In this list
Reader notes translated by Google Translate
18
-
1
I Debate the Classics with Great Scholars in the Embroidered Uniform Guard 我在锦衣卫跟大儒辩经
Yang Zhi, a top salesman and philosophy graduate student in his previous life, transmigrates to the end of the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty. Through a twist of fate, he joins the Embroidered Uniform Guard, passes the imperial examination, enters the Hanlin Academy, and debates the classics with the great scholars at court!
4.5kReads8.8Score348Shelves
Reader note
-
2
If You Won't Write the Memorial, Why Are You Going on the Northern Campaign? 不写出师表，你北什么伐呀！
“This place is so delightful, I could forget all about Shu!” Liu Shan, who left behind this timeless saying, thought he had died. But when he opened his eyes again, he had become Zhao Gou, the emperor of the Great Song. With none of Zhao Gou's memories, he gazed at the officials filling the court and fell into deep thought. They have a chancellor here too? The name Qin Hui might not sound like much, but surely he's as capable in both letters and arms as my foster father! Hmm? Wait, why is there
45.1kReads8.9Score5.2kShelves
-
3
Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Complete Plain-Language Edition 三国演义（白话版全集）
Romance of the Three Kingdoms is the first full-length historical novel in chapter-and-episode format in ancient China, and is regarded as one of the Four Great Classical Novels. Written by the late Yuan and early Ming novelist Luo Guanzhong, it draws on historical events and folk tales from the Three Kingdoms period. Set against the history from the end of the Eastern Han dynasty to the beginning of the Western Jin, the book vividly depicts the tangled political, military, and diplomatic strugg
16Reads9.2Score—Shelves
Reader note
-
4
The Tale of King Wu's Campaign Against Zhou 武王伐纣平话
King Zhou of Shang was born with extraordinary gifts and the strength to defeat ten thousand men, yet he sank into the charms of the bewitching consort Daji and plunged into an abyss of tyranny! He built wine pools and meat forests, and devised punishments such as roasting people over fire and drowning them in pits of snakes and scorpions. He cut open pregnant women to determine the sex of their unborn children and cracked bones to examine their marrow. His atrocities shook heaven and earth, aro
—Reads7.8Score—Shelves
-
5
Romance of the Qing Dynasty 清史演义
Cai Dongfan's The Romance of the Qing Dynasty is an epic of sweeping grandeur. In a million words, it uncovers the century-spanning secrets of the Qing Empire, from its rise to its fall! From Nurhaci rallying his troops against the Ming with his “Seven Grievances,” to Kangxi outsmarting and capturing Oboi and putting down the Three Feudatories; from undercurrents stirring beneath the Qianlong Emperor's prosperous reign to the humiliating guns of the Opium War; then to Empress Dowager Cixi ruling
5Reads8.3Score—Shelves
-
6
Veritable Records of Qing Taizu, Emperor Wu 清太祖武皇帝实录
The Veritable Records of Emperor Wu, Taizu of Qing is the authoritative official biography of Nurhaci, founder of the Later Jin dynasty. Written in chronological form, it recounts the sweeping story of the Manchus’ rise from tribal rivalries to the foundation of an empire. The book not only reveals the mythic origin of the “Three Fairy Maidens Who Ate the Divine Fruit and Bore the Ancestor,” but also vividly depicts Nurhaci’s legendary deeds: raising an army with thirteen suits of ancestral armo
1Reads7.8Score—Shelves
-
7
The Five Tigers Pacify the South 五虎平南
The Five Tigers Pacify the South is set during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Great Song, when the southern barbarian king Nong Zhigao rebelled and war engulfed the southern frontier. Di Qing, Prince of Pacifying the West, received the imperial order to lead the army and set out once more with the Five Tiger Generals. But they were thwarted by the sorcery of a strange martial expert from the southern tribes: Duan Hongyu, daughter of Duan Hong of Mengyun Pass. Trained in the Way of the Immor
2Reads8.3Score—Shelves
-
8
The Story of Zeng Guofan 曾国藩演义
The Romance of Zeng Guofan follows the tumultuous life of the famed late Qing minister Zeng Guofan, offering a sweeping account of the epic struggle between the Taiping Rebellion and the Qing court. Author Xu Zhesheng uses historical sources as its framework and literature as its soul, vividly portraying Zeng Guofan’s legendary journey from an impoverished scholar to a celebrated minister of the restoration. He founded the Xiang Army and turned the tide, and championed the Self-Strengthening Mov
8Reads7.9Score—Shelves
-
9
The Romance of the Western Han 西汉演义
Zhen Wei’s version of The Romance of the Western Han is a sweeping epic of the Chu-Han conflict, taking you back to the war-torn chaos at the end of the Qin dynasty. From the power struggles in Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s later years and Zhao Gao’s corruption of the court, to the rise of Xiang Yu and Liu Bang as rival heroes battling for supremacy, and onward to the fateful Feast at Hongmen and the tragic songs of Gaixia, this book vividly paints a grand tableau woven with political intrigue, ambiti
9Reads8.6Score—Shelves
-
10
The Legend of Yue Fei 岳飞传
A historical epic novel by Huan Zhu Lou Zhu. Based on the life of Yue Fei, the famous Southern Song general who fought against the Jin, it begins with Yue Fei learning martial arts as a boy and vowing to serve his country. It vividly depicts how he formed the Yue Family Army, fought the Jin forces, and won one victory after another, until he was framed by treacherous officials and met a tragic end. The novel celebrates his unwavering loyalty and devotion to his country.
