Novels like The Rules of the Ming Family
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Rules of the Ming Family, best match first.
- 1 The Twelfth Stroke of the Ruler 戒尺第十二下 [Clear-Eyed, Well-Behaved Girl × Extremely Controlling CEO] [Adoption + 12-Year Age Gap + She Has a Crush, Then Sees Clearly + He Doesn’t Realize He Loves Her + Obsessive Possessiveness + BE + Fast-Paced, Proceed with Caution] This is a tragic romance that begins with taming and ends in destruction. In the name of “discipline,” Lu Zhi molds the orphan Shen Weixi into the “perfect creation” who meets all his standards. But when she falls for him, he marries someone else for the sake of his ow 1.2kReads—Score10214d adds
- 2 Uncle Says, “I Was Wrong.” “Wrong About What?” 叔叔说，我错了，错，错哪儿了？ [Reading guide] Character setup: [An older uncle with an overwhelming need for control] vs. [A sharp-tongued, rebellious young man who throws tantrums] Neither character is perfect; both have flaws, and they grow together later on. Key themes: coming-of-age romance / age gap (27 vs. 19) / sweet-and-sour push and pull / flirting and baiting each other / a game of taming a rebellious troublemaker. Important content warning: The top is controlling early on, and his way of disciplining the bottom is 225Reads—Score10914d adds
- 3 The Naughty Little One Got Spanked Again 不乖的小朋友又挨揍啦 My new story is here! You’re welcome to read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Your support inspires me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 888Reads—Score—14d adds
- 4 Do You Dare to Leave Me? 你敢不要我吗 He called Shen Xu crazy. Later, he learned Shen Xu really was crazy: every time he stepped in to take care of him, he'd go home and get beaten again. A hundred times pushed away, a hundred and one times coming back. Shen Xu × Wen Shiyu His devotion belongs to him alone… —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 5 The Brand Beneath the Belt 皮带下的烙印 Brands Under the Belt 4Reads—Score114d adds
- 6 Bro, Let's Talk This Out. Don't Hit Me! 哥，有话好说，别动手！ Campus Romance Lin Chiye is good at everything: fighting, skipping class, and smoking. Everyone says he's a lowlife thug. That is, until the day he saw Shen Yu again. Shen Yu gave him a casual glance. Just one glance, and Lin Chiye nearly dropped the cigarette between his fingers. With a smile, Shen Yu rolled up his sleeves to his elbows. “From today on, I’m in charge of you.” Lin Chiye: “Bro, let’s talk this out. Don’t hit me!!” 95Reads7.0Score—14d adds
- 7 Forced Taming 强制驯养 Snow falls across mountains and rivers, and all is tender; every breeze and moonlit night is a gift for the one in my heart. Among the countless people in this world, everyone is just passing through. Only you are hidden in my eyes for all my remaining years, your tenderness woven into my bones. We care nothing for worldly prejudice and fear nothing of the long road ahead. From the moment we met, our love will endure year after year. In this life, my heart belongs to one person alone. 29Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 8 What’s Not to Love About a Mature, Daddy-Type Man? 爹系老男人他不香吗？ [Two male leads + both each other’s first and only + intense romantic tension + age gap + groveling after the breakup + emotionally oblivious + coming of age + sweet romance + love rivals] [Cold-faced, secretly provocative doctor x passionate, flirtatious artist] Two seemingly divine professions, doctor and artist, have produced two men who are both perverts without realizing it. Xu Yinuo became famous at a young age, and he’s handsome and w —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 9 Brother, How Did You Get Beaten Up Again? 哥哥你怎么又挨揍了 Having a biased old man for a dad and a scheming little brother is such a pain. When will Dad finally see what that brat is really like? Why am I always the one he beats? 1.1kReads6.8Score1714d adds
- 10 Big Brother, Please Don’t Treat Me Like This 哥，求你别这般待我 Two male leads, age-gap romance, unrelated by blood, happy ending. Lu Yunzheng has lived by the rules since birth. He shouldered the burden of his family at a young age, and returned as its head, as cold and imposing as a mountain. Lu Xingmian is his younger brother in name only, cherished by the whole family. Spoiled by their affection, he pushes the boundaries time and again, only to be met with a sternness reserved for him alone and silent protection. 759Reads—Score10114d adds
