The Magistrate: Chapter 29 (Patreon)

Chapter 29

Royal Magistrate Finch

On the first day of Spring, on his 20th birthday, Tobias knelt in the outer courtyard of the Imperial Palace, waiting for the results of his royal magistrate exam. The exam was usually held in the middle of Summer, but the 1st Prince had moved it up for some reason. Unlike when Tobias took his magistrate exam, his face was not covered, and the courtyard was not filled with young men vying for a place in society.

The head of the royal magistrates sat with four other officials, reviewing the exam, each one making their own notes and comparing them with those of their neighbours as they passed the exam along.

It was a slow and meticulous process, but Tobias did not mind. His cultivation base was strong enough that kneeling for any length of time did not trouble him anymore. He wasn't even concerned that he might have failed. He'd done everything in his power to pass, and if he hadn't, then there was nothing that he could do to change it.

The 1st Prince had set the conditions, and Tobias had done his best to fulfil them. He would tell the man honestly that he had tried his best, and that would be that. Whatever he had in store for him would no longer be his problem, but the ramifications for failure might be.

Around midafternoon, the head of the royal magistrates lifted his mark and stamped all three exams and then rose to his feet. The other four royal magistrates rose a moment later, one carrying an ornate box.

They repeated, stopped before Tobias, and the head of the royal magistrates went off script. "Magistrate Finch, how many times in The Three Kingdoms' history has someone of your age been allowed to sit the royal magistrate exam?"

Tobias kept his gaze firmly glued to the man's knees. "Eight times, including myself, Head Magistrate."

The title of 'royal' was never included when addressing a royal magistrate, because the imperial family felt it offered them too much prestige. Only extended members of the Imperial Family could be addressed as imperial magistrates, and introducing yourself as a royal magistrate was only acceptable when performing your duties.

"Correct. And how many times were these individuals not a member of the Imperial Family?"

"Twice, including myself."

"Correct again. And how many of these individuals failed to pass the exam?"

"Seven, perhaps eight, we will only know the answer when my fate has been announced."

"Magistrate Finch, you do not kneel before me because of personal achievement as a magistrate, but because you are sponsored by the 1st Prince. As someone who has taken the royal magistrate exam, how am I supposed to react under these circumstances?"

Tobias had spent three years studying palace law under the 1st Prince's personal royal magistrate, so he knew that he wasn't being tested. "Should you suspect a prince of interfering with the royal magistrate exams, you are required to investigate. Should you suspect cheating may be involved, you are required to change the test. Should you believe that a candidate serves anyone by the 2nd Emperor, you are required to track their movements and ascertain who they serve and report this to the emperor."

"It would be wise of you to remember going forward that I was required to do all three in order for you to take this exam, which is why you will never find a place in the palace among my staff."

Tobias heard the unspoken threat. He'd caused a very powerful man a lot of additional headaches, and any failure on his part would cause him to receive the most severe punishment that man could administer.

He did his best to remain calm.

"With the authority granted to me by the 2nd Emperor, may he reign forever, I grant you the title of royal magistrate. Rise and take your place among us.

Tobias gracefully rose to his feet and bowed to each of the royal magistrates, before briefly meeting their gaze as an equal and taking his scroll of authority and storing it in his robe. Once he was given a new mark, the scroll would be displayed on his office wall, but until then, it was the only way for him to confirm his new status.

Tobias tried his best not to smile as he held the scroll. He wasn't looking forward to whatever the 1st Prince had in store for him, but with the scroll, he could enter the Imperial Archives and study everything The Three Kingdoms knew about growing and harvesting Three Towns Tea.

That was where he planned to go the moment this was all over.

As soon as court protocol allowed, the head of the royal magistrates cleared his throat. "You are dismissed, Magistrate Finch."

Tobias bowed to the head magistrate and the others before turning to leave. A celebratory dinner was customary, but only for those who were going to become a part of the internal bureaucracy of the palace. As an outsider, Tobias would only be expected to assist his state in legal matters when he was called upon.

The only benefit to him being a royal magistrate was that it had significantly elevated his standing and made him and his family that much more expensive to kill out of hand. Tobias found the arrangement very beneficial, so long as he never got involved in palace politics, and he survived what came next.

Tobias exited the emperor's outer courtyard. Instead of heading for the gate, he headed for the Imperial Archives. Tobias wasn't sure when he would be back, so he intended to use the opportunity he'd been given.

When Tobias arrived at the Imperial Archives, he presented his scroll to the head archivist and made a request for everything the archives had on Three Towns Tea and other teas grown in the Three Step Hills district in the past. He was shown to a table, where he was supplied with paper and ink to record any information of interest he found.

The records in the archives were not allowed to be removed, and damaging them involved hefty fines.

