The Mystery of the Twelve Golden Men of the Han Palace

After Qin Shi Huang unified the Six Kingdoms, he gathered weapons from across the land and cast twelve bronze figures. Yet the twelve figures were never seen again. This historical mystery follows Emperor Wu of Han as he assigns two agencies, the Commandant of the Capital and the Embroidered Uniform Guards, to investigate what became of them. The rivalry between the two agencies draws every major department of the court into the fray, setting off political maneuvering, harem conflicts, and power struggles among princes and princesses. Battles for power, politics, warfare, economics, and deadly affairs all unfold, alongside an unrelenting search for the truth and the struggle of human nature within a vortex of power.

The story weaves real historical events into its plot, including the Witchcraft Disaster, the Favoring Decree, the state monopolies on salt and iron and the equalized marketing system, Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions, the Siege of Mayi, the imperial sacrifice on Mount Tai, the promulgation of the Taichu Calendar, and the Li Ling affair and Sima Qian's punishment.

Li Yan and Zhao Yu face one crisis after another during their investigation and nearly lose their lives. At last, they discover that the trail of the bronze figures leads to a shocking secret, one involving a major conspiracy at the highest levels of the court.