The author uses their imagination to expand on historical cases, filling in the details with a mystery - suspense approach while respecting the overall historical context. They give full play to the stories of minor characters. This is really an excellent idea for writing historical novels. There are many courtroom - reasoning segments in the book, which are quite exciting. The repeated reversals can definitely lead readers on an enjoyable reading journey.
— Reader Ouyang Zhu

Getting involved in the situation doesn’t require extremely intense debates. Smooth reasoning clues are enough to show the contest between smart people, a kind of mutual appreciation and empathy. Three reversals and four investigations to find the real culprit, truly full of twists and turns, making both insiders and outsiders feel exhilarated. The difficulty of an ant trying to shake a tree is great, but they still move forward bravely. Their belief in saving the emperor and the people is pure. They are determined to seek a new opportunity for the declining late Tang Dynasty. And the Empress Wu can be considered worthy of this redemption.
— Reader Feng Xiaobai

The thrilling part of mystery - suspense novels is like the gun on the wall in Chekhov’s works—you know it will go off, but you don’t know when. The wonder of this novel is that when you hear the gun go off, you find it’s just an empty shot. When Yang Cangying falls off the cliff with the key evidence, the real prelude has just begun. However, the once dragon - slaying youth has turned into a dragon. Zhang Yuantan’s last bite of “an ant trying to shake a big tree” gives him a ladder to success, but he is no longer the ant that “knows it’s impossible but still tries”.
— Reader Gui Gongzi

“Young master, you don’t understand. For us drifters without any background, opportunities are like the last bite of an ant trying to shake a tree. There are very few chances among countless attempts.”

★ Copyright sold: Traditional Chinese!
★ One hundred and eight lanes in Chang’an, each with a strange case! A Chinese version of "Ace Attorney", with “courtroom debate” - style reasoning!
★ A microscopic look at the rise of Wu Zetian, the powerful woman in the Tang Dynasty. The story tells how a group of seemingly insignificant characters (such as commoners and assassins) plan a major case that could shake Chang’an.

In the Tang Dynasty’s Chang’an City, the one hundred and eight lanes criss - cross each other, and there is a strange case in each lane, with danger lurking at every step. Invite you into the situation, observe carefully, and solve the one hundred and eight cases of Chang’an!

On the night of the Jiazi day in the first month of the fifth year of the Zhenguan era (660 AD), in a residence in the northeast corner of Yongle Lane, the lights were bright, and the soft sounds of singing and dancing wafted through the air. Suddenly, there was a “crack” sound as a glass cup broke, and all sounds ceased. Fragrant wine mixed with deadly poison flowed out from the broken amber - colored glass cup, and a high - ranking general of the third rank died on the spot.
Before long, the case was solved, the evidence was conclusive, the suspect confessed, and after being adjudicated by the three judicial departments—the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, and the Imperial Censorate—the real culprit was scheduled to be executed on a designated day. However, to everyone’s great surprise, the victim’s family refused to let it go and repeatedly appealed to plead for the culprit. At this time, it was just at the beginning of Wu Zetian’s regency. The deceased happened to be Wu Zetian’s relative. This strange case suddenly became the key to an immediate upheaval of the political situation.

Thus, the Imperial Censorate, which was responsible for supervising officials and reviewing criminal cases, had to take on this thorny task. Different from the Dali Temple, which was accustomed to on - site investigations, and the Ministry of Justice, which focused on conviction and punishment, the Imperial Censorate solved cases through “debate.” That is, two people acted as the affirmative and negative sides respectively, questioned witnesses, re - examined evidence, and made defenses for guilt or innocence.

The imperial censors Zhang Yuantan and Yang Cangying were assigned to act as the affirmative and negative sides in this case. Based on a piece of testimony, an item of evidence, a clue... they engaged in a fierce verbal battle, arguing their points. And behind them, the notorious cruel official Lai Junchen was gradually approaching...
There are still doubts behind the doubts, and there are still culprits behind the real culprits.

Liao Shubo is a member of the Hainan Provincial Writers Association and a contracted writer of the Hainan Provincial Academy of Literature. His works have won China’s highest science - fiction award, the “Galaxy Award,” the first prize and the Infinite Possibility Award of the First China Original Mystery Spark Award, and the gold medal in the literature category of the Shanghai “Meta - Creation Future” Metaverse Creative Competition.
His writing is excellent in conception, bold in style, good at designing plots and describing thrilling scenarios, and he has a solid foundation in history. "The 108 Cases of Chang’an" series is his masterpiece, which he polished for five years and revised many times.

Prologue / 1
Chapter 1: The Imperial Censorate / 5
Chapter 2: Crisis Outside the Censorate / 13
Chapter 3: Madam Lu / 21
Chapter 4: The Mistress of a Separate Residence / 29
Chapter 5: The Green Locust Girl / 39
Chapter 6: Detailed Inquiry / 47
Chapter 7: The Noble Lady from a Distinguished Family / 55
Chapter 8: The Night Banquet / 69
Chapter 9: Past Events / 81
Chapter 10: Tracing Clues / 95
Chapter 11: Exploring the Source / 111
Chapter 12: The Amber Window / 125
Chapter 13: The Tuyuhun People / 137
Chapter 14: Welcoming the Buddha’s Relics / 151
Chapter 15: Verifying the Evidence of Guilt / 165
Chapter 16: The True Identity Revealed / 179
Chapter 17: Debate in the Dark Room / 191
Chapter 18: Beads Strung on a Thread / 201
Chapter 19: A New Path Emerges / 213
Chapter 20: The Mysterious Painter / 225
Chapter 21: Another Night Banquet / 241
Chapter 22: The Final Outcome Appears / 253
Chapter 23: Who Is It? / 265
Epilogue / 281
Afterword / 287
References / 293