As soon as the matter came to Ren Xiaozai, it immediately became simple. She didn't even ask, "Why did you come to solve the case?" and recommended Song Yang to the Criminal Department.
Song Yang was very lucky. Master Du, the Minister of Punishment, was sitting in the Armillary Sphere Prison at that time... Not long ago, there was a major fire in Kuitang, and now there is a case of corpse hiding in the Feng Shui array. The pressure on Master Du is self-evident.
If this case cannot be solved, then he, the minister, will not do it.
However, Master Du did not attach too much importance to Song Yang. He just called Song Yang to come closer to hinder the princess's face.
Master Du was in his 60s and a senior official, but he was born with a bitter face and no dignity at all. He looked Song Yang up and down and said, "His Royal Highness, you can solve the case?" His voice was very soft. If
It wasn't that Song Yang had a very good ear, it was almost impossible to hear what he was saying, and the man seemed lifeless when he spoke, without any sense of life at all.
Song Yang responded truthfully: "I am a widower and have some insights into autopsies. I hope I can help."
Mr. Du smiled. He didn't feel happy or contemptuous. He just felt that Song Yang's answer didn't mean much: "There is no corpse, just a skeleton. You can see it if you want." After speaking, he raised his voice slightly.
There were some sounds, but still seemed weak: "Don ham."
"Your Majesty is here." A slightly fat middle-aged official rushed up a few steps and bowed to the Minister.
Shangshu nodded and said to Song Yang: "Just tell him if you have any feelings. Be more attentive and careful, and don't let the princess recommend you." After saying this, he waved his hand for them to leave.
The real name of "Tang Ham" is Tang Huotai, but Du Shangshu occasionally brought out some local accents when he spoke, so the name Tang Huotai became "Tang Ham" in his mouth. Over time, this became Tang's nickname in the Ministry of Justice.
In the Tang Dynasty, the ham official worshiped Yuan Wailang, who was not of high rank but had served in the Ministry of Punishment for many years and was familiar with people. He accompanied him to take care of things, which greatly facilitated Song Yang's movements.
Song Yang did not go to investigate the scene or read the confessions. The Criminal Department in Beijing had numerous capable people. Song Yang did not feel that he would be better than others when it came to investigating the case. He just got straight to the point and asked to see the corpse. Tang Hamang readily agreed.
, led Song Yang away.
The skeleton had long been taken away from the Feng Shui array and is now sealed in the mortuary directly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Punishment.
Only the bones and a little hair were left... Song Yang circled around the remains, not identifying them as carefully as Tang Ham thought. He only took a rough look, and then stretched out his hand to point to the skull: "Can I take it away?"
Tang Ham was startled: "Where to take it? What to do?"
"Take it back to the inn and look at it carefully... I will return it in two days at most. I will probably have a conclusion by then." As for what kind of 'conclusion' it was, Song Yang didn't say much.
Tang Ham was a little hesitant. The case was sensational, and the bones were a top priority. How could he let others take them away? But then he thought about it, Song Yang was recommended by the princess, and the minister personally allowed him to solve the case. He was just an errand boy, so he couldn't do anything wrong.
He was being pretentious. If something happened, it had nothing to do with him, so he just nodded.
At dinner time, Song Yang returned to the posthouse with a round package, and Xiaojiu also bought all the things he ordered: clay, soft and hard rulers, cinnabar and red pens, paste... Song Yang finally ate something.
I lit a few more candles on the table and took out the skeleton with enough light. Xiaojiu didn't know what was in the package at first. Only when Song Yang started working did she realize that her young master had actually brought such a terrifying 'thing'
, Ouch exclaimed and took a few steps back.
Song Yang smiled at her and said, "If you are scared, just go and sleep with Xiao Qi. You don't have to stay here to take care of her."
Xiao Jiu gritted her teeth and shook her head. The young master left the maid and ran away? She didn't have this idea in her heart. Song Yang didn't try to persuade him, so he calmed down and began to study the skull in front of him with concentration, sometimes measuring it carefully with a soft and hard ruler.
Sometimes he would reach out and repeatedly touch the zygomatic, cheek, forehead and other parts of the skeleton. Sometimes he would stand up, wash his hands, and go out to find other people in the inn.
Xiaojiu became more and more curious as he watched, and followed behind his master. Song Yang had nothing else to do with him. After saying a few polite words, he reached out to touch his face, Er Sha, Uncle Qu, and other people he got acquainted with on New Year's Eve.
.
After really studying for a while, until the moon was in the sky, Song Yang began to stir the clay. Seeing that Xiao Jiu finally understood what he wanted to do, he asked tentatively: "Young master, you want to restore the appearance of this skeleton."
