Magistrates view

I was happily sipping a cup of tea my wife had poured out for me in the local inn we were staying at on our biannual collection of taxes for the emperor and was about to bite into the persimmon treat she had procured as well when an awful racket was heard in the yard.

The manager of the inn, the person responsible for greeting and seating or sending away guests, came, "Apologies, master, but General Fang is here, and he does not look happy. He insisted that you come straight away."

Because of my wife's appalling behaviour toward him, I felt obligated to see him immediately.

"Why are you going now, dear?" my wife asked me.

"I am going as I am obligated to see him after shaming me before him before," I had gotten up and started leaving to go out. Her face contorted, and for the first time in my life, I saw an ugly look on her face. "It is your fault, and you still do not admit fault?" I said as I left her there to think it over. If she said anything, I was not listening to her as I hurried away to the meeting with General Fang.

When I saw him, I asked, "General Fang, what brings you here?"

"Apologies, Magistrate Xu, but we have a situation, and we need the law to intervene without bias," General Fang stated.

"Well, can you give a run down?"

"Yes, my wife had twins," the General started, and as his news was so shocking, I questioned him.

"Did I hear correctly? Your wife had twins?" I could not believe my ears at what he was saying. She was supposed to be past the childbearing age, "It was not a concubine's child?"

"I do not have concubines, and I will not have concubines," the General fumed at me before calming down, "Yes, my wife had twins."

"Congratulations are in order then, has the 100 days passed?"

"Not yet," he shook his head, "It is too early for that."

"So why are you here? Should you not be at home with her?"

"Because the nursemaid to the twins, her daughter died, and she swapped it for our daughter. We need an impartial person to rule for or against us."

"I see," I said with my arms folded, stroking my beard in thought.

"Are there any distinguishing marks to say whose child is who?"

"Yes, but I do not know if the dead child's mother knows of them or her family."

"I will ask that then," I decided.

"Ask them first," General Fang suggested, "Although my wife never fed nor bathed the child herself, she was there every time, making sure our family bathed them correctly."

"You bathed the child? Why would you do such a thing?" I asked in horror.

"Xinye insisted. She insisted we all have baths, including the nursemaid, if we were to handle the children," General Fang said as if it was of no concern.

If his words were true, it would explain why he no longer smelt of the road and war, he had no smell really, and it was easy to be around him. I decided I, too, would bathe daily if that was the result of bathing. I did not care for the perfumes that were sprayed to cover up the body's odours.

"I see. Well, let's go then," I smiled and indicated that we head out the door of the inn. Catching the inn's owner, I instructed him, "Have my horse brought here immediately. We have an urgent situation, and order my guards to go and collect General Fang's nursemaids' family."

He nodded and hurried off. I waited impatiently for my horse to arrive at the mounting block set up for such situations as this and what seemed to be forever but was, in fact, a short time. My horse arrived, ready for riding. I immediately got on, took the reins, and headed out to the General to follow him to the location where this hearing was being held.

I hoped that it was at his place so that I knew where I could find him for future needs and invitations. He was a vital ally to have, being so close to the new emperor Hong Taiji.

We set off at a gallop, my men following on horseback. To my surprise, we headed for the town further into the hills, known for its Buddhist monk sanctuary, and there he headed for a poorer part of town, stopping in front of what could only be called a hovel. What was surprising, though, was it was a clean hovel.

"Is this where the people are?" I asked him.

"Yes," he said, sitting astride his horse.

"I will take it from here then," I said, but I did not get down from my horse. Instead, I instructed my men to arrest everyone in the house and to follow the General once they had done so.

The General and I moved off to the side to get out of the arresting officer's ways.

"Why are you arresting us? We have not done anything wrong!" The elders in the family cried.

"This is just to determine something," I said to them, "Once it is determined, you will be returned. No harm will come to you if you come willingly."

"Why should we believe you?" they asked, "You come into our home and mistreat us."

"Did my men ask you to come?"

"Yes, they did," the elder admitted.

"And what happened then?"

"I refused as I am old, and I have not done anything wrong," the man said.

