plumnovel Chapter 103 Examination
Chapter 103 Examination
Chapter 103 Examination
The city god's face darkened: "Ding Xun, you have served under me for over twenty years, and I had no idea you harbored such ambitions?"
Ding Xun lowered his head and remained silent.
The city god stepped forward again: "Ding Xun, I have treated you well."
"Your words and deeds have taught me a lesson that I will remember forever," Ding Xun finally said.
"Very well, very well indeed." The City God sneered, glancing at the fox behind the desk with a gloomy look in his eyes. "The fox spirit truly has remarkable skills."
"Why do you say that, City God?" the fox asked sarcastically. "What I see in the mirror is all due to their fate. What does it have to do with me?"
"Fox spirit, you're using the Lord's name to toy with me—"
"Your Majesty, according to the laws of the underworld, you may only listen in on this examination, and you may not interfere."
"If you have any objections, you may submit a written report after the examination is completed, and the Prefect will make a decision."
The fox couldn't stop talking about the lord.
"well."
"Foxes are good, of course. You don't need to tell me."
Ignoring the incompetent and furious City God, the fox shifted its gaze downwards to Ding Xun, whose expression was respectful as he stared at the table.
"However, I must remind everyone that the image in the mirror should not be taken at face value. The future is not static, and if you make a mistake, it will all be for nothing."
The fox's tone became sincere again, as if he was considering everyone's well-being.
"Your humble servant understands."
"The small talk is over, and the ritual implements have been tested. You have all been waiting for quite some time, and I'm sure you're all getting impatient."
The fox pulled out several volumes of documents and said solemnly, "In that case, let's begin the examination."
"For this test, I have prepared a few questions for you all. You may answer them as you see fit."
"The first question will test your abilities. Here are some long-standing unsolved cases that I selected from the county government. All the information that can be found, including the people involved, physical evidence, and testimonies, is recorded here."
"Each of you will receive a volume; which case you get is entirely up to luck."
The fox wasn't lying. These files were all obtained from Magistrate Zhang, with the fox specifically requesting the most difficult ones. Firstly, it would appear fair and complete, providing the necessary exam questions and relieving the magistrate's burden; secondly—
Judge Ding has served under the City God for many years and is highly regarded, so his abilities must be considerable. Wouldn't it be a waste not to use this opportunity to put in some effort first?
"You all have one night. Since you are spirits, your methods are naturally more sophisticated than those of human officials. I do not expect you to have irrefutable evidence, but only that you uncover the truth."
The three men stepped forward one by one and accepted the file with both hands.
Judge Ding quickly scanned the area and felt relieved. It was just a murder case. The witnesses and suspects were in Taoyuan County. He only needed to enter the dream to question and intimidate them to find out the truth.
Without waiting for anyone else, he walked past the city god and headed out of the hall.
The fox's explanation did not extinguish his greed; instead, it fueled his burning desire even more.
Once this desire, suppressed for more than a decade, broke through the ground, it could no longer be contained.
After examining the situation for a while, Lu Zheng and Mr. Su also left. Only a fox and a ghost remained in the hall.
The fox didn't give the City God a chance to speak: "As the examiner, I need to be on-site to supervise. Please do as you see fit, City God."
The fox went straight out the door, but did not follow the three people. Instead, it chose a secluded spot and took out a palm-sized document from its tail, which was neither paper nor silk.
At dawn.
Lu Zheng finished answering and stepped back to the side of the hall.
Su Ding faced the fox and began to explain: "—The above is my judgment on the case."
After listening quietly, the fox commented: "It is both reasonable and emotionally sound. Although it has minor flaws, they do not detract from its overall excellence."
"Next up, Ding Xun."
Ding Xun took a deep breath, bowed respectfully, and then said, "This humble official has already ascertained that the deceased—"
He glanced at the fox discreetly and saw that it was more attentive than when it had listened to the reports from the other two, looking thoughtful. He felt reassured.
He was right; the fox was indeed completely absorbed.
Unlike the other two, Judge Ding probably wouldn't have the chance to meet Magistrate Zhang, so this deduction had to be written down by the fox and then relayed to Magistrate Zhang.
"Speaking of which, Fox should have brought someone to keep records for him—"
The fox's thoughts started wandering again.
"In conclusion, I believe that—"
The fox snapped back to reality, nodded slightly, and uttered the prepared comment: "Not bad, shrewd and efficient."
"This is the question you've thought of most thoroughly."
Ding Xun said respectfully, "Thank you for the praise, Fox Fairy. I have only done my best and dare not accept such praise."
The fox nodded, and after the three returned to their seats, it continued, "The second question also tests your abilities, but it's different from the previous one; it's a contest between humans and demons."
"In the tenth month of winter, a cold wave arrived early, and food became scarce in the mountains. A rat king led his horde to migrate underground in the orchards, where they burrowed to avoid harm and fed on pests and leftover fruit. However, they dug too deep, damaging the orchard's root system. Farmers dug up the soil and found broken roots and numerous rat tracks. They mistakenly believed that the rats had been gnawing on the tree roots, so they exterminated them—"
Ding Xun composed himself and listened attentively.
This test question must have been a story the fox made up based on his whimsical friends; he could easily spot several errors. But of course, he wouldn't point it out; his mind was already elsewhere.
The City God had given him a document that recorded all the traceable events that had occurred since the fox left the mountain. He had read it over and over again no less than ten times and had long since figured out the fox's thoughts.
Since this question was posed by the fox spirit himself, is there any need to think about how to write the judgment? The position of City God is getting closer and closer.
"Please each of you submit your judgment within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."
Everyone picked up their pens to write, and the fox watched them one by one.
Su Ding's judgment, based on the principle of "guiding them with virtue and regulating them with propriety," emphasizes moral education throughout. It points out that although the case is a conflict between humans and rats, the root cause lies in the failure of moral education.
He elaborated on his reasoning, explaining that both sides had their own difficulties and that harsh punishments were insufficient to pacify them. He argued that the misunderstandings should be cleared up first, the truth clarified, and both sides allowed to coexist in a mutually beneficial way. He then promised to widely promote education, teaching the people the principles of human-demon coexistence, so that they would not entertain murderous thoughts in the face of danger.
The fox then looked at Lu Zheng's writing. This guy's writing was naturally not as literary as Mr. Su's. He only said at the very beginning, "The law is a public instrument of the world. It should not be abandoned because of good or evil, nor should it be wronged because of the twists and turns of reason." After that, he simply laid out the sentences one by one.
First, the rats were instructed to repair the fruit roots and were not allowed to leave without permission. They were tasked with eliminating pests and protecting the forest to ensure that the fruit would ripen the following year. The area where the rats could inhabit was also strictly demarcated.
The court then ruled that the fruit farmer had acted on mere conjecture to exterminate the rats, and that he must apologize to the rats and compensate them for the lost harvest to ensure their continued livelihood.
Perhaps these two were both harmed by demons and had obsessions, or perhaps they were truly devoted to the Dao, because their answers were not much different from what the fox had expected.
But the fox was still watching with great interest.
It turns out that being a teacher, assigning homework to students, and watching them rack their brains is actually quite interesting.