A Lone Shadow on the Cold River: A Demoted Official Investigates Strange Cases

During the Great Kang era, Su Mubai, an Imperial Hanlin Academy scholar, is demoted to the post of county secretary in Wuxi County, a remote southwestern borderland, for speaking frankly to the throne. Soon after he takes office, a series of bizarre deaths rocks the county seat. Each victim is found with a twisted expression, as if they had seen a vengeful ghost. Unconvinced by the supernatural, Su Mubai resolves to uncover the truth, only to discover that the murders are tied to a rebel case from twenty years ago, one that implicates his own family. As he navigates the layers of deception, he must contend with power struggles in officialdom and outmaneuver enemies lurking in the shadows. The conspiracy behind it all is far greater than he ever imagined.