The Chinese Maze Murders

by Robert Van Gulik

  Upon that the Governor started coughing and Yoo Kee left the room to order a new bowl with medicine. As soon as he had gone the Governor suddenly said to me: 'Should you ever be in difficulties you will take this picture to the tribunal and show it to the magistrate. If he does not understand its meaning you will show it to his successor, until in due time a wise judge shall uncover its secret.' Then Yoo Kee came in. The Governor looked at the three of us. He laid his emaciated hand on the head of my small son, smiled and passed away without saying another word."

  Mrs. Yoo broke down sobbing.

  Judge Dee waited until she was calmer. Then he said:

  "Every detail of that last day is important, Madam. Tell me what happened thereafter."

  "My stepson Yoo Kee", Mrs. Yoo continued, "took the picture from my hands saying that he would keep it for me. He was not unkind then. It was only after the funeral that he changed. He told me harshly to leave the house immediately with my son. He accused me of having deceived his father and forbade me and my son ever to set a foot in his house again. Then he threw this scroll picture on the table and said with a sneer that I was welcome to my inheritance."

  Judge Dee stroked his beard.

  "Since the Governor was a man of great wisdom, Madam, there must be some deep meaning in this picture. I shall study it carefully. It is my duty to warn you, however, that I keep an open mind as to the portent of its secret message. It may either be in your favour or prove that you have been guilty of the crime of adultery. In either case I shall take appropriate steps and justice shall take its course. I leave it to you, Madam, to decide whether you will want me to keep this scroll or whether you prefer to take it back with you and withdraw your claim."

  Mrs. Yoo rose. She said with quiet dignity:

  "I beg Your Honour to keep this scroll for study. I pray to Merciful Heaven that it will grant you to solve its riddle."

  Then she bowed deeply and took her leave.

  Sergeant Hoong and Tao Gan had been waiting outside in the corridor. Now they came in and greeted the judge. Tao Gan was carrying an armful of document rolls.

  The sergeant reported that they had inventoried Chien Mow's property. They had found several hundred gold bars and a large amount of silver. This money they had locked in the strongroom together with a number of utensils of solid gold. The women and the house servants had been confined to the third courtyard. Six constables of the tribunal and ten soldiers had been quartered in the second courtyard under supervision of Chiao Tai, to guard the mansion.

  Tao Gan placed with a contented smile his load of documents on the desk. He said:

  "These, Your Honour, are the inventories we made, and all the deeds and accounts that we found in Chien Mow's strongroom."

  Judge Dee leaned back in his chair and looked at the pile with undisguised distaste.

  "The disentangling of Chien Mow's affairs", he said, "will be a long and tedious task. I shall entrust this work to you, Sergeant, and Tao Gan. I don't expect that this material will contain anything more important than evidence of unlawful appropriation of land and houses and petty extortion. The guildmasters have promised to send me this afternoon suitable persons to take up the duties of the clerical personnel, including a head of our archives. They should be useful in working out these problems."

  "They are waiting in the main courtyard, Your Honour", Sergeant Hoong remarked.

  "Well", the judge said, "you and Tao Gan will instruct them in their duties. Tonight the head of the archives will

  GOVERNOR YOO'S PICTURE

  assist you in sorting out these documents. I leave it to you to draft for me an extensive report with suggestions as to how Chien Mow's affairs should be dealt with. You will keep apart, however, any document that has a bearing on the murder of my late colleague, Magistrate Pan.

  I myself wish to concentrate on this problem here."

  As he spoke the judge took up the package that Mrs. Yoo had left with him. He unwrapped it and unrolled the scroll picture on his desk.

  Sergeant Hoong and Tao Gan stepped forward and together with the judge they looked intently at the picture.

  It was a medium-sized picture painted on silk, representing an imaginary mountain landscape done in full colours. White clouds drifted amoung the cliffs. Here and there houses appeared amidst clusters of trees, and on the right a mountain river flowed down. There was not a single human figure.

