According to the oral accounts of others, copying portraits is a required skill for those in charge of criminal matters in Jinyiwei.
There are more than a dozen Jin Yiwei who can draw the outlines of criminals based on a few words spoken by others. But compared with the old man in front of me, those people are really not good enough.
The old man's movements were very slow and his writing was very light, but his calmness and confidence were rare in He Guangyi's life.
After three or five strokes, a lifelike appearance of a man appeared on the paper.
He has a square face, narrow eyes, a bulbous nose, and a broad nose. He has thick eyebrows and a thick beard. It seems that he has shallow Sichuan lines between his brows due to years of frowning.
When shopkeeper Qian finished describing it, he also finished painting.
Mao Xiang said to shopkeeper Qian, "Turn around and see if it's him?"
Shopkeeper Qian turned his head suspiciously and immediately shouted, "Yes, that's right! It's him!" As he said this, he shouted helplessly, "Especially his eyes, they look different from ordinary people!"
"The villain can't tell. Anyway, honest and humble people like us definitely don't have that kind of look in his eyes. He looked at the villain at that time, and the villain couldn't even do his job well!"
He Guangyi also looked at the portrait and said, "This man's eyes look like a soldier!" He said with certainty, "He is a frontier soldier. He has been stationed outside the Great Wall for many years. He looks at everyone with cold eyes!
"
"It will be easier with the portrait!" After Mao Xiang finished speaking, he looked at shopkeeper Qian, "Do you still remember where he came from and arrived in front of your shop?"
Shopkeeper Qian thought about it, "Xibian! The villain was squatting on the doorstep to eat with a bowl in hand. He hit this man from the west. He didn't say he wanted to buy sesame cakes at first, maybe because he smelled the aroma. The villain remembered that he was in the
He stayed in front of the door for a moment before speaking!"
"Why did he ask where this person came from?" He Guangyi was confused.
As if he could see through people's hearts, Mao Xiang murmured, "The west side is right. The west side of Qianji Shaobing Shop is the back gate of the palace!"
"Prince's Mansion?" He Guangyi was suddenly startled, as if he had caught something, but it was still a little blurry.
"Go back and don't mention today's events to anyone!" Mao Xiang said softly to shopkeeper Qian, "Remember, if you reveal even a word to others, you will never be able to bake sesame cakes again for the rest of your life!"
"The villain understands, the villain understands!" Shopkeeper Qian kowtowed as if he was pounding garlic.
He is just an ordinary citizen, who has never seen such a battle. A group of vicious men broke in, put a knife directly on his neck, and then was caught here...
"Go back!" Mao Xiang waved his hand slightly.
Shopkeeper Qian immediately got up, took a fearful look, and ran out without looking back.
"Wait!" Mao Xiang shouted, took out a bright gold bar from his arms, threw it over, and landed with a clang, "Pick it up, I'll reward you!"
"This..." Shopkeeper Qian didn't dare.
"Let you take it!" Xiao Quan, who had eaten enough, glared.
Shopkeeper Qian quickly picked it up and ran away.
Later, the portrait was copied into several more.
Mao Xiang rolled one up with his own hands and handed it to He Guangyi, "Now that we have the portrait, I don't need to teach you what to do next!"
He Guangyi took it solemnly, "Senior, don't worry!" He said, looking into Mao Xiang's eyes, "First check the outside, and finally check the inside!"
Mao Xiang smiled, stood up, and stretched, "That's your business!" He said, looking at the sky, "Go get busy, it's almost dawn!"
~~~
The desolation at dawn is like a precursor to the coming of winter.
During this time, most of the residents in the city may still be sleeping soundly, while the people in the outer city have already gotten up and are ready to start running for a day's livelihood.
The dim lights flickered on and off, and the air smelled of cereal porridge and pastry pancakes.
Woof...woo...
Someone's dog barked wildly on the street, and then stopped abruptly the next second, as if its owner had pinched its mouth.
On the narrow and messy long street, a group of people walked expressionlessly.
At the front were a few tall and thin men, staring at the surroundings with cold eyes.
A few men who had just left home and were about to go to work put one leg on the street and immediately retracted it. They nodded and bowed to the group of people approaching.
"Erlang, so early?"
"Well!" Zhang Erlang, who was surrounded by people, was smiling at these poor neighbors, "Are you ready to go to work?" He stopped and smiled again, "Your warehouse manager is also evil-hearted, God.
