The world of film and television begins with Hikaru no Go

Judge Dee leaned against the carriage wall, holding an old book in his hand. He didn't open it, but looked out through the half-rolled-up curtain for a while before suddenly speaking.

"When Han Yu wrote that poem, he was traveling this very route. He was being demoted from Chang'an to Chaozhou, passing through Tongguan, Hedong, and crossing the Taihang Mountains. He set off in winter and encountered heavy snow when he reached Languan. The full line is: 'Clouds hang across the Qinling Mountains, where is my home? Snow blocks Languan, my horse cannot move forward.'"

Zhang Rui paused as he was drawing on the sand table. Two days ago, when Di Gong taught him to write these two sentences, he only read the first half and not the whole thing.

Where is my home? My horse will not move forward.

No wonder...

"Do all those who are demoted take this path?"

"Not entirely, it depends on where they are exiled to. Those going south mostly pass through Tongguan, then Languan, and enter Lingnan via Jingxiang. Those going west go through Longyou. Those going east go along the Grand Canal."

"How about going to Pengze?"

"Leave Luoyang, go to Ruzhou, pass Huaixi, cross the river and enter the Jiangnan West Road."

Judge Di placed the old book on his lap and tapped the cover lightly twice with his fingers.

"That year, I traveled with Di Chun for nearly two months. When we arrived in Pengze, it was winter. The county magistrate brought two yamen runners to the ferry to meet us, saying that Pengze hadn't had a magistrate for three years, and the roof of the county yamen was half-leaking. They temporarily settled me in the inn. The bed in the inn was damp, and the quilt smelled musty. The next morning, when I went to check on the county yamen, I saw that the desks in the main hall were covered with a layer of dust..."

"By the way, there's a case I'd like to hear your opinion on. It's the first case I handled after taking office in Pengze. A young woman was washing clothes by the river west of the city when she slipped, fell in, and drowned. The coroner's examination revealed urine in her mouth and nose, mud between her fingers, and a shallow scratch on her ankle. The body also showed she was three months pregnant. Her husband said he didn't know she was pregnant, and the neighbors said they heard arguing at her house the night before. The woman's mother came from a neighboring county, saying her daughter had been afraid of water since childhood and had never dared to go to the river alone... What do you think?"

Zhang Rui listened attentively and thought for a while: "The presence of urine in the mouth and nose, and mud and sand between the fingers, indicates that the person entered the water alive. But someone who is afraid of water wouldn't go to the river alone. There was an argument the night before, and the husband said he didn't know she was pregnant... Several clues point to her husband. We should first investigate who was arguing and why the neighbors heard the argument, then investigate her husband's whereabouts that night, and conduct another autopsy to check for any other external injuries. Even if the final determination is still drowning, these initial steps cannot be skipped."

"Not bad, quite thorough." Judge Di nodded slightly, tapping his finger lightly on his knee. "But you've overlooked the most crucial point: Pengze County only has one river, located in the east of the city. The place where the woman was found is not the same place where the report was filed."

"Grandpa, you're cheating! You haven't even taken me sightseeing in Pengze, how am I supposed to know there's only one river in the county!"

Di Renjie leaned against the carriage wall, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and mouth curving downwards at the same time.

"Alright, alright, it was my fault. Let's stop here for today and rest."

After crossing the Fenhe Plain, the official road begins to turn southeast.

The mountains outside the window gradually rose higher, turning from low hills into steep stone peaks. Occasionally, square holes for plank roads could be seen carved into the mountain walls. This was the southern extension of the Taihang Mountains, the Wangwu Mountains.

The mountain is not high, but its terrain is steep. The official road winds along the mountainside, with a stone wall on one side and a deep valley on the other.

The carriage couldn't move fast, so Di Chun urged the horses on from the front, and the copper bells jingled and echoed through the valley.

Li Yuanfang reined in his horse and walked at the front, occasionally glancing back at the direction of the carriage.

Di Jinghui was still riding a chestnut horse, following on the right side of the carriage, with only a water bag hanging on the saddle.

