The Heavenly Art Shadow Guards

During the Tianqi era of the Dayin Dynasty, imperial power has slipped away, eunuch factions collude with the feudal princes, and turbulent undercurrents roil the court. The Directorate of Celestial Works, ostensibly a low-profile bureau overseeing the crafts and arts, secretly houses the Blue Sparrow Guard, an elite unit directly under the emperor. Its sole duty is to investigate bizarre cases that cannot be brought before the court. The protagonist, Shen Yan, was once a junior official in the Imperial Observatory. After being caught up in a wrongful case that destroyed his family, he was rescued by Jiang Zhifei, the director of the Directorate of Celestial Works, and specially recruited into the Blue Sparrow Guard. With extraordinary skills in mechanical engineering and a talent for trace analysis, he untangles clue after clue in a series of linked murders, uncovering a shocking conspiracy that threatens the very foundations of the dynasty.