- 11 Lessons on the Jade Steps 玉阶训 Nine tiers of jade steps, with a lesson at every turn. The Second Prince wields the ruler, measuring himself and weighing the world. Between stern instruction and tender care, he seeks the way of a sovereign; amid family and country, he discovers the virtue of a gentleman. Above the jade steps lies the warmth of family; below them, the realm and its people. Every step is a practice in self-cultivation. 941Reads—Score10014d adds
- 12 Dad Finally Agreed to Join Me on a Variety Show 父亲终于同意陪我参加综艺啦 If you don’t like it, don’t read it. If you don’t like it, don’t read it. If you don’t like it, don’t read it. The father is an old-fashioned man who refuses to let his son become an actor. After the son keeps at it and refuses to give up, his father finally changes his mind. 628Reads8.5Score13614d adds
- 13 If You Won’t Behave, I’ll Beat You Until You Do 不乖就揍到乖 Family bonds + strict parenting + brotherhood + ensemble cast + angst first, then sweetness (meaning there’ll be angst throughout the early part, and the sweetness won’t return until much later) The story of Yan Huan and her four older brothers~ 1.4kReads7.2Score—14d adds
- 14 The Mo Family Rules 墨色家规 [Father and Son / Family Bonds / Discipline] An unexpected accident and an unwanted child completely shattered the life plan he had spent half his life putting together. He had imagined countless dazzling futures, but never once thought that someone like this would barge into his life out of nowhere, smashing all his obsessions and hopes to pieces. Forced to take on the role of a father, he never felt even the slightest warmth toward the child. To him, the child was not a beloved blood relative 4.6kReads8.2Score34814d adds
- 15 Grand Tutor, I Just Want a Diploma 太傅，我只想混个文凭 Grand Tutor, I Just Want to Get a Diploma 39Reads—Score—14d adds
- 16 The Shackles of My Brother's Love 哥哥爱的戒枷 This is an intensely heartbreaking novel, so be sure to brace yourselves before reading, everyone~ “Big brother... have you ever thought about what I'm supposed to do from now on...? I'll... I'll spend the rest of my life drowning in endless regret and guilt... Brother... please talk to me... I'm begging you... please, just talk to me... You... you never used to ignore me... Sob... Big brother... please... Eldest brother~ Second brother~ Xiao Xuan really knows he was wrong... Xiao Xuan will neve 325Reads—Score—14d adds
- 17 A Game of Light and Shadow 明暗拉扯 My new story is out! You can read it on Tomato Novels. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Your support is what keeps me writing, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 4.1kReads6.5Score34014d adds
- 18 The Heir Kneels for Days 嫡子长跪 At thirty, Shen Che is the eldest legitimate son of the Shen family, a fourth-rank General of Martial Valor, with three thousand cavalry under his command. But at home, he still has to kneel in the ancestral hall. The bamboo switch gives way to a rattan cane, then the cane to a rod of punishment. Old scars overlap new wounds across his back. From the age of eight to thirty, he never uttered a word. Then the Crown Prince closes in step by step, and the political landscape is overturned. Shen Che 970Reads—Score10414d adds
- 19 Has the Crown Prince Been Whacked with the Ruler Again Today? 太子殿下今日又挨戒尺了吗 Three generations, two pairs of master and disciple, and two pairs of brothers. Watch a commoner reprimand an emperor, a chancellor instruct a crown prince, and masters and disciples, fathers and sons, and brothers govern the realm together. So, Your Highness, did you get the ruler again today? No CP, a little discipline, set in an imaginary dynasty. 1.3kReads—Score10014d adds
- 20 Tame Me: Kneel, Big Brother 驯服：跪好，哥哥 [Content warning! This is a 1v1 female-led power fantasy featuring lots of scenes where the male lead is disciplined. They are pseudo-siblings; the male lead suffers, but the female lead does not.] Their first meeting in a blended family is a wary appraisal between a cold heir and a reserved, talented artist. A painting called Caged Beast lays bare his repressed nature, and a business crisis lets him glimpse her perceptiveness. The first seeds of their bond are planted. He is Jiang Yu, a man who 1kReads—Score—14d adds
- 21 The Imperial Tutor's Punishment 帝师罚 In his previous life, Zhao Zhen was a tyrant reviled by all. He personally drove Gu Yanzhi, his teacher and the regent who held power over the entire court, to his death. Only as he lay dying did he learn that the rebellion case had been a complete miscarriage of justice. Reborn at sixteen, he returns to the rainy night when he first defied Gu Yanzhi. The ruler’s rod is still raised in the air when the young emperor drops to his knees with a thud and clings tightly to the man’s waist. “Master, b 482Reads—Score15614d adds
