Great Tang Idyll

The road began ahead; the sun hung high after a long slumber. Tranquility was everywhere in sight in the county; nothing to do during idle time.

Magistrate Jia, who had only taken office for less than five days, got out of the warm bed with a yawn. Servants helped him freshen up， and after he finished eating breakfast, he put on his official robes. He wandered around the garden, then he took a look at the front hall and sat down on the chair in the center to drink a bowl of tea.

Looking at the bailiff who was dozing off at the doorway from time to time, he asked nonchalantly, "Are we still going to the wharf later?"

"If my lord wants to go, then I will follow. If my lord wants to go somewhere else, then I will prepare the horse carriage." The bailiff shook his head to wake himself up and he replied back.

"Oh, okay, then let's look at a different place today. Let's take a casual stroll along the river. There's no need to prepare a horse carriage. Did anyone come to file reports today?" Magistrate Jia asked hopefully.

The bailiff still shook his head like before, "My lord, no one filed any reports. My lord governs justly and the people live in peace. Any outsiders would not dare to cause trouble when they see that the bailiffs are patrolling back and forth."

Magistrate Jia stopped talking. He took a sip of tea, closed his eyes, and sat there to take a nap. However, he couldn't help thinking about things. He was too idle. He was here for five days already. His mother and wife kept praising him for finding a good place to take office. The garden was beautifully made, the house was comfortable to sleep in, and the food and drinks were not bad. The cooks just need to follow the instructions to cook the ingredients brought over from the restaurant.

Even his twelve-year-old daughter said that she didn't need to work. This was a given since there was nothing to do all day long. In the past few days, she went out and wandered around every day. The place was very prosperous, and the people she saw always had a smile on their faces.

Occasionally, a beggar from outside the county could be seen kneeling in the snow. In less than half a quarter of an hour, a bailiff would come over to ask if that person is willing to work somewhere else. If he was willing, then he could go to the Administrative Office to register his name and the registration can be submitted to the Prefecture. This could be completed by the Magistrate Assistant, or someone in the office. It didn't take much time and they just needed to stamp a seal.

If the beggar was unwilling to find work to do, then they will be driven out of San'shui County. No one can find fault in this since those people starved because they refused to work.

There was nothing for Magistrate Jia to worry about. Surely enough, he had nothing to do, but what did he come to San'shui County for? There was no money in the treasury, and the bailiffs' daily meals and the meals at home were provided by the Little Luo'shui Wharf. He didn't need to spend a single coin, and all of the food and clothing was taken care of for him. This way, he could only depend on his salary as his money source.

But what was the point of this? He wanted to submit a memorial to the throne to report the merchants for privately offering benefits to the government, but he saw a petition on his table. Everything was written down already except for a name. If he were to submit his memorial, then the people would write his name down in the petition and say that they were grateful for the Magistrate's kindness, so they offered him gifts out of gratitude. Then, the first one who will be punished would be Magistrate Jia.

"The little boy from the Tong family, are you free right now?" When the Magistrate was sitting near the fire to keep warm, an old woman came by at the entrance of the Administrative Office's main hall and asked the bailiff who was sitting there. She didn't seem to notice that a person was sitting in the hall.

"Aunt Hong, why did you come out? It's cold outside, hurry up and go back. Let Brother Hong come over if you need anything." The bailiff opened his eyes, looked at the old lady, and persuaded with concern.

Magistrate Jia became attentive. He thought that someone was here to file a report, and with a ‘smack', he tapped the table with the gavel1, and asked the person at the entrance, "Who is the one suing? The bailiffs on the left and right, quickly bring the person into the hall."

The old lady and the bailiffs were taken aback at the same time. The bailiffs looked at the old lady and the magistrate, and didn't know what to say. The old lady helped him out. She squinted her eyes, looking at the person in the hall.

She said, "No one. I don't want to trouble my lord. I'm here to ask the son of the Tong family to help slaughter the pig at home. I only have a son and daughter-in-law at home, and the neighbors are busy. They can't tie the pig up. He will come back soon. My lord, continue your work."

‘I'm not busy', Magistrate Jia muttered to himself in his mind, and then he said, "So it turns out to be such a major event. Tong Yong, come with me to check it out."

It didn't take long for Magistrate Jia to rush over there. He even carried a small pot in his hand. When he went home just now, he saw his mother, and his mother said she wanted to eat blood tofu, so she gave him a small pot. He also grabbed two coins, and planned to bring some pig blood back.

The old lady led the way, while Magistrate Jia followed behind with the bailiffs' escort. The three left the Administrative Office and went to the old lady's house.

Magistrate Jia was very happy. This was his first time doing government work ever since he took office. Ah, it was not easy.

While walking, Magistrate Jia noticed that someone in front of him was trying to steal something from another person. That person had their hand stretched out to another person's waist, which had a little pouch. The words ‘big case' floated across Magistrate Jia's mind. He touched the bailiff beside him, and pointed ahead.