Di Renjie took out the map of Youzhou from the book box and spread it out on his lap.

The light inside the carriage flickered, and as the carriage rounded a bend in the mountain, sunlight streamed in through the window cracks and then retreated, making the mountain and river lines on the map appear and disappear intermittently.

"Yesterday we passed through Luzhou, and today we're entering Zezhou. South of Zezhou is Huaizhou, and beyond Huaizhou is the Yellow River. After crossing the river, we'll enter the capital region, and two more days' journey west will take us to Chang'an." Di Gong pointed to a mark in the lower right corner of the map. "This line, from Taiyuan to Chang'an, was traveled by Emperor Gaozu before the founding of our dynasty. In July of the thirteenth year of the Daye era, he swore an oath in Taiyuan, and in November he entered Chang'an. Less than half a year later, he changed the era name to Wude."

"Who were Emperor Gaozu's opponents when he raised his army?"

"Naturally, it was the Sui Dynasty. At that time, Emperor Yang was still in Jiangdu, and Chang'an was guarded by Prince Yang You of Dai. Emperor Gaozu marched south from Taiyuan, fighting several tough battles along the way, including Huoyi, Linfen, and Jiangjun... and finally reaching Tongguan. By then, the world was in chaos, with various rebel kings carving out their own territories, and everyone wanted to sit on that chair. Emperor Gaozu was not the first to raise an army, nor did he have the strongest military force, but he had the last laugh."

Why?

"Because he knew when to wait and when to leave. From Taiyuan to Huoyi, they encountered heavy rain, their supplies ran low, and news came from the rear that the Turks were about to attack their stronghold. Some in the army advocated retreating to Taiyuan, and Emperor Gaozu hesitated as well. But Emperor Taizong, who was then still the Prince of Qin, strongly advocated going south. If they retreated, their troops would scatter in front, and the enemy would take advantage of them from behind. If they turned back, they would face certain death. Emperor Gaozu listened and continued south..."

Upon hearing the words "King of Qin," Zhang Rui instinctively blurted out, "That Xuanwu Gate—"

The carriage fell silent for a moment. The copper kettle on the charcoal stove bubbled and steamed, and the white mist rose and diffused into the sliver of light that seeped in through the window cracks.

Di Renjie paused on the map for a moment, then withdrew his finger and placed it on his lap.

"Xuanwu Gate, that was on the fourth day of the sixth month of the ninth year of the Wude era. The Prince of Qin ambushed and killed Crown Prince Jiancheng and Prince Yuanji of Qi at Xuanwu Gate. Two months later, Emperor Gaozu abdicated and became the Retired Emperor, and the Prince of Qin ascended the throne. The following year, he changed the era name to Zhenguan. Since you know about Xuanwu Gate, you should also know how long Emperor Taizong reigned."

"The twenty-third year of Zhenguan."

"What else do you know?"

"Equal land distribution, military service, imperial examination, and accepting advice—Wei Zheng. In the fourth year of the Zhenguan era, he captured Khagan Jieli, and the various tribes in the northwest jointly honored Emperor Taizong as the Heavenly Khagan."

Zhang Rui used the most concise wording to extract the most crucial events of a dynasty. Di Gong leaned against the carriage wall and listened, remaining silent for a moment.

This child stumbles even when reciting the Thousand Character Classic, yet he can readily recite the Chinese translation of the Turkic term "Heavenly Khan"...

"Your knowledge is diverse, and you often grasp the essentials but not the core principles. It's like a basket of scattered pearls, each one bright but missing a thread. This applies to divination, calendar systems, and historical anecdotes."

"What's in your head isn't systematic, but you've remembered the truly important things." Di Renjie folded the map and put it back in the book box. "It's divination, it's calendars, it's history. What's off isn't your memory, it's something else."

"You just mentioned heading south, what happened after that?" Zhang Rui changed the subject. "Emperor Yang of Sui was still in Jiangdu, and the country was still at war... How did they eventually unify it?"