Member-only story
Master Bao and the Role of the Monk
A tale of the T’ang Dynasty (618–907 CE)
Master Bao rode his ox, Xi, along a road leading to the city of Pao-Chou in the providence of Jiannan. His student, Ping, walked alongside.
“This city has an able administrator with a reputation for clever decisions in complex cases, Ping. His name is Sun Pao, and we can learn much from such a man. Therefore, as the mid-day session of the Tribunal is about to begin, we will attend and witness the proceedings.”
The Tribunal was crowded and Ping noticed how people were laughing and smiling, despite the six constables at the front of the room who were lined up in two rows, holding their leather whips and bamboo rods. The table, behind which the Magistrate was to sit, was set on a high platform and covered with a red cloth. “Justice” and “Benevolence” in gold characters were embroidered on the front of the cloth.
After a few minutes, the curtain behind the dais was pulled aside by two men dressed in bronze armor, and the Magistrate emerged. He was a large man with a long, dark beard and wore the green brocade robe of his office. A black, winged cap, the zanjiao futou, completed the official wardrobe.
The crowd grew silent.