"So, there you go, you refused. It was not a request. It was an order, be grateful that things did not escalate as tends to happen," I said unsympathetically. I had been down this road many a time, most magistrates would not get their people to ask first, but I did. I disliked violence and conflict, so much so that I would take bribes over confronting the evil happening. It was weak of me, I know, but I really detest violence.

Since this situation was affecting the General, I had no choice in the matter - he was known for his directness and honesty. He fought corruption head-on and, as such, was impeachable in his character. Obviously, if it was not dealt with in such a way, his integrity later could be questioned. I was going to give a fair trial, and if I found the alive baby belonged to the poor mother, I would not hesitate to award her the baby.

My wife disliked Fang Xinye so much, so I somewhat favoured the poor mother. Perhaps if I ruled in her favour, my wife would be more friendly to me...No, I could not think like that. The General is direct and honest. He would not lie about the child being his if it were not. I will just wait until I have heard everything.

We moved at a walking pace, and General Fang led the way to his manor outside of town some distance. As we came to it, the mountains seemed to frame the manor, and the fields surrounding it were filled with rice and vegetables, but there were no workers in the fields.

"Why are the fields empty of workers?" I asked General Fang.

"Because they have been called in for this proceeding, they are considered family too," he replied.

"I see," As we rode into the yard, everyone came out to greet us. General Fang's wife did not look obviously upset, and unlike the young woman who was accused, who was wailing and carrying on. Her first action was to throw herself at my feet, "I am incorrectly accused!" she cried.

I looked into Fang Xinye's eyes, it was then I realised that she was upset, but she was waiting for the verdict before giving into grief. She looked like she trusted me to do my job, a humbling experience.

"Let's do this," I said, "Show me to where I am to hear this case."

General Fang nodded, "Bring everyone into the reception hall. You can sit where I normally sit. I will sit with my wife and family on the right. The girl and her family can sit on the right side."

"And the guards?" I asked.

"They are on duty, aren't they?" General Fang said.

I nodded. It was a fair point. Since they were guarding, they should be spread throughout the hall, ready for action should it be needed.

"Put the babies in another room for now, and you," I said, pointing at one of my guards who I knew had a family, "Look after them while this is being investigated."

We all sat down, audible tears still occurring from the young woman, looking as pitiful as possible. Her husband had his arm around her, also looking sad.

"General Fang, can you please state what has happened? Why have you called me here?"

"My wife woke up this morning and found a dead baby in the crib beside our son. It was dressed in our baby's clothes, but it was not our baby. We recognise the baby as the daughter of the young mother who was helping us feed the baby during the day. However, she had not arrived yet, and when she arrived, she had brought our baby with her," the General sat down.

The young woman cried vehemently, "That is not true! The baby is my baby I brought with me! Yours is the dead baby!"

"Silence! You will get your turn," I snapped at the woman.

"Why do you believe the dead child was not yours?" I asked him.

"Because of the differing features," he stated, "They look completely different."

"What do you mean?" the woman said, "They look the same!"

"I see how I can judge this," I said before asking the young woman, "You say the babies are the same, so could you describe to me any markings on the children that could have been identified as your child?"

"No," she shook her head, a puzzled look on her face.

"What about the rest of your family? Do they know of any markings on your baby that might have stood out?"

"No," they all shook their head, except the grandmother.

"The little girl had a mole just above her eyelid," the grandmother noted, "But I did not see anything else as she was always well wrapped."

"Thank you," I smiled at them, I looked over at the Fangs, and they were all smiling in what looked like relief, so I asked again. "Think carefully, as your baby's life depends on it... Did your baby have any markings on it?"

Again, they all said, "No, except for the mole Grandmother mentioned."

"What about hair? How was the hair?" I asked as I remembered from my two children. One of my children was born with a lot of hair, and the other not much, "Grandma? Since you noticed the mole, how would you describe the baby's hair?"

"The hair was black but patchy," the grandmother spoke, "I wanted them to shave it, so it grew back thick and strong, but they would not do it as the baby was still too young, they said."

"Thank you, Grandmother," I bowed my head, recognising her wisdom and words.

"You are welcome," she replied, "But do not bow your head to me. I am undeserving."

"General Fang, do you agree with them?" I asked him.