- 22 You Were Wrong to Discipline Me, But I Won’t Abandon You 管教是你做错了，但我不会不要你 Disciplining you is because you did something wrong, but I won't abandon you. At two in the morning, I asked two people. One said they'd seen it. The other said they were fine with it. That very night, I got a little sister. The next day, I nearly made my girlfriend cry with anger. In the end, I got fifty swats and lay trembling on the sofa like a sieve. After she finished hitting me, she rubbed my back and said, "Go to sleep." Only later did I understand: Discipline isn't just about hit 955Reads—Score11114d adds
- 23 After His Father Deposed Him, He Became the Greatest Shadow Guard 被父皇废黜后，他成了第一暗卫 [Historical power struggle + physical and emotional angst] [This is not a BL romance!] He was his father's least-loved son, yet also his firstborn. With the throne meant to pass to the eldest legitimate son, he became the crown prince his father despised most. When the crown prince of the Eastern Palace shed his splendid robes, he became the emperor's most trusted chief shadow guard. All his glory was buried in the darkness. His life held nothing but endless killing and a fate he could never esc 3kReads—Score20614d adds
- 24 After Her Family Was Raided, Her Mistress Bought Her from the Music Bureau 抄家后从教坊司被主母买走 Bought by the Mistress from the Entertainment Bureau After His Family Was Raided 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 25 His Approach Had Been Planned All Along 他的靠近蓄谋已久 Substitute trope. Please don’t read if that’s not your thing~ A highly restrained, rules-above-all partner lawyer, the pursuer ✖️ a seemingly obedient but secretly obsessive intern lawyer with a hidden secret, the pursued Early on: Lawyer Qin takes in a seemingly docile little puppy, unaware that the puppy’s approach has been carefully planned from the start. Midway: The puppy drops the act, and his owner discovers that he’s the one who’s been played. Later: Every secret comes to light, and 446Reads8.4Score1514d adds
- 26 A Twelve-Hour Body-Swapping Experience 十二小时互穿体验 [Historical Fantasy + Discipline + Two Male Leads + Family Bonds] As a royal scandal, Lin Yunmo diligently played the part of an invisible person. He did everything he could to avoid his father and stay out of his elder brothers' way, acted stupid at the Imperial College, and dozed off with his head down during court sessions. But as the saying goes, “If you spend enough time by the river, sooner or later you'll get your shoes wet.” Lin Yunmo was dozing and slacking off as usual during court one 1.2kReads8.4Score10414d adds
- 27 Big Brother, I Know I Was Wrong Again! 哥哥，我又双叒叕知错了！ [Strict, high-achieving eldest brother + gentle doctoral second brother + younger brother who’s always getting into trouble] [The one who appears later, and is meant only for Lin Xiaohe] [Brothers] [Discipline] [Guidance] [Older love interest] Lin Xiaohe is the troublesome younger brother in the eyes of his two older brothers. His eldest brother is a poker-faced lawyer who manages him like a courtroom case: “You can call the police, but the best lawyer in this city is standing right in front of 1kReads—Score10614d adds
- 28 The Rebellious Heiress: Her Second Uncle Spoils Her Silly 豪门小叛逆，被二叔宠软了 Older man / Two male leads / Devoted love / No blood relation Li Nian’an was spoiled by his parents from childhood, skipping class, smoking, getting into fights, talking back, and doing whatever he pleased. After losing both parents, he becomes a wayward teenager whom no one can control. His guardian, his second uncle Li Jinhan, enters his chaotic life with an iron hand and begins correcting him through the harshest, most uncompromising methods. Faced with the boy’s deep-rooted rebelliousness 2.6kReads6.8Score24314d adds
- 29 Brother, Please Let Me Go 哥，放了我吧 A new story is here! You can read my work on Tomato Novel. I hope you enjoy it. Your support keeps me writing, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 891Reads—Score10314d adds
- 30 Stop Hitting Him, Boss! He's the Next CEO! 快别打了老板，他可是下任总裁啊 [Modern Alternate Universe + Discipline and Punishment + Uncle and Nephew + No Romance + Happy Ending] In Yunzhou, Ouyang Tianlang, the adopted son of the wealthy Ou family, is unexpectedly found by Jin Wei, the stepbrother of his late biological father, Qin Zhao. From that day on, he is forced onto the path of becoming the heir to a business empire. Ouyang Tianlang remembers little about his biological father. What little he does remember can be summed up in one word: “hate.” Jin Wei, meanwhile 764Reads—Score5914d adds
