Chapter Sixteen: The Befuddled Magistrate

Zhao Laixi had grown up in the countryside and had only visited the county town a handful of times, so he was unaccustomed to grand sights. Hearing the bailiff’s words, he was instantly frightened and stepped back repeatedly, grabbing Little Ding’s arm to leave.

“Brother, perhaps we should just forgo the reward…” Zhao Laixi said, trembling with fear. He understood well the saying, “The people must not contend with officials.”

Little Ding remained unmoved, smiling as he watched the bailiff. He wondered, had he misspoken? Why was the bailiff accusing him of falsely claiming the reward? Seeing the bailiff’s eyes darting incessantly toward the wolf lying on the ground, he suddenly understood: the bailiff coveted the wolf! By falsely accusing him and scaring him away, the bailiff planned to keep the wolf for himself.

“Bailiff, you accuse me of falsely claiming the reward; may I ask if you have any evidence?” Little Ding asked calmly, neither servile nor overbearing.

“Evidence? Then tell me, how do you prove this wolf is the one from Luoxia Mountain? Do you have evidence?” The bailiff rolled his eyes and sneered.

At that moment, three or four more bailiffs emerged from the gatehouse. Having finished their lunch and with nothing to do, they had come to chat with the gatekeeper. Hearing there was someone outside claiming to have killed the wanted wolf, they all came out to watch the commotion.

“My brother-in-law Zhao Laixi can testify, and many villagers saw it as well; they can also testify,” said Little Ding, tugging at Zhao Laixi.

“He’s your brother-in-law?” the bailiff asked.

“Yes,” replied Little Ding.

“You’re together, and you’re relatives—who’s to say you haven’t colluded on your story?” said the bailiff. The other bailiffs laughed and watched on.

Little Ding considered it. Indeed, it was hard to argue against that. But he still needed the reward—two hundred taels of silver! He was desperately short of money; otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered to strip even the mountain bandits’ clothes.

It was clear the bailiff wanted to swindle the wolf for himself. If Little Ding left quietly, so much the better. If he insisted on arguing, the bailiff could easily frame him and throw him in jail, and he would have no way to clear his name. What should he do? He couldn’t let go of the silver, and he certainly couldn’t lose the wolf as well—that would be far too unfortunate.

As he pondered, his eyes fell upon the drum in front of the county office. Ah, yes—surely the magistrate knew nothing of this matter yet. He wondered if the magistrate of Luoxia County was an upright official. Regardless, he had to try. Little Ding made up his mind.

“Since you can’t produce any evidence, and you refuse to trust my witnesses, I have no choice but to strike the drum and appeal for justice, so the magistrate himself can judge the matter!” Little Ding declared, making as if to go and strike the drum.

The gatekeeper bailiff was taken aback, but before he could speak, a long-faced bailiff tugged at his sleeve and whispered, “Let it go—if this gets out of hand, we’ll be in trouble.”

The gatekeeper nodded, understanding that if Little Ding struck the drum and alerted the magistrate, everything would quickly come to light. The magistrate would certainly blame them for trying to pocket the wolf.

“Wait, hero, please hold on!” The long-faced bailiff stepped forward to block Little Ding. “Since the matter is still uncertain, there’s no need to disturb the court. I’ll report to the magistrate inside, and let him decide. What do you think?”

A private report was very different from a public hearing. If they went before the court, it would be like a lawsuit, and the guilty party would surely be punished.

In truth, by proper procedure, if someone came to claim the reward, the gatekeeper should report to the magistrate at once. But this bailiff, seeing Little Ding and Zhao Laixi as poor commoners and easy to bully, had entertained crooked thoughts.

Seeing someone step forward as peacemaker, Little Ding played along, stopping and bowing with clasped hands. “Then I’ll trouble you, brother!”

The long-faced bailiff bowed in return. “Not at all, it’s my duty.” With that, he went inside.

Little Ding and Zhao Laixi waited outside for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. The long-faced bailiff returned, smiling as he addressed them, “The magistrate invites you both to the guest hall. Please follow me!”

The guest hall was a side chamber behind the main court, dilapidated and barely better than the mud-brick houses in the village.

Leaving the wolf outside, the three entered the hall. At the head sat a pale-faced scholar, about thirty years old, dressed in plain clothes and sipping tea.

The long-faced bailiff hurried forward. “Sir, these two claim to have killed the wolves of Luoxia Mountain.”

Zhao Laixi immediately knelt. “Your humble subject, Zhao Laixi, greets the magistrate!” Seeing Little Ding foolishly stand there, looking around the room, he anxiously tried to signal him. But Little Ding seemed not to notice.

Unable to help himself, Zhao Laixi, fearful of offending the magistrate, explained, “This is my brother-in-law, Tian Xiaoding. His head was kicked by a donkey in childhood, so he’s a bit simple. Please don’t hold it against him, sir!”

The magistrate nodded, waving for the bailiff to withdraw. He then said to Zhao Laixi and Little Ding, “You need not be so formal. Please, sit and speak.” He gestured to two chairs.

“Thank you, sir!” replied Zhao Laixi, his heart pounding. This was the county magistrate, the biggest official he’d ever seen! How could he not be nervous?

Little Ding, on the other hand, seemed quite unfazed, having finished surveying the room. He thought, this magistrate doesn’t seem very wealthy—the tables, chairs, tea stands, all looked old and worn, clearly used for many years.

“May I ask, are you the magistrate of Luoxia County?” Little Ding was skeptical; in his mind, a magistrate ought not to look like a gentle scholar, but rather have the face of a crafty old fox, or possess a natural air of authority. The man before him had none of these.

“I am indeed Hu Tu, magistrate of this county,” replied Magistrate Hu, looking at Little Ding in surprise.

“Hu Tu? So your name means ‘Confused’!” Little Ding burst out laughing and sat down carelessly. Zhao Laixi perched nervously on the edge of his chair, still anxious, and when he heard Little Ding joking about the magistrate’s name, he nearly fainted, tugging at Little Ding’s sleeve to urge him to stop.

“It’s Hu Tu, as in ‘future’, not ‘confused’,” Magistrate Hu corrected with a slight frown.

“Oh, I see. I misheard—please don’t blame me!” Little Ding mimicked the magistrate’s formal tone, bowing repeatedly; he too feared angering the magistrate, whose word could easily send him to prison.

“No matter,” Magistrate Hu waved his hand. “Li Si tells me you both claim to have slain the two wolves from Luoxia Mountain and are here to claim the reward?”

“Yes, sir!” Little Ding replied, thinking the magistrate was refreshingly straightforward.

But just as he was beginning to rejoice, Magistrate Hu continued, “So, do you have any evidence that the wolves you killed are indeed the ones we posted a reward for?”

What? Little Ding was shocked. He thought, these officials are all cut from the same cloth. The bailiffs outside used this excuse, and now the magistrate inside says the same thing. Are all officials in the world equally corrupt? Do they all plan to take my wolf and then charge me with a crime and throw me in jail?