The Emperor's Pearl

IX

Early the next morning, just after breakfast, Sergeant Hoong found Judge Dee standing by the desk in his private office, feeding green leaves to the tortoise.

'It's remarkable how developed the senses of those animals are!' the judge remarked. 'To us these leaves have no smell at all, but look at this small fellow!'

He put a few salad leaves on the chair. The tortoise that was crawling over a book on the desk soon raised its head and made for the chair. Judge Dee put the leaves in front of him. When the tortoise had gobbled them up, he opened the window and put the small animal back into the rock-garden. Then he seated himself behind his desk and asked briskly:

'How did it fare last night, Hoong? '

The sergeant gave a detailed account of his meeting with Sheng Pa. When he had finished he added: ' Sheng Pa evi­dently had heard already that there was something wrong with Tong Mai's so-called accident. And also rumours about the bets having been manipulated. He even suggested that, since Dr Pien is short of money, he might have cornered the bets and profited by his own boat losing the race.'

The judge raised his eyebrows.

'He did, did he?' He tugged at his moustache. 'That puts the doctor in a very curious light. I bad the impression that he's looked upon here as a well-to-do, worthy citizen, of unquestioned integrity. Looks quite a dignified fellow too, with that solemn, pale face and that jet-black moustache. I admit, however, that he was rather keen to have Tong's death recorded as due to heart failure. Did you ever hear anything against him, Hoong?'

'No sir. He is generally considered one of the best physicians in this town. It's a pity that Sheng Pa expresses himself so darkly. I wager that he knows more about Tong Mai and Sia Kwang than he wants to admit. But he'd rather die than make a straightforward statement!'

Judge Dee nodded.

'It's clear,' he said, 'that he prefers us to hear the infor­mation about Tong and Sia directly from the woman he mentioned. We shall go and see her this morning. Hasn't Sia come back yet to his lodging? I'd like to meet him first of all, then hear what Sheng Pa's girl-friend has to say about him and Tong Mai.'

'Unfortunately Sia hasn't come back to his lodging, sir. The headman told me that just now one of the constables who was watching Sia's place came back and reported that Sia hasn't turned up.' Hoong paused. After a while he resumed, rather diffidently: ' Speaking about Sheng Pa's girl­friend, Your Honour, it might be possible that the old scoundrel somehow or other has got the wind of the sale of the pearl, and wanted to give me to understand that the woman knows something about that affair. What else could he have meant by stressing so much that she had been attached to the Imperial Palace — which is of course the purest nonsense!'

The judge shrugged his shoulders.

'Remember that there are thousands of women employed in the palace, Hoong. Including charwomen and scullery maids. As to the Emperor's pearl, you can get that fabulous treasure out of your head! For I have come to the con­clusion that the whole story is a hoax, Hoong! A fairy-tale, from beginning to end!'

The astonished sergeant opened his mouth to say some­thing, but the judge went on quickly:

'It was a hoax, Hoong. And, what is more, I am convinced that Kou knew it! I didn't sleep too well, I couldn't get that tale about the pearl out of my head. I went over again and again the story of how it disappeared, and how Tong Mai got hold of it. And came to the conclusion that the pearl doesn't exist. Listen, carefully! As I explained to you last night, it is more than probable that Tong Mai and Amber had a liaison. A couple of months ago Amber informs her lover that she is pregnant, and that he is the father. They realize that they can't keep the affair secret any longer, and they decide to flee together. But how to get the money? Then the two of them concoct the story of the Emperor's pearl. Amber informs her husband that Tong has hidden the pearl in a safe place, and she offers to go there and con­clude the transaction. The lovers will meet in the pavilion, and elope together, with the ten gold bars. A clever plan! However, they did not know that Kou had found out their secret relations already, and was only waiting for a chance to take his revenge. Kou would have been a fool if he hadn't figured out that the safe place known to both Tong and Amber referred to the deserted villa. Kou feigns to believe Amber's story. He poisons Tong, and hires a ruffian to kill Amber in the pavilion and bring the gold back to him. What do you think about that, Hoong?'

The sergeant looked doubtful. He replied slowly: 'Last night I refrained from further comment on Your Honour's theory about Mr Kou's guilt, because we were then just surveying various possibilities. But now that a definite case against Kou is being formulated, sir, I must confess that I can't see a quiet gentleman of refined taste like Mr Kou perpetrating such a foul crime. And there are so many other possibilities to be considered. Just now we discussed Dr Pien and his ...'

