The Emperor's Pearl

XI

The street urchin whom he asked after Miss Liang's house did not give him a second look. He silently pointed with a dirty forefinger at a large wooden barrack, near the corner of the street.

When Judge Dee had dismounted and was fastening the bridle of his horse to the ring in the wall, his eye fell on the red-lacquered signboard hanging next to the door. It was inscribed with four black letters in cursive writing that read Wu-te Tao-chang, 'Training Hall of Martial Virtue'. The large square seal at the top indicated that the inscription had been written by one of the Imperial Princes. Doubtfully shaking his head he went inside.

It was fairly cool in the dim, spacious hall. In the centre a thick reed mat had been spread out on the floor. Six hefty men, stripped to the waist, were practising wrestling-grips there in pairs. Farther on two dishevelled ruffians were fenc­ing with bamboo sticks. Half a dozen men were sitting on the wooden bench against the side wall, intently following the proceedings. No one paid any attention to the new­comer.

One of the fencers got hit on his hand. He let his stick drop and began to curse volubly.

'Mind your language, Mister Mo, if you please!' a grat­ing voice resounded from the back of the hall.

The fencer looked round with a frightened face.

'Yes Miss Liang!' he said meekly. 'Sorry Miss Liang!'

He blew on his sore fingers, picked up his stick, and the fencing went on.

Judge Dee walked round the wrestlers and up to the counter. Then he stood stock-still. He stared with unbeliev­ing eyes at the colossal woman reclining in the armchair there. This mountain of flesh was clad in a short-sleeved jacket and wide trousers of rough brown cotton, as worn by professional wrestlers. One red sash was wound tightly round her barrel-like torso under her ample bosom, and a second round her waist, supported her paunch. Raising her round, expressionless face up to the judge, she asked in a rasping voice:

'What do you want, stranger?' Taking hold of himself, the judge spoke gruffly: 'My name is Jen, I am a boxing-master from the capital. I have to stay here for a few weeks, and Mr Sheng Pa directed me here, for advice about getting a few pupils. To keep my rice-bowl filled, you see?'

Miss Liang did not reply at once. She raised her heavy right arm and patted her hair, combed straight back over her bullet-like head and gathered in a small bun on her neck. She was looking steadily at the judge all the while. Suddenly she said:

'Let me feel your hand!'

His hand was buried in her ham-like, calloused fist. He was a strong man, but he winced involuntarily. He had to summon all his strength to counter the pressure of the vice­like grip. Suddenly she let go.

'All right,' she said. 'So you are a boxing-master. They come with beard and whiskers nowadays, it seems.' She rose with surprising agility, strode round the counter and filled two rice-bowls from a stone wine-jar. 'Have a drink, colleague!' she said casually.

He saw that she was as tall as himself. Her head seemed to grow directly from her broad, round shoulders. While sipping the rather good wine he asked curiously: 'Where did you learn the trade? '

'Far up north. I led a troupe of Mongolian women wrestlers, you know. A few years ago, when we came to the capital for a demonstration, the Third Prince engaged us for the Palace. The whole Court, gentlemen and ladies, used to turn out to see our naked wrestling bouts. I say naked, but we did wear a small brocade apron in front, mind you! We are modest girls.' She emptied her bowl in one draught, spat on the floor and went on: 'Last year the Minister of Rites reported to the Throne that our wrestling was indecent. Indecent my foot! You know who was behind it? It was those Court ladies! They were jealous, couldn't bear that their men saw what it takes to make a real woman, for once! Those skinny, measly bits of skirt! Bah, if Merciful Heaven hadn't given them a nose, you couldn't tell their front from their behind. Anyway, the Throne ordered the Prince to dismiss us.'

'Where are the other women of your troupe?'

'Went back to our country. I stayed. I like China. The Third Prince gave me a whole gold bar when I left. "When you get married, Violet, don't forget to let me know!" His Highness said. "I'll present the groom with a step-ladder, all of silver, for he'll be needing that for ascending you!" He was fond of his little jokes, His Highness was!' She shook her large head with a reminiscent smile.

Judge Dee knew that she was not boasting. Ministers of State could approach the Princes only on their bended knees, but those exalted persons were wont to treat the acrobats and jugglers they patronized as their equals.

'Sport is the only thing I am interested in,' Miss Liang resumed, 'so I started this training-hall. I charge the men only for what they drink, the instruction is free. Some of those fellows show promise.'

'I heard that two are especially good. Couple of vagrant students by the name of Tong and Sia, I think.'

'You are behind the time, my friend ! Tong is dead. Good riddance to bad rubbish.'

'Why? I was told that Tong was an able boxer and a likeable fellow.'

'He wasn't too bad, as a boxer, that is. As to likeable . . .' She turned round and bellowed: 'Rose!'

A thin girl of about sixteen appeared from behind the door curtain in the back wall. She was drying a saucer with a rag.

'Leave that dish alone, put your nose to the wall and show your backside!' Miss Liang ordered.

