Story summary:
Chu Lin'an, a new flower scout of the Great Zhou Dynasty, disguised herself as a man and joined the officialdom. She was promoted to the position of Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, but she was actually trying to find out the truth about her father's death. During the investigation, she met the emperor Zhou Chengjin, whose pseudonym was "Huang Jin". The two cooperated tacitly and repeatedly solved strange cases. However, a series of murders suddenly occurred in the capital, and the clues pointed to the injustice of the previous dynasty twenty years ago. The mystery of Chu Linan's life experience gradually emerged - she was actually the blood of the princess of the previous dynasty and the prince of the current dynasty.
The group of powerful ministers headed by Yu Wenhu took the opportunity to launch an attack and sent Chu Lin'an to a prison in the name of "crimes of deceiving the emperor" and "remnants of the previous dynasty". Although Zhou Chengjin was furious at her concealment, he pardoned her at the critical moment of life and death, and the two teamed up to put down Yuwenhu's rebellion. After the truth came to light, Zhou Chengjin defied public opinion and appointed Chu Lin'an as his queen. The two jointly promoted the reform of the imperial examination and created the "Xuanhe Rule" that allowed women to take the examination.
Core highlights:
Identity reversal: a court showdown in which a woman disguises herself as a man → the shocking secret of the bloodline of the former dynasty → the peak of power when the emperor and empress join forces
Machiavellian plot line: Unsolved cases are nested in old grievances, corruption cases affect coups, and the plots are intertwined.
Emotional line: From "the king and his ministers get each other" to "the life and death of each other", the three scenes of hot spring exposure, confession in the prison, and redemption in the execution ground are sweet and sad.
Sublimation of the pattern: the reform of the imperial examination that breaks the shackles of gender and conveys the progressive idea that "talent and virtue are not differentiated between men and women"
Classic scene:
Chu Lin'an defended Yu Wenhu in the court, and the women's clothes faded to show their elegance
Zhou Chengjin broke into the prison at night, pointing his sword at the shackles and expressing his sincerity
On the day of the wedding, the emperor painted his eyebrows for the queen, and it was said among the people that "the king rules over the world"
The tone of the work:
Machiavellian gloom and romance are intertwined. It has the thrill of temple games and the ultimate affection of "I am willing to fight the world for you."
