The moment his heart had finally begun to settle, it tightened again instantly.
Tao Mo stared blankly at him, watching the distance close from far to near, then about to widen again from near to far. Unable to hold himself back, he called out, “Young Master Gu!”
Only then did Gu She seem to notice there was someone standing beside him. He lazily turned his head.
Swept by that cool, detached gaze, Tao Mo shivered all over and blurted out, “Not eating anymore?”
“How do you speak to people like that?” Gu Xiaojia, who had been watching Tao Mo ever since he came out, could not help jumping down from the carriage and glaring at him.
Tao Mo froze before realizing that what he had just said sounded as though he were mocking Gu She for specially coming just to eat dinner. His face flushed red with embarrassment. “That was not what I meant.”
“Idiot.” Gu Xiaojia opened the carriage door. “Young Master, let’s go home.”
Just as Gu She was about to board the carriage, Tao Mo called out again, “Young Master Gu.”
Gu Xiaojia glared at him. “What are you yelling for like a ghost?”
Tao Mo was rendered speechless by the question. He merely wanted to look at Gu She a little longer and did not want him to leave so early. As for finding an excuse, he had not thought of one yet.
At last Gu She fully turned to look at him directly. “You want to ask me for help?”
Tao Mo froze, unsure why he would say such a thing. Yet somehow it accidentally aligned perfectly with what Tao Mo wanted, so he quickly replied, “Yes, yes, yes. I do indeed have something to ask of you.”
“A small favor or a big favor?” Gu Xiaojia suddenly cut into the conversation.
Gu She did not object.
Caught off guard, Tao Mo could not think of any favor on the spot and could only say, “Both big and small.”
Gu Xiaojia frowned. “Why are you such a troublesome person?”
For some inexplicable reason, Tao Mo’s mind suddenly flashed with inspiration, and he answered, “People all have urgent needs.”
“……”
Gu Xiaojia was defeated.
Gu She said, “Come wait outside my residence tomorrow.”
Not finding his behavior arrogant in the slightest, Tao Mo happily watched them board the carriage and depart.
The sedan bearers from the county yamen had already noticed Tao Mo leave the residence after he spoke up earlier. Now they hurried over to carry him back home.
On the journey back to the county yamen, Tao Mo continually pondered how he should mention this matter to Old Tao. The moment he imagined Old Tao’s reaction, his heart grew cold. Yet when he thought about seeing Gu She again tomorrow, his heart warmed once more.
Thus he returned to the county yamen with his emotions alternating between cold and warm, warm and cold.
Suddenly Hao Guozi rushed out from inside, nearly crashing into him, his expression overflowing with excitement. “Young Master, something terrible has happened! Someone has submitted a legal complaint!”
A legal complaint?
Tao Mo stood there dazed for quite a while before finally regaining his senses and stammering, “Th-then what should we do?”
“I don’t know either,” Hao Guozi admitted. “Young Master should ask Old Tao.”
Not daring to delay, Tao Mo hurried into the inner hall.
Old Tao was busy calculating accounts. Seeing Tao Mo enter, he said, “The written complaint is on the table.”
Awkwardly remaining where he stood, Tao Mo replied, “You know I cannot read.”
Hao Guozi immediately hopped over to the table, picked up the complaint, and began reading aloud. “‘This common woman, Madam… Bu Shide…’”
“Bu Shide?” Tao Mo looked confused.
Hao Guozi blushed awkwardly. “I don’t recognize that character.”
Without even lifting his head from the account book, Old Tao said, “It is Madam Liao accusing her son of being unfilial.”
Hao Guozi exclaimed, “I never imagined a mother would sue her own son. Truly a wonder unheard of through the ages.”
Old Tao replied, “In Tanyang County, even trivial matters can be brought before the court, so it is hardly unusual.”
“How exactly was Madam Liao’s son unfilial?” Tao Mo asked.
Old Tao answered, “He disobeyed his mother.”
“How did he disobey her?”
“He spoke disrespectfully.”
Tao Mo froze. After a long while, he sighed softly. “Actually, even having the chance to speak disrespectfully is a kind of blessing.”
Old Tao replied, “Would it not be an even greater blessing if one never spoke disrespectfully at all and instead behaved filially in every matter?”
Filled with guilt, Tao Mo fell silent.
“Oh right!” Hao Guozi suddenly cried out. “Young Master, did you eat anything delicious at the Lu residence today?”
Remembering everything that happened there only made Tao Mo feel even more ashamed. “There was nothing worth eating.” Under those circumstances, how could he possibly remember what he had eaten?
“I never expected the Lu residence to be so unimpressive,” Hao Guozi remarked.
Old Tao was far too perceptive. One glance at Tao Mo’s expression told him something had happened. “What occurred?”
“It was nothing much.” Meeting Old Tao’s knowing gaze, Tao Mo realized the matter would eventually spread anyway, so he confessed, “Young Master Lu asked me to compose poetry, and I told everyone I cannot read.”
Hao Guozi asked in confusion, “Why would Young Master Lu suddenly ask you to compose poetry for no reason?”
