Looking for Historical Romances with a Central Storyline 想要有主线的古言。
Translated by GPT-6 Luna
In this list
Reader notes translated by Google Translate
17
-
1
The Noble Consort Is Cool and Aloof, and the Emperor Yearns for Her Night After Night 贵妃清冷，圣上夜夜相思
Shen Qinghe was in the bloom of youth when she entered the palace, where she weathered its intrigues for more than a decade. She had hoped to leave with a reward one day, or perhaps spend her whole life peacefully as a palace official. But then an order came down, and one day she unexpectedly became an imperial consort. She watched these women fight day after day, never expecting to become entangled in their schemes herself. Shen Qinghe could only sigh. He was the emperor, and she was a palac
21kReads9.1Score1.8kShelves
Reader note
-
2
Your Majesty, I Request to Be Stripped of My Title as Empress 陛下，臣妾自请废后
What kind of person was Nan Shanyi? The apple of the Nan family's eye, with the 700,000-strong Nanrong army behind her. She enjoyed a life of luxury, finer than that of the princesses in the palace. The Marquis of Wu'an had raised her well. She was a proper young lady, well-read and scholarly, gentle and composed, graceful and dignified. Like an orchid in a valley or a spring in the mountains, she was refined and proud. A noblewoman like her was born only once in a century. But Heaven was me
9.1kReads9.2Score894Shelves
-
3
The Empress Refuses Love, While the Tyrant Goes Mad and Turns to the Dark Side 娘娘不入爱河，暴君疯批入魔
[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
30.6kReads9.3Score2.6kShelves
-
4
Best Friends Reborn Together: Marrying Princes, Then Faking Their Deaths 闺蜜同穿，嫁皇子，双双死遁
[Best-friend fiction + transmigration + System + faked death + travel between ancient and modern worlds + princes chase their wives in the modern world] Wen Yuan, eldest daughter of the Grand Tutor’s household, and Ji Xingyao, youngest daughter of the great general who guards the border, are married on the same day: Wen Yuan to Crown Prince Li Zhao, and Ji Xingyao to Fifth Prince Li Heng. Both weddings are kept simple, with fewer than ten guests. That is because the maternal clan of the princes’
2.9kReads7.3Score176Shelves
Reader note
-
5
The Empress Is Alluring and Bewitching, and the Emperor Gives In to Pleasure 娘娘撩人魅惑，帝王纵情堕落
The Tomato short drama Kun Yi is now streaming~ [Transmigrate into a book, male lead is not a virgin but female lead is, palace intrigue, psychological games, happy ending] The Crown Prince, Jun Zechen, has seen his fair share of calculating women, and loves only those who are pure and kind. While campaigning beyond the frontier, he meets Ling Yue and is captivated by her free-spirited kindness. He promises to spend his life with her alone. But two years pass, and the Crown Princess has yet to c
257.9kReads9.5Score28.3kShelves
Reader note
-
6
The Pretty Palace Maid's Step-by-Step Rise to Empress 娇娇宫女，步步为后
[Palace intrigue / not both partners’ first time / devoted love in the later story / not a strong heroine; the female lead cries easily and isn’t particularly clever, so don’t expect too much!] After three years in the palace, Yue Li has worked carefully and waited for a chance at promotion. Just before she is promoted, a palace maid sharing her room is sentenced to death for offending a consort. Thunder crashes and rain pours that night as blood spatters everywhere. Terrified, Yue Li cannot sle
21.8kReads9.3Score2.5kShelves
-
7
The Empress Never Misses a Beat: She Gives Birth to Twins and Becomes the Dowager Empress 皇后稳定发挥，生龙凤双胎当太后
[Palace intrigue + infidelity + fictional setting + a resourceful, money-loving, beauty-loving, life-loving empress ✖️ emperor] In her previous life, Hua Shu was a lowly palace maid. She schemed her way to the top of the political ladder, only to be condemned by everyone and branded a wicked woman who brought ruin to the nation. When she opens her eyes again, she finds herself in the unfamiliar state of Chu, as an unloved empress who’s also being made a scapegoat. As if she’d put up with that! S
21.5kReads9.3Score2.6kShelves
-
8
The Empress Has Had Enough and Flips the Table: Why Are You Crying, Tyrant? 娘娘掀桌不干了，暴君你哭什么
[Both leads are pure + Later forced possession and obsessive pursuit + Love and hate + Transmigration + The powerful one bows down] Resilient beauty vs. brooding crown prince The Crown Prince, Dongling Jing, is of noble birth and the highest-ranking commander of the Su Bei Army. But fate is cruel: after he is left with a leg injury in the war against Nan Yue, his position as crown prince hangs by a thread. An imperial decree arranges a marriage, and Su Jin, who has transmigrated here, is chosen
