The Red Pavilion

VIII

Judge Dee and Ma Joong stepped down from the palankeen in front of the magnificent temple on the north side of the main street. The judge had already noticed the high red pillars in front of the sumptuous marble portal when he passed by there the day before, on his arrival at Paradise Island.

'What deity is this temple dedicated to?' he asked the chief bearer.

'To the God of Wealth, Excellency! Every visitor to the island prays and burns incense there before he goes to try his luck at the gaming tables.'

Feng Dai's residence was directly opposite. It was an exten­sive compound, surrounded by a high wall, newly plastered. Feng came to meet the judge in the front courtyard, paved with slabs of white marble. Across it stood a large two-storied build­ing, with a monumental gatehouse of carved wood and roofs decked with copper tiles that glistened in the morning sun.

While Feng conducted the judge to his library to refresh himself, his house steward took Ma Joong to the warden's office in the east wing, so that he could verify that everything was in readiness for the court session there.

Feng ushered Judge Dee into a large, richly furnished room, and bade him sit down at the antique tea table of carved black-wood. While sipping the fragrant tea the judge looked with interest at the bookshelves that took up the wall opposite him. They were loaded with books, some of them bristling with paper markers. Feng, who had followed his glance, said with a deprecating smile:

'I myself can't say that I am much of a scholar, Your Honour! I bought those books in the old days, chiefly because I thought that a library ought to have books in it! I use this as a reception room, really. But my friend Tao Pan-te often comes to consult the books, he is interested in history and philosophy. And my daughter Jade Ring uses them too. She has acquired some skill in composing poetry, and she is very fond of reading.'

'Then her marrying the poet Kia Yu-po will truly be "a literary union predestined by Heaven", as they say,' Judge Dee remarked with a smile. 'I hear that the youngster was rather unlucky at the tables, but he comes from a rich family, I suppose.'

'No, he doesn't. He lost practically everything he had, as a matter of fact. In this particular case, however, fortune resulted from misfortune! When Kia paid me a visit to negotiate a loan that would enable him to continue his journey to the capital, my daughter happened to see him and then and there fell in love with him. That pleased me, for she'll soon be nineteen, and till now she has always refused the candidates proposed to her. I invited Kia a few times here to my house, and contrived that he also saw my daughter. Then Tao Pan-te told me that Kia had seemed much impressed by Jade Ring, and Tao acted as middle­man for arranging their betrothal. As to the financial aspects, I am considered a wealthy man, sir, and the happiness of my only daughter is all I care for. As my son-in-law, Kia'll have plenty and to spare!' He paused. He cleared his throat and asked, after some hesitation: 'Did Your Honour already form an opinion on the shocking death of the Queen Flower?'

'I never try to form an opinion before I know all the facts,' the judge replied curtly. 'Presently we shall hear the result of the autopsy. I also want to know more about the man who killed himself because of her, the Academician Lee Lien. Tell me what kind of man he was!'

Feng tugged pensively at his long sidewhiskers.

'I met him only once,' he replied slowly, 'that was on the 19th, when he came to see me about settling the damage caused by a collision on the river, involving my boat and his. He was a handsome but haughty man, very conscious of his own importance, I thought. I let him off lightly, for I used to know his father, Dr Lee Wei-djing. That was a fine, upstanding man in his younger years! Good-looking, strong as an ox, witty in his conversation, and a polished man of the world. In the olden days, when he stayed here on the island on his way to and from the capital, all the courtesans ran after him. But he knew better ! Being a candidate for a Censorship, he realized that his morals must be irreproachable. Left quite a few broken hearts here, I dare say! Well, as Your Honour probably knows, twenty-five years ago he married the daughter of a high official, and was appointed Imperial Censor. Six years ago he retired, and settled down on the family estate, in the mountainous region up north here. Unfortunately the family suffered some financial reverses, on account of bad harvests and unlucky in­vestments, I heard. But their landed property still provides an ample income, I suppose.'

'I have never met Dr Lee,' the judge said, 'but I know that he was a capable official. It's a pity that bad health forced him to retire. What ailment is he suffering from?'

'That I don't know, sir. It must be serious, though, for I heard that he has been confined to his house for nearly a year already. That's why, as I told Your Honour last night, it was an uncle who came here to fetch the Academician's dead body.'

'Some people say,' Judge Dee resumed, 'that the Academi­cian was not the type of man to commit suicide because of a woman.'

'Not because of a woman,' Feng said with a sly smile, 'but because of himself! As I told Your Honour, he was an extremely conceited person. The Queen Flower's refusing him would be talked about all over the province, therefore it was wounded pride that made him kill himself, I think.'

'You may be right there,' the judge agreed. 'By the way, did the uncle take away with him all the Academician's papers? '

Feng clapped his hand to his forehead.

