Looking for High-quality Historical Romance. No System, No Pocket Dimension, No Palace Intrigue. 求高质量古言，不要系统，不要空间，不要宫斗

1. 1 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 145.5kReads9.4Score20.4k14d adds

   Reader note

   I've finished reading it; it's very well written! The plot flows smoothly, the characters are vividly portrayed, and it's a well-rounded ensemble piece! Plus, you can learn a lot about interpersonal relationships and attitudes from it.

2. 2 这 This Top Scholar Plays by His Own Rules 这个状元路子有点野 The Foundation of One's Life立身之本Historical2.3M WordsCompleted [Farming + imperial examinations + alternate history + lighthearted] My Parents Flipped the Table and Quit, So I Want to Take the Imperial Exams Too Just as Wang Xuezhou was about to reach the peak of his life, he transmigrated. The good news: in this life, his parents were loving, and his siblings got along. The bad news: the whole family was pinching pennies to fund his eldest uncle's studies. They had next to nothing and were living on coarse grain and wild greens. But before he could flip t 50.9kReads8.9Score6.3k14d adds

   Reader note

   Perfect! The later parts are funny, mind-bending, and logically sound—very good!

3. 3 让 You Hired Me to Collect Bodies, So I Dissected My Ex-Girlfriend 让你当收尸人，你直接解刨了前女友 Ye Wusheng夜无声Mystery4.6M WordsOngoing In anatomy class, the corpse turns out to be my ex-girlfriend... After that, I went through all sorts of unbelievable things. A bus that only goes up, never down, and runs straight to a reservoir. An old scholar tree in the hospital, lush with branches and leaves, that swallows people whole. A giant catfish by the Qingshui River, begging people for help every night. And a deadly brothel hung with human skin, open for business without end. It went on and on, as if it would never come to an end... 61.3kReads9.4Score2.3k14d adds
4. 4 别 Don't Call Me a Demon 别叫我恶魔 Yi Qingfeng弈青锋Urban5.7M WordsCompleted [Qing Feng's new novel, This Player Has Something Wrong with His Head, is now serializing and has plenty of chapters ready to binge] The sacred heavenly gates stand across the sky, while the demonic abyss of time and space lays waste to the human world. When twelve spirit springs burst from the earth, when the moon no longer belongs to humanity... Where will we go from here? A world of gods? A world of demons? No. This is a world that belongs to humanity! I will take up the crown no one else wou 174.6kReads9.4Score15.5k14d adds
5. 5 碎 Shattering the Azure Heavens 碎苍天 A Homebody Bear Who Loves Anime喜欢二次元的宅熊Eastern Fantasy1.5M WordsCompleted [Decisive and Ruthless] + [The Martial World] + [Bizarre] + [Lord of the Mysteries] + [Gods and Demons] + [Technology] + [Revenge] + [Wits and Strategy] + [Pure Satisfaction] In a world where martial masters and sorcerers coexist, who can reach the heavens? In a primeval wasteland where fierce barbarians battle demonic beasts, who can rule over all creation? A lofty civilization looks down f 78.3kReads8.1Score7.4k14d adds
6. 6 我EN I'm Not a God of Theater 我不是戏神 Three Nine Sound Domain三九音域Urban4.0M WordsCompleted The brand-new masterpiece by San Jiu Yin Yu, author of Slay the Gods | Winner of the Best Science-Fiction Web Novel Award at the Macau International Science Fiction Awards | A Chinese grotesque epic that turns the tide of an era After a scarlet meteor streaked across the sky, human civilization ground to a halt. From that day onward, humanity could no longer build a rocket, a nuclear bomb, an airplane, a car... The pyramid of civilization built upon modern science collapsed with a thunderous roa 1.7MReads9.9Score178.8k14d adds
7. 7 一 One Sword, One Flask, One Universe 一剑一酒一乾坤 Guan关Eastern Fantasy5.5M WordsOngoing [Swordsmanship + Wine Immortal + Fantasy Xianxia + One Heroine + Mutual Devotion + Humanity’s Survival] A year ago, the boy watched his father shoulder his sword, slay demons, and save humanity, never to return. A year later, the boy arrives at Qingyun with only a sword and a jug of wine. Shunned by all, he is confined to the peach blossom grove. The sword his father called the “Sword of Protection” stands in the most prominent place in the Qingyun Sect, yet the world calls it the “Sword of Sham 72.9kReads9.3Score6.8k14d adds
8. 8 国 The Peerless Statesman 国士无双 Wind and Fire Join the Mountains风火连山3k WordsCompleted A Peerless Patriot 3Reads—Score—14d adds
9. 9 臣 I Was Born a Commoner, So Why Are You Forcing Me to Become Emperor? 臣本布衣，为何逼我称帝？ Jiangnan Scenery江南山水Historical3.6M WordsCompleted On the day he transmigrates, he gets three shocks in a row: he has an engagement, his fiancée isn’t pretty, and all six of his brothers-in-law are bandits. “How can you call them bandits? They’re the six mighty generals who followed me in founding the empire and ascending the throne!” 21.3kReads8.6Score2.1k14d adds