'Jealousy can make even a quiet man commit violent deeds!' Judge Dee interrupted. 'Be that as it may, we'll go to the deserted villa and have a second look at the pavilion. I am convinced that the pearl is non-existent, but I'd like to see the scene of the murder in broad daylight. And an early-morning ride will do us good! If, upon return­ing to the city, we find that Sia Kwang hasn't shown up yet, we'll go straight to Sheng Pa's girl-friend, and see whether she can direct us to that elusive fellow. I must absolutely have a talk with him before I open the morning session of the tribunal.'

As Judge Dee rose, his eye fell on the book the tortoise had been crawling on.

'Oh yes,' he resumed, 'I forget to tell you! I slept badly as I told you, and I woke up an hour or so before daybreak. I did a bit of reading in an interesting book I borrowed a few days ago from the chancery library.'

He took the volume, opened it on the place indicated by a book-marker, and went on:

'This is a collection of notes on this district, privately published about fifty years ago by a former magistrate here who took a great interest in the past history of the region. One day he made a trip to the ruined temple of the River Goddess in the Mandrake Grove. In his time there still was a passable road leading up to it. This is what he says:

"The outer wall and the gatehouse have been damaged considerably by the earthquake, but the main hall and the famous statue of the goddess still stand. The statue represents a woman, more than ten feet high, standing erect on a pedestal, all carved out of one block of marble. The square altar in front of the statue has been cut from one and the same block. A remarkable work of art indeed!" '

Judge Dee brought the book closer to his eyes and said:

'Here a former reader wrote a note in the margin, in red ink. It says:

"My esteemed colleague is wrong. I visited the temple ten years later, and found that the altar is in fact made of a separate block of marble. I had the cement in between pedestal and altar removed, because I had heard that for­merly the priests had made a cache in the altar, for storing the golden ritual vessels; I thought that those valuable objects ought to be removed to a safe place, for instance to the treasury of the Ministry of Rites. But I failed to discover any sign of the altar being hollow. Twan, Magistrate of Poo-yang."

'Twan was a conscientious official,' Judge Dee remarked. 'I now go on with the printed text:

"There is a golden ring with a magnificent large ruby on the forefinger of the statue's left hand. The village head­man told me that this ruby is supposed to be the Evil Eye, and that hence no one would ever dare to steal it. The square altar has a hole in each upper corner, used for fastening the ropes of the young men who were sacrificed there yearly on the fifth of the fifth month, having been chosen by drawing lots. The high priest cut the victim's veins with a jade knife, then sprinkled his blood all over the statue. Thereafter the body was carried in a festive procession to the river-bank and solemnly committed to the waves. A truly barbarous custom, fortunately discon­tinued some years ago on the orders of our wise Govern­ment. The statue is reputedly always wet, and I found its smooth surface indeed covered with moisture, but whether this phenomenon is to be ascribed to dew or to some supernatural cause, I leave to the learned reader to decide. I was greatly struck by the uncanny atmosphere of that strange place, and left sooner than I had intended, taking one of the dated bricks of the crumbling wall with me, for my reference."

'That is all. Curious affair!' Judge Dee put the book on the desk and motioned Sergeant Hoong to follow him out­side. In the courtyard he ordered the headman to bring two horses from the stables.

They left the city by the south gate. A cool morning mist was hanging over the Canal, so that they had a pleasant ride to Marble Bridge.

There they first went to see the village headman. He told the judge that the militia had come back towards daybreak, after a rather uncomfortable night. One fellow maintained he had heard ghostly voices whisper in the Mandrake Grove, another that he had seen a white shape flutter about among the trees. The men had sat up the entire night, huddled together in the walled-in garden in front of the pavilion. The headman added that he had sealed the door of the pavilion after he had removed the dead body of the Amber Lady.

Judge Dee nodded his approval, and they rode on. Having passed the market, where the vendors were busy putting up their stalls, they took the road to the forest. Arrived at the old pine-tree that marked the entrance to the Tong property, Judge Dee dismounted and fastened the reins to its gnarled trunk. The sergeant followed his example. They went on ahead on foot.

The judge found that in broad daylight the walk to the deserted villa did not take very long. Soon they saw the weather-beaten gatehouse and the ivy-overgrown walls.

When Judge Dee was passing underneath the arched doorway leading to the walled-in garden, he suddenly halted and laid his hand on Hoong's arm. A tall, broad-shouldered man clad in a long black robe and wearing a black gauze cap was standing in front of the pavilion, with his back towards them. The door of the pavilion stood ajar, the torn strip of paper with which it had been sealed fluttered in the morn­ing breeze.

'Hey there!' Judge Dee called out. 'Who are you and what are you doing here?'

