Story Synopsis: A century into the Taian reign, the court seems peaceful, but currents beneath the surface have already seeped into the streets and alleys. Lu Mingzhao, a judicial investigator in the Xuanging Bureau, oversees criminal cases throughout the realm and specializes in investigating baffling cases that have stumped the court.
A deadly tea gathering, a severed finger concealing a secret, a corpse-swapping scheme, strange traces along the canal... Each bizarre murder stands alone, with every case seemingly the work of common street thugs. Yet deeper investigation reveals court power struggles and secrets of the nobility.
Petty crimes hide grand court schemes, and the dead's silence conceals the living's greed. Layers of false evidence, schemes within schemes, using others to do the killing, and disguising one thing as another: behind every seemingly perfect murder is a power broker who has planned everything with care.
Lu Mingzhao proceeds cautiously, unraveling each scheme one layer at a time. Though he appears to be overturning wrongful convictions case by case, he is actually biding his time. With the emperor's secret trump card in hand, he does not rush to win or lose. He waits for the deepest player behind the scenes to finally reveal himself.
A sealed dossier uncovers all the bloody truths the Taian court has kept unspeakable.
