NECKLACEAND

CALABASH

AChineseDetectiveStory

by

ROBERTVANGULIK

Witheightillustrationsdrawnbytheauthorin

Chinesestyle

TheUniversityofChicagoPress

ThiseditionisreprintedbyarrangementwithCharlesScribner'sSons,animprintofMacmillanPublishingCompany.TheUniversityofChicagoPress,Chicago60637Copyright©1967byRobertvanGulikOriginallypublished1967UniversityofChicagoPressedition1992PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica131211100908070605046543ISBN0-226-84870-1(pbk.)LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-

PublicationDataGulik,RobertHansvan,1910-1967. Necklaceandcalabash:a

Chinesedetectivestory/byRobertvanGulik;witheightillustrationsdrawnbytheauthorinChinesestyle,p.cm.1.Ti,Jên-chieh,629-700—Fiction.2.China—History—T'angdynasty,618-907—Fiction.I.Title.PR9130.9.G8N431992823—dc2092-22803CIP

Thepaperusedinthispublication

meetstheminimumrequirementsoftheAmericanNationalStandardforInformationSciences—PermanenceofPaperforPrintedLibraryMaterials,ANSIZ39.48-1992.eISBN:9780226849027

Contents

ILLUSTRATION

DRAMATISPERSONAE

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

XI

XII

XIII

XIV

XV

XVI

XVII

XVII

XIX

XX

XXI

XXII

POSTSCRIPT

ILLUSTRATIONS

ThecaptainshowsJudgeDeeamap

The Third Princessgrantsanaudience

ThesecondmeetingwithMasterGourd

The judge catches aperch

The innkeeper tells MrLangaboutaletter

Judge Dee scrubs hisboot with unnecessaryvigour

TheChiefEunuchshowsJudgeDeearareorchid

The last meeting with

MasterGourd

DRAMATISPERSONAE

NotethatinChinesethesurname—hereprintedincapitals—precedesthepersonalname.

JudgeDEEMagistrateofthedistrictofPooyang,

whoisstayingtwodaysinRivertownwhilereturningtohisPost

TheThirdPrincesstheEmperor'sfavouritedaughter,whoresidesintheWaterPalace,eastofRivertown

HydrangeaChiefLady-in-waiting

LEIMangChiefEunuchoftheWaterPalace

WTNTungSuperintendentoftheWaterPalace

ColonelKANGCommanderoftheImperialGuard

CaptainSIEWhisassistantWEIChenghostofthe

KingfisherInnTAIMincashierofthatinnFernWeiCheng'snieceLANGLiuawealthysilk

merchantMasterGourdaTaoist

monk

I

When Judge Dee had riddenfor another hour through thehushed, dripping forest hehalted his horse and cast aworried look at the densefoliage overhead. He couldseeonlya smallpatchof theleadensky.Thedrizzlemightchangeintoasummershower

any time; his black cap andblack-bordered browntravelling-robe were wetalready, and moistureglistened on his long beardand side-whiskers. When hehadleftthevillageatnoonhehadbeentoldthatifhetookaright turn at each fork in theroad through the forest hewouldarrive inRivertown inample time for the eveningrice. He must have taken awrongturnsomewhere,forhe

estimated he had been ridingfor about four hours now,seeing nothing but the talltrees and the thickundergrowth,andmeetingnoone. The birds had stoppedsingingintheblackbranches,and the odour ofwet, rottingleaves seemed to cling tohisvery clothes. Wiping hisbeard and whiskers with thetip of his neckcloth, hereflected dismally that itwouldbeawkwardifhewere

really lost, for dusk wasfalling and the forest spreadfor miles on end along thesouth bank of the river. Thechances were that he wouldhavetospendthenightoutinthe open. With a sigh heuncorked the large browncalabash hanging by a red-tasselled cord from hissaddle, and took a draught.Thewaterwaslukewarmandtastedstale.Hebenthisheadandwiped

his eyes. The sweat from hismoistbrowwashurtingthem.When he looked up hesuddenly stiffened, andstared, incredulous, at thehulking shape riding towardshim on a horse that trodnoiselessly on the soft moss.His perfect double: a manwith a long beard andwhiskers, wearing a squareblack cap and a black-bordered brown travelling-robe. Hanging from his

saddlebyared-tasselledcordwasalargebrowncalabash.Again he rubbed his eyes.

When he looked a secondtime he sighed with relief.The uncertain light and hissore eyes had deceived him.The other's beard andwhiskers were streaked withgrey, and he rode an old,long-eared donkey. Then thejudgewas on the alert again.Two short pikes were lyingacrossthedonkey'srump.His

handmovedto thehiltof theswordhangingonhisback.Themanpulledupinfront

of Judge Dee's horse andglared at him, a broodingglint in his large eyes. Hisbroadfacewaswrinkled,andthough he carried himselfwellhisbonyshouldersstoodout under the worn, patchedrobe. What the judge hadtakentobepikesnowprovedto be a pair of crutcheswithcrookedends.Heletgoofhis

swordandaskedpolitely:‘Is this the road to

Rivertown,venerablesir?’The other did not reply at

once.Hiseyeshadstrayedtothe calabash hanging fromJudge Dee's saddle. Then hesmiled.Fixingthejudgewithhis strange, lacklustre eyes,he said in a surprisinglysonorousvoice:‘Yes, eventually it'll take

youtoRivertown,Doctor.Byadetour.’

The old man was takinghimforaphysician,evidentlybecause the judge wastravelling all alone, andbecause of the gourd, whichiscommonlyusedbydoctorsto carry their potions.Beforehe could set the other right,hehadresumed:‘I just left town by the

short cut, a little further on.I'llgladlyshowyou theway,for it'll takeonlyaquarterofanhour.’Turninghisdonkey

round, he muttered, ‘We'dbetterseeaboutthemantheyfound in the river. Hemightneedyourattention,Doctor.’Judge Dee was going to

saythathewastheMagistrateof Poo-yang, the district inthe northern part of theprovince,buthereflectedthathewouldthenhavetoexplainat length to his casualacquaintance why he wastravelling in such simpleattire, and without official

retinue. So instead he justasked:‘What is your honourable

profession,sir?’‘I have none. I am just a

vagrant monk. Of the Taoistcreed.’‘Isee.Ihadtakenyoufora

colleague.Whathaveyougotinthatcalabash?’‘Emptiness, sir. Just

emptiness. More valuablethan any potion you mightcarry in yours, Doctor! No

offence meant, of course.Emptiness is more importantthan fullness. You maychoose the finest clay formaking a beautiful jar, butwithout its emptiness that jarwould be of no use. Andhowever ornate you make adoororwindow,withouttheiremptiness they could not beused.’ He drove his donkeyonwithaclickofhistongue,then added, as anafterthought, ‘They call me

MasterGourd.’Thefact that theotherwas

aTaoistmonk, and thereforeindifferent to all normalcivilities, absolved the judgecompletely from telling himhis realnameandprofession.Heasked:‘What were you saying

about a person found in theriver?’‘When Iwas leaving town

I heard that a man had beenbrought ashore by two

fishermen. This is the shortcut.I'llrideinfront.’Thenarrow forestpath led

to a cultivated field where,hunchedinhisstrawraincoat,a farmer was digging upweeds. A muddy track tookthem to the road that ranalong the riverfront. Thedrizzlehadstopped,andnowathinmistwashoveringoverthe wide expanse of brownwater.Notabreezestirredinthe hot, damp air that

weighed down from the lowsky. Neat-looking houseslined the road, and thepassers-bywerewelldressed.There wasn't a single beggarabout.‘Looks like a prosperous

town,’thejudgeremarked.‘It's a small town, but it

profitsfromthetrafficontheriver, the good fishing, andthe custom from the WaterPalace. That's one of theimperial detached palaces, to

theeastof the town,overonthe other side of the pineforest. This western part ofthetownisthepoorersection.Thewell-to-doliveintheeastquarter, beyond the fish-market over there. I'll showyou the two best inns, theKingfisher and the NineClouds. Unless you areplanning to stay with arelativeorfriend…’‘No, I am a stranger here,

just passing through. I see

you carry a pair of crutches.What's wrong with yourlegs?’‘Oneislame,andtheother

isn't too good eitherNothingyoucoulddoanythingabout,Doctor! Well well, theauthorities are on the spot.Alertasever!Thatmeansthatthemantheyfishedoutoftheriver won't need yourassistance, Doctor ! But let'shavealookanyway.’Onthebroadquayinfront

of the fish-market, by theferry-house, a small crowdhad gathered. Over theirheadsthejudgesawtheerectfigure of a horseman. Thegilt, red-plumed helmet andredneckclothproclaimedhima captain of the ImperialGuard.Master Gourd grasped his

crutches, climbeddown fromhis donkey and hobbledtowards the crowd. Thedonkey let one ear hang

down,andbegantosearchforscraps of garbage among thecobble-stones. Judge Deealighted from his horse andfollowed the old monk. Theonlookersmadewayforhim;they seemed to know himwell.‘It'sTaiMin,thecashierof

the Kingfisher, MasterGourd,’atallfellowsaidinalow voice. ‘Dead as adoornail,heis.’Two guardsmen in their

long coats of mail held thecrowd at bay. Judge Deelooked over Master Gourd'sshoulderat themansprawledonthegroundrightinfrontofthe captain's horse. Hewinced involuntarily.He hadoften beenwitness to violentdeath, but this corpsepresented a particularlysickening sight. It was ayoung man, clad only in along-sleevedjacketthatstuckto his stretched-out arms.

Long strands of wet hairclung to his bloated, horriblydistorted face. His bare legsand feet had been badlyburnt; his hands weremangled. His belly had beenslit and the pale intestineswere hanging out. Alieutenant was kneeling bythe side of the corpse, hisback very broad under thecurving,giltshoulder-pieces.‘There's a flat package in

his left sleeve!’ a hoarse

voicespokeup.‘Mustbemysilver!’‘Shut up!’ the lieutenant

barkedat thegauntmanwiththe beaked nose and raggedbeard who was standing inthefrontrow.‘That's Wei Cheng, the

owner of the Kingfisher,’Master Gourd whispered tothe judge. ‘Always thinks ofmoneyfirst!’Judge Dee gave the lanky

innkeeper a cursory look.

Thenhiseyes fellon thegirlstanding by his side. He puther at about seventeen, smalland slender in a long bluerobe with a red sash, herglossy black hair done up intwo simple coils. She hadturned her head away fromthe deadman, her handsomefacechalk-white.The lieutenant righted

himself. He said respectfullytothecaptain:‘Theconditionofthebody

does indeed point to itshavingbeeninthewaterforaday, sir. What are yourorders?’The captain didn't seem to

have heard him. The judgecould not see his face well,for he had pulled the redneckclothupoverhismouth.His heavy-lidded eyes werefixed on the riding-whip inhistightlyclosed,mailedfist.He sat there, slim in his giltcuirass,immobileasabronze

statue.‘Whatareyourorders,sir?’

thelieutenantaskedagain.‘Have the body taken to

headquarters,’ the captainsaidinamuffledvoice.‘Withthe fishermen who found it.And the innkeeper whoemployedthevictim.’The captain swung his

horse round, so abruptly thattheonlookersbehindhimhadto jump aside to avoid beingtrampled down. He rode

towards the broad streetleading away from the quay,the hoofs of his horseclattering on the wet cobble-stones.‘Stand back, all of you !’

thelieutenantbarked.‘A despicable murder !’

Judge Dee remarked toMasterGourdastheywalkedback to their mounts. Theman was a civilian, though.Whydothemilitarydealwiththe case instead of the

magistrateofthisdistrict?’‘There's no magistrate in

Rivertown, Doctor. BecauseoftheWaterPalace,yousee.The town and itssurroundings are what iscalled a Special Area,administered by the ImperialGuard.’ He climbed on hisdonkey and laid the crutchesacrossitsrump.‘Well,I'llsaygood-bye here.You just ridedown the street the captaintook; it's the town's main

thoroughfare. You'll find thetwohostelsalittlebeyondtheGuard's headquarters. TheKingfisher and the NineCloudsfaceeachotheracrossthe street there. Both arecomfortable—take yourchoice !’ He clicked histongue and rode off beforethe judge could even thankhim.Judge Dee walked his

horse over to the blacksmithat the corner of the fish-

market.The animal needed agood rest. He gave theblacksmith a handful ofcoppers and told him to givethehorsearubdownandfeedit.Hewouldcometo fetch itthenextmorning.Enteringthemainstreet,he

suddenlyrealizedthathislegswerestiff from the long ride,and his mouth was parched.He went into the first tea-house he saw and ordered alargepotoftea.Halfadozen

citizens were gathered roundthelargertableinfrontofthewindow. They were talkinganimatedly while crackingdried melon-seeds. Sippinghis tea, Judge Dee remindedhimself that, since he washereinaSpecialAreasubjectto strict security regulations,hewasrequired to registeratthe Guard's headquarters assoon as he had arrived. Hewould do that on his way tothe hostels, for according to

the old monk they werelocated a little way beyondthe headquarters. Since thecashierof theKingfisherhadbeen tortured and killed insuch an abominable manner,everybody there would, ofcourse, be upset. He hadbettertakearoomintheotherhostel, the Nine Clouds. Thename Kingfisher soundedattractive, though; he hadactually planned to do somefishingduringhistwodaysin

Rivertown. In Poo-yang hecould never find time for it.Stretching his legs, hereflected that the militarywould probably catch themurderersofthecashiersoonenough. The military policewere very efficient as a rule,although their methods wereconsideredcrudecomparedtothose of the civilianauthorities.More guests came drifting

inside. Judge Dee caught

some fragments of theirconversation.‘Wei is talking nonsense,’

an elderly shopkeeper said.‘TaiMinwasnothief.Iusedto know his father, the oldgrocer.’‘Highwaymenwouldnever

haveattackedhimifhehadn'tbeencarryingalotofsilver,’ayoungmanremarked.‘Andhesneakedoutoftowninthemiddle of the night. Theblacksmith told me so

himself. Tai rented a horsefromhim.Had togoandseeasickrelative,Taisaid.’They settled down in the

farcorner.The judge poured himself

another cup of tea. Hewondered about theantecedentsofMasterGourd.The old monk seemed acultured gentleman. But heknewthatsinceTaoistmonksare not bound by anymonastic rules, many elderly

scholarswhofind themselvesalone and disenchanted withtheworldadopt theirvagrantlife. The tea-house wasgetting crowded now; therewas a confused babble ofvoices. A waiter began tolight the oil-lamps, and theirsmokemingledwiththesmellof wet clothes. The judgepaidandleft.A drizzling rain was

coming down. He bought asheet of oiled cloth at the

street-stall opposite and,drapingthatoverhisheadandshoulders, he quicklywalkeddownthebusystreet.Twoblocks farther on, the

main street broadened outinto an open square. In itscentre stooda large, fortress-likebuildingofthreestoreys.A red-and-blue banner hungdown limply from thepointed, blue-tiled roof. Onthe awning over the red-lacqueredgatewaswrittenin

large black letters: ‘ImperialGuard. Second Regiment ofthe Left Wing’. Twoguardsmenstoodatthetopofthe greystone steps, talkingwith the burly lieutenantwhomJudgeDeehadseenonthe quay. Just as the judgewas going to ascend thelieutenant came down andtoldhiminaclippedvoice:‘The captain wants to see

you,sir.Pleasefollowme.’Before the astonished

judge could say a word, thelieutenant had disappearedround the corner of thebuilding. Quickly unlockingthenarrowdoorofthewatch-tower, he pointed up a flightofsteep,narrowstairs.Whilethe judge was going up, heheard the lieutenant put theiron bar across the doorbelow.

II

In the half-dark corridor onthe second storey thelieutenantknockedonaplainwoodendoor.Heusheredthejudge into a spacious, bareroom, lit by a tall candle onthesimplewriting-deskattheback. The squat youngcaptain who was sitting

behinditjumpedupandcametomeetthejudge.‘Welcome to Rivertown,

Magistrate Dee !’ he saidwith a broad smile. ‘I amCaptain Siew. Please beseated!’Judge Dee gave him a

sharp look. He had a full,intelligent face, adornedbyasmall blackmoustache and astiff, jet-black chinbeard. Hecouldn't place him at all.Pointing at the armchair by

thedesk,thecaptainresumed:‘You were kept far too

busy to notice me, sir, twoyears ago! It was in Han-yuan,whenyouwerewindingup the lake murders there. Iwas on the staff of theImperial Inquisitor, youknow.’Andtothelieutenant,‘That'sall,Liu!I'll lookaftertheteamyself.’Judge Dee smiled faintly,

thinkingof thathecticday inHan-yuan*.Helaidhissword

onthewall-tableandtookthechair the captain had offeredhim. ‘You recognizedme onthequay,Ipresume?’‘Yes, sir. You were

standing beside our goodMaster Gourd. Didn't like toaddress you then and there,because you seemed to betravelling incognito. Knewyou'dbecomingtomyofficeto register anyway, sir, andtoldmyassistanttobeonthelook-out foryou.Youareon

a specialmission, I presume,sir? Travelling all alone…’He let the sentence trail off,poured a cup of tea, and satdownbehindhisdesk.‘Oh no. I was summoned

totheprefecturetendaysago,toassisttheprefectindealingwith a smuggling caseaffectingmydistrict.Hekeptmyself and my twolieutenants Ma Joong andChiao Tai quite busy, andgaveme permission to travel

back to Poo-yang in aleisurely manner. We hadplanned to stay a couple ofdays here in Rivertown. Butwhen we arrived in thevillage of Kuan-ti-miao thismorning, the headman askedus todosomethingabout thewild boars that are spoilingtheir crops. Ma Joong andChiao Tai are excellenthunters,soItoldthemtostaybehind and have a go at thewild boars, while I rode on.

Theyaredue to joinmeherethedayaftertomorrow.Iplantohavearesthere,doabitoffishing or so. Strictlyincognito,ofcourse.’‘Excellent idea, sir! How

did you get hold of thatgourd,bytheway?’‘A souvenir the village

headman pressed on me.They raise particularly largegourdsthereinKuan-ti-miao.My carrying it made MasterGourd mistake me for a

travellingphysician!’Thecaptaingavehisguest

a thoughtful look. ‘Yes,’ hesaidslowly,‘youmighteasilybe mistaken for a doctor, inyour present garb.’ After aslight pause he resumed,‘Master Gourd must havebeen disappointed when helearned you weren't aphysician. He knows a lotabout medicinal herbs, andlikestotalkaboutthem.’‘Asamatteroffact,’Judge

Dee said, a little self-consciously, ‘I didn'tundeceivehim.Itsavedmealong explanation, you see.Whoishe,really?’‘Akindofphilosopher;has

been about here for the lastfourorfiveyears.Liveslikeahermit,inahutsomewhereinthe forest.Have another cup,sir!’Thecaptainscratchedhisnose. Darting a quick glanceat the judge, he went on,‘Well, if you really want to

haveaquiet timehere inourtown,sir,Iadviseyoutosticktoyour physician's role.Thisbeing a Special Area, thereare all kinds of governmentagents about, and yourincognito might be eh…misinterpreted, so to speak. Ionce was a special servicemanmyself,andIknowtheirmentality!’The judge pulled at his

moustache. As a visitingmagistrate he would have to

make official calls, alldressed up in his ceremonialrobe and winged cap—andthey were still in Kuan-ti-miaowithhisheavyluggage.He could borrow a set, ofcourse, and rent an officialpalankeen, but this wasexactly the sort of thing hewantedtogetawayfromforafew days… Captain Siewnoticed his hesitation, andresumedquickly:‘I'llfixeverythingforyou,

sir!Youarefullyentitledtoafew days of rest. Heard allabout that case of theBuddhist temple you solvedin Poo-yang. Fine piece ofdetecting, sir!* Let me see,now. Yes, I know a retireddoctor in the capital, LiangMouhisnameis.Tallfellow,longbeard.Specialistinlungsand liver.’ He pulled a sheetof paper towards him,moistened his writing-brushand jotted down a few lines.

‘You have studied a bit ofmedicine, of course, sir?Fine! May I have youridentitydocument?’JudgeDeepulledthepaper

from his riding-boot and putit on the desk. ‘I don'tthink…’ he began. But thecaptain was absorbed in hisstudy of the document.Lookingup,heexclaimed:‘Couldn't be better, sir!

Birth-date fits,moreor less!’Herappedhisknucklesonthe

deskandshouted,‘Liu!’The lieutenant came in at

once, apparentlyhehadbeenwaiting justoutside thedoor.Thecaptaingavehimhisnotetogether with Judge Dee'sidentitydocument.‘Makeoutanewone,inthisname,Liu.Nottoonew,though,eh!’The lieutenant saluted and

went out. Captain Siew puthiselbowsonthedesk.‘Fact is, I amfacedwitha

little problem, sir,’ he said

earnestly. ‘Your being hereincognito would help me tosolve it.Wouldn't takemuchof your time, and you'd bedoing me a tremendousfavour, sir! You rank muchhigherthanme,ofcourse,butourworkbeingsimilar, so tospeak… Would help me noend,sir!Ialwayssaythatinorder to get a fresh look atthings…’‘You'd better explainwhat

your problem is,’ Judge Dee

interrupteddryly.The captain got up and

went to the largemapon thewall. From where he sat thejudgecouldseethatitshowedthe area south of the river,with a detailed plan of thetown.Totheeasttherewasablanksquare,markedinlargeletters‘WaterPalace’.Withasweep of his arm CaptainSiewsaid:‘TheentireSpecialAreais

under the direct

administration of the Palace.Youknowofcourse,sir, thatfor fouryearsnowtheWaterPalace has been the summerresidence of the ThirdPrincess.’‘No, I didn't.’ But Judge

Dee knew about the ThirdPrincess. She was theEmperor'sfavouritedaughter,said to be exceedinglybeautiful. The Emperorgranted her every wish, butapparently she was not the

spoilt palace-doll one mightexpect,butavery intelligent,level-headed young womanwho took a deep interest intheartsandsciences.Variousprominent young courtiershadbeenmentionedasfutureimperial sons-in-law, but theEmperor had alwayspostponed a decision. ThePrincess must now be abouttwenty-five, the judgethought. Captain Siewcontinued:

‘The highest authoritieshere are three officials, twocivil and one military. TheChief Eunuch is responsiblefor the Third Princess, hercourt-ladies and all theirwomenfolk. Then we havethe Palace Superintendentwhoisresponsiblefortherestof the personnel, a thousandpersons in all. My chief,Colonel Kang, is theCommanderoftheGuard.Heisinchargeofthesecurityof

thepalace,andtherestoftheSpecial Area. He has hisoffices in the palace and isfully occupiedwith hisworkthere.Sohehasassignedtwohundred guardsmen to me,and put me in charge of theadministration of the townand the countryside. It's aquiet, orderly little town, forinordertopreventepidemicsfrom spreading to the palacenobrothels are allowedhere,no streetwalkers, no theatres,

and no beggars. Crimes arerare, because any offencecommitted here could beconstrued as lese-majesty,and be punished with the“lingering death”. And noteven the most hardenedcriminal wants to risk beingsliced to pieces slowly!Ordinary executioners takeonly two or three hours overthe process, but those in thepalace can keep their manalive for a couple of days, I

am told.’The captain rubbedhis nose reflectively, thenadded,‘Theyarethebestthatcan be had, of course.Anyway, the result is that allrobbers, thieves and vagrantruffiansshunthisarealiketheplague!’‘Then your job is simple,

Siew. Just the administrativeroutine.’Thecaptainsatdown.‘No,sir,’hesaidgloomily,

‘thereyouarewrong.Itsvery

security from smallercriminals makes this area aproper paradise for the bigones! Suppose you were awealthy crook with manypersonal enemies. Wherebetter than here could youpassaquietholiday?Herenoassassin would ever dare toattack you. Or suppose youwerethebossofaninfluentialsmuggling-ring,orofasecretcriminalleague?Inyourownterritory you'd have to be on

your guard day and nightagainst killers sent by rivalorganizations. But here youcould walk about freelywithout any fear of beingmolested. Do you see myproblemnow,sir?’‘Not quite. Since all

arrivals must register, whynot send those questionablecharacters back where theycamefrom?’The captain shook his

head.

‘First, hundreds of ourtourists are decent people,and most merchants comehere on legitimate business.We can't possibly verify theantecedents of every one ofthem.Second, a considerableportion of the income of thelocal people is derived fromthe tourist traffic. If weclamped down on alltravellers, they would avoidthisplace,andwehavestrictorders from the capital to

keep on good termswith thepopulation. “BenevolentRule” isHisMajesty's reign-name,asyouknow,sir.It'saticklish situation, for no onecan tell when trouble'll flareup among some of the bigscoundrels on holiday here.And I am responsible for themaintenance of peace andorderinRivertown!’‘Quite true.But I can't see

whatIcandoaboutit.’‘You might just have a

look at the situation, sir!From the other side of thecounter, so to speak. A manof your long experience andsplendid record as a criminalinvestigatorwould…’JudgeDeeraisedhishand.‘All right. I don't mind

getting a first-handimpression of the problemspresented by a Special Area.I…’Therewasaknockandthe

lieutenantcameback.Heput

two sheets before his chief.One was Judge Dee's ownidentity document. Thecaptain concentrated hisattention on the second, aslightly soiled piece of paperwithfrayededges.‘Good!’heexclaimedwith

a broad smile. ‘Very goodindeed, Liu! Have a look atthis, sir!’ He pushed thesecond document over to thejudge. It was an officialidentity paper issued four

years before by themetropolitan authorities andmade out to Dr. LiangMou.The date of birth was JudgeDee's own, but the addresswas awell-known residentialquarterinthecapital.‘You notice the date, sir?’

Captain Siew asked, rubbinghis hands. The exact date onwhich the metropolitanauthorities issuednewpapersto all citizens ! Well done,Liu!’Hetookasealfromhis

drawer, stamped a corner ofthe paper, then wrote acrossit:‘Bearerisonhiswaybackto the capital. Permitted tostaythreedays.’Headdedthedate, and initialled it with aflourishofhisbrush.‘Thereyouare,sir!Allset!

Your own paper ‘I'll keephere under lock and key foryou. Awkward if you werefound to be carrying twodifferent ones ! I advise youto stay in theKingfisher, sir;

it's a nice quiet hostel, andmost of the bigwigs lodgethere.’ Rising he addedbriskly, ‘Needless to say, Iam completely at yourservice,sir!Anytime,dayornight!’JudgeDeegotuptoo.‘Totellyouthetruth,Siew,

when you mentioned yourproblem, I thought youwerereferringtothemurderofthecashieroftheKingfisher.Theman whose corpse you

viewedonthequay.’‘Bad case, that! But the

chap was murdered outsidemy territory, sir. Had itlooked into at once. Thenight-watch spotted himleaving town an hour or soafter midnight, going east.Andmypatrolshaven'tfoundany trace of robbers orhighwaymen inside or nearthisarea.Chapwasmurderedsomewhereontheroadtothemountains, and his body

thrownintotheriveracoupleofmilesupstream.Gotcaughtin the water-weeds oppositethe ferry-house here. I'll bepassing the case on to yourcolleague, the magistrate ofour neighbouring district, tothe east of Rivertown.Together with the stuff overthere that we found in hissleeves.’Hetookthejudgetoaside-

table and pointed at a foldedmap,anabacus,apackageof

visiting-cards and a string ofcash. Judge Dee casuallyunfoldedthemapandstudieditforawhile.‘It's a detailed map of the

province,’ he remarked. ‘Theroad from Rivertown to TenMiles Village, beyond theeastern mountain-ridge, ismarkedinred.’

‘Exactly! That's evidentlywhere the chap was headingfor, absconding with hisemployer's twenty silverpieces. That innkeeper is anotorious miser, you know.Fellow had the cheek to askme to make good his loss!Please take this abacus andgive it back to the oldskinflint, sir. Wouldn't put itbeyond him to accuse me ofhavingstolenit!’The judge put the

counting-frame into hissleeve.‘I'llgladlydothat.Butyou

had better mention the thingin your report to mycolleague. It might have abearing on the case. Itmightmean, for instance, that thecashier was prepared forsome complicated financialtransaction in the village hewasgoingto.’Thecaptainshrugged.‘An abacus goes with a

cashier,sir.ButI'llmentionitanyway.’While Judge Dee was

strapping his sword to hisbackheasked:‘Howdoyouknowthatthe

cashier wanted to steal thesilver?’‘Old Wei stated that the

youngster took the silverfrom the cash-box, sir. Andyou can trust Wei to knowhow much there was, to theverylastcopper!Herunsthe

Kingfisher well, but he's asour old codger. People saythat his wife did wrong, ofcourse, but they don't blameher too much. She eloped,you know, couple of weeksago. Well, I am awfullygrateful that you'll let mehave your views on thesituation, sir. But don't let itkeepyou frommakinga fewfishing-trips up river! Theyhave fine perch here. Trouttoo.’

He conducted the judgeceremoniously downstairs,and the burly lieutenant Liuopened the door. It waspouringwithrain.‘Beastly weather, sir!

Fortunately the Kingfisher isonly a little way ahead—onyourright.Good-night!’

*SeethenovelTheChineseLakeMurders.* See the novelTheChineseBellMurders.

III

Thejudgequicklywalkedon,holding the oiled cloth overhisheadasprotectionagainstthe downpour. The mainstreet was deserted, for thehour of the evening ricewasapproaching. With a wrysmile he reflected thatCaptainSiewhadbeenmuch

too glib. His story about theproblem presented byunwantedvisitorshadbeensomuch eyewash. And Siewwasn't interested in themurder of the cashier either.Theremustbeanotherreasonwhy Captain Siew wantedhim to stay in Rivertownincognito.Andaverycogentreason too, otherwise thecaptain wouldn't-have madesuch elaborate arrangementsto furnish him with a new

identity. Siew was a shrewdcustomer, and observant too—hehadspottedhimatonceon the quay, despite hisdishevelledappearance.SuddenlyJudgeDeehalted

in his steps, oblivious of therain.On thequay thecaptainhad seemed rather slim,whereasSiewwasathick-setman.Andonthequayhehadgot only a glimpse of theman's face, half-covered byhis neckcloth. The judge

creased his thick eyebrows.The lieutenant had expertlywhisked him upstairs by aside-entrance, and nobodyhadseenhim,thejudge,enteror leave the captain's office.Nowhewas alone in a townhe didn't know, and carryingfaked papers. For one briefmomenthehadapremonitionof trouble ahead. Then heshrugged. If there was anytrickery about, he wouldknowsoonenough.

A large lampion wasdangling from the eaves of apillared portico, inscribed‘Inn of the Kingfisher’.Across the street he saw aneven bigger one, bearing theinscription ‘Inn of the NineClouds’. After a momentaryhesitationhesteppedontotheportico of the first. Havingshaken out the wet oil-cloth,heenteredthecavernoushall.It was lit by a tall brasscandle that threw weird

shadows on the plasteredwalls.‘All the large rooms are

taken, sir,’ the young clerkbehind the counter informedhim. ‘But we have a nicesmall back-room left on thesecondfloor.’That will do,’ Judge Dee

said. While filling out theregister with his new nameand profession, he added,‘Before going up I want abathandachangeofclothes.