  On top of the picture the Governor had written the title in archaic characters. It read:

  BOWERS OF EMPTY ILLUSION

  The Governor had not signed this inscription, there was only an impression of his seal in vermilion.

  The picture was mounted on all four sides with borders of heavy brocade. Below there had been added a wooden roller and on top a thin stave with a suspension loop. This is the usual mounting of scroll pictures meant to be hung on the wall.

  Sergeant Hoong pensively pulled his beard.

  "The title would seem to suggest", he remarked, "that this picture represents some Taoist paradise or an abode of immortals."

  Judge Dee nodded.

  "This picture", he said, "requires careful study. Hang

  it on the wall opposite my desk so that I can look at it whenever I like!"

  When Tao Gan had suspended the picture on the wall between the door and the window, the judge rose and walked over to the main courtyard.

  He saw that the prospective members of his clerical staff were decent looking men. The judge addressed them briefly, and concluded:

  "My two lieutenants will now instruct you. Listen carefully, for tomorrow you will have to start your duties when I hold the morning session of this tribunal."

  Seventh Chapter

  THREE ROGUISH MONKS RECEIVE THEIR JUST PUNISHMENT; A CANDIDATE OF LITERATURE REPORTS A CRUEL MURDER

  The next morning, before the break of dawn, the citizens of Lan-fang began trooping to the tribunal. When the hour of the morning session approached a dense crowd filled the street in front of the main gate.

  The large bronze gong was sounded three times. The constables threw the double gate open and the crowd poured inside and into the court hall. Soon there was not a single standing place left.

  The constables ranged themselves in two rows to right and left in front of the dais.

  Then the screen at the back was pulled aside. Judge Dee ascended the dais clad in full ceremonial dress. As he seated himself behind the bench his four lieutenants took up their position by his side. The senior scribe and his assistants stood next to the bench, now covered with a new cloth of scarlet silk.

  A deep silence reigned as the judge took up his vermilion brush and filled out a slip for the warden of the jail. Headman Fang took it respectfully with two hands and left the court hall with two constables.

  They came back with the elder of Chien's two counsellors. He knelt in front of the dais. Judge Dee ordered: "State your name and profession!" "This insignificant person", the man spoke humbly, "is

  called Liu Wan-fang. Until ten years ago I was the house steward of Chien Mow's late father. After the latter's death Chien kept me as his adviser. I assure Your Honour that I have always on every possible occasion urged Chien to mend his ways!"

  The judge observed with a cold smile:

  "I can say only that your attempts had a remarkably small result! The tribunal is collecting and sifting the evidence of your master's crimes; doubtless this material will prove your complicity in many of Chien's misdeeds. However, at present I am not concerned with the minor crimes you and your master committed. For the present I wish to confine myself to the major issues. Speak up, what murders did Chien Mow commit?"

  Liu answered:

  "Your Honour, it is true that my master appropriated unlawfully people's land and houses and he often had persons severely beaten up. But to the best of my knowledge Chien never did wilfully kill anyone."

  "Liar!", Judge Dee shouted. "What about Magistrate Pan who was dastardly murdered here?"

  "T
hat murder", Liu replied, "baffled my master as much as myself!"

  The judge shot him an incredulous stare.

  "Of course we knew", Liu continued hurriedly "that His Excellency Pan was evolving plans to oust my master from his position. Since Judge Pan had no one with him but one assistant, my master did not act for a few days. He wished to wait and see what course of action Judge Pan would take. Then one morning two of our men came running to our mansion. They reported that Judge Pan's body had been found on the river bank.

  My master was greatly vexed because he knew that people would say that he was responsible for this murder.

  He hurriedly drew up a false report to the prefect stating that Judge Pan and six militia had ventured over the river to apprehend a rebel Uigur chieftain, and that the judge was slain in the ensuing fight. Six of Chien's men signed as witnesses, and…" Judge Dee hit his gavel on the bench. "I have never", he exclaimed angrily, "heard such a string of outrageous lies! Give that dogshead twentyfive lashes with the whip!"