Tobias spent three frantic hours reading historical documents, noting down anything of interest. The Imperial Archives contained a comprehensive guide for growing Three Towns Tea, along with a list of problems the plant suffered from and how these were corrected. Tobias copied everything he found, including information on the eighteen other varieties of tea that had once grown in the region. Judging by the chi requirements, Tobias was confident that only three of the teas had a chance of surviving the Great Plague.

He'd never seen either of the other plants, but that didn't mean his grandpa hadn't, so he made notes on both of them, before packing up his notes, thanking the head archivist for his assistance, and asked him to have a servant send his notes to his assistant in the 1st Prince's palace.

Even the 1st Prince couldn't intercept an archivist performing their duties, so it was the safest way to get the documents into the hands of those who did not have to hand them over.

The head archivist summoned one of his assistants and sent the man running off with the scrolls, before bidding Tobias farewell. Tobias thanked him once again and then headed for the palace gate, so he could leave before sunset, which was required.

The moment he stepped outside the Inner Imperial Palace, into the thoroughfare that connected the Outer Palaces, Tobias was stopped by a pair of the 1st Prince's eunuchs.

The senior eunuch rose from his bow. "Did you pass the royal magistrate exam, Magistrate Finch?"

Tobias had expected to be approached here, which was why he'd gone to the archives first. "Yes."

"The 1st Prince would like to speak with you then."

***

Tobias approached the 1st Prince's throne, walking down the same carpet he had crossed nearly four years before. He stopped where he had stopped the previous time and kowtowed three times. "Magistrate Finch, greets the 1st Prince."

"You may rise, Magistrate Finch."

Tobias rose with divine grace and studied the man before him. With his cultivation enhanced gaze, the majority of people he had come into contact with had grown less attractive. His enhanced vision made even the slightest blemish stick out.

This didn't apply to the man sitting before him.

The 1st Prince inclined his head ever so slightly. "Magistrate Finch, I commend you on being the youngest magistrate to have passed the royal magistrate exam in the history of The Three Kingdoms."

Tobias kowtowed again. "I would not have been able to do so without the 1st Prince's assistance."

"I'm aware. I hope you have enjoyed my hospitality these past few years, Magistrate Finch. My aides inform me that Disciple Wo has made great progress in his training to become your majordomo, and that Disciple Xi is highly respected by the imperial alchemists."

Tobias chose his next words carefully, because lying to a prince was a capital offence for a royal magistrate. "To say I enjoyed my time would be false, 1st Prince. Between the issues that arose while I progressed my cultivation and the endless hours of study and training, I have not had time to enjoy myself. However, I am grateful for the opportunity to study, and I appreciate how much my assistants have developed while we stayed here."

The 1st Prince chuckled. "I can see how that would make it difficult to enjoy my hospitality, Magistrate Finch. Perhaps I will invite you to enjoy my hospitality again in the future when you are not weighed down by study, training, or cultivation. However, for now, you have come to the end of your time in my palace. You may return to your life outside these walls."

Tobias froze, completely confused by the turn of events. He'd expected to be asked to fulfil a task, not be tossed aside the moment he had done as the 1st Prince asked him. His mind raced as it tried to come up with a reason for the dismissal. The only conclusions he could come up with were that the 1st Prince had either never needed him to do anything, events had taken place that no longer required his participation, or, finally, that the prince's dismissal was necessary to his plan.

Tobias bowed again. "Magistrate Finch thanks the 1st Prince for his hospitality."

"You may leave," the 1st Prince replied, returning to the paperwork before him.

***

Everything moved quickly after Tobias was dismissed. By the time he returned to the palace where he'd been living for the past few years, the eunuchs had already packed his and his assistants' things. Disciple Xi and Disciple Wo were standing outside the gate with a confused look on their faces as the servants packed their luggage into a carriage. They had intended to throw a party, whether or not Tobias passed and now that had been ruined.

Tobias walked over, unsure how he felt about the turn of events. "The 1st Prince has withdrawn our invitation."

Disciple Xi frowned. "Do you know why?"

"I've become a royal magistrate and gained my reward. He no longer wishes to offer his hospitality."

Disciple Wo smiled. "Congratulations, Magistrate Finch."

"I knew you could do it," Disciple Xi added.

Tobias smiled. "Thank you."

A pair of eunuchs came out carrying the last of the luggage and tied it to the roof of the carriage. Eunuch Ho followed behind them and opened the carriage door for the three of them to enter.

He gave a low bow as Tobias approached. "You are the most respectful guest this servant has ever served, Magistrate Finch. I wish you a long and happy life."

Tobias stopped before the eunuch and smiled. This was the only time that he'd ever gotten a hint of the head eunuch's personal feelings. "I wish you the same, Eunuch Ho."

"Thank you, Magistrate Finch."

Tobias climbed in, trying not to let himself get excited about the prospect of returning to his old job.