Whenyouhaveshownmethebathroom, you'll send a mantotheblacksmithonthequayto fetchmy saddle-bags.’Ashe pushed the register backover the counter, he felt theweight inhissleeve.Hetookthe abacus out. ‘When Iregistered at Headquarters,they asked me to return thiscounting-frame. It belongedto the cashier here, whosebodywasfoundintheriver.’Theclerkthankedhimand

put the abacus in thedrawer.‘WhenthebosssawourpoorTaionthequay,’hesaidwithasneer,‘hethoughtthisthingwas the package with histwenty silver pieces. Servestheoldmiserright!’Hecastaquick glance over hisshoulderatthehighscreenoflatticework.Behinditamansat bent over a writing-desk.‘I'llleadtheway,Doctor!’Thebathwaslocatedinthe

backoftheinn.Thedressing-

room was empty, but thebundles of clothing lyingabout there and the raucousvoices coming from behindthe bamboo sliding-doorsprovedthatotherguestswereusing the pool. Judge Deestepped out of his ritling-boots and laid his sword, hiswet cap and the calabash ontherack.Hetookthebrocadefolderwithhismoneyandhispapers from his sleeve andput it under his cap, then

stripped and opened thesliding-doors.The shouting came from

two naked men who wereshadow-boxinginfrontofthelargesunkenpool.Theywereencouraging each other withbawdy remarks. Both werepowerfully built and had thecoarse faces of professionalbullies. They fell silent atoncewhentheysawthejudgeandgavehimasharplook.‘Go on boxing but keep

yourfoulmouthsshut!’adryvoice ordered. The speakerwas a portly, middle-agedman who was sitting on thelowbench by the side of thepool. The bath attendantstanding behind him wasvigorously kneading hisflabby shoulders.As the twobullies resumed theirexercise, Judge Dee squattedon the black-tiled floor andsluiced himself with thebucketofhotwater.Thenhe

sat down on the bench,waiting for his turn to bescrubbedbytheattendant.‘Whereareyoufrom,sir?’

the elderly man by his sideinquiredpolitely.‘From the capital. My

nameisLiang;Iamadoctor.’It would have been rude notto give a civil answer to afellowbather.Thebathistheonlyplaceinaninnwheretheguestsmeetsocially.The other surveyed Judge

Dee's muscular arms andbroadchest.‘You are a living

advertisement for yourmedical skill, Doctor! Myname is Lang Liu, from thesouth. Those two yokels aremy assistants. I am… brr!’He broke off, for theattendant had sluiced himwith cold water. He took adeep breath. ‘I am a silkmerchant, taking a holidayhere.Hadn't countedon such

infernalweather!’They exchanged some

remarks about the climatedown south while theattendant scrubbed the judgeclean. Then he stepped intothepoolandstretchedhimselfoutinthehotwater.The elderly man had

himself rubbeddry, then toldthe twoboxers curtly, ‘Get amoveon!’Theyquicklydriedthemselves and meeklyfollowed the portlyman into

thedressing-room.Judge Dee thought that

Lang didn't look like one ofthe wealthy crooks thecaptainhadspokenabout.Heeven had rather adistinguished appearancewithhisregular,haughtyfaceand wispy goatee. Andwealthy merchants oftentravelled with a bodyguard.The hotwaterwas looseninguphisstifflimbs,butnowherealized that he was getting

hungry. He got up and hadthe attendant vigorously rubhimdry.His two saddle-bags had

beenput ready inacornerofthe dressing-room. Openingthe first to get out a cleanrobe, he suddenly checkedhimself. His assistant MaJoong, who always packedhis bags for him, was a neatman; but these clothes werefolded carelessly.He quicklyopened the second bag. His

night-robes, felt shoes andsparecapswereall there,butthis bag had also beentampered with. He quicklylooked under his cap on therack. Nothing was missingfromthebrocadefolder,butacorner of his new identitypaperwaswet.‘Inquisitive fellow, Mr

Lang Liu,’ he muttered. ‘Orjust careful perhaps/ He puton a crisp, clean under-robeofwhitecottonandontopof

thatalong-sleeved,dark-greygown. His felt shoes wereverycomfortableonhis tiredfeet. Leaving hiswet clothesand dirty boots there for theservants to take care of, hecovered himself with a highsquare cap of black gauze,took his sword and calabashandwalkedbacktothehall.Theclerkbroughthimtoa

smallbutcleanroomupstairs,and lit the candles on thetable.He promised the judge

his dinnerwould come soon.Judge Dee opened thewindow.Therainhadceased;abrilliantmoonwassheddingits silvery light on theglistening wet roofs ofRivertown. He noticed thatthebackyardoftheinnhadaneglected look. In the centrewas apatchof scrawny treesand tangled shrubs; behind ita low store-house was builtagainst the back wall. Thegatetothenarrow,darkalley

behindtheinnstoodajar.Onthe.rightoftheyardwerethestables, which reminded himthat the next day he wouldhave to tell the groom to gethis horse from theblacksmith. The confusednoise of shouted orders andthe clatter of plates comingfromtheleftwingprovedthatthekitchenwaslocatedthere.Inthatcorneroftheyardwasa roughly made chicken-run,perhapsaprofitablehobbyof

oneofthecooks.Aknockonthe door made him turnround.With pleasant surprise he

saw a slender girl comeinside, clad in a long bluegown. It was fastened roundher shapely waist by a redsash, the tasselled ends ofwhich trailed down to thefloor.While she was puttingthedinnertrayonthetableheaddressedherkindly:‘I saw you on the quay,

miss. You shouldn't havecome, for it was a terriblesight.’She gave him a shy look

fromherlarge,shiningeyes.‘MrWei tookme, sir.The

captain said two relativeswere needed to officiallyidentifythevictim.’‘Yes,Iseeyouaren'tjusta

maidservant.’‘I am a distant cousin of

MrWei,sir.Sixmonthsago,after my parents had died,

Uncle Wei took me on ashelp in the household. Andsince today themaids are allin a dither about whathappenedtoourcashier…’She poured him a cup of

tea, holding up the longsleeveofher righthandwithher left in a natural, gracefulgesture. Now that he couldsee her properly in the lightofthecandles,henoticedthatitwasn'tonlyherbeauty thatmadeher soattractive.There

wasasubtlecharmabouther,difficult to define. Sittingdown at the table, heremarkedcasually:There's a fine, old-

fashioned bath downstairs. Imet one ofmy fellow gueststhere, a Mr Lang. Has hebeenstayingherelong?’‘Only two weeks, sir. But

heisaregularvisitor.Standstoreason, forhehashisownsilk shop here, downtown.Averywealthyman,healways

travels with at least eightclerks and assistants. Theyhave our best wing,downstairs.’Shearrangedtheplatesandbowlson the tableand the judge took up hischopsticks.‘IheardMrWeisayonthe

quay that the unfortunatecashier had stolen twentysilver pieces from him.’ Shesniffed.‘Perhapsthosesilverpieces

existed only in my uncle's

imagination, sir! He washoping to get that sumrestituted by the authorities !TaiMinwasnothief,sir.Hewas a simple, pleasant boy.Whyshouldtherobbershavemaltreated him so horribly,sir? Tai never had muchmoneyonhim.’‘Out of spite, I fear.

Evidently they expected himto carry a large sum, as acashier. Did you know himwell?’

‘Ohyes,weoftenwentouton the river together, to fish.He was born and bred here,knew every nook and crannyoftheriverbank!’‘Were you er… very

friendlywithhim?’She laughed softly, and

shookherhead.‘Tai Min only liked my

companybecauseIamrathergoodathandlingaboat. If ithadn't been for that, he'dhardlyhaveknown I existed,

for he was completelywrapped up in…’ She brokeoff suddenly and bit her lip.Then she shrugged andwenton, ‘Well, since poor Tai isdead, there's no harm intelling you. The cashier washead over ears in love withmyaunt,yousee.’‘Youraunt?Shemusthave

beenmucholderthanhe!’‘Shewas,abouttenyears,I

think. But there never wasanything between them, sir.

He just adored her from adistance!And shedidn't carefor him, for she eloped withanother man, as you mayhaveheard.’‘Doyouhaveanyideawho

thatmanwas?’She vigorously shook her

smallhead.‘My aunt managed that

affair very cleverly; I neverevendreamtthatshecouldbeunfaithfultomyuncle.Whenhe told us that she had left

him for another man I couldhardly believe my ears. Shehad always seemed such aquiet, kind woman… muchbetter than my Uncle Wei!’She gave him a quick,appraising look and addedwithafaintsmile,‘Youareavery niceman to talk to, sir!Perhapsit'sbecauseyouareadoctor.’The last remark

unaccountably annoyed thejudge. He asked the first

questionthatcametomind:‘Since the cashier admired

your aunt so much, hereloping with another mangreatly distressed him, Isuppose?’‘No, he wasn't sad at all.’

Shepensivelypattedherhair.‘Rather strange, if you cometothinkofit.’Judge Dee raised his

eyebrows.‘Areyouquitesure?Those

prolonged,purelysentimental

attachments often affect amanmoredeeplythanabrief,passionateaffair.’‘Absolutely. Once I even

caught him humming a songwhile he was doing theaccounts.’The judge picked up a

morsel of salted vegetable,and slowly chewed it. MrsWei had effectivelyhoodwinkedheryoungniece.The cashier had been herlover, of course. She had

gone alone to the villageacross themountainsmarkedin red on the map found onTai Min's dead body. Theyhad agreed that the cashierwould follow after a fewweeks. But highwaymen hadattackedhimon thewayandmurdered him. Now hismistress must be waiting forhim inTenMilesVillage, invain. He would give thesefacts to Captain Siew, to bepassedontothemagistratein

the neighbouring district.Everybody assumed that Taihad been murdered byrobbers,butitmightbemuchmore complicated than that.‘Eh,whatdidyousay?’‘I askedwhetheryouwere

heretoseeapatient,sir.’‘No,Iamjustonaholiday.

Planned to do some fishing.Youmusttellmewheretogosometime.’‘I'll do better than that! I

can take you up rivermyself

in our boat. Today I musthelpthemaids,buttomorrowmorningI'llbefree.’‘That's awfully kind of

you. Let's see how theweather turns out. By theway,what'syourname?’‘IamcalledFern,sir.’‘Well,Fern,Imustn'tkeep

youfromyourduties.Thanksverymuch!’He ate his dinner with

gusto.Whenhehadfinished,he slowly drank a cup of

strong tea, then leaned backin his chair, in a pleasant,relaxed mood. In the roombelowsomeonewasplayingamoon-guitar. The liltingmelody, faintly heard,stressedthesilenceoftherestoftheinn.Thejudgelistenedforawhiletothemelodythatseemed vaguely familiar.When the music stopped hesatup.Hedecidedthathisworries

about Captain Siew and his

motives must be ascribed tothefactthathewastiredafterthe long ride through theforest. Why shouldn't thecaptain be genuinelyinterested in an outsider'sviews on the local situation?And as to the elaboratearrangementofhisalias,well,he knew that secret servicepeoplealwaystookdelightinsuchdetails.Hewouldbejustas thorough himself now !With a smile he got up and

went to the wall-table.Opening the lacquered boxthat contained writingmaterial, he selected a sheetof good red paper, folded it,and tore it into six oblongpieces. He moistened thewriting-brush and inscribedeach of the improvisedvisiting-cards in large letterswith his new name ‘DoctorLiang Mou’. Having putthoseinhissleeve,hepickeduphisswordandhiscalabash

andwent downstairs. He feltliketakingalookatthetown.In the hall Mr Wei was

standing at the counter,talkinginundertoneswiththeclerk. The innkeeper quicklycametomeetthejudge.Afterhaving made a low bow hesaidinhishoarsevoice:‘I am Wei Cheng, the

owner of this inn, Doctor.There was a messenger hereforyoujustnow,sir.Sincehedidn't give his name, I told

himtowaitoutside.Iwasjustgoing to sendmyclerkup totellyou.’Judge Dee smiled

inwardly. This had to be amessage from Captain Siew.He found his boots standingamongst the other footwearby the door, stepped intothem and went out. Dressedin a black jacket and wideblacktrousersatallmanwithcrossed arms was leaningagainst a pillar. Both his

jacket and his round cap hadredborders.‘I amDoctor Liang.What

canIdoforyou?’‘A sick person wants to

consult you, Doctor,’ theother replied curtly. ‘Overthereinthepalankeen.’Reflectingthatthecaptain's

message must be very secretindeed, the judge followedthe man to the large, black-curtained palankeen a littlefarther down the street. The

six bearers squatting withtheir backs against the wallrose at once. They wore thesame dress as their foreman.Judge Dee drew the door-curtain aside. Then he stoodstock still. He found himselfface to face with a youngwoman. She wore a longblack mantle with a blackhoodthatsetoffthepallorofhercomelybuthaughtyface.‘I…Imustinformyouthat

I don't deal with women's

diseases,’ he muttered.Therefore I advise you toconsult…’‘Step inside and I'll

explain,’ she cut him short.She moved over to makeroomforhim.Assoonasthejudge had sat down on thenarrow bench, the door-curtainwasdrawnclosefromtheoutside.Thebearersliftedthe shafts on their shouldersandwentoffataquicktrot.

IV

‘What does this nonsensemean?’ Judge Dee askedcoldly.‘It means that my mother

wants to see you,’ the girlsnapped. ‘Her name isHydrangea; she is the ChiefLady-in-waiting of HerHighness.’

‘Isyourmotherill?’‘Wait tillweareout in the

forest.’The judge decided to wait

till he knew more about hermysterious errand beforeputting this forward youngladyinherplace.Thebearerswere slackening their pace.Nowitwasverystilloutside.Afteraboutaquarterofan

hour,thegirlsuddenlypulledthe window-curtain open.They were moving along a

forest road, linedby tallpinetrees. The girl took off thehoodwith a careless gesture.Her hair was done up in asimple but elegant coiffure,withagoldfiligreedcombinfront. Her small, slightlyuptilted nose gave her face apert expression. Turning tothe judge, she said in thesameperemptoryvoice:‘I must tell you here and

now that I don't know whatall this is about! I am just

following instructions. Soyou needn't bother me withquestions.’ She groped underthebenchandcameupwithaflat box of red-lacqueredpigskin, the sort that doctorsuse to carry theirprescriptions. Putting it onher lap,sheresumed, ‘In thisbox you'll find a package ofprescription blanks, a dozenofyourname-cards,and…’‘I have prepared cards

myself, thank you,’ Judge

Deesaidcurtly.‘Never mind. There are

also some plasters and sixfolders containing a quiteinnocent powder. Have youever been to the town ofWan-hsiang, eighty milesupriver?’‘I passed through there

once.’‘Good.Behind theTemple

of the War God lives theHonourable Kuo, retiredsecretary of the Palace

Archives.Heknewyou fromthecapital,andhesummonedyou last week because he issuffering from asthma. Nowyouareonyourwayback tothe capital. Can yourememberallthat?’‘I'll try,’ the judge replied

dryly.‘The Honourable Kuo

wrote tomymother that youwould be passing throughhere, so she had you calledforaconsultation.Shesuffers

from asthma too, andyesterday she had a badattack.’ She darted a quicklook at him and asked,annoyed, ‘Why do you carrya sword? It'll make a badimpression. Put it under thebench!’Judge Dee slowly

unstrapped the sword. Heknew that outsiderswere notallowed to enter any palacearmed.Aftertheyhadbeencarried

alongthroughthesilentforestfor some time, the roadbroadened. They passedunder a double-arched stoneportal of massive structure,then crossed a broad marblebridge with elaboratelycarved balustrades. On theothersideofthemoatloomedthe high double-gate of theWaterPalace.Thegirlpulledthe window-curtain close.The judge heard shoutedcommands,andthepalankeen

stopped abruptly. Theforeman of the bearersexchanged a few whisperedwordswith the sentries; thentheywere carried up a flightof stairs. The grating soundsof bolts being drawn andchains released indicated thatthe gate was being thrownopen. More shouted orders,andthepalankeenwascarriedaheadforsomedistance,thenlowered to the ground. Thedoor-andwindow-curtainson

both sides of the palankeenweredrawnasideatthesamemoment. The glaring lightthat fell inside temporarilyblinded Judge Dee's eyes.Whenheopenedthemhewaslooking at the face of asergeant of the guard, closeby the window. Behind himstood six guardsmen in theirgilt armour, drawn swords intheirhands.Thesergeanttoldthegirlcurtly:‘You are all right, of

course, miss.’ And to thejudge: ‘State name,profession and purpose ofvisit!’‘I am Doctor Liang Mou,

summoned by the LadyHydrangea, Chief Lady-in-waiting of Her ImperialHighness.’‘Stepdown,please!’Two guards searched the

judge quickly and expertly.They even felt in his bootsand brought out his identity

paper.Thesergeantinspectedit. ‘All right. You'll get itbackwhenyouleave,sir.Thedoctor's box please, miss !’The sergeant opened the flatbox and rummaged with histhick forefinger among thecontents. Giving it to thejudge,hehelduphishandforthecalabash.Heuncorked it,shook it in order to verifythere was no small daggerinside, then gave it back.‘Youmaynowchange to the

palacechair.’He barked an order. Four

bearersinbeautifulsilkliveryapproached, carrying anelegant litter with gilt shaftsand brocade curtains. Afterthe judge and the youngwomanhad stepped inside, itwas born noiselessly acrossthe marble-paved courtyard,the sergeant marching infront.Thespaciouscourtwasbrilliantlylitbycountlesssilklampions,eachonahigh,red-

lacqueredstand.Afewdozenguardsmen were loiteringthere, all in full armour andcarrying crossbows andquivers packed with longarrows. The next yard wasquiet; courtiers in flowingbluerobeswereflittingaboutamong the heavy pillars thatlined the open corridors.JudgeDeepointedatthelotusponds andmurmuringwater-conducts.‘Allthatwatercomesfrom

theriver,Isuppose?’‘That's why it's called the

Water Palace,’ the girlsnapped.At a double-gate of gilt

trellis work, two sentriescarrying long halberdsstopped the litter. Thesergeant explained thepurpose of the visit, thenmarched off. The sentriesclosed the curtains andfastened themon theoutside.The two occupants were

sittinginthedarkagain.‘Outsiders are not allowed

to see the layoutof the innerpalace,’ the girl deigned toexplain.Thejudgerememberedthat

onthemapinCaptainSiew'soffice the Water Palace wasrepresented by a blanksquare. The authorities werenothing if not thorough intheir security measures. Hetried to guess what coursetheywerefollowingbutsoon

lost count of all the cornerstheyturned,allthestepstheywerecarriedupanddown.Atlast the litter was lowered tothe ground.Agiant in heavyarmour and a spiked helmetdecoratedwith long colouredplumes told themtodescend.His colossal colleagueknocked with the hilt of hisnaked broadsword on adouble-door of tooled iron.The judgegotaglimpseofapaved yard, surrounded by a

high wall painted a brightpurple; then the iron doorsswung open and a fat manmotioned them to enter. Hewas clad in a long, gold-embroideredrobe,andworeaconical, black-lacquered hat.Hisroundplacidfacewithitsbroad fleshy nose wascompletely hairless. Noddingfamiliarly at the girl, theobese eunuch addressed thejudgeinahighreedyvoice:‘His Excellency the Chief

Eunuch wants to see youbefore you cross the GoldenBridge,Doctor.’‘Mymother is in distress,’

the girl quickly intervened.‘The doctor must see herimmediately,for…’‘His Excellency's orders

were explicit,’ the moon-faced man told her placidly.‘You'll kindly wait here,miss. This way, sir.’ Hepointed down a long, silentpassage.

V

Alarmed, JudgeDee realizedthat he had barely half aminute to decide. It wouldtake only that long to reachthegold-lacquereddoorattheendofthepassage.Uptonowhehadnotbeen

concerned about theirregularity of the situation,

for the person who hadsummoned him in thisunusual manner had to besomeoneofconsequence,andfully aware of his trueidentity,duly reportedby thewily Captain Siew. Thatperson wished to keep thereal purpose of his visitsecret,andwouldassumefullresponsibility for his havingenteredthepalaceunderfalsepretences. But evidently hisunknown sponsor had not

reckoned with the ChiefEunuch interfering. Duringthe coming interview thejudgewouldeitherhavetolieto one of the highest Courtofficials, which went againsthisdeepestconvictionsofhisduties to theState,or tell thetruth, the consequences ofwhichmovehecouldn'tevenguess at. The truth mightharm a good cause, but also,perhaps, thwart an evilscheme. He took hold of

himself. If a corrupt courtieror a depraved official wasintending to use him for anefarious purpose, it meantthat he, the judge, hadsomewherefallenshortoftheideals of honesty and justicehe wanted to live by, andhence fully deserved theignominious death awaitinghim if his true identity werediscovered. This reflectiongave him back his innercertainty. While the obese

eunuch was knocking at thedoor,JudgeDeegropedinhissleeve for one of the redvisiting-cards he had writtenintheKingfisher.He knelt down just inside

the door, respectfully raisingthe card with both handsabove his bent head.Someonetookthecardandheheard a brief, whisperedconversation. Then a thinvoicespokepetulantly:‘Yes, yes, I know all that!

Letmeseeyourface,DoctorLiang!’As the judge raised his

headhesawwithsurprisethatinstead of the sumptuousoffice he had expected, hefoundhimselfinwhatseemedthe elegant library of ascholaroffastidioustaste.Tothe right and left stood highbookcases, loaded withbrocade-bound volumes andmanuscriptrolls,andthewidewindow at the back opened

onto a charming gardenwhere a profusion of flowersblossomed among quaintlyshaped rocks. On the broadwindowsill stood a row oforchids, incolouredbowlsofexquisite porcelain. Theirsubtle fragrancepervaded thequiet room. Beside therosewood desk an old manwas sitting hunched in anenormousarmchairof carvedebony.Hewasenvelopedinawiderobeofshimmeringstiff

brocade that sloped downfrom his narrow shoulderslike a tent. The sallow face,withthingreymoustacheandwispy chinbeard, seemedsmall and pinched under thehigh tiara, lavishly decoratedwith gold filigree set withglittering jewels. Behind thearmchair stood a tall, broad-shouldered man dressedentirely in black. Withimpassive face he let a redsilk noose glide through his

large, hairy hands. For awhile theoldmanlookedthejudgeoverwithheavy-lidded,vacanteyes.Thenhesaid:‘Riseandcomenearer!’The judge hastily came to

his feet and advanced threesteps. He made a low bow,then raised his hands in hisfoldedsleeves,waitingfortheChiefEunuchtoaddresshim.Thesoundofheavybreathingtold him that the obeseeunuch was standing close

behindhim.‘Why should the Lady

Hydrangea have summonedyou?’ the old man asked inhis querulous voice. ‘Wehave four excellentphysiciansonourstaff.’‘This person,’ Judge Dee

replied respectfully, ‘could,of course, never dare tocompete with the greatdoctorsattachedtothepalace.Itsohappened,however,thatbyamerestrokeofgoodluck

I succeeded in alleviatingsimilar symptoms theHonourable Kuo sufferedfrom. In his great kindness,the Honourable Kuo musthave given the LadyHydrangea a muchexaggerated impression ofthisperson'spoorskill.’‘I see.’ The Chief Eunuch

slowly rubbedhis bony chin,moodily surveying the judge.Suddenly he looked up andordered crisply: ‘Leave us

alone!’ The man in blackwenttothedoor,followedbytheobeseeunuch.Asthedoorclosed behind them, the oldman slowly got up from thearmchair.Ifithadn'tbeenforhis bent shoulders he wouldhavebeennearlyastallasthejudge. He said in a tiredvoice:‘I want to show you my

flowers. Come here!’ Heshuffledtothewindow.‘Thiswhite orchid is a rare

specimen, and most difficultto raise. It has a delicate,elusive fragrance.’ As JudgeDeebentovertheflower,theold eunuch went on, ‘I lookafteritpersonally,everyday.To give and nourish life,Doctor, isnotentirelydeniedtopersonsofmystatus.’Thejudgerightedhimself.‘Theprocessofcreation is

indeed a universal one,Excellency.Thosewho thinkitisman'smonopolyarevery

foolishindeed.’‘It'sarelief,’theothersaid,

a little wistfully, ‘to have atalkwithanintelligentmaninprivate. There are too manyeyes and ears in a palace,Doctor.Fartoomany.’Then,with a nearly shy look in hishooded eyes, he asked, Tellme, why did you choose themedicalprofession?’Thejudgeconsideredfora

while.Thequestion couldbeinterpreted in two ways. He

decidedtoplayitsafe.‘Our ancient sages say,

Excellency, that illness andsuffering are but deviationsfrom the Universal Way. Ithought it would berewarding to try returningthose deviations to theirnaturalcourse.’‘You'llhavefoundoutthat

failure is as frequent assuccess.’‘I have resignedmyself to

the limitations of human

endeavour,Excellency.’The correct attitude,

Doctor. Very correct.’ Heclapped his hands.When theobeseeunuchhadreappeared,theoldmantoldhim,‘DoctorLiang is permitted to crosstheGoldenBridge.’Headdedtothejudgeinadullvoice,‘Itrust that this one visit willsuffice. We are greatlyconcernedaboutthehealthofthe Lady Hydrangea, but wecan't have people from

outside going in and out ofhereallthetime.Good-bye.’JudgeDeemadeaverylow

bow. The Chief Eunuch satdown at his desk and bentoverhispapers.The fat eunuch took the

judge down the corridorwhere theyoungwomanwaswaiting. He told herunctuously,Touarepermittedto take the doctor across,miss.’ She turned round andwalked on without deigning

toreply.The longpassageended in

a round moon-door, guardedbytwotallsentries.Atasignfromthefatmantheyopeneditandthethreesteppeddowninto a beautifully laid-outgarden of flowering trees,bisectedbyanarrowcanal.Acurved marble bridge onlythree feetbroad ledacross it.The elaborately carvedbalustradewasencrustedwithgold.Ontheothersiderosea

high purple wall with onlyone small gate. Above it thecurved, yellow-tiled roofs ofa detached palace were justvisible. The eunuch halted atthefootof thebridge.‘I'llbewaiting for you here, Doctor!’‘Wait till you weigh an

ounce, fathead!’ the youngwoman snapped. ‘But don'tdare to put one of your flatfeetonthebridge!’As she was taking the

judge across, he realized thathe was now entering thestrictly forbidden area, theabodeoftheThirdPrincess.Two court ladies admitted

them to a spacious courtyardwhere a number of youngwomen were loitering underwaving willow trees. Whenthisbevyofbeauties saw thenewcomers, they began towhisper excitedly, thejewelled hair-dos of theirbobbing heads glittering in

the moonlight. Judge Dee'sguideledhimthroughasmallside-door into a bamboogarden, and on to the openverandah at the back. Asedate matron was preparingteaataside-table.Shemadeabow and whispered to theyoung girl, ‘Her Ladyshiphad a bad coughing attackjustnow.’The girl nodded and took

the judge into a luxuriouslyappointed bedroom. As she

bolted the door, Judge Deebestowedacuriouslookuponthe enormous bedstead thattookupthegreaterpartoftheback wall. In front, close tothe brocade bed-curtains, ahigh tabouret stood ready, asmall cushion on its roundtop.‘Doctor Liang has arrived,

Mother,’ the young womanannounced.The bed-curtains were

parted just an inch, and a

wrinkled hand appeared. Abracelet of pure white jade,carved into the shape of acurvingdragon, encircled thethinwrist.Thegirlplacedthehand on the cushion, thenwent to stand by the bolteddoor.Judge Dee put his box on

thetabouretandfeltthepulsewith the tipofhis forefinger.(Doctors are not allowed tosee more of a distinguishedlady-patient than her hand,

andmustdiagnosetheillnessfrom the condition of thepulse.) Suddenly the womanbehind the curtains told himinahurriedwhisper:‘Go through the panel on

the left of this bedstead.Quick!’Astonished, the judge let

go of her wrist and wentroundthebed.Setinthedarkwainscot were three highpanels.Assoonashepressedagainst theonenearest to the

bed, it swung insidenoiselessly. He stepped intoan ante-room, lit by a highfloorlamp of white silk.Under the lamp a lady wassitting in the corner of amassive ebony couch. Shewas reading a book. Thejudge dropped to his knees,for he had seen the long-sleevedjacketoftheImperialyellow brocade. They werealone in the still room. Theonly sound heard was the

faint crackling of thesandalwoodlogintheantiquebronze burner standing infront of the couch. The bluesmoke perfumed the roomwithafleetingsweetsmell.The lady looked up from

her book and said in a clear,melodiousvoice:‘Rise, Dee. Since time is

short, you are allowed toforgo all empty formality.’She put the limp volumedown on the couch and

Surveyedhimwithher large,troubledeyes.Hetookadeepbreath.Shewasindeedoneofthe loveliest women he hadeverseen.Herpalefacewasaperfect oval, framed by theglossy mass of her elaboratehigh coiffure that was fixedbytwolonghair-needleswithknobs of translucent greenjade. Thin eyebrows crossedher smooth high forehead intwo long curves, and thesmall mouth was cherry-red

under the finely chisellednose. There was a greatdignity about her, yet at thesametimethenaturaleaseofa warm unaffectedpersonality. She resumedslowly:‘I summoned you, Dee,

because I was told that youare a great investigator, andour loyal servant. I did so inthis unusual manner becausethe inquiry I shall order youto conduct must be kept

secret. Two days ago,towards midnight, I was inthepavilionbuiltontheouterwall overlooking the river.Alone.’ She cast a forlornlook at the silvery paper ofthe high lattice window. ‘Abrilliantmoonwasinthesky,just as tonight, and Iwent tostandatthewindow,toenjoythe view. First, however, Itookoffmynecklaceandlaidit on the tea-table, to the leftof the entrance. That

necklace,Dee, is an Imperialtreasure.Itconsistsofeighty-four unusually large,perfectly matched pearls.FathergaveittoMother,andafter Mother had died, thenecklacewas conferred uponme.’

TheThirdPrincesspaused.Looking with downcast eyesat the long white handsclasped in her lap, she wenton:‘I took the necklace off

because I once lost an ear-ring leaningoutof that samewindow. I don't know howlong I stood there, absorbedin the charming river scene.WhenatlastIturnedroundtogo back inside, the necklacewasgone.’

She lifted her long-lashedeyes and looked straight atthejudge.‘I ordered the palace

authorities to instituteamostthorough search, at once.Both in and outside mypalace. As yet they haven'tfound the slightest clue.AndthedayaftertomorrowIhavetoreturntothecapital.Imusthave the necklace back bythen, for Fatherwants to seeme wearing it, always. I

think… no, I am convincedthat the theft was committedbyanoutsider,Dee.Hemusthave come in a boat andscaled the wall, taking thenecklacewhileIwasstandingthere with my back to him.The movements of everysingle person in this sectionof my palace were checkedthoroughly. Therefore thethief must be someoneoutside the palace, andtherefore I put you in charge

oftheinvestigation,Dee.‘You shall search for the

necklace in the utmostsecrecy;noone inoroutsidethe palace shall know that Ientrustedthis tasktoyou.Assoon as you have found it,however, you shall abandonyour incognito, proceed herein your official capacity andpublicly restore the necklacetome. Rip the seam of yourcollaropen,Dee.’While the judgepulled the

seamof the right lapelofhisrobeapart,shetookfromhersleeve a tightly folded pieceof yellow paper. Rising, shepushed the paper into thelining of his robe. She wastall; her coiffure brushed hisface and he perceived itssubtle fragrance. She satdownagainandresumed:‘The paper I have just

given youwill enable you toenter the palace openly,without anyone daring to

interfere. You shall return itto me together with mynecklace.’ Her beautiful lipscurvedinaslowsmileassheadded, ‘Iplacemyhappinessinyourhands,Dee.’She nodded in dismissal

andtookupherbookagain.

