Looking for a Tragic Historical Romance, Such as a Story Set in the Imperial Palace 需要古言虐文，例如皇宫里的故事
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The Madman Demands His Pleasure, His Minister’s Wife Can No Longer Hide Her Pregnancy! 疯批索欢，臣妻的孕事藏不住了！
[The rating just came out and will rise later. You’re welcome to give this story a try!] Emperor Chenghong issued three absurd imperial decrees: First: forcibly summon a married woman named Jiang into the palace as a consort. Second: make the child she bore before entering the palace Crown Prince. Third: offer a huge reward for his pregnant runaway wife. Jiang Songen only wanted to find her husband, who had passed the imperial examinations with top honors. She never expected to encounter a raven
1.6kReads6.8Score108Shelves
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The King’s Longing 王的相思
One-on-one, both leads are each other's only ones, happy ending, winning her back is a living hell, intense push and pull, love and hate. A highly skilled, dark, and unhinged king vs. a proud, unyielding princess of a fallen kingdom. He was the king who destroyed her country. She was a little princess forced to flee. Fate brought them together. The first time he saw her, the lofty king fell in love for the first time. He loved her so deeply he couldn't help himself, and possessively kept her imp
331Reads—Score—Shelves
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Your Heart Alone 独宠君心
Overnight, Yu Jin fell from the status of a noble princess of Yu to a prisoner in Jiang. The man who brought her so low was none other than Jiang Chen, the man who had shared her bed. But she refused to accept this fate, and she would not give up. See how this fallen princess finds a way to survive...
1.8kReads—Score191Shelves
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Ziqing 子卿
A princess of a fallen kingdom and a prince from a foreign land meet on the journey to a political marriage and fall in love. But fate has other plans: one must put her country first, the other his people and elder brother. Their love never goes beyond what propriety allows; neither of them ever crosses the line. To be happy with the one I love for a whole lifetime, only to be told it was all a dream: how cruel. “Princess, you and Prince Chen are not destined to be husband and wife. This dream i
24Reads—Score—Shelves
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Song of Xizhou: Remembrance 西洲曲：忆
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.
80Reads—Score—Shelves
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The Bright Moon Shines on Yuntang 明月照韫棠
[One spark of love can lead to a lifetime of wrong turns. The cruelest revenge is to make you fall in love with me, then destroy you with my own hands.] [Later groveling and chasing after the wife + profound remorse + tragic romance] Radiant, spoiled little princess vs ruthless, formidable chancellor, beautiful yet broken Li Mingyue fell in love with Xie Yun at first sight and pursued him for five years before finally marrying him. Little did she know that their marriage was the perfect scheme f
9Reads—Score—Shelves
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Ashes in the Inner Palace, Calamity for Emperor and Empress 深宫烬，帝后劫
An emperor who hides his sharp edge and endures, yet whose love still burns VS an empress trapped by circumstance, secretly protecting him with a love just as deep The moonlight over Chang'an once shone on the emperor and empress standing side by side. The vows they made within the red walls were stronger than gold. Later, the great clans' influence spread over the throne. He became a puppet on a string, and she became the blade her family wielded. Love turned into a thorn. Every glance conceal
3Reads—Score—Shelves
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A Lifetime of Regrets, A Heart Still Unable to Let Go 负尽流年意难平
In a world of ice and snow, a bridal procession stretches for miles. The ruler of Dongli marries a new queen, and the whole nation celebrates. But the new queen is nothing more than a substitute. Everyone knows that Xiao Zhan, to honor the late Princess Li, has gathered women from across the land who resemble her and keeps them in the inner palace. I am the only exception. Is it coincidence, or conspiracy? As the truths deliberately buried begin to surface, layer by layer, and the feuds between
38Reads6.1Score—Shelves
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Did You Know? Our Parting Is Forever 可知归期是永决
