Episode 21 recap: Di Ren Jie suffered both physically and mentally in order to uphold the laws of the Great Tang Dynasty.
Di Ren Jie suffered both physically and mentally in order to uphold the laws of the Great Tang Dynasty.Di Ren Jie witnessed Zhou Changyi fighting to the death with bandits, covered in blood, and leading his soldiers to defend the city gates. As a result, they suffered heavy casualties, and Zhou Changyi made a heroic sacrifice.
It was Qiao Tai who arrived with the city defense forces and scared away the bandits. Di Ren Jie had already written about the mutiny process in a letter to be delivered by Qiao Tai. Ma Rong witnessed everything firsthand and could not accept the soldiers, who had suffered abuse for a long time, being burdened with the blame after sacrificing themselves for the country. She pleaded with Di Ren Jie not to report it, but Di Ren Jie believed that defending the city was the duty of the soldiers, while killing a superior officer was a crime. He insisted on reporting the truth, and according to the laws of the Great Tang Dynasty, the soldiers who survived the mutiny would be sent back after weighing their merits and faults. The villagers saw this as no different from committing a crime. Di Ren Jie couldn't pretend that they hadn't broken the law, so he asked Hong Liang to secretly give two thousand coins to Zhou Changyi's family.
Di Ren Jie entrusted Qiao Tai and Ma Rong with the management of the military camp and continued on horseback to pursue Han Yongnan. Diao Xiao Guan followed Di Ren Jie and, seeing that Di Ren Jie was extremely thirsty but had no water in his water bag, asked him if he regretted chasing the culprit for hundreds of miles, as it wouldn't have led to so many troubles otherwise.
Regardless of who Han Yongnan harmed, Di Ren Jie insisted on using the laws of the Great Tang Dynasty to judge his crimes. This made Diao Xiao Guan start to find it boring because, in his opinion, Di Ren Jie shouldn't have let Han Yongnan go in the first place and should have killed him directly. Di Ren Jie arrived at the inn in a disheveled state and happened to catch the innkeeper conducting a transaction, selling a twelve-year-old girl. This scene made Di Ren Jie furious, and he immediately brought the innkeeper to justice, which brought relief to the people.
In Lanfang, Di Ren Jie met the old man mentioned by Diao Xiao Guan, who had lost his daughter. He sincerely apologized to the old man for not being able to capture Han Yongnan. This greatly surprised the people who knew the old man's situation because, after all, Harry is a falcon. It was then that Di Ren Jie realized he had been tricked by Diao Xiao Guan. He carefully connected all the events and concluded that Han Yongnan had never left Lanfang. He sought out the maid who was the first to discover the death of Hua Niang on that day and asked if she had seen two people. Combining this information with seeing Wang Dong buying a dagger today, he immediately pursued them.
Diao Xiao Guan had already captured Han Yongnan and kept him hidden. He repeatedly told Wang Dong that it was Han Yongnan who harmed his sister and urged him to kill Han Yongnan for revenge.
Wang Dong hated Han Yongnan, but when it came to actually killing him, he became somewhat afraid. So he viciously stabbed Han Yongnan's thigh with a dagger, causing him to scream in pain. Di Ren Jie arrived faster than Diao Xiao Guan had anticipated. He urged Wang Dong to calm down and hand Han Yongnan over to him for lawful punishment. However, Diao Xiao Guan kept obstructing him and reminded Wang Dong that this was his last chance to avenge his sister. Wang Dong didn't want to gamble, so he aimed the knife at Han Yongnan. In order to stop him, Di Ren Jie took a risk and intervened. Diao Xiao Guan quickly reacted and continued to engage Di Ren Jie, resulting in a fierce fight between them. Wang Dong tried to make another move but ended up getting his neck injured and falling to the ground.
Di Ren Jie's eyes were filled with fury, and he fought even more fiercely with Diao Xiao Guan. Wang Dong regained consciousness and crawled step by step, determined not to let Han Yongnan escape. He stabbed him repeatedly, from the legs to the waist, until Han Yongnan stopped making any sound. Wang Dong remained motionless. At this moment, both Di Ren Jie and Diao Xiao Guan had only one arrow left. Diao Xiao Guan wanted to end it in a decisive manner, so he and Di Ren Jie made a move to determine the outcome. However, he didn't shoot his arrow but deliberately got hit by Di Ren Jie's arrow instead. He spat blood and fell to the ground, criticizing Di Ren Jie for upholding the meaningless laws of the Great Tang Dynasty, which couldn't protect the weak or eliminate evil. He crushed the medicine in his hand, attracting a pack of wolves and dogs within a five-mile radius.
