Meng Xi Shi

The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua [成化十四年]

★★★★★ [4.5/5 stars]

I'm an absolute fan of mystery, crime-solving cases, historical and politics. And if all of that rolled into one? Yes, please. This is what this novel is about! Every arc is just as intriguing as the last, if not more! I've always said this, but I'm always into clever characters, and this novel gave me exactly that! Both the MC (Tang Fan) and the ML (Sui Zhou) are smart and competent characters with calm and compose demeanor. Though there were times when I was on the edge of my seat, wondering how they're able to solve the cases when they're already cornered, I was also anticipating what kind of step they're going to take to outsmart their enemies. I loved how both of them were made into deep characters with great substance. I prefer that kind of characters.

This novel has a tiny bit romance, but if you're only looking for a full on fluff, I don't think this one is for you. This has a very slow romance and their romantic relationship is not really the focus of the story. They have this tacit, mutual understanding of their feelings, a feeling that doesn't need to be said aloud to understand, and it reflected on why their romance was not narrated directly and explicitly. I also love the familial love that was portrayed here. I would have loved to be a part of Tang Fan's family. And also his bizarre 'friendship' with the arrogant and proud Wang Zhi is just so entertaining, despite of them having an opposite personality. They have this not so ordinary connection from the very first case and their verbal sparring is always so interesting to read.

I've watched the drama adaptation a few months ago but decided to drop it after a few episodes in, but I think I'm going to pick the drama up again because I really enjoyed this novel so much. This is absolutely, highly recommended. Just trigger warning for deaths in every arc.

The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua [成化十四年]

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