There are undercurrents surging in Bianjing City. The female head catcher Xue Lingzhao is extremely skilled but was reprimanded by her superiors for "vandalizing public property" while handling the case. The female widower Ji Yunhe solved the case of the unknown floating corpse based on subtle traces. The two of them each showed their talents but never crossed paths.
Late at night, the head of the soon-to-be-married bride in Chen Yuanwai's mansion was missing, and the "Headless Bride Case" shocked both the government and the public. Xue Lingzhao was ordered to pursue the murderer, while Ji Yunhe was responsible for the autopsy. The two men, with very different personalities and handling styles, clashed constantly during their first encounter.
During the investigation, the poor scholar whose engagement was broken off seemed to be heavily suspected, and the "ironclad evidence" was so conclusive that even Wang Deyong, the Minister of Punishment, praised him. However, Ji Yunhe relied on the traces of the abnormal curved blade, the residue of anesthesia and the accurate calculation of the time of death to confirm that the scholar had an alibi, revealing that the "ironclad evidence" was actually a trap. Later, they discovered a bigger secret from the soil, spices and old files: the case was related to the disappearance of young women for many years, there were numerous bones hidden under the abandoned Yuelao Temple, and there was a bloody secret passage in Zuifeng Tower.
From hostility to side by side, the two disguised themselves, sneaked in, explored secret passages at night, and rescued the imprisoned woman, only to offend the mastermind behind the scenes. Wang Deyong used power and public opinion to demote them as victims of crime. Witnesses were taken away and reports were burned. In a desperate situation, Ji Yunhe used pollen to lock the secret manor, and Xue Lingzhao broke into the Forbidden Army camp to deliver a memorial to Tianting.
The emperor was furious, the secret manor was destroyed, and Wang Deyong and his gang were arrested. However, at the celebration banquet, Wang Deyong "committed suicide" and died. The shape of his death, the blood symbol, and the palace orchid petals on Xue Lingzhao's sword all indicated that he was just an abandoned son. The real chess player has pointed the finger at the two of them, and a larger conspiracy chess game has just begun.