?" Song Yang nodded absently. He touched other people's faces in order to find similar bone proportions as a reference for the thickness of fat and muscle tissue. Xiao Jiu was surprised and excited at the same time, and praised: "This is all
Okay? My young master has magical skills!"
Song Yang responded casually: "I have seen my colleagues do it before, but this is the first time I have done it myself." After saying that, he remembered that there is no such thing as 'colleague' in this life, and he has never had a 'colleague' in this life. He couldn't bear it.
Just laugh at yourself.
Xiao Jiu took the courage to sit closer and couldn't hide the happiness in his brows: "If you can restore the portrait, this case will not be far away from being solved... By then, you will definitely become famous all over the world!"
Song Yang shook his head and said: "I will be satisfied if there is only 10% or 20% similarity." Even if it is done by a former 'colleague', if there is 40% similarity in the end, it is already a good result. Song Yang only relies on his memory.
, it was his first time to do this kind of thing, and he was lucky to be able to restore it twice.
Xiao Jiu frowned, her facial features moved, and a few shallow wrinkles appeared on her small nose: "One or two percent...will it be useful? I won't recognize anyone by then.
Got him."
"So there is another key point, which must be firmly grasped." Song Yang smiled, did not explain anything more, and continued busy...
Early the next morning, according to Song Yang's instructions, Xiaojiu went out with the money and invited back several craftsmen who made clay figures and a painter who was good at portraits. They discussed with each other according to Song Yang's ideas.
, pinch out some thin or thick clay, and carefully stick it on the skull. The skull gradually becomes fuller and has a rough shape.
It's just a complete appearance, just the shape of the head. The facial features haven't been molded yet. At first glance, you can't even tell which is the front and which is the back of the head.
The next important thing is the positioning and placement of the facial features. Those artists have no idea about this. Song Yang picked up the ruler again... His eyebrows were slightly furrowed and his expression was focused. Song Yang measured it carefully.
, while carefully outlining it with a cinnabar red pen, taking a few steps back from time to time to take a look at the distant view.
After a long time like this, Song Yang located the facial features of the deceased one by one. Xiao Jiu was no longer afraid now. Seeing Song Yang being serious, she was full of curiosity. When the master was finally busy, she quickly held a cup of incense with her beautiful little hands.
Ming: "Thank you for your hard work, Master... But Xiaojiu doesn't understand, on what basis do you place the position of his facial features?"
Song Yang took the tea and drank it in one gulp, then he let out a breath of turbidity: "Three courts and five eyes, the golden section."
Xiaojiu blinked and didn't understand anymore...
After that, a clay sculptor is asked to shape the facial features. Once this step is reached, the progress speeds up a lot. Is it a single eyelid or a double eyelid? Is it a lion nose or rosacea? Is it thin lips or thick lips... Even if you have great ability, from then on
It's impossible to discern the details of the facial features on a skeleton. All the clay sculptors had to do was to carve out a corresponding, satisfactory 'organ' at the position 'designated' by Song Yang.
Soon, a head portrait took shape. As Song Yang said, in general, it is considered lucky to have a 10 or 20% resemblance.
The masons retreated and the painters came into battle, but as long as Song Yang used the head portrait as a reference, what he painted was not a lifeless portrait... All these things were busy until noon and the work was finally completed. Song Yang thanked him
Several masters washed the skull and wrapped it, and rushed directly to the Ministry of Justice with the painted portrait. After finding Tang Ham, they bluntly said: "Issuing an announcement based on this portrait."
Tang Ham was completely surprised: "You drew a portrait of the suffering master? How... how did you draw it?"
Song Yang didn't explain much, just said: "It may not look like it, but it is better than nothing. If it is published, maybe someone will recognize it."
Tang Hamang nodded while opening the scroll and looking down. After just one glance, he gasped and his expression became dumbfounded: "Mr. Song, isn't this inappropriate?"
Song Yang smiled a little sheepishly: "This... I can't help it, it has to be like this!"
In the portrait, the sufferer opens his mouth, revealing a mouth of jagged teeth, and is enjoying himself...
This is the portrait of the sufferer. If it can be confirmed, it will be posted at the city gate and distributed everywhere to look for people who know him. Regardless of the great importance of this case, every move of the Criminal Department is watched by the government and the public. Just now.
Once the portrait is distributed, it will definitely cause a sensation in the capital.
In the past pictures released by the Ministry of Punishments, whether they were wanted robbers or corpse identification documents, all the people in the pictures were plain and upright, but this time, it was a portrait of a dead ghost who was laughing loudly.