"I thought it looked so similar, it turned out to be her, it must be her." She seemed a little excited, and after spreading the scroll completely flat, she looked at Yuanji and asked, "Look, is it her?"

Yuanji stared at the scroll blankly, and after a long time he murmured: "I... don't know..."

The scroll on the desk is well preserved, and the scene inside the painting is as if the ink was still fresh and was just yesterday.

The hair is as black as ink, and the light in the luster is like glaze. The eyes are like clear stars, glowing with intoxicating color. The fair cheeks are pink and pink, and the red lips are full and attractive.

arc.

She is a beauty.

Graceful and plump, with the gauze covering her body, she looks like a fairy in the mist, but her expression reveals the sadness of winter snow and frost. Her hand is stroking the piano, and behind her is the roaring river.

In a daze, Yuanji seemed to be able to hear the sound of waves and the sound of strings just by watching.

He trembled in surprise and said: "She is..."

"She is Le Wushuang." The old lady stroked the edge of the scroll and said regretfully, "This was painted by Jiang Xiaonan. The two of them are known as the two most beautiful women in Yanzhou. With one book and one piano, they are both wonderful women who are glimpsed in the world.

When I went to Prince Zhen's Mansion for a banquet, Prince Zhen was newly married, and all the ladies of the first class were chatting in the backyard. At that time, they talked about Yanzhou Shuangjue, and all the women said that they had seen Jiang Xiaonan, but they had never seen Le Wushuang.

, felt regretful. She drew it on the spot and showed it to me. When I saw the portrait, I thought, this person doesn’t live like an ordinary person, but like an immortal, haha.”

Yuan Ji was speechless, staring at the picture and his mind went blank.

But he was asking in his heart, is this woman his biological mother?

From her lips, eyes, nose, ears, to her expression, Yuanji seemed to want to detach himself and recreate it. Is there any resemblance between him and her?

In his vague consciousness, he asked confusedly: "Are she and I the same?"

He turned to the old lady, with an unprecedented look of helplessness on his face. He was like a child looking at this strange world in bewilderment.

When.

The crisp sound of footbells suddenly appeared in my heart, like ripples that opened up the fog in my heart, reappearing the dark and damp woodshed, and in the shadow, Yuanji and the boy looked at each other.

The cry echoed in the ears, the little hand rubbed the tears on the side of the cheek, and the wound was dripping with blood.

Dyeing away the dust, a long silence..z.br

"picture."

These firm words were like taking away everything in the nightmare, like countless mirrors suddenly breaking, suddenly pulling Yuan Ji back to reality.

He repeated in confusion: "Like?"

"Like." The old lady pointed at the portrait, then pointed at him, "Exactly the same."

Yuanji repeated: "Exactly the same."

"The facial features are the same, and the look is just like the old person." The old lady suddenly stroked his face, "It's just that the coldness on her forehead is not hers, it's more like...like..."

She withdrew her hand in panic, covered her lips and turned her head to stop talking.

Yuanji asked eagerly: "May I ask, madam, who does she look like?"

"Don't ask, I can't remember the old things at my age." The old lady smiled hastily, "Your name is Yuanji. I have remembered your name. From now on, I will come and talk to you often.

ah?"

She seemed to be comforting a child.

But when the child realized the secret hidden behind the scroll, he was no longer a child.

Yuanji fell silent, stared at the scroll for a long time, and nodded silently.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and Bai Yi shouted outside: "Madam, the Third Master is going out to discuss matters, and there are not enough guards to accompany him, so Yuan Ji must accompany him."

The old lady responded and immediately waved her hand towards Yuanji and said, "Yuanji, go ahead."

Yuanji saluted and stood up. When he walked out of the door, he looked back.

The old lady hummed a tune and took out the needle and thread from the small box on the table. She pierced the needle and thread, but she couldn't get it through several times.

Baiyi whispered urging outside, but Yuanji ignored him. He turned back and stretched out his hand.

old man

The person looked up at him in confusion, and then slowly handed over the needle and thread.

Yuanji threaded the needle and thread, then handed it back, bowed solemnly, and left.

The old lady sat blankly in front of the door holding her needle and thread, looking at the empty courtyard outside the house, listening to the loud crow of cocks outside the house, and sighed quietly.

"My son is not as good as your son." The old lady looked at the people on the scroll, and then put the needle through the opened embroidery, "This thread is like our women's hair, each strand is connected with longing.

, each thread is connected to the past, passing through it needle by needle, leaving what I don’t want to forget in the veil, and what I want to forget comes back. Tell me, is this the life of our women?”

She smiled kindly at the portrait, and immediately put the needle through the embroidery, passing through it and coming back.

Go over and come back.

Dawn has arrived, and the dawn light spreads in like a tide along the threshold, coating the picture on the table with a bright glow.

The person in the painting who jumped out from the ink seemed to have changed in an instant.

The expression is soft and the corners of the mouth are slightly raised.

The sky was cloudless in the early morning, and the orange glow spread along the wilderness, illuminating the earth and awakening Chongdu from his deep sleep.

In the early morning, a yawning sentry guard stood at the head of the city on Dongmen Street. On the spacious street, farmers led their buffaloes and walked slowly toward the city gate.

A carriage drove by.

In the carriage, Chen Jinqiu looked at Yuan Ji and Bai Yi, held the letter in his hand and raised it slightly, saying: "This letter says that if this case is to be tried, it must rely on the care of you two. I believe what my elder brother said, just

You two..."

