本官断案这么长时间
“I have been a judge for so long,”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
岂有此理
“Preposterous!”
本官断案 这么长 时间
“I have been a judge for so long,”
“but this is the first time I've seen a plaintiff absent from court.”
“I have run courts for decades and this blatant disrespect is completely unacceptable.”
In imperial China, local magistrates held absolute legal and administrative authority; failing to appear in court directly insulted the magistrate's official dignity.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
I, this magistrate / officer
An imperial-era first-person pronoun used exclusively by officials when exercising official authority.
to judge a court case; to deliver a verdict
A classical/formal collocation referring to deciding judicial cases.