"This should be an outsider. Looking at his clothes, his family is not wealthy. My lord does not need to worry. This person will find a job in the county in a few days. It must be his first time. He doesn't even dare to touch that person's little pouch."

The bailiff saw this a long time ago. If it was someone else who was being robbed, he would catch the thief, however, he didn't have to worry about this person who was about to get robbed. This person was once a legendary thief in the county, but later, he stopped stealing and made some small trinkets for the Zhang Manor's restaurant. He was very good with his hands. He was able to earn three or four strings of coins every month, which was incredible.

"He should be arrested and put in jail." Magistrate Jia wanted to convict him.

"My lord, there is no one in the prison. The previous inmate who has committed a heavier crime has been taken to the Prefecture, and the ones who committed lighter crimes have been released to do work. Rather than imprisoning a person, it is better to save the person. It's that person's first attempt at stealing. The purpose of putting him in jail is so that he can become a proper person. If we don't arrest him now, he will still be able to become a proper person."

The bailiff could only persuade Magistrate Jia. Once this person is caught, he will be sent to Zhou Xi'hu, who was short of manpower. If this person knows to repent and has made no major mistakes, he will be arranged with some work to do. If he does not repent, he will have to work under supervision. If he was locked up, they would also have to feed him.

Sure enough, just as the bailiff said, the person who wanted to steal finally committed the act after hesitating a few times. As soon as his hand touched the little pouch, his arm was grabbed and twisted. The person cursed at him, "Your dog eyes are blind. You dare try to make a move in front of me? Do you not know who is in charge of this street? How could you dare try to steal from me."

Magistrate Jia was taken aback for a moment. It happened too fast; that person was seized immediately. He happily walked forward. The surrounding people did not gather around to watch the commotion like the people from other places would. All the sellers and buyers on the street shook their heads and sighed that the guy had bad luck.

He tried to steal from a legendary thief. Even if he wasn't stealing from the legendary thief, he would be caught stealing from other people. After gangsters who once loitered around with nothing to do changed their ways for the better, they also began looking after the people and did not allow anyone to prey on the county's people.

Even the patrol bailiffs who had already noticed the situation stood aside, and had no intention of stepping forward.

"Brother, let me go, I don't dare anymore, it's my first time." The caught person cried and begged. The pain in his arm made his forehead seep with sweat.

Seeing that his subordinates did not listen to him, Magistrate Jia had no choice but to ask the servants around him, "What about robbers and murderers? Could it be that these kinds of people never come to San'shui County?"

"My lord, you are actually correct. In the recent years, no murders have occured in the San'shui County. Outsiders who come here are usually people who have fled from disasters. As long as no one incites them, and as long as we give them food, they would be even more compliant than the locals. In the past few days, no one had stolen things. Some of the previous gangsters in the county have changed their jobs to earn money. Some of them are like me and became bailiffs. "

The bailiffs explained there.

Magistrate Jia took a close look at the bailiff beside him, and asked, "You used to be on this street...?"

"I don't intend to hide from my lord. Two years ago, if the name ‘Tong Hei'zi' was mentioned, everyone on the street would be scared. Is that right, auntie?" The bailiff exposed his past.

The old lady on the side laughed. "Yes. My lord must not know, before, this child caused trouble and was not filial at home. The neighbors avoided him. He was thrown into jail once every few days. Now he's different. He's good, very good."

After the old lady said that, Magistrate Jia didn't know what to say. He felt that this was too unworldly. The past gangsters became bailiffs, what kind of world was this?

The surprised Magistrate Jia could only turn his gaze back to where the thief was. At this time, the thief stopped shouting. He had a savory crepe in his hand and was devouring it hungrily. In the blink of an eye, the entire savory crepe was in his stomach. He grabbed the water that was handed to him by the man who seized him earlier and he took a sip. He picked up another savory crepe and ate again.

He looked at his thin body again, and wondered how he fit all of the food in.

"He truly is hungry." Magistrate Jia believed the bailiff's words now. It was the thief's first time doing this. He was hungry. It seemed that allowing the bad people to become bailiffs was not a bad idea– their observation skills were incisive. It was not easy to commit crimes in front of people like them.

The person who seized the thief watched the thief finish eating, and asked, "Is there anyone else in your family?"

"No. Yes, I have a younger sister, she's nine. Brother, what can I do for you?" The thief knew that he was caught, but was also given food, so he must do something for that person.

"I'll go with you to pick up your sister, and then you can work for me. I'll take care of your food, and get clothing made for you. Work well, and you will be able to earn money. If I catch you doing something like this again, you can say goodbye to your hand. Uncle, how much does it cost? "

This person warned the thief once, and then asked the person selling the savory crepes. The seller added extra fried dough sticks and eggs earlier, so he wasn't sure of the price.

Translator's Notes

1. 惊堂木 gavel

The gavel that is used by magistrates is a wooden block, not a mallet.

Sorry, I've been busy!