Dong Lean had loved Fo Xichao for ten years. At last, she got the marriage she had long awaited. Unfortunately, he hated her with all his heart. He took a new wife and humiliated Dong Lean at every turn. Her father tried to protect her, kneeling outside the prince's manor for a long time without rising, and paid for it with his life. That day, Dong Lean locked herself inside the courtyard and lit the firestarter on the table with her own hands. The blaze devoured the eaves. She stood amid the fl
1.9kReads5.5Score—Shelves
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Imperial Noble Consort 皇贵妃
Forced possession / the pursuit of a wife after losing her / angst (avoid if you dislike these) / avoid if you're a heroine stan / weak heroine / both leads are virgins According to the official history of Tianzhao, Noble Consort Chen, of the Jiang clan, shared a deep bond with Emperor Tianzhao and had once saved his life. She enjoyed his favor for many years without losing it. In the first year of Tianzhao, she was made Noble Consort Chen. The following year, she gave birth to the Crown Prince
11.1kReads8.9Score519Shelves
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My Setting Is That I Love Her 朕的设定是爱她
[System transmigration into a book + mutual healing + winning over a lovesick obsessive] A new historical romance from Zhier, author of one of Zhihu’s three great tragic novels, Late Departure. The main story is lighthearted and funny, but the extras will break your heart. She is his nightmare, and also his cure! He is written to love her, so no matter what she does, he will never blame her. “Yan Yu, I truly and sincerely love you. Don’t forget me, I beg you.” “Don’t be afraid. Your elder sister
393Reads8.6Score113Shelves
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The Willow by the Palace Wall 宫墙柳
Why must the imperial consorts compete for the emperor’s favor? A smash-hit, heart-wrenching historical romance that burst onto the scene in 2019! Recommended by countless tearful readers, this unconventional palace-intrigue novel will stay with you long after you finish. In the lightest of styles, it captures everyone’s deepest regrets. In May of the year I turned fourteen, with the pagoda trees in fragrant bloom, I sat in Yong’an Palace, propping up my head as I dozed. The man’s laughter held
59.6kReads9.7Score8.8kShelves
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The Turmoil of Chao Ge: The Story of the Demon Queen Daji 朝歌风云之妖后妲己传
[Angsty at first, then sweet and satisfying + mutual devotion + mutual healing + happy ending] [Heartbreaking, thrilling, unbearably sweet, and impossible not to ship] Daji isn’t Su Daji, but Ji Daji. She isn’t a fox spirit, but a human! Daji’s beauty draws King Zhou’s covetous attention. Her first love, Su Quanzhong, dies in battle, and her beloved Boyi Kao dies tragically. Imprisoned deep within the palace and driven to desperation, Daji fights back. She and Su Qu Xiao remain devoted to each o
16Reads—Score—Shelves
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The Empress Is on a Rampage: 15 Top-Tier Palace Intrigue Stories 娘娘她杀疯了：15个顶级宫斗故事
[Historical romance + strong female lead + reborn + palace intrigue + court politics + tragic romance] She was Consort Hua, who lost the palace struggle and died by banging her head against a wall in the Cold Palace. After dying with regrets, she was reborn before her clan's downfall. Now that she knows how all the palace intrigues will end, can she defeat Zhen Huan and have the last laugh…? She was Yang Guifei, the woman blamed for bringing ruin to the country. Everyone knows she lived in luxur
6.5kReads9.0Score140Shelves
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Begging for Love 求娇
[Strong Heroine and Hero] [Love-Hate Relationship] [Defying Fate] [Print edition signed with a publisher] Gu Miaoyin always thought she was the pampered darling her emperor treasured most, until the Great Jin fell and the Northern Hu cavalry smashed through the palace gates. Only then did she realize how tragic her life was. Ten years of the emperor's favor could not withstand a sudden change of heart. In the end, she and her mother were trapped in the imperial city and burned alive. Reborn into
62.3kReads9.5Score9.3kShelves
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Escape from the Peach Blossom Trap 逃夭
