The gifted Li Siyao is a disciple of Zhong Buhui, a master coroner.
On the day of her wedding to a Hanlin Academy scholar, she is provoked by a strange man.
Her father is jailed for corruption and imprisoned to await judgment, leaving the whole family helpless.
As the legitimate daughter, Li Siyao joins forces with her half-sister, Li Sisi, to turn the situation around.
The two disguise themselves as men and take the imperial examinations. After Li Siyao places first, she solves a cold case and becomes famous.
The emperor personally appoints her to the Judicial Review Office, while her half-sister Li Sisi places second. During Li Siyao’s time at the Court of Judicial Review, she learns that the man who provoked her is actually the Sixth Prince. Together, they solve countless mysterious cases. Yet the one unsolved case concerning her father remains the trial she cannot escape. Relying on her sharp mind and talent for solving crimes, she uncovers one truth after another.
She cannot escape the Sixth Prince’s notice. He is the benefactor fate has sent her, but he is also the calamity written into her destiny. Together, they solve cases involving court intrigue, child trafficking, the gruesome deaths of consorts selected for the imperial harem, and the death of the chief minister’s illegitimate daughter. The cases are stranger than you can imagine, offering a feast of deduction full of twists you’d never see coming.
