The Departing Phoenix (Volume Three) cover

The Departing Phoenix (Volume Three)

Rating 3.9
Word count
289K words
Chapters
32
ISBN
9787550006560

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Summary

He is the young emperor who ascended the throne in childhood, versed in both letters and arms, looking down upon the world from the height of imperial dignity. 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 in a single day, she meets with cold neglect. He is the gentle and refined Prince Yu, a kinsman of rare bearing whose support of the realm is known to all. One day they meet, and he cannot restrain his attraction to her. In a belated encounter, she becomes a fairy maiden, in harmony with him as heaven and earth; from then on the emperor is devoted, and the painted beauties of the six palaces lose all color. At a sudden confession, she reveals her identity, and they become strangers; from then on brother-in-law and sister-in-law are kept apart, and from then on her former lover is but an old acquaintance. The palace consorts, in all their variety, each covet the empress's position and exhaust every trick. Her trusted attendant, gentle and pleasing, loves the emperor and wants to become a consort herself. And when ill tidings arrive, she suddenly finds herself utterly alone…

Editor's review

As the closing volume of the trilogy, *Lihuang* (Part Three) picks up the conflicts accumulated in the middle book and drives the emotional entanglement among the empress, the emperor, and Prince Yu to its final outcome. In this installment Yilan Nichang concentrates on resolving the threads laid earlier: the concubines' coveting of the empress's position, the feelings of those closest to her, and the empress's gradual discovery of her own isolation. The hint of "utterly alone" in the synopsis suggests a strongly tragic or loss-haunted ending, and readers should be prepared. As a finale, the book's value lies in giving the character relationships a clear resolution rather than creating new suspense, and it is suited to readers who have followed the series throughout and want emotional closure. The narrative continues the delicate restraint of the earlier volumes, with a rich court atmosphere; the characters' choices are largely constrained by status and circumstance, leaving a sense of helplessness. If you wonder how the confession and status barrier left at the end of the middle volume are resolved, this volume provides the answer—though not necessarily a happy one.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Loyal readers who have followed Books One and Two of *Lihuang* and want to see the ending
  • Historical romance readers who can accept a tragic or loss-haunted ending
  • Readers who enjoy watching characters struggle between status and emotion
  • Romance fans interested in how the harem ensemble and intrigue are resolved

Not a good fit for

  • Readers who only want a happy ending and reject a loss-haunted resolution
  • Readers who have not read the first two volumes and cannot follow the prior relationships
  • Readers who prefer light, sweet romance and do not want emotional heaviness

Reading tips

  1. Before reading, recall the confession and status barrier at the end of the middle volume and enter the finale with those questions in mind.
  2. Watch for shifts in the positions of those around the empress; the sense of isolation at the end builds largely from these.
  3. If the ending affects you strongly, revisit the key chapters a day later.
  4. Reread character dialogue across all three volumes together to appreciate the foreshadowing that echoes back and forth.

About the publisher

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.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 大结局篇
  3. 第五十七章 无圆缺处重修补
  4. 第五十八章 身世浮沉雨打萍
  5. 第五十九章 道是无晴却有晴
  6. 第六十章 鸳鸯瓦冷霜华重
  7. 第六十一章 耿耿星河欲曙天
  8. 第六十二章 相思相念无相见
  9. 第六十三章 却从冷淡遇繁华
  10. 第六十四章 闲花落地听无声
  11. 第六十五章 应知闺内善周旋
  12. 第六十六章 何须妩媚争如意
  13. 第六十七章 历尽百事两相依
  14. 第六十八章 人去梁空巢也倾
  15. 第六十九章 虎啸龙吟贺弄璋
  16. 第七十章 月解重圆星解聚
  17. 第七十一章 衣带渐宽终不悔
  18. 第七十二章 欲为圣明除弊事
  19. 第七十三章 掌上珊瑚怜不得
  20. 第七十四章 苍颜难换朱颜好
  21. 第七十五章 往日崎岖还记否
  22. 第七十六章 落花飞雪何茫茫
  23. 第七十七章 是非成败转头空
  24. 第七十八章 自古多情空余恨
  25. 第七十九章 天上人间情一诺
  26. 天怜独得殿残春——怡妃番外
  27. 意阑珊——裕王妃番外
  28. 第一章 万里油幢照塞云
  29. 第二章 相逢只在无意中
  30. 第三章 双碧联辉夸美眷
  31. 第四章 画眉深浅入时无
  32. 第五章 一场寂寞凭谁诉

FAQ

Is this final volume a complete ending?
Judging from the synopsis and the trilogy structure, the final volume serves to tie things together and will address the earlier emotional entanglement and harem conflicts. The phrase "utterly alone" in the synopsis suggests a loss-haunted ending, so readers can adjust their expectations accordingly, though the specific plot still needs to be confirmed by reading the book.
Is the ending happy or tragic?
The synopsis hints that the empress ultimately finds herself utterly alone, giving the overall tone a sense of loss and helplessness rather than a happy resolution. The characters are constrained by status and circumstance, and their feelings cannot run smoothly. If you prefer a grand reunion, prepare yourself before reading.
Must I read the volumes in order?
Reading in order is recommended. The character relationships and emotional threads of the trilogy build layer by layer, and the conflicts of the final volume rest on the groundwork of the earlier books. Skipping ahead to the final volume makes it hard to understand the origins of the entanglement among the empress, the emperor, and Prince Yu, and the reading experience suffers considerably.

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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.

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