CH: 成化十四年
Alternate Title: The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty
Author: Meng Xi Shi (梦溪石)
Chapter total: 151 (+ 19 Extras)
Pairing: M/M
Rating: Young Adult (murder, gore, morbid subjects)
JJWXC raws ~ NovelUpdates ~ Character Guide ~ Google Docs

In the fourteenth year of Chenghua, the imperial harem had one Consort Wan, just as the Western Depot had one Chief Eunuch named Wang Zhi. Crown Prince Zhu Youcheng was barely eight years old, and it was uncertain whether he could grow to adulthood without a hitch.

The Emperor was mediocre, and feckless. Eunuchs deceived those above them and kept those below them in the dark. Court officials patched up leaks left and right. Those doing evil were arrogantly savaging, and those doing good were helplessly sighing.

With the ways of the world like this, how could the ways of the Heavens possibly be just?

That year, Tang Fan transferred into Shuntian Prefecture from Hanlin Academy, taking up a post as a sixth-rank Judge.

[T/N: The posts below are truncated; see Google Docs for full.]

Table of Contents

[Arc 1: The Case of the Marquis Wu’an Estate]

Ch. 1: Floating Like a Roaming Cloud
Ch. 2: Twists, Turns, An Odd Death
Ch. 3: Known Across the Realm
Ch. 4: A Minor, Sixth-Rank Official
Ch. 5: Mister Tang, Shocked Speechless
Ch. 6: Disparity in Treatment
Ch. 7: The Beauty-Rescuing Hero’s Skill in Mockery
Ch. 8: Mining Pan Bin’s Corner
Ch. 9: A Love for Reading Melodrama
Ch. 10: Caught in the Act
Ch. 11: A Respectable Man
Ch. 12: Scaring Something Dreadful
Ch. 13: Final Piece of Cake
Ch. 14: Are You Interested in Him?
Ch. 15: Feng
Ch. 16: An All-Nighter
Ch. 17: The Culprit
Ch. 18: Consider Actions, Not the Core

[Arc 2: Days Living with the Brocade Guard]

Ch. 19: Blooming Luck with the Peach Blossoms
Ch. 20: What an Inside Story!
Ch. 21: A Startling Event in the Li Family
Ch. 22: How He Would Compliment Someone
Ch. 23: Are You Still Human?!
Ch. 24: Unable to Let it Go
Ch. 25: Like a Pig
Ch. 26: A Tad Excited
Ch. 27: Found Himself Two Moms
Ch. 28: Not Ashamed
Ch. 29: From Now On
Ch. 30: Getting a Wife is Terrible

[Arc 3: The Case of the East Palace]

Ch. 31: Infuriated by Tang Fan
Ch. 32: The Sun is Rising in the West
Ch. 33: Mister Tang Does Evil and Can’t Escape From It
Ch. 34: They’re Done For
Ch. 35: The Mad Tyrant, Eunuch Wang
Ch. 36: The Han Family
Ch. 37: Every Man for Himself
Ch. 38: Don’t Eat Nuomici On an Empty Stomach
Ch. 39: Traitors Get All the Luck
Ch. 40: To the Little Prince
Ch. 41: A Bonafide Glutton

[Arc 4: Into the Ministry of Justice]

Ch. 42: A Temper
Ch. 43: Getting Teased
Ch. 44: Popular
Ch. 45: Somewhat Helpless
Ch. 46: Woof! Woof! Woof!
Ch. 47: Seeing a Ghost
Ch. 48: Insider Information
Ch. 49: Pain
Ch. 50: Knocked Out
Ch. 51: A Den of Thieves
Ch. 52: A New Nickname
Ch. 53: Worked to the Bone
Ch. 54: Someone Else’s Business
Ch. 55: Seen Bare
Ch. 56: Angering Someone to Death Again
Ch. 57: Is He Nuts?
Ch. 58: With Different Eyes

[Arc 5: The Case of the Ancient Coffin in Luo River]

Ch. 59: Wanting to Run Away From Home
Ch. 60: This Trip Was the Wrong Decision
Ch. 61: Not a Bad Size
Ch. 62: Lacking in Brain
Ch. 63: Implicit Understanding
Ch. 64: Good Job, Boss
Ch. 65: Getting Slapped
Ch. 66: Heavily Valued
Ch. 67: Pig’s Head
Ch. 68: Upended Bowl
Ch. 69: Repay Each Other for a Lifetime
Ch. 70: The Hegemonic Count
Ch. 71: Another is Angered to Death
Ch. 72: Old Friend

[Arc 6: The Case of Xianghe County]

