The Chang'an Conspiracy

[Mystery and crime-solving + comeback and revenge + court intrigue and the fate of the realm + devoted protection] Pei Yan was once the pride of heaven, but in a single night he became a prisoner, framed for treason and stripped of his entire family. Ten years later, he returns to Chang'an as the Western Regions' wealthy merchant “Yulongzi,” accompanied by the mysterious coroner Shen Wei. A string of bizarre murders rocks the city: a Vice Minister of Personnel dies suddenly in his study, with traces of foreign spices on his fingertips; a wealthy merchant drowns in his own lotus pond, clutching half of a double-fish jade pendant, remarkably similar to an heirloom from the Pei family. While examining the body, Shen Wei finds a bloodstained thread tucked beneath the victim's tongue, just like the evidence used to frame the Pei family all those years ago. Ten years have passed. At last, they can no longer hold back. Pei Yan rubs his thumb over the cold jade pendant, the candlelight reflecting the bone-deep frost in his eyes. Shen Wei gazes intently at the thread and says softly, “The spice comes from Persia, but it's mixed with ‘zuoyu grass,’ found only on Mount Zhongnan... The killer may be someone we once knew.” Night rain taps at the window. Yulongzi's piece lands on the board with a crisp click. The game in Chang'an has finally begun.