If you don’t light up, you have to work!”
"The warehouse is busy, let's go early!" The men who were about to start work lowered their heads and chuckled.
"It's better to be early. Those who rely on their own strength to eat will do more!" Zhang Erlang smiled, but just as he was about to leave, he noticed something was wrong with the other person's expression.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Erlang stopped again, "But is there a problem at home? Or is something wrong?"
Several men working there looked at each other, and one of them boldly said, "I shouldn't have troubled Erlang, but... the warehouse originally promised that wages would be paid every three days, but yesterday the warehouse manager said
, business is not good this year, so we have to give us a monthly payment. You also know that if there is no cash, the family will go hungry..."
Suddenly, the smile on Zhang Erlang's face disappeared, "Humph, the poor business of his warehouse is his warehouse's fault. It is only natural that you work hard and get money." He said, paused, "You go to work first!
"
After a few men walked away, Zhang Erlang said to the people around him, "Sir, at noon, you go over to the storekeepers and tell the warehouse owners that I don't care about others, and my people will be paid for their work. Ask them, it's them
You offer to give it, but you still have to ask me to get it!"
"I know!" Zi nodded, and then pointed to a low house in front, "That's the house... last March, Zhou Dasheng's uncle came to stay with him, and his uncle didn't
I went out to look for work, and spent the whole day going from home to home, talking nonsense about gods, Buddhas, suffering in this life, and the next life, and so on."
"Let's go!" Zhang Erlang said and led people directly over.
Ever since Guo Yuanshan gave him the task, he and his confidants had been investigating non-stop in this mixed place in the outer city.
After an investigation, we found some clues and arrested some people.
And the person who is about to be arrested in front of him is the main culprit who has been recognized by many people at the same time.
This person secretly spreads the White Lotus Sect in the outer city.
It was pitch dark inside the thatched house without any lights.
Zhang Erlang outside waved his hand, and a man walked to the door, inserted the dagger in his hand along the crack of the door, and then pushed it slightly. The wooden door opened silently.
The people inside seemed to be awakened by the incoming cold wind, and opened their eyes drowsily.
"who........"
Then, the woman's scream suddenly sounded.
"ah!"
Several men entered with daggers in hand and immediately controlled the people inside.
On the long street, many people looked over suspiciously.
Zi stood next to Zhang Erlang, "Erlang is working, don't look at things you shouldn't!"
In an instant, all the suspicious and curious eyes on the long street disappeared.
Zhang Erlang bent down and entered the house.
Wolf-like gazes passed over those frightened faces.
"Erlang, this is Zhou Dasheng!"
Zhou Dasheng, who was in his thirties, was unable to move with a dagger held at his neck.
Zhang Erlang did not speak to him immediately, but scanned the room and found the remains of yesterday's dinner on the table next to him.
"Oh, the food is good, and there's meat!"
Zhang Erlang smiled contemptuously, "Where is your mother?"
"I............"
Zhou Dasheng hesitated, and before he could finish his words, he heard a bang. It turned out that a dagger had pierced his thigh, and blood flowed out. Only then did he scream loudly.
"ah!"
"Shut up!" Zi shouted and looked at the woman next to Zhou Dasheng, "Someone, take this woman out and send her to a prostitute's village to make the brothers happy!"
"The boss! The boss!" The woman began to scream.
Several men grabbed her arms and pulled her out of the bed. She was in a state of joy.
"The head of the house? The head of the house?" Seeing Zhou Dasheng lowering his head and covering his wound without speaking, the woman howled and said, "Fellow gentlemen! Dear masters! His uncle went to Laojun Temple last night and didn't come back all night!"
"Shut up!" Zhou Dasheng yelled angrily, "Smelly bitch!"
Pfft, the knife stabbed in again.
Zhou Dasheng screamed, Zhang Erlang looked at the woman, "You must be at Laojun Temple!"
"Yes!" the woman shouted, "just after dinner yesterday, the temple priest from Laojun Temple came to look for him personally, and then left together!"
Zhang Erlang thought about it and said, "Catch them all and shut them up!" Then, with a wave of his hand, he said, "Laojun Temple!"
~~~
I was rear-ended by a pickup truck in Guangyuan early yesterday morning. I only have one hand to use now. Please forgive me.
This chapter has been completed!