The Emperor's Pearl

VI

Judge Dee looked dumbfounded at his excited host. Then he hit his fist on the table and shouted:

'I ordered you, you fool, to tell the truth! And now you dare to foist on me that nonsense about the Emperor's Pearl! Holy Heaven, my nursemaid told me that as a bedtime story when I was still a small child! The Emperor's Pearl, for­sooth!'

He tugged angrily at his beard.

Kou resumed his seat. He wiped his moist brow with the tip of his sleeve, then said earnestly:

'It's true, Your Honour, I swear it! Amber saw the pearl. It has the size of a dove's egg, is perfectly oval, and has that peerless white shine that was praised so much!'

'And what fancy tale did Tong Mai concoct about how he got the famous Imperial treasure into his hands?'

Leaning forward in his chair, Kou replied quickly:

'Tong got it from a destitute old crone who used to live near to his lodging, sir. He once did her a good turn, and on her deathbed she gave him the pearl, as a token of her gratitude. Since she had no relatives left she could at last disclose the terrible old secret her family had guarded all through two generations.'

'So now we have an old family secret too!' the judge said with a sigh. 'All right, let's hear it!'

'It's a curious story, sir, but it bears the hallmark of truth. The old crone's grandmother used to be a chambermaid in the Imperial seraglio. When her mother was only a child of three, the Persian Ambassador presented the famous pearl to the Illustrious Grandfather of our present Emperor, and His Majesty gave it to the Empress, on her birthday. This truly imperial gift created a tremendous stir in the harem, all the court ladies were crowding round the Empress in her bedroom to congratulate her upon this new mark of the Emperor's love. The small girl who was playing on the terrace outside heard all the commotion. She slipped inside the room and saw the pearl, which was lying on a side-table, on a brocade cushion. She took it, put it into her mouth and went outside, planning to play with it in the garden. When the loss was discovered, the Empress sum­moned at once the eunuchs and the harem guards. All doors were locked, and everybody was searched. But nobody bothered about the small child that was running about in the park. Four court ladies whom the Empress suspected were tortured to death, scores of palace attendants severely flogged, but the pearl was not found, of course. The same night two Imperial Censors were ordered to institute a most thorough investigation.'

Kou's cheeks had reddened; in his excitement over this strange old tale he seemed to have momentarily forgot­ten his grief. He took a hasty sip from his tea, then resumed:

'The next morning the chambermaid noticed that her small daughter was sucking on something. When she scolded the child for having been at the jar of sweets again, she innocently showed her mother that it was the pearl. The woman was frantic. If she returned the pearl and told the truth, she and her entire family would be executed, being responsible for the death of four innocent people. So she held her peace, and hid the pearl.'

'The investigation continued for days on end, the judges of the Metropolitan Court were ordered to assist the Censors. The Emperor promised large rewards for anyone who would be able to solve the riddle, and the incident became known all over the Empire. All kinds of theories were brought forward, but of course the pearl was never found.'

'The maid kept the pearl till she felt her end approaching, then she gave it to the mother of the old crone, swearing her to silence. That woman married a carpenter who got into debt, and she lived in poverty till the end of her days. You can imagine the dire straits those people were in, sir! They held a fabulous treasure in their hands, but it was of no avail, for they could never turn it into cash. No dealer would dare to touch it, he would report to the authorities at once, with all the terrible consequences. As well as causing the death of four innocent women, the family was also guilty of robbing the Imperial House, and such a sacrilegious crime is brought home to those responsible till the third generation. On the other hand they could not bear to throw the pearl into a well or get rid of it in some other way. The pearl must have haunted the unfortunate owners! The old crone's husband died when she was still a young woman. Although she had to eke out a precarious existence as laundrywoman, she never dared to tell anybody about the treasure in her possession. It was only when all her relatives had died, and when she herself was mortally ill, that she took out the pearl and gave it to Tong Mai.'

Kou fell silent. He looked expectantly at the judge.

Judge Dee made no comment. He reflected that this could well be the perfectly simple solution of that century-old riddle over which the most ingenious brains had been puzzling for so long. The Empress surrounded by a bevy of excited court ladies, all dressed in their wide, trailing robes that billowed around them . . . one could well imagine that no one noticed the small child romping about on the floor. On the other hand it could also be just a cleverly made up fairy-tale. After a long silence he asked evenly:

'Why didn't Tong Mai take the pearl to the palace? The court officials could easily check the lineage of the old woman, and if she was really descended from that chamber­maid, they would give Tong a rich reward. Much more than your ten gold bars.'

'Tong was, after all, only a vagrant student, sir. He was afraid that the authorities would not believe his story, and put him to the torture. Thus it seemed a reasonable arrange­ment that he would get the ten gold bars, and I the credit of having restored this long-lost treasure to its rightful owner, our Imperial House.'

Judge Dee observed dubiously his host's virtuous expres­sion. He felt inclined to doubt his last statement. Enthusiast collectors often had no morality at all. He thought it far more likely that Kou would have kept the pearl for himself, in order to gloat over it secretly for the rest of his life. He said coldly:

'You call it a reasonable arrangement. I call it criminal failure to report at once vital facts regarding a theft from the palace. You should have reported to me at once what the Amber Lady had told you. Now you have caused the loss of an Imperial treasure. I hope for you that it will prove to be only a temporary loss. I shall do what I can to trace the murderer and to recover the pearl. The pearl may then prove to be a fake, and the story a hoax — if you are lucky, that is!' Cutting short Kou's stuttered questions by getting up abruptly, the judge resumed: 'One last question. Did Tong Mai tell you that he had repaired the pavilion of the old house, and used it for storing the curios he dealt in?'

'Never, sir! Amber didn't know about that either, I am sure.'

'I see.' As Judge Dee was turning to the door he sud­denly halted. A tall, stately woman was standing in the door opening.

Kou quickly went up to her. Laying his hand on her arm he spoke in a soft voice:

'You must go back to your room, Gold Lotus! You know you aren't well, dear!'

She did not seem to have heard him. As Judge Dee joined them he saw that she was about thirty, and of truly out­standing beauty. She had a thin, straight nose, a delicate small mouth and long, gracefully curved eyebrows. But the still face was curiously void of expression, the large lack­lustre eyes were staring vacantly ahead. She wore a black silk robe with long, trailing sleeves, the broad sash set off to advantage her slender waist and her shapely bosom. Her glossy hair was combed back straight, and decorated only by a small lotus flower of gold-filigree.

'My First Lady's mind is deranged, Your Honour,' Kou whispered unhappily. 'She lost her reason after an attack of brain-fever, some years ago. She stays in her room most of the time, if she were to go out alone she might hurt herself. Her maids must have let her slip out, all the servants were so upset about Amber's disappearance, tonight . . .'

Bending over to his wife he murmured some endearing words. But she gave no sign that she was aware of his presence. Staring straight ahead she raised her slender white hand and slowly patted her hair.

Judge Dee gave the strange woman a pitying look. Then he said to Kou:

'Better look after her, I'll find my way out.'