Harem Intrigue / Empresses in the Palace vibes [Updated 2025]
Harem Intrigue / Empresses in the Palace vibes [Updated 2025]
Empresses in the Palace vibes + strong female lead who is either a concubine, noble consort, or empress
There are NO idiot/dumb/naive/innocent FLs in this list. Some FLs are kind, but most are ruthless. Emperor ML is not her prince charming & I prefer it that way.
Palace intrigue & harem struggle between the concubines is the spotlight of most of these novels. However, the true hidden gem is the complex female relationships among the concubines/consorts, especially those who are deeply aware that the harem is their gilded cage ^^
Note: This is MY list. This means that just because a certain novel fits this niche, it won’t automatically be here. I don’t like wasting my time and other people’s. The novels here are my personal favorites and trusted recommendations.
TBR means I can’t vouch for the novel yet. It’s labeled and found at the bottom of this list, which means that the synopsis was either really interesting or simply caught my eye . Since it’s a TBR, I don’t have an opinion on it yet and depending on the my reading experience, I may or may not remove it from this list.
There are NO idiot/dumb/naive/innocent FLs in this list. Some FLs are kind, but most are ruthless. Emperor ML is not her prince charming & I prefer it that way.
Palace intrigue & harem struggle between the concubines is the spotlight of most of these novels. However, the true hidden gem is the complex female relationships among the concubines/consorts, especially those who are deeply aware that the harem is their gilded cage ^^
Note: This is MY list. This means that just because a certain novel fits this niche, it won’t automatically be here. I don’t like wasting my time and other people’s. The novels here are my personal favorites and trusted recommendations.
TBR means I can’t vouch for the novel yet. It’s labeled and found at the bottom of this list, which means that the synopsis was either really interesting or simply caught my eye . Since it’s a TBR, I don’t have an opinion on it yet and depending on the my reading experience, I may or may not remove it from this list.
37 Followers
Created: Jan 4th, 2025, Updated: May 11th, 2025
Created Jan 4th, 2025
Updated May 11th, 2025
36 Chapters Every 43.6 Day(s) 5276 Readers 170 Reviews 02-16-2025
Top-tier novel. I dare say that it is the blueprint for this imperial harem niche wherein the FL is trying to survive the power struggle... more>>
42 Chapters Every 31.7 Day(s) 823 Readers 18 Reviews 04-06-2024
live, laugh, love Yun Li ♥︎ you were a true baddie!!
505 Chapters Every 28.4 Day(s) 1379 Readers 22 Reviews 05-15-2024
Song Zhao, even I was scared of you sometimes. I acknowledge that you did what was necessary so survive, even if I don’t understand at... more>>
628 Chapters Every 6.6 Day(s) 492 Readers 6 Reviews 03-19-2025
Idk why such low rating, this was such a GREAT novel. Fang Yun, I still can’t believe you got true love like girl you won!!... more>>
472 Chapters Every 12.8 Day(s) 565 Readers 10 Reviews 11-16-2024
It got me hooked, and while it is an average palace fighting, the characters were engaging & the plot wasn’t dragging
204 Chapters Every 1.3 Day(s) 455 Readers 3 Reviews 06-23-2025
If you loved Katherine Pierce, you’ll love this FL!!
132 Chapters Every 1.2 Day(s) 448 Readers 7 Reviews 06-23-2025
The FL of this story is similar to “The Job of An Imperial Concubine” since she sees the Empress position as a job. However, since... more>>
243 Chapters Every 0.5 Day(s) 799 Readers 6 Reviews 06-25-2025
currently at 115. Shen Wei is fun & calculating, but not a manipulative/heartless schemer. I actually like her because her money-making aspirations always come first.... more>>
149 Chapters Every 52.1 Day(s) 2134 Readers 19 Reviews 03-09-2025
Good novel but I think you should know this one detail before reading it, especially if you only read English translations: THERE ARE NO NEW... more>>
#10Consort Shu
55 Chapters Every 14.4 Day(s) 568 Readers 7 Reviews 06-19-2025
I added it in this list because other readers could give this book a try. However, I personally found it too bland in the beginning... more>>
#11Palace Belle
11 Chapters Every 10.5 Day(s) 154 Readers 0 Reviews 03-27-2025
TBR: It’s listed as a “traditional palace struggle novel” and “The emperor will fall in love with the female lead, but she will not love... more>>
33 Chapters Every 7.7 Day(s) 239 Readers 3 Reviews 06-01-2025
TBR: I’m excited to meet Jiang Xueyi based on this synopis “But what people didn’t know was that beneath her pure and gentle exterior, Jiang... more>>
43 Chapters Every 6.4 Day(s) 234 Readers 0 Reviews 06-22-2025
TBR: The FL is manipulative and this synopsis caught my eye: “He [ML] initially favored Shen Ji [FL] because she was obedient and beautiful, and... more>>
59 Chapters Every 7.9 Day(s) 271 Readers 1 Reviews 05-23-2025
TBR: I hope she’ll be like Song Zhao (from The Girl Who Struggled Through Palace Intrigues to Become the Empress) or even better :)
206 Chapters Every 6.9 Day(s) 161 Readers 1 Reviews 04-07-2025
TBR
3 Chapters Every 3.3 Day(s) 111 Readers 1 Reviews 06-25-2025
TBR
Comments (5)
Hello! I'm an avid fan of historical harem cnovels too! We literally have the same tastes, I've read most of these already.
I'd suggest "Darling, Coax Me." It's verryy good, FL isn't a concubine but a maid of the ML. Their interactions will literally give you chills, as ML is quite cruel at the beginning (what I also liked is the fact that this doesn't "change." ML is still him even when he fell for her.) However, what made this stood out from me is the FL. She is calm, witty, and quite scheming, and not unnecessarily cruel.