A League of Nobleman

A League of Nobleman (2023) is a Chinese historical mystery TV series. It follows Zhang Ping, a poor orphan from the countryside who is making his living as a noodle seller in the capital while studying for the exam to become a government official. His dream is to someday join the Ministry of Justice and solve crimes. In the meantime, he has earned the nickname “Noodle Detective” through his efforts to solve minor everyday mysteries for his neighbors.

Though a talented detective, Zhang Ping is nosy and hopelessly idealistic. When he witnesses government minister Lan Jue behaving suspiciously near his noodle stall, he won’t let the matter go—disrupting Lan Jue’s secret operation and getting himself embroiled in a political conspiracy. Unable to get Zhang Ping to stop investigating him, Lan Jue reluctantly decides to enlist his help.

Over the show’s 29 episodes, many seemingly disparate plot threads are connected as the true depth of the conspiracy is gradually revealed. Meanwhile, Zhang Ping and Lan Jue both experience character growth as they become friends and learn to work together. If you like historical murder mysteries with well-drawn characters and gorgeous, creepy cinematography, I highly recommend giving this show a try!

The dynamic between the two leads—one an extreme idealist and the other not afraid to get his hands dirty—reminds me strongly of the Canadian buddy cop series Due South (1994-1999), which I also highly recommend.

A League of Nobleman is available to watch with English subtitles on Amazon Prime Video, which you can access by checking out one of the library’s Rokus.