VI

JudgeDeemade a low bow,and stepped back into theroomof theLady-in-waiting.The panel closed noiselesslybehind him. The LadyHydrangea's white hand stillreposedonthesmallcushion.As he felt her wrist again,there was a knock on the

door.Herdaughterpulledtheboltbackwithoutmakinganynoise,andadmittedtwocourtladies.Thefirstboreatrayofwritingimplements,theotherabamboobasketwithacleannight-robe.The judge let go of the

slenderwrist, opened his flatbox and took a prescriptionblank. He beckoned the firstcourt lady, selected a brushfrom her tray and rapidlyjotted down his prescription:

amilddoseofephedrineanda sedative. ‘Have thismedicine prepared at once,’hetoldHydrangea'sdaughter.‘I trust this will greatlyrelieve the patient.’ Hesnapped the box closed andwent to the door. The youngwoman silently took himacross the courtyard and tothe bridge, then left withoutsomuchassayinggood-bye.Ontheothersidetheobese

eunuchwas waiting for him.

‘Youwereonly a short time,Doctor,’ he said withsatisfaction.Heconductedthejudge through the manycorridors of the ChiefEunuch's residence to themain entrance, where thelitterwasstandingready.Leaning back against the

soft upholstery, Judge Deewent over the amazinginterview in his mind. ThePrincess had given him thebare facts, nothing more.

Evidently the background ofthis amazing theft had to dowith delicate matters whichshe could not or would notexplain in detail. But he hadthe distinct feeling that whatshehadleftunsaidwasmuchmoreimportantthanthefactsof the case. She wasconvinced that the theft hadbeen committed by anoutsider, but the thief hadobviously had an accompliceinsidethepalace.Forhemust

have known in advance thatthe Princess would be in thepavilion at that particularhour, then been informed insomeway that shehad takenoff her pearl necklace andplaced it on the corner-table.Only a man watching herfrom a secret coign ofvantage in that sectionof thepalace could have seen her,and given a sign towarn thethief waiting in a small boatunderthepavilion.

Thejudgefrowned.Atfirstsight it seemed a most riskyand unnecessarilycomplicated scheme. Even ifthePrincessreallywasinthehabit of standing at thepavilion window aroundmidnight,shewouldsurelybeaccompaniedbyoneormoreofhercourtladiesmostofthetime. And the organizers ofthe theft could hardly havehad a boatmoored under thepavilion every night there

was a brilliant moon! Onewouldhavetoassumethattheramparts of the palace weremanned by guards day andnight, and they would soonspotanyboatlyingthere.Themorehe thoughtabout it, thelesshe liked it. It all seemedvery far-fetched. The onlypoint thatwasclearwaswhyshe had chosen him to help:she suspected a particularperson in her closest retinueof being concerned in the

theft,thereforesheneededaninvestigator who had noconnectionsinthepalaceandwhom nobody in the palaceknew to be engaged in thesearch for the necklace.Hence her insisting on theutmost secrecy. Itwas a pityshe had not given him ageneral ideaof the lay-outofhersectionof thepalace.Hisfirst task was evidently tohavea lookat thenorthwallfrom the river, and study the

location of the pavilion andthesurroundingarea.He sighed. Well, he need

notworryanymoreabouthishaving entered the palaceunder false pretences, orabouthavingliedtotheChiefEunuch. The documentconcealed in the liningofhiscollar would doubtless stateclearly that hewas acting onthe express orders of theThirdPrincess.Norwasthereany need to worry about

Captain Siew's motives anymore. That sly fellow musthave known about the theft,probably through his chief,Colonel Kang, who, ascommanding officer of theImperial Guard, must havetaken part in theinvestigation. And Siew hadrecommendedhim,thejudge,as a suitable person toconductasecretinquiryallbyhimself. He smiled wryly.The rascal had hoodwinked

himgoodandproper!The litterwas loweredand

thedoor-curtainpulledaside.They were in the courtyardwhere he and Hydrangea'sdaughter had changedpalankeens. A lieutenant oftheguardtoldhimgruffly:‘Followme. I have orders

totakeyoutoHisExcellencytheSuperintendent.’JudgeDeebithislip.Ifhe

were found out now, hewould be betraying the

confidence of the Princessbeforehehadevenbegunthetaskentrustedtohim.Hewasushered into a lofty hall.Behind the ornamental deskin the centre, piled withpapers,satathinmanwithanaustere face, a greymoustache and stringychinbeardstressinghisasceticlook. His winged brown caphad golden rims, and hissquare shoulders wereencased in a robe of stiff

brown brocade. He seemedengrossed in the documentbefore him.Aportly courtierwearingthebluerobeandcapof a councillor stood behindhis chair, reading over hisshoulder.Infrontof thedeskwere gathered about a dozencourtiers. Some carrieddocumentboxes,othersbulkydossiers.Whenthejudgebenthisheadandraisedhishandsin a respectful salutation, hefelt theireyesboring intohis

back.‘Doctor Liang has arrived,

Excellency,’ the lieutenantreported.TheSuperintendent looked

up.As he leaned back in hischair, the judge cast a quicklook at the document theSuperintendent and thecouncillor had been studyingso intently.Hisheart sank. Itwas his own identity paper.Fixing the judge with hissmall piercing eyes, the

Superintendent asked in acrisp,metallicvoice:‘How is the Lady

Hydrangea?’‘I prescribed a medicine

forher,Excellency.Itrustherladyship will make a speedyrecovery.’‘Where did the

consultationtakeplace?’‘I suppose it was in her

ladyship's bedroom,Excellency.Herdaughterwaspresent, and also two court

ladies.’‘I see. I hope that the

medicine you prescribedwillprove effective, Doctor. Inthe first place for her, ofcourse. But also for you.Sinceyouhavetakenoverthetreatment, from now on youwill be held responsible forher, Doctor.’ He pushed theidentity paper over to JudgeDee. ‘You shan't leaveRivertown until you haveobtainedmypermission.You

maygo.’The lieutenant took Judge

Deeoutside.Whentheywerehalfway across the yard, thelieutenant suddenly haltedand saluted sharply. A verytall officer strode past in thegold-plated armour andplumedhelmetofacolonelofthe guard, his iron bootsclankingon themarbleslabs.Thejudgegotabriefglimpseof a pale, handsome face,with a jet-black moustache

andaclippedchin-beard.‘Was that Colonel kang?’

heaskedthelieutenant.‘Yes,sir.’Heledthejudge

to the first courtyard wherethesameblackpalankeenthathad fetched him from theKingfisher stood ready. Hestepped inside and wascarried out through the highgates.Whentheyhadcrossedthe

broadmarblebridgeover themoat, Judge Dee pulled the

window-curtain aside to letthe evening air cool hisflushed face. It had been atremendous relief that hisfaked paper had passedmuster. But how must heinterpret the suspiciousattitudes of, first, the ChiefEunuch and, just now, theSuperintendent? Did thesehigh officials always adoptsuch a hostile mannertowards strangersvisiting thepalace?Orweretheyperhaps

implicated in the theft of thenecklace?No, hewas lettinghis imagination run awaywith him! Of course it wasoutof thequestion thathigh-ranking officials of theImperial Court would stoopto connive at a theft!Moneymeant nothing to them, whyshould they risk… Suddenlythe judge sat up straight.Could it be that the pearlnecklace was the gage insome complicated court

intrigue, some subtle powerstruggle between opposingcourt cliques? That wouldexplainwhy thePrincesshadkept the purpose of his visitsecret from even her twoclosest servants, the ChiefEunuch and theSuperintendent. On the otherhand, if one or both had aspecial interest in thenecklace, and suspected thathe had met the Princess andbeen informed of the theft,

why had they let him gowithout a really thoroughquestioning?Tothatquestiontherewasanobviousanswer.They had only let him gobecause they didn't dare tooppose the Princess openly.They planned to have himeliminated outside, in amanner that could beconveniently explained as anaccident. He felt under thebench.Hisswordwasgone.At the moment he made

thisunpleasantdiscovery,thepalankeenwasloweredtotheground. A tall man in blackpulledthedoor-curtainaside.‘Please descend here, sir.

Just follow this road, andyou'll be in town in a fewminutes.’It was not the same

foreman who had come tofetchhim.JudgeDeesteppeddown and quickly lookedaround.Theyseemedtobeinthemiddleof thepine forest.

The bearers stared at himwithimpassivefaces.‘Sincethetownissonear,’

he told the foreman curtly,‘you had better carry me tomy inn. I am tired.’ Hemoved to re-enter thepalankeen; but the foremanbarredhisway.‘I amvery sorry, sir, but I

havemyorders.’Thebearerslifted the palankeen on theirshoulders, turned it roundquickly and trotted back the

way they had come, theirforemanbringinguptherear.The judge was all aloneamongthetall,silentpines.

VII

JudgeDeeremainedstandingthere for a while, pensivelytugging at his longsidewhiskers. Serious troublelayahead,andtherewasverylittle he could do about it—except leave the roadand tryto get lost in the wood. Butthat wouldn't be much help

either, for if assassins hadbeen sent after him, theywould be picked menthoroughly familiar with theterrain, and by now theywould have thrown a cordonround this part of the forest.Hedecided to try todiscoverfirst whether his fears werewell founded. There was aslightchance that thebearerswere acting on the orders oftheLadyHydrangea,whoforsome reason or other didn't

want him to be seen beingcarried back to town openlyin a palace palankeen. Andthesergeantatthegatemighthaveinspectedthepalankeen,found his sword under thebench and confiscated it. Hemust do something to get itback, for it was a famousblade, made long ago by agreat swordsmith, anheirloom treasured in hisfamily formany generations.He pushed his flat box into

the bosom of his robe andwent ahead slowly in theshadow of the trees, keepingtothesideof theroad.Therewas no use in presenting atargettoanambitiousarcher.At regular intervals he

halted and listened. Therewas no sign of anyonefollowing him, but nor couldhe hear the faintest sound toindicatehewasinthevicinityofthetown.Justwhenhewasabouttoturnabendheheard

a strange, snorting noiseahead.Quicklyheduckedintothe

undergrowth and listenedagain.Nowatwigsnapped,alittle further on. Carefullyparting the branches, heworked his way through theshrubs until he saw a large,dark shape hovering amongthe pines. It was an olddonkey grazing among theweeds.Asthejudgewentuptoit,

he saw a pair of crutchesleaning against the gnarledstemofacolossaltreebytheroadside. Underneath itMaster Gourd was sittinghunched on a moss-coveredboulder. He still wore hispatched brown robe, but hisgrey head was bare, thetopknotcoveredbyapieceofblack cloth, the traditionalheadwear of the Taoistrecluse. His calabash wasstanding at his feet. The old

manlookedup.‘Youareupandaboutata

latehour,Doctor.’‘Iwentforawalktoenjoy

the cool air. Imust have gotlost.’‘Where'syoursword?’‘Iwastolditwasperfectly

safe to go about unarmedhere.’MasterGourdsniffed.‘I thought you'd have

learned not to believeeverything people say. As a

doctor.’ He groped behindhim for his crutches. ‘Allright, I shall be your guideagain.Comealong,youwon'thave any trouble keepingpacewiththisancientmount.’He tied the calabash to hisbelt, and climbed on thedonkey.Judge Dee felt relieved.

With a well-known figure asMasterGourdaswitness, theenemywouldn't risk an openattack. After they had been

going along for a while, hesaidwithafaintsmile:‘When I met you this

afternooninthewoodsontheother side of the town, yougave me something of ashock, you know! My eyeswere sore, and the light bad.For one brief moment Ithought I was seeing mydouble.’MasterGourdreinedinhis

donkey.‘Don't speak lightly of

grave matters,’ he saidreprovingly. ‘Nobody is one;all of us are an aggregate ofmany. But we convenientlyforget our less satisfactorycomponent parts. If one ofthose should manage to slipaway from you, and youwould meet it, you'd take itfor a ghost, Doctor. And averyoffensiveghosttoo!’Hepausedand listened. ‘Talkingabout ghosts, don't you thinkwearebeingfollowed?’

NowJudgeDee,too,heardsomething moving about inthe undergrowth. Quicklygrabbingoneof thecrutches,hewhispered:‘If we are attacked, you

justclearout.Icanlookaftermyself; I am a stickfighter.Don'tworry!’‘I am not worried, for

nobody can harm me. I amjust an empty shell, Doctor.Havebeenformanyayear.’Three men jumped out

onto the road. They worecoarse jackets and trousersand their hair was bound upwith red rags. All three hadswords, and two brandishedshort pikes. While one ofthem grabbed the donkey'sreins, another raised his pikeandbarkedatthejudge:

‘Betterbehave,bastard!’Judge Dee was about to

lunge with the crutch whensuddenlyhe felt a sharppaininthesmallofhisback.‘Don't do that, dogshead!’

avoicegrowledbehindhim.‘Put my crutch back,

Doctor,’ Master Gourd said.‘Ineedthemboth.’‘What do we do with the

old geezer, boss?’ the pike-wielderasked.Theman behind the judge

cursed. ‘Take him along too.It's just his bad luck.’ Againthejudgefeltthepointofthesword inhisback. ‘Walkon,you!’The Judge decided that he

couldn't do anything, for themoment.Thescoundrelswerepaid assassins rather thanordinary robbers, andhewassure he could handle theirkind. He walked on, sayingonly,‘Ihopewewon'tmeetapatrol. For your sakes, I

mean.’The man behind him

guffawed.‘The soldiers have other

things to worry about rightnow,youfool!’The ruffians drove their

prisoners along a narrowside-path. One led MasterGourd's donkey by the reins,a second followed with apike, while the two otherswalkedbehindJudgeDee.The path led to a clearing.

A low brick building stoodamong the trees. They wentto the second building thatlooked like a desertedgodown.Themaninfrontletgo of the donkey's reins,kicked the door open andwent inside. Soon a cone oflight appeared. ‘Get along!’One of the men behind thejudge drove him inside,proddinghimwithhissword.The godown was empty

butforafewbalespiledupin

acornerandawoodenbenchinfrontofsomepillarstotheright. The light came from acandle inaniche in thewall.The judge turned round andsaw now the leader of theruffians. He was a hulkingmanastallashimself,withacoarse face framed by astubblyring-beard.Hecarriedalongsword.Thetwoothers,one wielding a pike and thesecond a sword, were mean-looking, powerfully built

fellows. The judge wentslowly to the centre of theroom, watching for a chancetowrenchaweaponfromhiscaptors. But they wereevidently experienced men,for they kept him at a safedistance, their arms at theready.Master Gourd came

hobbling inside, followed bythe second pike-wielder. Theoldmanmadestraightforthebench and sat down. Putting

his crutches between hisknees,hetoldthejudge:‘Have a seat too,Doctor !

You might as well becomfortable.’JudgeDee sat down. If he

made it look as if he hadgiven up, he would stand abetter chance of catching hisenemiesoffguard.Theleaderwas standing in front of thejudgeandMasterGourd;twoothershad takenuppositionsto the right and left of the

bench; the fourth wasstanding behind Judge Dee,his sword ready. Testing thepoint of his sword with histhumb, the bearded leadersaidearnestly:‘Me and my friends want

you to know that we havenothing against you two.Wedo what we are paid to do,because that's the only waywecanmakeourliving.’The judge knew that this

wasthedeathsentence.Low-

class scoundrels weresuperstitious; they alwayssaid this before killing theirman, so as to prevent hisghost from haunting themafterwardsandbringing thembadluck.‘Wequiteunderstandthat,’

Master Gourd said quietly.Then he lifted one of hiscrutchesandpointed it at theleaderwithatremblinghand.‘What I don't understand iswhytheychoseanuglybrute

likeyouforthejob!’‘I'llmakeyoushutup,old

wreck!’ the bearded manshoutedangrily.He stepped up to Master

Gourd.‘FirstI'll…’At thatmoment the crutch

suddenly became steady; itshot out, and its point boreddeep into the bearded man'slefteye.Withahowlofpainhe let his sword drop. JudgeDee dived to the floor andgrabbedit,theweaponofthe

man behind him grazing hisshoulder. The judge was onhis feet in a second. Heturned round and drove hissword into the breast of theother,whowas about to stabMaster Gourd from behind.Pulling the sword out of hisopponent's sagging body, thejudge saw thebearded leaderrushatMasterGourd,cursingobscenely.JudgeDeejusthadtime to see Master Gourd'scrutch shoot out again with

lightningspeedandlandrightinthegiant'smidriff,whenhehad to jump back and parrythe blow the secondswordsmanaimedathishead.There was one pike-wielderleft.He raised hisweapon tothrow it at the judge, butMaster Gourd hooked thecrooked end of his crutchround the man's ankle. Hetoppledtothefloor,droppinghis pike, which the old mandrewtowardshimwithadeft

movement of the crutch.Thebearded giant was rolling onthe floor, clutching hisstomach and emittingstrangledsounds.The judge found that his

opponentwasanexperiencedswordsman.Hehadtodohisverybesttocountertheman'sconfident attack. The judge'sborrowed sword lacked thefine balance of his ownweapon,thegreatblade‘RainDragon’, but as soon as he

hadbecomeaccustomed to ithe drove his opponent backintoapositionfromwherehehimselfcouldkeepaneyeontheothertworuffians.Forthemoment, however, he had toconcentrateonhisown fight,for his opponent wasexecuting a series of cleverfeints, alternated withdangerousthrusts.Whenthejudgehadgained

theadvantageagain,hecastaquick look at Master Gourd.

The oldmanwas still sittingonthebench,butnowhehada sword in his hand.Hewasparrying the thrusts of hisattacker with astonishingskill. The bearded giant wasstaggering to his feet, tryingtosupporthimselfagainstthewall. Judge Dee's opponentwas quick to utilize themoment of inattention. Hepenetrated JudgeDee's guardwithalongthrusttothechest.Before the judge could side-

step, the point of the swordgrazed his forearm. It wouldhavepiercedhisside,but theflat leather box which thejudge had stuffed into hisrobe caught the blow andsavedhislife.The judge stepped back,

hisswordshotout,andwithaseries of swift feints hesucceeded in regaining theoffensive. But blood wastrickling down from thewoundinhisforearm,andhis

lack of training began tomake him short of breath.Nowhewouldhave to finishoffhisopponentasquicklyaspossible.Lightning-quick,heshifted

hisswordfromhisrighthandto his left. Like all superiorswordsmen he wasambidextrous. Momentarilyconfusedbythenewangleofthe attack, his opponentdropped his guard and thejudgeplantedhisswordinhis

throat. As the man fellbackwards,JudgeDeerushedto help Master Gourd,shouting at the attackingswordsman to turn anddefendhimself.Butsuddenlythe judge froze.Dumbfounded, he stared atwhat was an amazingspectacle.The swordsman was

leaping furiously about theseated man, showering himwith lightning thrusts. But

Master Gourd, leaning withhis back against the pillar,parried every blowaccurately, in a relaxed,unhurried manner. Whetherthe attack was aimed at hisheadorhisfeet,theoldman'ssword was always there justintime.Suddenlyheloweredhis sword, gripping the hiltwith both hands. As hisattacker lunged at him, hebrought the sword up again,holding the hilt against the

benchbetweenhisknees.Themancouldnotcheckhimself.As he fell forward, the oldman's sword buried itselfdeepinhismidriff.The judge turned round.

The bearded leader wascomingforhim,acrazedlookinhisone remaining eye.Hehad picked up a pike, andnowaimedasweeping thrustat Judge Dee's head. Thejudge ducked and drove hissword up into the other's

breast.As thebearded leadersank to the floor, the judgebentoverhimandbarked:‘Whosentyou?’Thegiant lookedupat the

judge with his one rollingeye.Histhicklipstwitched.‘How…’ he began. A

streamofbloodcamegushingfrom his mouth, his hugebody was shaken by aconvulsive shudder, and thenhelaystill.JudgeDeerightedhimself. Wiping his

streaming face, he turned toMaster Gourd and saidpanting:‘Thanks verymuch ! That

brilliant first move of yoursput their leader out of actionandsavedtheday!’Master Gourd threw the

swordintothecorner.‘Ihateweapons.’‘Butyouhandlethemwith

amazing skill!Youmet youropponent's thrusts soaccurately,itseemedasifthe

points of your swords werejoinedbyaninvisiblechain!’‘I told you I am only an

emptyshell,’theoldmansaidtestily. ‘Being empty, myopponent's fullness flowsautomatically over intome. Ibecome him, so I do exactlyas he does. Fencingwithmeislikefencingwithyourownreflectioninamirror.Andaspointless. Come over here;your arm is bleeding.A sickdoctorisasorrysight.’

Theoldmantoreapieceofcloth from the dead giant'srobe. Having expertlybandaged Judge Dee'sforearm,hesaid,‘Betterhavea look outside, Doctor. Seewhere we are, and whetherour late lamented friendswereexpectinganyone!’Thejudgewentoutside,his

swordready.The donkey was grazing

peacefully in the clearing,bleak in the pale moonlight.

There was no one about.When he had inspected thebuilding opposite, he foundthere were other godownsbehindit.Havingroundedthecorner of the last one in therow, he saw the river beforehim. They were at theextremeeastendofthequay.Slinginghissword,hewalkedback.Abouttoenterthegodown,

hiseyefellontheinscriptionover the door: ‘Property of

Lang'sSilkFirm’.Pensively he smoothed his

long beard. His bathroomacquaintance owned a silkshop in Rivertown. SinceLang was not a commonname, the godown mustbelong to that inquisitivegentleman. Master Gourdcamehobblingoutsideonhiscrutches.‘We are at the end of the

quay.’ Judge Dee told him.‘Thewholeplaceisdeserted.’

‘I'llgohome,Doctor.Iamtired.’‘Please pass by the

blacksmith at the corner ofthe fish-market, sir. Ask himtosendamanwithmyhorse.I'll have another look at thedead men; then I'll have toreport the attack toHeadquarters.’‘Good. If anyone there

wants my testimony, theyknowwheretofindme.’Theold man climbed on his

donkeyandrodeoff.JudgeDeewentinside.The

raw, smell of the blood andthesightofthefourdeadmenmade him feel sick. Beforesearching them, he had acloserlookatthebalesinthecorner.Heslitoneopenwiththe point of his sword andfound it did indeed containraw silk. Then his eye wascaught by dark stains on thebench he and Master Gourdhad been sitting on. The

stains looked uncommonlylike blood, spilt not so longago. Under the bench hefound a few thin ropes, alsocakedwithdriedblood.Thenheturnedtothedeadmenandsearched their clothes. Noneof them had been carryinganything but a few coppers.He took the candle from theniche and scrutinized theirfaces. They looked like cityhoodlums rather thanhighwaymen. Professional

killers,efficientandprobablywellpaid.Bywhom?Puttingthe candle back, heremembered the paper thePrincesshadgivenhim.Withindex and middle finger hewormed the document fromthe lining of his collar.Unfoldingitunderthecandle,he sucked in his breath. Atthe top of the documentappeared the Emperor'spersonal seal, of vermilioncolour and three inches

square. Underneath waswritten inchanceryhand thatthe bearer was temporarilyappointedImperialInquisitor,vested with full executivepowers. The date and JudgeDee's own name were addedin the small elegantcalligraphy of a lady. Belowwas the seal of the Presidentof theGrandCouncil, and ina corner the personal seal oftheThirdPrincess.He folded the document

carefully and put it back inthe lining. That the Emperorhad entrusted his daughterwith an open edict of suchtremendous import waseloquent proof of hisunlimited trust and affection.It also constituted furtherproofthat therewasfarmoreat stake than the theft of anImperial treasure. The judgewent outside, sat down on atree-trunkandbegan to thinkthingsout.

VIII

The neighing of a horseroused Judge Dee from hisreverie. The groomdismounted, and the judgegave him a tip. Then heswung himself into thesaddle, and rode down thequay.At the fish-market he saw

manypeoplecrowding roundthestreet-stalls.Passingthem,he caught a fewwords aboutafiresomewhere.Outsidetheheadquartersof

the Guard a dozen or somounted guardsmen hadassembled. They werecarrying storm-lanternssmearedwithsoot.JudgeDeehanded his horse to a sentryandtoldhimhewantedtoseeLieutenant Liu. A soldiertook him up the main

staircase to Captain Siew'soffice.Thecaptainsatbehindhis desk, talking to his burlylieutenant. He jumped upwhen he saw the judge andcalledoutjovially:‘Glad you dropped in, sir!

We had a busy night here.Roof of the City Granarycaught fire, no one knowshow. But my men had itunder control soon. Take aseat,sir!Youmaygo,Liu.’Judge Dee sat down

heavily.‘Iwantinformationonone

of my fellow-guests in theKingfisher,’ he said curtly.‘FellowcalledLangLiu.’‘So you set to work at

once!Iammostgrateful,sir!Yes, Mr Lang is exactly thetype of scoundrel I expectedtrouble from. He is the bossofall thebrothel-keepersandgambling-houses in thesouthernpartofthisprovince,you see.Has organized them

intoakindofsecretguild,theBlueLeague it's called.Langalso owns a large silk firmdown south, but that's just togive him a respectable front.Asarulehekeepswithinthelimits of the law, and he's averypunctualtax-payer.Untilvery recently he had a lot oftrouble with a rival, the so-called Red League, whichmanages the gambling andbrothels in the neighbouringprovince.’ He scratched his

nose.‘IhavehearditsaidthatMr Lang met representativesof the Red League here inRivertown about ten daysago, and they agreed upon akind of truce.Mr Langmusthavedecidedtostayonherealittle longer, just to observehow the truce would workout, from a safe distance!Remarkablehowquicklyyougotontohim,sir!’‘He got on to me, rather.’

The judge told Siew of his

meeting with Lang in thebath, then he described theattack in the forest, sayingthat he had gone there for awalk andmetMasterGourd.‘It was a well-plannedattack,’ he concluded. ‘Thefire in the Granary youmentioned was doubtlessmeant to keep your patrolsbusy at the other end of thetown.’‘Holy heaven! The

scoundrels! I am most

awfully sorry this happened,sir. And right in my area! Idon'tlikethisatall!’‘I didn't like it either.’

Judge Dee remarked dryly.‘At first we seemed to be attheir mercy, but MasterGourd saved the situation.Amost remarkable man. Youknow anything about hisantecedents?’‘Notmuch,sir.Hebelongs

to Rivertown, so to speak.Everybody knows him, but

nobody knows where hecame from. It's generallyassumed that in his youngerdayshewasa“brotherofthegreen woods”, one of thosechivalrous highwaymen whorob the rich tohelp thepoor.They say that once hemet aTaoist recluse in themountains somewhere andwanted to become hisdisciple.Whentheoldfellowrefused, Master Gourd satdown cross-legged under a

tree in frontofhishermitageformanydayssothathislegswithered away. Then the oldhermit initiated him into allthe secretsof lifeanddeath.’Hepaused,pensivelyrubbinghis chin. ‘Yes, the fourfellows that attacked youmust have been Lang'shenchmen from the south.Local men would neverattack Master Gourd. In thefirst place because they havea great respect for his

wisdom, and second becausethey believe he possessesmagic powers, and can drawoutsomeone'ssoulandbottleitupinhiscalabash.Buthowcould they have known thatyou were going to take thatwalk,sir?’‘Before answering that,

Siew, I want to ask you astraight question. When wewere talking here thisafternoon, Iclearlyperceivedthat besides your concern

over Lang and otherunwelcome visitors, thereweremoreimportantissuesinthebackofyourmind.Since,through you, I am gettingdeeplyinvolvedinasituationIknownexttonothingabout,I demand a full explanation,hereandnow.’Thecaptainjumpedupand

began to pace the floor,sputteringnervously:‘Very sorry, sir! You're

absolutely right, of course.

Should've toldyou thewholestory, at once. Bad mistake,keepingthingsback.I…’‘Out with it, man ! It's

gettinglate,andIamtired!’‘Yes, sir. Well, Colonel

Kang is a personal friend ofmine, you see. My bestfriend,infact.Wearenativesof the same town, alwaysremained in close touch. Itwas the colonel who got metransferred here from thecapital,wanted a fellow near

him he could trust. He's asplendid fellow, old militaryfamily. Finewarriors, but nomoney, of course. And noconnections at court. Addedto thathe'sabit stand-offish,andkeepshimself tohimself,soyoucanimaginethatwhenhe was made commander inthe Water Palace here thepeopletheredidn'tlikeitverymuch. They prefer thetoadying kind, the give-andtakefellows,youknow.Sohe

has had all kinds ofdifficulties,buthehasalwaysgot over them all right.Lately,however,hehasbeenverydowncast.Iurgedhimtotell me what was worryinghim, but the stubborn fellowwould only say it was aboutsomething in the palace.Then,ontopofthat,hehadtoconductsomeinvestigationorother yesterday—a hell of aticklish job, he told me; hedidn't knowhow to go about

it.Wasn'tallowedtotellmeathing,hesaid,butitwasneckor nothing! You canimagine…’‘All very interesting, but

cometothepoint!’‘Certainly, sir.Well,when

I recognized you, sir, Ithought your arrival was agodsend. You know myadmiration for you, sir… Ithought that besides helpingme to get a grip on all thehigh-class crooks here, if I

could arrange a meetingbetweenyouandmycolonel,he might be willing to tellyou more about thisinvestigation, and that you,withyourmagnificentrecord,sir,might…’JudgeDeeraisedhishand.‘Whenexactlydidyou tell

thecolonelIwashere?’‘When,yousay,sir? Imet

youonlythisafternoon!Iseethe colonel only in themornings, sir, when I go to

thepalacetohandinmydailyreport. Meant to tell himabout you first thingtomorrowmorning!’‘I see.’ Judge Dee leaned

back in his chair and slowlycaressed his sidewhiskers.Afterawhilehesaid:‘Imust askyou,Siew,not

to say a word about me toyour colonel. ‘I'll be glad tomeet him some time, but notjust yet. Perhaps you couldask him to arrange a visit to

the Water Palace for me,before I leave here. In whatpart does the famous ThirdPrincesslive,bytheway?’‘Inthenorth-eastcornerof

the palace grounds, sir. Themost secluded and mostclosely guarded section. Inordertogetthereyouhavetopass through the residenceand the offices of the ChiefEunuch. Capable fellow, Ihaveheard.Hastobe,foryouknow how it is, sir, inside

those purple palace walls.Place is riddled withintrigue.’‘I have always heard that

the Third Princess is anexceptionally intelligent andcapablewoman.Couldn't sheput an end to all thatunderhandbickering?’‘She certainly could,

provided she knewwhatwasgoing on! It's the hardestthing for a Princess, sir, toknow what is happening

among the hundreds ofpersons in her own palace.She's hedged in on all sidesby ladies-in-waiting, courtladies, ladies of the chamberandwhathaveyou,andeverysingle one of them twistsevery bit of news to suitherself. I thank heaven myjob is outside those walls,sir!’He shookhishead, thenasked briskly, ‘What do youwant me to do about MrLang, sir? And what about

those four corpses in hisgodown?’‘AstoLang,nothingatall.