***

Five hours later, Tobias was glad he hadn't let himself get excited. No sooner had the carriage left the 1st Prince's palace than it was confronted by the 2nd Prince's personal guards. One of the 2nd Prince's aids came to the carriage door and informed Tobias that the 2nd Prince would like to speak with him. The carriage had then been rerouted to the 2nd Prince's palace, where he was taken to the room outside the 2nd Prince's receiving room and told to wait.

A five-hour wait after a long day was not what he had expected, and Tobias struggled to remain awake as the hours dragged on. Tobias understood the 1st Prince had set him up to gain the 2nd Prince's attention, but couldn't figure out why he wanted the 2nd Prince to take an interest in him.  

It made no sense.

One of the 2nd Prince's aides stopped before Tobias in the early hours of the morning and cleared his throat. "The 2nd Prince will see you now."

Tobias kept his expression devoid of emotion. He nodded to the aide as he rose to his feet and followed. As he approached the double doors of the 2nd Prince's receiving room, the 2nd Prince's guards opened the doors and bowed.

Tobias stopped in the entrance, with his eyes downcast, and began to walk forward, hoping that this conversation wouldn't lead to another four-year deviation in his plans.

He stopped halfway down the carpet and fell to his knees, kowtowing three times, before leaving his forehead pressed to the carpet. "Magistrate Finch, greets the 2nd Prince."

"Magistrate Finch, you have been an endless source of headaches for me. From this moment forth, you serve me." There was evident anger in the 2nd Prince's tone, and his command would usually leave no room for debate.

However, Tobias needed to tell the 2nd Prince that it was impossible, as he'd recently become a royal magistrate, and the 2nd Prince already had a personal royal magistrate, so he couldn't fulfil the 2nd Prince's command. However, the 2nd Prince hadn't given him leave to raise his head and speak, and speaking out of turn with a prince was grounds for execution, as he had not been invited here as a guest, unlike the 1st Prince.

The 2nd Prince continued, unaware of Tobias's dilemma. "When you return to Cloud Sect, you will do everything in your power to learn their cultivation methods and techniques, passing those methods onto my other representatives."

Tobias tried and failed to swallow the lump in his throat. When he'd walked in here, he'd never dreamed that the 2nd Prince might be the one behind the attempts to steal the sects' secrets. The sects and Great Clans had a shaky relationship with the Imperial Family. They had more nascent soul realm cultivators, and, realm for realm, they were generally stronger. However, the Imperial Family was led by the 2nd Emperor, a sage realm cultivator, and they had a cultivator army to support them.

If this got out, the sects would want the 2nd Prince disinherited, if not outright executed. And Tobias would have to be the one to investigate and bring the matter to light.

Tobias finally understood why the 1st Prince wanted him to become a royal magistrate and why his exam had been privately rescheduled. It was for this moment. It was so that the 2nd Prince incriminated himself, and Tobias could bear witness against him.

"Will you follow my orders?" The 2nd Prince snapped.

Again, Tobias tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but it refused to budge. If he wasn't careful, the 2nd Prince might break the Imperial Palace's law and kill him on the spot.

"Answer me!"

Tobias licked his lips, feeling his mouth go dry, as he remained face down. "This one cannot do as the 2nd Prince commands. By palace law, only one royal magistrate may serve under a prince at a time, and that position is filled. Furthermore, your request requires me to breach the decree from the winter of 5,963, pertaining to how the emperor, forever may he reign, and his representatives will treat the sects in The Three Kingdoms."

"What is this nonsense? When did you become a royal magistrate?"

"This afternoon, 2nd Prince." Tobias removed the scroll from his robe and placed it before him, without raising his head from the ground.

"Guards, kill him."

Tobias froze, mind racing. He was a royal magistrate inside the Imperial Palace. He was supposed to be immune to summary execution. Only the emperor could do that. Tobias forced himself to remain still, hoping that one of the 2nd Prince's aides would intercede on his behalf or maybe even the emperor. He was supposed to be able to see everything.

There was no point in running. The 2nd Prince's personal guards were all core realm cultivators. He didn't stand a chance. And trying to flee would prevent anyone from stepping in on his behalf.

So, he did the only thing he could and remained still.

The 2nd Prince's aide fell to his knees the moment the words left the prince's mouth. "Your Highness, I beg you to reconsider. The emperor has to investigate the deaths of his royal magistrates. He will no longer be able to turn a blind eye to your activities if you do this."

Tobias felt the tip of a sword come to rest on the back of his neck. The guard had stopped the moment the aide made the move to intervene.

"He knows too much," the 2nd Prince growled.

"Killing this royal magistrate will not solve this problem, Your Highness."

"But it would make me feel better."

"Then have your guards beat him for your amusement, Your Highness. Just don't kill him."

Tobias trembled, hoping that the 2nd Prince would see reason. Otherwise, he was a dead man.