In Lin'an during the Southern Song, under the city's prosperity, dark currents are swirling. Xiao Yanci, a former Court of Judicial Review official, saw through the corruption of the government and offended the powerful, earning himself dismissal from office. He withdrew to the shores of West Lake and spent his days fishing, wanting nothing to do with worldly affairs.
But a bizarre locked-room murder shatters his peaceful life. A wealthy merchant in the city is found dead in his study late at night, the room bolted from within. His death is strange, and no murder weapon can be found at the scene. The local authorities are at a loss and hastily close the case as a sudden illness. The victim's daughter refuses to accept their verdict. Following someone's advice, she seeks out Xiao Yanci and pleads with him for help.
Xiao Yanci has long since lost heart, but the moment he sees the case file, its bizarre details catch his attention. He quickly senses that this is no ordinary murder. With the help of Zhao Qi, a young and upright constable, and the expert autopsy work of Su Qingyi, an unconventional female coroner, Xiao Yanci returns to his old profession and begins investigating the case.
As the investigation deepens, a vast web slowly unfolds, entangling powerful ministers at court, wealthy merchants from Jiangnan, and even secrets of the martial world. Behind the victim's identity lies a shocking secret. Every seemingly unrelated clue draws Xiao Yanci deeper into the vortex. Facing every obstruction from the political enemies who once drove him from the court, as well as relentless attacks by assassins, Xiao Yanci must cut through the layers of fog with his extraordinary powers of observation and logic, expose the truth about human nature, solve the baffling case, and speak for the dead while seeking justice for the living.
