Faced with the reality of becoming disabled after an assassination attempt, Commander of the Northern Yan Army, Fu Shen, returns to the Capital. But as if crushing his legs wasn’t enough, when a rumour about Fu Shen’s preferences reaches the emperor, Imperial Investigator, Yan Xiaohan, is forced to marry Fu Shen, despite the two being well-known political rivals — one being a sycophant taking any measures needed and one being an upright and loyal general.
However, the history between the two men isn’t uncomplicated and now they need to untie the knots in their relationship while they both want to find the one who ordered the failed assassination of Fu Shen.
He schooled his expression as he looked up at Yan Xiaohan. “Lord Yan, stop looking so dejected. I didn’t know you felt such sympathy for me. I’m quite embarrassed.”
Yan Xiaohan didn’t know which of those faulty eyes saw an expression of sympathy on his face, but he knew he was being toyed with. He answered coldly, “You’re welcome. It’s my duty. After all, we’ll be family from now on.”
Now Fu Shen was stunned.
Thoughts
My comfort novel is back! My disability representative Fu Shen is here to be badass again!
This is what I will henceforth call the Seven Seas (7S) Edition. I reviewed the Peach Flower House (PFH) Edition in 2023, and shared then my love for this novel. It should come as no surprise I was very excited about a new release.
After all, one of the reasons I was saddened me so about the closure of Peach Flower House was because Golden Terrace would no longer be on the market. Now it is. Go read it.
To be very fair to the novel, let me begin with pointing out that the PFH and 7S editions are not translated from the same manuscripts. One can have opinions on one of the other, but one includes additional content, and one doesn’t.
To give an example that I also touched upon briefly in my livetweets:
In the 7S edition, it is mentioned that Yan Xiaohan remembers that Shen Yice, the doctor, is from the north and assumes that’s why Shen Yice has such strong feelings about Fu Shen.
In the PFH edition, while Yan Xiaohan remembers where Shen Yice is from, it also expands on this, sharing that Shen Yice survived a massacre by hiding in a medicine cabinet.
Both are perfectly valid ways to handle Shen Yice’s backstory because he is a recurrent character, but not one that necessarily needs a tragic backstory mentioned in passing.
These moments are, however, sprinkled across the book.
So these are indeed different editions, not just different translations. I can’t fully compare one or the other in terms of translation without also comparing the editions and give some speculation into the differences. And I rather not speculate too much on source material I can’t compare.
This novel is a historical court intrigue novel, and book one is very much a mystery story which revolves largely around the main character, the Marquis of Jingning, Fu Shen, and the assassination attempt on him which the book opens with. While the feelings of Fu Shen and Yan Xiaohan take a lot of space in the first half, it’s because of the arranged marriage the two find themselves in and it doesn’t stray away from the question “Who wanted Fu Shen dead and why?” partially because they both wish to know and partially because one is a military official and the other’s job is knowing everything.
I find that there is a good balance between the forced marriage plot, the romantic plot and the assassination plot.
The relationship also isn’t suddenly warm nor do they fight each other more because it was forced upon them. They respect that they have things they can’t speak of, because they are who they are.
And they bicker and tease each other a lot, especially when they begin to unpack and have unpacked the baggage directly affecting their relationship.
I love the Yan-Fu couple so much, just saying.
Another highlight is obviously Fu Shen himself. The way his disability is handled and represented is one of my favourite things. Sure, he has to seem worse than he is for his own sake, but his disability isn’t making him any less of a general. One in a chair, yes, but a general nonetheless.
Whenever I read Golden Terrace, as someone with chronic leg pain that feels like my bones are being crushed indefinitely, I feel seen. That’s why this is the only novel I’ve read seven times.
However, we have to talk about the translation.
While the PFH edition wasn’t my first exposure to Golden Terrace, it is, however the one that perhaps made the greatest impact on me. The fan translation I read first is a fan translation, and there are naturally many things that could be different or better, but it’s still a fan translation. Not to say I didn’t like the novel then — I read it four times in like a year. And despite the impression I should have from reading it that many times, the impact was still greater with the PFH edition.
I can’t remove that bias, and I’m aware of that, so keep that in mind. But I also had my gripes with the PFH edition, as can be reading my review of the PFH edition.
So with that disclaimer out of the way…
It was a translation. *shrugs*
That’s really the impression of it. I mean, that’s the point, right? Being a translation?
…N, not really.
A literary work being translated is, generally speaking, supposed to flow naturally in the target language, and this novel? Doesn’t pass. I can’t explain what it is, but ir just doesn’t flow properly. I can’t really give any concrete examples or provide any quotes because a small section doesn’t capture it fully.
However, there are times I felt the novel fell flat in terms of emotion. An example of what that happens would be when Fu Shen is kneeling in the rain. The way some of the sentences are constructed are accurate enough, yes, and I know the scene well enough to still get emotional, but I was also pulled out of that same emotion a moment later because of how it was written.
But again, the two editions use different source material, so even if I’d like to compare them side by side, I can’t. I can check the web version and I have a print copy coming in, but those aren’t necessarily comparable with the English because it doesn’t have to be those exactly editions used for translation.
What I can only offer is that the cadence of the 7S edition isn’t very literary. It’s… stiff in a way. Lifeless?
And I like the flow of the PFH version and the archaic wording because this is a historical novel. The 7S edition doesn’t achieve that tone, and that’s fine. I just like my historical fiction to read like historical fiction.
However, I did like many of the localisation choices, while some weren’t necessarily as good in the PHF edition. In the 7S edition there was often a nice balance between making it understandable and keeping it in pinyin.
And, again, the translation is fine. I do think it needs polishing, but the flow isn’t always bad and sometimes impact is better… or could be if the build-up to it held up.
Although, I can say, whoever decided on “Yan Prefectural City” needs to go sit in the corner of shame. Yan City would have been so much better. Even Yanzhou City would have been fine if you wanted to separate it from the Yan Prefecture. Yan Prefectural City is just so long and clunky and odd in English.
Yan Ciy really was right there… and yet…
So…
All that said. Go read this book. If you’re unconvinced, read my other review of the PFH edition. While they’re different editions, the basic plots are the same. I’m biased toward rhe PFH edition, yes, but I still enjoyed reading the novel. And sometimes the best translation is the one you can read, and the 7S edition is the only purchasable one, so there’s that?
And I do mean it when I say I enjoyed this book even if the translation wasn’t my cup of tea. I nearly cried on the bus over these boys and this is my seventh read. I still got moved by it. Yes, I have another edition to lean onto for the emotional core, but what even fostered those feeling initially wasn’t even the PFH edition. I just love this story deeply. And I like it so much because it’s such a good novel and book one is my favourite half of it.
Especially recommended to people who love court intrigue and court drama, bickering couples, mystery and historical novels. Oh, and redemption, I suppose. But I would honestly like to see everyone read it.
