The world of film and television begins with Hikaru no Go

The sun had set, and the last ray of light retreated through the window, darkening the back room.

Di Chun tiptoed in and lit the candles in the gauze-covered room one by one. While lighting the last candle, he whispered, "My lord, the East Flower Hall is ready. The princess ate half a bowl of porridge for dinner and said she wants to see you."

Zhang Rui floated beside Di Renjie, watching him take off his old robe, which he had worn all day, and drape it over the back of his chair.

The fabric, soaked with sweat and then dried by the wind, had a light grayish-white tinge, and the wrinkles were completely messed up.

She changed into a clean robe, combed her hair back to its original shape, making sure not a single strand was out of place.

Judge Di straightened his clothes: "Let's go."

"Sir, do you really want to see her?"

"It's time to close the net."

"Let's call Li Yuanfang along, just in case something unexpected happens..."

"Yuanfang just fought a battle on the city gate, let him rest." Di Gong glanced at Zhang Rui, the little guy's worry still showing. He paused, then added, "Have Jinghui accompany him."

The East Flower Hall was brightly lit. Li Qingxia sat by the window, dressed in a plain dress, her hair loosely tied into a bun and adorned with a silver hairpin.

There were several small dishes and half a bowl of porridge on the table, but the porridge had already gone cold.

Hearing footsteps, he stood up, a forced smile curving his lips, but the degree of his smile was perfectly measured—any more and he would be overly solicitous, any less and he would be indifferent.

"Uncle has arrived."

"Qingxia," Di Renjie's gaze swept across the table, "not having an appetite?"

"Perhaps it's because I've been locked up for so long, nothing tastes good anymore."

Li Qingxia invited Di Renjie to sit down, picked up the teapot, poured a cup, and presented it with both hands, her fingertips supporting the bottom of the cup, steady and unshaking.

"But Uncle, at this age, you can't be careless about your diet."

Di Renjie took the teacup, took a sip, and placed it on the table.

The two chatted for a few more minutes, exchanging nothing more than questions like, "Are you getting used to living here?" and "Are you feeling better?"

Li Qingxia answered fluently, sometimes frowning, sometimes pursing her lips, perfectly portraying a princess who suffered many grievances but tried to maintain her dignity.

Zhang Rui watched from the corner, finding the scene particularly amusing.

Li Qingxia was completely unaware that Di Renjie had already seen through everything. Like a diligent actor, she performed her grand opera act by act.

"Qingxia, your father, Prince Changle, has a past with me. Back in the Eastern Capital, we served as officials in the same court and discussed politics over wine. He was an upright man."

Li Qingxia's smile froze: "Uncle, why did you suddenly bring up Father?"

"Because I was wondering what he would think if he knew what his daughter had done."

The room suddenly fell silent. The candlelight flickered inside the gauze cover, making a very faint crackling sound.

"Uncle, I don't quite understand what you mean."

"You don't understand?" Di Renjie leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on her face, unhurried. "Then let me be more explicit. I came tonight to point you to two paths. The first path is to be punished according to the law. You are the leader of the rebels. The mission case, the kiln case, and the rebellion in Youzhou—all are capital offenses. After you are brought to justice, your father, Prince Chang Le, and your brother, Li Chongyi, will inevitably be implicated. The entire Li family will lose at least dozens of heads."

Li Qingxia didn't reply. Her hands, resting on her knees, slowly tightened, her nails digging into her palms.

"The second option is to end it yourself."

As he spoke, he took out a white silk ribbon and a porcelain bottle from his sleeve and gently placed them on the table.

"I will submit a memorial to the court, stating that Princess Yiyang, having fallen into the hands of villains, remained chaste and virtuous, refusing to be dishonored, and died to preserve her integrity. I request that she be posthumously honored as Princess Zhenlie. Your father and brothers will not be implicated."

Li Qingxia stared at the two items on the table, motionless.

The candlelight flickered gently inside the gauze shade, casting the shadows of the white silk and porcelain vase onto the table, their lengths shifting from one to the next.

After a long time, she suddenly laughed, a short and sharp laugh, with a kind of exhilarating feeling of finally breaking free from something that had been suppressed for too long.

"When did you find out?"

"It's very early." Di Gong did not avoid her gaze. "The female corpse in armor in Ghost Town was thin and frail, and the armor did not fit her properly. That was not the real Jin Mulan, but a substitute."

"Anything else?"

"You were locked in the cave for a month, yet your nails are neatly trimmed and your hair is perfectly styled. A person who has been imprisoned wouldn't have such thoughts."

Li Qingxia's smile deepened, as if she had heard something interesting. She paused for a moment, then clapped her hands lightly.

"Di Renjie, oh Di Renjie." She raised her head, the pitiful mask on her face finally peeling away completely, revealing her true face—ambitious, with burning eyes. "Imagine, if I weren't a descendant of Emperor Taizong, if I weren't named Li Qingxia, you probably would have captured me right here in the stone chamber, wouldn't you?"

Di Renjie did not deny it.

"The descendants of Emperor Taizong, the daughter of Prince Changle, Princess Yiyang... these names have been like a cage that has imprisoned me for my entire life. But I am not resigned to this. I want to be the second Wu Zetian. I want the world to know that daughters of the Li family are no less than daughters of the Wu family."

"Li Qingxia has never admired anyone, except you. But I don't want to choose either of these paths!"

Before she finished speaking, her right hand had already been drawn from her sleeve, and a cold light pierced straight for Di Gong's throat.

It was a narrow-bladed dagger, concealed in the cuff.

Zhang Rui pounced on her in an instant. He had been watching Li Qingxia ever since he entered the room, and this was the moment he had been preparing for.

But someone was faster than him. A dark figure wrapped in wood chips burst through the window, and Hu Jinghui's sword sheath flew out of his hand, striking Li Qingxia's wrist that was holding the dagger.

The cracking sound of dislocated joints was particularly jarring in the quiet room. The dagger spun out and flew, embedding itself in the window frame, its hilt still trembling.

Li Qingxia was knocked backward by the force of the sword sheath, and then lost her balance due to Zhang Rui's pounce, causing her to fall to the side and backward.

His forehead struck the edge of the wooden table with a dull thud, a short and muffled sound.

Li Qingxia lay on her back under the wooden table, her eyes still open and her lips slightly parted, but she could no longer utter a word.

A thin trail of blood seeped from the temple, running down the sideburns, its color tinged with a dark red in the candlelight.

Hu Jinghui rushed over, squatted down, and placed his fingers on the side of her neck.

After a long while, he slowly stood up.

"He's dead."

The room was quiet, the candlelight flickered gently behind the gauze cover, casting Li Qingxia's motionless shadow on the wall.

Hu Jinghui turned to Di Renjie and knelt on one knee: "My lord, your humble servant..."

"You're not wrong," Judge Di interrupted him. "You've come at the perfect time."

"Alan is dead." Hu Jinghui was still kneeling there, head bowed. "It's my fault."

"You advised her and gave her a choice." Di Renjie bent down and reached out to help him up, his hand resting on his shoulder without applying pressure. "If a person is determined to go down a dead end, no one can stop them."

Hu Jinghui slowly stood up, his gaze falling on the wooden table before quickly shifting away, as if he had been burned by something.

"As agreed beforehand, the remnants of the bandit leader infiltrated the mansion to assassinate Princess Yiyang, who was unfortunately killed. Hu Jinghui, the Lieutenant General of the Thousand Bull Guard, fought bravely against the assassins to protect his official and died in the line of duty."

Hu Jinghui paused for a moment, then said, "Yes."