Song Beneath the Crabapple Tree

[A dashing young gentleman in public, but a deep and ruthless smiling tiger in private X a spoiled, pampered beauty in public, but a sharp-minded, unassuming old fox in private] (Liu Siheng X Song Xu)

[A wild and reckless bandit in public, but a clingy, sweet, simpleton in private X the aloof Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace in public, but a cold-faced, adorable, warmhearted fawn in private] (Jiang Jincheng X Qi Rang)

Blurb:

During Sikong Chen's reign, the Great Qi dynasty enjoyed a few years of prosperity.

Yet beneath the dazzling golden age, undercurrents were stirring.

Strange unsolved cases quietly emerged between the jianghu and the imperial court, and the uncanny began to spread.

The Dali Temple was swamped with cases. Important and baffling cases piled up, yet no one could solve them. Even the emperor was troubled by the situation, so he established the Special Investigation Bureau to handle extraordinary cases with extraordinary measures.

Song Xu was the young master of a general's household, raised like a treasured jewel in the palm of his family's hand. But his personality was so troublesome, his way of thinking so strange, and his moods changed faster than the turn of a page. He could be crying one second and laughing the next, making a scene over anything. Hoping to toughen his son up, General Song sent him to Snow Listening Hall to learn forensic examination.

There, the troublesome young master met Liu Siheng, a smiling tiger. Song Xu needed an audience, and Liu Siheng came with a ready smile and applause. Song Xu made a scene, and Liu Siheng cleaned up after him. One traded capriciousness for affection, while the other traded affection for leverage. They were a perfect match.

Of course, not one of the four team members could be spared. Jiang Jincheng, the notorious bandit, was actually a sweet simpleton who could barely read a single character. Qi Rang, the Crown Prince who had long lived in the Eastern Palace, was sharp-tongued but softhearted. It was precisely because the great hero was no great hero and the Crown Prince was no Crown Prince that they saw their own reflections in each other and found comfort together.

The Special Investigation Bureau's Jia Six Case Team was the best of this batch of students. Though the four came from very different backgrounds, fate brought them together. They studied four disciplines under their instructors: crime scene investigation, autopsy, interrogation, and combat skills.

As the Bureau's Chief once said, "The wise do not speak of strange forces and spirits. If you hear singing in the middle of the night, someone's surely up to mischief. The Special Investigation Bureau's duty is to solve the world's unsolved cases and keep Great Qi safe."

Conspiracies in the court never ceased, and the jianghu was no more peaceful.

One baffling case followed another.

At the fifth watch, an immortal in a mirror at the opera house; in a tower outside the city, a strange banquet of green invocations set by a sorcerer; during a literary gathering, a flower-and-moon skull in the water; in a mountain stronghold, witchcraft that bewitched people's hearts; and at midnight, red threads and silver bells ringing without end...

Behind the cases lay either the open and covert struggles among the capital's various factions, or the fanatical obsession of the White-Clad rebels.

They first stepped into the jianghu as youths, yet by middle age had entered the imperial court.

Caught in the whirlpool of power plays, they found the human heart difficult to fathom.

Looking back to those days of silver saddles and white steeds, when peach blossoms drifted like catkins, the songs never ended, nor did the farewells between life and death.

[Reading Guide]

1. There are four protagonists in two couples, both of whom are main couples, with no primary or secondary pairing. Their share of the story depends on the plot. One-on-one relationships, both characters' first and only love.

2. Volumes One and Two are case-based stories with an overarching plot, mainly focused on solving cases. Volume Three returns to the main plot, with war and court politics. The overall pacing is slow.

3. The romance is relatively chaste. There is angst later on, but the ending brings everyone together.

3. Many original elements; an entirely fictional setting with no real-life models.

Complete Case List (as spoofed by the Jianghu Gazette):

(Lanting Arc)

Chapters 8-23: "The Immortal in the Mirror" - The capital's top-tier star retires, and the team dungeon is one member short

Chapters 24-40: "The Green Invocation Banquet" - Back in the village for a feast, the madam finally drops her act

Chapters 41-58: "The Skull Face" - This batch of students is impossible to manage; they never follow the script

Chapters 59-71: "The Zombie Stronghold" - About my mother's deranged backup lover insisting on being my father eighteen years later

Chapters 72-89: "The Midnight Killings" - I make a million a month as the chairman's lackey

(Watching Fish Arc)

Chapters 101-113: "Wugele" - I booked a homestay and accidentally wandered into an immersive murder mystery game

Chapters 114-129: "The Snow God Ritual" - Forced to give up my iron rice bowl, even an honest man can't escape the villain's scheme

Chapters 130-155: "The Dream-Sinking Edict" - After becoming the supreme ruler, I will reform the court

Chapters 156-179: "The Bamboo and Orchid Contest" - Trouble is brewing, and the Great Qi boardroom is being reshuffled

(Spring and Autumn Arc)

To be continued...

Theme: Heaven creates no useless people, and earth raises no nobodies.