"No, I do not," he spoke with strength and conviction.

"You do not? What features do you suggest your baby has?" I was genuinely curious, as all babies looked like potatoes to me, some hairy potatoes, some hairless potatoes.

"Our baby girl had thick black hair about an inch long, no moles on her face, but she did have 2 moles elsewhere. One was next to her left nipple and the other on her right leg above the kneecap on the thigh. Her skin was paler than a normal Chinese baby's. The other girl baby, her hair was patchy black and only half the length of our child, and she indeed has a beauty mark above her eye. I hate to say it, but my child looks ugly, and her child looked pretty," The General stood while giving his report. "I do not know if it is relevant or not, but our son also has the same mole markings as our girl."

"Does anyone have anything to add?" I asked the rest of his family.

"No," Mrs. Fang said, "However, our child was cleaner than the other child whenever it was at our place. There is no saying if this is still the case, though."

I nodded, "If it is found that the girl baby is yours, what would you like done to the nursemaid?"

"Nothing," she said, "Perhaps educating her on cleanliness so that this does not happen again to her. I want to keep her in my employ if possible. I understand her grief at losing her child. It is punishment enough."

"Can her family stay with you and work?" I asked as I was horrified by what I had seen earlier.

"We have the room, and if they are all willing, sure," Fang Xinye nodded.

"Bring the babies out!" I ordered.

All of them were brought out and were undressed. Sure, enough, the two children that were alive had the moles where they were said to be, and the dead child had the mole above her eyelid.

"I am ready to rule," I decided and sat back down.

The young mother looked crushed as she knew what was coming.

"I find that the two living children are indeed General Fang's babies, and the dead child is the nursemaids. The baby can now be buried. As no retribution is set, nothing will happen. However, I am warning you," I said, looking at the nursemaid, "You will never again steal the baby, and you must continue your services as requested by Lady Fang. Do you understand?"

"Yes, your honour," She nodded.

"Are there any objections to my ruling?" I looked at the nursemaid's family.

"No," they shook their heads mournfully. The father looked at me, "But is it true? Can we live and work here?"

"Do you want to?" I asked him.

"I do. I think it would be better for our family to be here," he replied, bowing his head and awaiting my decision.

"Then General Fang, do you accept this man's family as bondservants?"

The man looked alarmed; he had not agreed to be a bondservant.

"I do, but they won't be bondservants. They will be considered family," he said, smiling at them.

"Family?" the man questioned with tears in his eyes.

"Yes, Family. However, it will only be those that are here today or born to you in the future. I can't have your extended family coming because your lot has improved."

"I understand, and thank you," The man bowed a deep bow.

"Fergus, can you please show this family to the empty room to the left of the gate?" Fang Xin asked the red-haired young man.

"Sure, Dad," Fergus agreed and showed them out.

Fang Xin turned to me then, "Thank you for your help in this matter."

"I don't understand why you needed me, it was a simple case, one you could have handled yourself," I replied, and my stomach growled, "Oh my, I am sorry, I did not realise I was so hungry, but you did interrupt my morning meal."

"I am sorry. Please have something to eat before heading back. Ying will serve you and your men something. It won't be much, but it is nutritious and filling. We do not have a lot of choice here," Fang Xin apologised, and he waved Ying over and instructed her to look after us all, and she hurried off to do just that. "Please excuse me, Magistrate Xu. I have a lot of work I need to catch up on, which was put on hold to deal with the child's death."

"Please go ahead. I will leave when I have eaten," I waved him off. I was then left alone to eat the meal that Ying had brought. My men were fed outside so that our customs were observed.

When we left, there was no person to be seen in the manor; everyone had left to do other things. To my astonishment, I saw General Xin in the rice fields showing the family he had acquired what to do. Further on, the white son with Chinese features was driving a cart with the grandmother and a teenager from the family towards their hovel. I am guessing it was to collect everything they wanted to bring with them to their new home.

I arrived back at the inn by nightfall, to my wife in hysterics at my absence. I guess I forgot to tell her I was leaving for a magistrate's matter. Oops.

🍀A/N If you enjoyed this chapter, please take the time to vote by pressing the star. Please let me know if you see any errors, as this is unedited.