'That reminds me!' he exclaimed. 'I forgot to give him the documents found on the deceased's table.' He rose and took from the drawer in his desk a package wrapped up in brown paper. Judge Dee opened it and glanced through the contents. After a while he looked up and remarked:

'The Academician was a methodical man. He carefully re­corded all expenses incurred during his stay here, including even the fees of the women he slept with. I see here the names of Jade Flower, Carnation and Peony.'

'All courtesans of the second rank,' Feng explained.

'He settled his bill with those three women on the 25th, I see. But there's no record here of any payment made to Autumn Moon.'

'She attended most of the Academician's parties,' Feng said, 'but the fees for that are always included in the bill of the restaurant. As to their ah . . . more intimate relations, in the case of a courtesan of the first rank, as Autumn Moon was, the customer gives her a present, at parting. It glosses over the um . . . ah . . . commercial aspects of the attachment.' Feng looked pained, he evidently thought it beneath his dignity to discuss the cruder aspects of his business. He quickly selected one sheet from those in front of the judge, and went on: 'These are the Academician's scribblings, proving that his last thoughts were devoted to our Queen Flower. It was for that reason that I summoned her, whereupon she revealed that he had offered to redeem her, and that she had refused.'

Judge Dee studied the sheet. Apparently the Academician had first tried to draw a complete circle in one brush stroke. He had repeated the effort, then written underneath three times the two words ' Autumn Moon'. Putting the paper in his sleeve, he got up, and said:

'We shall now proceed to the court room.'

The warden's offices took up the entire east wing of the com­pound. Feng led the judge through the chancery, where four clerks were busily wielding their writing brushes, to a large, high-ceilinged hall. The open front, lined with red-lacquered pillars, faced a well-tended flower garden. Half a dozen men stood waiting there. The judge recognized Tao Pan-te, the curio-dealer Wen Yuan, and the poet Kia Yu-po. The other three he didn't know.

When he had answered their bows, Judge Dee sat down in the high armchair behind the bench. With a sour look he took in the luxurious appointments of this court hall. The bench was covered with costly red brocade, embroidered in gold, and the writing implements lying ready on it were all valuable antiques. The beautifully carved stone inkslab, the paper weight of green jade, the sandalwood seal box, and the writing brushes with the ivory shafts belonged to a collector's studio rather than to a tribunal. The floor consisted of coloured tiles, and the back wall was hidden by a magnificent high folding screen, painted in gold and blue with a design of waves and clouds. Judge Dee held the view that public offices ought to be as simple as possible, in order to show the people that the government doesn't waste its tax-money on unnecessary luxury. But on Paradise Island evidently even government offices had to show off the place's enormous wealth.

Feng Dai and Ma Joong remained standing, each at one end of the bench. The recording clerk had sat down at a lower table against the side wall, and two of the men unknown to the judge now took up their positions on the right and left before the bench. The long bamboo staffs they carried proclaimed them to be two of the warden's special constables.

The judge looked through the papers that had been put ready for him, then rapped the gavel and spoke:

'I, Assessor of the tribunal of Chin-hwa, declare the session open. I shall begin with the case of the Academician Lee Lien. I have here before me the draft of a death certificate drawn up by His Excellency Magistrate Lo, stating that the said Academi­cian killed himself on the 25th, having become despondent over his unrequited love for the courtesan Autumn Moon, this year's Queen Flower of Paradise Island. I see from the autopsy report appended thereto that the Academician killed himself by cutting his right jugular vein with his own dagger. On the face and forearms of the deceased were found thin scratches. The deceased had no bodily defects, but two swollen places were discovered on either side of his neck, of undetermined origin.' The judge looked up and said: ' Let the coroner come forward. I want a detailed report on those swellings.'

An elderly man with a pointed beard came to the bench. He knelt down and began:

'This person respectfully reports that he is the owner of the pharmacy of this island, and concurrently coroner of this court. As regards the swollen places found on the Academician's body, I beg to state that they were located on either side of the neck, under the ears. They had the size of a large marble. The skin was not discoloured, and since there were no holes or punctures, the swelling must be ascribed to some internal cause.'

'I see,' Judge Dee said. 'After I have verified a few details, I shall have this suicide duly registered.' He rapped his gavel. 'Second, this court has to consider the demise of the courtesan Autumn Moon, which occurred last night in the Red Pavilion. I shall now hear the report on the autopsy.'

'This person,' the coroner spoke up again, ' examined at mid­night the dead body of Miss Yuan Feng, called Autumn Moon. He found that death was due to heart failure, presumably caused by over-indulgence in alcohol.'

The judge raised his eyebrows. He said curtly:

'I want further comment on that statement.'