   Reader note

   No system, but full of life and flesh.

10. 10 惹 Offending the Imperial Daughter 惹金枝 Kong Liu空留Ancient Romance1.2M WordsCompleted (Film and television rights have been sold. The physical book will be available for preorder on July 10 at 19:00.) Shi Buyu was born smiling. At that moment, lightning flashed and thunder roared, collapsing a row of outbuildings in the Shi family compound. Days of torrential rain brought devastating floods and countless victims. Rumors soon spread through the capital that she was a disaster star sent into the world. But she was as precocious as a demon, with a photographic memory, and learned bo 250.6kReads9.7Score29.2k14d adds

    Reader note

    It's good; the female lead is highly intelligent.

11. 11 我 My Irresistible Boss Lady 我的心动老板娘 Firestorm火烧风Urban3.6M WordsCompleted Talk money with the poor, and feelings with the rich! I refused to believe it, and got hurt from head to toe! It wasn't until the boss's wife appeared that I realized I had fallen into a whirlpool of human nature. My name is Yu Nan. My story begins now! 6.6kReads9.0Score85314d adds
12. 12 跪 After Begging Me to Switch Marriages, My Cousin Cried Herself to Death in the Slums 跪求我换亲后，堂妹哭死在贫民窟 Chai Bao柴宝Ancient Romance1.0M WordsCompleted My new work is here! You can read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you'll enjoy it. Your support is what motivates me to write, and I'll do my best to tell every story well! 942Reads9.2Score26814d adds

    Reader note

    Both books are quite distinctive.

13. 13 演 I Played the Emperor My Whole Life, and After Being Reborn, He Still Wants the Crown Prince 演了皇上一辈子，重生他还要太子 One Little Sweet Fish一口小甜鱼Ancient Romance1.2M WordsCompleted Original title: Only After His Death Did He Learn That the Empress Did Not Want to Be Buried With Him [The heroine transmigrates, the hero is reborn] As he lay dying, Emperor Tianhe looked back on his eventful life. He had risen from humble beginnings to become the founding emperor, and the world praised his achievements. In his fading consciousness, he saw his virtuous empress, his beautiful consorts, and his weeping children. He felt that his life had been complete. But after he died, his soul 31.6kReads8.9Score2.3k14d adds
14. 14 咸 The Lazy Princess Returns to the Capital, and the Whole Dynasty Follows Her for the Gossip 咸鱼郡主回京，全皇朝追着吃瓜 Evening Ripples晚漾Ancient Romance715k WordsCompleted [Everyone’s Favorite + Sweet Historical Romance + Fun and Lighthearted + Palace Politics with a Light Touch + Both Leads Are Each Other’s Only One + Equally Matched Leads + No Transmigration, Rebirth, System, or Inner Thoughts + Everyone Is Native to This World] A seemingly sweet and gentle daughter of a vassal king vs. a truly delicate and frail eldest imperial grandson For the old emperor’s birthday, vassal kings from across the land are ordered to come to the imperial capital and celebrate 41kReads9.1Score4k14d adds

