Warm on a Cold Night – Li Yitong, Bi Wenjun

In the city of Jiuxiao in the country of Qian, there are People of Qi living there. Qi comes from the north and can transform into animals, but they look the same as Qian people on normal days. However, in the past two years, the Qian law has been unable to control the natural abilities of the Qi, and conflicts between the two groups have been frequent.

Recently, a horrifying "nursery rhyme murder case" occurred in Jiuxiao city. A mysterious Qiren with three scars transformed into an animal and committed the crime, leaving a scene of blood and four missing officials. Soon after, the bodies of two officials were thrown out, with injuries matching the "nursery rhyme" case. The people in Jiuxiao city were terrified.

After a chase, a people of Qi with three scars was captured, and the dangerous task of interrogating him fell to Su Jiuer, a small patrol officer. Although Su Jiuer seems useless, she has great ambitions because she has suffered from a disease that causes her to lack five senses since she was young, and she can only pretend to be a pig to eat a tiger. But if Su Jiuer cannot make the Qi people with three scars confess, she will be expelled from the inspection guard with her foster father Hu Badao.

The "fake prisoner" is named Han Zheng, who is actually a prince of Qi Chan. He came to Qian to find his true friend Mu Yan, the real"three scars" who was framed for being the "culprit" of stealing the holy fire of Qi Chan. Han Zheng must find him before Qi Chan finds Mu Yan's trail.

Su Jiuer predicted that Han Zheng would go to the crime scene "Hualiu Hall" to investigate, so she decided to catch him there. Unexpectedly, Su Jiuer suddenly became dizzy during the chase and almost died in a fire, but Han Zheng saved her at a critical moment.

Su Jiu'er and Han Zheng finally escaped from the fire, and while the people were putting out the fire, the third body was secretly thrown into a well by the killer. The owner of "Hua Liu Tang" made a scene at the inspectorate to demand compensation and to find Su Jiu'er. Chief Yan was very angry and ordered Su Jiu'er and Hu Badao to leave immediately. Su Jiu'er boldly proposed that if she could solve the "Child Rhyme Murder Case" within half a month, she would be pardoned.

To catch Han Zheng, Su Jiu'er took advantage of his weakness of not having a pass and lured him into getting a fake one. She and her team set a trap and finally captured him. Su Jiu'er had made thorough preparations to deal with the Qi people and used a smell that could stimulate and make them unconscious.

Inside the carriage, Su Jiu'er's next move shocked Han Zheng even more-- she hugged Han Zheng's arm. In an instant, Su Jiu'er's five senses were restored, and her body was full of vitality. She finally confirmed that, for some unknown reason, as long as she touched Han Zheng, her body could recover.

Han Zheng was not controlled by Su Jiu'er, instead, he used his own methods to discipline her severely! Su Jiu'er confirmed that Han Zheng could cure her condition of losing all five senses, and humbly invited him to cooperate in capturing "Three Scars", but was harshly rejected. Helpless, Su Jiu'er had to fight alone and followed her father Su Huan's investigation approach to find the next location where the victim would be dumped. Finally, Su Jiu'er used Han Zheng to track down the whereabouts of "Three Scars", but was unexpectedly attacked by him and almost lost her life. Thanks to Han Zheng's timely rescue, she missed the opportunity to catch "Three Scars" and let him escape without a trace. Just when everyone was empty-handed, another body appeared. While inspecting the corpse, Su Jiu'er found a crucial clue to the "Children's Song" case. She used it as bait and personally asked Han Zheng to cooperate with her in solving the case, but he thought she only wanted a free bodyguard. Su Jiu'er took a step back and pretended to be sad, expressing that the proud Han Zheng was unwilling to make friends with her.

Han Zheng was tricked into agreeing to Su Jiu'er's request to work together on the case by her "friendship" rhetoric. They pretended to be lovers and went to investigate at a wine shop, where they learned that the four dead officials of the Qian clan were all supporters of the Qi clan in the court. They each had their own guesses but didn't communicate with each other.

When Su Jiu'er secretly went to examine the corpse, she was caught by Han Zheng. He questioned her motives and believed she had a greater conspiracy, always wanting to touch him. Su Jiu'er revealed her illness and the truth about Han Zheng's ability to cure her, but he didn't believe her. They argued until Su Jiu'er had another attack, and Yue Daren suddenly appeared. Su Jiu'er asked Han Zheng to hide, but he didn't listen. In desperation, Su Jiu'er kissed Han Zheng, and he saw her eyes gradually become lively again.

