The Record of Subtle Illumination

On a snowy night, Shen Zhaowei, a physician from the southern part of the capital, is summoned to Changxin Palace to examine the emperor, who has been ill and absent from court for a long time. The man on the dragon bed has a pulse at his wrist, but a needle draws no blood from his fingertip, and his tongue bears traces of coloring. She realizes that someone in the palace is using a corpse that has only recently died to maintain the illusion that the emperor is still alive. Three years ago, her mother, Shen Heng, also examined the medical records at Changxin Palace. She found contradictions between the prescriptions, the medicine register, and the food records, and was arrested soon afterward, leaving behind only three incomplete pages of notes. Now a black armor plate inscribed with “He is already dead” is hidden in Shen Zhaowei’s medicine chest, and those who knew the truth back then are being murdered one after another. To discover what her mother found, Shen Zhaowei forms a temporary alliance with Xiao Zhi, the deposed crown prince held under house arrest. She searches for clues in pulse readings, medicinal ingredients, and old accounts, while Xiao Zhi uses what little influence he has left to track down those who handled the matter inside the palace. Through repeated tests and shared dangers, they gradually become the people each can trust least, yet can no longer bear to lose. This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.