The world of film and television begins with Hikaru no Go

Di Gong took Zhang Rui's teaching very seriously.

Since it was rare for the child to ask a question, I explained it in extra detail.

From pacifying the Turks in the north and the Tuyuhun in the west, to how to bring peace to the world in just over a decade...

"Grandpa."

"Um."

"You previously said, 'Some things are better left unsaid'... Are you willing to bring them up now?"

Di Renjie did not answer immediately. A breeze blew in from outside the window, and a corner of the map was gently lifted and then fell back down.

The copper kettle on the charcoal stove was still bubbling away, and white steam billowed from its spout, swirling around the carriage before being dispersed by the wind.

"It's nothing major. Just a memorial. Not long after Your Majesty ascended the throne that year, some in the court urged you to take the throne while others urged you to step down. I submitted a memorial saying that the country had just been pacified and it was better to remain calm than to take action, and I asked Your Majesty to refrain from the practice of informing on others."

Zhang Rui listened attentively; it was pretty much what he had guessed.

"What happens after the memorial is submitted?"

"Then someone accused me of treason."

"Who?"

"Lai Junchen was later imprisoned..."

"Xu Shide?"

Di Renjie's gaze suddenly sharpened: "You know this name?"

"……Know."

Zhang Rui briefly recounted the general plot of "The Tale of the Blue Robe": The treasure left behind by the King of Yue was hidden in three copies of "The Tale of the Blue Robe," which were kept by Li Gui, Liu Chali, and Wu Xiaojie respectively.

Xu Shide wanted to seize the treasure for himself, and he was willing to involve the Crown Prince in the matter.

Judge Di leaned against the carriage wall and remained silent for a long time. The only sounds in the carriage were the rumble of the wheels over the stone slabs of the official road and the bubbling of the copper kettle on the charcoal stove.

A breeze slipped in through the gaps in the carriage curtain, causing the corners of the official gazette to flutter slightly.

"Xu Shide is a member of the Imperial Guard. If he dares to covet the treasure of the Prince of Yue and implicate the Crown Prince... this is no accident. There must be someone in the court tacitly approving it."

"Yes, Grandpa."

"Xu Shide, I will keep an eye on him. This man is from the Inner Guard. If he has designs on the treasures left by the Prince of Yue, then the Crown Prince's involvement is not accidental; someone must be tacitly approving this. The Crown Prince has been deposed and reinstated several times, his situation is already precarious. His Majesty may not believe he would rebel, but he will definitely investigate. Once investigated, a number of people will be implicated. Don't mention what you just said so casually in the future."

After speaking, Judge Di remained silent, closing his eyes and leaning against the carriage wall.

The twilight outside the window gradually deepened, and the distant mountains were reduced to a hazy gray outline.

Following the original trajectory, Judge Di would ultimately win.

But Zhang Rui still hoped that the road to victory could be shorter and less bumpy.

That night, they stayed at the Zezhou Post Station. As usual, Di Chun brought the food for the two of them into the room and then went out to deliver it to Li Yuanfang and Di Jinghui.

Upon encountering Di Jinghui in the corridor, he lowered his voice and said, "Master was talking to himself the whole way in the carriage today—"

Before Di Jinghui could reply, he shook his head and left with the empty tray.

Di Jinghui stood there, watching Di Chun's back turn at the end of the corridor, before carrying the bowl back to his room.

Inside the room, Di Renjie put down his chopsticks and leaned back in his chair.

The food on the table was barely touched. Half a bowl of porridge was only drunk a few mouthfuls before being put down, and only half a steamed bun was broken off. The pickled radish was still a full plate.

"Please have some more."

I'm not hungry.

"Is it because of that person?"

Di Renjie did not answer immediately. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a while.

"The Crown Prince's matter is more dangerous than the Youzhou case. The Youzhou case was an external enemy, while the Crown Prince's matter is an internal strife. If things go wrong, it won't just be a matter of catching a few corrupt officials. But there's no use thinking about it now. Let's see how things go after we return to the capital."

Zhang Rui couldn't persuade him any further, so Di Gong stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open a hand's width.

A night breeze blew in, causing the oil lamp on the table to flicker.

It was quiet outside, with a few lanterns lit up in the distant streets and alleys, their glow hazy in the night.

"What are you thinking about?"

Di Renjie stood for a while before slowly speaking: "Many things cannot be done a step too early or a step too late. Like playing chess, the timing of placing a piece is more important than the position. In this game, even if I know the general outline beforehand, I still have to wait for the opponent to make that move before I can respond."

"Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help you."

Judge Di nodded and said nothing more.

The wind picked up again outside the window, rustling the trees in the yard.

At the end of October, a light rain fell in Chang'an.

The rain was light, slanting across the gray sky.

The rammed earth city wall was wet, and the color deepened layer by layer, turning into a deep dark brown.

The banners on the city tower were soaked with water, half-rolled up on the flagpole, and when the wind came, they swayed heavily for a moment, and a string of water droplets dripped from the corners of the flags.

Di Renjie lifted the carriage curtain and glanced outside. The locust trees on both sides of Zhuque Street had lost most of their leaves, and the bare branches looked particularly thin in the rain and mist.

There weren't many pedestrians on the street. A few vendors carrying loads huddled under the eaves of the gate to avoid the rain, their carrying poles lying across their feet and their baskets covered with tarpaulins.

An old man riding a donkey, wrapped in a straw raincoat, slowly made his way west, the donkey's hooves clattering on the wet street.

The banners on the city tower were soaked with water, half-rolled up on the flagpole, and when the wind came, they swayed heavily, dripping a string of water droplets from the corners of the flags.

"Master, we're home." Di Chun turned around from the carriage shaft.

Di Renjie got out of the carriage, stood at the door for a moment, gently patted the door frame, and then stepped over the threshold.

Di Renjie's bedroom was located on the east side of the main hall, and its furnishings were simple.

A wooden couch sits against the wall, its bedding folded with sharp, distinct edges.

A desk stood by the window, with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone neatly arranged. The inkstone contained freshly ground ink, and a gauze lamp was lit, its flame steady, only occasionally flickering due to the wind seeping in through the crack in the door.

An extra bed was added in the corner of the bedroom, positioned away from the draft and not blocking the door.

The bedding on the bed was newly changed, with a clean cotton fabric and fine stitches. If you got close, you could smell a slightly bitter, starched scent mixed with a faint soapy aroma.

Zhang Rui floated to the bedside and looked down at it.

"When was this bed prepared?"

"When Di Chun came to tidy up last time," Di Gong said, taking off his outer robe and draping it on the clothes rack, smoothing out the wrinkles at the collar with his fingers, his movements unhurried, "it's getting cold, we can't keep sleeping on a low couch. A low couch is right on the ground, the earth's energy rises up, and it gets really cold in the second half of the night, it's better to have a proper bed."

"Won't it seem strange to others if there are two beds in one room?"

"That's strange indeed." Di Gong walked to his desk, flipped through the stack of official gazettes, and the pages rustled. "Anyway, that brat Di Chun has been gossiping about me behind my back for quite some time now, so one more won't make a difference."

Zhang Rui reached out and touched the bedding, his fingertips sinking into the cotton wadding, soft yet thick.

The sound of rain outside the window grew louder, pattering against the roof tiles.

The flame in the gauze lamp flickered gently, and the shadows of the two beds stretched side by side on the wall, one high and one low.