Do you know: I should be fat and you should be thin!

Although there is a flat official road to travel on, the journey is nearly a thousand miles.

The group frequently changed horses, but it still took them more than a month to reach Tianchang County before the end of May.

Zhou Ning, as the newly appointed magistrate, had to perform the ceremonial ceremony at the county government office's ceremonial gate before ascending the hall to pay homage to the imperial seal at the north gate, thus completing the grand kowtow ceremony.

The officials in charge of the seals inspected the seals according to regulations, confirmed that they were intact and undamaged, and completed the handover of the seals to the two county magistrates.

After the official seals were handed over, the subordinates prepared gifts and celebrated Zhou Ning's passing together in the court, which was considered a welcome party for their superior.

For the next month, Zhou Ning was handing over his work!

First, the accounts of money and grain were handed over: the former magistrate Song handed over all the income and expenditure of money and grain under his jurisdiction during his tenure to Zhou Ning for statistics and to reclassify and register them, according to four categories: old management (last period's balance), new income (this period's income), dismissal (this period's expenditure), and actual (this period's balance).

Subsequently, Magistrate Song handed over the inventory list of grain stored in the official granary and various official supplies to Zhou Ning for personal inspection.

After all, if the deficit in funds and grain is only discovered a year after the handover, the new magistrate will bear full responsibility.

After Zhou Ning finished taking inventory, he began handing over the criminal case files.

Magistrate Song registered all the case files and documents related to the criminal cases he had handled but which were not yet closed during his tenure, and handed them all over to Zhou Ning for him to continue handling.

The official documents and various government registers that the county government received and sent on a daily basis were also sorted, numbered, and transferred to Zhou Ning.

Next are the household registration ledgers, statistics on reclaimed and wasteland fields, and land and property registration documents within the jurisdiction.

Finally, all relevant archives and documents, including those related to military and political affairs, ancestral temples, public facilities, and unfinished official business, were organized and handed over!

The 13th day of the sixth month of the fifth year of the Jiayou era!

"Magistrate Song, after working with you for over a month, I am deeply impressed by your outstanding talent and dedication to public service. This promotion is a testament to your accumulated knowledge and skills. I wish you great success in your new post and a smooth and worry-free official career!" Zhou Ning personally saw him off.

"Magistrate Zhou, thank you for your kind words. There are many unruly people in Tianchang County, so the future depends on you," Magistrate Song said with a bow.

Zhou Ning returned the greeting, saying, "I have a heavy responsibility to fulfill, so I won't see you off any further. Please, sir!"

Magistrate Song boarded the carriage and headed along the official road.

"Sir, another adultery case has come up today, as well as a theft case. The victim has come to urge us three times," Pear Head reminded him.

Zhou Ning nodded and urged the car to go back!

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, only serious cases such as murder and robbery could be reported by beating the drum at any time. The county government had to immediately hold court to accept the case and could not delay or shirk responsibility.

Ordinary civil cases need to be filed on the date of filing and approved before a trial is scheduled. Both of these cases were the responsibility of Magistrate Song, and he hadn't had time to hear them. He was also busy with the handover, which is why they have been delayed until now!

County government office!

With Zhou Ning's return, the yamen (government office) first sounded the second gong, announcing the start of work!

Zhou Ning gave three instructions, then sounded the alarm three times, and all the litigants and related personnel were gathered in front of the lobby steps to wait.

At this moment, Zhou Ning, dressed in a green official uniform and wearing a straight-legged turban, slowly walked from the inner courtyard to the main hall.

Upon seeing him, the inner court officials struck a gong and announced the start of court. The yamen runners immediately beat the court drum three times, and the yamen runners on both sides lined up neatly, shouting their authority.

Zhou Ning strolled into the main hall, sat down behind the judge's desk, picked up the gavel and struck it, silencing the crowd below.

"Summon the plaintiff to court!" Zhou Ning announced loudly.

A fat landlord rushed into the courtroom, shouting, "Your Honor! I want to accuse my wife, Li, of adultery with Scholar Zhang!"

In Da Zhou, during court hearings, plaintiffs, defendants, and witnesses could stand while being questioned by the county magistrate, without having to kneel.

When the people cry out in indignation and seek justice, they prostrate themselves on the ground and weep; when the prisoners voluntarily confess their crimes, they kowtow and admit their guilt. These are merely spontaneous acts by individuals.

