Union

Chapter 20 The Donkey Theft Case

Leaving aside what the women in the inner quarters were thinking at that moment, Chen Yanzhou was not found and brought back by Mo Xue for an hour.

The newly appointed magistrate was busy washing up, changing clothes, and holding court to hear cases. Aunt Ding, along with Yunying and the others, naturally stayed obediently in the backyard, not daring to cause any trouble.

They weren't just sitting there idly. In a short while, they sent a maid to the front to find out who was beating the drum and why.

From the maidservants, they also learned that the one beating the drum was an old man from Baili Village, Qingshi Town, under the jurisdiction of Yungui County, whom outsiders called Old Man Li.

Old Man Li's family had a family tradition of carpentry, and his two sons followed in his footsteps and became carpenters as well. Because of their good temperaments, outstanding skills, and meticulous work, the three of them earned low wages and practically monopolized the furniture and decoration production in the entire town of Qing Shi.

With more work, the family gradually saved up their copper coins. At the beginning of the year, they bought a donkey to carry their tools or deliver finished products to customers who placed orders.

But just the night before last, Old Man Li's donkey was stolen.

If it were just a simple case of donkey theft, Old Man Li wouldn't have gone to such lengths; he could have simply reported it to the county government. Donkeys are valuable items, second only to oxen in price. Such a heinous crime wouldn't be ignored by the authorities.

Old Man Li was anxious to find his donkey. The moment he realized it had been stolen, he hurriedly woke up the whole village to help. After searching for two days, they finally found the donkey at a house in Qingshi Town.

Unfortunately, the donkey already had a new owner. The new owner denied stealing the donkey, claiming he bought it from the cattle and horse market and that he would report anyone who tried to take it to the authorities.

The two argued and almost came to blows. Fortunately, the village chief of Baili Village and the mayor of Qingshi Town intervened and prevented a major incident from escalating.

But he didn't get the donkey back, and Old Man Li was indignant, so he beat the drum and took the matter to court.

The case was quite simple. When Qiu Ning and the others heard that it was just a case of donkey theft, they curled their lips in boredom and said, "As long as the county magistrate and the town head aren't incompetent, they should be able to tell who the donkey's owner is just by looking at it and seeing who the donkey is closer to. Why bother going to the county government and delaying Second Master's..." journey.

Qiu Ning didn't finish her sentence, but Aunt Ding gave her a warning look, and Qiu Ning smiled awkwardly and quickly shut her mouth.

Seeing that Qiu Ning was sensible enough to be disciplined, Aunt Ding didn't say much to her. But Aunt Ding didn't have her own thoughts. Just like Qiu Ning said, wouldn't it be possible to tell who the donkey's owner is by observing who the donkey is closer to?

Could it be that there's something hidden here that she doesn't know about?

Aunt Ding was right; judging who the donkey's owner is by which one the donkey is closer to is indeed unreliable.

Why do you say that?
This was because the donkey's later owner was a wealthy man who loved the newly purchased donkey very much.

How much do you love them?

They loved it so much that they fed the donkey maltose as a snack.

As we all know, livestock such as horses and donkeys have a rich supply of nerves on their tongues and are very sensitive to taste; they have a great fondness for sweets.

Whoever the original owner of this donkey was, even if they lived a good life and loved the donkey dearly, they probably wouldn't have been able to feed it maltose as a snack from time to time.

This led to a situation where, although the donkey was excited to see Old Man Li and his family and outwardly seemed eager to get close to them, as soon as the new owner brought out some candy, the donkey would obediently run to the new owner, trying to ingratiate itself and ask for pets and candy... It really was shameless when it came to food.

Old Man Li and his family were naturally furious to see that the wealthy man surnamed Pan had used such a shameless method to lure their donkey away. They demanded that the man surnamed Pan stop feeding the donkey maltose, using this as a way to determine who the donkey was closer to and who its true owner was. But Pan Xing just rolled his eyes at them, saying, "It's his donkey, he can feed it however he wants. He's rich, he can feed the donkey as much maltose as he wants..."

Unable to resolve the matter, it escalated to the point of going to court.

Chen Yanzhou sat under the plaque of "Ming Jing" hanging high, looking at the plaintiff, Old Man Li, the defendant, Pan Xing, and the black donkey that the two families were fighting over, his face expressionless and his brows not even furrowed.

But before he could say "Silence," the donkey brayed, "Ah—uh—ah—uh—".

The courtroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Chen Yanzhou's face was stiff and dark, while the crowd that had gathered to watch the spectacle suddenly burst into laughter after the initial silence.

Seeing such a farce unfold in the courtroom, Magistrate Fan bowed respectfully to Chen Yanzhou, saying, "My lord, please calm down. It's all my fault for not handling this donkey properly and frightening you. Please wait a moment, my lord, I'll have someone gag the donkey right away."

He gave the constable a wink, and the lead constable produced a ball of hemp rope from somewhere and deftly tied the donkey's lips shut. While the constable was tying the donkey's lips, Old Man Li and Pan Xing, kneeling in the courtroom, were both watching his actions.

Old Man Li looked distressed, gasping for breath and repeatedly pleading, "Sir, be careful, sir, be gentle. This beast doesn't mean any harm, it just can't control its mouth..."

In contrast, Pershing looked completely unconcerned, watching the show with great interest.

The starkly different attitudes of the two men made it immediately clear who the true owner of the donkey was.

Just like in the folk tales, when the county magistrate asked two women claiming to be the child's biological mother to pull the child between them to decide who the child would belong to, the biological mother, unwilling to let the child suffer, would definitely let go first.

Now that Pershing is turning a blind eye to the donkey's pain, it's clear that the donkey is not truly his property.

Everyone knows about this, but as I said before, we need evidence to speak for ourselves.

Unfortunately, the evidence presented by the two men was evenly matched, and the donkey was friendly to both of them.

Chen Yanzhou watched them make a scene with cold eyes, and when they still wanted to continue arguing, he had completely lost the will to watch.

Chen Yanzhou: "The bailiffs shall escort this donkey to Qingshi Town. Li Dacheng and Pan Xing shall not approach it at any point. Release the donkey at the crossroads of Qingshi Town. If the donkey goes to the Li family, it goes to the Li family; if it goes to the Pan family, it goes to the Pan family. Court adjourned."

Chen Yanzhou quickly and decisively adjudicated the absurd case, then stood up and strode back to the inner hall.

Sui Yun was waiting in the back hall. When he saw the Second Master come over, he quickly reached out and took the official hat that the Second Master handed him. He asked in a low voice, "Master, should I go and investigate that Pan Xing?"

"No need. Just keep a close eye on Fan Xuchang."

"Yes, I will send more men to keep a close eye on him shortly."

"Don't alert him. Look, he's connected with that family."

"Yes."

Chen Yanzhou was about to continue walking forward when he heard the voice of Magistrate Fan behind him.

Magistrate Fan had a fair complexion, was of medium height, and was around fifty years old. He had a prosperous appearance and a kind and benevolent look, like a compassionate bodhisattva enshrined in a Buddhist shrine.

But just from the widely circulated saying, "The magistrate of Fan County is as steadfast as iron, while the magistrate of Yun Gui County is as ever-changing as water," it is clear that this person is definitely not as harmless and gentle as he appears outwardly.

If he were truly that kind of person, he couldn't have managed the county government office so impenetrably, like an ironclad fortress.

County Magistrate Fan strode over and jogged, bowing to Chen Yanzhou from afar, "My lord, I have truly failed in my duty this time."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yanzhou stopped in his tracks. His handsome face, which had been cold and aloof, was now filled with doubt and curiosity.

He gestured for Magistrate Fan to sit at the tea table in the back hall. Magistrate Fan thanked him several times for the seat before finally sitting down.

As soon as he sat down, he earnestly apologized, saying, "Before you returned, I summoned Li Dacheng and Pan Xing to the hall to inquire about the matter of the drumbeat."

He then repeated how he had persuaded the two men after learning the reason, and finally said, "It's all because I'm incompetent and couldn't persuade them to properly discuss the ownership of the black donkey."

Chen Yanzhou interrupted his self-blame, "How can you blame yourself? Donkeys are expensive, and ordinary people may not be able to save enough money to buy one in their entire lives. You want them to give up their donkeys with just a few words, which is tantamount to letting their years of hard work go to waste. It is understandable that the aggrieved parties are unwilling."

"You are right, sir. However, this is my first time handling such a case. I did not consider things carefully beforehand and did not expect to make a fool of myself in court, thus embarrassing you."

Chen Yanzhou: "Since you know you've made a mistake, you can correct it in the future..."

(End of this chapter)