[One-on-one, both virgins, happy ending, a string of cases drives the plot, set in the mid-to-late Tang dynasty]
Deranged senior Ministry of Justice official vs. stubborn, delicate official’s daughter
[Blurb One]
After the An Lushan Rebellion, Chang’an was gripped by fear. Old grudges remained unsettled as new conflicts arose.
"Crying in the Dark" was a strange and marvelous book recording the uncanny events of the Kaiyuan and Tianbao eras. From the day it began circulating among the people, the bloody cases in its pages were recreated one by one, down to the smallest detail.
Li Ni, a ruthless political upstart who had risen through currying favor with powerful eunuchs, was assigned to investigate "Crying in the Dark." His investigation led him to Wei Lian, a low-ranking seventh-grade official who opposed him at every turn and seemed intent on dying.
He had meant to keep investigating, but when Wei Lian disappeared, he went mad.
[Blurb Two]
Wei Lian fled her suffocating family home, survived countless brushes with death while making her way to Chang’an disguised as a man, and by a twist of fate ended up in the least popular government office, where she planned to coast along. But her eccentric superior took an interest in her and made things difficult for her at every turn.
Wei Lian was ready to roll up her sleeves and fight him to the bitter end, but then an embarrassing accident occurred.
After that night, she faked her death to get away from Li Ni. Then word spread through Chang’an that he had gone mad.
Wei Lian: A principled force who sets the workplace straight.
Li Ni: A dark, deranged old hand at court politics.
Pride and Prejudice / What a Pair of Enemies / □□ couple
Theme: Don’t lose your mind so much.