Even if people happen to encounter the county magistrate on the street, they do not need to kneel down to pay their respects.

"Tell me the whole story of the case from the beginning," Zhou Ning said.

The landlord said, "Sir, it's like this. That scholar Zhang is a down-on-his-luck scholar from this county. His family is so poor they can't even afford to eat, so he can only make a living by selling his calligraphy. Two months ago, I discovered that my wife was buying his calligraphy every day, and the amount she was buying kept increasing. The two of them must be having an affair! I have witnesses!"

"Tian Fusheng, right?" Zhou Ning asked.

"Yes, that's me," Tian Fusheng said.

"There's something I need to remind you of. According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, those who make false accusations will be punished according to the crimes they fabricated. Do you understand?" Zhou Ning reminded him.

"I understand!" Tian Fusheng said excitedly.

"Summon the defendant, Ms. Li, and Scholar Zhang to the court!" Zhou Ning announced.

A young woman and a strong, fit man entered the courtroom to hear the news.

"Ms. Li, Tian Fusheng has accused you of adultery with Scholar Zhang. Do you have anything to say in response?" Zhou Ning asked.

Li knelt down, weeping, and said, "My lord! I only admired Scholar Zhang's calligraphy. I absolutely did not commit adultery. Please, my lord, investigate thoroughly!"

Zhou Ning slammed his gavel and roared, "Silence! I will not listen to one side of the story. Scholar Zhang, what do you have to say?"

"My lord, I am innocent!" That was all Zhang Xiucai said.

"Can't you say more? You fucking cry foul, and you're really innocent?" Zhou Ning thought to himself.

Many people listened in from below the hall, and seeing that the new magistrate was so young, they were worried about the fairness of the proceedings.

"Bring the witness to the court!" Zhou Ning shouted.

A down-on-his-luck rogue entered the courtroom, laughing, "Your Honor! I am Zhang San!"

"You're a witness, so tell me, what did you see?" Zhou Ning asked.

Zhang San said, "Sir, that day I was doing odd jobs outside and I saw Li go into Zhang Xiucai's house to take his calligraphy. Hehe, out of curiosity, I peeked at the corner of the wall for a while and even heard some sounds. Let me imitate them for you, sir: Ah~ ah~, so comfortable~ I'm going to die~"

Zhang Xiucai's cheeks burned and his whole body trembled.

Li simply stopped looking up.

The married men in the audience stifled their laughter, while the women who understood the situation covered their faces and spat.

Zhou Ning interrupted Zhang Sanlang's shouting with a gavel, saying, "Enough! Li Shi, Scholar Zhang. Is what Zhang San said true? Confess now!"

"My lord, it's... not true!" Zhang Xiucai said through gritted teeth.

Zhou Ning asked, "Then tell me, where is it untrue?"

Scholar Zhang, his face flushed red, exclaimed, "That's clearly not how he called it that day! He's innocent..."

"Shut up! I don't want to hear what you're saying! You haven't denied that Li entered the room to take the calligraphy, which confirms that you two were in the dark room together. Just now you admitted that Li called out in your room, only the content was different! Utterly shameless! Do you deserve your official titles?" Zhou Ning slammed his gavel and shouted.

Has reading made your brain stupid?

Debating whether a sound is right or wrong is just crazy!

Aren't they all just moaning? Is there a difference?

The people nodded in agreement, all agreeing that Zhou Ning's words made sense!

"Please hear the verdict!"

Zhou Ning stood up and said, "According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, both the man and woman involved in adultery are sentenced to one and a half years of penal servitude. If the woman has a husband, the sentence is increased to two years. According to the current dynasty's commutation of punishment, penal servitude can be commuted to fifteen strokes of the cane followed by immediate release, without the need for long-term imprisonment. Li, I hereby sentence you to either two years of penal servitude or fifteen strokes of the cane! Sign here immediately, and the sentence will be carried out immediately! Do you know your crime? Do you accept the sentence?"

"I...I accept the judgment!" Li said in a trembling voice.

Zhou Ning looked at Zhang Xiucai and said, "Zhang Xiucai! You are a scholar with official rank, and I cannot directly use torture on you in court. I will petition the local education officials and higher authorities to have your scholar rank revoked and to punish you the same as Li! Do you know your crime? Do you accept the sentence?"

"The student...the student is innocent!"

......