The Strange Case of Duanxi

In the elegant and prosperous Song dynasty, with households lined with jewels and various trades flourishing, beneath the grandeur lurked turbulent undercurrents. The special production of official inkstones became a means for people to profit secretly. Fang Tingyun, a female official from the Imperial City, was thus ordered to ride her white horse into Duanxi. On the night of the Lantern Festival, amid the snow and the sound of flutes and drums, the jade pot of Duanxi shone, and the exquisite carriages adorned with fine horses rolled through. Yet at this moment, a mysterious case of five gods demanding lives suddenly erupted, and Fang Tingyun herself became a suspect during the investigation. To uncover the truth, she navigated the intricate and deceptive Duanxi and began her inquiries. Characters emerged one after another: the county magistrate controlling the masses, a cautious young man, a gallant wanderer of the jianghu, a constable roaming the market, an earnest and straightforward county lieutenant, and a shopkeeper with a hidden past... Each played their part in a series of interconnected and bizarre cases involving theft against officials, family annihilation, revenge over inkstones, framing and slandering, colleagues turning against each other, and smuggling tribute inkstones... A scroll painted in blood and depicting the flourishing landscape of the Song dynasty gradually unfurled that night Fang Tingyun entered Duanxi...