Gui Li (Complete Three Volumes) cover

Gui Li (Complete Three Volumes)

Rating 3.8
Word count
942K words
Chapters
179
ISBN
9787541157899

Tags

Summary

This is a classic of historical romance that is hard to surpass, a romance that still stirs the heart after more than a decade. If you have loved The Drunken Exquisiteness, do not miss its prequel, Guili, where our dreams are sealed away. In the vast and mysterious fictional realm of the Nine Domains, a love affair unfolds amid troubled times. Among the five clans and four kingdoms, the Lord of the Eastern Emperor, Zihao, turns the world in his palm and walks the razor's edge of blood and blades, yet his life hangs by a thread in another's hands; the stunningly beautiful Princess Zirao, long imprisoned beneath the mysterious tower, is finally released, and though she faces a chessboard of empire, her heart clings only to the man she calls her royal brother. Their elusive blood ties bind and entangle them. When love runs deepest, can it transcend life and death and overturn worldly conventions? The language is refined throughout, employing shot-by-shot narration and montage techniques, with grand scenes and delicate emotions. The suspenseful plotting is strikingly original and utterly gripping, with foreshadowing laid at every turn.

Editor's review

Guili is the prequel that Shisi Ye wrote before The Drunken Exquisiteness. Read today, it feels like a long historical romance written with a shot-by-shot cinematic sensibility: the grand backdrop of the Nine Domains and the five clans and four kingdoms is spread wide, while the emotional thread between the Eastern Emperor Zihao and Princess Zirao is kept tightly drawn. The author excels at advancing the plot through montage-like scene transitions—the large-scale power struggles are written with sweeping momentum, while the smaller emotions are rendered with fine detail, and suspense and foreshadowing build layer upon layer, creating a strong pull to keep reading. For readers who enjoy fictional historical romance and value the tension of character relationships and narrative pacing, this three-volume set is suited to being read in one concentrated stretch, following the chessboard as it gradually reveals the entanglements of blood and emotion. One caveat: the emotional intensity is high and the character relationships are complex, so those looking only for light, sweet romance or a single main storyline may find the information density demanding and require patience.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Readers of long-form fictional historical romance interweaving power struggles and emotion
  • Longtime readers of The Drunken Exquisiteness who want to fill in the prequel story
  • Readers who prefer shot-by-shot narration and densely foreshadowed plotting
  • Readers who can accept complex character relationships and high emotional intensity

Not a good fit for

  • Readers looking only for light, sweet romance with a single romantic thread
  • Readers impatient with settings spanning multiple kingdoms and clans
  • Those who prefer contemporary subjects or short, fast-paced stories

Reading tips

  1. Read through once first to clarify the five clans, four kingdoms, and main character relationships, then revisit the foreshadowing.
  2. Read the three volumes consecutively to avoid confusing character threads during long interruptions.
  3. At key suspense points, keep brief character notes to help track the shifts in the chessboard.
  4. After finishing, revisit The Drunken Exquisiteness to see how the prequel's emotional and world-building echoes resonate.