I shall deal with himpersonally, in my own goodtime.ThedeadbodiesIwantremovedtoyourmortuarybya few of your trusted men.They may say they werehighway robbers, cut downby a patrol when theyattacked a traveller. Oh yes,talking about robbers, Ilearned some interesting

details relating to themurderof the cashier. That youngfellow was in love with theinnkeeper'swife,andtheoddsare that she went to TenMiles Village, the villageacrossthemountainsthatTaiMin marked on his map.Apparently the idea was thatTaiMinwouldjoinherthere.But he was attacked andkilledontheway.’‘That's very interesting,’

the captain said slowly. ‘Mrs

Wei being that kind ofwoman, she might haveanother lover too. Andjealousy is often a strongmotiveformurder.Well,itsohappens that two of myagents are due to leave forthat area this very night. Ishall order them to inquireafter Mrs Wei. She may bestaying in TenMiles Villagetogetherwith Tai'smurderer,for all we know ! Thanksverymuch,sir!’

As Judge Dee got up, thecaptainadded:‘This attack on you has

shocked me, sir. Don't youwant two or three of mycivilian agents assigned toyou,forprotection?’‘No,thankyou,theywould

only be in my way. Good-bye, Siew, I'll let you knowwhenIhaveanynews.’The crestfallen captain

conducted him personallydownstairs.

Few people were about inthe main street, for it wasgetting on for midnight.Judge Dee fastened the reinsof his horse to the pillar bytheKingfisher's entrance andwent inside. There was noone about in the hall, butthrough the lattice screen hecouldseethebackofMrWei.The innkeeper stood bentover a large leather box onthe floor. The judge walkedroundthecounterandrapped

with his knuckles on thescreen.The innkeeper righted

himself and turned round.‘What can I do for you,Doctor?’heasked inhisdullvoice.‘Tell a groom to take my

horse to the stables,MrWei.After seeing my patient, Iwent for a ride in the forestandgotlost.’Wei muttered something

about keeping late hours and

shuffled to the back door ofthe office. Judge Deesuddenly realized he wasdog-tired.Hesatdowninthearmchairbeside thedeskandstretched his stiff legs.Staringwithunseeingeyesatthe intricate pattern of thelatticescreen,hereviewedtheamazing events of that night.He had assumed, as amatterof course, that his summonsto the palace had come as aresult of information about

his arrival supplied byCaptainSiew.Butthecaptainhadnotseenthecolonel,andhe knew nothing about thetheft of the necklace.Someone else in Rivertownmust have recognized him,andlearnedabouthisaliasbyconsulting the register of theKingfisher. And thatunknownpersonmusthaveadirect approach to thePrincess,foronlythreehourshad elapsed between his

arrival in Rivertown and theLady Hydrangea sending forhim.Itwasallverypuzzling.Somewhere beyond the hallhe faintly heard the tinklingsound of amoon-guitar. Theplayer evidently kept latehours.His eyes strayed to the

openboxonthefloor.Itwascrammed with articles ofwomen's apparel. Moreclotheswere draped over thebackrest of Mr Wei's chair.

On top was a long-sleevedjacket of red brocade,with aratherpleasingflowerpatternofgoldthread.The innkeeper came back

and told him that the groomwouldtakecareofhishorse.‘Sorry to disturb you so

late,MrWei.’JudgeDeefeltreluctant to get up, so headded casually: ‘I noticed alargebrick-shed,oppositethestables. That's yourstoreroom,Isuppose?’

The innkeeper darted aquick glance at him, a nastygleaminhisshiftyeyes.‘Nothing of value there!

Just old sticks of brokenfurniture, Doctor. I have ahardtimetryingtomakebothends meet, sir! If you knewmy expenses…’ He took thered jacket and the robe fromhischair,threwthemintothebox and sat down. ‘I havebeenkept sobusy thesedaysI haven't even got around to

sorting out my dear wife'sclothes!’ Then he muttered,half to himself, ‘Hope thepawnbroker ‘Il offer a goodprice ! Kept her in luxury, Idid!’‘I was distressed to learn

about your domestic trouble,MrWei.Haven'tyougotanyideawhocouldhaveseducedyourwife?’‘Wouldn't wonder if he

were that tall hoodlum thatcame tomy door sometimes,

asking for the post ofdoorkeeper! Lives in theneighbourdistrict.’‘You could file a charge

againsthim,youknow.’‘Against him? No, thank

you, sir! The fellow hasfriends in the mountains.Wouldn'tliketowakeupwithmythroatcut!Goodriddancetobadrubbish,that'sallthereistoit,sir.’JudgeDeeroseandwished

himagoodnight.

On the second floor itwasdeadquiet.Uponenteringhisroom, he found that theservants had put up theshutters at nightfall, so thatnow it had become hot andstuffyinside.Hewenttoopenthem, then thought he hadbetternot.Nouse in invitingassassins to a nightly visit.Havingverified that thedoorcould be locked by a solidbolt, he undressed andinspected the wound on his

forearm.Thecutwaslongbutnot deep. After he hadcleaned it with hot tea fromthe tea basket, he put on anew bandage, then stretchedhimselfoutonthenarrowbedforagoodnight'srest.Buttheclose air was oppressive;soon he was drenched withsweat. The mutilated face ofthe bearded man rose beforehismind'seye,andhesawtheother dead men in horribledetail.Thenhereflectedthat,

for a crippled old man,Master Gourd had shownremarkable resolution andskill in fighting. Strange…now that he had seenMasterGourd's face clearly in thegodown, it seemed vaguelyfamiliar. Could he have methim somewhere before?Mulling this over, he dozedoff.

IX

Thejudgewokeearly,afterafitful sleep. He got up andopenedtheshutters.Theclearsky promised a fine sunnyday.Afterhehadwashedhisface and combed his beard,hebegantopacethefloor,hishands behind his back. Thenhe suddenly realized he was

tarrying only because hehoped Fern would bring themorning tea. Annoyed withhimself,hedecidedhewouldhave breakfast in the NineClouds Inn across the street.He had better try to gathersome general informationabout the town, and find outhowhecouldgetagoodviewof the walls of the WaterPalace.Downinthehalltheyoung

clerk stood yawning at the

counter. Judge Dee muttereda perfunctory reply to his‘Good morning’ and crossedthestreet.Unlike the Kingfisher, the

Nine Clouds had its ownrestaurant, locatedbehind themain hall. At this early houronly half a dozen customerswere scattered around thesmall tables, gobbling theirmorning rice.Asmall rotundman was standing by thecounter, berating a surly

waiter.Hepausedtogivethejudge a sharp look from hislittle beady eyes, then camewaddlingtomeethim.‘An honour to receive a

famous doctor from thecapital, sir! Please take thiscorner table, quiet and cosy!You'll find our food betterthan anything the Kingfishercan offer you, sir. May Irecommend rice fried withpork and onions, and crispfried trout, fresh from the

river?’Judge Dee wanted a more

frugal breakfast, but itmightbe worth engaging thegarrulous innkeeper in somefurther talk. He nodded, andthefatmanshoutedtheorderatthewaiter.‘I found the rooms in the

Kingfisher quitecomfortable,’ the judgeremarked,‘butIdon'twanttomake any demands on theservice, for that terrible

murder of the cashier hasupsettheroutine.’‘Yes, sir, Tai Min was a

good man at his job, and aquiet,pleasantyoungster.Butit wasMrsWeiwho ran theplace, sir. Fine, capablewoman, but the way thatniggardly husband treatedher! Kept an eye on everysingle copper she spent, youknow!When she dropped inhere, I always gave her acouple of dumplings stuffed

with sweet beans—ourspeciality, you know. Shewas mighty fond of those.Gave her three or four theverynight shewentaway,asamatter of fact. I don't holdwith married women doingthings they shouldn't do, sir,notme.ButWeidrovehertoit,and that'sa fact!’Hegaveasign to thewaiterandwenton, ‘And she always thoughtof the business first. Didn'twanttorunoffbeforeshehad

shown that niece of hers allthe ropes. A looker, thatyoung wench, but a bituppish, if you ask me. MrsWei,shewaswhatyoumightcall a conscientioushousewife.Wish I could saythe same of my ownmissus…’The waiter brought a

bamboo tray heaped withdumplings.‘Hereyouare,Doctor!’the

innkeeper said, beaming at

him. ‘Take as many as youlike,onthehouse!’Judge Dee took a bite but

found them much too sweetfor his taste. ‘Delicious !’ heexclaimed.‘They are all yours, sir!’

The fat man leaned over thetable and resumedconfidentially, ‘Now I'vesomethingthat'll interestyou,sir.Poses aproblem foryou,professionally. Every time Ihave ameal, after about half

anhourorsoIgetadullpainhere in my left side. Then Iget a burning feeling, righthere above my navel, and asourfeeling,deepin…’‘I charge one silver piece

for a consultation,’ the judgepointed out gently. ‘Payableinadvance.’‘One whole silver piece!

But you don't need toexamine me, you know. Justwanted tohaveyouropinion.I am suffering from

constipationtoo.NowI…’‘See your doctor,’ the

judgesaidcurtlyandtookuphis chopsticks. The fat mangave him a hurt look andwaddled back to the counter,taking the tray of dumplingswithhim.The judge ate with gusto.

Hehadtoadmitthatthefriedtroutwere indeed very good.WhenhelefttheNineCloudshe saw Fern standing in theportico across the street. She

woreabrownjacketandwidetrousers,andaredsashroundherwaist;herhairwasboundup with a red cloth. Shewished the judge a cheerful‘Goodmorning’,andadded:‘Weather is fine! What

aboutourtripupriver?’‘Shouldn'tIchange?’‘Oh no.We'll just have to

buystrawhatsontheway.’Shetookhimdownseveral

narrow alleys that broughtthem ina fewminutes to the

east end of the quay. Heboughttwostrawhats.Whileshewasbusytyingtheribbonofhersunderherchin,hecasta quick glance at thegodowns. Two coolies werecarrying a bale to theclearing,supervisedbyathinman with a large, bullet-shapedhead.Fernwentdownthestonesteps leading to thewater, and pointed at anarrow, sleek boat mooredamong the larger rivercraft.

While she held it steady,JudgeDeesteppedinsideandsat down in the stem.Skilfully she poled the boatout from among the othercraft,thenexchangedthepolefora longoar.Asshestartedsculling the boat intomidstream,thejudgesaid:‘You know, I wouldn't

mind having a look at thefamousWaterPalace.’‘That's easy enough!We'll

goalongthisbankandpassit

beforecrossingover.Thebestplaces are all over the otherside,yousee.’There was a slight breeze

over the placid brownwater,but themorning sunwas hoton Judge Dee's face. Hestuffedhiscapintohissleeve,and put the round straw haton his head. Fern had takenoffherjacket.Aredscarfwaswoundtightlyroundherwell-formedbosom.Leaningbackin the bow, the judge looked

at her standing there in thestern, moving the longsculling oar with gracefulease.Hershouldersandarmshadagoldentan.Hereflected—a little sadly—that therewas no substitute for youth.Then he turned his attentionto the riverbank. Tall pinetreesgrewclosetothewater'sedge, rising up from thetangled undergrowth. Hereand there he noticed thenarrow mouths of inlets and

coves.‘You won't catch anything

worth while in there,’ sheremarked. ‘Just a few crabsandmud-fish.It'stooearlyintheyearforeels.’As they moved upstream,

the forest thickened. Moss-coveredlianaclungtothelowbranches overhanging thewater. After about a quarterof an hour Fern turned theboatintomidstream.‘Can'twefollowthebanka

little further?’ the judge saidquickly. ‘WemustbegettingneartothepalaceandI'dliketohaveagoodlookatit.’‘Andgetbothofuskilled?

Don't you see those paintedbuoys ahead? Over on thatquaythere'sanoticeinlettersaslargeasyourheadorderingall craft to stayoutside thosebuoys. And on the bankbeyondthepalacethereisthesame polite notice. If youcross the line, the archers on

the battlements will use youfor target practice with theircrossbows. You'll have toadmire the palace from agooddistance!’She sculled the boat in a

broadcurveround thebuoys.Then he saw the three-storeyed watch-tower, at thenorth-west corner of thepalace compound. The woodended abruptly at a narrowinlet, evidently the mouth ofthe moat surrounding the

palace. The north wall rosedirectly from the water at aslightly receding angle. Thecrenellated ramparts wereinterrupted at regularintervals by lower watch-towers. The sun glittered onthe spiked helmets of thearchers manning thebattlements.‘Quite a pile, eh?’ Fern

called over to him from thestern.‘Rather. Let's go a little

farthertillweareoppositethenortheast tower. Then I'llhaveseeneverything!’A large cargo junk glided

past, the rowersswinging thelong oars to the rhythm of aplaintive song. Fern joinedthem in her clear youngvoice, adjusting her scullingtothequickerbeat.Thejudgethought thewall looked veryhigh and forbidding. Hecounted eight barredarchways, just above the

water,evidentlythegatesthatfed the canals andwatercourses inside. Then hesaw the pavilion, jutting outfrom the wall just above thelastwater-gate. Itwas akindof covered balcony oftrapezoid shape, with threebay windows, a large one infront flanked by two smallerones. He estimated that thebottom of the buttresssupporting the pavilion wasabout six feet above the

water. A small boat mooredtherewouldbeinvisiblefromabove.But how could a boatget in there without beingspottedby the archerson thewatch-towers?‘You hoping to see the

beautiful princess at thewindow? What aboutcrossing over to the otherbanknow?’Judge Dee nodded. It had

been heavy going upstream;Fern's shoulders glistened

moistly in the sun that wassteadily gaining in strength.The north bank was lessthickly wooded; here andthere a fisherman's thatchedhutappearedamongthegreenfoliage. When they wereclose Fern threw a hookweightedwithtwobricksintothe water. The boat floateddown the stream for awhile,then theanchorcaughtand itlay still. She said withsatisfaction:

‘Thisisjustabouttherightplace.When Iwas herewithTai Min the other day, wecaught a couple of fineperches.Look, in this jar arethe crabs’ legs, the very bestbait!’‘Our Master Confucius

alwaysfishedwitharod,’thejudge remarked as hepreparedthebait,‘neverwitha net. He thought the fishought to be given a sportingchance.’

‘I know the quotation.WhenfatherwasstillaliveheusedtoreadtheClassicswithme. He was the head of ourvillageschool,yousee.Sincemother diedwhen Iwas stillyoung, and I was the onlychild,fatherspentalotofhistime on me. No, take thatotherline!Youneedalongerone forperch.’Throwingoutherownline,sheadded,‘Wehad a very happy life. Butwhen father died I had to

move to the inn here, forUncle Wei was the nearestrelative. I couldn't takealongthe books we used to read;they belonged to the school.You being a learned doctor,you must have got a largelibrary,haven'tyou?’‘Fairlylarge.Butlittletime

touseit.’‘I'd like to live in a

scholar's home, you know.Readbooksaboutallkindsofinteresting subjects, practise

painting and calligraphy.Makesyoufeelsecure,ifyouknowwhatImean.Whenmyaunt was still there it wasn'tso bad in the Kingfisher,mind you. Uncle never gavehermuch forherclothes,butshe inherited a few bolts ofgood silk, and I helped hermake new robes from them.Her favourite jacket wasmade of red brocade, withflowers in gold thread. Shethought it suited her very

well,andshewasrighttoo!’The judge loweredhis line

intothebrownwater.Settlingbackinthebow,hesaid:‘Yes,Iheardthatyouraunt

wasanicewoman.Icanwellunderstandan impressionableyoungster like Tai Minconceivingakindofcalf-loveforher.’‘He was absolutely crazy

abouther!Iamsurehebeganto gamble just because hewantedtobeable togiveher

apresentnowandthen!’‘Gamblingisasurewayto

losemoneyinsteadofmakingit,’ the judge said absent-mindedly.He thought he feltaslighttugattheline.‘TaiMinwon.But I think

thatMrLang let himwinonpurpose, the better to fleecehim afterwards! That Langgivesmethecreeps!’‘Lang? Where did they

gamble?’‘Oh, Tai Min went to

Lang's wing a few times.Hey,watchit!’Heletthelineslipthrough

his fingers. Ina flashhesawa pattern emerging. Langwould never have befriendedthe young cashier without agoodreason.‘Givehimmoreline!’Fern

calledoutexcitedly.Yes, he would give Lang

rope. Lots of rope. It mightlead to the link connectingLang's ramshackle godown

with thegoldenpalacegates.Alternately slackening andtighteningtheline,hetriedtosurvey the consequences ofhisdiscovery.‘Pullhimin!’shehissed.Slowly gathering in the

line,hesawafair-sizedperchcome to the surface. Heleaned over the gunwale andgot the squirming fish onboardandintothebasket.‘Well done ! Now watch

me!’Shestaredatherfloater,

her face flushed. The breezeshifted a stray strand ofglossy hair from under herstraw hat. The judge waseagertogetbacktothesouthbank, for he wanted to goashore and check whethertherewas perhaps a pathwaythere.Butitwouldbecrueltospoil her pleasure. He threwout a short line and againwent over in his mind thevariouspossibilities.Thefactthat the cashier had been

tortured had struck him atonceascurious.Nowhesawa possible explanation. Hervoicerousedhim.

‘Theywon'tbiteatall.Tellme,howmanywivesdoyouhave?’‘Three.’‘IsyourFirstanicelady?’‘Very. I have a happy and

harmonious household, I amgladtosay.’‘You being a famous

doctor,youshouldhavefour.Even numbers bring goodluck! And speaking aboutluck,Ithink…’Shetuggedatherline,and

brought up a smaller fish.Thentheyremainedsilentforalongtime,sheintentonherline, he occupied with hisown thoughts. After she hadcaught a fairly large perch,thejudgeremarked:‘My legs are getting a bit

cramped. I'd like to try myhand at sculling the boat.Haven't done it for many ayear!’‘All right!As long as you

don'toverturntheboat!’

Crouching on the bottom,they exchanged places. Theboat began to rock, and hehadtosteadyherwithhisarmroundhershoulders.‘It'sverynice to be with you!’ shewhispered.JudgeDeequicklytookthe

longoar.Hekneltinthesternandmovedtheboatupstreama little so that shecouldhaultheanchorup.Thenheturnedthe boat away from shore. Itdidn'tgotoobadly,butinhis

kneeling position he couldnot use his body weight andhad to depend on his armsalone. The wound on hisforearm began to throb. Hetriedtogettohisfeet,buttheboat began to rockdangerously.Sheburstout inpealsoflaughter.‘Well, I'll manage without

standing,’hesaidsourly.‘Where are you heading

for?’‘I'd like to go ashore

somewhere. I might findsome medicinal herbs in theundergrowth over there. Doyoumind?’‘I don't. But you won't be

able to do more than pokeaboutalittlearoundthesmallcoves.Thereisnopathofanysort.’‘In that case we'll head

back for the quay. It'll beeasy; we'll have the currentwithus.’He soon found, however,

that it was easier said thandone.Therewasmuchtrafficnow, and it took all his skillto avoid collisions. Helistened to her with half anear as she chattered awayhappily.Suddenlyheasked:‘Searched? Who searched

what?’‘Myuncle,Isaid!Hemust

havesearchedpoorTaiMin'sattic.WhenI tidied itup thismorning, I noticed someonehad been over it with a fine

comb! Can't imagine whatuncle expected to find there!‘I'll take over here; you'llnever manage to berth itproperly!’

X

They parted on the landing-stage. Fern took the mainstreet, carrying the fish-basket and humming a song.Judge Dee walked past thefish-market and entered thefirst small eating-place hesaw.Heorderedalargebowlof noodles stewed with

bamboo sprouts. After aquickcupofteahewentbackto theKingfisher, for hewaseagertotakeabath.As he had expected, the

bathwasempty,foritwasthehour of the noon rice; eventhe bath-attendant was offduty. Stretched out in thepool, he carefully consideredthe move he wascontemplating. It was a longshot, a very long shot. Histheorywasbasedononlytwo

facts: first, that the poorcashier Tai Min had beenseverely tortured prior to hisbeingkilled;andsecond,thathis room had been searched.All the rest wasmere guess-work, based on hisknowledge of the mean,grasping nature of men likeLangLiu.Yes,hewouldriskit. If his theory should provecorrect, he would havesuccessfully completed thefirst phase of his

investigation. If he waswrong,hewouldatleasthavefrighteneda fewpeople.Andfrightenedpeopleareliabletomakebadmistakes.Thebath-attendantcamein

while JudgeDeewas puttinga new bandage on hisforearm.Hetoldhimtofetchclean robes from his roomandtogivethesoiledonestothe laundrywomen. Clad inhis brown travelling-robe,now crisply laundered, he

wenttothehallandaskedtheclerkifMrLanghadfinishedhisnoonrice.Whentheclerknodded he gave him hisvisiting-card and told him toinquire whether Mr Langcould see him for a fewmoments.‘MrLangdoesn'tliketobe

disturbed directly after hismeals,Doctor!’‘Askhimanyway!’The clerk went down the

corridorwithadoubtfullook,

but he came back with abroad smile. ‘Mr Lang saysyou're welcome, sir ! It's thefourthdooronyourright.’JudgeDeewasadmittedby

a thin man with a bullet-shaped head, the one he hadseen that morning by thegodowns. He introducedhimself with an obsequioussmile as Mr Lang'saccountant, then took thejudge through a large, coolante-room to a vast chamber

that seemed to take up theentire rear of the inn's leftwing. Evidently this was themost secluded and mostexpensive suite of theKingfisher.MrLangwassittingbehind

a heavy desk of carvedebony,abulkyledgerinfrontof him. The two bodyguardsstood by the folding doorsthat gave onto the neglectedback garden. Mr Lang roseand with a courteous bow

invited the judge to take theother armchair. He said withathinsmile:‘Iwas just going over this

ledger with my accountant.Your esteemed visit providesme with a most welcomeinterruption of that tedioustask!’ He motioned theaccountanttoservetea.‘Ihadplannedtopayyoua

courtesy call earlier, MrLang,’ Judge Dee beganaffably, ‘but I had a late

night, and thismorning I feltabitoutofsorts.Theweatheris fine today, sir.’ Heaccepted the cup theaccountant offered him andtookasip.‘Apart from the rainy

days,’Mr Lang remarked, ‘Ifind the climate here quiteagreeable.’The judge set his teacup

downhard.Puttinghishandsonhisknees,hesaid,harshlynow:

‘Glad to hear that, Lang!Foryou'llhavetostayhereinRivertown for a long, longtime.’His host gave him a sharp

look.Heaskedslowly:‘Whatexactlydoyoumean

bythat?’‘I mean that the truce is

off.We'll get you as soon asyou put one foot out of thisspecialarea,Lang.Lastnightyour stupid henchmen tookme to your godown on the

quayandtriedtokillme.’‘Itoldyoutherewasblood

all over the floor, boss. I…’theaccountantmuttered.‘Shut up!’ Lang told him.

And to the two bodyguards:‘Close those damned doors!One of you stand outside inthe garden, the other in theante-room.Letnoonedisturbus.’ Then he fixed the judgewith his large eyes that nowhadahardglint.‘Idon'tknowwhatyouare talking about. I

suspected you were a Redwhen I saw you in the bathyesterday morning. Doctorsdon't come with a boxer'sbuild, generally. But I denyhavingtriedtogetyoukilled.Our side is keeping to thetruce.’JudgeDeeshrugged.‘I'll let that go, for the

moment. There's a muchmore important matter todiscuss. My orders are tomake you a proposal. You

employed the cashier of thisinn to steal a very nicebauble.Your leaguemust begettingshortoncash,Lang—seeing that you are riskingbeing cut to pieces. Slowlyandexpertly.’Lang retained his

impassivemien,butthejudgenoticed that the accountant'sface was filled with a sicklypallor.Heresumed:‘It would be a pleasure to

denounce you to the

authorities,Lang.Buta truceis a truce, and my peoplestick to theirword.Provided,ofcourse,thatweshare.Halfof eighty-four makes forty-two.Please correctme ifmyfiguresarewrong,willyou?’Lang slowly tugged at his

goatee, fixing his twobodyguards with a balefullook.The twobigmenmadefranticgesturesofdenial.Theaccountant hastily retreatedbehindhismaster'schair.For

alongwhileitwasverysilentin the large room. At lastLangsaid:‘Your people are good,

very good. I'll have tooverhaul my ownorganization. Thoroughly.Yes, your figures are correct—it was agreed that onneutral territory we shouldshareandsharealike.Ididn'tletyourbossknow,however,because the whole thing fellthrough. I haven't got the

pearls.’JudgeDeeroseabruptly.‘Lastnight'sattempttokill

me proves you are lying,Lang. My orders are that,should you refuse ourreasonable request, I am toinform you that the truce isended. Which I do here andnow.Good-bye!’Hewenttothedoor.When

he had put his hand on theknob Lang suddenly calledout:‘Comebackandsitdown

!I'llexplainthesituation.’Thejudgecamebacktothe

desk but he didn't take thechair offered. He said in asurlyvoice:‘First of all I want you to

apologize for trying to havememurdered,Lang!’‘I apologize for the fact

thatyouwereinconveniencedin a go-down that belongs tome, and I shall have thematter looked into at once.Thatsatisfactory?’

‘It's better than nothing.’Judge Dee sat down again.Langleanedbackinhischair.‘I made a mistake,

shouldn't have accepted thejob. But you know ourexpensesnowadays!Ihavetopay the directors of mygambling establishments afortuneinsalaries,andyetthescoundrels are cheating onthe proceeds. And how canyourundecentbrothelswheneven farm-girls are in short

supply? We have to pay asmuchforapeasantgirlasfora trained courtesan! Unlesswegetsomerealgoodfloodsor a long drought and cropfailure,Iamgoingtoloseonthat branch. As to taxes, letmetellyouthat…’‘Don't!’ Judge Dee

interrupted. ‘Tell me aboutpearls!’‘Well, I just wanted to

explain to you that, thingsbeing what they are at

present, ten gold bars is around sumnot to be sneezedat. And there were ten goldbarsformeinthataffair,andpractically no risk orexpense.’Langheavedadeepsigh.‘Thisiswhathappened.Last week a silk brokercomes to see me—Hao hecalls himself. Brings a letterof introduction from one ofmy men in the capital. Haosayshehasacontactwhohasformulated a plan to steal a

valuable necklace from theWaterPalacehere.The thinghas eighty-four pearls of thebest quality, he says, butthey'llhavetobesoldonebyone, of course. If I know ofsomeone who's familiar withthe river and the area aroundthepalace,andgethimtodothe job,Hao'scontact ‘Ilpayme ten gold bars. I think atonceofthecashierhere,whoknowseveryinchoftheriver,but I say nothing doing. Ten

gold bars is a lot of money,butstealingfromthepalaceistoo much of a risk. Then,however,Haoexplainsallthearrangements made. Myaccountant‘11repeatthem—he has a phenomenalmemory. (It's the only goodpoint he's got, the fathead!)Speak up, you! Say yourlesson!’The bullet-headed man

closed his eyes. Clasping hishands,herattledoff:

‘Theman is to leave townby boat one hour beforemidnight, row to the fourthcoveon the rightbank, leavethe boat there and take thepathbehindthesecondrowofpine trees. Formerly used bythepalacepatrols, it leadsallalong the river bank to thenorth-west corner of thepalace moat. About two feetunder the surface there's anoldsluicedoor;swimalongitto the corner of the north-

westwatch-tower.Justabovewater level a ledge about afoot wide runs all along thenorthwall.Walk along it tillyou arrive at the last water-gate. Above it is a buttressthat supports a coveredbalcony. There are manycracks among the bricks; thewall can easily be scaled.Enterthepavilionbytheside-window. The pavilion isconnectedwithabedroombyan open, moon-shaped

doorway.Thenecklace‘11belying either on the dressing-table just inside that moon-door, or on the tea-tableopposite. Remain outside themoon-doorandmakesurethepeople are asleep. Then stepinside, takethenecklace,andgo back the same way. Noneed to worry about thearchers on the ramparts—they'llbebusyelsewhere.’The thin man opened his

eyes and smiled smugly.

Langresumed:‘Since Hao's contact was

evidently a man who knewwhat he was talking about, Ithought I might as well seewhether I could rope in thecashier. I knew he neededmoney. I invited him for afriendly gambling-bout, lethim win at first, then loseheavily. When I told himabout the planned theft, as afavour,heagreedatonce.SoI toldHao itwas all right. If

TaiMinwascaught,Iwould,of course, disclaim allknowledge of the scheme,andpointoutthattheboyhadbeen temptedbecausehehadlost all his money at thegambling-table.’‘I'll take yourword for all

that, Lang,’ the judge saidwearily.‘Iamstillwaitingtohear why you didn't get thenecklace. The rest we'll takeforgranted!’‘Ijustwanttogiveyouthe

whole picture,’ Lang said,annoyed. ‘Well, Tai Minstarted from my godown atthe time indicated. Hepromised to come straightback there, deliver up thenecklace, and get his twentysilver pieces, minus what heowed me. Now I admit Imake mistakes sometimes,butatleastIknowtheroutinework.Ipostedacoupleofmymen on the roads leadingwest,eastandsouthfromthis

town—just tomake sure thatif Tai inadvertently forgotabout our appointment in thegodown,wewouldbeabletoremind him, you see. Myaccountant waited for Tai inthe godown for a couple ofhours, in vain. Then thefellowwasbrought inby thetwo men who'd beenwatching the road east. TheyhadcaughtTaiMingallopingblithely along, and nicelydressed too. He had gone

back to the Kingfisher first,yousee.’The judge suppressed a

yawn.‘You must spend a lot of

your time listening to thestory-tellers in the market,Lang!’Then,harshly:‘Whataboutthenecklace?’‘The bastard said he never

got it! Everything went allright to the point where hehad scaled the wall and wasinsidethepavilion.Therewas

nooneabout, there,or in thebedroom. And no necklace,no baubles at all worth thetaking. He came back, butdidn't dare to keep ourappointment.He said hewasafraid we'd think he wasdeceiving us and had hiddenthe necklace somewhere.Well,byanoddcoincidence,that was exactly what mymen thought he had done.They tried hard tomake himtellthetruth—sohardthathe

died on their hands. I don'tknowhowwellyourleagueismanagingwithpersonnel,butas forme, Idon't seem tobeable to get any really goodmen any more.’ He sadlyshookhisheadandwenton:‘Notonlydidtheybunglethequestioning of that thievingcashier, they also chose thewrong place to heave hisbodyintotheriver.Itoughttohave been found a couple ofmiles downstream. As a

matter of routine, I had TaiMin's attic here in the innsearched. Found nothing, ofcourse. And I can't searchevery hollow tree and everynook and cranny of thatblastedpine forest, can I?SoI've written off the necklace,andthat'sallthereistoit.’Judge Dee heaved a deep

sigh.‘It'sanicestory,Lang.Just

as nice as the one Tai Mintold to your men. The only

difference is that he couldn'tprove his story, while youcan.Justbyintroducingmetoyourgoodfriend,MrHao.’Langshifteduneasilyinhis

chair.‘Haowassupposed to turn

up here yesterday morning.Withthetengoldbars.Buthedidn't. And I don't knowwheretofindhim.’There was a long silence.

Then Judge Dee pushed hischairbackandgotup.

