Secrets of the Imperial Prison

Gender disguise / brilliant woman × powerful male official / light angst and mystery [Free during serialization] At first, Pei Wangchuan was deeply annoyed by the frail scholar standing before him. Later, he was even more annoyed that the person in the scholar’s eyes wasn’t him. - Shen Ge wandered from place to place from a young age. Then a murder case dragged her into the maelstrom of court politics, where she ran into her old “enemy,” Pei Wangchuan, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Marquis’s only son. The moment Pei Wangchuan saw his old acquaintance, he said nothing, hauled her straight into the Northern Branch of the Imperial Guard’s prison, and held his embroidered spring sword to Shen Ge’s neck. He ordered her, disguised as a man, to assist with the investigation. With her life on the line, Shen Ge had no choice but to comply. A noblewoman from a powerful family dies mysteriously. A ghost marks exam papers in the examination hall at midnight. A vengeful spirit appears in the inner chamber of the imperial mausoleum... As Shen Ge investigates the strange murder cases in the capital, she also looks for a chance to fake her death and escape. Her superior, Pei Wangchuan, has been looking at her more and more strangely, and she suspects he plans to kill her once she’s served her purpose! Meanwhile, Pei Wangchuan is thinking: Suspicion: “This scholar’s identity is questionable. I can’t let him out of my sight.” Flirting: “Why does he keep sneaking glances at me? Is he into men?” Fury: “Fine, he’s into men, but why is he so fickle? Why is he setting his sights on someone else?!” [Reader’s Guide] 1. Light mystery and court intrigue + melodramatic, satisfying sweetness + a touch of a universally adored heroine, with a hidden-identity trope. 2. The male lead goes through a series of stages: questioning his sexuality and preferences, struggling with his feelings, accepting his fate, and finally being pleasantly surprised. It’s more traditionally melodramatic. 3. Set in an alternate history. Please don’t overthink the details. Theme: With nowhere to call home, obsession becomes the road back.