Any Stories Like Zhaohua Rebellion, Where the Heroine Doesn't Love the Emperor and Gradually Rises to Power? 有没有女主不爱皇帝，一步步走上高位类似昭华乱的

1. 1 智 Wise Men Avoid Love, and the Noble Consort Wants No Responsibility 智者不入爱河，贵妃不想负责 Uncle Luo洛叔叔Ancient Romance1.1M WordsCompleted Being a beggar would be better than being in the harem. Shen Qing is despairing over her current identity. The female lead won't appear for another two years, and Shen Qing is the lowest-ranking consort in the male lead's harem. Her father is useless, and she has neither money nor power. It seems her only option is to wait for the emperor's favor. To make matters worse, she has a face that attracts trouble. If she fights for influence, she has no leverage; if she doesn't, she'll just get bullied 50.1kReads9.5Score6.6k14d adds

   Reader note

   Shen Qing is definitely a champion of palace intrigue! 👑 Transmigrating into a book with a lowly status, she initially focuses on surviving. She accidentally becomes a concubine 💃, blocking the original female lead's path? Of course, she'll fight her to the end! When in Rome, do as the Romans do ✨ and make her son an emperor! Surviving to the finale is a piece of cake…

2. 2 娘 The Empress Is Charming and Lively, and Wins the Emperor's Heart 娘娘娇媚灵动，惹得皇上心动 Zhuxi Pavilion竹西处Ancient Romance798k WordsCompleted [Palace intrigue + sweet romance + not both leads’ first time + clear-headed heroine focused on living well + doesn’t love the emperor] Xiao Zhaoyuan asked with interest, “What do you usually like to do, my consort?” Cui Qingwan beamed. “I like eating, drinking, and having fun!” Sincerity really is a lethal weapon! Xiao Zhaoyuan couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing. He had never met anyone so genuine. And yet this very genuine woman gradually claimed his heart. But then he realized that she 1.3kReads8.7Score10014d adds

   Reader note

   Yes, even though she doted on the female lead later on, she didn't fall in love with the male lead. That's great.

3. 3 皇 The Empress Leaped to Her Death, and the Mad Tyrant Wept Until His Eyes Were Red 皇后纵身一跃，疯批暴君哭红了眼 Huang Dandan黄蛋蛋Ancient Romance635k WordsCompleted [One-on-one romance, devoted couple + palace intrigue + regretful pursuit, clear-headed heroine, everyone's unattainable ideal] Meng Tang is a gracious, gentle empress who never competes for favor. Everyone thinks she is a true white lotus standing tall in the harem, and even the tyrant believes it. He takes a new concubine, and she smiles, congratulates him, and arranges for the newcomer to spend the night with him. He sends her restorative medicine, and she obediently takes it, knowing full we 21.3kReads9.3Score2k14d adds

   Reader note

   This is the best book, hands down! The female lead is so clear-headed! 😢😢 She faces everything with gentleness in order to ultimately break free! 🥰🥰

4. 4 娘 The Consort Is All Charm and Cunning, Scheming Her Way to the Top 娘娘又茶又媚，一路宫斗上位 Tea Little Ink茶小墨Ancient Romance835k WordsCompleted Signed for print publication In the third year of the Yifeng era, a concubine-born daughter of the Ningyang Marquis’s household enters the palace. The palace is a vast, treacherous place, where the one thing you must never do is give your heart away. Ning Shuyan is clear-eyed: she wants wealth and prestige, along with the emperor’s favor. For three years, she carefully plots each step, wins the emperor’s attention, and rises from Talented Lady to Noble Consort. Rumor has it that the emperor only 56.8kReads9.5Score7k14d adds

   Reader note

   The female lead is a concubine, but she doesn't love the emperor. She climbs to the highest position step by step. [Note] She is very clear-headed and skilled at scheming. She rises through palace intrigue, and everything she does is for herself. She must never develop genuine feelings. 👍