Ch. 73: Dark Road
Ch. 74: Fluffy
Ch. 75: Someone Says Hi
Ch. 76: A Deserved Face-Slapping
Ch. 77: Dear Fluffy
Ch. 78: Too Hungry For That
Ch. 79: I Refuse
Ch. 80: Someone Staring
Ch. 81: Your Plan
Ch. 82: The Immoral Mister Tang
Ch. 83: Can Anyone Else Do That?
Ch. 84: The Favor of Beauties
Ch. 85: Mister Tang’s Enforcer

[Arc 7: The Case of Weining Sealet]

Ch. 86: A Difficult Question at the Banquet
Ch. 87: Sui Zhou’s Secret Lover
Ch. 88: Being Superstitious
Ch. 89: You Want to Study the Dao, Mister Tang?
Ch. 90: You Want Some Chicken Blood Sprinkled On You, Too?
Ch. 91: A Chance Encounter with a Lady
Ch. 92: The Art of Drinking Vinegar
Ch. 93: Jewels Attack
Ch. 94: An Even Worse Evildoer
Ch. 95: Unfriendly Fire
Ch. 96: Someone in Mind
Ch. 97: Skilled at Evasion
Ch. 98: Unsophisticated and Crude
Ch. 99: The Gent’s Heart
Ch. 100: Achievements in Insults
Ch. 101: Sweet and Sour
Ch. 102: Rumors About Mister Tang

[Arc 8: Into the East Palace]

Ch. 103: Getting Married
Ch. 104: Sometimes Clever, Sometimes Stupid
Ch. 105: The Deep Affection of Siblings
Ch. 106: Fine Jade Strung By Beaded, Silken Thread
Ch. 107: Call Me Runqing!
Ch. 108: Sui Guangchuan, the Bastard
Ch. 109: Gnawing on Bones

[Arc 9: The Case of Suzhou]

Ch. 110: Soft Outside, Tough Inside
Ch. 111: A Pretty Youth Descended from the Heavens
Ch. 112: Can’t You Be More Reliable?
Ch. 113: Wujiang
Ch. 114: The City’s West
Ch. 115: Another Admirer
Ch. 116: Those Two Bastards
Ch. 117: Acting School, and Villain-Eats-Villain
Ch. 118: No Hugs Allowed
Ch. 119: Layers of Progress, Facing Off with the Enemy, and the Footman, Sui Zhou
Ch. 120: Tang ‘The King’ Fan
Ch. 121: No Free Lunches

[Arc 10: The Case of the Imperial Exams]

Ch. 122: Eunuch Wang, Ever Fond of Adding to Others’ Troubles
Ch. 123: Mutual Smiles…
Ch. 124: A Different Attitude Towards Him
Ch. 125: Sui Zhou Isn’t In This Chapter
Ch. 126: Illicit Relations in Bed! (Not Really)
Ch. 127: You Couldn’t Breathe?
Ch. 128: Just Spit It Out
Ch. 129: Mister Tang’s Bedmaid
Ch. 130: Uncovering the Truth
Ch. 131: A Luck With Women Only Mister Tang Can Enjoy
Ch. 132: Iron Guarantee
Ch. 133: Stubble
Ch. 134: In Peril
Ch. 135: How Lucky

[Arc 11: The Case of a Capital in Crisis and the Authenticity of the Crown Prince]

Ch. 136: The Hedong Lion at Home
Ch. 137: Stranger or Partner?
Ch. 138: Wei Mao Goes Blind
Ch. 139: Extra Domineering
Ch. 140: No Shame to Speak Of
Ch. 141: Thigh-Hugging (For Real)
Ch. 142: Tied to the Belt
Ch. 143: Prefer to Break, not Bend
Ch. 144: The Start of a Conspiracy
Ch. 145: Runny Nose
Ch. 146: Bothersome Junk
Ch. 147: Eunuch Wang’s Special Act
Ch. 148: Holding Up Half the Sky
Ch. 149: Still Pretty Warm
Ch. 150: The Dawn
Ch. 151: Epilogue

[A Gentleman of Extras That Hasn’t Yet Expressed Himself Fully]

Transition ~ Lone Pining ~ Insta-kill ~ Comprehension ~ Out with the Old, In with the New ~ Ah-Dong’s Bethrothal ~ The Sui Family ~ Drinking Vinegar ~ Miscellaneous Stuff ~ The Sea ~ Hoist the Sails ~ The Stars ~ Wang Zhi ~ The Emperor ~ The Truth ~ The Crown Prince ~ Education ~ Sui Zhou