The Wife Comes First: Qi Wei Shang (Novel) Vol. 1

Chased by enemies and pushed into a corner, Jing Shao decides to jump off a cliff with his consort wife. Before that, he prays that if he’s reborn, he’ll treat his husband better than before. And he really wakes up in the past, shortly after his wedding night with Mu Hanzhang, remembering everything that will happen and how badly he treated his husband. What follows is a sweet story about two young men married for political reasons, where one does everything to win the other’s heart. In this world, it’s normal for men to be taken as wives, and for several concubines to live in the household to secure heirs. The book isn’t perfect, but I really enjoyed it. The focus is on their relationship, which I found super sweet. The characters complement each other perfectly. Jing Shao is still impulsive and hot-headed, but he more than makes up for it with how he treats his husband. There’s also plenty of court intrigue and power struggles. The spice scenes didn’t bother me - they’re not overdone. Since the story focuses on romance, the intimate moments feel natural and fitting. For me, this was a refreshing take in the danmei genre. Usually romance is a subplot, but here it’s front and center. I really enjoyed it, even though the names sometimes confused me (they change depending on status and titles, sometimes even in the same sentence ). Can’t wait for the second volume -I had so much fun reading this!