Adventures in Solving Cases with the Stern Prefect

The title has been changed to: Cases Solved with the Cold-Faced Prefect

A stern-on-the-outside, warm-hearted, fatherly type × a delicate flower struggling to survive in a sea of sin

Qi Shuyao, the only daughter of the Deputy Director of the Privy Council, excels at music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Her future was settled early: find a husband, paint, and inherit the family estate.

Then an old marriage contract surfaced, and her father was branded a traitor with secret ties to the former dynasty's descendants.

Though the founding emperor valued civil officials, he still exiled her father to a harsh, desolate land.

But now the tiger had fallen on the plain, and assassins kept coming. She had no idea whether Zhang Wei wanted her dead or the founding emperor could not tolerate her.

Before he died, her father handed her a letter and left her with just one instruction: "Go to Qinzhou and find Si Zhuo."

Si Zhuo could never have imagined that the founding emperor, despite trusting and favoring him, would demote him to prefect of Qinzhou. The sudden fall from grace had already left him bitter, and now this troublesome woman had come knocking.

On the way to take up his post, the daughter of the former Deputy Director of the Privy Council, whom everyone avoided, knelt in front of his carriage. She offered her painting skills in exchange for a chance to clear her father's name.

She said he had no choice but to take her with him: she had a letter.

"If you want my help, shouldn't you offer me something in return?"

1. Episodic story.

2. A bittersweet push and pull.

Theme: Two people who are both good at holding everything in slowly learn, by staying by each other's side, that they don't have to keep enduring everything alone.