The Departing Phoenix (Volume One)

Name: The Departing Phoenix (Volume One)
ISBN: 9787550006560

猗兰霓裳Baihuazhou Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaDec 2017

4.0

Word count: 236K words
Chapters: 38
ISBN: 9787550006560

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Summary

He is a young emperor who ascended the throne in childhood, versed in letters and martial arts, looking down upon the world with pride. Amid court strife, he is forced into marriage. She is the daughter of a powerful chancellor, gifted in both talent and beauty, raised deep in the boudoir unknown to the world. Made empress overnight, she meets with cold neglect. He is the gentle and refined Prince Yu, a kinsman of exceptional bearing whom all know as a pillar of the realm. One day they meet, and he finds himself hopelessly drawn to her. In a belated encounter, she becomes a fairy maiden, in perfect harmony with him; from then on, the emperor is devoted to one alone, and the six palaces' powdered beauties pale before her. A sudden confession, and she reveals her identity, becoming a stranger to him; from then on, sister-in-law and brother-in-law must keep their distance, and her former lover becomes but an old acquaintance. The consorts and concubines of the inner palace, in all their variety, each covet the empress's throne and exhaust every trick. Her trusted attendant, gentle and pleasing, harbors love for the emperor and aspires to become a consort. And when ill tidings arrive, she abruptly discovers that she is utterly alone...

Editor's review

Li Huang (Part One) is a historical palace romance that begins with the young emperor's forced wedding. Its appeal lies not in the complexity of political intrigue but in the dislocation and tension of its relationships: the empress is forced into the palace only to be coldly neglected, Prince Yu falls for her upon their meeting, and status and propriety become the wall between them. The author interweaves the scheming consorts' covetousness, the private ambitions of those closest to her, and the heroine's plight; the pacing is driven by emotion, suited to readers who enjoy entanglements built on "belated encounters" and the taboo of in-law ties. This first volume focuses on establishing the characters' circumstances and emotional turning points—rather than rushing toward the ending, readers are better served following the heroine's perspective and feeling the difficulty of personal choice under palace rules. As the first half of a series, it leaves clear suspense for what follows; those who dislike unfinished arcs may prefer to wait and read it together with the second volume.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy emotional entanglements in historical palace romance
Romance readers drawn to the status dislocation between an empress and a prince
Those who accept a series' first volume ending on suspense and are willing to keep reading
Readers looking for an emotion-driven story for their leisure time

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer rigorous historical research or hardcore political intrigue
Those who do not accept the in-law romance setup or inner-palace scheming
Readers who want only a complete standalone story and will not follow a series

Reading tips

First clarify the relationships among the emperor, the empress, and Prince Yu before entering the plot
Focus on the heroine's choices between propriety and emotion, not just the romance line
While reading Part One, pay attention to the inner-palace and trusted-attendant subplots, which affect what follows
If suspense bothers you, wait for the second volume and read them consecutively

About the publisher

Baihuazhou Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1990

Baihuazhou Literature and Art Publishing House is a professional literature and art publisher. Judging from the books in the database, its publishing focus is on foreign literature, world classics, prose and miscellaneous writings, and classic works, while also covering literary appreciation and cultural reading. Representative titles include The Painter of Modern Life, Jane Eyre, Six Chapters of a Floating Life, The Moon and Sixpence, Selected Prose of Ji Xianlin, A Sportsman's Sketches, and Collected Prose of Famous Masters, involving Chinese and foreign authors such as Charles Baudelaire, Charlotte Brontë, Shen Fu, and W. Somerset Maugham, as well as translators including Guo Hong'an, Chen Jinhui, Jing Xing, and Jiao Haili. Overall, the press emphasizes the introduction of classic texts and the compilation of prose works, presenting a publishing profile centered on literary reading and cultural accumulation. As public information is limited, other aspects are not elaborated here.

版权信息
序言
楔子
第一章前庭风雨漫闺阁
第二章一入宫门深似海
第三章欲将名利换安和
第四章流水浮灯觅知音
第五章卷帷望月空长叹
第六章翩然一舞感君情
第七章未成曲调先有情
第八章欲斩情思却萦怀
第九章奈何君情此时至
第十章清风明月苦相思
第十一章长风万里送秋雁
第十二章无奈匿身藏青楼
第十三章风流文采磨不尽
第十四章柳丝袅娜春无力
第十五章空悬明月侍君王
第十六章欲将沉醉换悲凉
第十七章楼台影动鸳鸯起
第十八章终别蓬岛瑶台境
第十九章等闲风雨又纷纷
第二十章玉山高并两峰寒
第二十一章忆君迢迢隔青天
第二十二章不如饮待奴先醉
第二十三章春风扶栏露华浓
第二十四章相逢不尽平生事
第二十五章尽日东风吹柳絮
第二十六章平阳歌舞新承宠
第二十七章西宫静夜杀机现
第二十八章愿将日月相辉解
第二十九章心怀百忧复千虑
第三十章昨是今非望无尽
第三十一章感激君情深如海
第三十二章何当共剪西窗烛
第三十三章柳花复飞趁东风
第三十四章黄鹤一去不复返
第三十五章万叶千声皆是恨

FAQ

Can I read this directly without having read similar historical romance before?

Yes. The story begins with the young emperor's forced wedding and the empress's cold reception in the palace, and the relationships are introduced gradually from the start, with no reliance on prior books. Readers need only follow the heroine's perspective into the palace setting. If you don't often read historical romance, it helps to slow down through the first few chapters and first sort out where the emperor, the empress, and Prince Yu stand before entering the emotional entanglement.

Is the ending of Part One a complete story?

Judging by the "Part One" in the title, this is the first half of a series; it mainly completes the setup of the characters' circumstances and emotional turning points and leaves suspense for what follows, rather than a full resolution. If you dislike waiting mid-story for what comes next, it is best to read it together with the second volume; if you are fine following a series, Part One alone is enough to establish the relationships and conflicts.

Is the romance the main storyline?

From the available material, the story revolves around the belated encounter between the empress and Prince Yu, with emotional dislocation as its core tension, while interweaving such subplots as the court wedding, the consorts' coveting of the empress's throne, and the private ambitions of those closest to her. The romance therefore carries considerable weight, but it is not pure romance detached from the palace setting—the characters' choices are always constrained by status and propriety.

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About the author

猗兰霓裳 Author

Yi Lan Nichang is a web-novel author about whom little public information is available; the records show only that she has seven works, while her real name, nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name remain unknown. Judging from the works in the collection, she mainly writes in the areas of time-travel alternate history and ancient romance. Her representative work, Lihuang (Li Phoenix), is divided into three volumes and revolves around palace intrigue and emotional entanglements; the prequel Feng Qiu Huang: This Love Can Only Be Recalled as Memory continues the same thematic thread, reflecting her preference for classical imagery and lingering romance. Yi Ai: A Dream of Prosperity and the two-volume Shuangbao Jiyuan are classified as modern romance and social fiction, showing that her writing is not confined to ancient settings but also touches on modern urban life and human relationships. Overall, her works center on women's emotions, with detailed plotting that combines alternate-world imagination with realistic observation, making them suitable for readers who enjoy romantic narratives.