‘Iamverysorry,Lang,butIcan'tgobackhomewiththatstory. I'm not calling you aliar,mindyou;I'mjustsayingI must have proof. I'll bestaying on here for a bit, inordertoobservethesituation,sotospeak.Needlesstosay,Ihave a few friends hangingaboutheretoo,sodon'trepeatyour mistake of last night!Should you feel like havinganother friendly chat, youknow where my room is.

Good-bye!’The bullet-headed

accountant conducted himrespectfullytothedoor.

XI

UpinhisroomJudgeDeesatdownheavilyinthearmchairby the window. The murderof Tai Min had been solvednow.Hewould see to it thatLang Liu and the men whotortured and killed theunfortunatecashierwouldgettheir deserts. But first he

would have to identify thereal criminals who hadplanned the theft of thenecklace. For now hissurmise had been provedright: the theft was theessential part of somecomplicated court intrigue,and the contact of themysterious Mr Hao must beinsidethepalace.Itwasonlyto be expected that therewouldbeaMrHao,forwhendepraved courtiers want to

hire professionals fromoutsidetodotheirdirtywork,they always employ a‘broker’.Ifonlyhecouldlayhands on Mr Hao! Arrestedand interrogated, Hao wouldtellwhohiscontactwas.Butsomething had gone wrongsomewhere: Hao had notcontactedLang,andthejudgehad the uneasy feeling thatMrHaohaddisappearedfromthesceneforgood.Againthesoftsoundofthe

moon-guitar came from theroombelow.Aquickmelodythis time, expertly played;unfamiliar but quiteattractive. It ended on anabrupt chord, then a womanlaughed. There were nocourtesans in Rivertown, butapparently some guests hadbroughttheirowngirlfriendsalong. Judge Dee tuggedpensivelyathismoustache.What could Tai Min have

done with the necklace? It

hadbeeneasyenoughtograbit from the side-table wherethe Princess had put it. Thecashiercouldhave reached iteven without stepping insidethepavilion.CouldoneoftheplottershavebeenwaitingforTai Min, behind the bars ofthe water-gate, underneaththe buttress?Thewater-gateshad low arches, no higherthanthreeorfourfeet,as thejudge had seen for himselffrom the river, but

presumably the undergroundcanalcouldbenegotiatedinasmall, flat-bottomed boat.The man could then havetaken the necklace andhanded Tai Min a rewardthrough the iron grating;perhapsonegoldbar, insteadof the ten promised to Lang.The plotters in the palacewere experts in intrigue, anditwouldnotbebeyond themtoplaysucha trickonLang.And the same transaction

couldhavetakenplaceinthepine forest—MrHaowaitingthereforTaiMintoreturn.Ineither case Tai Min couldhavehiddenthegoldbar,inahollow tree, possibly,planning to retrieve it at alater date, after he and MrsWei had discussed theirfuture in Ten Miles Village.The judge heaved a deepsigh. There were too manypossibilities, too manyunknownfactors.

One thing was certain:LangLiu had had nothing todowith themurderousattackonhimselfandMasterGourd.ThekillershadtakenthemtoLang's godown only becausethey knew Lang used theplace for torturing victimsandotherdirtywork,andthatit was convenient, theneighbourhood beingdeserted at night. They hadbeen hired by the same ‘MrHao’ for that was the name

the bearded leader had justmanagedtopronouncebeforehe died. The plotters’ firstattempt on his own life hadfailed. But they wereapparentlydeterminedthatheshouldnotinterferewiththeirscheme, and therefore hewould have to reckonwith asecond attack. He sat up.Therewas a slight tap at hisdoor.Judge Dee took his sword

from the side-table, pushed

thebolt backandopened thedoor a few inches, his swordready. It was Lang'saccountant.‘MrLangasksyou to step

into the hall, sir.He has justreceived amessage hewantstoshowyou.’The judge put his sword

back on the table andfollowed the bullet-headedman down the broadstaircase. Mr Lang stood atthe counter, talking to the

innkeeper.‘Ah, Doctor, glad you are

still at home! One of myclerks has a bad stomachattack. I would be verygrateful if youwould have alookathim.I'llshowyouhisroom!’ About to turn round,Langgropedinhissleeveandbrought out an openenvelope,addressedtohiminlarge,well-writtencharacters.He showed it to Wei andasked : ‘By the way, who

delivered this letter justnow,MrWei?’‘I was at my desk behind

the lattice screen, sir. I onlygot a glimpse of the streeturchin. He threw it on thecounterandrushedoff.WhenIsawitwasaddressedtoyou,Ihadtheclerktakeittoyoursuiteatonce.’

‘I see. Well, come along,Doctor.’When the three men were

back in Lang's study, thegangsterhandedtheenvelopetoJudgeDee.‘You wanted proof,’ he

saiddryly.‘Thelittlesceneatthe counter I staged for yourbenefit,toshowyoutheletterwas actually delivered here,andnotaforgerymadebymeafter you had left us justnow.’

The judge unfolded thesingle sheet. It said that theundersigned regretted thatunavoidable circumstanceshad prevented him fromvisiting Lang on theappointed day, to discuss thepurchase of the raw silk.Today,however,hewouldbein Lang's godown at six. Ifthe samples of silk weresatisfactory, the deal wouldbe concluded then and there.Itwassigned‘Hao’.Thestyle

was impeccable, the writing,theformal,regularhandusedin chanceries. It wasdoubtless genuine, for itwould have taken Lang atleast a day to find inRivertown a scholar whocould write such a letter.Handing it back toLang, thejudgesaid:‘All right. This is indeed

theproofIwanted,Lang.Ourtruce continues, as agreed. Ishallbeatthegodownatsix.’

Mr Lang raised his thineyebrows.‘Atthegodown?Youdon't

think we are going there, doyou?Thewhole thing is off!Hao'll find no one there, andthedoorlocked!’Judge Dee gave him a

pityinglook.‘No wonder you can't get

good personnel, Lang. Youare losing your power ofjudgement! Heavens, man,here are ten solid gold bars

coming to you, and you lockyourdoorandputupanoticethat you aren't at home!Listen to me, my friend, I'lltellyouexactlywhatwe'lldo!WeshallreceiveMrHaoverypolitely, and inquire whetherhe has the gold with him. Ifso, we'll gratefully accept it.Adding thatwedidn'tget thenecklace,butthatwewenttoa hell of a lot of trouble andexpense on his behalf, andthat we are willing to

consider the ten bars as anamicablesettlement.’Langshookhishead.‘That dogshead Hao must

represent powerful people.Highofficialsbythesmellofit. Or friends of palaceofficials,seeingtheyknewsomuchaboutthelay-outoftheplace. I am a man of peace,brother,Idon'tliketrouble.’‘Don'tyouseethatwehave

them in the hollow of ourhand, Lang, high officials or

not? If Mr Hao doesn't likeourfairproposal,wesaythataslaw-abidingcitizensweareperfectly willing to gotogether with him to theHeadquarters of the Guard,and let the authorities decidethe case.We shall then havetoexplain,ofcourse, thatwewent alongwith the criminalproposal to steal an Imperialtreasure only because wewanted to have full proof ofthe outrage before reporting

it. And now we claim thegovernmentreward.’Lang hit his fist on the

table.‘By heaven!’ he shouted.

‘Now I understandwhyyourleaguealwaysgetsthebestofus.Youhaverealmen,whileI must make do with stupidsons of dogs like this self-styled accountant!’ Hejumped up and viciouslyslapped the bullet-headedmantwice.Havingthusgiven

vent to his feelings, heresumedhisseatand told thejudgewithabroadsmile:‘It'sa beautiful, a splendid plan,colleague!’‘Itmeans fivegoldbars to

us,’ Judge Dee remarkeddryly. ‘Four for the league,and one for me, ascommission.’‘Yourleadersoughttogive

you two !’ Lang saidgenerously.Hesnappedattheaccountant, ‘This is your last

chance to make good,fathead! You go to thegodown with our colleaguehere.’ And to the judge: ‘Ican't afford to go personally,of course. I have myreputation to consider. Butyoutwowon'tbealone,forIshallpostadozenorsogoodmen in the godown behindmine.’ He shot the judge aquick look and addedhurriedly, ‘Just in case ourMr Hao brings a couple of

menwithhim,yousee!’‘Yes, I quite see your

point!’ the judge said coldly.‘I'll be in thegodowna littlebefore six. Tell your men tolet me pass, will you?’ Hewent to the door, and MrLang saw him personally tothecorridor,sayingjovially:‘It was a pleasure making

youracquaintance,colleague!We'll have a drink heretogether afterwards. To thefriendly co-operation of the

BluesandtheReds!’

XII

Judge Dee went to his roomto fetch his calabash and hissword.HehadtoseeCaptainSiew at once, tell him aboutthe meeting in the godown,and make arrangements withhim for the arrest of themysterious Mr Hao andLang'shoodlums.

Fern was standing at thefront entrance of theKingfisher, haggling with anold woman selling toiletarticles.Hewasabouttopassherwithafriendlynod,whenshe laid her hand on his armand showed him an ivorycomb, setwith cheap jewels.‘Doyouthinkthisonewouldsuit me?’ she asked coyly.Whenhebentovertolookatit she quickly told him in awhisper:‘Watchout!Thetwo

menoutsidewereaskingafteryou.’‘It'llsuityouverywell,’he

said and stepped out on theportico. Feigning to inspectthe sky, he saw out of thecorner of his eye twogentlemen standing at thegate of the Nine Clouds.Their sedate costume, greyrobes with black sashes andblack caps, gave them anondescript character. Theymight belong to Lang's

league, or they might beagents from the palace. Andfrom now on he would haveto reckonalsowithagentsofthe Red League, who mighthave learned that he wasmasquerading as one of theirown. Whoever they were,they must not know that hewas going to visit CaptainSiew.He strolled up the main

street, occasionallyhalting toinspectthewaresdisplayedin

the shop fronts.Yes, the twomen in grey were followinghim. In vain he tried a fewwell-known dodges. Hewould round a corner at aleisurely pace, then suddenlyrushaheadandtry toget lostinthecrowd,butthetwomenstayed behind him, andwithout any apparent effort.They were old hands at thegame. Getting annoyed, thejudge went into a largeeating-house and chose a

table at the back. When thewaitercame to takehisorderhe told him he had forgottensomethingandranoutsidebythe kitchen door. But one ofthe gentlemen in grey wasstanding at the corner of thebackalley.Thejudgewalkedback to themainstreet. Ifhehadknown the townwell,hemighthavehadanothertryateluding his pursuers. As itwas,hehadtoresorttoatrickthat would force them to

showwhat theywere, and atthe same time get him toHeadquarters.He went along with the

stream of traffic till hespotted thespikedhelmetsofguardsmen ahead. Then hesuddenlyquickenedhispace,halted abruptly and turnedround.Ashebumpedintothetaller of the twopursuers, heshouted at the top of hisvoice: ‘Pickpockets! Holdthem!’

At once a small crowdgathered round them, askingexcited questions. ‘I am adoctor!’ Judge Dee shouted.This tall scoundrel bumpedintomewhile the other triedto put his hand into mysleeve!’Aburlycooliegrabbedthe

tall man by his collar.‘Shame! To rob a doctor!I'll…’‘What's all this?’ A squat

sergeant had pushed his way

towards them. The two meningreyhadmadenomovetoflee. The elder one told thesergeantquietly:‘This man is falsely

accusing us. Take us to yourcaptain!’The sergeant quickly

looked the judgeandhis twoopponents over. Hitching uphis swordbelt, he told thecoolie:‘Let thegentlemango! It's

allamisunderstanding,ifyou

ask me. But my captain ‘lldecide. Come along,gentlemen, the office is rightahead.’While they were walking

toHeadquarters the twomeningreymaintainedahaughtysilence. Lieutenant Liu tookthem up to the captain'soffice.Captain Siew looked up

from his papers. IgnoringJudgeDee, he curtly orderedthesergeanttoreport,thenhe

held out his hand. ‘Yourpapers,please!’The two men in grey put

similar papers on the desk;eachhadrededgesandboreanumber of stamps. The eldertoldthecaptain:‘Thisso-calleddoctorisan

imposter. We have orders totake him to the palace. Wewant a military escort atonce.’Captain Siew pushed his

helmetback.

‘Youknow I can't do that,gentlemen! Not without awarrant issued by mycommander. Doctor Liang'sdocument is quite in order.Properly registered here bymy own office, I see.’ Hescratched his nose. Tell youwhatI'lldo,though.Youtakea note from me to ColonelKang, then you come backhere for this gentleman.’ Heselected a blank from thepapers before him and

moistenedhiswriting-brush.‘Come back here to find

ourmangone?’theeldermanaskedwithasneer.‘Wehaveexplicitorders,Captain!’‘Sorry, but I have my

orders too, sir!’ Siew rapidlyfilled out the form, andpushed it across the desk.‘Hereyouare!’Whiletheotherputitinhis

sleeve,hesaidcurtly:‘You'll keep this man

under detention pending our

return.’‘Only if the doctor is

agreeable, sir. Can't detain aproperly registered citizenwithout a warrant.“Benevolentrule”,youknow!On the other hand, if thedoctor is willing to co-operate…’‘Ofcourse!’ thejudgesaid

quickly. ‘I don't want therascal these gentlemen aremistakingmefortogetaway.The misunderstanding must

be set right as quickly aspossible.’‘Well, then all is settled!’

the captain said beaming onthem. ‘You want horses,gentlemen?’‘We have our own.’ The

twomeningreyturnedroundwithout another word. Thesergeant took themdownstairs.‘D'you know those two

stick-in-the-muds?’ thecaptainaskedLiu.

‘Yes, sir. They belong tothe Superintendent's Office.Theyweargrey;theagentsofthe Chief Eunuch wearblack.’The captain cast aworried

lookatJudgeDee.‘You said it, sir! You're

certainlygettinginvolved!’‘Howlongwillittakethem

tocomebackhere?’‘An hour and a half, sir.

Two hour, perhaps, if theydon't find my colonel in his

office.’‘Thatwon'tdo.Imustbein

Lang's godown at six. I'mmeeting Lang's accountant,and amanwho calls himselfHao, a dangerous criminal.Langdoesn'ttrustHaoorme,and he is putting a dozen orsoof hismen in thegodownoppositehisown. Iwantyouto throw a cordon round thegodowns,arrestthewholelotof them.Canyou spare sixtyguardsmentonight?’

‘Depends onwhat you aregoing to charge all thesepeoplewith,sir.’‘Lang's men with the

murder of the cashier TaiMin.TheotherswithacrimeagainsttheState.’The captain gave him a

searchinglook.‘In that case I'd better be

there myself, sir. Now aboutthose panjandrums from thepalace. I am not so sure mycolonel‘llissuethewarrant.I

said inmy note that you aredulyregistered,andhe'llwantmoreparticularsfirst.’‘I have reason to assume,’

the judge said quietly, ‘thatthe Superintendent will giveColonel Kang a great manyparticulars.’CaptainSiewturned to the

lieutenant.‘Whataboutstaginganice

break from prison, eh, Liu?’When the lieutenant noddedwith a pleased grin, Siew

continued to Judge Dee,‘Liu'll also disguise youproperly, sir, so that you canleave here now unnoticed.Wouldn't wonder if thosefellows had left a fewcolleagues to watch thisbuilding. Liu is a master inmake-up !’ Rubbing hishands, he gave the judge ajudicious look. ‘We start bytrimming your beard andwhiskers.Then…’‘I don't want any

mummery!’ the judge toldhim coldly. ‘Can yourlieutenant get me an olddonkey and a pair ofcrutches?’Liunoddedandwentoutat

once.‘Wonderful fellow, Liu!’

thecaptain said. ‘Haveacupof tea,sir!’Thenhegavethejudge a circumstantialaccount of how Liu wouldmakeitappearthattherewasaprisoner in oneof the cells

downstairs, and how hewouldfakeabreakfromthatcell.Hewentintoeverydetailwithboyishdelight.Whenhehad finishedheasked, ‘Whatabout the murder of thatcashierTaiMin,sir?’‘That crime falls under

your jurisdiction,Siew, for itwas committed right here.’He told him that Lang hadadmittedhavinghadTaiMintortured and killed becausethecashierhadrefusedtotell

Langwherehehadhiddenthenecklacehehadbeenhiredtosteal. ‘When you havearrested Lang's men tonight,weshallgo to theKingfisherand arrest Lang himself, andthen I shall formally chargehimwith the crime. But thatman Hao I mentioned is farmoreimportantthanLang.AssoonasHaohasarrivedinthegodown,Ishallwhistletwiceon my fingers; then you letyour men swoop down on

them. Hao may have peoplewith him, though. Let megive you a rough idea of theground.’He took a piece of paper

and made a sketch of theclearing and the godowns.Thecaptaincompareditwithhisownmap,andpointedoutwherehewouldposthismen.Then Lieutenant Liu cameback.‘Donkey is ready in the

backyard,sir,’heannounced.

‘You'd better go quickly, forthere's nobody watchingoutside.Notyet.’Judge Dee hurriedly

thanked thecaptain.Liu tookhim down a flight of ricketystairstoasmallkitchenyard.While the judge wasmountingtheancientdonkey,Liu handed him a pair ofwell-worncrutches.‘Goodwork!’hewhispered

to the lieutenant and rodethroughthenarrowgate.

Letting his shoulders sagand keeping his head down,he guided his donkey to thestreet running parallel to themain thoroughfare. He wasbanking on Master GourdbeingsuchafamiliarfigureinRivertown,thatpeoplewouldtake him for granted and notlook at him too closely. Theonly obvious difference wasthat he carried a sword. Hequickly unstrapped it, andwedged it in between the

crutches across the donkey'srump.The donkey walked along

sedately, picking its waythrough the milling crowd.Judge Dee noted withsatisfaction that no one gavehim a second look.Nowandthen someone called out agreeting, towhich he repliedbyraisinghishand.Hedrovehismount in the direction ofthe Kingfisher, for he didn'twanttotemptprovidencetoo

long,andhisinnwouldbethelast place where the agentsfromthepalacewouldexpecthimtohide.The narrow alley at the

back of the Kingfisher wascompletely deserted. Thebustle of the noon meal wasjust over, the servants weretaking a rest and thetradesmen would not becoming till an hour or sobefore the evening rice. Thejudgedismountedat theback

doorandpeered insideat theuntidy garden. The foldingdoors of Lang's suite wereclosed and no sounds camefrom the kitchen. Thewindow of his own room onthe second floor wasshuttered, but the one of theroom below was half-open.Someone was strumming amoon-guitar, the samemelody the judge had heardon his first night there. Nowhe remembered it. The tune

had been popular in thecapital many years ago.Having observed the gardenfor a while, he decided thatthe old storehouse wouldserve his purpose. The doorstood ajar, and he slippedinside, the crutches and hisswordunderhisarm.Thesheddidnotlookvery

inviting. Cobwebs werehanging down from themouldyrafters,andtherewasa musty, unpleasant smell.

Brokenchairsandtableswerestacked up against the backwall,but the floorwassweptclean.When he had a closerlook at the old furniture hediscoveredbehinditaheapofhemp sacks, piled up againstthewall.He shoved a rickety table

out of the way and proddedthesackswiththepointofhissword. They containedpaddy-husks.Hedecidedtheywould do as a bed for a few

hours. The donkey woulddoubtless amble back towherever it had come from.After he had stood thecrutches against the wallbeside the single, barredwindow, he rearranged thesacks,thenlaidhimselfdownontop,closetothewall.Withhis hands cupped behind hishead, he reviewed the latestdevelopments.MrHao'slettertoLanghad

been good news indeed. It

provedthattheplottersinthepalace had not yet got thenecklace in theirhands.Thushe could discard onepossibility he had beenconsidering,namelythattheyorMrHaohadinterceptedthecashier after the theft andbought the necklace directlyfrom the thief. This theoryhad been based on the factthat the mysterious Mr Haohadfailedto turnupthenextday at Lang's. Now it was

clear that Mr Hao had beendetained, exactly as he hadstated in his letter to Lang,and he was expecting toconclude the deal tonight, inLang's godown. This wasexcellent. For Hao's arrestwould make the plotters inthe palace pause and ponderfor awhile, thus giving him,the judge, a breathing spaceto concentrate on the searchfor the necklace. The longmorning on the river had

made him drowsy, and heclosedhiseyes.Hissleepwasdisturbedby

many dreams. The distortedface of the bearded assassinagain made its appearance;hanging in the air, it wasogling him with its singlerolling eye. No, it was thedead cashier who wasstanding over him, with facegreen and swollen, bulgingeyes fixed on him whilemangledhandsgropedforhis

throat. The judge wanted torise,buthisentirebodyfeltasheavy as lead, and he couldnot move. Desperately hegasped for air. Just when hethought he was suffocating,thecashierchangedintoatallwomaninasoiledbluegown.Long,dishevelledhairclottedwithdrymudhungacrossherface, revealingonly theblue,gaping mouth from whichprotruded a swollen tongue.With a startled cry the judge

wokeup.Drenched with sweat, he

got down from hisimprovised bed and pokedaboutamongtheoldfurniturefor a while, to get the awfulnightmareoutofhismind.Hecursedunderhisbreathwhenhestumbledoverafewdustybags. They seemed to havecontained flour. He brushedoff his knees, then stretchedhimself out again on thehempsacks.Nowhesoonfell

intoadreamlesssleep.

XIII

Anirritating,persistentitchinhis neck woke Judge Dee.With a start he noticed thatthebarredwindowwasdark.Heswunghislegstothefloorandrantothewindow.Tohisrelief he heard the cookschopping meat and singinglustily. Since no orders were

beingshouted,itmuststillbewell before the hour of theevening rice. Rubbing hisitchingneck,hefoundlotsofsmall ants crawling aboutunder his collar. And therewere more on his beard andwhiskers, andon the frontofhis robe. Annoyed, hebrushed the small insects offaswellashecould.Nowtherewaslightbehind

the windows of Lang's suite,and one panel of the folding

doorsstoodajar,buthecouldhear no voices from within.Twovegetable vendors cameinto the garden and madestraightforthekitchen.JudgeDee waited till they had leftagain with their emptybaskets, then he slippedoutside and went to the gatein the garden wall. To hissurprise the donkey was stillthere. It stood close to thewall, nuzzling among thegarbage. He quickly went

back to the storehouse andgrabbed thecrutches.Feelingsafeinhisdisguise,herodetothequay.Amixed crowdwas about

under the smoking oil-lampsof the foodstalls in front ofthefish-marketandtherewasa hubbub of shrill voices.JudgeDeehadtohaltwhenacartload of melons toppledover in front of his donkey.Bystanders came rushing ontohelp thevendorcollecthis

merchandise. A shabbilydressedmangrabbedthereinof his donkey. ‘I'll get youthrough, Master Gourd !’ hecalled out cheerfully. As thecoolie was shoving peopleaway, the judge suddenlyheard someone whisperbehindhim:‘Theyareafterhim,buthe

hasdisappeared.’Quickly the judge turned

round in the saddle. In theuncertain light he only saw

the laughing faces of a fewyoungsterswhowerepushinghis donkey on from behind.The next moment he wasclearofthetumult.Judge Dee rode on with a

puzzled frown. The fight inthe go-down had provedbeyondall doubt that theoldmanwasonhisside.Yet thewhispered remark, addressedtohimbysomeonewhomusthavemistakenhimforMasterGourd, seemed to mean that

theTaoistwaskept informedabout his movements. Whatcould be the old monk'sconnection with this bafflingcase? Again he tried toremember where he couldhavemethimbefore.Invain.A thin evening mist came

drifting in from the river.Nowthathewasapproachingthefarendofthequaywheretherewereno shopsor streetstalls,everythinglookeddarkanddesolate.Theonlypoints

of light came from the bowlampsofthemooredcraftthatwerebobbingupanddownintheblackwater.Whenthejudgehadpassed

the first godown in the row,hedismountedandplacedhiscrutches against the wall.Thenhewalkedontothetalltreesthatmarkedtheclearingattheoppositeend,hisswordon his back. Just as he waspassingunderneathsomedarkbranches, a hoarse voice

spoke directly above hishead:‘You're late. But Hao

hasn'tarrivedyet.’Looking up, he vaguely

sawthehugeshapeofoneofLang's bodyguards, perchedon a thick branch. Yes, MrLang did indeed know hisroutine work. The judgecrossed the clearing andknocked on the door. Thebullet-headed man opened itatonce.‘Gladyoucame!’he

muttered.‘Theplaceisgivingmethecreeps!’‘Afraid of Tai Min's

ghost?’ the judge askedcoldly. He pushed the benchuptothewallandsatdown.‘Not me!’ The accountant

seatedhimselfbyJudgeDee'sside.‘Squealedlikeapig,youknow! A pity the stupidbastards let him die beforethey had really started.’ Acruel smile twisted his thicklips. ‘They had fixed him to

thisverybench,yousee.Firstthey…’‘Iamnotinterestedinyour

little games.’ The judge laidhis sword across his kneesand leaned back against thewall. ‘You can tell me whatyougotoutofhim,though.’‘Practically nothing.When

the men burned his feet, heshouted a hundred times thathe didn't have the pearls.Thereafter he did somemoresquealing about it being no

use going on because he justdidn't have them. He diedcursing us, the impudentscoundrel. The stupid idiotsslit his belly open, to seewhether he had swallowedthe pearls.Nothing doing, ofcourse.’ Looking at JudgeDee's sword, he addednervously,‘ThatswordmightmakeMrHaosuspicious.Areyou sure you shouldn't put itaway out of sightsomewhere?’

‘Verysure.’The judge folded his arms

and let his chin sink on hisbreast. He tried to think ofnothing, but the manyproblems he was facing keptbothering him. Fromnowonhewouldhavetoconcentrateonthedeadcashier.Forevenif Mr Hao proved to knowexactlywhotheplottersinthepalace were, he, the judge,could take no official actionagainst them until he had

found the necklace. ThePrincess had especiallystressed that point. Again hewondered what Tai Min hadhadinmindwhenhedecidedto cheat Lang. Somehow orotherhehadthefeelingthatatalk with Mrs Wei, theabsconding wife, wouldprovide a clue to what TaiMin had done with thenecklace. ‘Sit still!’ hesnapped at the accountantwhowasfidgetinginhisseat.

The only information hepossessedregardingMrsWeihad been supplied by Fern.An uncommonly intelligentgirl, but still a girl, and onewhohad livedwith theWeisonly a few months. Hedoubted whether he couldtrust her favourablejudgement of the innkeeper'swife.FernhadstatedthatMrsWei had not committedadulterywiththecashier,andWei was an unpleasant old

codger.Yetitwasscandalousbehaviour for a housewife toleave her husband withoutonewordofexplanation.Weihad mentioned a vagrantbullyashiswife'slover.Thatwas also a point he wouldhavetolookinto.Heoughttohave had a longer talk withWei, but events had beenmoving so quickly that…‘What are you mutteringabout?’ he peevishly askedthemanbesidehim.

‘Just that I am gettingworried about Hao. We'vebeen waiting here for nearlyanhournow,youknow!Whyshould he make thisappointment if he doesn'tmeantokeepit?’Thejudgeshrugged.‘Why, you say? Well, he

was probably detained bysome unexpected…’Suddenly he broke off. Thenhe hit his fist on his knee.‘Holy Heaven, I should've

thoughtofthat!Ofallthe…’‘What…why…’ the other

stuttered.‘I am just as big a fathead

as you!’ Judge Dee saidbitterly. ‘The appointmentwasadirtytrick,ofcourse!’Ignoring the accountant's

frightened questions, hejumped up, rushed outsideand blew hard on his fingerstwice. The whistle soundedshrilly all over the silentclearing.Thedoorofthenext

godown was opened a fewinches, and a bearded facepeered cautiously outside.Thenloudcommandsandtheclatterofarmscamefromthepine forest.Abigdarkshapefell down from the treeopposite.Twosoldierscaughtthe bodyguard. He put up afightbutwasfelledbyablowontheheadfromtheflatofasword. All at once theclearing was crowded withguardsmen, armed to the

teeth.As twobegan to breakdown the door of the secondgodown with their battle-axes, Captain Siew camerunning to the judge,followedbyLieutenantLiu.‘We sawno one pass here

after you,’ the captain said.‘The thin fellow behind youisMrHao,Isuppose?’‘No, he isn't. But he is

responsible for the torturingandthekillingofthecashier.Have him arrested at once !

Haodidn'tturnup.Whereareyour horses?Wemust get tothe Kingfisher as fast as wecan!’The captain barked an

orderatLiu,thenrantowardsthe forest, Judge Dee closebehindhim.‘Howmanymendoweneed?’Siewcalledoutover his shoulder. ‘Four ‘lldo!’ the judge replied,panting.Beyondthesecondbendof

theforestpathsixcavalrymen

were guarding a few dozenrichly caparisoned horses.Judge Dee and the captaintook two and swungthemselves into the saddle.Ashedrovehishorseon,thecaptain shouted at four mentofollowthem.In theclearing the soldiers

were lining up Lang's menand chaining them together.ThestolidLieutenantLiuwaspersonallytyingupthebullet-headedmanwith a long thin

cord. Passing by him, JudgeDeecalledout:‘Don't forget the donkey!

It's waiting at the end of therow!’Then the six horsemen

rode on to the quay at agallop.

XIV

MrWeiwas standing behindthe counter in the semi-darkhall, drinking a cup of teawith two guests. He staredbewildered at JudgeDee andthe guardsmen, the cuparrestedhalfwaytohislips.‘Did any visitors come for

MrLang?’thejudgerasped.

The innkeeper shook hishead,dumbfounded.The judge ran into the

corridor leading to Lang'ssuite. The door of the ante-roomwasnot locked,but theone giving access to Lang'sstudy appeared bolted on theinside.CaptainSiewknockedhardonitwith thehiltofhissword. When there was noanswerhethrewhisiron-cladshoulderagainstitanditburstopen. He halted so abruptly

that the judge bumped intohim. No one was there, buttheroomhadbeenthoroughlyransacked.Thedeskhadbeenoverturned, all its drawerspulled out. The floor wasstrewnwith scattered papers.Here and there thewainscoting had been priedloose; infrontof thewindowlayaheapof clothes, torn toshreds. Suddenly Judge Deegrabbedthecaptain'sarmandpointedat thefarthestcorner.

