The world of film and television begins with Hikaru no Go

When Di Renjie returned to the main hall, the sky had darkened further.

A lamp was lit on the table, and the flame flickered slightly inside the lampshade, casting the mountain and river lines on the map in alternating light and shadow.

Hu Jinghui and Li Yuanfang stood on either side of the table, with a map of Youzhou spread out on it, and two places circled in red ink: Daliushu Village and Xiaolianzi Mountain.

Judge Di sat down behind his desk, the lamp flame flickering on the lampstand: "The treasury is empty, but so much official silver couldn't have vanished into thin air. Melting, transshipment, laundering—it all comes down to the money shops in the city. Jinghui, go to Tianbao Bank yourself. Bring back the account books, lock the manager up in a separate room, and I'll interrogate him suddenly."

Hu Jinghui nodded, accepted the order, and left.

Di Chun emerged from under the eaves and quickly followed.

Two figures walked one after the other into the twilight outside the door; their footsteps were quickly carried away by the wind.

Di Gong withdrew his gaze and pointed his pen toward Da Liushu Village.

"Yuanfang, go here. The villagers' unrest has been going on for a while now, and if we continue to suppress it, someone will die. The compensation money must be paid out within three days. Disburse a batch first to stabilize the most urgent households. Remember, you must personally deliver the money to them."

Li Yuanfang clasped his hands in a fist salute, turned around, and left the main hall.

Judge Di put down his pen and summoned a guard.

"Send a team of elite troops out of the city from Xiaolianzi Mountain to control the entrance to the mine. Operate secretly, do not enter the mountains, and do not light torches. If they make any unusual moves, capture them alive."

Hu Jinghui led six people to the entrance of Tianbao Silver Shop, which was still open for business.

The evening wind blew in through the door, making the pages of an open account book on the counter rustle.

A worker was moving the beads on an abacus, his movements slow and deliberate, moving them a couple of times and then pausing.

Hearing the noise at the door, the shopkeeper came out from the inner room. He was about fifty years old, with a round, plump face. When he smiled, his eyes narrowed into slits, and he bent over very low.

"General, please come in. May I ask...?"

Hu Jinghui took out the document from his pocket, unfolded it, and placed it on the counter.

"During the governor's office's investigation, all banks in the city will suspend operations to cooperate with the investigation. This is routine procedure; there is no need to panic."

The shopkeeper's smile was still on his face, but it was obviously a little stiff; his lips didn't lower, but his eyes didn't move.

Before Hu Jinghui could answer, he turned to his men and said, "Please ask the guest to leave. The staff should gather and keep watch, and set up guards at the front and back doors."

The guests didn't need to be invited at all; seeing the commotion, they all scurried away, and the waiter was driven to a corner, his face turning pale.

The abacus beads were swept by the sleeve and scattered all over the floor with a crackling sound, but no one bent down to pick them up.

The shopkeeper stood still, his back bent, his hands in front of him, his fingers twisting together and then relaxing.

All the account books were moved out, and Hu Jinghui led the shopkeeper onto a horse and headed towards the governor's mansion.

As they passed through a narrow alley, the shopkeeper's chubby face was covered in sweat, and his collar was soaked and stuck to his neck.

Zhang Rui followed closely, while Hu Jinghui made no extra movements, keeping his hand on the reins, not turning around, but staring straight ahead.

Tianbao Bank was Jin Mulan's money bag, and he sealed it off.

From this moment on, there is no turning back.

Daliushu Village was far away. When Li Yuanfang arrived, a group of people had gathered at the village entrance. It was a dark mass, with many young and strong men holding hoes and carrying poles, and a few carrying machetes whose blades gleamed coldly in the setting sun.

No one spoke; only the whooshing sound of the wind sweeping across the threshing floor could be heard.

Yuanfang dismounted and, instead of rushing into the village, stood on the stone platform at the village entrance and cleared his throat.

"Listen up, everyone! The newly appointed Governor of Youzhou, Di Renjie, has taken office. The former governor, Fang Qian, was arrested for corruption and abuse of power. The compensation funds will be fully reimbursed within three days; we will allocate them for urgent use today."

