Exquisite in the Mist (Mystery)

[The sociable genius inventor and the cold-faced, bashful leopard-cat swordsman]

Mysteries abound, as murder cases reveal the darkness of human nature;

A keen and clever mind sees through it all at a glance.

A series of kidnappings has shaken the tranquil Jiangnan county of Lishui.

A genius swordsman, famous throughout the martial world, is hired to investigate.

At the end of Qiyan Lane, a plate of orange cakes topped with red sauce;

A test where both sides know exactly what the other is doing;

A clever, sparkling young woman from next door knocks at the door.

Shh! The deduction begins!

[Reading Notes]

1. Historical mystery, pure fair-play detective fiction, with a focus on mechanical tricks.

2. An alternate world modeled on the Song Dynasty. Some puzzles involve real archaeological technology.

3. An ensemble cast and episodic structure, with seven cases of varying difficulty.

4. Each case ends with a review of the clues and a breakdown. Readers are welcome to discuss.

5. The overall balance is 80% mystery and deduction, 20% everyday life and romance.

6. Also known as The Mystery Should Be Solved Before Dinner? With a touch of food.

[Special Highlight Announcement!]

Alongside the sweet romance between the leads, this story explores a few questions about detective fiction:

In an ancient world where journeys are slow, how can a culprit create an alibi?

Without playing cards or silver mirrors, how can a magician deceive the eye?

Without fishing line or remote controls, how can a locked-room murder be staged?

Without foreign languages or phonetic alphabets, how can a fatal message be conveyed?

Without newspapers or radio, when can a prophetic nursery rhyme be sung?

Without suits or masks, what makes a phantom thief idol so popular?

In an age when the emperor's power is absolute, what does it take to assassinate him?

If these questions happen to interest you too,

then please accept the following seven challenge letters.

[Challenge One: The Lishui Kidnapping of Women and Children]

[Challenge Two: The Mysterious Butterfly Fairy's Bizarre Disappearance]

[Challenge Three: The White Xia Envoy's Murder in a Locked Room]

[Challenge Four: The Treasure Hunt for the Genuine and Fake Ancestral Sea Charts]

[Challenge Five: The Massacre Foretold by a Nursery Rhyme at a Lin'an Tavern]

[Challenge Six: The Phantom Thief's Thousand-Mile Treasure Hunt]

[Challenge Seven: The Ten-Year-Old Skeleton of the Immortal Emperor]

I eagerly look forward to crossing wits with you, future great detective!

--The case designer, who can only stake their own reputation

Please add my upcoming historical mystery, Frostbrush Against Evil, to your favorites.

The most esteemed noblewoman in Bianjing, Shi Mingyi, is pushed off a cliff by a devoted admirer of her husband, the Chief Councillor.

When she wakes after being rescued, a blow to the head has sent her memories back ten years.

The young Shi Xiaoyi, barely in her teens, wakes up one morning

and feels as if the sky has fallen!

Her gentle, elegant childhood friend, once a tender almost-romance, has become a bald Buddhist monk who has renounced love!

Her mischievous partner-in-crime has become a disabled but resolute general defending the nation!

Her spirited, dashing best friend has become the model of a chaste widow, waiting alone in a cold hut!

And the stunning, haughty top scholar, a flower on a high peak,

has somehow become her Chief Councillor husband, coming home every day to wash her feet and massage her shoulders!

Wait, is this right? You all need to snap out of it!

The good news: now that I've suddenly gained seniority, I can finally do whatever I want!

The bad news: why have all my friends changed so much?

As bizarre cases erupt one after another in Bianjing,

the "highly respected" wife of the Chief Councillor keeps appearing at crime scenes at the most inopportune moments.

In the strange, swirling fog, one voice always breaks the deadlock:

"Ahem. I... no, this old woman has a few thoughts about the case."

[Reading Notes]

1. An alternate world modeled on the Song Dynasty, the second book in the Great Yan trilogy.

2. A romance between mature adults. The heroine is actually twenty-eight. Her mind may have gotten younger, but her body is still spry!

3. Fair-play mysteries. The "middle-aged" detective team refuses to sit back in their armchairs. Logical tricks and escalating cases, with up to a hundred victims. Twice as hardcore.

4. A healing, sweet story. Everyone has a beautiful past and future!

5. Episodic cases and an ensemble cast, with case reviews.

6. Also known as She Writes Murder?

Expected to start publishing sometime this autumn.

This niche author is staying true to the mystery craft

and cordially invites all you great detectives to join in.

2026.5.28

Theme: Cause and effect in human affairs, judgment according to the law. Follow your heart, even if it costs you your life.