After losing her memory, Su Wan lost all her martial arts skills and was left disfigured. For no apparent reason, she married into the Lin family and was swept into a bloody storm. Yun Chen used love as bait, scheming at every turn as he deliberately drew close to her. He used her to wipe out his enemies, only to fall deeply in love with her before he realized it. When the truth came to light and her memories returned, she learned that it had all been a lie: the two of them were sworn enemies, a
541Reads9.0Score110Shelves
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A Lifetime of Rong An 一世容安
Li Rongan’s husbands, both in this life and her previous one, were peerless warlords. At first, they all loathed her, despised her, and wanted nothing more than to kill her. Later, they all fell for her... * After being reborn, Rongan fled her former husband’s clutches by marrying far away to Yanbei, where she became the wife of a prince. She knew the Prince of Yan would rebel in two years. When he did, he would divorce the princess consort appointed to him and marry his childhood sweetheart, hi
12.4kReads9.0Score1.8kShelves
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Why Not Sail Together 何不同舟渡
"The print edition under the same title is available to buy online" [No golden finger, no transmigration, no rebirth. A pure historical romance about family and country, with high-IQ espionage and political intrigue] [A double agent undercover + a petty thief who grows: a lone wolf plays a game of raising a rabbit, gives her fangs, then insists they run away together] In a chaotic age, she is a thief worth less than a blade of grass, willing to do whatever it takes to stay alive. She steals ten
161.7kReads9.7Score54.3kShelves
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My Lord, the Princess Consort Says She’ll Never See You Again 王爷，王妃说此生不复相见
[Historical Romance Tragedy + No Getting Back Together + Second Male Lead Takes the Lead] A tragic romance! A tragic romance! A tragic romance! Ye Chuyan loved Pei Xiuyan for twelve years, but never moved him in the slightest. All she got in return was Pei Xiuyan wiping out the Ye family and having her father and brothers tortured to death over three days in the snow. At last, she understood: for the rest of her life, there would be no love between her and Pei Xiuyan, only hatred, until one o
17.6kReads9.3Score1.5kShelves
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Twin Jades 双玦
That night, a blood moon hung in the sky, and the Star-Picking Terrace blazed with lights. Yan Ling stood by the railing and cut off her long hair. Her red robes were as hauntingly beautiful as flowers at the end of their bloom. “Xiao Fengqing, I would descend to the Yellow Springs and enter hell for you. Did you ever feel even the slightest bit of sincerity toward me?” Xiao Fengqing stood tall and graceful, his expression indifferent. “Never.” Yan Ling burst into laughter and leaped into the bo
736Reads8.8Score101Shelves
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Relentless Entanglement 执缠
[Modern Woman in Ancient Times + Not Both Pure + Take by Force + Possessive Obsession + Farming in the Beginning + Many Male Side Characters Like the Heroine, Enter with Caution if That Bothers You…] Before setting out on his campaign, Xiao Gongtai repeatedly made Ji Yin promise she would wait for him to return, and wait for him to come back to Qingshi County and marry her. Ji Yin agreed to everything. Half a year later, Xiao Gongtai returned victorious. Instead of going to the capital to rep
5.9kReads8.8Score400Shelves
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A Stranger in a Sea of Beauty 红颜陌
[Clever, resilient noblewoman vs. scheming, sinister prince] [Historical setting + tragic romance + palace and household intrigue + revenge + face-changing] Liu Fuying, the legitimate daughter of the prime minister, marries Bai Qichen, Prince of Nan, and the two share a passionate love. She never imagines that her beloved husband has been harboring evil intentions, and that he will personally bring about the execution of her entire family. Consumed by hatred, she is lucky enough to escape with h
148Reads9.1Score—Shelves
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Late in the Day 行止晚
[Devoted love + emperor and empress + tragic palace romance] 145,000 readers gave it top ratings, and countless readers cried their way through it! The year’s breakout historical romance, a heartache readers can’t forget. A clear-eyed, sweet empress VS a proud emperor whose love never wavers. Born into the imperial family, how can everything ever go as you wish? May we remain together forever, and may I keep you safe and at peace. A gentleman’s word is his bond. In a daze, I saw the moon rise.
