Recommendations Historical Chinese Novel

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

  1. Chelsey Smith

    Chelsey Smith Well-Known Member

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    Hello!
    I'm looking for novels in the historical romance genre... I feel like I've run out. I really like political schemes as well as harem shenanigans. An intelligent female lead would be nice as well ( although I doubt there are male leads in the genre)
    For reference I've read all the obvious books, like To Be A Virtuous Wife; Eight Treasure Trousseau and Dreamer in The Spring boudoir. I recently caught up with the translated chapters of The Job of an Imperial Concubine and I am IN LOVE!! So anything similar would be amazing.
    Thank you in advance!!
     
  2. S4TY4

    S4TY4 Well-Known Member

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  3. Bright_Lucky_Star

    Bright_Lucky_Star [Previously Known as OrdinaryUser] The Blessed One

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    A Step into the Past:blobhero:
    • political schemes
    • harem shenanigans
    • An intelligent female lead
    It's amazing historical novel full with romance and love relationship with gillter and sparkle :bloblove::blobicecreamlove:blobmelt_thumbs
     
  4. perspherspley

    perspherspley IZ*ONE

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    +1 Highly Recommended
     
  5. Chelsey Smith

    Chelsey Smith Well-Known Member

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    I kept seeing Kusuriya Hitorigoto but never got to it because from the summary there seemed to be missing romantic undertone. But you recommend it here means that there is... right??
     
  6. Chelsey Smith

    Chelsey Smith Well-Known Member

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    Thanks a lot! Usually, ML MCs with harems can appear to be a bit sleazy and the read feels more like softcore porn with no substance than anything else ( got nothing against porn but I like porn with substance:giggle::giggle:). The summary for this one feels a bit different. I'll be sure to check it out!!
     
  7. S4TY4

    S4TY4 Well-Known Member

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    The rom is really-really undertoned & one-sided (that is the main male keep teasing & fawning the FMC, but as per usual of most JPN MC, the FMC's quite a dense one :blobsweat::blobsweat::blobsweat: )
     
  8. Chelsey Smith

    Chelsey Smith Well-Known Member

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    Damn but this is a harem intrigue so while she keeps solving mysteries and stuff where does she climb to( like in the social hierarchy)?
     
  9. Captain_Ironfoundersson

    Captain_Ironfoundersson Well-Known Member

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  10. Chelsey Smith

    Chelsey Smith Well-Known Member

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    This is actually so amazing to think that this is the sequel to return of the condor heroes!! ( come to think of it I never knew this iconic series was based on an ancient novel) I will definitely check it out. It says that 50 chapters were translated... is that it?
     
  11. S4TY4

    S4TY4 Well-Known Member

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    Actually, she preferred to be a wallflower
    it's revealed later on that her biological father & his family is quite a prominent character in the Emperor's court (due to some of her own reason, she avoided him) & her adoptive father was also one of The Court physician, but got dismissed & turned into an eunuch due to some inner palace intrigue
    Dang, I forgot 'bout this Jin Yong's classic
     
  12. Chelsey Smith

    Chelsey Smith Well-Known Member

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    I'm slowly feeling like I will end up binge reading this feeling and end up feeling awfully empty. Because what I am hearing is that our almost not here romantic plotline is unresolved??
     
  13. S4TY4

    S4TY4 Well-Known Member

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    Actually it's not a sequel but a separate/different story
    As far as I know the ENG translation is complete & got 3 vol. Wiki link
     
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  14. Captain_Ironfoundersson

    Captain_Ironfoundersson Well-Known Member

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    Its not the sequel, but written by the same author, Jin Yong.

    And yes, it only has 50 chapters.


    Official translation is horrible. More like a summary.

    Fan translation is better.
     
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  15. ToastedRossi

    ToastedRossi Well-Known Member

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    It "only" has 50 chapters but these chapters have around 25000 words each, so each one is as long as 20 chapters of some other books. "The Deer and the Cauldron" still comes out to about one and a quarter million words, so it's still a very long book. It's an amazing book, but I wouldn't read it primarily for the romance.

    If romance is a higher priority, Tong Hua's books would be a better choice:

    Bu Bu Jing Xin
    Ballad of the Desert
    Song in the Clouds
     
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  16. Szara

    Szara Your average American Psycho

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  17. Chelsey Smith

    Chelsey Smith Well-Known Member

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    I will for sure read all of these books they seem very interesting. Thank you for the recommendation!.. But can we about what is wrong with Tong Hua as a person to keep writing tragedies:LOL::LOL:
     
  18. Chelsey Smith

    Chelsey Smith Well-Known Member

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    This is the second time someone recommended Your Majesty Please Calm Down but I don't know if it's me but the summary doesn't make the book all that appealing. May I have a quick run-down? Also what even is XianXia??
     
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  19. Szara

    Szara Your average American Psycho

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    Oh, oops! I didn’t realize someone else already recommended it :blobsweat_2: Anyway, although the summary is rather lackluster, the story is charming.

    MC is a girl who pretends to be a eunuch. She enters the palace to investigate the death of her family. She’s a rather unlucky person who always stirs up trouble (her birthdate is unlucky).

    Wacky stuff happens, and she ends up being the emperor’s favored servant. Of course, he believes she’s a eunuch, and has a GAY PANIC CRISIS :blobsweat_2: Most of the story is just funny stuff that happens between her and the emperor.

    Being a historical story, the emperor does have a harem. (Which is usually why I avoid palace stories). But I made an exception for this story because I really like it.

    As for the XianXia genre, it takes place in a historical setting but also has magical elements such as Gods, Immortals, and Demons, etc.

    I usually prefer XianXia romance over pure historical, because it’s usually 1v1 and not a harem story full of awful, scheming women thst makes me want to strangle people.
     
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  20. Chelsey Smith

    Chelsey Smith Well-Known Member

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    So basically kind of like the story of yanxi palace but less serious and with the added gender bender. Then I'll check it out... but only because your summary was so well done:D:D
    Also, that is the beauty of palace intrigue. I personally used to hate harem tags ( Still do) when reading mangas because they were all catered to a perverse side of the male ego that just made me feel icky. In CN though, it's different. Imagining living in an era where having a dick in you or not decides your life and death is already amazing. Adding to the mental summersaults the readers and the characters have to do it's quite pleasing. That is of course if the writer is talented. If not it just because a MC is smart everyone else is stupid shit show.
     
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