The world of film and television begins with Hikaru no Go

"I won't lecture you on loyalty to the emperor, nor on righteousness," Judge Di said, leaning back in his chair with his hands folded on his knees. "I'll only ask you one question: Whom do you hate?"

"Wu Zetian." Hu Jinghui said without hesitation.

"Then who did you kill?"

Hu Jinghui opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

"What did those people in the delegation—the Turkic envoys, guards, and attendants—have to do with your aunt's death? Did your blade strike them? Did you avenge her? Did Wu Zetian lose a single hair?"

"And then there's the earthen kiln." Di Gong didn't give him a chance to catch his breath. "The guards of the earthen kiln were your colleagues from the Thousand Ox Guard. They were soldiers just like you, received military pay, and obeyed imperial orders. When you killed them, they didn't even know who killed them... They were probably glad they didn't know who killed them. If they had known that the person who killed them was their superior with whom they had worked for many years, do you think they would have felt?"

"And there's that list in Liu Jin's hands, the register of over 130 people from the Yue King's meeting in Xiangyang. What do your accomplices want with it? If they don't betray you, hand it over to the court, and their families will be confiscated and exterminated. You're using the same methods Wu Zetian used against you against your own people. Some of those people on the list know about it, some don't; some actively participated, some just had their names written on paper. But once this list is made public, none of them will survive."

Di Renjie stood up and looked directly at Hu Jinghui.

"You didn't back down on the battlefield because you knew why you were fighting. But in this matter... have you ever thought about who you were fighting for? For your aunt's innocence, or something else? You've killed so many people for others, how much revenge have you avenged? Wu Zetian is still sitting on the dragon throne, yet your sword has only struck innocent people. Those soldiers who have followed you for years, those who call you General—have you ever thought about whether you deserve to be called that?"

Hu Jinghui's jaw tightened, and he almost gritted his teeth to pieces.

"I've invited you here today not to punish you," Judge Di's tone softened. "You've done many things for them. You've done what they asked you to do; and you may not know everything they didn't want you to know. I want to make a deal with you—just between you and me."

"you say."

"The mission case, the attack on the princess, where Liu Jin is now... tell me everything you know. I can promise you: only the ringleaders will be punished, and no one will be implicated. Those on the list will die if they deserve to die, and live if they deserve to live. But those innocent people on the list who are implicated only by their names, I guarantee with my life, not a single one of them will be implicated."

"Do adults keep their word?"

Judge Di picked up his teacup, took a sip, and found the tea had gone cold.

"In my entire life, I have never broken a promise."

Hu Jinghui remained silent for a long time before raising his head.

"My lord, I am the viper. I was responsible for the mission incident, as well as the killing of the guards at the kiln and the rescue of Liu Jin. You may kill me or punish me as you wish, but I have nothing to say. As for the rest, please forgive me for not being able to speak."

Di Renjie looked at him.

I can't say.

It's not that I don't know, it's that I can't say.

He confessed to his crime readily and decisively.

They wouldn't utter a single name of their accomplices.

There was no denial, no sophistry; it was just the last little thing a person wanted to hold onto.

Judge Di picked up his teacup and took another sip of the cool tea.

Zhang Rui leaned against the corner, the kitchen knife in his hand hanging limply.

He had prepared for the worst. Hu Jinghui was a viper, with unfathomable martial arts skills. From the moment he entered the room until now, the knife at his waist had never left his side.

Judge Di was in the light, while he himself was in the dark.

If Hu Jinghui suddenly launches an attack, there's not much he can do.

But Hu Jinghui didn't move, and Di Renjie dissected his wounds one sentence at a time.

He sat there, his eyes red-rimmed, his cheeks clenched tightly, but he didn't touch the hilt of the knife once.

When Di Renjie put down his teacup, his gaze lingered on Hu Jinghui's face for a moment.

On that face, the angles of the cheekbones and jaw were sharp as if carved by a knife, and the eyes were red, but there wasn't a single tear.

This man defended his position on the battlefield for more than ten years, and was personally praised by Empress Wu Zetian for his extraordinary bravery during the military parade at Nanyuan...

He has accumulated too much merit and too much hatred.

He hated Wu Zetian for over forty years, hated her to the bone, but he didn't become a mad dog that only cared about blood.

At least, Zhang Rui's comments about Hu Jinghui were not entirely negative.

In the ending he described, this person's final fate was to die saving himself?

Di Renjie found it hard to imagine what that scene would be like. To be honest, he was not willing to let Hu Jinghui off so easily.

There are far too many reasons to kill this person.

The number of people he killed and the crimes he committed are enough to warrant his execution a thousand or ten thousand times over.

Wrong is wrong, but bottom line is bottom line...

But if you can't even distinguish right from wrong, how can you talk about good and evil?

However, Hu Jinghui is the only surviving member of Empress Wang's lineage.

Forty-five years ago, in that great calamity, all male members of the Wang clan aged fifteen and above were executed, and many distant relatives were also implicated.

It is truly remarkable that this bloodline has survived to this day.

A baby just a month old had his surname changed and was exiled to the malaria-ridden land of Lingnan. He crawled out of the plague, fought his way out of the battlefield, and survived step by step to this day.

Judge Di has his own judgment on the case of Empress Wang, as I have already stated.

But the person in front of me is the last drop of blood in the Wang family.

Kill him, and this bloodline will be completely severed.

"Since you cannot tell me, I will not ask."

After a long silence, Di Renjie put down his teacup: "Your grudge is real, and your crime is real. These two are intertwined, and no one can separate them. But from this day forward, you will stay by my side and not leave my side for even a moment. His Majesty has given you the authority to obey my commands, so you shall obey my commands. Your crime will be addressed after the case is closed. Until then, you will remain the General of the Thousand Bull Guard, and still my personal bodyguard."

Hu Jinghui raised his head, his brows furrowed tightly.

He doesn't understand.

He had already confessed to the mission case and the abduction of Liu Jin from the kiln, and he knew better than anyone what kind of crime that was.

According to the law, he deserves imprisonment and could be executed by being cut into a thousand pieces.

Even if he is spared execution, he will still be subjected to severe interrogation to force him to reveal the whereabouts of his accomplices.

This was something that was prepared for after the confession.

I thought that after hearing this, Judge Di would call someone in, tie him up, and send him to the prison.

But what Di Gong said was, "Stay by my side, don't leave me for even a moment."

"Does Your Excellency still trust me?"

"I can't trust you, so you absolutely cannot leave. You're more suited to be by my side than anywhere else."

I don't trust it, so I keep it close at hand.

It is neither given to others nor handed over.

Hu Jinghui stood up, took a step back, and knelt down on one knee.

Di Renjie did not help her up, but merely reached out and pressed her hand lightly.

"Sit down, I have something else to ask you. Speak what you can; remain silent about what you cannot. Hand over your belongings to Di Chun, and from this moment on, you will stay by my side."

Hu Jinghui sat down again, and Di Gong picked up the teapot and refilled the teacup in front of him.

The tea was cold, but no one noticed.