Photo provided to China Daily

Ye studied the painting intently and began to imagine that a big ship that is about to pass through an arch bridge is somehow suspicious. The painting depicts a dramatic scene as the ship is getting close to the bridge but it hasn't lowered its mast. The people on the bridge and along the banks are shouting to alert the ship, and the crew is busy fixing the problem.

Ye thinks that the mast is obviously higher than the bridge and the river flows slowly, so the crew should have noticed it long before the ship neared the bridge. This unusual incident in the painting is the beginning of the thriller.

The main character in the book is a descendant of the royal family who helps people resolve criminal cases. Because of his occupation, he and his family become involved in a series of strange murders which connect to each other and lead to a big mystery concerning the destiny of the whole country.

In order to faithfully represent the customs and traditions of the time, Ye spent three years reading every historical record he could find about the Song Dynasty before he started writing the novel in 2013.

Ye plans to write six installments in the series, with each one telling the story of a group of people, such as officials, farmers and merchants to give a comprehensive representation of society back then.

"I will write about all 824 people in the painting. In the first installment I have written about 149 people," says Ye.

"In the end, all of them will become involved in a significant historical event that will change everyone's life.

"It's a real event from history, but at the moment I cannot reveal what it is."

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