The Captive Sparrow

Qiu Weiyan, a brilliant female coroner of humble origins, makes a name for herself in the capital through the bizarre “courtesan dismemberment case” and is consequently drawn into the struggle for the throne between the Seventh Prince, Xie Zhifei, and the Crown Prince, Xie Zhiheng. Xie Zhifei is a flirtatious charmer who takes a keen interest in Qiu Weiyan’s talent and composure, luring her in step by step with romance as his snare. Calm and self-possessed, Qiu Weiyan plays along, using his influence to investigate the massacre of her adoptive father’s family years ago.

As the investigation deepens, Qiu Weiyan discovers that the massacre is tangled up with the princes’ power struggle, the martial world, and even palace secrets. With every autopsy, she uncovers bloody truths, yet time and again she finds herself caught in both the web of affection and the deadly traps Xie Zhifei has laid. Xie Zhifei’s “amorous nature” is genuine, but it is also a weapon he uses against everyone. He loves her and uses her, leaving her to struggle again and again on the edge between love and hate.

When the truth comes to light, she learns that her adoptive father’s death was connected to Xie Zhifei’s birth mother, and that her most beloved master, who was like family to her, sacrificed himself to protect her. Qiu Weiyan severs her last ties to love for good. Using herself as a pawn, she sets in motion a shocking bloodbath that spans both the imperial court and the martial world, ultimately bringing down the Crown Prince, Xie Zhifei, and all the masterminds behind them. Power shifts, rivers of blood flow, and she personally sends the man she once loved to his doom. Once the dust settles, she refuses every reward offered by the new emperor and returns alone to the morgue where it all began, becoming an “undead” devoid of love or feeling, her heart imprisoned forever.