    Reader note

    Ancient Chinese stories + humor

15. 15 盛 Beloved Above All in a Golden Age, With the Land as Dowry 盛世独宠，山河为聘 Wilderness Siren荒野塞壬Ancient Romance1.0M WordsCompleted [Male emperor and female monarch, political intrigue, devoted to each other, sweet romance, both leads are natives of a traditional historical setting] One was an emperor’s chosen star who brimmed with murderous rage; the other was a brilliant woman destined for a tragic fate. Yun Zhenzhen chose Chu Yu to protect her family and save her own life. To her, it was nothing more than a mutually willing bargain. But the bold, unrestrained man held her close and shielded her from every open attack and 1.1kReads9.1Score12414d adds

    Reader note

    ① Shi Buyu was born precocious. It was rumored that she was born a jinx and died young at the age of three. In fact, she was taken away by the Imperial Advisor. Fifteen years later, the Shi family was framed and imprisoned. Shi Buyu began to plan a prison break and cooperated with Yan Shi'an, also known as Ji'an. The emperor killed his brother to seize the throne. The late emperor's concubine struggled to protect her unborn child. After giving birth, she secretly sent the child away with the help of the Imperial Advisor. She plotted revenge for several years. Shi Buyu successfully saved the Shi family. With Shi Buyu's help, Yan Shi'an also exposed the emperor's crimes and ascended the throne. ②An ancient Chinese story. Yun Zhenzhen, the eldest daughter of the Yun family in Shengjing, possesses a brilliant mind, but her fate is weak, and she is unlikely to live long. "Too much wisdom is bound to bring misfortune." The saying goes, "He who possesses a brilliant mind will rule the world." "A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime." The reason a brilliant mind can stir up trouble in the court is because of a rebellious nature. Yun Zhenzhen was born into the loyal Yun family. Her maternal grandfather said she had the least ambition of a brilliant mind, unaware that she inherently possessed it. She confined herself to the Yun family simply because they were loyal. Chu Yu, the heir of the Chu Kingdom, is a natural emperor, but he is also filled with malice. The two join forces to rule the world. Chu Yu is the emperor, and Yun Zhenzhen is the empress. However, Chu Yu does not confine Yun Zhenzhen to the empress role, but paves the way for her to also become empress, resulting in two emperors in one dynasty. Chu Yu, reckless and willful, willingly submits; Yun Zhenzhen, strategizing and planning, only wants to protect her beloved, living a peaceful life together. ③ Rebirth: In her previous life, the female protagonist's family was a victim of power struggles. Reborn, she seeks the help of the Prime Minister (the male protagonist) to protect her family. He teaches her how to kill and wield power, eventually making her famous throughout the land. The male protagonist is the child of a witch and a human. The witches are very long-lived; their blood can create fire and freeze everything, and can even turn into gold (actually, the blood turns into gold because of pain). The witches live in seclusion, but as the saying goes, "A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime." The male protagonist is taken back to the witch clan by his mother, but his father is not a good person and uses him to destroy the witch clan. The place where the witches lived then becomes the "Golden Tomb." The male protagonist is the sole survivor of his entire clan. He was able to become prime minister in a short period of time because of the "Golden Tomb." The male protagonist wants revenge and befriends the leader of a low-ranking sect in the martial arts world (because the emperor feared his strength and killed his family). Together they seek revenge. This is not the first time the male protagonist has been reborn. He has been reborn several times. He has successfully taken revenge before, but after each success, due to his long lifespan, he was left alone. He felt lost. This time, he is reborn with the female protagonist. He wants to take a different path. The female protagonist's rebirth is also because of the male protagonist. The male and female protagonists met once when they were children. The mask that the male protagonist always wears was also given to him by the female protagonist.

