Looking for an Elegant Historical Chinese Romance Without Outlandish, Over-the-Top, or Brain-Dead Tropes 求古色古香的古言小说，不要各种天雷狗血脑残梗的

1. 701 西 Song of Xizhou: Remembrance 西洲曲：忆 Iris in the South南有鸢尾Ancient Romance35k WordsCompleted I had a very long dream. In the dream, I had a father who loved me more than anything and a mother who was incredibly gentle. But I didn't know who I was. When I woke up, I still didn't know. 68Reads—Score—Shelves
2. 702 后 Harem: The Pear Blossoms Fall, and Spring Returns 后宫：落尽梨花春又了 Shui Ningyan水凝烟Ancient Romance459k WordsCompleted She only wants to live in peace. She has never cared much for the palace intrigues and rivalries for the emperor's favor, but the trees may wish for stillness while the wind keeps blowing. After the other consorts make things difficult for her again and again, she finally understands that once you enter the palace, your life is no longer your own. Fueled by hatred, she discovers that she can be just as ruthless as they are. For years, the emperor's affection has made her the most favored woman i —Reads8.4Score—Shelves
3. 703 春 Spring Blossoms Never Return 春华不归 Moonlight Pale as Frost月白如霜Ancient Romance115k WordsCompleted I must have told you I loved you hundreds of years ago. But you forgot, and I never remembered., “Lovers Who Missed Each Other” Years of companionship made him take her for granted. He was so sure she would always be there waiting for him that he went about his own business, treating her with indifference, because she was always there. Her heart finally went cold, and she left. Even the most precious thing seems ordinary once you have it. Only after losing it do you realize what it meant. He 553Reads7.9Score—Shelves
4. 704 姜 Ginger 姜了 Desolate and Uninhabited荒芜人烟Ancient Romance3.0M WordsCompleted My name is Jiang Liao. My mother said it meant “born only to die.” She wasn’t wrong. Though I am a princess of Jiang, I was born in the Cold Palace and destined to suffer cruelty and contempt. Even the heir of Northern Qi, held here as a hostage, mocked me: “Jiang Liao, you’re both princesses, so why are you lying on the ground while Princess Yihe rides on your back? Don’t you hate her?” I knew what he was trying to do by provoking me. He wanted to use me to escape Jiang, and perhaps even bring 313Reads7.6Score101Shelves
5. 705 我 I Am No Spy in the Eastern Palace 我非东宫细作 Is the Yellow River Yellow?黄河黄不黄Ancient Romance418k WordsCompleted The Crown Prince knows full well that the Crown Princess he married is a spy planted by the Imperial Noble Consort at his side. Whether marrying her benefits or harms the Eastern Palace depends on just how ruthless he is. And people raised in the palace are never short on ruthlessness. Since he can't fight back, he may as well turn the tables and make the most of her usefulness. He deliberately charms her until she falls for him and gets her pregnant to secure his position as Crown Prince, but h —Reads—Score—Shelves
6. 706 病 After Her Sickly Husband Died, the Crown Prince Took Her into the Eastern Palace 病弱夫君去世后，太子夺我入东宫 Fei Nongmo妃弄墨Ancient Romance581k WordsCompleted [The short drama of the same name, Marry into the Eastern Palace, is now available] Three years ago, at the Eastern Palace’s consort selection banquet, the Crown Prince scolded her: “The Shen girl is coquettish and ingratiating, and her conduct is outrageous.” His words made Shen Lizhu the laughingstock of the capital’s noblewomen, forcing her to retreat to her maternal grandparents’ home in Jiangnan. Three years later, the Crown Prince is ordered to leave the capital and tour Jiangnan. Shen Liz 19.2kReads8.4Score1.4kShelves
7. 707 缱 Entwined in the Palace 缱绻宫阙 Purple-Robed Evil Emperor紫裳邪皇Ancient Romance285k WordsCompleted A sweet romance with plenty of angst. Nian Ruo came from a humble family. After her parents died young, she lived with her uncle, a general, where she met her ninth older brother, whose temperament suited hers perfectly. But later, the emperor forced her into the palace, where she became empress. She did everything she could to avoid his favor, but the emperor loved her and wanted her to bear him an heir. When she first entered the palace, she was a virtuous empress, smiling as she watched him s 504Reads8.4Score—Shelves
8. 708 青 My Childhood Sweetheart Is Hard to Win Over 青梅难哄 Let Me Sleep a Little Longer再让我睡一会Ancient Romance355k WordsCompleted The Third Prince and Pei, the young lady of the Zhen’an Marquis’s household, had been childhood friends since they were little, always open and honest with each other. That is, until one day... The Third Prince, who used to take injuries and hardships in stride, insisted on being carried into the Zhen’an Marquis’s household, where he called out to Second Miss Pei, looking half-dead: “Wanw an, I feel awful...” Bodyguard: Who are you? Where’s our cold, distant, icy Third Prince? The Empress wanted 13.7kReads9.2Score1.2kShelves