5. 5 珠 Behind the Pearl Palace Gates, He Guards the Moon in His Heart 珠阙锁他心尖月 Graceful and Dignified婉婉有仪Ancient Romance659k WordsCompleted [The heroine is reborn; the hero is sexually pure! A groveling redemption romance, with a man driven mad by unrequited love] For nineteen years, they knew and stood by each other. She helped him conquer the Central Plains and rule the four seas, making him a mighty ruler of the Nine Provinces, acclaimed as emperor and worshipped by all his subjects. She thought that when Liang Lixuan ascended the throne, she would become the founding empress of a new dynasty alongside him. But then disaster str 3.2kReads8.7Score21614d adds
6. 6 昭 The Chaos of Zhaohua 昭华乱 See Fortune at First Sight, Meow一见生财瞄Ancient Romance1.0M WordsCompleted [Available in print. Search "Zhaohua Rebellion" on any platform to purchase.] [Strong female lead, satisfying revenge, high-IQ palace intrigue, the heroine schemes against the entire harem, a dangerously unhinged antagonist] Song Zhao has always been a woman who will stop at nothing to achieve her goals, and she has always seen the world more clearly than anyone else. From the moment she learned that Xiao Jingheng had chosen her to enter the palace as a consort, her goal was crystal clear: "I en 84.2kReads9.5Score9.7k14d adds
7. 7 宫 Palace Intrigue Begins Before the Selection 宫斗从选秀前开始 A Cluster of Flowers一丛花令Ancient Romance1.0M WordsCompleted In her previous life, she endured a life of hardship and instability. From the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Wu’an to a government courtesan available to any man, she finally escaped a life of being passed from one man to another, only to jump from the tiger’s jaws into the wolf’s den. She walked on eggshells at every step until she finally became the real power behind the prefect’s household. But the misery of her first half of life had already left her body broken beyond repair. Only o 7.9kReads9.0Score80314d adds
8. 8 母 Mother of the Nation? No, I Want to Rule the World! 母仪天下？不，我要权倾天下！ Dreams, How Many?梦几何Ancient Romance986k WordsOngoing [Alternate-World Palace Intrigue + No Romance + Raising Children + Never Falls for the Emperor] Content warning: The male lead is not chaste. Palace intrigue runs throughout, and the emperor never favors just one consort. After a car accident, Chu Ningzhi was pulled into the alternate world of Great Zhou. She had to become Empress Dowager to survive. To stay alive, she entered the palace through the selection and gave birth to a child. She planned every move carefully and defeated all her enemie 179Reads8.8Score—14d adds

   Reader note

   🌟The female protagonist is clear-headed. She doesn't love the emperor, and her goal in entering the palace isn't to become empress, but empress dowager—to reach the pinnacle of power. Therefore, she must be empress dowager, and her child must be the crown prince. 🌟The emperor is merely a tool for her to produce the crown prince. Because she doesn't love him, he is unimportant to her and her child; what matters is that she can only be the winner.

9. 9 重 With My Reborn Son's High-Stakes Schemes, Becoming Empress Dowager Is No Dream 重生儿子手段高，晋升太后不是梦 Chiyo千代Ancient Romance1.0M WordsCompleted [Fictional Imperial Harem Drama + No Romance + Giving Birth and Raising Kids + My Son Must Be Crown Prince + Ambitious + Clear-Eyed] Content warning: The romance isn’t mutually exclusive, she doesn’t love the male lead, and there are painful, heartbreaking parts. The male lead is a scumbag emperor. Song Yuyan was hooked on a palace-harem management game. She never expected to open her eyes and find she had transmigrated to ancient times. After keeping a low profile for three years, she entered t 3.7kReads9.3Score41814d adds
10. 10 娘 The Empress Is Alluring and Delicate, and the Cold, Cruel Emperor Falls for Her at First Sight 娘娘娇娇媚，冷戾帝王一见倾心 The Star Among the Stars in the Sky天上星星的星星Ancient Romance460k WordsCompleted [Palace intrigue and revenge, a slow-burn, slow-payoff story + stunning heroine + exceptionally clearheaded heroine with an unwavering goal] [The hero always favors the heroine + dotes on her exclusively in the middle + disbands his harem later] After Shen Qingtang’s aunt is schemed against and killed by Madam Shen, her goal becomes perfectly clear: she will enter the palace, become the most honored woman in the land, and make everyone who plotted against her aunt pay. She is also perfectly clea 5kReads9.1Score56414d adds
11. 11 贵 The Noble Consort Rejects Love, Yet the Emperor Dotes on Her and Decrees Her Empress 贵妃不入爱河，皇上盛宠下旨封后 Han Qingxue寒清雪Ancient Romance288k WordsCompleted [The leads aren't both chaste at first + he pampers her devotedly later + the emperor secretly helps her navigate palace intrigue + the heroine has no interest in loving the emperor and focuses on climbing the ranks.] Alternate-era setting [The emperor personally raises his future empress, then claims her in the night] The Yun family has a legitimate daughter, a peerless beauty hidden away in the general's manor. The prime minister's son came to propose, but didn't even get to see her. “I don't 1.5kReads9.1Score20914d adds
12. 12 贤 The Worthy Consort Is Still Taking It Easy Today 贤妃今天也在咸鱼 Misty Clear Melody渺渺清音Ancient Romance625k WordsCompleted In the harem of Emperor Chenyuan of the Great Jin, there is a dignified and gentle empress, a charming and lovely Noble Consort, a peerlessly beautiful Consort Li, and a clever, kindhearted Consort Hui. Talented women abound, and the competition is fierce. Han Shuyi looks left and right, but can't find a niche for herself as Worthy Consort. Oh, well. Competing for favor now and then while choosing to lie flat the rest of the time: that's the real truth of life in the harem. * As emperor, Meng Ti 21.4kReads8.2Score2k14d adds

