In the eighth year of the Tianshou reign, the late emperor died suddenly. The new emperor, only six years old, ascended the throne. Prince Ning, who commanded the army, entered the court as regent, while Empress Dowager Chu ruled from behind the curtain. Factional struggles raged at court, and anyone seeking office first had to learn how to pick a side.
A spirited young scholar from Suzhou travels to the capital for the imperial exams. By nature, he is carefree and untamed, yet through a twist of fate he is caught up in the tides of officialdom, with no way to escape.
Newly appointed scholars are murdered one after another; corpses vanish from their coffins; an unrivaled treasure lies hidden in a painting; strange rumors surround the mountain goddess...
Li Shi is the Chang'an inside his heart. He has wandered for half his life, glimpsed the city once, and foolishly hoped to stay forever. If it ever crumbles, he will have nowhere to settle and can only drift from place to place.
Wow, that's amazing! My first thought upon seeing the title was the lyrics from Xu Song's "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils": "Last night, Chang'an was at peace." Curious, I clicked on it and discovered it's truly a gem of a novel. The language is incredibly precise, leaning towards classical Chinese—a rare gem among ancient-style novels. And it feels like even if it were adapted into a TV series, the dialogue wouldn't need major changes. Truly impressive!
This novel is excellent. The author's writing style is mature and has a touch of humor. In my eyes, Su Cen is a person with a bunch of ulterior motives (only towards Li Shi) who would clear the name of someone who has been slandered.
I don't understand why the rating is so low. It's rare to come across such a flavorful BL novel. Maybe it's a bit obscure for some people? I absolutely love it!
Why are there so few reviews for this book? Is it because it's so well-written that some people don't understand it and prefer light novels? Luckily, I'm not the type to judge a book solely based on its rating, otherwise I would have missed this gem. It's much better than those 9-point-something stories on this site.
The plot is fast-paced, the characters are well-developed, the story is moving, and the foreshadowing and callbacks are excellent. The writing is superb, and each character has their own principles and convictions. It left a deep impression on the reader. It's definitely worth watching, although there are quite a few side couples, making it difficult to keep up.
It's so good! Why is the rating so low? The clues at the end will shock you. I love every supporting character, Zhang Jun, Qi Lin... The little emperor is so cute! His growth in the later stages is a little heartbreaking. Anyway, it's just so good.
Haha, this book is great! The cases are all very exciting. However, all the main and supporting characters are male. If you can't accept that, please don't read it!
I love them! They were adapted from audiobooks, and they're all really good. Each one has its own unique charm!
This book is beyond just good; it's absolutely amazing!!! Enough said, just read it!! Thumbs up! Thumbs up! Thumbs up!
The story is captivating and engaging, with exquisite and precise word choice and vivid, well-developed characters. It's definitely worth watching!