The man in black turned round and silently looked the newcomers up and down with his lidded eyes. He had a placid, round face with a short moustache and a carefully trimmed ringbeard. When he had completed his leisurely scrutiny he spoke in a cultured voice:

'That abrupt address would ordinarily provoke an equally abrupt retort. Since, however, your carriage and manner suggest authority, I shall limit myself to the obser­vation that it is I who should ask the same questions. For you are trespassing on my property.'

The judge did not waste words. He said sharply:

'I am the magistrate of this district, conducting an official investigation. Answer my questions!'

The other made a low bow, then replied courteously:

'I have the honour to report that my name is Kwang Min. I am a retail drug merchant, from the capital. I pur­chased this property four years ago, from the former owner, Mr Tong I-kwan.'

'Strange things have happened here. I want proof of your identity.'

The man in black made another low bow, then took from his sleeve two papers, which he presented to the judge. The first was an identity document issued by the metropolitan governor, the second a detailed map of the entire Tong property, issued four years previously by the tribunal of Poo-yang, to Mr Kwang Min, the new owner. Giving the papers back, Judge Dee said:

'All right. Now tell me why you broke the official seal attached to the door of the pavilion over there. That's a criminal offence, you know!'

'I did not!' Kwang said indignantly. 'I found the door standing ajar.'

'Why did you come here on this unusual hour?'

'If Your Honour doesn't object to a rather long story, I —'

'I do object. So be brief!'

'The essential facts,' Mr Kwang resumed unperturbed, 'may be summed up as follows. Four years ago my customer Dr Pien Kia informed me by letter that this property could be purchased cheap, and advised me to buy, since the adjoin­ing forest contained a large number of mandrake plants. My firm is always keen to acquire such plots, for, as Your Honour is doubtless aware, the roots of the mandrake figure largely in the drug business. I consequently bought the property. Since, however, my firm was well supplied with the roots at that time, it was only two years later that I decided to send one of my surveyors to have a look. Then Dr Pien wrote me that there was a drought in this region, and warned me that the local people might resent my sur­veyor exploring the wood over there, which seems to be dedicated to the River Goddess. She is supposed to —'

'I know, I know,' Judge Dee interrupted him impatiently. 'Get on with your story!'

'I obey Your Honour's command. During the next two years I was fully occupied by other matters, it was only yesterday morning, when my barge had arrived at Marble Bridge, that I remembered I possessed a plot of land near by, and —'

'What brought you to Marble Bridge? A pleasure trip?'

'On the contrary,' Kwang replied stiffly, 'it was urgent business, connected with the affairs of my branch-office, further up the Canal. Three days ago I chartered a canal-junk, together with my friend and colleague Mr Sun, intend­ing to proceed north with the least possible delay. However, when our boatmen heard on arrival that at night a dragon­boat race would be held here on grand scale, the lazy rascals insisted on staying over here the night. Thinking that I might as well put this enforced delay to some good use, I sent a message to Dr Pien asking him to come to Marble Bridge at noon, and show me over the former Tong property. He replied that he was fully occupied with the preparations for the races, but that he would call on me late in the after­noon. He came for tea to my junk, and we agreed to meet here in the deserted house today, shortly after daybreak. I chose the early hour because it was—and still is, by Your Honour's leave—my intention to set sail again as soon as possible. Now I am waiting here for Dr Pien. I am pleased that a lucky chance brought Your Honour here also, for last night modesty prevented me from presenting myself.'

As he saw Judge Dee's questioning look, Mr Kwang con­tinued with the same bland expression:

'Last night Dr Pien kindly took me to a wine-house in Marble Bridge Village where he was entertaining the crews and, thereafter, down the Canal to the locality of the finish. Then Dr Pien had to busy himself about the races. While I was walking around aimlessly on the river-bank, a passer­by pointed out Your Honour's barge to me, and I made bold to go on board. For I have many business relations in Poo-yang, and I felt I ought to pay my respects to its magistrate. There was no one on the lower deck to announce me, and when I went up I saw Your Honour and his ladies standing at the railing, enjoying the scenery. Not wishing to intrude on what evidently was a family gathering, I withdrew. I met the steward on the lower deck, and told him not to bother. I feel, however, that I ought to mention this, in order to prove that I am not lacking in —'

'Quite. Very kind of you Mr Kwang.' Judge Dee gave him a steady look. So this was the mysterious visitor his steward had spoken about. He asked: ' Did your colleague, Mr Sun, accompany you? '

'No sir. Since he was indisposed, he retired early to his cabin. As to me, I saw the finish of the races, then hired a horse and rode back to Marble Bridge. None of my boatmen had returned yet, the dissolute loafers, so I made myself a cup of tea and retired also.'

