The Crown Princess Solves Cases Like a God

Su Liuyue, a modern criminal psychologist, awakens in the body of a sixteen-year-old noblewoman who attempted suicide two days prior. The original owner was a spoiled legitimate daughter of the Su family, whose reckless behavior caused a scandal that nearly destroyed her father’s political ambitions. Su Weili, a mid-ranking official in the Ministry of Revenue, had secured a marriage alliance with the powerful Zheng family to protect his position during the recent dynastic transition from Great Yan to Great Qing. However, the original Su Liuyue had publicly insulted her fiancé, Zheng Jiulang, leading to the engagement’s annulment. In desperation, Su Weili and his wife, Madam Guo, orchestrated the original owner’s death, staging it as a suicide to appease the Zhengs. They then planned to replace Su Liuyue with her half-sister, Su Rou, a concubine’s daughter who had secretly allied with Zheng Jiulang.

Now inhabiting the body, Su Liuyue remains confined to her courtyard as punishment. She quickly deduces that her father and stepmother are complicit in the original owner’s murder. Recognizing the imminent danger, she feigns compliance while secretly investigating. She learns that her parents are plotting to marry her off to General Wu, a brutal commander of the Shenwu Army, to further secure their political standing. To gain independence and escape their control, Su Liuyue decides to take over her late mother’s pastry shop, Manyifang, managed by the trustworthy Shopkeeper Yuan. However, upon arriving at the shop, she discovers it is the scene of a murder investigation. Shopkeeper Yuan is the prime suspect in the death of his neighbor, the wife of the Qilu Bookshop owner.

The case is being handled by Assistant Prefect Lu, a hot-tempered official under immense pressure from his superior, the Capital Prefect. Unbeknownst to the authorities, the Prefect is the brother of the former empress, making the investigation politically sensitive. Su Liuyue intervenes, using her psychological expertise to analyze the crime scene. She observes the social distance between Shopkeeper Cao and his clerk, Miss Sun, deducing an illicit affair. Through logical deduction regarding the victim’s worn shoes and Shopkeeper Yuan’s clean attire, she proves that the victim was dragged while Yuan was carried, indicating two different perpetrators. She exposes Shopkeeper Cao and Miss Sun as the murderers, revealing that the victim discovered the affair and was killed in a fit of rage.

While observing the events from a nearby teahouse are Zhou Yunkè, the new Crown Prince, and his strategist Rong Ruo. Zhou Yunkè, a military genius who helped establish the Great Qing dynasty, is known for his cold demeanor and pathological cleanliness. He takes a keen interest in Su Liuyue’s sharp intellect and perceptiveness. After solving the case, Su Liuyue returns to her maternal family’s declining estate, seeking support and allies. She learns that her maternal grandfather trusted Shopkeeper Yuan implicitly, giving her a potential foothold outside the Su household. Meanwhile, her parents continue to pressure her into the marriage with General Wu, unaware that she is actively gathering evidence against them and plotting her own escape from their manipulative schemes.