Recommendations Historical Chinese Novel

Discussion in 'I'm Looking For...' started by Chelsey Smith, Dec 5, 2019.

  1. Szara

    Szara Your average American Psycho

    Joined:
    Nov 7, 2016
    Messages:
    203
    Likes Received:
    464
    Reading List:
    Link
    @Chelsey Smith
    Yeah, the reason why I (usually) avoid historical romance novels is because it sucks so much being a woman back-in-the-day.

    Most historical settings are awfully sexist and patriarchical. A woman’s power only comes from either her family or her husband... and if your (emperor) husband doesn’t like you, life sucked :blobpensive: In Xianxia/wuxia/fantasy/modern stories, a woman could at least obtain power in other ways.

    Harem stories just give me a bad feeling in general, although I understand it was common back then. But it’s unrealistic to expect that anyone could be truly happy if their beloved was sleeping around with other women. (And harem novels targeting male readers are just silly wish-fulfillment :blobawkward: )

    Also, I don’t like how young female protagonists usually are. If you weren’t married by 19, you were an old, unwanted hag. I understand being 14-16 is appropriate for the setting... but no thx, I’ll stick to my fantasy stories where the MC is a 3,000 year-old magical granny who-happens-to-look-young! :blobsweat:

    Oh, and I just remembered another story I wanted to read, https://www.novelupdates.com/series/why-harem-intrigue-when-you-can-just-raise-a-dog-instead/

    MC is a concubine who isn’t favored by the emperor. She comes from a powerful family that the emperor doesn’t trust. He treats her well in public, but secretly gives her birth control, ensuring that she doesn’t have children so her family can’t obtain more power.

    The emperor has another woman that he loves. But then one day he fell unconscious, and then his soul went into the body of MC’s dog. It was after he began living with her (as a dog) that he discovered how awful his other concubines are.

    It’s an interesting and unique story premise. Sadly the translation is discontinued. And the story is really hard to MTL :blobtired:
     
  2. Chelsey Smith

    Chelsey Smith Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 6, 2019
    Messages:
    53
    Likes Received:
    40
    Reading List:
    Link
    Yeah, I saw that story as well but honestly for some reason any story where one of the MC is an animal just screams BEASTIALITY and just makes me all kinds of uncomfortable. As for the life of women in the past... yeah that sucked. But I don't think that it was sharing your husband that sucked the most I mean love was quite a foreign concept or at least not something one would strive for no matter how much fiction novels love it. The worst part was having to follow the seven virtues. Being shunned for not giving birth to a son ( which so stupid because it's not something you can do by just trying hard enough) AND having to obey your son in your later life ( Like bitch I fed you..! How dare you?!?)
     
    Fuyuneko and Szara like this.
  3. Captain_Ironfoundersson

    Captain_Ironfoundersson Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2017
    Messages:
    280
    Likes Received:
    188
    Reading List:
    Link
    Do you want to try novels by Gu Long?
    Such as Romantic Swordsman, Ruthless Sword? Chu Liuxiang series?
     
    Chelsey Smith likes this.
  4. Chelsey Smith

    Chelsey Smith Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 6, 2019
    Messages:
    53
    Likes Received:
    40
    Reading List:
    Link
    I'll check out Chu Liuxiand definitely. This will be the first time I read something that not only doesn't have a romantic undertone it also has a male protagonist. I'm as anxious as I am excited. By the way, this reminds me of an anime, I forget the name, where the MC has a scar on his left cheek and is a traveling swordsman that uses the back of his sword to fight... Not sure if you know of it.
    PS: Can't find the first book you recommended. Maybe you can add in a link??
     
  5. Szara

    Szara Your average American Psycho

    Joined:
    Nov 7, 2016
    Messages:
    203
    Likes Received:
    464
    Reading List:
    Link
    This story doesn’t contain any bestiality, but I understand if you’re uncomfortable. I’ve become jaded over the years and rather desensitized from all the weird stuff I’ve come across...

    There was this other story where the ML would transmigrate into the MC’s dog every night. One time doggy-ML had a boner, and the MC was grossed out and planned on castrating him :blobjoy: ML got all scared, and when he went back into his human body, he’ll make up stories that dogs will die from depression after being neutered.

    (I don’t have weird fetishes for these things, I just coincidentally come across them ok) :sweating_profusely:

    It’s doubly-dumb because it’s actually the man’s sperm that determines the gender of the baby, and NOT the woman’s egg... soooooo... instead of blaming their wives, it’s actually the husband’s fault :blobtongue: but yeah, it’s silly that people just liked to blame women. Like King Henry VIII who divorced his wives because they didn’t give him a son -_-
     
    Fuyuneko and Chelsey Smith like this.
  6. Szara

    Szara Your average American Psycho

    Joined:
    Nov 7, 2016
    Messages:
    203
    Likes Received:
    464
    Reading List:
    Link
    Is it Rurouni Kenshin? The ‘Trust and Betrayal’ OVA is good; better than the regular anime series. (He got the scar in the OVA, and swore not to kill anymore after the events in it).
     