Su Jiu'er reported the new clues to Yue Darenyue, suggesting that the case may have been a deliberate framing of the Qi clan, and "San Dao Ba" may not be the real killer! However, Yue Darenyue just wanted to quickly close the case, ignoring the crisis of the Qi clan. Han Zheng was about to attack Yue Daren in anger, but Su Jiu'er calmed him down, and she said she wanted to pursue a fair truth. Han Zheng was moved and became Su Jiu'er's partner.

Han Zheng found a clue about a decapitated body and invited Su Jiu'er to investigate the underground market of the Qi clan. They found the body of a man named Zha Mu Ke, who was a wanted criminal, but they couldn't get any useful information. While exploring the market, Su Jiu'er bought a keepsake that belonged to her mother and father. However, when she gave it to her mother Qin Xiangyi, she became worried because Su Jiu'er's father was a righteous patrol officer who died while investigating a case, and her mother didn't want Su Jiu'er to follow in his footsteps. Su Jiu'er learned a line from a play that mentioned Zha Mu Ke's name and suspected that the playwright, "Qiao Qiao Ke," might have some connection to the case. They went to the playwright's room and found everything neatly arranged, but when Su Jiu'er met the playwright outside, Han Zheng discovered some dolls of the four victims, a map of Jiuxiao City, and a children's song. Suddenly, Su Jiu'er screamed, and Han Zheng rushed to her aid.

Han Zheng warned Su Jiu'er to be cautious and believed that the evidence found in Wen Jun's room was most likely related to the nursery rhyme case. However, Su Jiu'er disagreed, saying that Wen Jun's character was opposite to that of the killer in the nursery rhyme case. Han Zheng suspected that Su Jiu'er was being blinded by Wen Jun's charm and that their planned meeting tomorrow was a trap.

At the De Yue Building, Su Jiu'er and Wen Jun chatted about drama and got along well. Han Zheng monitored Wen Jun's servant Liu Fu and found that he was skilled in martial arts, even matching Han Zheng's moves. Han Zheng suspected that Wen Jun and Liu Fu were both suspicious characters. Su Jiu'er experienced Wen Jun's play, in which a girl and her deceased father communicated across space, expressing their longing for each other. Su Jiu'er was deeply moved and praised Wen Jun's new play, which greatly excited him and increased his fondness for Su Jiu'er.

Meanwhile, Han Zheng discovered Wen Jun's true identity as a prince of the Qian Dynasty who concealed his identity because of his love for drama. Liu Fu was actually his caretaker since childhood. After this misunderstanding was cleared up, Wen Jun learned of Su Jiu'er's investigation and told her that he heard the name "Zhamuke" from Zhang Yuchu. Su Jiu'er wanted to meet Zhang Yuchu, and Wen Jun agreed. However, Han Zheng decided to investigate Zhang Yuchu's home himself.

In the palace, Su Jiu'er met Zhang, the royal chef, and learned that Zhamuke was actually a Qi man who eloped with his wife. Su Jiu'er noticed something suspicious on Zhang's frostbite, so she went to the ice cellar alone to investigate. Inside, she found the body of Zhang's wife but was locked inside by Zhang. As she was about to freeze to death, Su Jiu'er discovered some aged wine in the cellar and drank it to stay warm. Meanwhile, Han Zheng sneaked into Zhang's house and found a waist plate with Jiu'er's name on it, suspecting that Zhang was the true culprit behind the Tongyao case. Realizing that Jiu'er might be in danger, Han Zheng rushed to the palace. He had to transform into his Qi form to fully release his sense of smell and search for Jiu'er's whereabouts in the vast palace. Despite being pursued and blocked by the palace guards, Han Zheng broke open the locked ice cellar door and rescued Su Jiu'er, who was delirious and mistook him for her long-deceased father, Su Huan. Jiu'er revealed her vulnerability, and Han Zheng finally understood her determination to solve the case at any cost. He couldn't help but hold her close to his chest until her face gradually turned rosy.

