Shen Yan, a top student in the Department of Modern Forensic Medicine, was transported back to the Jiading period of the Southern Song Dynasty in an accident and became a marginalized widower in Yizhuang, a suburb of Lin'an Prefecture. At that time, the Song Dynasty was peaceful on the surface with singing and dancing, but in reality the prisons were derelict, officials only relied on oral confessions to resolve cases, and innocent souls were everywhere.
When the floating body of the embroidered lady was discovered in the West Lake, the government decided to commit suicide based on rumors of "illicit affair". However, Shen Yan saw the flaws from the sawdust between the nails of the deceased and the sand in the mouth and nose; when the scholar died suddenly and was rumored to be "poisoned", he used a silver needle to test and see through the disguise of chronic mercury poisoning; when the son of the governor died in a secret room, he followed the scratches on the beams and the dagger fingerprints to uncover the truth about the murder...
The silent corpses "speak" in his hands, and modern forensic science knowledge becomes his sharpest knife, cutting through layers of lies and conspiracies. From strange cases in the city to collusion between officials and businessmen, from secret battles in the palace to killings in the world, Shen Yan works step by step as a widower. Not only does he have to deal with powerful people who care about human life, but he also has to fight against the entire era's prejudice against "evidence-based judgment".
What he solves is a mystery, but also the people's hearts distorted by power and interests; what he pursues is the truth, and what he wants to do is to seek justice for the voiceless and bring justice to the wronged in the Southern Song Dynasty, a time when wealthy families were having a good time. When the shadow of conspiracy shrouds the imperial city, and when the blade of the killer organization "Shadow Pavilion" approaches, can this forensic doctor from the future illuminate the dark corners of the Song Dynasty with the light of science?
"The dead never lie. What I say is the words of the dead." Shen Yan's journey out of prison has just begun.