  Liu started to protest but the headman promptly hit him in his face. The constables tore Liu's robe from his back, threw him on the floor, and the whip swished through the air.

  The thin thong cut deeply in the flesh. Liu screamed desperately that he was telling the truth.

  After the fifteenth blow the judge raised his hand. He knew that there was no reason for Liu to shield his fallen master and that Liu would realize that the testimony of the other prisoners would soon expose him if he tried to lie. Judge Dee wished to confuse him so that he would tell all he knew, reflecting that fifteen lashes with the whip was probably but a fraction of the punishment that this scoundrel deserved.

  The headman gave Liu a cup of bitter tea. Then Judge Dee continued the interrogation.

  "If what you say is true, why then did Chien Mow not try to discover the real murderer?"

  "That", Liu replied, "was unnecessary since my master knew who had committed that foul deed." Judge Dee raised his eyebrows.

  "Your tale", he remarked dryly, "becomes increasingly absurd. If your master knew the murderer's identity, why did he not arrest him and forward him to the prefect? That would have gained Chien the confidence of the authorities."

  Liu shook his head dejectedly.

  "That question, Your Honour, can only be answered by Chien himself. Although my master consulted us in minor matters he never told us one word about things of real importance. I know that in all major issues my master let himself be directed by a man whose identity we have never been able to guess."

  "I thought", Judge Dee observed, "that Chien was perfectly capable to conduct his affairs himself. Why should he need to employ some mysterious adviser?"

  "My master", Liu replied, "is a clever and brave man, expert in all martial arts. But after all, he was born and brought up in this small border town. What do we of Lan-fang know about the handling of a prefect and how to deal with the central authorities? It was always after a visit of the stranger that my master made one of the many clever moves that prevented the prefect from intervening in affairs here."

  Judge Dee leaned forward in his chair. He asked curtly:

  "Who was that secret adviser?"

  "For the last four years", Liu said, "my master used to receive regularly secret visits from that man. Late at night my master would send me to the side gate of our mansion and inform the guards that he expected a guest who was to be conveyed immediately to his library. This visitor always came on foot clad in a monk's cloak with a black scarf wrapped round his head. None of us ever saw his face. My master used to be closeted with him for hours on end. Then he would depart as silently as he had come. My master never gave us any explanation of these visits. But they were always the prelude to some major undertaking.

  I am convinced that this man had Judge Pan murdered without my master's previous knowledge. He came that same night. He must have had a violent quarrel with my master; outside in the corridor we heard them shout at each other although we could not distinguish any words. After that interview my master was in a bad temper for several days."

  The judge said impatiently:

  "I have heard enough of this mysterious tale. What about Chien's kidnapping the son and the eldest daughter of the blacksmith Fang?"

  "It is about affairs such as these", Liu said, "that I and my colleagues can give Your Honour full particulars. Fang's son was indeed taken by Chien's men. The mansion was short of coolies and Chien sent out his henchmen to collect a few strong young men in the street. They brought in four. Three were later returned when their parents paid ransom. The blacksmith made trouble with the guards so Chien decided to keep his son to teach the blacksmith a lesson.

  As to the girl, I know that my master happened to see her when he passed her father's shop in his palanquin. He took a fancy to her and made an offer to buy her. When the blacksmith refused my master soon forgot all about it. Then the blacksmith came to our mansion and accused us of having kidnapped her. My master was angry and sent his men to burn the blacksmith's house."

  Judge Dee leaned back in his chair and slowly stroked his long beard. He reflected that Liu was evidently speaking the truth. His master had had nothing to do with the disappearance of Fang's eldest daughter. Quick measures should be taken to arrest Chien's secret adviser. If at least it was not too late for that already.

  Then he ordered:

  "Tell me what happened after my arrival here two days ago!"