Siewutteredanawfulcurse.The stark-naked body of

Lang was hanging upsidedownfromtherafter.Thebigtoes of his bare feet werefastenedtoitwithathincord;his arms were bound behindhis back. A bloodstained ragwas wound tightly round hishead which just cleared thefloor.Thejudgerantowardshim,

bent down and loosened therag. At once blood trickled

ontothefloor.QuicklyhefeltLang's breast. It was stillwarm, but the heart hadceased beating. He turned tothe captain, his face chalk-white.‘Toolate.Tellyourmento

takehimdownandthenofftothemortuary.’With unsteady steps Judge

Dee went over to the desk,righted the armchair and satdown. Lang had been acallous criminal who had

fullydeservedtobebeheadedon thescaffold,butnot tobetortured to death in thisbeastly manner. And he, thejudge, was responsible forthis outrage. The subduedvoice of the captain rousedhim from his sombrethoughts.‘Two of my men are

searching the garden andquestioningtheservants,sir.’Judge Dee pointed at the

open panel of the garden

doors.‘Idon'tthinkanyone'llhave seen the intruders,Siew,’ he said wearily. Theyslipped inside through there.Entered by the back gate,when the cooks were busypreparing the evening rice.‘That'swhytheysetsixasthetime for the meeting. Themeetingwasaruse,meant togetallLang'smenawayfromhim, so that he could bequestioned alone. I made abigmistake,Siew.Averybig

mistake.’Slowly caressing his long

blackbeard, he reflected thatthe scheme accorded wellwith the tortuous mind ofdepraved courtiers, pastmastersindouble-dealinganddeceit.Theymusthaveaspyamong Lang'smen,who hadduly informed them that thecashier had not delivered thenecklace. Therefore they hadnotsentMrHaotocollect it.On second thoughts,

however, they had reachedthe conclusion that Tai Minmust have handed thenecklace to Lang when hehad returned to the inn topack, and that Lang had lethimgowith thepromiseofamuch bigger reward thanagreed upon. And that Langthen had let hismen kill thecashier, thus saving forhimselftheirshareintheloot,and all further trouble fromthe cashier. Convinced that

Langhadhiddenthenecklacesomewhere in his study, theplotters in the palace hadarranged the meeting in thegodown, so as “to be able tosurprise him here in the inn.‘Whatdidyousay,Siew?’‘Iaskedwhetheryouthink

the bastards foundwhat theycamefor,sir.’‘They did not. It wasn't

there.’Of that Judge Dee was

quitesure.Notbecauseheput

it beyond Lang to haveengaged in such a piece ofdouble-dealing, but becausethecashierwouldinthatcasecertainly have told historturers that they must takehim to their master—hopingthat even if he wouldn't beabletobargainwithLangforhislife,hewouldatleastgainalittletime.The judge looked on in

silence while the twoguardsmen took down the

corpse. They laid it on astretcher, covered it with asheetofcanvas,andcarrieditaway.Hefeltsickandtiredofthis insane,utterly frustratingcase.‘Oh yes, sir, something

nearly slippedmymind! Justwhen I was assembling mymentogotoLang'sgodown,my agents from Ten MilesVillage, on the other side ofthe mountains, came back.Mrs Wei wasn't there, sir.

And they made sure shehadn'tbeenthereeither.’JudgeDeesaidnothing.So

that theory of hiswaswrongtoo.Hehadtriedhisbest,butall approaches were comingto a dead end. He askedlistlessly:‘What did the gentlemen

fromthepalacesayaboutmyescapefromyourprison?’‘They couldn't say very

much, sir, because I tookthem down to the cell you

were supposed to be in, andLiu had done a trulymagnificentjobthere.Ididn'tlike their mean look,however.Lang'smurdergivesmeagoodreasonforpostingsixmen here in the hall, sir.With strict orders to let nooutsiderin.’Judge Dee got up.

‘Excellent,’hesaid,‘Ineedagood night's sleep.’ Togetherthetwomenwentbacktothehall.

The judgehadnot realizedthat so many guests werestayingattheKingfisher.Thehall was crowded withexcited people. Oneguardsman stood at themainentrance, the other wasquestioning a few frightenedservants in the corner. Assoon as the guests sawCaptain Siew they besiegedhim with questions. Thecaptain beckoned Wei, whowas standing with Fern and

the clerk by the counter. Hetoldtheinnkeeper:‘Intruders murdered Mr

Lang Liu, and ransacked hissuite.’‘Holy Heaven ! Did they

damagemyfurniture?’‘Go and have a look for

yourself!’ the captain toldhim.Astheinnkeeperrushedto the corridor, followed byhis clerk,Siewaddressed theguests: ‘You'dbettergobackto your rooms, gentlemen !

There's nothing to worryabout,Ishallhavesixmenonguard here, all through thenight.’While they were passing

the counter Judge Dee toldhim:‘I'llhaveacloselookatthe

register. Ought to have donethat at once. I don't seem tohavedonemanyofthethingsI ought to have! Well, I'llcome to see you earlytomorrowmorning.’

‘You seem to be veryfriendly with that freshcaptain!’Fernremarked.‘Hewantedmyopinionon

the timeof death.Could yougive me the inn's register,please?’She pulled out the upper

drawer and handed him thebulkyguest-book.Puttingherelbows on the counter, shewatched the judge as heleafed through it. The namesdidnottellhimmuch.Except

for Lang and his men, allseemed to be bona-fidemerchants,andallhadarrivedoneormoredaysearlierthanJudgeDee.Hewouldleaveitto thecaptain togointotheirantecedents.‘I didn't see you all

afternoon,’ she resumed,giving his haggard face acurious glance. ‘You look abitpeaked,youknow.’‘Iamrathertired;I'llgoto

bedearly.Good-night!’

Up in his roomhe openedthe window wide, then satdown at the table and pulledthepaddedtea-baskettowardshim. Slowly sipping his tea,hemadeadesperateeffort tocollecthis thoughts.Hemustreview the situation in adispassionate frame of mind:getoverhisdeepshockatthesickening murder of LangLiu; see all what hadhappened as a purelyintellectual jigsaw puzzle,

and try to assign to eachcomponent part its logicalplace.But toomanyof thoseparts were missing. If thePrincess had not given himexplicit orders to remainincognito until he had foundthe necklace, he would atleast have been able to dosomething, get thingsmoving.Proceedtothepalaceand institute an officialinvestigation, beginning withthe arrest of the two men in

grey from theSuperintendent's Office whohad been after him. Theywere not pursuing himbecause he had entered thepalace under false pretences,of course, but because theywere in the pay of theplotters. And the latter weredetermined to prevent himfromgettingthenecklace.Thisdirectcourseofaction

beingruledout,hewonderedwhatalternativetherewasfor

him. Time was getting veryshort. He had only the nightandtheearlymorningleft,forthe Princess would have toleavetheWaterPalaceforthecapitalatnoon.Hegotupandbegan to pace the floorrestlessly, his hands claspedbehindhisback.The lovely face of the

Princess rose before hismind's eye. The ThirdPrincess, His Majesty'sfavourite daughter,

surrounded by dozens ofcourt ladies and scores ofmaids,protectedbytheChiefEunuch and his giant-likesentries… yet alone, withonly one lady-in-waiting shecould really trust. TheEmperor granted her everywish; he had even taken thestep, unprecedented inhistory,ofentrustingherwitha blank edict appointing anImperial Inquisitor. Sopowerfulayoungwoman,yet

so utterly lonely and forlorn!He thought of her large,troubledeyes.She had given him to

understand that the necklacehad been stolen in order toalienate the Emperor'sfeelings from her. But thatcouldn't have been the realreason. The Emperor wasknown as a wise,understanding man ofbalanced judgement, and theloss of the necklace could

hardly result in more than asevere scolding. Yet her lastwords had been that sheplaced her happiness in hishands!He reflected bitterly that

his over-confidence had ledto him making some badmistakes. His theory aboutthe murdered cashierplanning to join theinnkeeper's wife had beencompletelywrong.What hadthat youngster been up to

then,thatnightwhenhewentto the Water Palace to stealthenecklace?Suddenly the judge halted.

Aslowsmilelituphisdrawnface. Caressing hissidewhiskers,herealized thatit was, after all, possible totake direct action withoutcomingoutintotheopen.He quickly opened his

saddle-bag and inspected itscontents. When he found atthe bottom a plain robe of

blacksilkand the longbroadblacksashbelongingtoit,henoddedwithasatisfiedair.Itwas exactly what he needed.Having taken off his browntravelling-robe, he laidhimselfdownon thebed.Heneeded a few hours of sleep,but too many thoughts werenagging at his tired brain.Aftertossingaboutforalongtimeheatlastdozedoff.

XV

When Judge Dee woke up,thetownhadgrownsilent.Hereckoneditwasgettingonformidnight.Theskywasalittleovercast, and there wereoccasionalgustsofwind,buthedidn'tthinktherewouldberain. A quick survey of theneglectedgardenshowedthat

it was empty. The captain'smenmustbeinthehall,oratthefrontentranceoftheinn.He stripped naked and put

on a pair of wide blacktrousers of thin cotton, andover those the long blackrobe. At one moment heconsidered transferring theprecious yellow document toits collar, then thought betterof it. If he failed, thedocumentwouldbeofnouse,for it would be found on his

dead body. This time it wasall or nothing. After all thefumbling in the dark, all thefighting with elusiveshadows, at last a concise,clear-cutissue!Humming softly, he

fastened a leather belt roundhiswaist.Thelongblacksashhe tied crosswise round hisbroad torso, and stuck theswordunderitonhisback,sothatthehiltwasoverhisrightshoulder.Thenhehadalook

at thewoundonhis forearm.It seemed tobehealingwell,andhecovereditwithablackplaster. Finally he placed asmall black skull-cap on hishead.In the corridor outside his

room everything was quiet.While hewaswalking to thehead of the staircase,however, a creakingfloorboard made him halt,alarmed. He listened for awhile, but no sound came

fromthehallbelow.The judge went down,

keeping close to the wall.Therewasnooneinthehall,but he heard the guardsmentalking together out on theportico. Remembering thatthe previous night Mr Weihadlefttocallthegroombyasmallbackdoorinhisoffice,he went behind the latticescreen.Heunboltedthedoor,andfoundhimselfinthenowfamiliarbackgarden.Having

left by the gate beside thestorehouse, he walkedthroughthealleytothestreetthatranparallelwiththemainthoroughfare. In daytime itwas a thriving shoppingcentre, but now all theshutters were up and it wasdeadquiet.Thejudgewishedhehada storm lantern, for ifclouds obscured the palemoon, itwouldbepitchdarkonthequay.Suddenly raucous voices

came from a side-street.Judge Dee quickly lookedroundforaporticotohidein,but the night watch wasalready round the corner andchallengedhim.Thesergeantliftedhisstorm-lantern.‘Aha, Doctor Liang! You

areoutlate,Doctor!Anythingwecandoforyou?’‘I was called out for a

difficult delivery, near thefish-market.’‘We can't help you there,

Doctor!’ the sergeant said.Hismenguffawed.‘What you can do,’ the

judge remarked, ‘is lend meyourlantern.’‘You're welcome!’ The

soldiersmarchedoff.Judge Dee put the lantern

out, for hemight badly needit later on. When he wasgetting near to the quay helooked over his shoulder afew times, for he had theuneasy feeling that he was

being stared at. But all thewindowswere shuttered, andhe saw nothingmove amongthe shadows between thehouses.The east end of the quay

was shrouded in a greymist.Letting himself be guided bytheoil-lampsof theboats,hereached thewaterside.As hewas looking over the longrowof craftmoored therehewondered which boat wouldbe Fern's. They all looked

alikeinthedarkness.‘It'sthefifthfromtheleft,’

a small voice spoke behindhim.The judge swung round,

and frowned at the slenderblack figure. ‘So it's you!Whyareyoufollowingme?’‘Your own fault, for you

kept me awake! My attic isright over your room, yousee,andI,too,hadplannedtomakeitanearlynight.FirstIheard you stamping around,

and then you began to tossaboutonyourbed! Icouldn'tget any sleep, andwhen youmade the floorboard in thecorridor creak I thought I'dbetter follow you and seewhat you were up to. Quiterightlytoo,asitturnsout,forI certainly don't want to seemyboat founder. I am ratherfondofit.’‘Listen,Fern,thisnonsense

muststop!Yougobackhomeat once- I know what I am

doing.’‘Not in a boat you don't!

Whereareyouboundfor?’‘I'm not going far, if you

must know. The fourth coveupstream.’Shesniffed.‘Thinkyoucouldeverfind

that,inthedark?Believeme,youcanhardlyseethemoutheven in broad daylight!Verynarrow, and clogged withwater-weeds. I happen toknowthatcove,becausethere

are good crabs there. Comealong,stepinside!’The judge hesitated. She

was right; it might take himhours to find thecove. Ifshewas prepared to wait whereshe was, she wouldn't be inanydanger,anditwouldsavehimnoendoftrouble.‘I want to have a look

around in the forest there.Youmayhavetowaitseveralhours,youknow.’‘I can sleep inmy boat as

comfortably as in my bed.There are tall pine trees allaroundthatcoveandI'llmoortheboatunderthebranches.Ihave a canvas sheet in theboatincasewegetrain,butIdon'tthinkit'llbemorethanafewshowers.’He sat down in the stern.

‘You are really a great help,Fern!’ he said gratefully asshewaspolingtheboatout.‘I like you. And what's

more, I trust you. For only

heavenknowswhatyoumeanbygaddingaboutthistimeofthenight!Wewon't light thelanternatthebow,anyway.’When theywereout in the

openwater,acloudobscuredthe moon and it was pitchdark.Herealizedthatwithouther he would have beenutterly lost. She moved thesculling oar in a quickrhythm,butsodeftlythat theboat sped on with hardly anoise.Asuddenchillygustof

wind blew over the water,and he pulled his robe closetohisbarebreast.‘Hereweare!’She turned the boat into a

narrowinlet, theoverhangingbranches brushing hisshoulders. A dark mass ofhightreesloomedahead.Shetookthepole,andsoonhefeltthehullscrapeagainstrocks.‘I'll put her alongside this

rocky ledge.’ she announced.‘You can light your lantern

now;noonecanseeus fromtheriver.’Judge Dee took his

tinderboxfromhissleeveandlitthestorm-lanternborrowedfromthenightwatch.NowhesawFernwaswearingablackjacketandblacktrousers,andhad a black scarf woundround her hair. With amischievousglintinherlargeeyes,sheremarked:‘YouseeIknowtheproper

dress for a nightly escapade!

Well, we enjoy completeprivacyinthisshelteredcove.Just you andme andmothermoon. Don't you feel likewhispering in my little earwhatthisisallabout?’‘I want to look for

something, along the oldfootpath that crosses theforest. It'll takeme at least acouple of hours. If I am notback by three, return to thetownalone.Iwarnyouit'llbealongwait.’

‘Nextthingyou'lltellmeisthat you want to look formedicinal herbs!’ shesnapped. ‘Well, don't mindme, mind the snakes. Betterlight thewaywell, so as nottosteponone.Theydon'tlikethat.’JudgeDee tucked theslips

ofhislongrobeunderhisbeltandwadedashore.Takingthelantern in his left hand, hepoked about in the denseundergrowth with his sword,

lookingforagap.‘Theperfecthighwayman!’

Fern called out behind him.‘Goodluck!’Withawrysmilethejudge

struggledwithlankybranchesandthornyshrubs,keepingina north-easterly direction.Sooner than he had expectedhecameoutonanarrowpath.Tohis right itdisappeared inamassof tangledweeds, butto the left itwas fairly clear.The judge selected a thick,

deadbranchandlaiditacrossthepath,soasnottomissthespot when he came back. Ifhecameback,rather.After he had followed the

winding path for a while henoticed that the night wasn'tsoquietanymore.Therewasaconstantrustlingamongthethick undergrowth lining thepathoneitherside,alternatedwithsqueaksandgrowls,andnight-birds called out in thedarkbranchesoverhead.Now

and then sounded themelancholy hooting of anowl. Small animals scuttledaway from the light thelantern threw in front of hisboots, but he didn't see anysnakes. ‘Probably onlymentionedthemtoteaseme!’hemutteredwithasmile.Shewasapluckygirl.Allatoncehe halted and stepped backquickly. A spotted snakeabout five feet long slitheredacross the path. Plucky, and

truthful too, he reflectedsourly.Walking through the eerie

pine forest he soon lost hissense of time. After what heestimated tobeabouthalfanhour, the path broadened outsomewhat, and there was aglimmer of light among thetrees ahead.Thenhe saw thewater, and across it themassive bulk of the north-west watch-tower. It's leftcornerroseupfromtheriver,

a silent mass of water, veryblackundertheovercastsky.The footpath bent to the

right, running directly southalong the west moat of theWaterPalace.Goingdownonhis knees, he crept throughthe row of low trees andshrubs that separated himfrom the brink of the moat.Whenhewascrouchingrighton the water's edge, hediscovered tohisdismay thatthe moat was much broader

than it had looked frommidstream that morning. Hehadestimateditthenataboutfifteen feet, but actually itwas nearer to thirty or forty.The still, dark water a fewfeet below him lookedsingularly uninviting, and hecould discern no trace of thesluice-door under its opaquesurface.Uptonow,however,Mr Hao's instructions, whichthe bullet-headed accountanthad reeled off, had proved

correct.He tooka thin, drybranch

from the underwood, leanedforward and explored thewater.Yes, therewas indeeda broad beam there, aboutthree feet under the surface.Suddenly shouted orderscame from the battlement ofthewatch-tower, followedbythe clatter of iron boots onstone, very loud in the stillnight. The judge quicklyducked under the branches.

The watch was beingrelieved,whichmeantitmustbeexactlymidnight.Hecrepttothebrinkagain,

and strained his eyes.Wouldthereinfactbea ledgealongthe base of the wall? Hecould distinguish only anarrow, stubbly strip ofmuddy weeds, just abovewaterlevel.Withadeepsighhe decided hewould have tofindoutforhimself.Having crept back to the

path, he unstrapped the longblack sash across his chestandcut it inhalfontheedgeof his sword. He stuffed hisskull-cap intohis sleeve, andwoundthehalvedsashtightlyroundhishead.Thenhetookoffhisblackrobe,andfoldeditupneatly.Havingwrappedhisswordupintheotherhalfof the sash, he placed it ontop of his robe togetherwiththe lantern, so as to preventgusts of wind from blowing

the robe away. After he hadwound his wide trouserstightly about his calves, hetucked the ends into hisboots, and tied the strapsround his legs. Finally heparted his long beard in twostrands,which he threw overhisshoulders.Havingtiedtheends together at the nape ofhis neck, he worked the tipsupunderhishead-cover.Whenhehadcreptbackto

thebrinkofthemoat,hecast

a worried look up at thebattlements.MrHaohadsaidthat the archers would ‘bebusy elsewhere’ at the timethe cashier reached thepalace. The plotters hadevidently created a diversionfor the archers to keep themfrom watching. Well, hewould have to take hischance. He let himself slideslowlydownintothewater.Itwasn'ttoobadonhisfeetandlegs, but ice-cold on his

naked belly and breast. Hereflected wryly that Tai Minhad doubtless swum underwater along the sluice beam.But he didn't feel up to suchanacrobaticfeat.Keeping his eyes and his

nose above the water, hegroped his way along theslitherybeam.Hishandsmetslimy, indefinable objects,and soft, clinging shreds thatbegantowriggleathistouch.The woodwork of the old

sluice doorwas rotting awayand he had to reckon withunexpectedgaps.Halfwayhesuddenly lost his hold. Thewaterbubbledroundhisheadwhen he went under. Hemanaged to pull himself upagain on to the beam, took adeep breath, and continuedhiscourse.When he had reached the

othersideheheavedasighofrelief.Crouchinginthewater,he explored with his hands

themuddystripalongthefootof the wall. The mysteriousMr Hao was probably arepulsive specimen, but thejudge appreciated hisaccuracy. For there wasindeedaledge—coveredwithfoul-smelling silt, overgrownwith weeds, but sufficient tosupply a foothold. Havingcast an anxious look at theprotruding battlement twentyfeet above him, he slowlyrose up out of thewater and

steppedupontheledge.Withhis back and the flat of hisoutflung hands pressedagainst the sloping wall, heedged along and round thetower's corner. Now he wasfacing the river, a glitteringexpanseofjet-blackwater.Cautiously he advanced

along the north wall, testingevery step along the muddyledge with the toe of hissoggy boot. Soon thesluggish,blackstreamrightin

frontofhimmadehimdizzy;hegotthefeelingthatheandtheentirepalaceweresailingup-river. Resolutely closinghiseyes,heforgedahead.Herealizedthatwhilethismeansof progress would becomparatively easy for alight, smallish youngster likeTai Min, his own size andweight placed him at adistinct disadvantage. Atevery other step one of hisfeetwouldsinkdeep into the

silt,andhealsohadtoreckonwith gapswhere a section ofthe ledgehadcrumbled.Ataspot where less silt hadaccumulated,heturnedroundsothathewasfacingthewall.Now he opened his eyesagain. This position had theadditional advantage that hecould locate grooves amongthe weatherbeaten brickswhichaffordedaholdforhisfingertips.Itwasareliefwhenhisleft

hand met the bulging stoneblocks that marked the archof the first water-gate. Hestuckhishand insideandgothold of a bar in the irongrating, about a foot insidethe wall. Having swunghimself under the arch, hegrasped an upper crossbarand hooked his tired legsaround a lower one, leavinghis feet inside the grating,withhisbootsjustclearofthewater. It was not a very

comfortable position, but hewas completely safe, for theupper part of the archshieldedhimeffectivelyfromwatching eyes on thebattlements above. Hethought worriedly about thenumberofwater-gateshehadyet to pass. Thatmorning hehad counted eight.Well, TaiMinhaddone it, andhewasfollowingthecashier'scourseexactly. The only differencewasthatthecashier'saimhad

been to steal a necklace,whereas his was to steal anaudience.Itwastheonlywayhecouldconsult thePrincesswithoutdisobeyingherorderstoobservetheutmostsecrecy.At the same time the routefollowed by Tai Min mightprovide some clue to wherehehadhiddenthenecklace.After the judge had rested

forawhile,hemovedovertothe left side of the arch, andcontinuedalongtheledge,his

rightcheekclosetotheroughsurfaceof thewall, his bootssloshingthroughthesilt.Gradually he was getting

accustomed to this unusual,crab-like manner oflocomotion,andhefelt fairlysafe from arrows, for he hadnoticed that the battlementsprojectedafootorso.Unlessa soldier leaned out far andpeereddown,hewouldnotbeable to see the intruderpressed flat against the wall.

Yethewasgladwhenhislefthand, groping for a holdamong the bricks, again metthebulgingstonesofanarch.It was much lower than theprecedingone.Whenhebentand looked inside the barredniche, he gasped and nearlylost his precarious balance.From the inside a thin whitehandwasclutchingthelowestcrossbar.

XVI

WithadesperateeffortJudgeDee steadied himself. Asecond look showed that theslimwristwasencircledbyawhitejadebracelet,carvedinthe shape of a curvingdragon.Itflashedthroughhismind that this was not awater-gate, but the arched

window of a dungeon. Infrontoftheheavyirongratingwas a three-foot-wide ledge,made of grey flagstones aninch above the water. As heswung himself onto it andsquatted down, he heard asuppressedcryfromthepitchdark inside, and the whitehanddisappeared.‘It's me, Doctor Liang,

madam.'Now two thin hands

clutched the lowest bar.

Below them he vaguely sawthe white oval of a face.Apparently the barredwindow was close to theceiling of the dungeon, andthefloordeepdown.‘How…whydidyoucome

here?’ the Lady Hydrangeaasked in a weak, falteringvoice.‘I wanted to see the

Princess. For I need moreinformationinordertoacquitmyself of the task she

assignedtome.Howdidyougetintothisawfuldungeon?’‘Terrible things have

happened,Dee.Ihavehadnofoodordrinksincelastnight.Getmesomewater,please!’The judge unwound the

black sash from his head,folded it and scooped it fullof water. Handing thedripping, improvised bagthrough the grating, hewarned,‘Dipyourfaceintoitbut don't take more than a

fewmouthfuls.’Afterawhilesheresumed:‘Iaminfactsufferingfrom

amildformofasthma.Whenyou had left, therefore, Ithought I might as well takethe medicine you hadprescribed. But a court ladysecretly mixed a vile drugwithit.SoonafterIhadtakenit, my head began to swimand I fell onto the floor,violent convulsions shakingmy limbs. The Princess,

greatly alarmed, at oncecalledthepalacedoctorswhopronounced me mortally ill.Then I fainted.When I cameto, I was lying on the dampfloor in a corner of thisdungeon.Noonehascometosee me.’ She paused, thenresumedinatiredvoice:‘I know exactly what

they'll do. In the morningthey'll come, when I amdyingfromhungerandthirst.Thenthey'llgivemepoisoned

foodanddrink,takemybodyto the Princess and say thatthe doctors did what theycould but that I died in theirhands.The Imperial escort isscheduled to arrive here atnoon, to take the Princess tothe capital. Thus there won'tbe any time for a thoroughinquiry intomydeath.CouldI have another drink?’ Shepassed the wet cloth throughthegrating.‘Who are these depraved

plotters?’heasked,givingherthewater. That is one of thequestions I meant to ask thePrincess.’‘It's better that you don't

see her, Dee. For in herpresent state of mind she'llcertainlydistrustyou,assumethatyoupurposelyprescribedthewrongmedicine.Whoareour enemies, you ask? Howcan thePrincesss or I know?Scores of persons are aroundus every day from morning

till night. Every one of thempunctiliously polite, eager toplease, smiling. Who knowswho is a paid spy, orwho isconniving at some hideousintrigue? I can only say thatsincetheyhavenowdaredtolay their foul hands on me,the closest friend of HerHighness, I think that theChief Eunuch and theSuperintendent, the twohighestofficials,mustatleastknow something of what is

going on. But who knowshow things are beingmisrepresentedtothem?Whoknows how many personshave been bribed to tell themost awful lies, how manyloyal servants have beenthrown into the dungeons oncleverly trumped-upcharges?There is but one person inthis palacewho is absolutelyinviolable, Dee. And that istheThirdPrincess.’JudgeDeenodded.

‘Both the Chief Eunuchand the Superintendent weremarkedlyhostilewhenIcameto the palace to see you,madam. And the latter ismaking determined efforts tohave me arrested. Who toldthePrincessthatIhadarrivedinRivertownandwhataliasIhadadopted?’‘Master Gourd did. Five

years ago, before the WaterPalace was given to thePrincess as a summer

residence, the master cameregularly to the ImperialPalace, His Majesty havingcharged him with teachingphilosophy to the CrownPrince. The Third Princessoften attended the lectures,and she conceived a greatadmiration for the master.After Master Gourd hadretired from the world andsettled down here inRivertown,thePrincessoftensummoned him, for she took

delight in talking with himand trusted him completely.Since Master Gourd is sopopular in the ImperialPalace, and in view of hisadvanced age, the ChiefEunuch didn't dare to object.The master must haveunderstood that the Princessisindifficulties,foryesterdayhe shot a tipless arrow ontothebalconyofherboudoir,atthe east corner. He is anamazingarcher,youknow.’

‘Imethim,’thejudgesaid.‘Heisaverygoodmanwithaswordtoo.’‘Of course. He used to

instruct the young princes inswords manship, for despitehis crippled legs he is amarvellous fencer.Hewouldsitonastool,aswordineachhand, and three experiencedswordsmen couldn't evencome near him! Well, heattachedalettertothearrow,informing the Princess of

your arrival and your alias,and also where you werestaying. He advised her tocontact you. The Princesscalled me at once, and saidshe wanted to charge youwithrecoveringhernecklace.Then I sent my daughter tofetch you, for besides herthere'snooneIcantrust.’‘I see. I have traced the

thief—it was a young fellowwho had been hired bygangsters, and they in their

turn had been hired by evilplotters here in the palace.Theyoungstertriedtoescapewithout turning the necklaceover to the gangsters, andthey killed him before herevealedwherehehadhiddenit.Ihavenotyetsucceededinrecoveringthepearls.’Acoldgustofwindblewinfromthewater, chilling his bare,sweat-covered torso, and hebegan to shiver. ‘Have yougot something I can cover

myselfwith?’After a while the tip of a

lady'sbrocaderobewasstuckthrough the grating. ‘Thedespicable scoundrels didn'tevengivemeablanket to lieon,’shewhispered.Thejudgepulled the voluminous robethroughthebarsandwrappedhimselfupinit.Sittingcross-legged on the ledge, heresumed:‘The Princess gave me to

understandthattheaimofthe

theft was to effect a riftbetweenherandtheEmperor.His Imperial… I mean…well, allow me to dispensewith all honorifics, in thesepeculiar circumstances.Anyway,thisverynightyourenemies committed anatrocious murder, thinking itmight give them a chance ofgetting the necklace. Whyshouldtheybesoeagertogetit? They wanted it todisappear, didn't they?

Furthermore, I find ithard tobelieve that the loss of thenecklacewouldcauseabreakin the relations betweenfather and daughter. But youareabetterjudgeofthatthanI,ofcourse.’He paused, hoping for a

reply. As the prisonerremained silent, Judge Deewenton:‘The Princess insisted that

the theft was committed bysomeone from outside. That

suggested to me that shefeared her enemies had beenplanningtohavethenecklacediscovered in the possessionof a person close to thePrincess whom they wantedto ruin by falsely accusinghim or her of the theft of anImperial treasure. As sheherself was reluctant tosupply details about thatperson,Iwon'taskyoutotellme who it is. But it wouldhelpme if you could at least

give me a hint, or…’ He letthesentencetrailoff.There was a long silence.

The judge snuggled into theheavy robe. Its subtleperfume contrasted oddlywiththefoulsmell thatcameup from the dark, dampdungeon. At last the LadyHydrangeaspoke.‘The mind of the Princess

is in terrible confusion, Dee.She is perilously near acomplete breakdown. She

could not possibly have toldyoumore thanshedid.But Ican, and I will. You knowthat the Emperor stated thathe would approve anyhusband chosen by thePrincess herself. Of coursethree or four contendingcliquesinthecapitalbeganatonce to do their utmost tomakethePrincesschooseoneof their candidates. For thehusband of the Emperor'sfavourite daughter will be a

powertoreckonwithatcourt,andcouldgreatlyadvancetheinterests of the clique hebelongs to.You can imaginetheir anger anddisappointment when thePrincess began to show amarked preference forColonel Kang, theCommander of theGuard—aman who has always keptaloof from all intrigue andwho does not belong to anyspecial clique. The opposing

factions joined hands,therefore, to make adetermined effort to oustColonel Kang from herfavour.’‘In that case there's an

obvious solution!’ JudgeDeeinterrupted. ‘Namely that shelets the Emperor know sheloves the colonel. Then noonewoulddareto…’‘It isn't as simple as that,

Dee! The Princess isn't quitesure that she really loves the

colonel, or that he reallylovesher.That'swhythetheftof the necklace was such afiendishscheme,yousee.Thecolonel had succeeded inarranging to visit her insecret,andshediscoveredtheloss of the necklace after hehad been with her. It wassuggested to her—in a veryindirect, subtle manner, ofcourse—that the colonel hadtakenit,thathehasamistresssomewhere, with whom he

planned to escape to somefar-away place. Everybodyknowshehasnomoney,andhas to incur heavy debts inorder to keep up his status.That'sthefirstreasonwhytheenemy is making suchdetermined efforts to get thenecklace.Itmustbefoundinthecolonel'spossession.’The judge nodded slowly.

