1. Protagonist character
- Name: Shen Yanzhi
- Identity: Former Beiyang government's Ministry of Justice. He was dismissed due to an unjust case. He opened an "Inkstone Detective Agency" in the Tianjin French Concession. He made a living by helping people find cats, investigating adultery, and finding lost things. In fact, he has keen observation and rigorous logic, and is especially good at capturing clues from the details of the market.
- Personality: On the surface, he is cynical, loves to talk, and is humorous, but in fact, he has a bottom line in his heart, sympathizes with the people at the bottom, and hates bureaucratic corruption; he understands English, knows ancient books, knows some boxing and kicking (studied from Tianjin Wei Lao boxing master), and carries a pen (actually a concealed weapon) and a thread-bound "Removal of Injustice".
2. Historical background
- Time: 1926, Tianjin Wei
- Environment: The French Concession intersects with the Chinese border, western-style buildings and alleys coexist, the remnants of warlords, foreign businessmen and compradors, Jianghu gangs, literati and ordinary people are mixed together. It has the modern atmosphere of electric lights, telephones, cars and bungalows, but also has the imprint of the old era of feudal ethics and Jianghu rules; public security is chaotic, unjust cases occur frequently, official police stations are inefficient, and private detective agencies have become the choice of many people.
3. Fixed supporting roles
- Chen San: Shen Yanzhi's apprentice, 16 years old, born as a street kid, smart and sweet-tongued, familiar with the streets and alleys of Tianjin Wei, responsible for running errands, inquiring about information, and occasionally providing key clues.
- Su Manqing: A 24-year-old female reporter from "Ta Kung Pao". She returned from studying abroad. She has progressive ideas and dares to expose the undercover. She often meets Shen Yanzhi because of covering cases. Sometimes she cooperates and sometimes competes, and they have a secret affection for each other.
