The world of film and television begins with Hikaru no Go

On Tuesday, he was taken away by the bailiffs, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

Di Renjie instructed the remaining bailiff to have the village head find some neighboring women to help Zhao change her clothes and bury her.

The bailiff looked troubled: "Sir, we already received it on Tuesday, but the collection fee..."

"From the county government."

The bailiff paused for a moment, then replied, "Yes."

Di Renjie stood there for a while, watching several women enter the house, whispering something, and then begin to make arrangements.

He sighed, turned around, and walked out of the courtyard gate.

Zhang Rui remained standing by the earthen wall, and when he saw Di Renjie come out, he took a step forward to greet him.

"Is it all done?"

"Hmm," Di Renjie responded, his voice somewhat deep.

The chatter in the courtyard gradually faded away, and the wind blew in, carrying the smell of earth and firewood.

The two stood side by side for a while, neither of them speaking.

After a while, Di Renjie finally spoke: "When you were standing outside just now, did you see anything... strange?"

Zhang Rui was taken aback: "Something strange?"

"Hmm." Di Renjie's tone was vague, as if he was unsure how to put it, "It's just... in this place, is there anything... that others can't see?"

Zhang Rui still didn't understand, and his mind was full of doubts.

Di Renjie seemed to realize he hadn't asked clearly enough, and paused for a moment: "I meant to ask—"

He paused for a moment, which was rare for him, and glanced into the courtyard before looking back.

Zhang Rui watched his series of movements and suddenly realized what was going on.

Judge Di was asking if he had seen Zhao's ghost.

Zhang Rui shook his head seriously: "No."

Di Renjie did not respond.

Zhang Rui secretly observed his expression, which was hard to describe. He seemed to have breathed a sigh of relief, but also seemed to be a few degrees more serious than before.

"That's good."

Di Renjie spoke this sentence after a long while, his tone flat, but it didn't sound like he was comforting anyone; it sounded more like he was convincing himself.

He simply lowered his head, looked at the yellow earth beneath his feet, and remained silent for a long time.

There are no ghosts or gods in this world.

That's always been his opinion.

When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out; there's no such thing as a soul that doesn't linger.

Those supernatural and bizarre things are nothing but the nonsense of fools.

But if there are no ghosts or gods in the world, what should this child who appears in front of me be considered?

They are not ghosts or gods, yet they are just like ghosts and gods, invisible and intangible to others.

But unlike the ghosts and spirits others talked about, he could eat, sleep, quietly stay by your side, and even thank you...

So what exactly is he?

Di Renjie thought for a long time but couldn't come up with an answer; he just felt a tightness in his chest.

Perhaps no answer is needed; he is just a child, a child with nowhere to go.

Di Renjie didn't look at Zhang Rui again, but just stood there, his gaze fixed on the gray fields in the distance.

A breeze blew by, carrying the chill of late autumn.

Just as Zhang Rui was about to say something, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from afar.

A bailiff came running up, panting, the hem of his official robes billowing in the wind, his face covered in sweat and filled with anxiety.

"Grandpa! Grandpa!"

Di Renjie turned around, his brows slightly furrowed: "What's wrong?"

The bailiff ran up, bent over, and gasped for breath before managing to squeeze out a complete sentence: "Your... Your Excellency, the imperial edict has arrived! The Imperial Envoy is already at the yamen gate, ordering you to return immediately to receive it!"

Di Renjie paused, as if he hadn't heard clearly, and stood still.

Imperial edict?

He had been demoted to Pengze for several years. In these years, the court seemed to have forgotten about him. He had gradually gotten used to this remote county, to trivial cases, and to a life of simple meals.

Why did the imperial edict suddenly arrive?

Di Renjie's gaze was slightly unfocused, as if he were looking into the distance, or perhaps into the distant past.

In just a moment, he came to his senses, his expression returning to its usual composure: "Understood. Go back first and tell them I'll be there immediately."

"Yes!" the bailiff replied, turned and ran, but after a couple of steps he almost tripped over his own clothes, stumbled, and ran away without looking back.

Di Renjie did not set off immediately, but simply stood there, as if processing the news.

Zhang Rui already had the answer in his mind: Wu Zetian must have summoned Di Renjie to the capital.

For this empress to recall an old minister who had been demoted for many years, something serious must have happened in the court.

Looking at the old man standing silently in the wind beside him, Zhang Rui suddenly felt that those "plot points" didn't seem so important after all.

What matters is never how the plot will unfold, but that Judge Dee, this old man, is leaving this place.

I'm going to the capital, to those treacherous and unpredictable places, to face opponents a thousand times more dangerous than those involved in the chicken theft or the wife-murder.

How can someone who is invisible and intangible to others continue to stay by his side?

In the TV series, Di Renjie ends up safe and sound, but this is reality.

If we really encounter danger, can I, a person without even a body, protect this elderly person who has taken such good care of me?

The wind picked up a bit more, rustling the withered grass by the roadside.

Di Renjie finally moved. He first turned around and glanced at Zhang Rui, then whispered, "Follow me." He then gave a few instructions to the servants in the courtyard before mounting his horse.

Di Chun led the horse, and the group hurried towards the county government office.

Zhang Rui silently floated behind the crowd, not stepping forward.

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

When they returned to the county government office, the front hall had already been arranged.

The incense table was placed in the center, and wisps of incense smoke rose, filling the entire hall with a solemn atmosphere.

The imperial envoy was a fair-skinned, beardless middle-aged man dressed in a scarlet official robe. He stood to one side of the incense table, holding a bright yellow imperial edict in his hands, his expression solemn.

Upon seeing Di Renjie enter, he nodded slightly, and without exchanging pleasantries, directly unfolded the imperial edict.

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees—"

Di Renjie straightened his clothes and knelt down.

Zhang Rui stood outside the hall, looking at it from a distance across the threshold.

"Di Renjie, the magistrate of Pengze County, is a man of great talent and vision, with a broad mind and lofty aspirations. He is known for his loyalty and diligence in governing the people and for his integrity and prudence in the region. He is hereby ordered to depart immediately for the capital for an audience with His Majesty. This is the imperial decree."

The voice was not loud, but each word was clear, echoing in the spacious front hall.

Di Renjie kowtowed: "Your subject Di Renjie receives the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude."

Having said that, he accepted the imperial edict with both hands, slowly stood up, his movements steady and revealing no emotion.

The imperial envoy took out another document from his sleeve and handed it over: "Lord Di, this is an urgent official document from the court. His Majesty orders you to review it."

Di Renjie took it and unfolded it.

The document was short, only a few pages long, but with each line down, my brow furrowed more.

Zhang Rui couldn't see the words on the official document, but he could vaguely guess what it said.

The Turkic delegation was killed, the princess was assassinated, and the earthen kiln caught fire...

What Di Renjie was about to face were precisely these intricate and complicated troubles.