What the Princess had saidabout taking thenecklaceoffbecause she feared it might

drop into the river hadseemed a bit far-fetched tohimfromthebeginning.Nowhe also remembered that shehad laid undue stress on thefactthatshehadbeenalone.‘I think’ he said, ‘that the

Princess loves the colonelvery much, you know. Forshe went out of her way toassure me that the necklacehadbeenstolenbysomebodyfromoutside.’‘You can't imagine the

conflicting emotions that aretormenting her, Dee.Sometimes she thinks sheloveshim,sometimesnot.’‘Well, isn't that a most

common condition withyoungwomeninlove?’Heheardhersigh.‘Since you are the only

manwho could still save thesituation,Dee,Ishallalsotellyou now the second reasonwhy the despicable plottersaresokeenonthenecklaceas

ameansofstirringuptroublebetween the Princess and thecolonel. It is so terrible asecret that in ordinarycircumstances I'd rather diethan even hint at thepossibility!’ She fell silent.Afteralongintervalshewenton, ‘Hasn't iteverstruckyouas strange that His MajestyneverdidanythingtohelptheThird Princess find ahusband? It is the fixed rulethat a fiancé is found soon

afteraPrincesshascelebratedher eighteenth anniversary.And the Third Princess isalready twenty-six! TheEmperor'sgenerousstatementthat she might choose herown husband could also beinterpreted as an attempt atpostponing her marriage aslong as possible. In orderto…tokeepherwithhim.’Judge Dee raised his

eyebrows.‘Whyshould…’hebegan. Then he suddenly

understood. Merciful heaven! Cold sweat came tricklingdown his chest. This wasterrible,unspeakable…‘Does she… does the

Princessrealize…?’‘She suspects. And there's

worse.Sheisnotashorrifiedbythatsuspicionaswewouldhavehoped.Youcanimaginewhat theconsequencesmightbe, should this relation…reachitslogicalconclusion.’The judge clenched his

fists.Nowhesawtheschemeof the stolen necklace in allits true frightfulness. A full-blown woman of twenty-six,brought up in the hot-houseatmosphere of the secludedharem, not sure of her ownemotions… returning to thecapital disappointed in herlove for the colonel… If inthatdisturbedstateshe…ifitbecameafact…thenapersonwho knew the guilty secretcould.… By Heaven, if he

played his cards right, hecould practically impose hiswill on the Emperor!Suddenlyhefirmlyshookhishead.Hesaidvehemently:‘No, madam, I refuse to

believe this! I could wellbelieve that some suchsickeningschememightenterthe minds of depravedcourtiers—particularly theeunuchs, those hybridcreatures with their distortedpersonalities, the necessary

buthorriblydangeroussourceofevilineverypalace!Icanalso believe that the Princessis swayed by vague,disturbing thoughts, and thatsheisindoubtaboutherownemotions. But as regards theEmperor,whenmylatefatherwas Councillor of State, andhonoured with His Majesty'strust,healwaysdescribedtheEmperor as agreat andgoodman, who despite his uniqueposition always retained the

elevated character and surepowersofjudgementbefittingtheSonofHeaven.’Thenheresumed, in a calmer voice,‘Anyway, I amgladyou toldme, because now I knowexactly what the plotters areafter,andwhytheywon'tstopshort of even the mostatrocious murders. Butwhatever schemes there areafoot, the enemy will bepowerless as soon as it hasbeen proved that the colonel

didn'tstealthenecklace.ForIam convinced that when thePrincess's trust in thecolonelis restored, she will petitiontheEmperortoproclaimtheirbetrothal.’He disengaged himself

from the robe and pushed itback through the grating.‘Don't despair, madam ! Ishalldomyutmosttofindthenecklace this very night.Should they come for youearly in the morning, try to

make them postponewhatever they want to do toyou. Say that you haveimportant information forthem, or whatever you thinkbest. Whether I succeed, ornot, I shall be in the palacetomorrow morning, and Ishall do what I can to saveyou.’‘I am not worried about

myself, Dee,’ the old ladysaid softly. ‘May mercifulheavenprotectyou!’

The judge righted himselfandbeganthejourneyback.

XVII

As soon as Judge Dee wasagain under the cover of thetrees at the corner of themoat, he stepped out of hisseepingbootsandstrippedhiswet trousers off. Vigorouslyhe rubbed his naked bodywiththedryhalfofhisblacksash, which he had wrapped

round the sword. Afterwinding the strip round hiswaist bywayof a loin-cloth,heputonthelongblackrobeand placed the black skull-cap on his head. At a losswhat to do with the wettrousers, he finally threwthemintoarabbithole.Thenhetookupthelanternandthesword.Bodily comfort pervaded

him with a luxurious feelingof ease. But he suddenly

realized that his head wasempty. Reaction to the tensehourhehadjustspenthadsetin. As he followed the paththrough the forest he feltutterly unable to even try todigest all he had learned.RememberingMasterGourd'swords about the importanceof being empty, he gave uptryingtoconcentrate,andjustimagined he was the cashierTai Min, going back alongthis same path, with a

necklace he wanted to hidesomewhere. Walking on, thejudge noticed that althoughhis mind was numb, hissenseswereabnormallyalert.He keenly perceived all theodours of the forest, his earswere attuned to every soundthat came from the darkfoliage, and his eyes spottedevery hollow in the tree-trunks, every hole in themossy boulders that camewithinthelightedcircleofhis

lantern. He briefly exploredthose spots that might haveattracted the cashier'sattention, but the necklacewasnotthere.After about an hour he

barked his shins on the deadbranch he had put across thepath.Hewasgladhehadthusmarkedhispointofdeparture,for the trees and the brushlooked alike everywhere. Heparted the branches andpicked his way through the

undergrowth to the bank ofthecove.Whilewalking through the

forestunderthecanopyofthehightrees,hehadnotnoticedthat themoon had come out.Now its soft light shone onthe still water of the cove.Standing on the rocky ledge,he stared astonished at theboat, moored under theoverhanging branches of agnarledpinetree.Fernwasn'tinside. Then there was a

splashing sound behind himandshecalledout:‘You'rebackearly!You've

hardly been two hours, youknow!’He turnedround.Fernwas

standing naked in the knee-deep pool, drops of waterglistening on her splendidyoungbody.Herbreathtakingbeautymade the blood surgein his veins, touched hisstimulated senses to the raw.She squatted down in the

waterandcoveredherbreastswithherarms.‘You look awful! You

shouldtakeadiptoo!’‘Sorry to have kept you

waiting,’hemutteredandsatdown on the ledge, his backtowards her. ‘Better getdressed, it's long pastmidnight.’ He took off hisboots, pulled a handful ofgrassfrombetweenthestonesandwetteditinthewater.‘I didn't mind waiting at

all,’ she said, coming closer.Out of the corner of his eyehe saw her standing uprightnear the ledge, wringing outherlongtresses.‘Hurryup!’hetoldherand

began to scrub his muddyboots with unnecessaryvigour.He took his time cleaning

them.Whenhehadput themonagainandgotup,shewasdressed, andbusypulling theboatfromunderthepinetree.

Thejudgesteppedinside,andshe poled the boat towardsthemouthofthecove.Takingupthescullingoar,shecastaforlorn look at the silverypinetreesandsaid,inasmallvoice:‘I am sorry, sir. I behaved

likeasillygirl.Butthefactisthat I like you, and I hadhoped you would take mewithyoutothecapital.’Heleanedbackinthebow.

Theemptyfeelinginhishead

had gone; he was only tirednow,verytired.Afterawhilehesaid:‘Youlikemeonlybecause

I remind you of the happy,sheltered life at home withyourfather,Fern.SinceIlikeyou too, I want to see youhappywith some nice youngfellow. But I shall alwaysrememberyou.Andcertainlynot only because you weresuchaloyalhelpmate.’

She gave him a warmsmile.‘Didyoufindwhatyouwerelookingfor,sir?’‘Yes and no. Tomorrow I

hope to be able to tell youmore.’Folding his arms, Judge

Dee reviewed hisconversation with LadyHydrangea.Onlyafterhehaddigested all the disquietingnew data would he try tothink of ways and means oftracing the necklace. He felt

certainthecashierhadhiddenit somewhere in or near theKingfisher. Else he wouldn'thave gone back there andrisked ameetingwithLang'smen.TaiMinhadknownthatsooner or laterLangLiu andhismenwouldleaveagainforthe south, and that would behischancetocomebackfromTenMilesVillageandgetthenecklace.The quay was just as

deserted as when they had

left, but now the moonlightcast weird shadows on thecobble-stones. ‘I shall walkahead,’ he told her. ‘At thefirst sign of trouble, slip intoaporticooraside-street.’But they reached the alley

at the back of theKingfisherwithout meeting anyone.Slippinginsidebythekitchendoor, the judge suddenlyrealized that he wasravenously hungry. ‘Haveyou had your evening rice?’

heasked.WhenFernnodded,he grabbed a wooden pailwith cold rice from thekitchen dresser, and a platterof sour plums. ‘On account!’hemuttered.Fern suppresseda giggle. Crossing the hall,theyheardtheclatterofarmsintheportico.Theguardsmenwere on duty.On tiptoe theywent upstairs and parted infrontofhisdoor.Judge Dee lit the candle,

and changed into a clean

night-robe. He found to hissatisfactionthattheteainthepaddedbasketwasstillwarm.Havingtakenthearmchairbythe table, he changed theplaster on his forearm.Then,using the wooden lid of therice-pail as a plate, hekneaded the cold rice andsour plums into balls.He atethis simple soldier's mealwith relish, washing it downwith several cups of tea.Havingthusfortifiedhimself,

hetookthecalabashfromthewall-tableandreclinedonhisbed, his shoulders on thepropped-uppillow.Tyinganduntying the red tassel of thecalabash, he marshalled histhoughts.The scheme of the

necklace had now beenrevealed in its revoltingdetail. The plotters in thepalace wanted to incriminateColonel Kang, so as toeliminate him as future

Imperialson-in-law,andsoastobringtheThirdPrincesstothe desired unstableemotional statewhen leavingfor the capital. The LadyHydrangeahadmentionedtheChief Eunuch and theSuperintendent as possiblybeinginvolvedinthescheme.Buttherewasathirdrankingofficial, namely ColonelKang. And about him heknew really very little—onlythat the Princesswas in love

with him, and that CaptainSiew admired him. But boththe Princess and the captainwere biased. The plotters inthepalacehadsuggested thatthe colonel had a mistresssomewhere. At first sight itlookedlikemaliciousslander.Ontheotherhandoneshouldnot forget that his accuserswereexpertschemerswho,asa rule, avoid creatingsomething out of nothing.They would rather give a

twist to actual happenings,distort a statement bychanging a few words or byshifting the emphasis.Therefore he should not ruleout the possibility that thecolonel actually did have alady friend somewhere. Thefact that the colonel had notstolen the necklace did notprove that he was notindirectlyinvolved.Utilizing a scheme of the

enemy to one's own

advantage was a stratagemtaught in all militaryhandbooks. And the colonelhadbeenwiththePrincessonthat fateful night. Probablythey had been standingtogetheratthewindowofthepavilion,andthePrincesshadlaidthenecklaceontheside-table before they wentthroughthemoon-doortotheadjoining room. So that TaiMin had only to stick hishand through the window to

grab it. What if there hadbeen collusion between thecolonelandthecashier?It was very hard to say

whatgroupinthepalacewasmaking the attempts ateliminating him, the judge.The men sent by the LadyHydrangea to fetchhimfromthe Kingfisher had worn theblack livery of the ChiefEunuch's office, but so hadthe other men who had puthimdown in the forest to be

murdered. Themenwho hadtried to arrest him had wornthe dress of agents of theSuperintendent. All thismeantnothing,fortheycouldhave been hired by someonein the palace who was nottheir direct superior.IncludingColonelKang.It would, of course, be

impossible to trace themysteriousMrHao. The oneand only clue pointingdirectlyattheplotterswasthe

diversion created in thepalace grounds on the nightofthetheft.Hewouldhavetobearthatpointinmindifandwhen he ever got round toconducting an officialinvestigationinthepalace,onthe basis of the specialpowersgrantedtohimbytheImperialedict.Heclaspedhishandsround

the calabash. Theseconsiderations did not shedany light on the crucial

problem, namely what TaiMin had done after he hadstolen the necklace, andbeforehehadbeencaughtonthe road east byLang'smen.He ought to begin all overagain, starting with thecashier's motive. Dejectedafter the discovery of Lang'smurderhe,thejudge,hadfeltthat his theory about TaiMin's motive had been allwrong,becauseMrsWeihadnotgonetoTenMilesVillage

after all. Now, on secondthoughts, he believed histheory had been essentiallycorrect.FernhadsaidthatTaiMin harboured a deepaffection for Mrs Wei, andalthough he, the judge,questioned her appraisal ofMrs Wei's character, he wasconvinced Fern was rightaboutTaiMin,ayoungsterofher own age. The cashiermusthavecometoknowthatMrs Wei was contemplating

leaving her miserly husband,and he would have told herthat he, too, wanted to goaway; and that if she wentahead to Ten Miles Village,hewould join her there laterand help her to settle downsomewhereelse.TaiMinwashoping that in due course hewouldbeabletopersuadeherto set up a household withhim, and for that he neededmoney. The silver Lang hadpromised him represented

only a small sum, and TaiMin, being a shrewdyoungster, had probablyrealized that Lang wouldcheat him anyway.Hence hedecidedtokeepthenecklace.Fern had described thecashier as a simple youngman; he probably hadn'trealized all the implicationsof stealing an Imperialtreasure but had taken theview, shared bymany of thecommon people, that the

Emperor was so rich hewouldn'tevennotice.ThatMrsWeihadnotgone

toTenMilesVillagewasalsounderstandable. She hadpromised Tai Min to meethim there, but she had onlywantedtohumourhim,togetrid of his attentions. In factshe had eloped with a thirdperson, as yet unknown. Athird personwhomight havebeen known to TaiMin, andconceivably might have met

him when the cashier cameback from the palace. Thesepoints, however, wereimmaterial. For no matterwhometTaiMin,thecashierhad not handed over thenecklace. For if he had, hewould have mentioned thatthirdpersonwhentorturedbyLang'smen.Hehadheldoutbecause he did have thenecklace, and was hopingagainst hope to be able tosurviveandretrieveit.

Judge Dee lifted thecalabash and looked at itintently. He rememberedwhat Master Gourd had saidabouttheimportanceofbeingempty. In order to discoverwhereTaiMinhadhiddenthenecklace, he would have toempty himself, and puthimselfinthecashier'splace.Become the cashier of theKingfisher, and live his life.Thejudgeclosedhiseyes.He imagined himself on

the high stool behind thecounterinthehalldownstairs.Badly paid by his miserlyemployer,hewassittingthereevery day from morning tillnight, his only distraction anoccasional fishing tripon theriver—a distraction to beindulged in only whenbusinessattheinnwasslack.But there was a dailydiversion,namelythesightofthe adored Mrs Wei. Theinnkeeper's wife must have

been about in the hall a lot,foraccordingtotheowneroftheNineClouds she took anactive part in the running ofthe inn. The cashier wouldhave snatched everyopportunity to start aconversation with her. Nottoo often, for his employerwould see to it that theyoungster did not neglect hisdutiesatthecounterforlong.Sorting out various bills andaccounts, adding amounts

with the aid of his abacus,and noting the total down inredinkon…Redink!JudgeDeeopenedhiseyes.

Here was a point worthnoting. Tai Min had markedtheroutetoTenMilesVillageinredink.Themapwouldbein one of the counter'sdrawers, for it must be keptnear at hand, for theconvenience of the guests.And up in his attic Tai Minwouldn't have had a cake of

red ink, nor the special ink-slab for rubbing it. Thatmeant he must have markedthe map while sitting at thecounter.By heaven,was thattheanswer?Hesatup,putthecalabash down on the bed,and pensively rubbed hisneck. He decided to have alookforhimself.The judge went out in the

corridor, carefully avoidingthe creaking floorboard- Thehallwasdimlylitbyasingle

lantern above the counter.The clerk had tidied up,leaving only the large ink-slab,acakeofblackink,anda tubular holder with a fewwriting-brushes. The judgefound that the counter hadtwo drawers to the right ofthe cashier's high stool. Hepulled the upper one out. Itcontained the inn's register, ajar of the thick brown gumcashiersuse for stickingbillstogether, a wooden stamp

reading ‘payment received’and the red seal-padbelongingtoit,andapackageof blank sheets andenvelopes.Hequicklyopenedthe second drawer.Yes, nextto the abacus lay a red ink-slab, anda small cakeof redink. Beside it were a water-container for moistening theslab and a red brush. Also aflat cash-box, empty ofcourse—MrWeiwouldneverforget to empty it before

retiring at night. But duringthedaytheboxmightcontaina fair amount of money. Hewentroundthelatticescreen.The largeclothes-boxhehadseen Wei rummage about inwas still standing on thefloor,closed.Heliftedthelid.Itwas completely empty.Norobes.Andnoredjacket.JudgeDeesatdown in the

armchair behind theinnkeeper's desk. Wei hadplaced it in a strategic

position, for sitting there hecould watch the hall throughthe open-work lattice screen,keep an eye on the counterand all whowent in and outof his hostel. Yes, theproblem of the marked maphadnowbeensolved.There remained the final

problem, namely where thenecklace actually was now.He was convinced that thesolutiontothisproblemmustbe sought here in the

Kingfisher, and within thesmall circle of the cashier'sdreary, everyday life. AgainheimaginedhewasTaiMin,sitting on his high stoolbehind thecounter,doinghisworkthereunderthewatchfuleye of Wei. He would offertheregister tonewguests forsigning, and departing guestswould ask him for their bill.Tai Min would then collectthe various accounts relatingto the room rent and other

expensesincurred,adduptheamounts due on his abacus,andwrite the total in red inkon the bill (which wouldeventually be stuck withbrown gum to the day'sprevious bills). After theguest had paid, the cashierwould put the money in thecash-box in the seconddrawer, then stamp the bill‘Paymentreceived’,and…SuddenlyJudgeDeesatup

straight. Gripping the

armrests of the chair, hequicklywentoverallthefactsinhismind.Yes,thatwasthesolution,ofcourse!Heleanedbackandsmotehis forehead.By heaven, he hadmade themost serious mistake acriminalinvestigatorcanevermake.Hehadoverlookedtheobvious!

XVIII

The crowing of the cock inthe cook's chicken-run wokethe judge.He got up slowly,foreverymovementmadehisstiff muscles ache. Wincing,hewent througha fewof theexercises boxers use forregulating the bloodcirculation. Then he put on

the long black robe of thepreceding night, and placedthe small skull-cap on hishead. The folded yellowdocument he put in hissleeve.Ashecamedownthestairs

hesawtohissurpriseaboutadozen guardsmen loitering inthehall.Siew'stalllieutenantwas leaning against thecounter, leisurely drinking acupofteawiththeinnkeeper.Liu came to meet the judge,

saluted and said with a faintsmile:‘I saw in this morning's

reportof thenightwatchthatyou were called away in thedeepofnight,Doctor. Itwasa boy, I hope?’When JudgeDeenoddedhewenton,‘Iamglad to hear that, for theparents.IrememberhowgladI was when my first turnedouttobeaboy.’Hescratchedhisnose,ahabit copied fromhiscaptain.‘Well,thecaptain

told me you planned to visithim first thing this morning,andorderedme to fetchyou.Thenwesaw fourgentlemenin the square—in black, thistime,notingrey.Allkindsofriff-raff are roaming thestreets nowadays, so thecaptain thought we'd betterprovide an escort, sir. Thecaptain wouldn't like you tohaveanaccident,yousee.’‘Thanks very much. Let's

beonourway. Ihaveurgent

businesswiththecaptain.’Stepping out on the

portico, he saw four mendressedinblackrobesinfrontoftheNineClouds,talkingtothe portly host, who waslooking evenmore dyspepticthan before. When they sawthe judge appear they startedto cross the street. But thenLiu and his men camemarchingoutof thedoorandtheyquicklywentback.The judge and Liu found

Captain Siew eating a largebowl of noodles with gusto.He laid down his chopsticksandmadetogetup,butJudgeDeesaidquickly:‘Staywhere you are! I am

in a great hurry. First, manythanks for the timely escort.Second, I want you to havethe yellow Imperial standardhoisted here in front of youroffice’ He took the yellowpaper from his sleeve andsmootheditoutonthedesk.

The captain took in thecontents at a glance. Henearlyoverturnedhischairinhis hurry to get up. ‘This,sir… I mean, Excellency,I…’‘Give the necessary orders

at once, Captain. Let theincomparable Liu here bringme a flat-iron and a piece ofthebestyellowsilk!’Captain Siew and his

assistant rushed outside. Thehoisting of the yellow

standard meant that a highofficial with personal ordersfrom the Emperor waspresent. It implied that thatsectionof the townwouldbecordoned off by guardsmen,and that the inhabitantsmustput up the shutters and stayinside.The lieutenant came back

first.JudgeDeetooktheflat-bottomed brass pan heapedwithglowingcoalsbyitslonghandle, and ironed the

Imperial edict.When he hadrolled the paper up in theyellow silk, Captain Siewcameinsideandreportedthatthestandardhadbeenhoistedand all prescribed measurestaken.‘Good. You will ride at

once to the palace, Siew,show the Imperial Words toyourcolonel,andgotogetherwith him to theSuperintendent. Tell themthat the Imperial Inquisitor

ordersbothof them to repairto this office at once, andwith theminimumretinue, tobereceivedinaudienceinthecourthalldownstairs.Iwouldlike to summon the ChiefEunuch too, but the palacerules forbid him to leave hispostunderanycircumstances.Tell them that I order theutmost secrecy, and youwillsee to it personally thatneither the colonel nor theSuperintendent destroy, or

order to be destroyed, anypapers or notes in theirrespective offices. You shalladd that the Inquisitor isconcernedabouttheillnessoftheLadyHydrangea,andthathe trusts that the palacedoctors have effected acomplete cure. Return myidentitypapertome!’After the captain had

unlocked his drawer andhanded the document to thejudge with a bow, the latter

resumed: ‘We'd better doeverythingintheproperway-You'll order theSuperintendent to supplyyouwith a Censor's cap, and theyellow stole- I'll dispensewiththerobes.Bringcapandstole in to me before youadmitmyvisitorstothecourthall. Hurry up, we have abusymorningbeforeus!’Captain Siew was so

perplexed by all theseunexpected happenings that

he couldn't formulate evenone of all the questions thatcame to his lips. Making abubbling noise, he acceptedtheyellowrollrespectfullyinboth hands and rushed out.JudgeDee told the lieutenantwho was standing stiffly atattention:‘First of all I want you to

get me a bowl of those nicenoodles,Liu!’After the judge had

enjoyed a leisurely breakfast

seated at the captain's desk,hetoldLiutotakehimtothecourthalldownstairs.Thecourtwasnotas large

as an ordinary civiliantribunal, but on the platformat the back stood the usualhigh bench covered with ascarlet cloth, and beside it asmall desk for the militaryscribe. Against the wallbehind the benchwas a hightable, bearing a bronzeincense-burner. The stone-

flaggedfloorwasbare.‘Take away the low desk,

Liu,andplaceanarmchairontherightandleftofthebench.Bring me a large pot of hottea!’The judge sat down in the

armchair behind the bench.When the lieutenant hadbrought a large tea-pot ofblue andwhite porcelain andhad poured a cup, the judgeordered him to wait outside.Hewastoseetoitthatnoone

entered the hall except theSuperintendent, the coloneland Captain Siew. ThenJudgeDeeleanedbackinhischair and, slowly caressinghis sidewhiskers, surveyedthe empty hall. It remindedhim of his own court hall inthe tribunal of Poo-yang. Ifeverything went well, hecould be back there in a dayortwo.After Judge Dee had

emptied several cups of tea,

Captain Siew came andhandedtheyellowrolltohim.Thejudgerose,littheincenseinthebronzeburner,andlaidthe yellow roll in front of it,the place of honour reservedfor Imperial edicts. Thecaptain opened the bundlewrappedupinredsilk.JudgeDee exchanged his skull-capfor the high winged cap ofblack velvet, braided withgold,thefrontdecoratedwiththe golden insignia of his

presentexaltedrank.Afterhehad draped the broad yellowstole round his shoulders, heresumedhisseatand told thecaptain the audience couldbegin.The double-doors were

thrown open, and theSuperintendent strode inside,magnificent in his wideceremonial robe of violetbrocade,embroideredingold,and wearing a high, three-layered cap on his head. He

was followed by the colonel,resplendent inhisgiltcoatofmail with the beautifullychiselled breast- andshoulder-plates.Bothmade alow bow, the long colouredplumes on the colonel'sgolden helmet sweeping thefloor. Then they advanced tothe front of the bench, andkneltonthestonefloor.‘Youmayrise,’JudgeDee

told them curtly. ‘This is aquite informal audience.You

areallowed,therefore,totakethosearmchairsat thebench.Thecaptainshallstandbythedoorandseetoitthatwearenotdisturbed.’His two guests seated

themselves stiffly. ColonelKang laid his broadswordacross his knees. Judge Deeslowly emptied his teacup,then he sat up straight andspoke:‘His Imperial Majesty has

deignedtochargemewiththe

investigation of someirregularities that haverecently occurred in theWater Palace—irregularitiesculminating in thedisappearance of an ImperialTreasure, the pearl necklacebelonging to Her ImperialHighness the Third Princess.You two and the ChiefEunuch, being the threehighestofficials in theWaterPalace,areheldresponsible.Ineed not, I trust, remind you

of the extremegravity of thesituation.’Thetwomenbowed.‘Ihavenowcompletedmy

investigation and we shallpresently proceed to thepalacewhereIshallordertheChief Eunuch to request anaudience with Her ImperialHighness, soas toenablemeto present my report.However, it so happens thatthe theft of the necklace isnarrowly linkedwith another

atrocious crime committedhereinRivertown.Inordertoclarify thecomplex situation,Iwant first todisposeof thatmurder case in yourpresence.’Risingheadded,‘Iinvite you to accompany metotheinnoftheKingfisher.’

XIX

In the empty street twocolossal, brocade-curtainedpalankeens stood waiting,each manned by a dozenbearers.Infrontofthem,andbehind, platoons ofguardsmen had taken upposition, armed to the teethand holding their long

halberdshigh.Judge Dee entered the

Superintendent's palankeenand motioned him to stepinsidetoo.Notonewordwassaid during the short journeytotheKingfisher.Mr Wei stood in the hall

together with a dozen or soguests. They were eagerlydiscussing who could be thehighImperialofficialvisitingRivertown.Thejudgenoticedamong them a thin, rather

handsome girl, quietlydressedinapearl-greygown.Byhersidestoodanelegant-looking youngster,wearing ablackscholar'scap.Hehadamoon-guitarunderhisarm,ina brocade cover. The judgesurmised that this was themusical couple that occupiedthe room below his. Heturned to Captain Siew, whohad rushed ahead to the innon foot together with hisstolid lieutenant. ‘Clear the

hall!’ Judge Dee ordered.‘Have your men fetch threearmchairs, and place themagainstthebackwall.’Thejudgeseatedhimselfin

the chair in the middle, andmotioned the SuperintendentandColonelKangtotakethechairs on his right and left.Then he told the captain:‘Lead the innkeeper WeiChengbeforeme!’Two guardsmen led the

innkeeperinside.Hegapedat

the three high officials inastonishment. The soldierspressed him down on hisknees.‘Two weeks ago,’ the

judge informed hiscompanions, ‘this manreported that his wife hadabsconded with a secretlover.’TheSuperintendent tugged

angrilyathisgreygoatee.‘Are you quite sure,

Excellency, that this sordid

affair of a lowly innkeeperreally does concern us, thehighest…’‘Quite sure,’ Judge Dee

interrupted. He addressedWeiharshly:‘You are a miser,Wei. In

itself that isnot a crime.Butit may lead to a crime. Inyourcase, it led toaheinousmurder.Youcan'tbeartopartwith your money, Wei, norcould you bear to part withyour wife. You didn't love

her, but she was yourproperty, and you were notgoing to let others take yourpropertyawayfromyou.Youthought that your cashierTaiMinwasmakingeyesather.’He pointed at the latticescreen. ‘Sitting there at yourdesk, Wei, you kept a closewatchonyourwifeandyourcashier, and youeavesdropped on their talks,here by the counter. Whenyou discovered that Tai Min

had marked a route on themapkeptinthedrawerthere,you concluded that he wasplanning to elope with yourwife. I thinkyour conclusionwaswrong, but I can't provethat, for the cashier is dead.Andsoisyourwife.For twoweeks ago you murderedher.’The innkeeper raised his

haggardface.‘It isn't true!’ he shouted.

‘The vile creature left me, I

swearit!She…’‘Don't make any more

mistakes, Wei!’ the judgebarked. ‘Youhavemade twoalready, and those suffice totake you to the scaffold.You'll be beheaded, becauseyou killed your wife withouta shred of evidence that shehadcommittedadultery.Yourfirst mistake was that younagged at your wife sopersistently about spendingtoo much money on herself

that she often acceptedsweetmeats from yourcolleagueintheNineClouds.He had given her a few thesame evening you murderedher.Yoursecondmistakewasthatyoudidn'tdestroyallherclothes. Here again it wasyour grasping mind thatcausedthemistake.Insteadofburningherclothes,youkeptthem to be sold to apawnbroker. But no elopingwoman will leave without

some of her best robes, andcertainly not without takingher favourite red jacket,whichsheknewsuitedhersowell.’ The judge got up. ‘Ishall now take you to thestoreroom behind this inn,gentlemen. Captain, let yourmen seize the accused andfollow me with thelieutenant.’JudgeDeewalked through

the innkeeper's office andcrossed the backyard. The

hensinthechicken-runbeganto cackle excitedly,frightened by so manypersons in shining garbappearingamongthescrawnytreesandtallweeds.The judge went into the

musty storehouse.Hepushedafewbrokenchairsoutofhisway and stepped up to thepile of hemp sacks he hadrestedon the eveningbefore.The ants that had beenbothering him thenwere still

there.Theycamecrawling indrovesoutofacrackedtileinthe floor, and marched in aregulararmyformationacrossthe sacks to disappear into asmall hole in the brick wallwhere a fragment of cementhad dropped out. Judge Deerighted himself and turnedround.The Superintendent had

folded his arms in thecapacious sleeves of hisgorgeous robe. His arrogant

expression clearly indicatedthat he thoroughlydisapproved of theproceedings, but resignedlysubmitted to superiorauthority. Colonel KangdartedaquestioningglanceatCaptainSiew,who raisedhiseyebrows and looked at thelieutenant. But Liu's eyeswere riveted on Judge Dee.Wei was standing betweentwo guardsmen, at the door.His eyes were on the floor.

Thejudgepointedatthewallabovethesacksandsaid:‘Someone tampered with

thissectionofthewall.Inanamateurishmanner.Fetchmeahammerandacrowbarfromthe kitchen, Liu!’ Pensivelysmoothing his beard, hereflected that the new whitecementamongthebrickshadescaped him the previousnight, in the bad light. Hestareddownattheemptybaghe had stumbled over.

