Hear Magistrate Shi Tell Tales of Strange Qing Dynasty Cases

During the Kangxi reign, an unremarkable-looking magistrate arrived in Jiangdu County, Yangzhou Prefecture. His name was Shi Shilun. He had a lame leg and an ordinary face, but no matter how bizarre a case was, he could always make sense of it. Behind his back, the people called him the Living Yama, not because they feared him, but because they admired his uncanny skill at solving cases and his incorruptibility.

The world doesn’t offer many cases that go smoothly. Every case Shi Gong encounters is strange and unsettling. The dead return in dreams to lodge complaints; a stone becomes the defendant; a headless corpse walks into court to cry out for justice… Absurd, isn’t it? Yet Shi Gong can still untangle these bizarre cases, one clue at a time.

Even the most capable person can’t do it all alone. Shi Gong is joined by a band of martial-arts heroes, led by Huang Tianba. Once a greenwood outlaw, Huang fought Shi Gong with spells and swords before being brought to heel. Now he follows him loyally and helps solve cases. One uses his wits, the other his blade; one hears cases in court, the other runs around making arrests. Scholar and warrior, they work together seamlessly.

From the small county yamen in Jiangdu to Shuntian Prefecture and the Tongzhou granary, not one of Shi Gong’s cases is easy. Corrupt officials, local tyrants, river pirates, lecherous monks: he faces every kind of villain. But no matter who they are, Shi Gong arrests and punishes those who deserve it, without hesitation.

This book, Hear Shi Gong Tell Strange Cases from the Qing Dynasty, retells the original’s convoluted classical Chinese in plain, modern language. No posturing, no showing off, no needless rambling, just straightforward storytelling. Listen with headphones or read it on the sofa. It won’t strain your brain, and it’s all about having fun.

Shi Gong presides in court; Huang Tianba draws his blade. One strange case after another.