Crouching Tiger, Hidden Cricket: Qin Dynasty China ft. Caroline McEvoy
Xianyang (咸阳) • China • 213 BCE
Xianyang, 213 BCE. The Qin Dynasty's road-building campaign has hit a problem: three workers dead, a collapsed highway, and the chief engineer facing execution in three days for sabotage he may not have committed. Comedian Caroline McEvoy has been dropped into the capital of the first unified China as the only person willing to investigate. Her qualifications: Tai Chi, a knowledge of ancient road systems, and a lucky cricket named Dinky.
Caroline's approach to Qin Dynasty criminal justice is direct. She calls the construction foreman a cretin within 30 seconds of meeting him, declares herself a "warrior detective," and decides the best way to charm an imperial soldier is to compliment his biceps and invite him to a fish dinner overlooking the river. The cricket, meanwhile, is proving more diplomatically useful than anyone expected. By the time three tigers named George, Bernard and Arthur enter the picture, the Game Master has stopped resisting entirely.
The real Qin Dynasty was built on standardised roads, brutal efficiency, and an emperor so obsessed with immortality he drank mercury until it killed him. His road network connected a continent and his legal system didn't leave much room for detective work, freelance or otherwise. Caroline arrives with the confidence of someone who watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with her dad and considers that sufficient preparation.
If you were sent back in time, could you survive and thrive — or would you be burnt at the stake for being a witch? PastMaster is the show that turns history into an interactive adventure game. Each episode, a comedian is dropped into the past with nothing but modern knowledge and terrible ideas. The AI Game Master is strict. The chaos is inevitable. The past will be mastered.
Era: Ancient | 213 BCE | Xianyang, China
Featuring: Caroline McEvoy — comedian (Comedy Bandits, Gun and Wand podcast)
EPISODE LINKS
Follow Caroline's adventure on the PastMaster Interactive Map 👉 https://map.pastmasterpod.com
Caroline McEvoy: Instagram @carolinemcevoycomedy | X @carolinemce_