Secrets of the Imperial Prison

Woman disguised as a man / clever heroine x powerful minister / mildly melodramatic mystery / slow burn [Not contracted during serialization]

At first, Pei Wangchuan thoroughly disliked the frail scholar in front of him.

Later, he disliked even more that the person in the scholar's eyes wasn't him.

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Shen Ge had wandered from place to place since childhood. Then a murder case dragged her into the whirlpool of the imperial court, where she ran into her old "enemy," Pei Wangchuan, Commander of the Imperial Guard and the only son of the Marquis's household.

As soon as Pei Wangchuan saw his old acquaintance, he said nothing, simply hauling her into the imperial prison of the Northern Command Office. He held his embroidered spring saber to Shen Ge's neck and ordered her, disguised as a man, to help investigate the case. To save her own life, Shen Ge had no choice but to comply.

A noble young lady dies a mysterious death; ghosts appear in the examination hall at midnight to mark the papers...

While investigating strange murder cases in the capital, Shen Ge also looked for a chance to fake her death and escape. Her boss, Pei Wangchuan, was looking at her more and more strangely. She thought he was going to kill her after she was no longer useful!

Meanwhile, Pei Wangchuan was thinking:

Suspicion: "This scholar's identity is questionable. I can't let him out of my sight."

Tension: "Why does he keep sneaking glances at me? Is he attracted to men?"

Anger: "Fine, so he's attracted to men. But why is he also two-timing me and setting his sights on someone else?!"

Reading guide

1. A light mystery and political intrigue, with melodramatic, satisfying sweetness and a mildly beloved-by-all heroine. Includes a hidden-identity plot.

2. The hero goes through a series of stages: questioning his sexuality and orientation, struggling with his feelings, accepting them, then being pleasantly surprised. Classic melodrama.

3. Alternate history. Please don't overanalyze it.

Chi Yu'er was born with a huge appetite. One day, the grandpa who'd taken her in could no longer afford to feed her, so he sent her to Jiangnan to live with distant relatives, passing her off as his granddaughter.

When she first entered the Yin household, Chi Yu'er thought her good days had finally come. She'd have food and drink every day, wouldn't need to work in the fields, and everyone treated her kindly. It was wonderful.

Except for one person: her nominal cousin, Yin Jin.

Yin Jin was the exact opposite of Chi Yu'er's innocent, kind nature. He was devilishly clever, habitually wore a mask around others, and was skilled at scheming. So the moment he met Chi Yu'er, he decided she was just another freeloader.

To make life easier for herself, Chi Yu'er first thought she could use the Yin family's influence to find herself a good marriage. But Yin Jin refused, saying she'd bring shame on the Yin family.

Chi Yu'er then thought she could stay in the role of distant cousin and spend the rest of her life serving the old madam. But Yin Jin refused again, saying the Yin family didn't keep idle people.

Chi Yu'er pouted and came up with several more suggestions, but, as expected, Yin Jin rejected every single one.

Finally, Chi Yu'er was so frustrated that she couldn't take it anymore. She didn't understand why this annoying cousin kept picking on her, so one day, when she was drunk, she boldly cried out to him:

"If this isn't allowed and that isn't allowed, then when you get married, I'll be your bed-warming maid while you and your wife sleep. Surely that would be all right?"

Yin Jin had thought the girl was going to try something while she was drunk. He hadn't expected to be disappointed!

Chi Yu'er's words made his temples throb with anger. "Chi Yu'er, is that really the extent of your ambition?! If you just had me, wouldn't the entire Yin household be yours?"

His words opened her eyes. Chi Yu'er wiped away her tears, still a little woozy, and asked innocently, "Huh? That's allowed too?"

Reading guide

1. Kind country girl x refined, scheming young master. Both are each other's first.

2. A sweet-and-sour daily-life romance, with a refreshing, feel-good tone.

3. No one can escape the law of falling for them: "This girl is so uncouth" - "Well, she's rather pretty" - "Little sister, you smell so nice."

4. Alternate history with certain limits on the era's social views. Please don't overanalyze it.

Theme: With nowhere to return to, one's obsession becomes the way home