- 31 Qiao Jie's Happy Life 乔杰的幸福生活 [Discipline + teacher-student relationship only + funny school life + no romance] Rebellious teenager Qiao Jie treats being a nonconformist as a little game to push back against his parents' busy lives. He ignores every school rule and lives as boldly and freely as he likes. He looks unruly and hard to tame, but inside he's a goofy chuunibyou and a cockroach who just won't die. One day, Cao Jun, an old friend of his father's, becomes his homeroom teacher. After Qiao Jie's grandmother plays ma 1.3kReads8.1Score10714d adds
- 32 The Fierce Little Darling I Took In, Come Right Into My Arms! 捡回来的乖戾小可怜，乖乖入怀！ On that rainy night, he brought home a young boy. From then on, one more rule was added to the Lu family code, and one more person took up space in his heart. He loved in the only way he knew how: building a fence of rules and using pain as his guide. In the shadow of what gets passed down from one generation to the next, pain was the deepest tenderness, and restraint the longest confession. 6.1kReads8.9Score39914d adds
- 33 Mr. Gu Punished His Little Brother Again Today 顾总今天又罚弟弟了 Gu Ze met Gu Nanchao when he was thirteen, or, to be precise, he was brought before him. His mother had died of an illness, and his father was nowhere to be found. He was so thin and small he looked younger than eleven, and he trembled as a few thugs brought him before Gu Nanchao. “Brother Chao, this is the son that woman had.” “What’s your name?” Gu Nanchao asked, lifting his chin toward him. Gu Ze’s eyes widened. “Li Ze.” Gu Nanchao looked him over for a long while, then asked just one questio 3.7kReads8.4Score27514d adds
- 34 Yun Qi's Cane 云栖的藤条 [A stern on the outside, warm-hearted traditionalist director vs. a sharp-edged, avant-garde assistant] A beautiful madwoman, determined to court disaster online! Shen Zhao, the new assistant designer, actually dared to challenge the firm's ironclad rules just to make a name for herself! 1.2kReads—Score10614d adds
- 35 Sis, Please Spare Me 姐姐饶了我吧 From the moment my eldest sister held me after I was born, my backside belonged to her. My second sister felt sorry for me and always stepped in whenever the eldest was about to hit me: “She’s so little. How can you bring yourself to do that?” But when the eldest brought out the ruler, she never went easy on me: “Bend over. Hands on your head. Stick your butt out.” I have two sisters, one who dotes on me and one who beats me up. But after she’s done, she’s also the one who holds me close and com 1.7kReads—Score11214d adds
- 36 My Strict Dad 我的严厉老爸 My new work is out! You’re welcome to read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Your support inspires me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 338Reads—Score—14d adds
- 37 Those Who Can Strike the Emperor Deserve the Highest Reward [Fanfiction] 能痛击寡人者受上赏【同人】 This is a fanfic based on A Reward for Anyone Who Can Strike Me Down. It begins on the night the protagonist visits Jiang Jibai’s estate after returning from the prison. Identity reveal warning. 1.1kReads7.0Score10114d adds
- 38 Reborn, I Got Beaten Up First 重生回来先挨揍 Liu Xiaoyan had a dream. In it, she returned to the past and did all sorts of things she had never dared to do before: taking a master, talking back to her father, making mistakes, getting beaten... Will that dream come true in this life? 25Reads7.6Score—14d adds
- 39 Untamed? The Cold-Faced Professor Knows Just How to Handle You 野性难驯？冷面教授专治不服 My new work is out! You’re welcome to read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you enjoy it. Your support motivates me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 2.5kReads6.4Score40114d adds
- 40 Mr. Gu, I Was Wrong 顾先生，我错了 He has always been restrained and self-possessed, unmoved by anyone around him. Only when it comes to her does all his self-control crumble, his instincts stirring for her alone. She is meek and timid, accustomed to enduring humiliation and giving way. Her heart is so soft she is practically a saint, and she has spent years trapped in the shadows of low self-esteem. With gentle patience, he guides her, slowly soothing the wounds in her heart and teaching 1.8kReads6.8Score16114d adds