The girl obediently turned her back to them. She loosened the upper part of her robe and let her arms slip out of the sleeves. Her skinny back was covered with white scars. As she was about to loosen her sash, Miss Liang growled: ' That'll do ! Dress up and go on with the dishes.'

'Did Tong Mai do that? ' Judge Dee asked.

'Not exactly. But Tong was around here a lot, till a few weeks ago. The foolish wench took a liking to him and let him take her out one night. He brings her to a place some­where in the north quarter. In the dark the only thing she can see is that it's rather a big house. He takes her to a dark room. She can't see who is there, but before she knows what is happening she is stripped, fixed face down to a couch and beaten up. As you saw. Later Tong comes back, unties her, and brings her back to this street. Gives her a silver piece, tells her to keep her mouth shut and disappears. Stupid wench tells me only a couple of days ago, when I happen to walk in on her when she is bathing and see the welts. Pity Tong is dead, I had planned to do the same to him, only more thoroughly. Well, the gallivanting jade got a good lesson, anyway.'

'Was she raped too?'

'No, she's still a virgin — for the time being. Else I would have reported the affair to the tribunal, of course. I know my duties. But the wench went of her own free will, and accepted payment for it. So what could I do? '

'Did Tong often procure girls for degenerate lechers?'

'Apparently. But only for one. Same fellow as he hunted out curios for, I believe. Tong got into trouble with that kind patron, recently. Tong was an ambitious scoun­drel, wanted too much money, perhaps. But I think that his friend Sia, that stupid bastard, took over the good work.'

'Sia did you say ? Why do you think that?'

'Sia is not as clever as Tong, not by a long way. Yester­day morning he comes in here, he's had a few drinks, which isn't anything unusual. What is unusual is that he pays his drinking debt to me. I ask: "Have you bumped into the Money Tree?" "Not yet," he says, "but tonight I am going to get a lot of money. I promised to put a chicken in a coop for a fellow." "Better be careful that you don't land up in a coop yourself!" I say. "Don't worry!" he says with his toothy grin. "It's a lonely place, no one will hear the cack­ling! And Tong says that the fellow always pays on the dot!" I lay my hand on his shoulder, friendly-like, and I say: "Out you go, Sia my boy, and let me never see your ugly scarred mug again!" He sails across the hall against the doorpost over there. When he has come to, he scrambles up and from the door shouts rude things at me. Then I nail his sleeve to the post, like this.'

While she was speaking a long knife had suddenly appeared in her hand. Now it flew across the hall and landed in the doorpost with a dull thud. There was a hush in the hall. The two fencers went to the door. With difficulty they pulled the quivering knife from the wood and brought it back to Miss Liang with respectful bows. She remarked with a complacent grin:

'If I get nervous, I am liable to start throwing things about!'

'If you aren't careful, you might get into trouble some day!' Judge Dee warned her.

'Me? I am afraid of nobody ! Not even of the authorities. When I left the Palace, His Highness gave me a paper with a seal on it as large as your head. It says that I still belong to the Imperial Household, and that I can be judged by the Palace Tribunal only. Well, you asked about Tong and Sia. Now you know. Anything else I can do for you, Mister Magistrate?' Seeing Judge Dee's startled look, she scoffed: 'You didn't think you could fool a woman who has been rubbing shoulders with high officials for years, did you now? I know one when I see him! Else I wouldn't have been blabbing to you as I did, would I? Mark my words, Magistrate, Tong was no good and Sia is no good.'

'For Sia you can use the past tense too, Miss Liang. This morning he was killed, most probably by the same scoundrel who used to employ him. Do you know who he is? '

'No sir, I don't. I asked Rose, but the wench hasn't got the faintest idea. She was fixed to that couch face-down, remember, and he never said a word. Only laughed. If I had known who he was, you could have sent your constables to gather up what I had left of him. I object to those kind of people.'

'Well, you gave me most useful information. By the way, Sheng Pa asked me to put in a good word for him with you.'

Suddenly her broad face lit up.

'He did, did he?' she said coyly. Then she frowned and asked sternly: 'Does he intend to send me a middleman, charged with offering a formal proposal?'

'Well, not exactly. He only asked ...'

'To put in a word for him, eh? The stubborn bastard! He has been sending all kinds of fellows over here of late, to put in a word for him! Well, I won't say yes or no, he'll have to take his chance. He's a fine, upstanding man, Sheng Pa is, I'll admit that. But I have my principles.'

JUDGE DEE TAKES LEAVE OF MISS LIANG

'The trouble is that he seems to have his principles too,' Judge Dee observed. 'But I can tell you that he has a steady income, and that I find him a useful and dependable fellow — in his own peculiar way.' Thinking that he had done enough for redeeming Sergeant Hoong's promise, he set down his bowl and said: 'Thanks very much. I'll be on my way now.'

She saw him to the door. In passing she said to a squat fellow who was sitting on the bench against the side wall:

'We'll now go through those strangleholds once more, Mister Ko, if you please.'

The man went pale under his tan, but he rose obediently.

The street outside was as hot as an oven. Judge Dee quickly mounted his horse, nodded at Miss Liang, who was standing at the door, and rode off.