4.9kReads8.7Score436Shelves
-
9
Wise Men Avoid Love, and the Noble Consort Wants No Responsibility 智者不入爱河，贵妃不想负责
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
45.3kReads9.5Score5.2kShelves
-
10
The Second Spring of an Older Concubine 大龄侍妾的复宠日常
[Palace and household intrigue + raising children + food + everyday life + not chaste, but doted on] Su Tang transmigrated into the body of a concubine of Xiao Jingrong, Heir of the Prince of Zhaonan, with a two-year-old toddler in tow. The original owner had let herself go, behaved crudely, and was even older than the heir. He had long since forgotten her, leaving her to languish in a corner. Su Tang figured that was just fine. She wouldn’t compete for his favor or make the first move. But then
20.1kReads8.8Score1.9kShelves
-
11
The Second Empress 继后
The Noble Consort was favored, the Worthy Consort bore a son, the Bright Etiquette was the emperor’s white moonlight, and the Beautiful Consort was his cinnabar mole. Every other concubine had her own talents and charms. It was a whole garden in full bloom. So who was our protagonist? The unfavored empress, with no children and no powerful family backing. Great. Why did this plot feel so familiar? Never mind. On the first day Zhao Wumian transmigrated here, she decided to lie flat. Compete for t
83.9kReads9.5Score9.6kShelves
Reader note
-
12
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
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
74.2kReads9.5Score8.8kShelves
Reader note
-
13
Life Is a Play, and the Empress Is All About Her Acting Skills 人生如戏，娘娘她纯拼演技
[Palace intrigue + witty banter + sweet, delicate beauty + calculated mind games] The leads are not each other’s only partners. If that bothers you, don’t read. Be prepared for suspicion in the early chapters, followed by affection later. The pacing is slow, so proceed with caution if you prefer fast-paced wish-fulfillment stories. As a double award-winning actress and a seasoned star of palace intrigue dramas, how could Shi Yan possibly lose her nerve after transmigrating into the imperial hare
9.6kReads9.3Score1.1kShelves
Reader note
-
14
The Little Palace Maid Is Alluring and Charming, Winning the Emperor’s Heart 小宫女千娇百媚，撩成帝王心尖宠
[Reborn / palace intrigue, not both virgins / delicate heroine / hero is a bit of a jerk early on, loses his mind midway, and dotes on her alone in the end] Yuan Qing was just a low-ranking palace maid. But she was born alluring and beautiful. In her previous life, the Empress Dowager gave her to Prince Jing as a concubine. Who could have guessed she would become the princess consort's thorn in the side, and that a bowl of poisoned soup would end her life? Reborn, Yuan Qing set her sights on the
12.3kReads9.2Score1.3kShelves
Reader note
-
15
Your Majesty, Behave. You Can't Escape My Grasp 皇后，乖，你逃不出朕的五指山
One is an emperor who climbed to the throne over mountains of corpses, the other the legitimate daughter of a powerful military governor. After their wedding, they treat each other with courtesy and join forces to command the court and the harem. Xiao Cen thought he'd married an empress as lovely as a flower and shrewd beneath her beauty. Then he discovered that, while she was gentle and obedient in public, behind closed doors she dared to use forbidden drugs. He let his guard down for just a mo
2.9kReads9.0Score232Shelves
Reader note
-
16
Spring Fades Again 春又残
[Possessive love and taking by force + both virgins + a tragic ending for both leads] At just twenty, the refined gentleman Jiang Xingzhou places first in the imperial examinations and earns the title of top scholar. In the cold, imposing throne room, the emperor asks what post he wishes to pursue. He replies, “I ask for nothing but the chance to marry Princess Chaohua.” The aging, frail emperor grants him the marriage. But this heaven-sent match is shattered by one person's return. Li Huaijin r
501Reads—Score—Shelves
Reader note
-
17
The Emperor and Empress Fight Every Day to See Who Dies First 帝后每天互殴，看谁先死
Feng Xing is the daughter of Chu Xi’s Grand Marshal, who commands an army of four hundred thousand. Shen Feng has been emperor for just two years. Shen Feng is utterly depraved, ruthless, and cruel. To secure his throne, he decides to marry Feng Xing and make her empress. First, he will fake her death to lure her father to the capital for the funeral. Then he will wipe out her entire family and take control of the Chu Xi army. Feng Xing is a fierce, accomplished warrior who takes whatever she wa
40.5kReads9.1Score2.9kShelves
Reader note