925Reads9.6Score—Shelves
Reader note
-
11
Secret Records Behind the Red Walls: A Complete History of China's Unofficial Past, Unabridged 红墙秘录：中国野史大全（无删节完整版）
This complete collection is like a secret key unlocking the hidden chambers of China's imperial past, guiding readers into shadowy corners that official histories leave shrouded in secrecy. From the ancient legends of Unofficial History of the Xia and Shang to the imperial passions and court intrigues of The History of the Imperial Harem in the Song Dynasty, The History of the Imperial Harem in the Ming Dynasty, and Unofficial History of the Yuan Dynasty; from the extravagant excesses of The Ero
1.7kReads9.3Score316Shelves
-
12
The Illustrated Tale of the Swordsman Yongzheng, Volumes 1 and 2 雍正剑侠图（上下册）
Tong Lin takes up his midnight-and-noon chicken-claw mandarin-duck axes and roams the martial world, rising from a farmer's son to become Yongzheng's personal bodyguard. The Blood-Dropper secret service is recruiting online, while a band of sword heroes prepares for a final showdown on Penglai Island.
801Reads9.5Score101Shelves
-
13
The Saga of Wagang Stronghold 瓦岗寨演义
The Tale of Wagang Stronghold is set amid the chaos of the late Sui dynasty and vividly recounts how the heroes of Wagang rise up to resist tyranny. The story follows bold outlaws such as Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong, Shan Xiongxin, and Xu Maogong, chronicling their legendary exploits: gathering at Wagang, seizing the imperial tribute, rebelling in Shandong, and joining forces with eighteen rebel kings to fight the Sui court. The book features both bloody battles amid flashing blades and clashes of w
876Reads9.5Score—Shelves
Reader note
-
14
Wu Zetian's Four Great Mystery Cases 武则天四大奇案
[Historical Mystery + Four Great Cases + Ancient-Era Deduction] From strange cases in the countryside to courtly intrigue, Di Renjie carefully unravels the truth at every turn. Newly appointed magistrate of Changping County, Di Renjie is immediately faced with a bizarre murder: a merchant from Huzhou is found mysteriously dead at an inn in Liulidun. The local headman, Hu De, abuses his power, but the identity of the real culprit raises even more questions. Disguised as an ordinary traveler, Di R
667Reads9.5Score—Shelves
-
15
The Scandalous Tales of the Four Great Beauties 四大美人艳史演义
Uncovering the untold stories of the Four Beauties [History + biographies + the Four Beauties + unofficial anecdotes] Xi Shi, whose beauty could topple a kingdom as she washed silk, was caught in the turmoil of a chaotic age. Yang Yuhuan’s glance could captivate an entire city, but her passionate love became a shackle of fate. Wang Zhaojun left the frontier with a mournful song, bringing a brief peace between the Han and the Xiongnu. Diao Chan ingeniously set a chain of schemes in motion, turnin
115Reads8.7Score—Shelves
-
16
Back to the Song Dynasty to Be a Tyrant 回到宋朝当暴君
In the halls of government, rotten wood holds office. Between the palace steps, beasts feast on their salaries. Men with hearts like wolves and the ways of dogs crowd the halls of power. Toadies and bootlickers fill the ranks of government, bringing the state to ruin and the people to misery! You dare demand to know whether the sword in my hand is sharp?
224kReads9.4Score26kShelves
Reader note
-
17
With My Blood, I’ll Save These Mountains and Rivers 我以我血挽山河
[Not a Power Fantasy + Slow Burn + Multiple Storylines + No Golden Finger + Passionate Conquest of the Song] At the end of the Northern Song dynasty, Bianjing was under siege, and the realm was falling into enemy hands. After his soul traveled nine hundred years through time, Gu Yuan found himself on the snowy plains outside Bianjing, where he and a band of fleeing soldiers happened to rescue the reborn Princess Zhao Yingluo. Through careful planning at every turn, he rose to become the era’s gr
31.6kReads9.2Score3.1kShelves
-
18
Starting with Ying Zheng: Emperors of Every Dynasty Arrive One After Another 从嬴政开始：历代君王陆续降临
[Lighthearted + humorous + adventure] History buffs, enter at your own risk After Qin Shi Huang died, he was transported to a walled city. One day inside equaled one year in the outside world. Each time the city gates opened, the setting was different, bringing all kinds of fantastical adventures. On the third day, Hu Hai arrived. “Father, you have to get justice for me!” Twelve days later, Liu Bang arrived. “Brother Zheng, don't tell me you still don't know your Qin has fallen!” Wang Mang arriv
64.6kReads9.6Score7.1kShelves
Other lists with I Debate the Classics with Great Scholars in the Embroidered Uniform Guard