakness, arranged a god-daughter to help his mother and to prevent his mother from getting influence by Gao Miao Rong.  After Li Lin married Gao Miao Rong, his relationship with his uncle’s family became distanced.

The northern tribe attacked the capital city.  Liao Wang claimed to defend the country entered the capital city went  with his soldiers.  Zhao Yi suspected that Liao Wang has the intention to revolt, asked his servant to send an urgent message to FL.  The servant brought Zhao Yi’s will.  FL decided to go back to the city.  Jiang Zheng Yuan defended the city with the help from Li Chang Qing.  Cao Empress Dowager got killed and Zhao Yi also died. An Eunuch saved Prince Zhao Xi.  FL announced to everyone that Zhao Yi passed his throne to Zhao Xi.  FL became Zhao Xi’s custodian in ruling the country.  FL got his cousin, Jiang Lu to kill Liao Wang at the assembly hall.  All the government officers got a shock.

ML worried about FL, sneaked in to the capital city.  FL and ML reunited and they finally consummated their marriage.  FL asked ML to go back to Shaanxi as she has other matters to handle.  FL also persuaded Li Chang Qing to be patient and to wait for further arrangement.  Li Chang Qing got a bit angry because he did not get any promotion or reward for his effort.

Jiang Zheng Yuan came to see FL and told her his intention to go to Liao Dong to handle the rebels there.  FL agreed because she noticed that the Jiang family is on a downward spiral and Liao Dong is a good place for them to recuperate and build their strength again.

The ministers became afraid of FL because FL is very sharp.  The ministers wanted to force FL to leave the city.  FL negotiated with the minister that she would leave the city if they give her husband a prince title.  ML became Lin Dong Wang.  FL went back to Xi An.  Li Chang Qing felt bad that he misunderstood FL. 

After FL left, Han Tong Xin (Zhao Yi’s Empress and FL’s adversary) thought she could be like Cao Empress but she was wrong.  Jian Wang (Han Tong Xin’s maternal granfather) knows that Han Tong Xin is not very smart, continued to control Han Tong Xin.  Han Tong Xin became very close to her friend, Cai Ru Yi who married Zhao Xiao in Fujian. 

FL gave birth to a son, named Li Shen.

Someone suggested to minister to move the capital city to Ji Lin.  Han Tong Xin supported the idea.  Zhao Xi did not want to move but he worried if he did not listen to Han Tong Xin, Han Tong Xin might kill him and take one kid from the royal family to install as new emperor.  Zhao Xi schemed with Grand Empress Dowager to bring FL back to the capital city. 

ML got the new post as the Governor of the capital city.  FL moved back to the capital city and reunited with Grand Empress Dowager.  Zhao Xi moved to Jin Lin.  Zhao Xiao instigated Zhao Xi to ask ML passed his military power in the north back to the government.  ML gave excuses that it was still too soon and agreed to pass his military power after 2 years.

Grand Empress Dowager told ML to do what he wanted to do after she died.  Grand Empress Dowager knows ML has ambition to become an Emperor.  After Grand Empress Dowager passed away, ML told FL his plan.  FL supported ML.  Zhao Xi became a puppet Emperor for Zhao Xiao.  Zhao Xi sent a secret letter to ML to ask ML to save him.  ML used that as an excuse to go Jin Lin.  Zhao Xiao told Zhao Xi that Zhao Xi did something very stupid and claimed that he has no intention to harm Zhao Xi.  Zhao Xi forced to write an announcement that ML lied about his letter.  Zhao Xiao left Jin Lin with Zhao Xi.

ML decided to take advantage of the situation.  ML asked Liao Empress (Zhao Xi’s wife) to coöperate with him.  ML announced to the world that Zhao Xi died and the one that Zhao Xiao took away was a fake Zhao Xi.  ML did not want to fight Zhao Xiao.  ML decided to leave to the younger generations to fight the battle.  ML wanted to spend time with FL.  ML became the new Emperor.  FL gave birth to a daughter.