To find out about her true parentage, Yan Ying sneaks off from home in pursuit of an older woman who looks almost exactly like her. Along the way, she encounters a handsome, charming prince (just focus on his face and ignore his poison-tongue), only to realize much later that it is no chance encounter at all.
He is the second prince of a small, neighboring state. Son of the Emperor and Empress of Xi Yu, accustomed to plotting, lying and scheming in the dog-eat-dog world of royal succession. When the road to the throne proved too arduous, he decided to use his peerless looks to win the hand of the most influential princess of the land, the precious daughter of the King of Qiong Yue, lord of all the six states. To his surprise, Princess Yan Ning is nothing like what he expected. She is suave, skilled, and no easy damsel to get into distress. How then, he asks himself, can he staged a hero to the rescue drama?
And so the story continues on what happens when the hunter sets a trap, only to end up trapping himself in the end.
[Ebook]
This is the 6th book in the Mistaken Marriage series. Compared to ‘The Pirates ‘Daughter’ and ‘Pursuit of Murderer in Liao Yue’ whose stories are both on the second-generation daughters, I find that ‘Real vs Fake Princess’ is not as a gripping book although it is still humorous and cute by its own merit.
Although she is Yan Hong Tian’s darling daughter, Yan Ning is a very likeable princess – spirited and unspoilt. But because she is who she is, there 2 pretty impressive ‘I am Princess’ moments that Su Su and Lou Chen cannot emulate. And despite his (bad) intentions, Zhuang Zhu Yan is a pretty admirable chap as well. As we learn about him over the story, it is easy for readers to understand and forgive his deceit because he has little choices over his actions. His liking for Yan Ning turns true within a few weeks in her company and he really gives his all to rescue her in their one and only near-death encounter.
Their love story is a little simplistic, compared to other Mistaken Marriage match couples and I wonder if it is because that the author is trying to find airtime for a major character get-together at the end. Yan Ning and Zhuang Zhu Yan only got ¾ book to themselves, before we have a grand finale with all the favourite characters from the previous books getting together to solve the mystery of the mysterious compass boards. It has a satisfying conclusion to the whole series and everything meshed together well.
The appearance of other Mistaken Marriage couples at the end is great for me but I’m not sure if it is good for readers who are reading the book by itself as this part is best appreciated if you are familiar with the fine nuances of the previous books (eg Mo Yuan jealousy of Banana, what exactly is ex-Prime Minister Bo role in the massacre of his daughter’s family, etc). But even without knowing, it is a great get-together and even Gu Yun and Su Ling from the first trilogy appeared and set a sterling example to their ‘juniors’ on how loving couples can be even after 20 years of marriage.
Overall, this is a pretty smooth book, scattered with funny moments. I’ll give this book 4-stars.
Hello! Moonblossom
Thank you so much for the summery. I am really looking forward to this book. The other five books were already translated and published in my country and I’m dying to read the sixth one. I’ve been searching on the internet whether the writer are going to write another book about Lou Xi since he is the character I’m the most curious about.
Can I ask you a question about Lou Xi in the sixth book if he had any important role in Yan Ning’s story because in the previous two books the writer seemed trying to relate Lou Xi to Yan Ning somehow. And a lot of my friends ship these two together. But according to your summery Yan Ning finally ended up with the prince from Xi Yu. Well, I would very much love to see lovey-dovey side of Lou Xi in this book even though he didn’t end up with Yan Ning. Thank you!
Sorry that have missed your question – Lou Xi did not have a major part in Yan Ning’s romance. He treats all the girls like his sisters n helps them whenever his help is needed.
* SPOILER on Lou Xi-
Lou Xi is the true prince of Qiong Yue. His parents swapped him with Yan Ning at birth, with hopes that he can grow up safely ** END SPOILER
He is as perfect as any guy can ever be n I too hope he has his book one day.
It’s 2020 and I read the comments from 2017. I just finished the four books and have enjoyed them all .. of course my favorite is the Gu Lan and Su Ling story but I love how all the books are ties together. I just finished SuSu’s story and I’m looking for the two final books. I hope someone will be able to translate them.