    Reader note

    I highly recommend this book! Don't be fooled by the title!!!

13. 13 尤 The Alluring Consort Climbs to the Phoenix Throne and Captures the Emperor's Heart at First Sight 尤物娘娘爬凤位，让皇上一见钟情 Han Qingxue寒清雪Ancient Romance228k WordsCompleted [Devoted love + the emperor falls at first sight + palace intrigue and rising to power through favoritism + heroine’s acting skills + strong, clever heroine] Wen Shuyao loved only herself. Only losers loved men. Now that she had been granted the title of Attendant and ordered into the palace, she would make use of the emperor’s love at first sight. The emperor was merely a stepping stone for Wen Shuyao. It wouldn’t be hard to act like someone deeply in love with him. Wen Shuyao was the legitimat 4.9kReads9.0Score58714d adds

    Reader note

    💥💥Wen Shuyao only loves herself; only trash would love a man. Having been conferred the title of Consort and forced into the palace, she'll take advantage of the Emperor's instant infatuation. The Emperor is merely a stepping stone for Wen Shuyao; playing the role of someone deeply in love with him is not difficult.

14. 14 栖 Bough of the Phoenix Perch 栖凰枝 Lu Shiqi鹿时七Ancient Romance1.1M WordsCompleted [Short drama now available. Search "A Sigh for Youth". Starring Mi Qi and Wang Kang] Also known as "I'm a Psychology PhD, and I'll Slaughter My Way Through the Palace" Palace intrigue + sweet romance + not both leads' first relationship + heroine focused on her career On her first day after transmigrating into the harem, Jiang Xinyue fell out of favor. Everyone said she was nothing but a pretty face, a vase. On her second day after transmigrating into the harem, Jiang Xinyue regained the emperor 37.2kReads9.4Score4.4k14d adds
15. 15 宫 A Palace Maid’s Daily Struggles 宫女奋斗日常 Phantom Beneath the Moon月下幻影Ancient Romance1.0M WordsCompleted Ling Huan has skin as smooth as ice and looks like a goddess, yet she has no interest in power and thinks only of leaving the palace. In the end, neither she nor her child meets a good end. Given another chance, her goal is to raise her child well and become Empress Dowager herself. A palace-intrigue story with a strong female lead. The heroine is ruthless and clever. A thoroughly satisfying read. 6kReads9.2Score84614d adds
16. 16 贵 The Noble Consort's Thousand Charms 贵妃千娇百媚 Ji Nanzhi寄南枝Ancient Romance1.8M WordsCompleted [Palace-intrigue novel + reborn black lotus heroine + exceptionally talented actress, rising through the ranks] [The male lead has consorts at first. After falling for the heroine, he favors her, makes her his sole favorite, and eventually dismisses his harem. One-on-one romance.] In her previous life, Shen Fu was a substitute for her elder sister. Her sister was the beloved Noble Consort, the most favored woman in the imperial harem, and lived in unmatched splendor. Shen Fu, timid and frail, ha 3.1kReads8.5Score36014d adds
17. 17 娘 The Empress Is Sweet and Alluring, Winning Favor and Rising to Power 娘娘娇软妩媚，一路争宠上位 Bell Meow铃铛喵Ancient Romance1.2M WordsCompleted (A pure palace-intrigue story, not a one-on-one romance, and not a mutually faithful pairing. Proceed with caution!) Bai Ruotang is the legitimate daughter of the second branch of the Right Chancellor’s household. At fifteen, just after coming of age, she is sent into the palace to bear a child for her legitimate elder sister and help her secure the emperor’s favor. Unwilling to be reduced to someone else’s pawn, from the moment she steps through the palace gates, she decides she will carve out 10.4kReads8.9Score1k14d adds
18. 18 重 Reborn, the Abandoned Empress Is on a Winning Streak! 重生后，弃后的人生开挂了！ Cloudfire云火Ancient Romance2.4M WordsCompleted [Reborn + Political Scheming + Two Powerful Leads + Sweet Romance + Secret Identity + Face-Slapping] In her previous life, Yun Luosheng was blind to the truth and put her trust in the wrong man. She helped a scumbag ascend the throne, only to be burned alive on an altar as her entire clan was wiped out! Reborn, she vows to ruin the scumbag’s future and tear off her stepsister’s fake mask! She slays gods and ghosts alike, unstoppable and invincible. She’ll repay every wrong and return every kindn 586Reads8.5Score10714d adds