    Chelsey Smith likes this.
  7. Captain_Ironfoundersson

    Captain_Ironfoundersson Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2017
    Messages:
    280
    Likes Received:
    188
    Reading List:
    Link
    Sentimental Swordsman, Ruthless Sword

    Rurouni Kenshin
     
    Chelsey Smith likes this.
  8. Chelsey Smith

    Chelsey Smith Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 6, 2019
    Messages:
    53
    Likes Received:
    40
    Reading List:
    Link
    It's okay... your secret fetish is safe here...:whistle::whistle:
     
  9. Chelsey Smith

    Chelsey Smith Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 6, 2019
    Messages:
    53
    Likes Received:
    40
    Reading List:
    Link
  10. Chelsey Smith

    Chelsey Smith Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 6, 2019
    Messages:
    53
    Likes Received:
    40
    Reading List:
    Link
    Yep Yep that's the title. I remember really liking it.
     
  11. Sheri_Yui_Chan

    Sheri_Yui_Chan Fighting my final semester battles ⚔

    Joined:
    Oct 14, 2019
    Messages:
    454
    Likes Received:
    3,421
    Reading List:
    Link
    What about
    The Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage
    Description:-
    Shen Miao, the Di daughter of a military lineage, pure, amiable, quiet and yielding, foolishly in love with Prince Ding, threw herself into the role of a wife.

    After assisting her husband for six years, she finally became the mother of the world (Empress).

    She accompanied him to fight for the country, flourished the country’s territory, took risks to become a hostage in another country. When she returned five years later, there was no place for her in the Inner Palace.

    The beauty in his arms smiled brightly, “Older sister, the country is stabilized, so you should retire.”

    Her daughter met with a violent death and her son the Crown Prince was deposed. Her Shen family who sacrificed themselves for the country and the Emperor, not a single one of them were lucky enough to escape. With the change of one dynasty, everything was overturned. Her clan perished and she had to mourn for her children.

    Shen Miao never thought that being a married couple who have gone through trials and tribulations and mutually assisted each other was just a stage joke to him!

    He said, “Seeing that you have followed Zhen for twenty years, Zhen will grant you an intact corpse. You should thank this kindness.”

    Under the three Chi (1 chi = 1/3 meter) of white silk, Shen Miao made a malicious vow: In the time to come, she will take part in each and everyone’s end!

    Upon rebirth, she returned to the time when she was fourteen, when the tragedy had yet to occur, her family was still alive and she was still the pure, amiable, quiet and yielding Di daughter of a military lineage.

    Relatives hiding a black heart, Elder and younger (female) cousins are ruthless and malicious, the new Yiniang is like a tiger watching its prey and the disreputable man who wants to repeat the events?

    Her family must be protected, the huge enmity must be avenged, the Imperial seat of the country must also be a part of the trophy. In this lifetime, let’s see who can beat the others!

    But that little marquis from the Xie family, the arrogant and obstinate spear carrying youth, stood biasedly at her side and proudly said, “Just the fall of the Imperial power. Remember this, the world belongs to you. You– Belong to me!”
     
    Chelsey Smith likes this.
  12. Captain_Ironfoundersson

    Captain_Ironfoundersson Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2017
    Messages:
    280
    Likes Received:
    188
    Reading List:
    Link
    Nah... it was fully translated. Only not updated in the system.
     
    Chelsey Smith likes this.
  13. Chelsey Smith

    Chelsey Smith Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 6, 2019
    Messages:
    53
    Likes Received:
    40
    Reading List:
    Link
     
  14. Chelsey Smith

    Chelsey Smith Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 6, 2019
    Messages:
    53
    Likes Received:
    40
    Reading List:
    Link
    Oh but it says there were 99 chapters in total and the translation doesn't have that much. Or do I have to look somewhere else??
     
  15. Captain_Ironfoundersson

    Captain_Ironfoundersson Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2017
    Messages:
    280
    Likes Received:
    188
    Reading List:
    Link
    There are links on the translation page itself.
     
    Chelsey Smith likes this.
  16. ToastedRossi

    ToastedRossi Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2017
    Messages:
    3,635
    Likes Received:
    3,513
    Reading List:
    Link
    I get you, and it's a shame because proper historical novels have the potential to have the best world building and some of the worst writing. Still, the old days did suck, especially for women. I prefer books like Tong Hua's, which portray this authentically rather than the writers who sugarcoat it.

    Word of warning though: the first Chu Liuxiang story is okay, but the second and third ones are incredibly misogynistic. The other book also has some misogyny, but it's not as bad as the Chu Liuxiang stories.
     
    Chelsey Smith likes this.