- 41 The Substitute Clause 替身条款 The ruthless, domineering pursuer, Gu Jinyuan & the stubborn, clear-headed, rational beloved, Mu Luochen Gu Jinyuan lost “A Nian,” who had been by his side since childhood, amid a family power struggle. Ever since, he has searched for people who resemble A Nian, but none of them were truly A Nian. Until… he meets Mu Luochen. Though Mu Luochen resembles A Nian, his personality is completely different. He's skilled in combat, clear-headed, and has a mind of his own. Gu Jinyuan: “You're so pure. I 58Reads6.8Score—14d adds
- 42 No Dodging the Ruler 戒尺之下，不许躲 Xie Zhao, the young marquis and the capital’s number-one wastrel, galloped through the streets with no one daring to stop him. That was until an imperial decree sent him to live at the residence of Shen Yan, the Grand Tutor. Shen Yan was cool-headed, proper, and impartial. He was a role model for scholars across the land, and the person Xie Zhao hated most. He produced a blackwood ruler and laid down a rule: “No dodging when the ruler comes down.” Kneeling, getting his palms struck, copying scri 490Reads—Score13014d adds
- 43 Mr. Lin, Did You Punish Me Today? 林先生今天罚我了嘛 Fang Fangfang is a rebellious senior-year student from a wealthy family. She hates English most of all, along with Lin Jiu, the tutor her father hired for her. Lin Jiu is gentle and restrained, an ordinary student at a prestigious university, yet he can leave her with nowhere to run using the calmest of voices. Meanwhile, in Fang Fangfang’s secret online world, a netizen named “Forest” is the only person she can confide in about all her vulnerability and defiance. She complains to him about h 785Reads—Score10214d adds
- 44 A Stern Teacher, a Warm Journey 严师暖途 Original title: Discipline! My Rebellious Disciple Won't Get Away (Discipline) (Discipline) (Rules) (Healing) A rebellious boy stumbles into a strict world, only to find gentle salvation through rules and companionship. Some teach him sternly, while others wait patiently, helping him understand boundaries and responsibility. From restless to composed, from stubborn to sensible, the boy blossoms into a new life under the guidance of rules. 55Reads—Score10614d adds
- 45 My Younger Brother Keeps Pretending to Be Rebellious 弟弟一直在装叛逆 Brotherly Discipline | Sweet, Spoiling Romance A gentle, guiding older brother with a soft touch and a wicked streak × a sensitive, easily flustered, tsundere younger brother who’s easy to soothe Older brother: Gu Yan, the Gu family’s only son, a brilliant young man who excels both academically and professionally. A polite and refined talent in public, a gentle and reliable brother to his younger sibling, and behind closed doors… (President Gu paid hush money. I’m not allowed to say.) Younger br 1.1kReads—Score12214d adds
- 46 Starry Night 2 星辰夜晚2 Starlit Nights, Book Two Two male leads vs. a coming-of-age romance vs. sweet indulgence vs. mostly angst-free with a little angst vs. CEO vs. modern setting They shared no blood ties. They only had the same surname. He saved him, and the boy became his little shadow. In everyone else's eyes, he was cold, ruthless, cruel, and merciless. But in his eyes, he was gentle, considerate, understanding, and capable of anything. “Now that you've grown up, our relationship...” “Are you not afraid of what 1.6kReads—Score16014d adds
- 47 My Lord, Am I Being Good? 侯爷，我乖吗？ 11Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 48 Shocking! The Imperial Tutor's Family Has a Little Treasure 震惊！帝师家有了小祖宗 [Historical fantasy + two female leads + teacher-student romance + ruler and subject + devoted to each other + growing together + mutual pursuit + a touch of ensemble cast + no groveling-to-win-her-back arc!!] (Read the blurb before you begin!) A cool, abstinent, scheming Imperial Tutor VS an obsessive, double-standard-holding, devoted eldest princess People say that when Master Zhuge was only ten, her extraordinary talent had already made her famous throughout the land, drawing countless empero 11Reads7.1Score—14d adds
- 49 Hit You? That Would Dirty My Rattan Cane 打你？脏了我的藤条 Hit you? That would only dirty my cane. 237Reads—Score—14d adds
- 50 Big Brother's Ruler, Second Brother's Embrace (2): The Year I Turned Fourteen 大哥的戒尺，二哥的怀抱（二）十四岁那年 Big Brother's Ruler, Second Brother's Embrace (II): The Year I Turned Fourteen 153Reads—Score514d adds
![Those Who Can Strike the Emperor Deserve the Highest Reward [Fanfiction]](https://p3-novel.byteimg.com/novel-pic/p2o71fe8a55f9a870c586f65de510ac6e96~tplv-resize:120:0.jpeg)
