The Strange Tales of the Tang Dynasty: The Complete Case Files of Su Wuming

Synopsis of The Strange Tales of the Tang Dynasty: Su Wuming's Complete Case Files

Inspired by the television series The Strange Tales of the Tang Dynasty, this novel follows Detective Su Wuming, a disciple of Di Renjie, and Lu Lingfeng, a former Imperial Guard, as they team up to investigate a series of bizarre mysteries across the Tang Empire.

The story begins with the Chang'an Red Tea case, in which officials across the city die one after another, all connected to the mysterious “Chang'an Red Tea.” Ordered to take charge in the midst of a crisis, Su Wuming joins forces with the disgraced Lu Lingfeng to investigate. They uncover the truth: the tea is laced with a drug that causes hallucinations, the mastermind is Shiyi Niang, and the case is tied to Princess Taiping's faction. The two men form a lasting bond as partners in solving cases.

Their investigations take them across the land. At Gantang Post Station, the postman Liu Shiqi turns into a demon and hides corpses in the inn. In the “Yellow Plum Murder” case in Huangmei Town, the thief Lingjian disguises himself as a monk and schemes to turn Dugu Yashu against Liu Youqiu. After Qinghong is accidentally killed, he frames someone else. At the Hall of All Living Things, Meng Donglao, who has been presumed dead for years, imitates a dismemberment case from forty years earlier. In the River God case, Chu Xiaosheng assumes Li Yu's identity to gather evidence against the River God Society and expose Zeng Sanyi's plot to restore the old kingdom. The Face Flower case leads them to Li Yue, a remnant of the Xueyantuo, who uses the banned substance leopard yellow to brew poison and hopes to throw Luoyang into chaos. Finally, in the Skyscraper case, the illusionist Shasi infiltrates the city in disguise and plans to assassinate the royal family during the Mid-Autumn gathering. Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng set a trap and capture him.

Along the way, Pei Xijun helps investigate clues through her drawings, Physician Fei uses his medical skills to unravel the poisons, and Yingtao shares one perilous adventure after another with Su Wuming before the two fall in love. Xue Huan grows from a beggar into a trusted assistant. The partners remain committed to justice throughout, solving the “strange cases” while exposing the power struggles and thirst for revenge behind them, and safeguarding peace for the people of the Tang Empire.