Detective Di Renjie: The Mysterious Dynasty

Chapter 379 Farewell and Restart
In the guest room of the Di Mansion, Lin Yongzhong was deeply shocked. He looked depressed, with dull and unfocused eyes.

Zhang Yi was worried when he saw this and tried to comfort her, but it was of no use.

Lin Yongzhong kept muttering to himself and ignored him.

Until footsteps were heard outside the room, Di Renjie, Zhao Ji and Li Yuanfang came to the door together.

Di Renjie and Zhao Ji walked in side by side, followed closely by Li Yuanfang.

When Lin Yongzhong saw them, there was finally a hint of reaction on his face.

He slowly stood up and asked in a hoarse voice, "Your Highness and the Lord are going to deal with me?"

Zhao Ji shook his head gently, with a gentle smile on his face: "I just said before that you and Jinniang still have a long life ahead of you."

Lin Yongzhong was slightly stunned. He was a smart man, so how could he not hear the hidden meaning of Zhao Ji's words?
After a moment of excitement, he asked in a trembling voice: "Your Highness means... to spare my life?"

Di Renjie pursed his lips and gave Lin Yongzhong an affirmative answer: "You have been the county magistrate for nearly ten years, and you should have been demoted this time. Now that Feng Wanchun and others are dead, the positions of Jiangzhou officials are vacant. I am going to recommend you to take over as the Chief of Jiangzhou."

Lin Yongzhong was so stunned that he could not believe his ears and was speechless for a while.

Di Renjie walked up to him and patted his shoulder gently: "The terrible thing about hatred is that it can completely destroy a person's heart. I am fortunate that you are still a person with conscience."

"Besides, you are a good official. That's why Chengyuan and I decided to let you go. Knowing shame is the beginning of courage. If you are wrong, you must correct it. In the future, you must take good care of Jinniang!"

Zhao Ji also added: "I have also made arrangements for you with Wen Kai. Forget the past and start all over again. There is still a long time to go..."

Lin Yongzhong was deeply moved by these words. Tears welled up in his eyes. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly: “Thank you…thank you…ah hahahaha…”

He was sobbing and couldn't utter complete sentences.

Di Renjie raised his head and let out a long sigh.
-
A few days later, the renovation of Wu Si's tomb, which had been delayed for a long time for some reason, was finally completed in the cemetery near Xiaopu Village.

Today is the day of Wu Si's burial. Because the matter is confidential, the funeral will not be held in a grand manner.

There were only a few participants such as Ruyan, Lin Yongzhong, Jinniang, and Zhang Yi, but all of them were solemn and dignified.

Jinniang is still in dementia and has no memory of her adoptive father who took care of her with all his heart.

Ruyan was supposed to go to Yangzhou with Di Renjie, Zhao Ji and others, but because she was worried about Jinniang's mental state, she stayed with her.

Accompanied by Zhang Yi, Lin Yongzhong first paid tribute to his deceased wife and relatives by the river, and then came to pay tribute to Wu Si.

Although Jinniang is mentally retarded, she is very well-behaved.

Ruyan, Lin Yongzhong and Zhang Yi were all immersed in sad emotions. She was infected by the atmosphere, and a sadness that resonated with them appeared on her little face.

"Come, Jinniang, kowtow." After spending some time together, Lin Yongzhong accompanied her wholeheartedly, and at least Jinniang no longer regarded her as a monster.

However, Jinniang was not yet close to or trusted him.

Therefore, Jinniang did not respond immediately to Lin Yongzhong's guidance.

Seeing this, Ruyan also spoke gently beside her: "Good child, Jinniang, kowtow to your father."

Jinniang looked at Ruyan timidly, then kowtowed to Wu Si obediently on the ground.

Seeing this, Lin Yongzhong and Zhang Yi felt very embarrassed, but there was nothing they could do.

During this period of time, Lin Yongzhong's repentance and efforts to make amends have significantly improved Ruyan's impression of him.

After all, Lin Yongzhong is Jinniang's blood-related father, and Ruyan doesn't want to see their relationship continue to deteriorate.

As for Ruyan, Lin Yongzhong was filled with gratitude. He looked ashamed and apologized sincerely: "Miss Ruyan, thanks to your careful care, Jinniang was able to save her life."

"Now Lord Di, His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan, and General Li have all returned to the capital. It's all Yongzhong's fault that the young lady is stranded in Jiangzhou. I'm really ashamed!"