16. 16 献 Offering to the Abyss 献京渊 Qi Yi Zi七一子Ancient Romance528k WordsCompleted [Print edition releasing October 25] “He taught me to kill, seize power, and look after myself. I taught him what it means to have a weakness.” [Serious drama + political intrigue + the fate of the nation and its people + I’m terrible at writing blurbs] Jiang Qingyu was born into wealth, and her family’s love had made her naive and pampered. It wasn’t until the day the entire Jiang family was executed that she realized how foolish she had been! When she opened her eyes again, she was determined 24.3kReads9.5Score3.9k14d adds
17. 17 嫁 Marrying the Imperial Tutor 嫁帝师 Changshanli长山里Ancient Romance560k WordsCompleted [When a Scheming Black-Bellied Type Meets a Sweet-on-the-Outside, Dark-on-the-Inside Type + Love and Hate + Soul Swap + Revenge, Traditional Historical Romance in an Imaginary Setting] Jiang Wanzhi first met Song Qingshi when she was fourteen. At sixteen, she became Mrs. Song. Everyone said she was lucky: a merchant’s daughter had married a top-scoring scholar. That is, until she died under mysterious circumstances on the very night Song Qingshi asked her for a divorce. When she awoke again, she 28kReads9.3Score4.4k14d adds

    Reader note

    These two are also good.

18. 18 暴 The Tyrant Tormented Me? I'll Turn Around, Seduce the Powerful Eunuch, and Seize His Empire 暴君虐我？转身勾搭权宦夺他江山 Green Mountain Has Its Say青山有辞Ancient Romance1.1M WordsCompleted For eight years in the palace, Xiangjun fought to get ahead and tried to please everyone, yet the palace’s noble masters still ground her down, used her, humiliated her, and cast her aside... Those nobles basked in all the wealth of the realm atop heaps of corpses and bones, yet mocked her for trying her hardest and not knowing her place. In the end, the child Xiangjun risked her life to bear called her enemy “Mother,” while Xiangjun was cut open alive so the baby could be taken from her. She di 115.1kReads9.6Score16.6k14d adds

    Reader note

    #Trampled to death in her past life, she is reborn and vows to overthrow this cannibalistic palace! Joining forces with a cold-blooded and ruthless eunuch, she murders the emperor, seizes the throne, and climbs to the top over the corpses of her enemies. "Since you despise me for my lowliness, then I will make this world bow down to me!" #PalaceIntrigue #CrazyBeauty #EunuchCP #AmbitiousFemaleLead

19. 19 谁 Can You Believe It? The Empress Wrote a Hundred Palace Rules 谁懂啊，娘娘写了一百条宫规 Strawberry Xi草莓汐Ancient Romance602k WordsCompleted [Palace Intrigue + Ancient-Era Heroine + Reborn Supporting Female Character + Transmigrated Supporting Female Character + Everyone Is Clever + Clear-Eyed Heroine] From ordinary palace candidate to empress. Everyone believes the emperor is devoted to Ning Wanyin. Only Ning Wanyin knows how treacherous and perilous the journey has been. She has survived every step through sheer caution. Lady Tang, reborn: “She killed me in my last life. This time, of course I’ll… make her my friend! Do I really th 41.2kReads9.6Score5.9k14d adds

    Reader note

    This place is so treacherous, you can't even have a palace intrigue battle going on; the empress has blocked everything from all sides.

20. 20 缚 Bound by Spring 缚春情 Ren Huanyou任欢游Ancient Romance603k WordsCompleted [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 90.9kReads9.6Score12.1k14d adds

    Reader note

    I recommend these three palace intrigue novels. The authors are all very good, with well-developed characters and storylines; they're clearly not beginners. I'm envious! I recommend checking them out.