Han Zheng and Su Jiu'er were brought to the imperial court after Han's intrusion into the palace caused alarm to the emperor. Su Jiu'er desperately tried to explain Han Zheng's reason for entering the palace and accused Zhang, the royal chef, of murder, but had no evidence to support her claims. In a critical moment, Han Zheng broke open a giant block of ice that was holding raw fish, revealing the body of Zhang's wife to the crowd. This shocking scene led to Zhang's confession and punishment.

As a result of his actions, Han Zheng was imprisoned, and his status as a prince of the Qi clan made his situation even more sensitive. Su Jiu'er was devastated to learn that Han Zheng was the only son of the Xue Qi King, who was in charge of the four Qi clans. Wen Jun and Su Jiu'er analyzed the history and conflicts between the Qi and Qian nations, realizing that Han Zheng's intrusion into the palace was a matter of political interest, and they feared they would be unable to help him.

Wen Ying, the Crown Prince, was constantly urging Wen Jun to release Han Zheng. Finally, they came up with a compromise. They dispatched an envoy to the northern frontier to negotiate with the Qi clan. If the Xue Qi King was willing to give up the "Six Treaties of Qian Qi," then the Qian nation would not pursue Han Zheng's actions.

When the Xue Qi King learned of Han Zheng's intrusion into the palace and his behavior, he was furious. The nobles of the Qi clans were also displeased with Han Zheng's actions. Despite his son's situation, the Xue Qi King refused to sacrifice the interests of his clan to help Han Zheng. He planned to reject the Qian nation's demands, but unfortunately, the envoy sent by the Qian nation was killed on the northern frontier, which would inevitably lead to a conflict between the Qian and Qi nations.

When Lord of Xueqi was worried, the female general, Chi Lan, from the Red Qi tribe, and the national teacher, Han Lin, arrived and identified the person who attacked the envoy as the new Lord of Xuanqi. It turned out that he had been dissatisfied with the friendship between Lord of Xueqi and Qian Kingdom, and had been trying to stir up conflict between the two. Han Lin was also Han Zheng's teacher, and he was eager to protect his disciple. He asked Lord of Xueqi for permission to go to Jiu Xiao City with Chi Lan to negotiate with the court.

In Jiu Xiao City, Chi Lan finally learned the whole story by questioning Su Jiu'er. She and Han Zheng sneaked into the prison and met Han Zheng, who was weak. They discussed a plan and prepared to work together to rescue Han Zheng.

In court, Wen Ying and Chi Lan debated fiercely, and it was difficult to determine who was right or wrong. At a critical moment, Su Jiu'er produced the letter of appointment that hired Han Zheng as a chief inspector, proving that his actions were done on behalf of himself and the inspectorate, and had nothing to do with the Qi clan. The court was in the wrong but didn't dare to break ties with the Qi clan. They finally punished Han Zheng with a severe beating as a warning to others. However, Su Jiu'er stepped forward and offered to share the punishment with Han Zheng. Han Zheng was deeply moved, and Wen Jun also stepped forward to support Su Jiu'er. In the end, the three of them were punished with thirty lashes each and went home to recover from their injuries.

Han Zheng felt guilty for all that Su Jiu'er had done to save him, and despite his usual arrogance, he actively sought her out to restore her health and longevity. The national teacher advised Han Zheng to return to the North, but he insisted on staying to find Mu Yan, so he had to leave Chi Lan with Han Zheng to negotiate Qian Qi's Six Treaties and monitor his words and actions as an assistant.

When they interrogated Zhang Yuchu, they found that he had died in prison, and although it appeared to be suicide, there were many doubts. Han Zheng wanted to catch the accomplice, who was likely to be the "Three-Scarred" person. However, the inspectors and guards wanted to quickly close the case, and when they were debating, Wen Jun suddenly arrived and claimed to be supervising the case on behalf of the emperor, saying that the case could not be closed.

Han Zheng looked at Wen Jun differently, but he soon realized that Wen Jun was just pretending to be powerful. In fact, he also wanted to close the case as soon as possible because Su Jiu'er had been pushed off the tower by the culprit in the nursery rhyme case, and he was worried that the culprit would attack her again. Han Zheng promised to protect Su Jiu'er and had a disagreement with Wen Jun. Su Jiu'er had a clever idea that closing the case might relax the vigilance of the accomplice and make him reveal himself. Han Zheng was worried about Su Jiu'er and decided to investigate alone. At this time, "Three-Scarred" sent him a message, saying that he would appear again soon.