The Magistrate's Daughter - Her name is Hai Lin, and she is the Magistrate's youngest child. She was always her father's favorite, and got everything she wanted, until her father remarried, that is. Her stepmother put a stop to her lavish shopping sprees, and Hai Lin does not get along well with the woman at all!

The Friend -- This is the Honorable Bei Mu Xun, a wise fellow who has been a friend to the Magistrate for many years. He was at the house, waiting for his friend so they could play a game of mahjong together. He can't understand why he is caught up in this murder mess.

The Lover -- His name, Ran Fa Rong, means glorious and he was born into a great military family. Unfortunately for Ran, his skills leaned more toward the pen than the sword, so he deserted his family name and fortune and went to the city to become a poet. He met Hai Lin one day and the two fell desperately in love. Of course the Magistrate wouldn't approve of his daughter marrying some no-name poet, no matter who he's related to. Ran hated him for keeping his from his lady love.

The Merchant -- Shi Kai Ru is a prosperous merchant who lives next door to the Magistrate. The two were involved in a dispute over a piece of land that lay between their houses. Both men claimed they owned it. Would someone actually commit murder for a space to plant a garden? Everyone says the merchant is obsessed with orchids. Maybe too obsessed...

The Soldier -- Jiang Feng is the formidable commander of the local garrison. He just happened to be passing by the house of the Magistate when the alarm was raised? Suspicious? You decide...

The Wife -- If anyone was to die by violence in the Magistrate's household, most people would have said it would have been his second wife, Xu Mei. She was a beauty in her day, but now she's a bit past her prime. It's whispered that she married the Magistrate for his money and that she's just waiting around for him to die so she can spend everything. Maybe she got impatient and gave him a helping hand into the next life...