The first story "Liangzhou Case - Black Robe Society"
During the Tang Wu Zhou period, border conflicts were frequent, and years of warfare had left the Great Zhou Dynasty's treasury empty. The morale of the border defense troops was unstable.
At this time, Di Renjie was leading Li Yuanfang and the four military leaders on a winding mountain road to Liangzhou.
After successfully solving a series of major cases in Youzhou, Bingzhou, Snake Spirit, Jiangzhou, etc., Di Renjie finally received Empress Wu's approval to return to his hometown of Bingzhou for rest after repeated requests. He wanted to take a detour on his way home to visit his friend Zeng Tai, the governor of Liangzhou, and bid him farewell. Thinking of meeting with old friends, discussing merits and demerits over poetry and wine, returning home far from the disputes of court affairs, and concentrating on farming and fishing in the Fen River, Di Renjie felt quite consoled. But Li Yuanfang frankly pointed out to him that he didn't have the fate to enjoy such peace.
Zeng Tai, the governor of Liangzhou, was Di Renjie's disciple. He received an urgent report from the court saying that a major earthquake was about to happen in the northwest, and he was asked to pay attention to earthquake prevention. Zeng Tai immediately organized disaster prevention and earthquake resistance measures, and promptly evacuated the civilians in the city. However, when the earthquake came, houses still collapsed, causing heavy losses. Thinking about the 3000 iron-armored soldiers escorting the military pay in the desert, Zeng Tai was deeply worried. If something happened to them, it would be catastrophic. But when the rescue team found this group, all the soldiers were possessed by evil spirits, surrounding in circles and dancing crazily non-stop. Whoever stopped would die immediately. And the 30 million taels of silver they were escorting seemed to have vanished like a sand dune swept away by a sandstorm, leaving no trace. This shocking event left Zeng Tai speechless and trembling. After the case occurred, Zeng Tai took emergency measures, sealing off the state borders, checking all merchants and tourists, and prohibiting anyone from leaving without approval. Suspicious individuals were to be detained immediately. At the same time, he reported the situation to the court for further handling. At this point, rumors spread throughout the city, the army, and the government offices that the case was caused by the Great God of the Black Robe Society. Given the common people's superstition towards the Great God of the Black Robe Society, Zeng Tai instructed all officials to pay attention to public opinion, control the situation, and prevent civil unrest.
Di Renjie arrived in time. He criticized Zeng Tai's ignorance of the Black Robe Society and immediately made an accurate judgment of the case. A thrilling battle of investigation versus counter-investigation, control versus counter-control began, revealing a brilliant fight against the "God of Death" and the "Hell Operation," which gradually reached its climax. In the end, the true Great God of the Black Robes appeared - she was the bandit leader Xiaotao and Wei'er. Xiaotao proudly told Di Renjie the entire plan of the so-called "Hell Operation" and revealed the full truth about the "God of Death" and the "Hell Operation." This sounded truly terrifying and ominous. However, Di Renjie smiled confidently and began to tell a "true story" of the Great God of the Black Robes, which stunned the bandit leaders.
Di Renjie started from the origin of the Black Robe Society and detailed every aspect of their journey and situation, analyzing everything meticulously and accurately. Just then, a deafening shout of battle echoed outside. Di Renjie informed the bandit leaders that this was the sound of General Feng Yang leading the iron cavalry into the city to capture the rebels of the Black Robe Society. The bandit leaders were instantly shocked. Then, Di Renjie began recounting his incredible experience of unraveling all these mysteries layer by layer. When he finally revealed that the various states of mind of the bandit leaders Xiaotao and Wei'er, believing that the Black Robe Society had succeeded, were merely illusions created to deceive the society, Xiaotao collapsed in despair. However, Wei'er supported her because Di Renjie's story wasn't finished yet. Di Renjie finally narrated the final showdown, detailing the deployment of both sides' forces and the changes in the outcome of the battle. It was vividly described, stirring and thrilling. As Xiaotao and Wei'er realized their impending failure, Xiaotao drew her sword and aimed at Di Renjie, attempting a last stand. Her threat was easily defused by Li Yuanfang. At this moment, Zhang Huan and Li Lang led their teams to surround the courtyard, capturing the Great God of the Black Robes Xiaotao and the bandit leader Wei'er. Di Renjie said that life is precious, and only by respecting others' lives can one have the right to survive. Gods are compassionate and do not kill indiscriminately; the Great God of the Black Robes should understand this. Xiaotao said that there is no fairness or compassion in this world, and only the victors have the right to judge right and wrong. Di Renjie replied that this is why she would never become a victor.
At Xiaotao's final request, she and Wei'er, along with two other wealthy households Fa, committed suicide. They still clung to the idea of seizing Ganliang in their next life as they died. Di Renjie helplessly shook his head. Zeng Tai asked Di Renjie why the secret passage of Cuishuang Courtyard led directly to the residence of Lord Guiyi but not to the network of secret passages. Di Renjie surprised everyone by revealing an unknown emotional secret of the ancestors of the Black Robe Society, a story filled with meaning...