A historical mystery-solving novel.
A plague wiped out her entire clan, her hometown was burned to the ground, and her mentor died unjustly. In all the vast world, only fourteen-year-old Ji Xue was left.
From medical maid to government courtesan, then from government courtesan to coroner, she endured the hardships of a world that valued men over women. Relying neither on family connections nor a husband, she became the only female official coroner of her era.
She had once pleaded with someone, and hated someone.
That person was a demon who had refused to save the dying, yet also the rarest confidant she could ever hope to find. He was the elder who taught and guided her, and the one who could take her hand and pull her up when she was trapped in a mire of blood and filth.
There are countless kinds of human feeling; love and desire are not all that remain.
Strange cases loom like fog. May we listen to what the bones have to say.
The Justice and Redress Office was established by Emperor Shenzong during his reforms, outside the Three Judicial Offices. It took on only unusual cases: unsolved or disputed cases rejected by the Ministry of Justice, or cases brought by people seeking redress. Ordinary injustices were not accepted.
As factional struggles grew fiercer and the court fell into turmoil, the Justice and Redress Office was eventually disbanded.
The night Ye Mi was demoted and sent away from the capital, wind and snow swirled everywhere. Carrying a small lantern, she knelt outside the Huimin Pharmacy, covered in snow. Perhaps she was looking for someone to testify on her mentor's behalf.
He had already gone far, but when he looked back, he could still see a tiny scarlet spark flickering amid the vast mist.
He had no idea that, years later, that faint glimmer would burn away half his heart.
He stood amid the ashes, watching over her.
The dynasty's foremost female official coroner x the former head of the Justice and Redress Office
As the saying goes: "We meet again when the flowers fall."
* 1v1, happy ending, age gap, pretend caretaking
* Alternate Song dynasty setting, no fantasy elements, episodic mystery-solving, graphic content
Theme: The righteous way of the world lies in the hearts of its people.