“I already knew that Lu Zhenxue was no simple person,” Old Tao said. “Still, this matter was bound to become known sooner or later. Whether people learn it early or late makes little difference.”
Though that was what he said, Tao Mo still did not want to embarrass himself in front of Gu She.
Thinking it over, Tao Mo realized that every time he encountered Gu She, he somehow ended up looking pathetic. The first time he was ignored. The second time came the “weak waters stretch for three thousand li” incident. The third time…
Fortunately, the fourth meeting was not far away.
At that thought, inspiration suddenly struck him. “The Madam Liao case is the very first lawsuit I will personally handle. I cannot treat it lightly. If only I could seek guidance from an expert.”
Old Tao looked at him in surprise. “Young Master’s thoughts align exactly with my own.”
Joy immediately appeared on Tao Mo’s face, only for Old Tao to continue, “Tonight, go to Adviser Jin’s residence and ask him to make sure he attends court tomorrow.”
“Only Adviser Jin?” Tao Mo asked.
Old Tao replied, “Cases this small occur countless times every month. If Madam Liao were not considered somewhat respectable within Tanyang County, Young Master would not even need to hold court personally.”
Tao Mo immediately looked crestfallen.
“Could it be that Young Master has another brilliant insight?” Old Tao looked at him suspiciously.
Afraid that Old Tao might see through him, Tao Mo hurriedly found an excuse to escape.
After returning to his room, he dragged Hao Guozi over and whispered detailed instructions into his ear.
Hao Guozi stared at him in shock. “Young Master, you are at least a seventh-rank county magistrate. Why must you wait outside his residence instead?”
Tao Mo did not find anything inappropriate about it. “Since he said so, naturally he has his reasons. Just do as I say. And remember, your tone must sound very sincere.”
Reluctantly, Hao Guozi nodded. “But tomorrow Young Master will be presiding over court, and I won’t get to watch.”
“There will be many opportunities like this in the future.” Though Tao Mo said so, inwardly he was anxious. He was completely inexperienced and utterly lacking in knowledge. He had only once listened to Old Tao recite the laws of the dynasty aloud. Who knew how much he would actually remember once the time came?
At this point, he could only leave it to fate.
That very night, he and Old Tao went together to Adviser Jin’s residence. To both their surprise, Adviser Jin showed no hesitation whatsoever about assuming office ahead of schedule.
Looking at Adviser Jin’s weathered face, Tao Mo finally felt a faint sense of reassurance.
The new county magistrate was about to hold court.
This was a major event.
In peaceful and prosperous Tanyang County, the common people cared little about taxes since they had not changed in years. What they used to judge whether a magistrate was capable was how he handled lawsuits. In a place like Tanyang County, overflowing with litigation masters, one could never establish a firm foothold without the ability to judge cases.
Seated in the courtroom, Tao Mo looked at the court attendants lined up in two rows, Madam Liao and her son Wang Pengcheng kneeling below, and two litigation masters standing on opposite sides of the court hall. Immediately, his head began aching uncontrollably.
Fortunately—
Turning his head slightly, he saw that Adviser Jin was at least still on his side.
“Your Excellency?” Seeing Tao Mo remain completely silent while merely staring wide-eyed at him, Adviser Jin could not help feeling uneasy.
The “weak waters stretch for three thousand li” scandal had not yet died down. Was Tao Mo now planning to add another accusation of “flirting openly in the courtroom” as well? Thinking of this, Adviser Jin no longer cared whether people stared or not and slightly raised his voice. “Your Excellency!”
Tao Mo jolted and immediately turned back around.
The two litigation masters standing on either side were watching him as though enjoying a comedy performance.
Slowly, Tao Mo reached his hand toward the judge’s block.
The solid, square piece of wood finally steadied his heart somewhat.
Just as everyone waited for him to slam it down dramatically, Tao Mo instead spoke gently and softly.
“Who would like to speak first?”
The two litigation masters exchanged glances.
Having known each other for years, they were thoroughly familiar with every trick the other possessed.
Wang Pengcheng’s litigation master raised his brows, signaling for the other side to begin.
Madam Liao’s litigation master did not stand on ceremony. Bowing toward Tao Mo, he asked, “May I ask what Your Excellency considers filial piety to be?”
Tao Mo sighed. “That is one thing I myself failed to achieve, so do not ask me.”
“……”
No matter how the litigation master imagined it, he never expected Tao Mo would openly and righteously admit his own unfilial behavior. After staring blankly for a moment, he asked, “Then in what way was Your Excellency unfilial?”
Tao Mo’s eyes grew even more desolate. “It is a long story. Back then…”
At last Adviser Jin understood why Old Tao had insisted he assume office ahead of schedule. This new employer of his was truly unreliable.
“Ahem, ahem.” He interrupted loudly, earning synchronized eye-rolls from everyone present.
Snapping back to reality, Tao Mo flushed red with embarrassment. “Speak about your case first.”
Madam Liao’s litigation master said, “Filial piety means serving one’s parents well. The unfilial party in this matter is Wang Pengcheng of the Wang family.”
Futile Devices Scans 
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