He paused and stopped talking, but both Yuan Ji and Bai Yi understood clearly that Chen Jinqiu had no reason to believe them.

Yuanji withdrew his gaze from the window and said, "The person I want to meet on this trip can give you an explanation."

"Chongdu is not as good as Yanzhou, with nine inner and outer cities mixed together." Chen Jinqiu drew a circle in front of him with his hand, "There are informants from all sides everywhere."

"So we have to find a character who travels around the world." Baiyi drooped his sleeves and said, "He is in charge of Dongmen Street. Even if you don't know him, you should have heard of him."

"Helmsman of Dongmen Street?" Chen Jinqiu frowned in confusion, and after a moment of thought, he suddenly hissed, "You want to take me to see that ruffian?"

"Sir, that's wrong." Baiyi smiled knowingly, "Anyone who runs around in the world will say that a local ruffian is not suitable. He has done a lot and has a lot of influence in Chongdu. You will inevitably need to use him in the future."

Yuan Ji followed up and said: "Your Majesty returned to the capital to take over the prison this time. The officials below didn't say anything openly, but privately they were quite dissatisfied. There will be many places to work in the future, and I will have to deal with this person.

I can make it clean and beautiful even in public."

"But those are all black men on the road. If I associate with such people, where will I put my face if others see me?" Chen Jinqiu was worried. "Most of the people in prison are these scum who run around in the world."

The man in white clothes put his hands into his cuffs and said: "Sir, as the saying goes, there are two worlds, black and white, each with its own destiny. Although Jiang Zimo was escorted to the capital, whose territory is it now? Your Excellency knows this well, and I don't know much about it.

Say it."

Whose territory is Chongdu? Chen Jinqiu swallowed hard after hearing this.

This is the world of Pang Boyi and Da Sikong.

"The case is big and involves a wide range of things, so it is inevitable that there will be an errand search." Yuanji leaned back, "But the attitude of the officials who were humble yesterday, not to mention the officials who tried the case, or the soldiers who conducted the search, I'm afraid even the jailer was also interested in your Excellency.

Unconvincing."

"I understand." Chen Jinqiu waved his hands a little helplessly, "I will meet him with you."

The carriage soon stopped at a gambling house on Dongmen Street. He honestly pulled the reins and said into the carriage: "Third Master, we are here."

Yuan Ji and Bai Yi got out of the car first, then helped Chen Jinqiu down, and the three of them entered the gambling house together.

In the gambling room, the dice are shaken and the shouts of Pai Gow can be heard all the time.

Baiyi led the way towards the inner room. The waiter running tea in the shop saw someone and wanted to stop him, but Baiyi handed over the money and then whispered something to the waiter.

The waiter weighed the money in his hand and entered the inner room hesitantly.

After a while, he came out and led the three people in.

The furnishings in the inner hall are extremely luxurious. Furniture made of Western wood, carpets from overseas, and antique furnishings are all prestigious and noble items.

And a person sitting on the soft couch was drinking wine while holding an amber wine baron.

Yuan Ji and Chen Jinqiu stood at the back. They lifted their hats and sat down. They grabbed the wine jar, then pulled the Amber Wine Jue from the desk where they were sitting and poured wine into it.

The man held the wine master and turned his head, looked at Bai Yi coldly, and said, "I heard that you went to make a living in that ungrateful place in the outer vassal. The scoundrels outside said that someone claimed to be Bai Yi. I didn't believe it at first."

"I stayed here for a few years and I just came back recently." The wine-guzzler in white clothes immediately wiped his thin lips and said, "I'm here to ask for a drink."

The windows in the house were hung with thick curtains, so the sun couldn't come in, but the thick curtains reflected a deep purple-red color.

"That's enough wine." The man stood up in the shadows, held up the wine bar and walked to Bai Yi, "Drink."

His voice was a little hoarse, and Chen Jinqiu couldn't see his face clearly.

Baiyi had a drink with him. Yuanji found a wicker chair and sat down, saying, "I have something important to do here."

"You, the undesirable bastard, are here too? Humph." The man turned his face, showing his cold eyes, "Is there someone you want here?"

"I'm not here to kill people." Yuanji raised his cold eyes and looked at him, "I'm doing business."

"The last time you came to my place, you killed twenty people." The man walked up to Yuanji and knelt down to stare at them, "Twenty good swordsmen."

"Hey, Gaocheng, the past has passed." Baiyi stretched out his arms towards Chen Jinqiu, "We are here to do business today. Look, this is the right eunuch of Tingwei, Mr. Chen Jinqiu."

"Hello, sir." Gao Cheng gestured to Chen Jinqiu with his fists clasped, but his cold eyes were still staring at Yuanji, "What business?"

"Uh, haha." Chen Jinqiu laughed out loud. He saluted and said, "Boss Gao, I'm here to hire some of your Jianghu people to help me look after a few people."

Gao Cheng turned his head sideways, and the deep purple dim light shone on the three claw marks on his face. He cherished his words like gold and asked: "Who?"

Chen Jinqiu smiled kindly and said, "He is a felon in prison."

"Humph." Gao Cheng turned around and looked at Yuanji with contempt, then stepped on the soft and thick carpet and walked toward Yuanji, "The felons are in prison, why do we need the help of loaches like us in the world to look after people?
Chapter completed!