29.1kReads9.6Score3.7kShelves
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The Song of Hua Xu 华胥引
If you could trade your life for a perfect illusion of the past, would you agree? Perhaps you would shake your head, but they said yes. In this story set amid a world in chaos, the Princess of Wei gives her life for her country, then returns from the dead with the help of a mermaid's pearl. When she plays the Huaxu Melody, she can bring the dead back to life and restore flesh to bone, as well as enter dreams and memories. Trading life for a dream, she can only sigh at the joys and sorrows of a f
2.1kReads9.5Score809Shelves
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The Bride-to-Be 将嫁
Three years ago, to pacify the western frontier, he married the daughter of the Governor-General of Yongzhou as his empress. But during his lifetime, he met Huo Shiying, the one and only woman of her kind, and the sole female general in the Great Yan dynasty. She doesn't know, and no one else does either, that he has followed her life for twenty whole years. When he was six, he first heard his mother and eldest sister mention her name, and wondered how a two-year-old girl could have been taken t
15.5kReads9.6Score2.1kShelves
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The Story of Guan Xi 官禧传
[Court intrigue + love and hate intertwined + sweet yet angsty romance] The long-awaited wedding she had looked forward to with all her heart turned out to be a trap set long ago by the man she loved. Overnight, her entire family was slaughtered. For Guan Xi, it was a devastating blow. The love that had seemed so pure was, it turned out, full of lies and deception. Sometimes I wonder if these words can truly tell the whole story of Guan Xi’s life. There is a quiet resilience about Guan Xi. She l
99Reads—Score—Shelves
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A Moonlit Wish 月明愿
[Tragic historical romance with a bad ending, slow start and strong payoff] [Those who love each other may not end up together, and those who do may not truly love each other] [In this world, perhaps the hardest things to obtain are not money and power] [The hardest thing to find is a heart that never changes] Preface: A thousand years ago, the realm was divided in two. The Celestial Dynasty and the Southern Wu Dynasty each claimed half the territory. Fearing the military might of Southern Wu,
132Reads—Score—Shelves
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The General Only Said He Loved Me After I Died 我死后将军才说爱我
The General Only Said He Loved Me After I Died
411Reads—Score—Shelves
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I Took a Concubine for My Husband 我为夫君纳妾
I Took a Concubine for My Husband
986Reads—Score—Shelves
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The Female Shadow Guard Who Fell in Love 动了心的女暗卫
The Female Shadow Guard Who Fell in Love
795Reads—Score—Shelves
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The Burning Embers of Beauty 红颜烬燃
The Beauty's Ashes Burn
581Reads—Score—Shelves
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The Phoenix's Misjudgment: He Broke My Heart While Punishing Me 凤诛错解：罚我时他在心痛
Before Fengyi Palace, Consort Yun walks with a lotus-like grace, dressed in a nine-tailed phoenix robe. That dazzling touch of rouge-red is her silent rebellion against palace rules. Her answer is the emperor’s icy gaze and thirty strokes of the rod, leaving her flesh bloody and mangled. Everyone thinks this harsh punishment is because she covets the empress’s throne. Only Xiao Lingye knows the truth: what made him lose control was glimpsing the secret she had struggled to hide beneath that phoe
1.9kReads5.5Score123Shelves
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When Spring Deepens After the Apricot Blossoms Set Fruit 杏花结子春深后
She is a lowly convict slave in the palace laundry, humble as dust. He is the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, noble and radiant. Though their stations could hardly be further apart, they fall hopelessly in love. Only when their feelings are at their deepest does she unexpectedly learn that his father, the emperor, had her father framed so he could claim her mother for himself. Where can this ill-fated romance spanning two generations possibly lead? ----- A prince steals his minister’s wife +
566Reads—Score102Shelves
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You Were Born of Cold Jade, Yet Blaze Like Wildfire 卿本寒玉，灼野如火
[Lingye CP, mutually exclusive first love, forced love, imprisonment] Gu Ling is “silent,” taciturn and unwilling to show his emotions. Ashina Zhuoye is “fiery,” with intense emotions. All their surging feelings erupt, clash, and burn fiercely amid silent imprisonment and force. Gu Ling, the cool and aloof jade-like head of the Office of Treasures, oversees precious gems and metals, never letting his emotions show. Ashina Zhuoye, a fiery, fallen prince of the grasslands, is captured and sent to