   Reader note

   Antique, beautiful old sayings

9. 709 我 Opening a Little Restaurant in Shengjing 我在盛京开小馆 Four Bayberries四颗杨梅Ancient Romance381k WordsCompleted [Alternate world, slow burn, not a wish-fulfillment novel, food + court intrigue + transmigration. Read with caution if that’s not your thing.] Miss Li’s Changhuan Eatery, tucked away on Qingxing Alley, serves delicious food at affordable prices. The officials who get up early for roll call tug at their increasingly tight uniforms, but still can’t help ordering another bowl of fresh pork wontons. Pei Hongzhi happened to eat there once and discovered that Miss Li didn’t just make excellent breakf 48.1kReads9.4Score7.5kShelves
10. 710 惹 A Springtime Temptation 惹春娇 Hua Queque华阙阙Ancient Romance86k WordsCompleted [Cold-Hearted Young Duke vs. Clumsy Beauty from a Military Family] [Bickering Couple + Love at First Sight + Shotgun Wedding + Sweet Romance, 1v1] Cui Ke came from a distinguished family and was every inch a noble young gentleman. He never imagined he would marry a woman like Zhen Zhu. She was born in the countryside, uneducated, greedy, lecherous, foolish, and vulgar. Worse, they were natural enemies. The first time they met, she flung a shoe in his face, then pushed him into a river and left h 7.1kReads8.8Score524Shelves
11. 711 病 Spring Returns to the Branches of a Sick Tree 病树枝头又逢春 Sweet Melon甜甜的瓜Ancient Romance476k WordsCompleted [Print edition now available] Sang Nian accidentally climbs into the world of cultivation and becomes the vicious supporting female character who meets a tragic end in the book. System: Your mission is to marry the male supporting character, Xie Chenzhou, abuse him, humiliate him, and then get killed by him. Sang Nian: OK (brandishes little whip) (hits herself) (collapses with a thud) System: (silence) (stares at the sky) System: Mission changed. Win him over, or go mine coal. Sang Nian: (smiles 235.8kReads9.5Score34.4kShelves
12. 712 让 They Wanted Me to Be a Sacrificial Stepmother, but I Chose to Make My Own Way 让我当炮灰主母，我偏另谋高枝 Ji Yun霁妘Ancient Romance1.0M WordsCompleted [Historical Romance / Household Intrigue / Sweet Romance / The Male Lead Is Head Over Heels] In Ruyi's Beloved Concubine, the heir apparent Xie Yunzhix is a brave and formidable warrior, always dashing across the battlefield in fine clothes, with no one able to stand against him. Sadly, he is only a supporting character. The story opens with him in a vegetative state, leaving behind three adopted sons. Xu Qingyi discovers that she has become the foil to the beloved heroine of a sweet romance. On 106kReads9.4Score13.7kShelves
13. 713 儒 Beyond The Scholars: A Couple's Devotion 儒林史外，举案齐腰 Drunk Without the Moon醉是无月Ancient Romance166k WordsCompleted Whose ancestors’ graves are smoking green? Du Shaoqing married Sun Xiangxian! He’s cuckolded every other day, while the chickens fly and the dogs go wild. The young master has no interest in the imperial exams, but no one dotes on his wife like he does. The young lady elopes with a young guard, then breaks her promise in the dead of night, and no one finds out. The Sun sisters are seductive vixens, ruining one person after another. Ni Yanzhu’s search for her family is quite the adventure, but sh 20Reads8.3Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    If you like ancient Chinese novels about palace fighting and house fighting, this novel will definitely be your favorite. Chapters 1 to 3 and 5 to 10. The plot in each chapter is so thrilling, but the protagonist is able to handle it with ease.