Di Ren Jie was at the end of his strength. He lifted Wang Dong to a high place and witnessed Han Yongnan struggling to hide in a house but couldn't escape being torn apart by the vicious dogs. Ma Rong, seeing Di Ren Jie's pitiful state, felt both heartbroken and angry. She blamed him for allowing things to come to this point because of the laws of the Great Tang Dynasty. Hong Shu also felt sorrow, but fortunately, Di Ren Jie was only severely injured and not fatally harmed, so he stopped nagging.
Cao An came to visit Di Ren Jie. She understood everything he had done and affirmed that his actions were right. This made Di Ren Jie feel warmth and peace in his heart. Qiao Tai and his men found the skeletal remains inside the mine, confirming that it was due to Han Yongnan's excessive mining, which contaminated the water source and prevented the villagers from farming, forcing them to become laborers. Later, the mining accident resulted in their deaths. Di Ren Jie sentenced Han Yongnan to death by hanging, hoping that everyone would abide by the law. He gained support from Wang Dong and eventually won the support of the people. He firmly believed that "belief" had power and that one day he would make the laws of the Great Tang Dynasty more perfect.
If there were no laws, everyone could take matters into their own hands and punish the criminals they see. But in that case, there would be more innocent people unjustly killed than actual criminals.
The existence of laws is meant to reduce such occurrences. Laws need improvement, but sacrifices along the path to perfection are unavoidable. You may choose to let them go now, but what about the next time?
When someone else uses the same reasoning to justify the killing of an innocent person, how will you respond with your previous act of "letting go"? Those in positions of power cannot simply be bystanders, only concerned with the immediate present.
In the TV series, Di Ren Jie killed a minor official, and in the end, the wolfhound arrived. He prioritized saving a child and didn't take care of Han Yongnan, who was subsequently killed by the wolfhound. Surprisingly, he didn't face any legal consequences for his actions.
Throughout the series, Di Ren Jie emphasized the importance of upholding the laws of the Tang Dynasty. However, in the end, he himself didn't abide by the law.
I suddenly feel like I understand a bit now. The Black Flame should be divided into two factions, or someone is impersonating them. Di Ren Jie's father is likely connected to the more normal faction. The reason Diao Xiao Guan committed suicide later on is probably because he identified with Di Ren Jie.
Di Ren Jie mentioned that murderers should pay with their lives, so Diao Xiao Guan chose to die by Di Ren Jie's hands. The note that the Cloaked Figure received later on should also be written by Diao Xiao Guan. Perhaps they were waiting for an official who would benefit the people.
Looking at it from a different perspective, the names Di Ren Jie, Da Guan, and Xiao Guan actually signify that Xiao Guan is the embodiment of Da Guan, representing the two sides of a person. Xiao Guan is the inner demon of Di Ren Jie, and the conflict between Da Guan and Xiao Guan is precisely the storm within his own heart.
It represents his struggle between law and justice. When he kills Xiao Guan, he is slaying his inner demon, and Xiao Guan willingly allows himself to be killed, moved by Di Ren Jie's determination.
Those who have experienced endless injustice know that the law can be right or wrong. However, it is often manipulated by people. It can twist the truth and be used to trap others, leaving no escape.
The law should serve justice for all, not just be a set of rules. It is everyone's responsibility to uphold justice in the world. Otherwise, the plight of Dou E would not be the suffering of one person, but the suffering of countless Dou Es.
It would be the crime of countless people who disregard justice. It is a great calamity for a world that experiences snowfall in June and a three-year drought.
"Reason does not lie in the trivial." Many things should be viewed with maturity, rather than simply adding or subtracting. This version of Di Ren Jie is the worst yet also the most thought-provoking.
The most terrifying thing is that when a person dies, the law may still be unjust. While others may not physically kill, they can torment others in invisible ways, like an invisible sword.
Such villains should be punished!