185Reads—Score—Shelves
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You Have a Tender Heart for Flowers, So Pluck One and Do Not Hesitate 君有怜花意，拈之莫徘徊
[Pure historical tragedy + no golden finger, no transmigration, no rebirth + 1v3, female lead is not a virgin] Neither the male nor the female lead is perfect. One is unruly and arrogant, the other insecure and timid, and both have their own character arcs. The cast is richly developed, with distinct personalities. She was nothing but the unloved daughter of a low-ranking sixth-grade official. Her father showed her no affection, her mother did not love her, and her younger sister bullied her
1.4kReads8.2Score110Shelves
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The Xie Family's Short-Lived Son Has Lived to a Hundred 谢家的短命鬼长命百岁了
[Screen adaptation rights sold] The lid of a dead person's coffin won't lie flat because they had an unresolved longing in life. Given time, that longing turns into a demonic obsession, and unless it is resolved, their descendants will suffer. Yan Sanhe's job is to release the dead from their obsessions. One day, she gets hounded by Third Master Xie, who claims to have one. Yan Sanhe says she doesn't deal with the living. Third Master Xie replies, “Everyone says I won't live long. Just think of
148.6kReads9.6Score20.7kShelves
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Unawakened 不悟
The disgraced minister Gu Hongjian died in battle at Huzhou. After death, a wisp of her ghost returned to the side of her king, Lin Sizhe. Everyone called her a treacherous minister who deserved to be reviled. Only she knew that she had spent nearly her entire life living for Lin Sizhe. But even she never expected that she wouldn't let Lin Sizhe go, even as a ghost. She was supposed to watch him enjoy the spoils of victory she had won for him, then carry on sweet-talking another woman. Gu Hongji
2.1kReads9.2Score198Shelves
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The Golden Lamp's Tale 金灯赋
Historical Romance | Alternate History [Family and country first | No golden fingers, no transmigration, no rebirth | One-on-one romance | Happy ending] This story involves ghosts and spirits. The heroine grows over the course of the story, so please keep that in mind before reading. A lone spirit wanders the mortal world, its clothes stained by golden-lamp dew, its feet treading on the fragrance of time. Yet it cannot enter the cycle of reincarnation or journey to the next life. The Lord of the
13.8kReads9.3Score1.9kShelves
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Qing'an's Childlike Words 清安稚语
In the eighth year of Qing'an under the Xiao, seven-year-old Zhu Xiaoshao is taken into the palace by her aunt, Consort Dowager Zhu, after her father dies of illness. There, she meets Xie Yu, the Prince of Zhao. Xie Yu is the late emperor’s legitimate son, but he was still in his mother’s womb when the emperor died, so the throne passed to Consort Dowager Zhu’s son, Xie Xun. The Wei clan, Xie Yu’s powerful maternal relatives, have long been trying to restore him to the throne. In the thirteenth
50Reads9.2Score—Shelves
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Bound by Spring 缚春情
[The print edition is available on the homepage; film and television rights have been sold] The Jiang and Song families have been close for generations, and Song Wan was betrothed to Jiang Xingjian before she was even born. They grew up together, but she was confined to the inner quarters, where everything she learned was meant to prepare her to become a Jiang family wife. The young man was dashing and ambitious. Before he had even turned twenty, he went off to the frontier to make his name. Bef
119.1kReads9.6Score16.2kShelves
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A Mutual Misunderstanding for a Lifetime 双向：终生误
There has always been someone in my heart. He was my childhood sweetheart and my fiancé. From the time I was little, I knew I was meant to marry him when I grew up. I waited eagerly, only for a sudden upheaval to shatter everything. Qingqing, a lifetime is long. Don’t live only for me. Live to take in this splendid world, to breathe in its fragrant blooms, to savor its sweetness. Brother Fu, I listened to everything you said. I came to find you only after I could no longer see the beautiful wo
966Reads9.1Score100Shelves
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The Royal Family Is Truly Heartless 最是皇室无情人
For generations, the Mu family had loyally served the country. In the end, their entire clan was sentenced to execution. The official presiding over the execution was her husband, the most brilliant and extraordinary of the Great Jing Kingdom's Third Princes. Then she awoke to the truth: The man she loved was a member of the royal family, the most heartless people in the world...
