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During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, a bizarre and interconnected series of murders shook the city of Luoyang, leaving the populace in a state of panic. The victims were mostly couples, and the murderer's movements were as elusive as a ghost, leaving no trace. Rumors spread among the people that this was a divine punishment for Empress Wu's immoral behavior. Grand Eunuch Cui was tasked with investigating the case, but he made no progress. Ministers advised Empress Wu to let Di Renjie give it a try. Although Di Renjie had differing political views with Empress Wu, he accepted her arrangement, as the case concerned the hardships of the common people. He was given a deadline to solve the case, or else he would be punished as the "murderer" responsible for the incident. Initially, Di Renjie was required to solve the case without leaving his prison cell. He understood Empress Wu's intentions and agreed, simultaneously requesting two jailers who had treated him kindly to assist him. Di Renjie was moved out of his original cell and imprisoned in a tower that overlooked the entire city of Luoyang. In his new cell, he met his trusted ally, Cui, who had been waiting for him. Through Cui's description, Di Renjie quickly reconstructed the crime scene and concluded that this was a meticulously planned and symbolically significant curse-style serial murder case. The victims were killed in the same manner, and the murderer used their bodies to perform a ritual that influenced others' fortunes. Just as Di Renjie and Cui were making no headway in their investigation, another murder occurred in Luoyang. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the man was Empress Wu's personal physician, Wang Pu, and the woman was the wife of an ordinary small merchant. Di Renjie deduced from the silk thread left at the scene that it was typical of Hangzhou's light and delicate silk, which, when woven into clothing, was as sheer as gauze, a favorite material for women. The crime scene was directly opposite the Yanyu Pavilion, indicating a strong connection between the murderer and the Yanyu Pavilion. Cui prepared to investigate the Yanyu Pavilion. Before leaving, Di Renjie handed him a pair of parent-child bells and gave one to Cui. Di Renjie could sense the crime scene through the bells. Cui arrived at the Yanyu Pavilion and followed theClue into the He Yunzhu's private quarters—the Qingshen Pavilion. He discovered that this room was directly opposite the pavilion where Physician Wang Pu was killed. Cui rang the bell, and the bell in Di Renjie's hands in the tower prison moved without any wind. He Yunzhu inadvertently made an unusual sound. Cui realized that there was something wrong with this room and was about to find the secret mechanism of the hidden room when the boss interrupted him, forcing him to stop. Cui listed He Yunzhu of the Qingshen Pavilion as a key suspect.