14. 714 幸 Lucky to Have Met Your Peach-Blossom Face 幸得识卿桃花面 Qian Ran Jun Xiao千苒君笑Ancient Romance1.2M WordsCompleted Wei Qing transmigrated. Her principle was simple: if you can settle it with your fists, don't waste your breath. 10.6kReads9.2Score1.3kShelves

    Reader note

    1-7 Books are pure ancient poems, clear and not verbose. Each book has its own style. The last one is very funny.

15. 715 反 Villain: My Little Brother is the Chosen One 反派：我的弟弟是天选之子 I Keep a Fat Rabbit家养了只肥兔Eastern Fantasy4.3M WordsCompleted "Lovably awful villain + wish fulfillment + scheming + lighthearted + sly trickster + shameless + not an invincible protagonist" Qin Feng transmigrated into the ancient wilderness as the eldest young master of the Qin family. His twin younger brother was the legendary Chosen One, and possessed a one-in-ten-thousand Supreme Bone. He thought he could ride his brother’s coattails to the peak of life, but then an unprincipled System showed up and told him there was a bright future in being a villain 370.2kReads9.5Score62.6kShelves
16. 716 郡 The Commandery Princess Is Reborn and Back for Revenge 郡主重生杀回来了 Yi Shuang宜霜Ancient Romance277k WordsOngoing Zhang Jiayue, the Princess of Yufang, was talked into visiting the Sure-Win Gambling House by her half-brother and the Third Prince. She brought along her childhood friend Jiang Yunzhao. After winning at first, she began to lose and got hopelessly hooked, borrowing a million taels of silver. The gambling house came after her to collect, bringing down both the Prince’s and Marquis’s households. She was killed, too. Unable to let go, she was reborn on the road as the gambling house’s collectors cl 320Reads8.1Score100Shelves
17. 717 新 The Bride Was Cruelly Abandoned, Only to Discover She Was Pregnant 新娘惨被抛弃，怎料肚中已有娃 Fang Yao芳遥Ancient Romance464k WordsCompleted There was no warmth on her wedding night, only her in-laws' taunts and her husband's indifference. Afterward, her mother-in-law sent her to the countryside without consulting anyone. She was given dozens of acres of land and two elderly servants, and from then on, no one bothered with her. She knew her husband's family didn't want her back, and her heart had grown cold toward them too. But just when she'd finally settled in, she realized that after only one night, she was pregnant with the child 27.8kReads9.0Score2.3kShelves

    Reader note

    There is no rebirth and time travel, no cheating, and the bride is relatively sadistic, but the love between mother and child and husband and wife in the article are touching. Fengjiao is a standard ancient lady, taking you to experience an antique daily life in ancient times.

18. 718 归 Clouds Return, Dreams Shatter 归云断梦 Lu Shuiling鹿水灵Ancient Romance261k WordsCompleted Prince Huai was the most notorious devil in the realm, the number-one tyrant in the capital, Shenjing. The only pity was that the tyrant had a pair of useless legs. Jiangxiang was Prince Huai’s personal maid. Everyone who knew her said she was a simple, honest, loyal servant. Unfortunately, honesty was all she had going for her, and to Prince Huai she was utterly dispensable. For various reasons, Jiangxiang had no choice but to sneak away from Prince Huai just as his legs were recovering. But fo 247Reads9.1Score—Shelves
19. 719 汉 The Han-Era Moon 汉时月 Feng Liluo风篱落Ancient Romance782k WordsCompleted [Historical fiction, no transmigration or rebirth, ensemble cast, ordinary people.] Set against major events from the second to fifth years of the Yuanshou era under Emperor Wu of Han, the story unfolds through the eyes of an ordinary couple from Chenliu Commandery: Song Yunzhu and Li Anhe. Song Yunzhu may seem delicate, but she is spirited and decisive. After her husband Li Anhe leaves for military service, she works hard to support their young son, her underage brother-in-law and sister-in-law 142Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    The Moon of the Han Dynasty talks about the life of the people in the Han Dynasty, with scenes that warm people's hearts and even make them cry. The author's narration is very attractive. The other two books are also very nice.

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