Ruyan smiled, waved her hand gently, and said nonchalantly: "Jinniang and I hit it off right away. Seeing her is like seeing my childhood self. I will save her to the end and send her off to the west. I am worried about her now because of her current condition."

"Before he left, my uncle gave me a prescription, saying that as long as she is carefully taken care of, Jinniang may be able to recover. At least, it won't be too late for me to leave after she gets close to you!"

When Lin Yongzhong heard that Jinniang could still recover, he immediately promised excitedly: "Don't worry, Miss Ruyan, Yongzhong felt guilty towards Jinniang and has changed his ways. Even if Jinniang cannot recover, I will try my best to make her recognize me as her father again!"

Seeing Lin Yongzhong's determination, Ruyan was very pleased and nodded, "Well, good luck will come to those who are lucky. Uncle has always been a miracle doctor, and I believe Jinniang is no exception. She will recover!"

Lin Yongzhong nodded repeatedly and looked back at Jinniang who was staring at Wu Si's grave in a daze, with ripples in his eyes.
-
As for Di Renjie and Zhao Ji and his group, they certainly did not go back to Beijing as Lin Yongzhong said, but embarked on a journey to Yangzhou.

Before Lin Yongzhong was exposed, Zhao Ji had ordered Wen Kai to urgently mobilize official ships and be on standby at all times.

After the case was solved, they properly settled Lin Yongzhong and Jinniang, and without further delay, they boarded the boat and sailed down the river straight to Yangzhou.

As night falls, stars dot the vast wilderness, and the bright moon shines on the surface of the Yangtze River, making it sparkle.

Di Renjie stood quietly at the bow of the official ship, motionless, letting the river breeze lift the corners of his clothes.

After Zhao Ji and Li Yuanfang rested in the cabin for a while, they searched for Di Renjie but couldn't find him. So they went to the deck and saw him staring silently at the night sky, thinking in the wind.

The two looked at each other and understood in their hearts that Di Renjie was still immersed in the Jiangzhou case that had just ended and could not let it go.

Li Yuanfang quietly moved to Di Renjie's side, smiled and said comfortingly: "The incident in Jiangzhou is over. Lin Yongzhong repented and got a new life."

"Jinniang still has a chance to get better. The people who were tortured by Pingnan Hou have been compensated, and His Majesty has also issued an edict to reduce taxes for Wuping for three years."

"As for Xue Qinglin, he deserved it. Even Wu Si has been properly arranged. He has a daughter like Jinniang to see him off to the end of his life. There will be endless sacrifices for him in the future. Why are you still sad?"

Upon hearing this, Di Renjie remained silent, feeling depressed and unable to relieve himself.

After a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice low and solemn: "Indeed, it is never too late to mend the fence after the sheep have been lost. However, once tragedy has occurred, even if we do our best to make amends, the scars deeply engraved in people's hearts can never be completely healed."

"Like Lin Yongzhong and Jinniang, although they took revenge, their dead family members can never be resurrected, and the price of revenge is difficult to erase, leaving a mark on their lives forever."

Li Yuanfang felt overwhelmed when he heard this and looked at Zhao Ji for help.

After hearing what Di Renjie said, Zhao fell into deep thought: Justice delayed is justice denied, this is probably what Di Renjie meant.

Besides, Di Renjie was definitely not talking about Lin Yongzhong's family in his words.
It is clear that Lin Yongzhong's family is being used to refer to the family of Huang Guogong Li Ai who died unjustly, as well as the thousands of Li clan members who were implicated.

To put it another way, even if justice delayed is not justice, it is better than no justice at all.

Lin Yongzhong got his revenge, but the Li clan members who were implicated in the Huang Guogong case were still in dire straits.

How do they take revenge?
This inevitably involves Wu Sansi, and then Wu Zetian. This is the real reason why Di Renjie can't let it go.

If Zhao Ji had not come, and if there had not been another case in Yangzhou, given Di Renjie's emotional state, it is no wonder that he would have "hung up his seal and left", unwilling to return to the court to face Wu Zetian.

Looking at Li Yuanfang's eyes asking for help, Zhao Ji could only sigh helplessly.

Does he have some magic medicine that can immediately resolve Di Renjie's knot?

The only thing that can untie this knot is time.

(End of this chapter)