'All right, thank you, Mr Kwang. Now tell me, why did you have the pavilion over there repaired?'

Mr Kwang raised his thin eyebrows in polite astonish­ment.

'Repaired? Dismantled you mean for sure, sir!'

Judge Dee went past him and up the steps, followed by Ser­geant Hoong and Kwang. Standing just inside the door, he surveyed the room with an incredulous stare. Large patches of the plaster had been torn from the walls, showing the red bricks underneath. Part of the ceiling had been taken down, floor-tiles removed, even the bamboo legs of the couch had been split open.

'What's going on here?' an astonished voice spoke up behind them.

Judge Dee turned round. He said sourly:

'Unauthorized persons have made mischief here, Dr Pien. We are just taking stock of the damage.'

'I was under the impression, doctor,' Kwang addressed him coldly, 'that you had agreed in writing to keep an eye on my property.'

'I sent a man up here only a month ago, Mr Kwang,' Dr Pien replied with a vexed expression. 'He reported that everything was in order. And he knew this place inside out. It was Tong Mai, the son of the former owner. I can't under­stand this at all, I —'

'I'll be back presently,' Judge Dee interrupted. He motioned the sergeant to follow him.

As they were crossing the garden the judge said in a low voice:

'The murderer came back very early this morning, just when the militia had left. He must have believed the story about the Emperor's pearl, and came to look for it. Let's see whether he visited the main building too.' He angrily slapped at a few bluebottles that buzzed round his head.

A quick tour through the deserted halls proved that noth­ing had been disturbed there. The judge saw only his own footprints on the dust-covered floor. When they were walk­ing back to the pavilion the sergeant remarked:

'The pavilion was searched completely. That would seem to indicate that the murderer did not find what he came for.'

Judge Dee nodded. He again hit out at a swarm of blue­bottles. 'Confound those insects! Look, Hoong, it was here, on top of this wall, that I saw that small tortoise.' Putting his hands on the low wall he went on: 'It was crawling along under a —'

Suddenly he broke off. He leaned forward over the wall and looked down on the other side. Hoong joined him. He uttered a smothered oath.

The body of a man dressed in a blue jacket and trousers was lying among the weeds in the shallow ditch at the foot of the wall. Uncounted bluebottles were crawling over the top of his skull, which was a mass of clotted blood.

The judge turned round and rushed inside the pavilion. Dr Pien and Mr Kwang stood in a corner, deep in conversa­tion. Judge Dee stepped up to them and asked Kwang casually:

'How long had you been here when I arrived, Mr Kwang?'

THE JUDGE AND HOONG MAKE A DISCOVERY

'I came here only a few moments before Your Honour,' Kwang answered. 'I hadn't even inspected the main build­ing. I came first to the garden here, to have a look at the Mandrake Grove beyond the wall, because —'

'Come along, both of you!' barked the judge.

As soon as Kwang had looked over the wall he turned away, retched and was violently sick.

'That's Sia Kwang, sir!' Dr Pien exclaimed. 'You can see the scar on his left cheek!'

Judge Dee tucked up his robe, climbed on the wall and let himself down on the other side. Dr Pien and Sergeant Hoong scrambled over the wall after him.

Squatting by the dead man's side, the judge scrutinized the bloodstained hair. Then he looked round among the weeds in the ditch. He picked up a brick and handed it to Hoong, saying:

'The top of his skull was bashed in from behind with this brick. You can still see the blood, on its side here.' Rising, he added: ' Help me to search the shrubbery, there may be other clues.'

'This looks like a carpenter's tool box, sir!' the sergeant exclaimed. He showed the judge the scarred, oblong box he had found under a shrub. On a sign from Judge Dee Hoong undid the leather straps. The box contained two saw-blades, a hammer, and a few chisels.

'Take that along too,' the judge said. And, to Dr Pien: 'Help me to take off his jacket!'

After they had stripped the dead man's muscular torso they saw that a rag was wound tightly round the left upper-arm. Dr Pien loosened it and examined the deep cut.

'The wound was inflicted very recently, sir,' he remarked. 'With a thin, sharp knife, I'd say. The body is still warm, he must have been killed only half an hour ago or so!' Judge Dee said nothing. He searched the sleeves, but they were empty. Neither was anything tucked among the folds of the sash round the man's waist, not even a handkerchief.

The judge said curtly:

'We are through here. Our coroner shall do the rest.'