'During the last two months, Your Honour, the deceased consulted me twice regarding dizziness and palpitations of the heart. I found that she was in a run-down condition, prescribed a soothing medicine, and advised her to take a rest and abstain from intoxicants. I reported this also to the office of the brothel guild. I am informed, however, that the deceased confined herself to taking my medicine, and did not change her mode of living.'

'I urged her to obey the doctor's orders to the letter, Your Honour,' Feng remarked hurriedly. 'We always insist that the professional women here follow medical advice, both in their own interest and ours. But she wouldn't listen, and, since she is the Queen Flower . . .'

Judge Dee nodded. 'Proceed!' he ordered the coroner.

'Apart from the blue spots on her throat, and a few scratches on her arms, the body of the deceased showed no signs of violence. Since this person was informed that last night she drank excessively, he arrived at the conclusion that, after she had laid herself down to sleep, she suddenly got short of breath. She jumped down from the bedstead and, in a frantic attempt to get air, caught with both hands at her own throat. Then she collapsed on the floor, in her last agony clawing at the carpet, as proved by the bits of red fluff I found under her fingernails. On the basis of these facts, Your Honour, I arrived at the con­clusion that death was caused by a sudden heart attack.'

On a sign of the judge the clerk read out the coroner's state­ment as he had noted it down. When the coroner had affixed his thumbmark to it, Judge Dee dismissed him and asked Feng:

'What do you know about the courtesan's antecedents?'

Feng Dai took a sheaf of papers from his sleeve and replied:

'Early this morning I had all her papers sent over here from our main office, sir.' He consulted the documents and went on: 'She was the daughter of a small official in the capital, who sold her to a wine house when he got into debt. Being a well-educated and clever girl, she thought that being a prostitute attached to a wine house didn't offer her sufficient scope for her talents, and she began to sulk. Her owner then sold her to a procurer, for two gold bars. He brought her here to the island, and when our purchasing committee had seen her dance and heard her sing she was bought for three gold bars. That was about two years ago. She at once began to cultivate prominent scholars and artists who passed through here, and quickly be­came one of the leading courtesans. Four months ago, when the committee for choosing this year's Queen Flower met, she was unanimously elected. I see that there were never any complaints lodged against her, and she never got involved in any trouble.'

JUDGE DEE, ASSISTED BY WARDEN FENG, HEARS KIA YU-PO

All right,' Judge Dee said. 'You shall inform the next of kin of the dead woman that they can come to fetch the corpse, for burial. I now want to hear the testimony of the curio-dealer Wen Yuan.'

Wen gave the judge a bewildered look. When he had knelt down in front of the bench, Judge Dee ordered:

'Describe your movements after you had left the dinner in the Crane Bower!'

'This person left the dinner early, Your Honour, because he had an appointment with an important client. It was to discuss the purchase of a valuable antique painting, as a matter of fact. From the restaurant I went directly to my curio-shop.'

'Who was that client, and how long did he stay with you?'

'It was the Commissioner Hwang, Your Honour, who is now staying in the second hostel in this same street. But I waited for him in vain. When I went to see him just now, on my way here, he maintained that our appointment had not been for yesterday, but for tonight. I must have misunderstood him when talking with him two days ago.'

'Quite,' Judge Dee said. He gave a sign to the clerk, who read out Wen's statement. The curio-dealer agreed that it was correct and impressed his thumbmark on it. The judge dis­missed him, and called Kia Yu-po before the bench. He spoke:

'The Candidate Kia Yu-po shall now state what he did after he had left the dinner.'

'This person,' Kia began, 'has the honour to report that he left the dinner earlier because he wasn't feeling well. He intended to proceed to the restaurant's bathroom, but by mis­take went to the dressing-room of the courtesans. He asked a waiter to direct him to the bathroom, then left the restaurant and went on foot to the park. He walked around there till about the hour of midnight. Then he felt much better, and returned to his hostel.'

'It shall be so recorded,' Judge Dee said. When the poet had marked the clerk's notes with his thumbprint, the judge rapped his gavel and announced:

'The case of the demise of the courtesan Autumn Moon remains pending until further notice.'

Thereupon he closed the session. Before getting up he bent over to Ma Joong and whispered:

'Go and see that Commissioner Hwang. Then run over to the Crane Bower and to Kia's hostel and verify his statement. Come back here to report.' Turning to Feng Dai, he said: 'I want to have a private conversation with Mr Tao. Can you take us to a room where we shan't be disturbed?'

'Certainly sir! I'll take Your Honour to the garden pavilion. It's located in our backyard, close by my women's quarters; nobody from outside ever goes there.' He hesitated a moment, then continued, rather diffidently: 'If I may be permitted to say so, sir, I don't quite understand why Your Honour has decided to keep both cases pending. A plain case of suicide, and a death caused by heart failure ... I would have thought that . . .'

'Oh,' Judge Dee said vaguely, 'only because I want to know something more about the background of those cases. Just to round them off, so to speak.'