About the publisher

Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House is a professional literary and art publishing institution. It mainly publishes books on contemporary and modern literature, foreign literature, poetry and prose, music and art, and literary theory. Judging from the books in the database, the house places considerable emphasis on classic works and foreign literature. Representative titles include Lu Xun's Call to Arms and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk, Lao She's Camel Xiangzi, Xiao Hong's The Story of Hulan River, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, William Shakespeare's Hamlet, and Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha. Its translator resources include Deng Jiawan, Shi Zhongge, Du Yunci, and Zhu Shenghao. Common categories include social fiction, classic works, foreign literature, world classics, literary appreciation, and classical poetry, reflecting a publishing profile that balances Chinese and foreign literary classics with literary appreciation.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 归离Ⅰ
  3. 第一卷
  4. 第一章 风雨江山
  5. 第二章 饮鸩止渴
  6. 第三章 有女红颜
  7. 第四章 昊昊苍天
  8. 第五章 西陵残阳
  9. 第六章 楚国皇非
  10. 第七章 子夜惊云
  11. 第八章 九转玲珑
  12. 第九章 王者止戈
  13. 第十章 血魄冰魂
  14. 第十一章 艳凤游龙
  15. 第十二章 恩是怨非
  16. 第十三章 杏林浅风
  17. 第十四章 洗马中原
  18. 第十五章 自在无相
  19. 第十六章 戾鹤幽骨
  20. 第十七章 魑泽奇阵
  21. 第十八章 烛龙九阴
  22. 第十九章 天之娇女
  23. 第二十章 山谷夜宴
  24. 第二十一章 周天剑阵
  25. 第二十二章 美人如玉
  26. 第二十三章 穆国质子
  27. 第二十四章 欲加之罪
  28. 第二十五章 青梅竹马
  29. 第二十六章 人间天阙
  30. 第二十七章 心思万缕
  31. 第二十八章 将计就计
  32. 第二十九章 天衣无缝
  33. 第二卷
  34. 第一章 一战之功
  35. 第二章 艳骨柔姬
  36. 第三章 公然决裂
  37. 第四章 碧林清心
  38. 第五章 心悦君子
  39. 第六章 残局新棋
  40. 第七章 沧海余生
  41. 第八章 李代桃僵
  42. 第九章 及笄典礼
  43. 第十章 天外飞箫
  44. 第十一章 十年一算
  45. 第十二章 明月高楼
  46. 第十三章 卿本佳人
  47. 第十四章 巫府鬼宅
  48. 第十五章 反客为主
  49. 第十六章 无名小镇
  50. 第十七章 红粉帮主
  51. 第十八章 夜探君府
  52. 第十九章 兵锋剑影
  53. 第二十章 九夷女王
  54. 第二十一章 诡怨遗香
  55. 第二十二章 窃国者侯
  56. 第二十三章 倾心何为
  57. 第二十四章 千尺波澜
  58. 第二十五章 赤天玄女
  59. 第二十六章 清风朗日
  60. 第二十七章 月上东山
  61. 第二十八章 暗语谲云
  62. 第二十九章 流光三生
  63. 第三十章 飞凤求凰
  64. 归离Ⅱ
  65. 第三卷
  66. 第一章 枪出千云
  67. 第二章 偷天换日
  68. 第三章 血鸾鸣楚
  69. 第四章 万波逐浪
  70. 第五章 且换君心
  71. 第六章 其心其茶
  72. 第七章 螳螂捕蝉
  73. 第八章 黄雀在后
  74. 第九章 计中连环
  75. 第十章 楚都烈焰
  76. 第十一章 琼华惊变
  77. 第十二章 衡元宝殿
  78. 第十三章 阴错阳差
  79. 第十四章 恩断义绝
  80. 第十五章 九死一生
  81. 第十六章 脱出重围
  82. 第十七章 心系一线
  83. 第十八章 推波助澜
  84. 第十九章 无中生有
  85. 第二十章 碧影追踪
  86. 第二十一章 棋局万变
  87. 第二十二章 噬心灵蛊
  88. 第二十三章 绝谷冰封
  89. 第二十四章 风起云涌
  90. 第二十五章 接天之盟
  91. 第二十六章 生死相间
  92. 第二十七章 覆手倾国
  93. 第二十八章 苍云迷峰
  94. 第二十九章 不速之客
  95. 第三十章 经心纬国
  96. 第三十一章 情为何物
  97. 第四卷
  98. 第一章 忍字当头
  99. 第二章 过眼恩义
  100. 第三章 以命换命
  101. 第四章 九重帝心
  102. 第五章 月落西宸
  103. 第六章 势不两立
  104. 第七章 东宫夫人
  105. 第八章 巫族奇毒
  106. 第九章 王女帝姬
  107. 第十章 九针极刑
  108. 第十一章 突发奇袭
  109. 第十二章 子夜韶华
  110. 第十三章 王者之心
  111. 第十四章 苍峰玄雪
  112. 第十五章 孽情业果
  113. 第十六章 翻生掌死
  114. 第十七章 雪域银倏
  115. 第十八章 一武夺将
  116. 第十九章 换剑之交
  117. 第二十章 万兽呈王
  118. 第二十一章 弑天之剑
  119. 第二十二章 成王败寇
  120. 第二十三章 血亲相刃
  121. 第二十四章 一念成狂
  122. 第二十五章 情兮何兮
  123. 归离Ⅲ
  124. 第五卷
  125. 第一章 逐鹿之战
  126. 第二章 兵临城下
  127. 第三章 天鼓绝音
  128. 第四章 北域雄主
  129. 第五章 至心至毒
  130. 第六章 故人心计
  131. 第七章 陆上行舟
  132. 第八章 穆王玄殇
  133. 第九章 苍雪长岭
  134. 第十章 绝地逢生
  135. 第十一章 梦里箫音
  136. 第十二章 千城赌约
  137. 第十三章 夜雨袭城
  138. 第十四章 军中密谈
  139. 第十五章 孽债血偿
  140. 第十六章 愿归本心
  141. 第十七章 狭路相逢
  142. 第十八章 不争之争
  143. 第十九章 偷梁换柱
  144. 第二十章 百仙圣手
  145. 第二十一章 李代桃僵
  146. 第二十二章 机关之战
  147. 第二十三章 剑葬息川
  148. 第六卷
  149. 第一章 明修栈道
  150. 第二章 同气连枝
  151. 第三章 桃夭忘忧
  152. 第四章 之子与归
  153. 第五章 暗度陈仓
  154. 第六章 是敌是友
  155. 第七章 九石归一
  156. 第八章 红尘空梦
  157. 第九章 三式剑招
  158. 第十章 真相如刃
  159. 第十一章 送君一别
  160. 第十二章 前尘永诀
  161. 第十三章 策天之战
  162. 第十四章 同归于尽
  163. 终结篇
  164. 第一章 血染边城
  165. 第二章 情障魔障
  166. 第三章 再世为人
  167. 第四章 慧剑断情
  168. 第五章 情丝成轴
  169. 第六章 酒楼说古
  170. 第七章 伊人芳踪
  171. 第八章 十年故友
  172. 第九章 青衣异客
  173. 第十章 鬼师惊魂
  174. 第十一章 隔世重逢
  175. 第十二章 彼岸香消
  176. 第十三章 幽魂艳蛊
  177. 第十四章 满月之夜
  178. 第十五章 情仇俱了
  179. 第十六章 月明风清