  "One week ago", Liu replied, "Magistrate Kwang reported to my master Your Honour's scheduled arrival. He asked leave to depart early in the morning since he thought it awkward to meet Your Honour. My master agreed. He ordered that no one should take the slightest notice of Your Honour's arrival in order 'to show the new magistrate his place', as he put it.

  My master then waited for the old jail warden to report. He failed to show up on the first day. He came the next evening and told my master that Your Honour was determined to attack him. He added that there were only three or four men in the tribunal but he described them as exceedingly fierce and rough men."

  Here Tao Gan smiled proudly. It was not often that he heard such a flattering description of himself.

  "My master", Liu continued, "ordered twenty of his men to enter the tribunal that very night, capture the magistrate and give all others a thorough beating. When Ling and five men came back with the alarming news that a regiment of the regular army had quietly occupied the city, my master was asleep and nobody dared to disturb him. Early yesterday morning I myself brought Ling to my master's bedroom. He ordered a small black flag to be hoisted immediately over the main gate and then rushed to the main hall. When we were consulting about what to do, Your Honour came with the officers and arrested us."

  "What was the meaning of that black flag?", the judge inquired.

  "We understand that that was the summons for the mysterious visitor. Every time the flag was hoisted, he used to come that same night."

  Judge Dee gave a sign to the headman. Liu Wan-fang was led away.

  Then the judge filled out another slip for the warden of the jail and handed it to the headman.

  After a while Chien Mow was brought in and led before the dais.

  A murmur rose from the crowd as they saw the man who

  had ruled them with an iron hand for the past eight years.

  Chien certainly was an imposing figure. He was well

  over six feet tall. His broad shoulders and his thick neck

  showed his great strength.

  He made no move to kneel. First Chien looked haughtily at the judge, then turned round and surveyed with a sneer the gaping crowd.

  "Kneel before your magistrate, you insolent dog!", the headman barked.

  Chien Mow grew purple with rage. Thick veins stood out like whipcords on his forehead. He opened his mouth to speak. Then suddenly a stream of blood gushed from his broken nose. He tottered on his feet for a moment, then collapsed on the floor in a heap.

  On a sign of the judge
the headman stooped down and wiped the blood of Chien's face. He was unconscious.

  The headman sent a constable for a bucket of cold water. They loosened Chien's robe and bathed his forehead and breast. But all was in vain. Chien did not regain consciousness.

  Judge Dee was greatly annoyed. He ordered the headman to recall Liu Wan-fang.

  As soon as he was kneeling before the bench the judge asked:

  "Was your master suffering from any disease?" Liu looked in consternation at the prone figure of Chien. The constables were still trying to revive him. Liu shook his head.

  "Although my master has an extraordinarily strong body", he said, "he suffers from a chronic disease of the brain. He has been consulting doctors for years but no medicine was of any avail. When he flew in a rage he would often collapse like this and remain unconscious for several hours. The doctors said that the only means to cure him was to open his skull and let out the poisonous air inside. But no doctor in Lan-fang possessed that particular skill."

  Liu Wan-fang was led away. Four constables carried the limp form of Chien Mow back to the jail.

  "Let the warden report to me as soon as this man recovers!", Judge Dee ordered the headman.

  The judge reflected that this collapse of Chien Mow was extremely unfortunate. It was of urgent importance to learn from Chien the identity of his mysterious visitor. Every hour delay gave that shadowy figure in the background a better chance to make good his escape. The judge regretted deeply that he had failed to question Chien directly after his arrest. But who could have foreseen that he had this unknown accomplice?

  With a sigh Judge Dee straightened himself in his chair. He hit his gavel on the bench. In a clear voice he spoke:

  "During eight years the criminal Chien Mow has been usurping the privilege of our Imperial Government. From now on law and order are re-established in Lan-fang. The good will be protected, the wicked relentlessly persecuted and punished according to the laws of the land.