The magistrate of Liuzhou, at only twenty-one years old when he took the position. He had passed the imperial exams four years ago and was known for his lively and justice-seeking nature. His family did not trust him to stay in the capital, so they found him an opportunity to be posted elsewhere. After three years, he received a top evaluation and was assigned to Liuzhou as a magistrate. Liuzhou was a good place with good governance and no troublesome figures. Within half a month of arriving, he resumed his hobby of wandering the streets and alleys, listening to gossip. He had read the Liuzhou Gazette and the Liuzhou Tabloid, including the story The Real and Fake Young Master. He was shocked when a case exactly like the one described in the storybook occurred in his jurisdiction. He presided over the child-swapping case with confusion and bafflement at the Huang family's reasoning. He had only been an official for a little over three years and had already witnessed several cases of murder to silence witnesses. He remembered that he was no longer Hu Buqi, the man who wandered the streets chasing gossip, but Magistrate Hu, the head of the prefecture, so he restrained himself. He carefully reviewed the complaint, confessions, and evidence, finding the case to be the most bizarre he had ever presided over.
