Chang'an Shadow

Content introduction In the first year of Wu Zetian's reign, the Tang Empire was prosperous on the surface, but in reality there was an undercurrent. The imperial examination system became the only way for students from poor families to advance, but it was still firmly controlled by the powerful gentry. In the city of Chang'an where light and darkness intersect, the two geniuses quietly launched a duel of wits that was destined to change the era. Mo Yunqing, a declining descendant of a branch of the Mo family in Longxi, became a doctor of imperial arithmetic due to his talent and intelligence. He is a gentle and elegant scholar during the day, but at night he becomes the strategist behind the scenes who provides "special assistance" to disadvantaged students. With the ideal of breaking through the situation with wisdom, he tried to break the unfair system of clan monopoly, but he had to fall deeper and deeper into the quagmire of power and conspiracy. Xie Qingzhou, the eldest daughter of the Xie family, made an exception as a woman and served as a judge in Dali Temple. She is as sharp as a sword, discerning, and has an almost stubborn pursuit of the truth. In the male-dominated officialdom, she relied on her extraordinary ability to solve cases to gain a foothold, but she was repeatedly ostracized because of her lack of sophistication. A seemingly ordinary case of imperial examination fraud intertwined the fate of the two. When a fraud case turns into a murder case, and when there is a bigger conspiracy hidden behind the simple truth, Mo Yunqing and Xie Qingzhou gradually discover during the investigation: they are both chess players and chess pieces; they are both opponents and confidants. In this game of resourcefulness, no one can survive alone. Mo Yunqing's carefully designed game within a game, and Xie Qingzhou's meticulous investigation and counter-exploration, all led them to an even more shocking truth - behind the case, there was a huge conspiracy that could shake the foundation of the Tang Dynasty.