Chapter 293 Portrait
Prisoners sentenced to prison were usually sent to a certain place for supervised labor. Some criminals were sent to quarries, some were sent to dig canals, and some were sent to build city walls, etc.
Originally, Liu Guangrun was scheduled to be sent to another province to dig canals.
A eunuch from the Imperial Household Department came to the government office to deliver a message, and soon Liu Guangrun was sent to a quarry on the outskirts of Beijing to serve his sentence.
Since the people live nearby, the Liu family can take care of them.
There are many spies in the capital, and any slight movement may not be covered up. The location where the eldest son of the Liu family was serving his sentence was changed, and someone received the news within half a day.
Song Jin at home also knew about it.
What shocked her even more was another piece of news: after meeting Imperial Physician Liu, Lord Yang did not leave but went to meet someone else.
The spy ventured close to the tea shop and hid on the roof of a building. About half a quarter of an hour after Lord Yang left, two people walked out of the room. One was a masked man in a black robe, followed by a scholar with a feather fan and a scarf.
It was obvious at first glance that the two were not ordinary people.
Song Jin tightened his grip around the secret letter.
This person is most likely the mastermind she is looking for.
"Wearing a mask... is it too shameful to be seen in public?"
Song Jin muttered to himself.
During the day, Qin Chi went to the government office. She didn't know how old man Hong investigated, so she went out in disguise.
The carriage was just approaching the Jifang Pharmacy.
Qin Qi suddenly reminded, "Boss, there are people watching outside the shop."
"Keep the carriage moving forward."
Song Jin responded quickly.
Qin Qi drove forward and passed the side door of the medicine shop. The medicine shop was temporarily closed for business due to the Liu family incident. Song Jin wanted to find Song Jitao. Judging from the situation, he was being targeted.
Finally the carriage stopped at the back door of a wood shop.
Song Jin got off the carriage and went into the wood shop. In order to conceal his whereabouts, Qin Qi drove the carriage forward and went out from the other side of the alley.
Song Jin just stepped into the backyard of the wood shop.
Then a low shout was heard.
“Who is it?!”
When the other party saw who was coming, he immediately said respectfully: "It's the boss. I'm sorry, I didn't see it clearly just now."
"No problem."
Song Jin waved his hand to indicate that everything was fine, "Is the shopkeeper in the shop?"
"Yes, I will report it right away."
After saying this, the man hurriedly went to look for someone, and a moment later, a young man in his early twenties appeared.
He came up to Song Jin and bowed respectfully, "I am Wei Yuan, your honor to meet you, Master."
Wei Yuan came to Jingshun from Huizhou Prefecture. His family was originally a herbal farmer of the Song family. He was one of the people selected by Xing Lun from the herbal farmers. After so many years of training, he can now stand on his own.
"No need to be so polite."
Song Jin asked again: "Do you know how the pharmacy is doing?"
"Shopkeeper Song just sent a message saying that he was being followed. I was just about to tell you about it, but you came here first." Wei Yuan immediately remembered that this place was not far from the medicine shop, and was slightly startled. "Could the boss have been to the medicine shop?"
"Ah Qi noticed something unusual, so we didn't go in." Song Jin followed Wei Yuan into a living room and continued, "You should pay more attention to the Song family in Wanping. I'm worried that the Liu family will take action against them."
"Don't worry, sir. I heard that they had taken over the Princess's residence not long ago."
Wei Yuan's news surprised Song Jin.
Song Huaiwang was indeed capable. She just asked Xing Lun to give him a batch of overseas goods, and he used this to expand his network.
After chatting for a few sentences.
Song Jin explained the purpose of his visit, which was to meet the spy who had seen the masked man and the scholar.
Wei Yuan quickly called someone over.
The visitor was a teenage girl, wearing tight clothes and with healthy wheat-colored skin. She looked at Song Jin with bright eyes, "My name is Mu Ting, nice to meet you, boss. I heard that you have something to talk to me about?"
"Yes, I have something to ask you."
Song Jin chatted for a few more words.
It is learned that Mu Ting has no parents and was once a wandering orphan. She was spotted by Xing Lun and adopted a few years ago.
"I called you here because I want you to describe what those two people look like so that I can try to draw them." Song Jin asked Wei Yuan to get pen, ink, paper and inkstone.
Mu Ting said regretfully: "It's a pity that I was far away at the time and didn't see their faces clearly. I just know that they are not young."
"It doesn't matter, as long as you can draw the spirit."
Song Jin took out a blank piece of paper, placed it flat on the table, and touched the tip of the pen with ink.
Asked carefully again.
Song Jin painted the masked man and the scholar according to Mu Ting's description. There were no detailed features, just a general appearance, and the focus was on capturing the other person's charm and temperament.
Draw one picture after another.
Change again and again.
There is no wrong version in the 1619 book forum!
Mu Ting has a good memory.
He described his first impression of the two people and then made some modifications based on Song Jin's drawing.
Spent an afternoon revising it.
When dusk fell, Mu Ting finally said that they looked very similar.
"Devil mask?"
Song Jin remembered that he had appeared in Huizhou Prefecture earlier, "Is this scholar holding a feather fan?"
The fan in the hands of a scholar is an elegant object.
Nowadays, scholars usually carry folding fans when they go out. Scholars who carry feather fans are usually elderly.
There was only one figure painting of two people left, which Mu Ting's painting gave her the most similar feeling. The rest of the paintings were thrown into the brazier by Song Jin and burned.
"This is a secret and must not be disclosed." Song Jin added this sentence deliberately.
Wei Yuan and Mu Ting responded cautiously.
Song Jin hurriedly left with the portrait, and it was almost dark when he returned to Cuihua Hutong.
As soon as I stepped into the dormitory, I saw Qin Chi.
Qin Chi sat at the table, his fingers lightly touching a blue and white porcelain tea bowl. He was in a trance until he heard someone push the door open. He came to his senses, stood up and asked in a deep voice: "My wife came back late, did you have dinner?"
"No, let's go to the kitchen and check."
Song Jin hurried out and back home. Not to mention dinner, he even forgot to eat lunch, so when Qin Chi mentioned it, he realized that he was starving.
Qin Chi said: "The kitchen has left some food for my wife and Qin Qi."
Song Jin nodded.
Qin Chi poured her a cup of tea first.
Song Jin handed the portrait he brought back to Qin Chi, then picked up the fruit on the plate on the table and started eating.
Qin Chi gently opened the portrait.
After watching for a while, he asked, "Madam, who are they?"
"After Lord Yang met with Imperial Physician Liu, he went to meet these two people." Song Jin had many guesses about the identities of the two.
Ultimately it was just speculation and could never be confirmed.
Qin Chi rolled up the portrait and put it into his sleeve. "The person in the painting should be much older than us. I'll take it to Uncle Hong for review. He has seen all the dignitaries in the capital."
"Then go ahead, my husband. I'll go to the kitchen to take a look." Song Jin finally realized that it was inconvenient to have no maid around her. Otherwise, now that she was tired, she would not have to go to the kitchen, but would directly order the maid to serve the meal in the kitchen.
After Qin Chi went out.
Song Jin changed out of his men's clothes.
Just as he stepped out of the door and took a few steps, he saw Qin Qi walking towards him quickly with a lunch box in hand.
After asking, I found out that it was Qin Chi who ordered it.