Setting: Xi'an Prefecture, 1934, on the eve of the Longhai Railway's opening, as old and new powers intertwine.
Key characters:
Shen Moyu (28): A female detective recently returned from studying abroad, skilled in trace evidence analysis and psychological profiling.
Chen Jing'an (35): A special adviser to the police department and an expert in epigraphy and antiquities, later becoming a key ally.
Gu Shijun (42): President of the antique dealers' association and the power behind the scenes of the Azure Dragon Gang.
Set in Republican-era Xi'an, the story follows female detective Shen Moyu as she investigates the bizarre Jade Beauty case. Armed with half of a blood-stained, broken jade pendant, she is drawn into a struggle over fragments of the Imperial Jade Seal. Joining forces with epigraphy expert Chen Jing'an, she deciphers the code in The Secrets of Jade Carving and ventures deep into the underground palace at Mount Li. Hunted by the Azure Dragon Gang and corrupt officials, she uncovers a bloody secret buried for more than thirty years and transforms her mission from solving a case to protecting a national treasure.
