Three years ago, Shen Huaijin, the Minister of Justice, was implicated in a treason case and imprisoned. The entire Shen family was exiled. Shen Qingci was forced to enter the palace as a servant. For three years, she kept her head down, secretly gathering evidence and waiting for the day the case could be overturned.
In her third year in the palace, a bizarre murder took place: Princess Qingyang, the Empress Dowager’s favorite, died suddenly on her wedding night, apparently poisoned. The emperor flew into a rage, and the entire palace was gripped by fear. Drawing on her exceptional skill in examining corpses, Shen Qingci stepped forward and revealed the truth before everyone.
Overnight, “the palace maid Shen Qingci” became a legend in the palace. Sixth Prince Xiao Yan took a special interest in her and asked the emperor for permission to have her help investigate unsolved palace cases.
After that, one seemingly unrelated murder after another unfolded: a eunuch in the Imperial Kitchens mysteriously burned himself to death, a disgraced consort was killed in a sealed room in the Cold Palace, and the newly crowned top scholar was found dead on his wedding night. Behind every case lay faint clues pointing to the truth of the treason case from three years ago.
From testing and using one another, the two gradually came to trust each other and work side by side. In the end, Shen Qingci exposed the truth in court with irrefutable evidence, while Xiao Yan used the power of the Shadow Pavilion to take control of the palace guards. Her father’s wrongful conviction was overturned. In recognition of Shen Qingci’s contributions, the emperor made an exception and named her empress.
But at her empress investiture ceremony, Shen Qingci made one request: “Your subject does not wish to be merely the mistress of the inner palace. I ask permission to continue investigating cases and delivering justice to the wronged across the realm.”
The emperor laughed and granted her request. From then on, the Great Zhou dynasty had an empress who could examine corpses, solve cases, and attend court.