905Reads7.0Score101Shelves
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Ink of Sorrow, Blossoms of Love 墨殇合欢颜
[Pure Historical Romance, No Rebirth] + [Marriage Before Love] + [Love of Country and Family] + [BE] A man who has renounced desire hides his feelings, while an innocent heart falls in love. He is a wise, steady general who protects the nation. She is the clever, charming sixth daughter of the Chancellor, a little troublemaker. Though they have never met, an imperial decree binds them together. After they marry, they do nothing but bicker, without ever touching each other. Neither of them ex
110Reads8.2Score—Shelves
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True to the Desolate Beauty 不负荒颜
Those who promise to stay together forever are the ones who end up apart; Those who swear never to forget are the ones who fade away. He is her immortal spirit, and she is his spirit master. He cannot live without her, and she would never abandon him. They will be together forever. At Falsehood Cliff, he breaks through the barrier and takes her to watch the sunset and tour the Eastern Sea. At Mount Donghua, he leans by the window, watching blue jacaranda blossoms drift down, and asks her what l
132Reads8.7Score—Shelves
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A Long Farewell 长辞
[Palace intrigue + tragic romance + both leads reborn] Another heartbreaking historical romance from Zhihu’s popular author Zhier, following An Ending at Dusk! Through a haze of consciousness, she relived her entire life, finally pausing on that sunny afternoon. He stood beneath a tree, his eyes covered with white cloth, smiling as he asked what she wanted. A young gentleman, handsome and refined as jade. One glance was enough to stay in her memory for years. If only she had known that meeting h
2.1kReads8.4Score211Shelves
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Hand Him the Reins 授他以柄
With the city about to fall and the kingdom on the brink of ruin, Pei Qing wrote a letter asking that man for help. For seven whole days, there was no reply. But just when all hope seemed lost, he arrived. His peerlessly handsome face was full of disdain and contempt. Xiao Yuan walked into the imperial bedchamber with blood dripping from his blade and lazily called out, “Elder Brother.” Having earned merit by rushing to the emperor’s defense, he naturally expected a reward. “I have plenty of gol
24.9kReads9.5Score2.9kShelves
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The Empress Dowager’s Growing Years 太后成长记事
Years ago, she was bright and charming. Beneath a peach tree, she secretly made a wish: I want to marry a good man, grow old together, and cherish each other as equals. Years later, she knelt before the Buddha, dignified and devout, and prayed: I want to rise above all others.
110Reads9.2Score—Shelves
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One Man, One Minister 一人臣
In everyone’s eyes, Ji Ya was a brutal, debauched empress. To the great general Mo Lengzun, she was also a scheming, selfish, and sinister villain! But none of them knew she was terminally ill and had little time left... Everything she did was for the people of Donghao. Even as she died, everyone still hated her...
369Reads8.8Score—Shelves
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Poison Concubine 鸩姬
Long ago, there was a wicked bird that lived by the South Sea. Its feathers were bright and beautiful, but laced with deadly poison. It was called the Zhen. The daughter of the King of Xiliang was cunning and twisted, a disastrous beauty and a demon in human form, known throughout the realm as the Zhen Consort. History written by men has never set the record straight for women, but this tale teaches us one thing: there is always a price to pay for offending a woman.
204Reads8.8Score—Shelves
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The Courtesan Consort: The Prince's Precious Snow 勾栏罪妃，她是王爷掌中雪
❗️❗️ [The Long Road to Winning Her Back] In this life, the one thing he never did was tell her, “I love you.” She was snow in the palm of his hand: the moment he had her, he lost her. 🔥 [The Memory-Devouring Twin Gu: One Swallows the Past, the Other Buries the Rest of Your Life] It all began with a conspiracy! He was the emperor’s younger brother, the only prince of the direct imperial line. He was deeply in love with the current empress, his sister-in-law. Overnight, she became the daughter of
140Reads—Score—Shelves
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