    Reader note

    💥I. The female lead is very clear-headed and doesn't love the male lead. She pretends to love him only to gain favor and return home. The male lead is extremely cunning; if her favorability bar hadn't been so low, she would have been fooled by him. When the rebels attacked, she jumped off the city wall in front of him.💥II. In her past life, she helped a scumbag rise to a high position, only to have her entire family wiped out. Given a second chance, she will thwart his ambitions, expose her stepsister's true colors, and make them all pay the price.💥III. The female lead has a very clear goal: to become empress. She is a ruthless and determined woman who will stop at nothing to achieve her goal.

19. 19 君 The Emperor Claims His Minister's Wife? After Our Divorce, I Take the Empress's Seat 君夺臣妻？和离后我入主中宫 Huang Dandan黄蛋蛋Ancient Romance503k WordsCompleted [One-on-one romance, devoted couple, palace and household intrigue, reborn male lead, heroine who grows stronger over time, gentle heroine in the early stages who rises to power later, male rival gets the girl] In accordance with her father's dying wish, Yi Huan married the young general Lin Qingpei. She was cautious at every turn, but her husband doted on his concubines and neglected his wife, making her the laughingstock of the capital. Yi Huan thought this was how her life would go, until she 4.6kReads9.2Score57214d adds

    Reader note

    🔥Recommended high-quality articles.

20. 20 桂 Guifen Reborn: My Rise to the Empress’s Throne 桂芬重生之登上后位 Jiu Niang Yuan Zi Qi酒酿圆子琦Female-Channel Fanfiction306k WordsCompleted Guifen Is Reborn and Marries Prince Huan She tears the Shen clan apart The debts from her past life must be repaid A groveling ex-lover’s road to redemption This life may not bring her the very best marriage, but she must still live it well, for herself. 454Reads6.7Score10014d adds
21. 21 撕 Tear Apart the Harem! Win Favor! She's a Lunatic, Who Dares Cross Her? 撕后宫！得恩宠！她是疯批谁敢惹 Cats Are Extra Sweet猫猫特别甜Ancient Romance683k WordsCompleted [Palace Intrigue Only + Concubine-born Daughter + Reborn + Revenge + Everyone Is Evil + Wish-Fulfillment] [The story begins before the heroine enters the palace] [The emperor favors no one at first, and the heroine doesn’t fall in love] Jiang Shiying had died once. She died in childbirth, after her own elder sister had her killed to keep the baby. Reborn, she had made up her mind: she would enter the palace and get revenge, but she wouldn’t suffer! Not her stepmother or her elder sister, not eve 7.5kReads9.3Score98214d adds

Other lists with Wise Men Avoid Love, and the Noble Consort Wants No Responsibility