FAQ

Can I read Guili directly without having read The Drunken Exquisiteness?
Yes. Guili is a prequel story with a relatively complete character and plot line of its own, and does not depend on familiarity with The Drunken Exquisiteness. However, reading Guili first and then The Drunken Exquisiteness makes it easier to appreciate the world-building and emotional echoes between the two works.
Is the emotional line the main thread or the backdrop of this set?
From the available material, the story unfolds within the power-struggle framework of the Nine Domains and the five clans and four kingdoms, while the emotional entanglement between Zihao and Zirao serves as one of its core threads, the two advancing in interwoven fashion. It is not a simple sweet romance; the emotion is tightly bound to the chessboard of power and the suspense of blood ties.
What in the narrative style might take some getting used to?
The language is refined throughout, employing shot-by-shot narration and montage techniques, with relatively frequent scene changes and densely layered foreshadowing and suspense. On first reading it may take some patience to sort out the characters and timeline; once acclimated, the rhythm gradually emerges.

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About the author

十四夜 Author

Shisiyie is a Chinese web-novel author about whom limited public information is available. Her writing mainly falls within the time-travel and alternate-history genre. Five of her works are currently included in the library, among them the three-volume special edition of Zui Linglong: Ten-Year Collector's Film and Television Edition and the Gui Li series, which comprises a three-volume edition as well as the two parts of Gui Li: Splendid Finale. Zui Linglong was adapted into a television drama of the same title starring Liu Shishi and Chen Weiting, indicating that her stories have reached a certain readership and presence in the film and television market. Judging from the titles and categories, Shisiyie tends to build emotional and fate-driven narratives against alternate-world settings, often publishing in multi-volume series that lend themselves to collection and adaptation. As no biographical details about the author have been made public, this note introduces only the themes and reach of her works.

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