A Demon Comes to Stay at the Inn at Midnight [Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio]

Also known as Strange Cases from the Studio, I Am a Lawyer in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, and I Run an Inn in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.

Shen Zhiwei, daughter of a former censor, suddenly falls from a life of privilege into poverty, left to struggle alone in the world. Fortunately, she was taught by the Imperial Preceptor as a child. With her gift for communicating with spirits and her remarkable wits, she opens a peculiar little inn in town.

The people around her gossip in private. The Xianheng Inn does little business during the day, but as soon as night falls, it's brightly lit, full of shadowy figures and bustling with activity.

It's no respectable establishment.

But to the monsters and spirits who've suffered injustice and struggle to get by in the human world, it's a rare safe haven.

Whenever they run into trouble they can't resolve, they're happy to turn to the innkeeper for help.

Shen Zhiwei has known of these supernatural beings since childhood. Her righteous spirit lets her stand at the boundary between yin and yang, sheltering kind monsters and ghosts and clearing their names.

One baffling case after another eventually leads to clues pointing to Changjing, the place Shen Zhiwei never wants to return to...

* The setting is entirely fictional, with some political systems and living conditions modeled on those of the Tang and Song dynasties.

* A medley of stories from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. Some story settings and plot details have been changed. Apologies for any out-of-character moments.

Theme: I support history majors making big bucks.