The world of film and television begins with Hikaru no Go

"Can anyone prove where you were yesterday?"

The farmer fell silent.

Di Renjie looked at the old man: "Go back first. I will have someone investigate this matter. If someone really stole the chicken, the truth will come out naturally. If no evidence is found... then don't bother me any further."

Although the old man was reluctant, he had no choice but to nod in agreement when he heard that an investigation was to be conducted. He glared at the farmer resentfully and then left.

The farmer also lowered his head and left through the door.

Di Renjie watched the two figures walk away, remained silent for a moment, and then whispered to the bailiff beside him, "Follow that farmer and see where he goes."

The constables immediately stepped forward.

The second group to enter consisted of two middle-aged men, who were arguing heatedly over a mere foot of land.

Zhang Rui stood to the side, watching as Di Renjie calmly listened to both sides' accounts, flipped through the land deeds, found the original registration book, and compared them inch by inch.

Fifteen minutes later, Di Renjie called both of them over and said a few words, pointing to the annotations in the bottom register.

Both of them were convinced and withdrew.

The third person came to collect documents. Di Renjie verified his identity and then handed the documents to him.

The fourth incident was a neighborhood dispute, where someone claimed that the neighbor's house construction encroached on the land where his roof was dripping.

The morning passed just like that.

Di Renjie showed no impatience from beginning to end—he listened to people who spoke incoherently, and waited for them to finish speaking before speaking himself; he sent people to investigate when they could not provide evidence.

Watching him handle these trivial matters one by one, a thought suddenly popped into Zhang Rui's mind—

Perhaps this was the daily routine of a county magistrate in ancient times.

There are no thrilling moments from traditional operas, nor the brilliant strategies of solving cases; all that's left are these trivial matters.

Di Renjie took every matter very seriously.

They will not be perfunctory because the matter is small, nor will they find the common people uncouth.

Historically, he was described as an "upright official" and a "super detective," but what Zhang Rui met today was a county magistrate preoccupied with trivial matters.

Perhaps it is in these trivial matters that one's true abilities can be seen.

Instead of sitting in the study waiting for major cases to come, I immerse myself in these trivial matters to observe human relationships.

Zhang Rui watched as Di Renjie opened another household register and realized that he wasn't like the omnipotent detective portrayed in TV dramas, but rather a county magistrate who would argue over a chicken or a piece of land.

But it is precisely this meticulousness that gives him weight.

-----------------

noon.

Di Renjie put down his pen, looked up, and glanced at Zhang Rui standing beside him.

"How's it going?"

"...It's alright. I just didn't expect the magistrate to have to deal with so many trivial matters."

"Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

"Is this how you are every day?"

"What?"

"Handling these...trivial matters."

"Otherwise what? This is what the county magistrate is in charge of. This is what the people want. A county, it's not too big, it's not too small, and you're in charge of all the big and small affairs." Di Renjie stood up with a smile, stretched his body, "I still have to continue the trial this afternoon. If you want to watch, come back. If you're bored, just wander around."

Zhang Rui responded, still preoccupied with the chicken theft case from that morning, hesitating whether to speak.

"What else?"

"...Who stole that chicken?"

Di Renjie glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Guess."

Zhang Rui was taken aback, never expecting that Di Renjie had this side to him.

He wasn't a stern-faced magistrate judging cases; he was more like an ordinary old man joking around with his own children.

Di Renjie smiled and said, "The case hasn't been investigated yet, how would I know who stole it? However—some things about what that farmer said don't add up. I'll send someone to ask around the village this afternoon, and then we'll know for sure."

"Let's go eat first."

Looking at his retreating figure, Zhang Rui suddenly felt that perhaps this was Di Renjie.

No matter how big or small the matter, once you've taken it on, you should see it through to the end.

He will definitely find out the truth about that chicken.

Even if it's not today, there will always be an outcome.

-----------------

The back hall of the county government office.

A square table, two chairs, and several dishes already laid out on the table.

A bowl of white rice, a large bowl of vegetable and tofu soup, a plate of steamed fish, a plate of stir-fried radish shreds, and a small bowl of pickled mustard greens.

Zhang Rui looked at the food on the table and was slightly taken aback; it was much more lavish than the food he had eaten that morning.

Although I don't know what prices were like in the Tang Dynasty, I can tell that this meal was not cheap.

"What are you standing there for? Sit down."

Di Renjie sat down opposite him, picked up the rice bowl, first filled a large bowl for Zhang Rui and handed it to him, and then filled a small half bowl for himself.

Zhang Rui stared at the overflowing bowl of rice, then paused, "Di Gong, this is too much..."

"Eat up, young people have big appetites."

Di Renjie picked up his chopsticks again, took the tenderest piece from the belly of the fish, and put it into Zhang Rui's bowl.

Zhang Rui glanced at the dishes on the table, then at Di Renjie.

"Lord Di, are all of these... for us? Isn't this a bit too much?"

Di Renjie picked up a piece of green vegetable with his chopsticks and said casually, "I forgot to ask you if you had any dietary restrictions this morning, so I had the kitchen prepare a few extra dishes for lunch. Is there anything you don't eat?"

Zhang Rui shook his head: "I don't have any dietary restrictions, I can eat anything."

"That's good. Eat up, don't be shy."

Zhang Rui lowered his head, picked up the bowl, and shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth.

The white rice was a bit hard, but very fragrant.

Di Renjie ate very slowly and in small amounts, perhaps due to his advanced age.

He picked up a few pieces of vegetables, drank a couple of sips of soup, and finished the small half bowl of rice in his bowl before putting down his chopsticks.

Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, Zhang Rui put down his chopsticks and asked, "Master Di, why aren't you eating?"

"I'm full."

"Is that all you're eating?"

"I'm used to it."

"...Di Gong, please eat some more. You've been busy all morning; you can't just eat vegetables."

Zhang Rui looked at the empty bowl in front of Di Renjie, hesitated for a moment, then picked up a piece of fish and put it in Di Renjie's bowl: "This fish is good, Di Gong, please try it."

"it is good."

Di Renjie smiled, a gentle light flashing in his eyes, as if carrying something else—like relief, or perhaps heartache.

He looked at the piece of fish in the bowl, then at Zhang Rui, paused for a moment, and said, "Then I'll eat some more."

He picked up a piece of fish, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly.

Zhang Rui breathed a sigh of relief and continued to eat his rice.

Di Renjie watched him eat for a while, then suddenly said, "You don't need to worry about me, just eat your fill."

"Um."

Zhang Rui responded with a sound of agreement, without looking up again.

After a while, I heard a noise from across the street and couldn’t help but look up to see that Di Gong had added another half bowl of rice and was eating it slowly.

Zhang Rui's lips unconsciously curved into a smile as he buried his face in the bowl, his movements of shoveling rice into his mouth becoming much lighter.

-----------------

After finishing his meal, Di Renjie put down his chopsticks.

Zhang Rui also put down his bowl, looked at the leftover food on the table, stood up, stacked the empty bowls and plates together, and then put the fish bones and vegetable scraps into a bowl.

The movements weren't particularly nimble, even a bit clumsy, but they were done very seriously.

Di Renjie leaned back in his chair, watching his movements with a gentle gaze, without saying a word.