The world of film and television begins with Hikaru no Go

When Di Renjie came out of the meditation room, it was almost noon.

The sun was high overhead, and the incense smoke in the temple was thickened by the heat.

Master Yuanzhen was waiting in the corridor. When he saw Di Renjie come out, he put his hands together and bowed slightly.

Di Gong returned the greeting, and the two exchanged glances. Master Yuanzhen then stopped asking questions.

"Master, I apologize for disturbing you this time."

Master Yuanzhen waved his hand, leading him outside.

This time, they went out through the main gate. The stone steps outside the gate were whitened by the midday sun. Di Renjie stopped at the threshold, squinted at the streets and alleys outside, and turned back to thank Master Yuanzhen again.

"Huaiying—" Master Yuanzhen returned the greeting, "Take care on your journey ahead."

Di Renjie nodded, turned around and walked down the stone steps.

Zhang Rui walked beside him.

The two walked back along the way they came, through the alley, and onto the main street.

Di Renjie walked slowly, with his hands behind his back, his steps steady.

There are roughly three possible outcomes from meeting the emperor.

First, he was reinstated as the Chancellor of the Fengge and Luantai, but was also dismissed and appointed as an official.

Tomorrow I will go to Taiyuan to perform the ancestral rites on behalf of the emperor.

Actually, they were going to Youzhou.

With the title of offering sacrifices to ancestors on behalf of the emperor, one could act legitimately in Youzhou without having to consult the court for every matter.

Second, the warrant for Li Yuanfang's arrest was lifted, and he was sent to serve under Judge Di to atone for his crimes through meritorious service.

Wu Zetian didn't even ask Li Yuanfang much; she granted his request as soon as Di Renjie brought it up.

Zhang Rui thought that in Wu Zetian's eyes, the wanted notice for a guard of an envoy was not a big deal at all. She needed Di Renjie to solve the case, and Di Renjie needed to use this person, so she used him.

Third, Hu Jinghui, the General of the Thousand Bull Guard, accompanied Di Renjie northward to await orders.

Empress Wu Zetian sent this person to Di Renjie's side, intending to transfer a capable member of the Imperial Guard as a bodyguard, but it secretly suited Di Renjie's wishes.

He was just thinking about how to meet this lieutenant general in private, and now that he has been arranged to be by his side, it will be much more convenient.

"grown ups."

"Um?"

"What are your plans regarding Hu Jinghui's matter?"

Di Gong did not stop, his gaze falling on the roof tiles at the end of the street ahead, where the midday sun made the tiles gleam with a white light.

"Don't worry, I have my own plans."

When we returned to the inn, it was dinnertime.

The lobby downstairs was noisy, with waiters carrying hot dishes moving between tables and chairs, and the smell of cooking oil mixed with people's voices wafting up from the stairwell.

Li Yuanfang and the others were in the room, with a knife beside them and a bowl of water that had long since gone cold on the table.

The window was cracked open, facing the street directly in front of the inn.

This was a habit he had developed over the past two days: guarding this crack from morning till night, scrutinizing every face that entered and left the inn.

Footsteps sounded outside the door. He first gripped the hilt of his knife, but only released it when he recognized Di Renjie's footsteps.

The door opened, and Judge Di walked in.

Li Yuanfang stood up: "My lord, have you seen His Majesty?"

"I saw him."

Di Renjie sat down at the table and poured himself a bowl of water.

The bowl was made of coarse porcelain, with a thin crack along the rim. The water rippled slightly at the crack before settling back down.

"From this day forward, you are no longer a wanted criminal, and all arrest warrants issued by the authorities are hereby destroyed. His Majesty commands you to serve under me and atone for your crimes through meritorious service."

Li Yuanfang stood motionless in front of the table.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't say anything.

From the time the mission was attacked until now, he has been on the run as the murderer, fleeing from Lingzhou to Jiangzhang, falling from a guard to a wanted prisoner.

Now that he has been cleared of charges, it's all thanks to this old man he's only known for a little over ten days, who was willing to vouch for him.