The crowd didn't immediately disperse. Some muttered, "Can we trust what the government says?", some took a step back, and others gripped the handles of their hoes tightly.

Yuanfang didn't explain further. He took a cloth bag off his horse, held it in his hand, and walked to the front of the crowd.

"The person in charge, come out."

An elderly man, around sixty years old, was made way from the crowd. His back was slightly hunched and his cuffs were worn and frayed.

"Report the names of the families in the village who have been affected by the disaster, by household." Yuanfang opened the cloth bag, revealing neatly stacked silver coins. "Distribute the money to those who are in the most urgent need first. Distribute it now."

The old man paused for a moment, his lips moved, and he turned to look at the people behind him.

A buzzing sound arose from the crowd, and a woman leaned halfway out before retreating back in.

"Really?"

Yuanfang placed the silver on the millstone at the village entrance: "Report to each household, distribute to each household, I will give it to them personally."

The old man then came to his senses and turned to greet the people.

Two young men carried benches and account books from the ancestral hall at the village entrance and went door-to-door to check the records.

Yuanfang stood beside the millstone, gave his name, and handed over a sum of money.

The villagers who received the silver held it in their hands, some with tears in their eyes, and some even knelt down to kowtow, but Yuanfang helped them up.

After the last urgent customer was served, there were still a few ingots of silver left on the millstone. Yuanfang handed them, along with the cloth bag, to the old man.

"I'll keep the rest here for now and record it in my account. I'll come back when the larger sum arrives."

The old man accepted it with both hands, his hands trembling violently. He bent down to bow, but Yuanfang held his arm.

Yuanfang mounted his horse, and behind him came a woman's suppressed sob, sharp and shrill, as if she had been choked by something for a long time and then suddenly let it out.

There's not much to say about Xiaolianzi Mountain.

When the elite troops left the city, it was already pitch black. They could only grope their way up the mountain path in the dark, their feet crunching on the gravel, a sound that was especially clear in the quiet mountains.

The leader made a gesture, and the whole group slowed down, their footsteps becoming lighter.

The mine entrance was halfway up the mountain. Two guards sat behind a rock, dozing against the cliff. A half-empty flask of wine sat at their feet, the cork unsealed, and a sour smell wafted in the wind.

The elites approached, but made no sound.

Two people were assigned to each one, one covering their mouth and the other tying them with rope, and they dragged and pulled them into the bushes.

The guard kicked his legs twice, letting out a muffled groan before being swallowed by the darkness.

The entrance was taken down. It was called an entrance, but there wasn't even a door. It was just a low wall and a few wooden stakes, but that was enough.

If this road is blocked, people inside the mountains can't come down, and people outside the mountains can't come up.

The leader of the squad sent someone back to the city to deliver the message. The messenger ran along the mountain road in the dark and was so out of breath that he could not speak when he arrived at the governor's mansion.

Judge Di accepted the letter, placed it on the table, and said nothing.

Hu Jinghui had already returned, closed the bank, and piled up the account books on the table, a total of seven books.

The person stood to one side, still carrying the coolness of the night breeze.

When Yuanfang arrived, he was covered in dust and his horse's hooves were covered in mud. He came in, bowed, and stood aside without saying much.

Judge Di sat behind his desk and looked at Hu Jinghui.

"Did the shopkeeper bring it back?"

"They've brought them back and are keeping them in a separate courtyard."

Judge Di nodded: "The interrogation tonight revealed that the treasury was empty, so there must be something in the bank accounts."

Having said that, he flipped through the account books on the table. The candlelight flickered twice, illuminating the ink on the account books in alternating light and shadow.

"Go and rest for now. I'll send someone to call you if anything happens."

"Yes."

There were no lights under the eaves, only a thin layer of moonlight covering the stone steps.

Hu Jinghui stopped in his tracks, turned his back to the main hall, and remained motionless.

A cool night breeze blew in from the courtyard.