Two months before the deadline, I read Jiro Asada's "The Ballad of the Azure Sky" and felt my chest burn with passion. I also wanted to write a novel set in the Qing Dynasty, but I had no relevant knowledge. In the past, I would have given up with excuses like lack of time or ability. But Haru (the protagonist of "The Ballad of the Azure Sky") pulled me back time and again. He personally carved out his own future, and I wanted to do the same for my vague dream of "being a novelist." I believe that novels have the power to touch people's hearts.
--from the author

★Winner of the 24th "Kono Mystery ga Sugoi!" Award!
★Set in the Forbidden City in 1920, this novel fuses late-Qing history with classic whodunit tension, delivering a uniquely Chinese flavour of historical suspense.
★A deposed boy-emperor, a Japanese painter, and an ageing eunuch team up to forge palace masterpieces—only to be picked off one by one. The puzzle literally cannot exist outside the palace walls.
★Painting fake art for the emperor, raising "restoration" funds: an absurd yet heartbreaking tale of imperial gig-workers that still speaks to every modern scapegoat.

In 1920, Tsuyoshi Ichijo, a young man living in Beiping whose father worked for the South Manchurian Railway, was recruited into the Forbidden City due to his outstanding ink wash painting skills, becoming a foreign tutor to the deposed emperor of the Qing Dynasty. Officially, he was hired to teach painting, but his real mission was to replace the authentic ink wash paintings treasured in the Forbidden City with forgeries, secretly sell the originals, and raise funds for the emperor's restoration. Tsuyoshi, the emperor, and Weng Zhai, an elderly eunuch, jointly launched the forgery operation. Initially annoyed by the willful emperor, Tsuyoshi gradually developed a subtle friendship with him through daily interactions.

As days passed, he encountered four mysteries one after another: The first—how did the murderer enter the locked murder scene? Soon after, the second, third, and fourth mysteries followed—a Japanese man involved in the forgery was found strangely dead in the Forbidden City, and a eunuch who had been disemboweled was discovered in another locked room...

Centered on intrigue, this novel is a suspenseful historical mystery. The author cleverly integrates surprising settings with humorous elements, captivating readers from the unfolding of the puzzles to the stunning climax. Although the story is so bold that it is almost impossible in reality, the author masterfully pulls it off with powerful writing and exquisite storytelling.