He took a step back, knelt on one knee, and made a deep, resounding sound.

"Your humble servant thanks you for your life, sir."

Judge Di extended a hand in a gesture of support: "Don't thank me yet. The warrant has been withdrawn, but the murderer hasn't been caught. You can thank me after the case is solved."

Li Yuanfang was silent for a moment, then nodded: "This subordinate understands."

Judge Di stood up: "Pack your things, have a meal first, then go home."

"go home?"

"I have a house in the capital. I'm sorry you've had to make do these past few days. Pack your things and we'll be leaving in a couple of days after we've rested a bit."

Li Yuanfang opened his mouth as if to ask something, but in the end he didn't ask anything.

"Yes."

Zhang Rui had a meal at the inn but didn't eat. On the way back, Di Gong bought him some snacks, but he wasn't hungry.

The Di residence is located in the south of the city, about seven or eight streets away from the inn—not too far, but not too close either.

The two walked through several bustling streets and turned into a quiet alley.

The alley was narrow, with blue brick walls on both sides. A few locust tree branches peeked out from the top of the walls, their leaves wilting under the midday sun.

At the end of the alley was a small wooden door with a plaque above it that read "Di Mansion". The paint was old, but the verdigris on the door knocker was clean.

Judge Di stood in front of the door and looked up at the plaque.

I stayed in Pengze for five years, and that door remained closed for five years.

To avoid being implicated, the children had already moved out to live separately.

He reached out and pushed the door open.

The courtyard was smaller than Zhang Rui had imagined. The main hall was directly opposite the gate, with a side room on each side. The courtyard was paved with bluestone slabs, and several clumps of unknown weeds grew in the cracks between the stones. The stone slabs were swept clean, and the corridors had also been wiped.

New paper was pasted on the windowsill of the main hall, and the water vat in the corner of the courtyard was half full of clear water, with a newly picked lotus leaf floating on the surface.

Di Chun strode out from the main hall to greet them, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his hands still wet.

He arrived in the capital a day later than Di Renjie. Without resting, he began to tidy up the house that had been vacant for several years.

"Master!" Di Chun walked up, took the bundle from Di Gong's hands, glanced at the young man with the knife beside him, smiled politely and nodded, then turned to ask, "Master, who is this?"

"Li Yuanfang, you will be working with me on this case."

Li Yuanfang stepped forward and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

Di Chun quickly returned the greeting and led the two into the main hall with a smile: "The main room and study have been cleaned and swept, and the east wing is empty with freshly changed bedding."

Judge Di nodded, stood in the center of the courtyard for a while, and looked around.

Di Chun was efficient in his work, and the old house, which had been idle for many years, finally came back to life.

A wisp of cooking smoke wafted from the kitchen, mixed with the aroma of soy sauce and vinegar.

Di Gong withdrew his gaze and said to Di Chun, "Prepare a few more dishes for dinner. Is there any meat?"

"Yes, there's a chicken stewing on the stove, and plenty of steamed buns..."

"Not enough. Add two more dishes, and make the portions bigger."

Di Chun responded and turned to leave, but stopped after a few steps.

When the master lived in Pengze, he lived alone and needed two sets of bowls and chopsticks for every meal; when he ate alone, there was always an extra set on the table.

At that time, I just thought that the old man was getting old and had some habits that he couldn't understand.

Now that I'm home, the first thing I do is prepare extra food, which is really strange.

Dinner was eaten separately.

Di Gong instructed Di Chun to take Li Yuanfang to the east wing for a rest, while he himself sat in the main room.

There were six dishes and a soup on the table: a pot of stewed chicken, a plate of braised pork knuckle, a plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, a plate of pickled radish, a plate of steamed fish, a plate of scrambled eggs, and a large bowl of vegetable and tofu soup in the middle. Steaming hot steamed buns were stacked in a bamboo basket.

Zhang Rui stood by and served himself rice and vegetables.

Di Gong didn't make any special offer. He just ate halfway through, put down his chopsticks, used the serving chopsticks to put a few bites of food into the empty bowl next to him, and then pushed the bamboo basket over there.