21. 21 岁 Spring's Joy, Year After Year 岁岁春欢 I Really Love Little Crabs超爱小螃蟹Ancient Romance669k WordsCompleted [The print edition of Years of Spring Joy is now available on all platforms] [Heroine and scumbag reborn + male lead transmigrates + mutual salvation + play the pig to eat the tiger] At seventeen, Shen Jiasui married Lu Yunzheng. The Shen and Lu families were both military dynasties, making them a formidable match. Two years into their marriage, Lu Yunzheng defeated the enemy kingdom and won renown across the land. But the Shen family was condemned for treason and executed to the last member. On 265.2kReads9.6Score31k14d adds
22. 22 桃 Ride Out to Battle, Peach Blossoms in My Wake 桃花马上请长缨 June六月Ancient Romance2.0M WordsCompleted The short drama adaptation of June's novel, Power and Favor 3: Power and Favor in the Capital, is now available on Hongguo App. She cared for her in-laws and used her dowry to support the General's household, only for him to use his hard-won military achievements to ask for the female general's hand as his equal wife. Zhan Beiwang mocked her. “Song Xixie, do you know that your fine clothes, rich food, and glittering jewels all come from General Yi Fang and me fighting bloody battles to hold back 15kReads9.5Score5.5k14d adds
23. 23 太 The Crown Prince Must Have Something Seriously Wrong with Him 太子爷他指定有什么大病 No Sugar in My Cream奶油不用加糖Ancient Romance1.0M WordsCompleted [Quick transmigration + A match made in heaven + Exclusively doting, feel-good romance + Both leads are devoted only to each other] Prince Xiao Yan had a hidden ailment no one knew about. No one knew that the moment he touched a woman, he broke out in a rash and itched all over. This was why he had remained childless despite being married for years. After all, he couldn’t even touch a woman. If one of the women in the Eastern Palace gave birth to a child, wouldn’t that mean he had been cuckolded 1.5kReads7.5Score13714d adds

    Reader note

    The Crown Prince wields immense power but has a fatal weakness—he can't handle women! The imperial physician diagnoses him with a congenital allergy to women. He's decisive and ruthless in court, but avoids women in the harem. "Stay away from me!" "No way!" Which is more deadly: a rash or a racing heart?

24. 24 媚 Bones of Bewitching Beauty 媚青骨 Zha Xiaogua扎小瓜Ancient Romance828k WordsCompleted [Baili Xiao x Yan Anning] A roguish, wild, wolfish hero vs. a calm, clever heroine Historical romance, happy ending, devoted love, mutual pampering, ensemble cast, court intrigue, and the fate of the nation. Simple Synopsis: In a chaotic dynasty, the emperor is incompetent, and Yan Anning, daughter of a military family, is forced into the palace. Yan Anning: “Who says you can’t leave the palace once you’ve entered it?” As she plots her escape, Baili Xiao, commander of the southwestern army, char 1.1kReads8.6Score18714d adds

    Reader note

    Jiang Wanzhi first met Song Qing at the age of fourteen and became Mrs. Song at sixteen. Everyone said she was lucky; a merchant's daughter married a top scholar. Until her mysterious death, the night Song Qing proposed divorce. When she awoke again, she was Yu Wanzhi, the mentally challenged third young lady of the Yu family. Unloved by her father and mother, she suffered abuse from her maids, and even the imperial tutor, to whom she had been betrothed for over ten years, wanted to break off the engagement. Only a difference in surname, yet their fates were worlds apart. Everyone said that the third young lady of the Yu family had finally regained her senses after more than a decade of madness, but only she knew that this body had long since been given a different owner. She would avenge the death of her husband, and she would not let those who had wronged her go unpunished. As for that imperial tutor…

25. 25 折 Breaking Her Bewitching Bones 折她艳骨 Clear Skies天晴晴天Ancient Romance357k WordsCompleted Completed [Pure Historical Romance + Possessive Love + Amoral Hero with a Virtuous-Husband Side + Groveling Reunion + Dark, Angsty Romance with Sweet Moments] (Controlling! Goes mad with jealousy! Both are romantically inexperienced! A seemingly gentle but secretly dark, lovesick power minister vs. a resilient heroine who plans every step) Jiang Yu married the gentle and refined Chief Councillor. He cooked for her and combed her hair before the mirror. Because she was frail, he never went anywhe 11.2kReads9.2Score1k14d adds

Other lists with They Wanted Me to Be a Sacrificial Stepmother, but I Chose to Make My Own Way