Evidently it had containedchalk. As to the terriblenightmare he had whensleeping there… Doubtfullyheshookhishead.As soon as Liu had

loosened a few bricks, anauseating stench filled theroom. The Superintendentstepped back quickly,covering his nose andmouthwith his sleeve. Then thelieutenant brought hisweighttobearonthecrowbar,anda

massofbrickscamecrashingto the floor. The innkeeperswunground to thedoor,butthe guardsmen grabbed hisarms.Inthehole in thewallwas

the shape of a standingwoman, dressed in a bluerobe stained with chalk andcrusted cement, her head atan unnatural angle on herbreast, the long hair hangingdown in a tangledmass.Theinnkeeper screamed as the

corpse began to sag andslowly collapsed onto thefloor.Judge Dee bent down and

silently pointed at the twohalf-decayed sweetmeats thathad dropped out of her leftsleeve, black with crowdingants.‘I admit that you didn't

have much time, Wei,’ hesaid coldly, ‘but to immurethedeadbodywithouthavinginspectedherdresswasabad

blunder. The sweetmeatsattracted the ants, and thoseindustrious insects providedmewith a clue towhereyouhad hidden the body. Speakup,howdidyoumurderyourwife?’‘It…itwasthetimeofthe

evening rice,’ Weistammered, his head down.‘All the servants were busyserving the guests in theirrooms. Istrangledher, inmyoffice. Then I carried her

here… She…’ He burst intosobs.‘In due time, Siew’ Judge

Dee said, ‘you'll arraignWeionthechargeofpremeditatedmurder. You'll see that themurderer is lockedup in jail,Liu.’He turned roundon hisheels,motioningtheotherstofollow him.While theywerecrossingthehallhepointedatthecounter.‘Take both drawers out,

Siew, and bring them to the

court hall. With all contentsintact, mind you! We nowreturn to Headquarters,gentlemen.’Inside the palankeen the

Superintendentspoke, for thefirsttime.‘A remarkable example of

deduction, Excellency.However,itwasonlyacrudecrimeofviolence,perpetratedin a low-class setting.May Iaskwhat bearing it has uponthe grave matters of the

palace we are concernedwith?’‘You shall learn that

presently,’ the judge repliedevenly.

XX

When they were back in thecourthall,JudgeDeeorderedthe captain to place the twodrawers on the bench. Thenhe told him to fetch a largebowl filled with a lukewarmcleansing liquid, and a pieceofsoftwhitesilk.Seated at the bench, the

judgepouredhimselfacupoftea. The threemenwaited insilence till the captainreappeared. When Siew hadplacedaporcelainbowlandapiece of silk on the bench,JudgeDeesaid:‘I now come to the

question of the necklace. Itwas stolen by Tai Min,cashier of theKingfisher.Hehad been hired for thatpurpose by a notoriousgangster,temporarilyresiding

inthistown.’Colonel Kang sat up. He

askedtensely:‘How was it stolen,

Excellency?’‘The gangster's superiors

hadprovidedthecashierwithpreciseinstructionsastohowthe necklace could be stolenfrom outside: namely, byswimmingacrossthemoattothe north-west watch-tower,thenwalking along the ledgeatthebaseofthenorthpalace

wall and scaling the wall,thus reaching the pavilion ofHer Highness. The necklacehappened to be lying on theside-table to the left of themoon-door, and the thiefhadbut to stretchouthishand totake it. I trust, Kang, thatyou'll take the necessarymeasuresatoncetoeliminatethis serious gap in thesecurityprovisions.’ColonelKangbowed, then

he leaned back in his chair

with a deep sigh. Judge Deeresumed:‘After he had stolen the

necklace, the cashier decidednot to hand it over to thegangster who had hired him.Hewantedtokeepit,andsellthepearlsonebyone.’‘Anoutrageouscrime!’the

Superintendent exclaimedangrily. ‘Lese-majesty! Thatmanoughttohavebeen…’‘He was a simple-minded

youngster,’ the judge said

quietly. ‘Hedidn't realize theimplications of what he wasdoing. He wanted money, inorder to win the love of thewoman who he thought waswaitingforhiminavillageinthe neighbouring district. Letusnotjudgehimtooharshly.His life was grey and dull,and he longed for love andhappinessinafar-awayplace,beyond themountains.Manyhave dreamed such dreams.'Strokinghisbeard,JudgeDee

cast a glance at ColonelKang's impassive face. Heresumed in a businesslikemanner, ‘When he had comeback from the palace, thecashier paid a brief visit totheKingfisher inn, then rodeoff. But he was waylaid bythegangster'smen,andwhenhe told them he didn't havethenecklace,hewastortured.He died before he couldrevealwherehehadhiddenit.Captain Siew, I shall now

hearyourtestimony.’The captain knelt down at

once.‘Reportwhatyoufoundon

the dead body of Tai Min,afterithadbeendiscoveredintheriver!’‘He only wore his jacket,

Excellency.Inthesleeveswefoundapackageofhisname-cards,amapofthisprovince,a string of thirty-two cash,andhisabacus.’‘That's all, Captain.’

Leaning forward, the judgeresumed,‘TaiMinhituponaverysimplebutveryeffectivehiding-placeforthenecklace,gentlemen.He cut the string,and concealed the loosepearls in an object which heas cashier, was handlingevery day, and whicheverybody would thereforetakeforgranted.This!’He took the abacus from

the drawer in front of him,andhelditup.

Ashis twoguestsgavethecounting-frame anincredulous look, Judge Deesnappedthewoodenframeofthe abacus and let the darkbrownbeadsglide from theirparallel wire rods into theporcelain bowl. Then hebegan to shake the bowl,making the beads roll aboutin the lukewarm lye. Whiledoingsohewenton:‘Prior to replacing the

originalwoodenbeadsbythe

pearls, he had covered eachpearl with a layer of browngum, the sort cashiers use tostick bills together. The gumhardened,andevenanightinthe river did not dissolve it.This warm lye, however,shouldprovemoreeffective.’The judge picked two

beads out of the bowl. Herubbed themdrycarefullyonthepieceofsilk,thenshowedthemtotheothersinthepalmof his open hand: two

perfectly rounded pearls,shimmeringwithapurewhitegleam.Heresumedgravely:‘Here in this bowl repose

the pearls of the Imperialnecklace, gentlemen.Presently I shall verify inyourpresencewhetheralltheeighty-fourarethere.Captain,fetch a silk thread and aneedle!’The Superintendent stared

at the bowl, his thin lipscompressed. Colonel Kang

lookedsteadilyatJudgeDee'simpassive face, his mailedfists clenching the swordacrosshisknees.CaptainSiewcamebackin

a surprisingly short time.Standing at the bench, hecleaned the pearls, thenthreaded them with his thickbutverynimblefingers.Afterthe judge had counted themandfoundthatallwerethere,he put the necklace in hissleeveandsaid:

‘The gangsters whosearchedTaiMin'sbodywentas far as slitting his bellyopen,buttheynevergavetheabacus so much as a secondglance. For one expects acashier to carry an abacus. Itwasthemostobvioushiding-place,andthereforethebest.’‘Iftheabacuswasfoundon

the cashier's dead body,’ theSuperintendent said in hismeasured voice, ‘how did itgetbacktothecounterofthe

inn?’JudgeDeegavehimasour

look.‘Iputitbacktheremyself,’

he replied curtly, ‘withoutrealizingwhatitreallywas.Itis true that at that time I didnot yet know that a pearlnecklace was missing, but Ishould have remembered itafterwards. I discovered itlate—but just in time.’ Herose, turnedround,andmadea bow in front of the wall-

table. Lifting the yellow rollin both hands, he told thecaptain,‘Youwillgobacktothe inn now, and wind upaffairs there.’Andtothetwoothers: ‘We proceed to theWaterPalace.’Assoonasthecortègehad

crossed the broad marblebridge across the moat, themonumental palace gate wasthrown open and thepalankeens were carriedinside.

In the first courtyard thetworowsofguardsmen linedup there presented arms.Judge Dee leaned out of thewindow and beckoned theofficerincommand.‘When I was leaving here

the night before last in myguise of Doctor Liang, mysword was taken from theblack palankeen assigned tome.You'll see to it that it islocated at once. It can berecognized by two characters

inlaid in gold in the blade,reading “Rain Dragon”.’ Asthe officer saluted smartly,the judge told theSuperintendent: ‘Now we'llgodirectlytoyouroffice.’They descended from the

palankeeninfrontoftheloftyhall. The judge beckonedColonel Kang, then strodeinside. By theSuperintendent's desk hiscouncillor was talking in asubdued voice to three

courtiers.Theykneltdownatonce.Judge Dee pushed the

yellow roll into his robe andspoke:‘Rise and report about the

condition of the LadyHydrangea!’The councillor scrambled

to his feet and made a lowbow, his hands respectfullyfoldedinhissleeves.‘The attending physician

reported,Excellency, that the

Lady Hydrangea wassuffering from a suddenattack of brain fever, notuncommon in this hot andmoist climate. She wasvisited by terriblehallucinations. Aftersedatives had beenadministered, however, shefell into a deep sleep. Thismorning she had so muchimproved that she could beconveyed back from thedispensary to the apartments

ofHerImperialHighness.’The judgenodded. ‘Where

isthesafe?’The councillor hesitated

but Judge Dee caught hisquick glance at the flowerpaintingonthewall.Hewentthere and pulled the pictureaside. Pointing at the squaredoor of solid iron embeddedin the wall, he ordered theSuperintendent:‘Openup!’Seated at the high desk,

Judge Dee went through the

bundles of papers he hadtaken from the safe, slowlytuggingathismoustache.Hefound that the documentscomprised confidentialpersonnel reports and otherimportant papers relating tothe administration of theWater Palace. Nothing abouttheprivateaffairsoftheThirdPrincess, nor about thescheme of the necklace. Hegot up and put the papersback, motioning the

Superintendent to lock thesafe.‘Lead me to your office,

Kang, The Superintendentshallaccompanyus.’The colonel's office was

simply furnished butscrupulously clean. Its broadwindowaffordedaviewofanextensive, walled-in yardwhereafewguardsmenwerepractising archery. ColonelKang unlocked the ironstrongboxonthefloorandthe

judge inspected its contents.But again he could findnothing that looked suspect.Putting his hands behind hisback,hetoldthecolonel:‘Four days ago, towards

midnight, there was adisturbance in the palacegrounds. I want a report onthat,Kang.’The colonel pulled out a

drawer of his plain woodendeskandplacedalargeledgerbefore the judge. Each page

wasneatlydividedintosmallnumbered squares, chartingthe duties of the guard. Heleafeditthroughtillhefoundthe correct date, then studiedthe brief note written in themargin.Lookingup,hesaid:‘Half an hour before

midnight the roof of a teapavilion in the sixthcourtyard, in the north-westcorner of the grounds,suddenlycaughtfire.Iwasinanother section of the palace

at that time, but my second-in-command sent a platoonthereatonceandtheyputoutthe fire without difficulty. Itseems, however, that theChiefEunuchsawthesmokeandsentwordthathewantedtheentireareacordonedoffatonce, to make sure that noflying sparks reached theapartments of Her Highness.My man gave the necessaryorders to the guards on thewest and north ramparts.

They returned to their postsonehouraftermidnight.’‘Canyouprovethat?’The colonel turned the

pageover.Aredslipofpaperwas stuck to it, bearing theseal of the Chief Eunuch,with a few scrawledinstructions.JudgeDeenodded.‘Now we shall repair

together to the ChiefEunuch'soffice,gentlemen.’The news of the arrival of

the Imperial Inquisitor hadspreadalreadythroughoutthepalace. The sentries at theChiefEunuch'sofficeopenedthe gate wide for the threevisitors,andtheobeseeunuchcame rushing out to meetthem. He threw himself onthe floor and touched theflagstoneswithhisforehead.

‘You'll wait here in thecorridor,’ the judge told histwo companions. ‘I shall goinside to ask permission tocrosstheGoldenBridge.’He knocked at the gold-

lacquered door. When therewas no answer, he wentinside, closing the doorbehindhim.There was no one in the

elegant library. A mustysmell of old books mingledwith the heavy fragrance of

the orchids on the window-sill. Judge Dee lookedoutside. The old man wasstandingbyahighrockdowninthegarden,cladinaplain,long-sleeved morning-robe,his head covered by a gauzehouse-cap. The judge wentinto the garden and followedthe narrow paved path,zigzagging among miniaturegold-fishpondsandfloweringshrubs. Very small colouredbirds were twittering among

the green leaves, stillglitteringwithdew.The Chief Eunuch turned

round. Looking at the judgewith his heavy-lidded eyes,hesaid:‘A marvellous thing

happened overnight, Dee!Look, this rare flowersuddenly opened ! Observethe delicately shaped petals,thevelvetycolour! Ihad thisplant brought here from thesouthern regionsbya special

courier. For three months Itended it personally. But Ihad never dared to hope tomakeitbloom!’Judge Dee bent over the

orchid thatwas as large as aman's hand. It was rooted inthe hollow of a palm tree,nestling against the rock. Itsyellowpetals,showingviolet-black spots, gave the floweran almost feline grace. Theorchid sent forth a faint butverydistinctfragrance.

‘ImustconfessIneversawanythinglikeit.’hesaidasherightedhimself.‘And you'll never see the

like again,’ the oldman saidquietly.He snapped the stemwithhis longfingernails,andraised the flower tohisnose.Slowlymoving it to and fro,hewenton,‘Whenyoucameherethedaybeforeyesterday,Dee, Iknewatonce thatyoucouldn't be just a doctor.Seeing me with my pet

executioner standing behindme, you should've beentrembling with fear,grovelling even. Instead youcalmly exchanged profoundremarks with me, as if withyourequal.Nexttimeyouputon a disguise, take care thatyou also disguise yourpersonality,Dee!’‘You made determined

efforts to have meeliminated.’ the judgeremarked. ‘But luck was on

myside,andIshallpresentlyreturn the pearl necklace toHer Imperial Highness.Therefore I ask yourpermission to cross theGoldenBridge.’The old man turned the

flowerroundinhisthinhand.‘Don't misunderstand me,

Dee. Yes, I did want power.The well-nigh unlimitedpowerpossessedbyhimwhoknows an Emperor's guiltysecret.But I alsohadaquite

different, much strongermotive. Iwanted to have theThird Princess with meforever,Dee.Wanted to lookafterhertenderly,astenderlyas I looked after this rareflower. I wanted to go onseeinghereveryday,hearingher lovely voice, knowingeverything she does…always.Andnowshewillberavished by a brutishsoldier…’Suddenly he crushed the

orchid in his claw-like handandthrewitontotheground.‘Let's go inside,’ he saidharshly. ‘I amsuffering frommanychronicailments,anditistimethatItakemydrops.’Judge Dee followed him

insidethelibrary.The old man sat down in

the enormous, carvedarmchair, and unlocked adrawer. He took from it aminiature calabash of rockcrystal,itsstoppersecuredby

a red silk ribbon. When hewas about to uncork it, thejudge stepped forward andlocked the frail wrist in hislargehand.Hesaidcurtly:‘The evil scheme must be

destroyedrootandbranch.’TheChiefEunuchletgoof

the crystal vial.Hepressed abud in the elaborate flowermotifcarvedintherimofthedesk. From the shallowdrawer that appearedhe tookasealedenvelope.Hehanded

it to the judge, acontemptuous sneer twistinghisthinbluelips:‘Have them tortured to

death, every single one ofthem! Their miserable soulsshall serveme asmy slaves,intheHereafter!’The judge broke the seal

and glanced at the slips ofthinpaper.Eachwasmarkedwith a name and rank; thentherewerenotesofdatesandsumsofmoney,allwrittenin

the same, spidery hand. Henodded and put the envelopeintohissleeve.The old man took the

stopper out of the smallcrystal calabash and pouredits colourless content in ateacup. Having emptied thecupatonedraught,heleanedback into the armchair, histhicklyveinedhandsgraspingthearmrests.Hishoodedeyesclosed, his breath came ingasps. Then he let go of the

armrests and clutched at hisbreast.Aviolentshivershookhis frail body. Suddenly thebluelipsmoved.‘You have my permission

tocrosstheGoldenBridge.’Hisheadsunktohisbreast;

his hands fell limply into hislap.

XXI

The Superintendent andColonel Kang stood waitingin the corridor, in an uneasysilence. The obese eunuchwas still on his knees. JudgeDee closed the gold-lacquered door. Handing theenvelope to theSuperintendent,hesaid:

‘In here you'll find fullparticulars about everyonewho took part in the foulscheme.Youshallgobacktoyourofficeandhavethemaincriminals arrested at once.Thereafter you shall institutea most exhaustive inquiry.Youmayfollowme,Colonel.I have the Chief Eunuch'spermission to pass thebridge.’ And to the eunuch:‘Leadtheway!’When the three men had

arrived at the foot of thebridge, the fat eunuch beatthe small golden gongsuspendedonamarblepillar.Afterawhilefourcourtladiescame out of the building onthe other side, and the judgeand Colonel Kang wentacross. Judge Dee told theladies that the Inquisitorrequested the honour of anaudience.Theywere led intoa side-room where theywaited for a long time.

Apparently the Princess wasstillathertoilet.At last two court ladies

came and conducted thejudge and Colonel Kangalonganoutsidecorridortoacovered balcony, lined byheavy, red-lacquered pillars,ontheeastsideofthepalace.From there one had a fineview over the woodland thatled up to themountains.TheThird Princess was standingbythefarthestpillar,around

fan in her hand. Behind herstoodafrail,elderlylady,hergrey hair combed backstraight from her highforehead. The judge and thecolonelknelt.‘Riseandreport,Dee!’ the

Princess ordered in her clearvoice.JudgeDeecametohisfeet,

lifting theyellowroll inbothhands. The colonel remainedonhisknees.‘Your humble servant has

the honour to return to YourHighnesstheAugustWords.’ThePrincessgesturedwith

her fan. The elderly ladycameforward.Whenshetooktheyellowrollover from thejudge, he noticed the whitejade bracelet on her wrist,carved into the shape of acurvingdragon.‘Your humble servant has

also the honour to return toYour Highness the pearlnecklace.The thiefproved to

be a person from outside thepalace, exactly as YourHighness deigned to intimatewhen your servant wasgrantedhisfirstaudience.’The Princess held out her

hand, and the judgegaveherthenecklacewithalowbow.Letting it glide through herfingers,shetoldhim,hereyesonColonelKang:‘Youshallrepeat,Dee, the

lastwordsIsaidtoyou.’‘YourHighnessdeignedto

say that in charging me torecover the necklace, sheplacedherhappiness intomyhands.’ Judge Dee spokeautomatically,fornowthathewasseeingherfaceclearlyinbroad daylight, somethinghad struck him in the line ofhercheekbonesandtheshapeofthedeterminedchin.‘Now you know, Colonel.

Soonweshallmeetagain,theredcandlesburninghigh.’Colonel Kang rose and

steppeduptoher,hisshiningeyes locked with hers. Theelderlyladylookedatthetall,handsome pair, a soft smileonherpale, tired face. JudgeDeequicklywenttothedoor.The two court ladies

conducted him back to theGolden Bridge. The obeseeunuch stood waiting at theother side. When he hadrespectfully ledJudgeDee tothe entrance, the judge toldhim:

‘Goandseeyourmaster.Ifear he is ill.’ Then he gotinto the brocade palankeenand told the honour guard totake him to theSuperintendent'soffice.The corridor was crowded

with guardsmen and sturdyfellows both in black andgrey livery, but all wearingred armlets with the word‘special’writtenonthem,andall armed to the teeth. Theybowedlowwhentheysawthe

judge. He found theSuperintendent standing bentover his desk, which wasstrewn with thin slips ofpaper. The Superintendentlookedup.‘Themainscoundrelshave

been arrested already,Excellency! I regret to reportthat the rot had spread evenamong my own men. Whatmust we do about the ChiefEunuch,Excellency?Hecan'tbearrestedwithout…’

‘The Chief Eunuch diedfrom a heart-attack,’ thejudge interrupted. ‘Whileconductingyourinvestigationyou shall pay particularattention to a person whocalls himselfMrHao, and toclose associates of his wholast nightmurderedMrLangLiu, in the Kingfisher inn.You shall see to it that theyare punishedwith the utmostseverity.’TheSuperintendentmadea

bow. Pointing at his ownchair, he said, ‘YourExcellency please be seated,sothatIcanexplainhow…’JudgeDee shookhishead.

He took off the winged cap,placed it carefully on thedesk,andputhissmallskull-cap on his head. Then hedivested himself of theyellow stole, and placed itbesidethecap.‘IhavereturnedtheAugust

WordstoHerHighness.From

now on I am just themagistrate of Poo-yang. Ileave everything in yourcapablehands,sir.’The Superintendent fixed

the judge with his piercingeyes.‘Do you mean to say that

you won't avail yourself ofthis opportunity to… Don'tyou realize that you have ahighpositioninthecapitalfortheasking? I shallbeglad toproposethatyou…’

‘Iameagertoreturntomypost,sir.’Theothergavehima long

look.Then,shakinghishead,hewent to the side-table.Hetook the sword lying thereandhandedittoJudgeDee.Itwas his cherished RainDragon.Asthejudgehungiton his back, theSuperintendentsaidgravely:‘Your drastic action in

Poo-yang against the monksof the Temple of Boundless

Mercy made the Buddhistclique at court your enemy.And now you have seriouslyantagonized the powerfulparty of the eunuchs. I wantyou to realize, Dee, that youhave embittered enemies atthe Imperial Court. But alsostaunch friends. Includingme.’Histhinlipscurved.Itwas

the first time Judge Dee hadseen the Superintendentsmile. He bowed and went

out.Thelieutenantatthegateaskedhimwhetherhewanteda palankeen, but the judgesaidhepreferredahorse.Thegates were thrown open andhe rode across the marblebridge.

XXII

Entering the pine forest,JudgeDeefeltthewarmraysof the sun on his back. Herealized itwasgettingon fornoon. Deeply inhaling thebracing air, he reflected thatthis was a nice change afterthe hectic, hothouseatmosphere of the Water

Palace. Squaring hisshoulders,hethoughtproudlyof the Dragon Throne,unsullied by infamousinsinuations. There wouldalways be all kinds ofintrigues in the palace—itwas an unavoidably weakpoint in theadministrationofthisgreatcountry.Butaslongasthetopremainedsound,allwas well under Heaven. Herode along, the hoofs of hishorse treading noiselessly on

the thick layer of pine-needlescoveringtheroad.Suddenly he reined in his

horse. Master Gourd cameriding round the bend,hunched up on his donkey,his crutches across its rump.The calabash was hangingfrom his belt by a red-tasselled cord. Halting hismount, theoldmansurveyedthe judge from under histuftedeyebrows.‘Glad to see you wearing

that skull-cap, magistrate. Iknew that a scrap of yellowpaper with a blob of red inkon it couldn't change yournature. Where's yourcalabash?’‘IleftitattheKingfisher.I

am very glad to meet youonce more before leavingRivertown,MasterGourd.’‘This is the third time and

the last, magistrate. Just likenature,man's life revolves incycles.Foronebriefmoment

yours and mine touched.What's the news from thepalace?’‘I returned your daughter's

necklace. I expect herbetrothal to Colonel Kangwillbeannouncedinthenearfuture. Who are you, MasterGourd?’‘Were,rather,’theoldman

saidgruffly.‘Sinceyouknowso much, you may as wellknow this too. Many yearsago Iwas a general.When I

wentnorthfortheTartarwar,I left my secret sweetheartbehind, carrying my childunder her heart. I wasseverelywounded in our lastbattle: my horse was killedunderme,crushingmylegs.Ibecame a prisoner of theTartar barbarians; for fifteenlong years I was theirmeanestslave.Thatmademerealize the emptiness ofworldlypower. Iwouldhavekilledmyself,but thinkingof

her made me cling to life,miserable as it was. When Isucceeded in escaping andreturned to China, mysweetheartwasdead.ShehadbeenelectedImperialConsortjustafterIhadleft,andinduetime had borne a daughter.Mydaughter,asyoucorrectlysurmised. She was recordedas the Emperor's own child,becausetheeunuchsfearedtobe punished for not havingascertained she was a virgin

upon entering the harem.That, magistrate, showed methe emptiness of worldlylove.ThusIbecameavagrantmonk,withonlyonelinkleftwith this world, namely myconcern for my daughter'shappiness.’ He paused, thenadded, reluctantly, ‘MynamewasOu-yangPei-han.’

Judge Dee nodded slowly.He had heard of the famous,dashinggeneral.Hisdeath inbattle had been mourned bytheentirenation.Twenty-fiveyearsago.Theoldmanresumed:‘A gourd becomes useful

only after it has beenemptied.Forthenitsdryrindmayserveasacontainer.Thesamegoes forus,magistrate.It's only after we have beenemptiedofallourvainhopes,

all our petty desires andcherished illusions, that wecan be useful to others.Perhaps you'll realize thislater, magistrate, when youare older. Well, when I metyouintheforest,Irecognizedyou, for I had heard it saidthat we resemble each other,andIsensedtheforceofyourpersonality. It so happenedthat the gourds we werecarrying formed the first linkbetween us, establishing our

relationship of travelling-doctorandvagrantmonkinaspontaneous, quite naturalmanner. And so, although Ifirmlybelieveinnon-action,Ithought that in this case Imight as well forge thesecond link of a chain ofcause and effect, and Iadvised my daughter tosummon you. Then I just letevents take their course.Andnowyouhadbetterforgetme,magistrate. Until you

rememberme,sometime.Foralthough to the unknowing Iam but a bronze mirroragainstwhich theydash theirheads,tothewiseIamadoorthroughwhichtheymaypassin or out.’ He clicked histongue, and the donkeyambledon.The judge looked after the

departing figure till it haddisappeared among the trees.Then he rode back toRivertown.

He found the hall of theKingfisher deserted. Hearingvoicesfrombehindthelatticescreen, he walked round itand sawCaptainSiewsittingat the innkeeper's desk,writingbusilyandatthesametime talking to Fern whostood by his chair. Siewquicklycametohisfeet.‘Helping Miss Fern a bit

with all the paper-work, sir,’he said, a little self-consciously.‘Lotsofformsto

befilledout,youknow,andIthought…‘Excellent idea. I want to

thankyou for your trust, andyourloyalhelp,Siew.SorryIdidn't get round to draftingfor you a control-system forunwantedvisitors.’The captain looked

embarrassed.‘Of course, sir. I mean, I

shouldn't have…’ Hefloundered, then went onquickly, ‘Your two

lieutenants have arrived, sir!Whentheycametoregister,Itold them to go to the NineClouds. I'll just make sure!’Herushedtothehall.Ferngave the judgeacold

look.‘Youandyour threewives

! For heaven's sake ! As anImperial envoy, you musthave a whole harem, chock-fullofwomen!’‘I am not an envoy but a

simpledistrictmagistrate,and

I have indeed three wives,’the judge saidquietly. ‘Sorrythat I couldn't reveal to youearlier that I was obliged toactadoctor'spart.’Shewassmilingagain.‘We had two nice trips on

the river, anyway!’ she said.CaptainSiewcameback.‘Saw them standing in the

halloftheNineClouds,sir!’‘Good. I'll take my noon

rice there with them, thentravel on. I wish you much

happiness.Bothofyou.’He quickly went out into

thestreetagain.InthefronthalloftheNine

Clouds, the portly host wasleaning against the counter,his face green, his pudgyhands clutching his paunch.He gave the judge areproachful look. Judge Deetook a brush from the holderon the counter, and jotteddown a recipe. Pushing itovertothefatman,hesaid:

‘This is gratis. Take thismedicineaftereachmeal,eatoften but only a little at atime.Avoidwine,andfatandpeppery dishes. And abstainfromsweets!’He found Ma Joong and

Chiao Tai in the restaurant.They had sat down at awindow-table and werecracking melon seeds. Thetwo tall men jumped up,broad grins on their sun-tannedfaces.

‘We had two hectic days,sir! Slept in the woods!’MaJoong shouted. ‘Killed twoboars, huge fellows. Hopeyouhadagoodrest,sir!Howdidyourfishinggo?’‘Not too bad. I caught a

fineriverperch’Chiao Tai surveyed Judge

Dee's haggard face with aworried look.He thought hismaster needed a drink.Knowing Judge Dee'sabstemious habits, however,

hesaidaftersomehesitation:‘Whataboutjoiningusina

smallcuportwo,sir?’Asthejudge nodded, Chiao Taishouted at the waiter: ‘Twolargejarsofthebest!’The judge sat down. Over

his shoulder he told thewaiter:‘Makeitthree.’

POSTSCRIPT

JUDGE DEE was a historicalperson;helivedfromA.D.630to 700, during the TangDynasty. Besides earningfame as a great detective, hewasalsoabrilliantstatesmanwho,inthesecondhalfofhiscareer, played an importantrole in the internal and

foreign policies of the TangEmpire. The adventuresrelated here, however, areentirelyfictitious.MasterGourdisthetypeof

high-minded Taoist reclusethat figures often in ancientChinese literature. TaoismandConfucianismarethetwobasic ways of thought thathave dominated Chinesereligion and philosophy;Buddhism was introducedlater,aroundthebeginningof

our era. Confucianism isrealistic and very much ofthis world, Taoism mysticandwholly unworldly. JudgeDee was a Confucianist asmost Chinese scholar-officials, with a sympatheticinterest in Taoism, but anti-Buddhist. Thepronouncement of MasterGourd on p. 3 is a directquotation from the famousTaoist text Tao-te-ching (cf.J. J. L. Duyvendak, Tao Te

Ching, The Wisdom of theEast Series, London 1954, p.40). Judge Dee's remark onConfucius fishing with a rodinsteadofwithanet(p.61)isquoted from theConfucianistClassic Lun-yü (cf. ArthurWaley, The Analects ofConfucius, London 1949, p.128).The calabash or bottle-

gourd has, since ancienttimes, played an importantrole in Chinese philosophy

andart.Beingverydurableinits dried state, it is used as areceptacle for medicine, andhence it is the traditionalshop-sign of drug-dealers.Taoist sages are said to havecarriedtheelixiroflongevityin a calabash, hence it hasbecome the traditionalsymbol for immortality. Italso symbolizes the relativityof all things, as expressed intheancientsaying:Theentireuniversemaybefoundwithin

the compass of a calabash.’Eventodayonewilloftenseeold Chinese or Japanesegentlemen leisurely polishinga calabashwith the palms oftheir hands, this beingconsideredconducivetoquietmeditation.The abacus, in Chinese

called suan-p'an, ‘calculatingtray’, is a very effective‘ready reckoner’, today stillwidely used in both Chinaand Japan. Based on the

decimalsystem,itconsistsofan oblong rectangularwoodenframe,crossedbytenor more parallel wire-rods(see the first plate of thepresent novel; Tai Min'sabacus had twelve rods). Onevery rod are threaded sevenwooden beads, divided intogroups of five and two by across-bar bisecting the framelengthwise. Each of the fivebeads on the first rod counts1, each of the two counts 5;

pushed to the cross-bar theycount 10. The beads on thenext rod count as tens, thoseon the third rod as hundreds,andsoon.Theabacusisusedfor addition, subtraction,multiplication and division.Literary evidence proves thatit was widely used in Chinainthefifteenthcentury,butitisdoubtfulwhether itexistedin this form in Judge Dee'stime. A detailed descriptionwill be found in Joseph

Needham'smonumentalworkScience and Civilization inChina, vol. III (Cambridge,1959),p.74.As regards the medicine

JudgeDeeprescribesonp.36ofthepresentnovel,itshouldbe noted that the medicinalproperties of the plantEphedra vulgaris, Chinesema-huang, were known inChina long before they wererecognizedintheWest.The plates I drew in the

style of sixteenth-centuryillustrated blockprints, andthey represent, therefore,costumes and customs of theMingperiodratherthanthoseof the Tang dynasty. Notethat in Judge Dee's time theChinesedidnotwearpigtails;that custom was imposed onthem after A.D. 1644, whenthe Manchus had conqueredChina.Themendidtheirhairupinatop-knotasshownonthe plate on p. 111 of the

present novel, and theyworecaps both inside and outsidethe house. They did notsmoke, for tobacco andopium were introduced intoChina only a few centuriesago.

RobertvanGulik