The Chinese Maze Murders

by Robert Van Gulik

  A look of surprise flashed over Yoo Kee's haggard face. He replied:

  "Since the original testament stated that the property was to be divided equally between me and my half brother Yoo Shan, I destroyed it. Instead I inserted into the lining of the scroll a paper that I had written myself and that would establish beyond all doubt that I was the only rightful heir."

  "You see", the judge said disdainfully, "that every one of your black deeds is known to me! Lead the criminal back to jail!"

  Not long after the judge had closed the session, Chiao Tai came to his private office and reported that all the criminals had been duly placed under arrest. In the Northern Row there had been some trouble, The Hunter had resisted his arrest but he had been knocked down by Corporal Ling.

  Judge Dee leaned back in his chair. Sipping a cup of hot tea he said:

  „ Ooljin and the six Uigurs must be conveyed to the capital. Let Corporal Ling select ten soldiers, and set out on horseback tomorrow morning. If they change horses at the nearest military post, they should be in the capital within a week. The three shopkeepers and the soldiers who accepted the bribe, I shall judge here."

  Looking at his four lieutenants sitting in a half circle in front of his desk, Judge Dee continued with a smile:

  "I think that with the arrest of the leaders we have nipped this plot in the bud!"

  Chiao Tai nodded eagerly.

  "The Uigur tribesmen", he said, "are not to be despised as warriors in a pitched battle in the open field. They are fine horsemen and their archers shoot with deadly accuracy. But they have neither the experience nor the equipment necessary for laying siege to a walled city. When tomorrow night they don't see the signal fire on the watch tower, they will not dare to attack!"

  Judge Dee nodded.

  "I leave it to you, Chiao Tai", he said, "to make the necessary preparations to meet any eventuality."

  With a bleak smile the judge added:

  "You cannot complain that you are not kept busy here, my friends!"

  "The other day when we were approaching Lan-fang", Sergeant Hoong said with a smile, "Your Honour observed that our task here would be interesting because we would meet here unusual problems! That surmise has indeed come true!"

  Judge Dee wearily passed his hand over his eyes.

  "I find it difficult to believe", he said, "that it is only one week since we arrived here in Lan-fang!"

  Putting his hands into his wide sleeves he continued:

  "Looking back upon the last few days I think that Chien Mow's mysterious visitor worried me more than anything else. It was evident that he was the brain behind the tyrant's activities. I knew that as long as he was free anything might happen!"

  "How did Your Honour discover that it was Yoo Kee?", Tao Gan asked. As far as I can see there was no clue at all to the stranger's identity!"

  Judge Dee nodded.

  "It is true", he replied, "we did not know much. Yet there were two indirect clues. First, we knew that he must be a man conversant with the internal and external affairs of the Empire. Second, that he probably lived in the vicinity of Chien Mow's mansion.

  I must confess that at first I strongly suspected Woo Feng of being our man. Woo is exactly the kind of reckless fellow who would venture on such a wild scheme. And his family background would have given him sufficient knowledge of affairs of state to guide Chien Mows' actions."

  "Moreover", Sergeant Hoong interrupted, "there is Woo's queer predilection for barbarian art!"

  "Exactly!", said Judge Dee. "However, Woo lived far from Chien Mow's mansion and it seemed unlikely to me that he would be able to leave his quarters regularly in an elaborate disguise without the garrulous host of the Eternal Spring Wineshop coming to know of it. Lastly, Ma Joong's talk with The Hunter proved that the plans of the conspirators were not affected by Woo's arrest."

  Judge Dee pulled his hands from his sleeves and leaned with his elbows on the table. Looking at Chiao Tai he continued:

  "You, Chiao Tai, suggested the solution to me!"

  Chiao Tai looked his astonishment at this unexpected statement.

  "Yes", the judge went on, "it was you who, in connection with our imaginary army, pointed out to me that a ruse could work two ways! It suddenly dawned on me that Yoo Kee's elaborate preparations for defending himself against a barbarian attack could as well be explained as preparations for taking part in such a raid!

  Once that my suspicions had been aroused I found that Yoo Kee fitted the part of Chien Mow's secret adviser very well. First, Yoo Kee is of course thoroughly conversant with political affairs, he grew up in the house of one of the greatest statesmen of our time. Second, his house is within walking distance of Chien Mow's mansion, he would soon see the black flag that Chien used to hoist on his gate when he wanted Yoo Kee to visit him that day.

  Then I started to ask myself a few questions. Why should a man who is afraid of a barbarian raid purchase a mansion in the most dangerous spot, in the southwest corner of the city near the Watergate? And that while he already possessed a mansion near the East Gate, a safe location where he can flee to the mountains at the first sign of danger? And why did Chien Mow take no measures against Yoo Kee when the latter took Chien's best fencing master away?

  There could be only one answer: Yoo Kee was Chien's adviser, it was he who organized the plan for establishing an independent kingdom here on the border.

  Lastly, Chien Mow told me so himself!"

  "When was that, Your Honour?", Sergeant Hoong and Ma Joong exclaimed at the same time. Tao Gan and Chiao Tai stared at the judge in utter amazement.

  Judge Dee looked at his lieutenants with a quizzical smile.

  "When Chien Mow was dying", he replied, "we all thought that he tried to start a sentence with 'You…'. I should have known better! A dying man who can hardly speak does not try to formulate a complicated sentence. He only wanted to pronounce one name, the name of the murderer of Magistrate Pan. And that name was Yoo Kee!"

  Tao Gan crashed his fist on the desk. He gave the others a meaningful look.

  "I must add", Judge Dee continued, "that it was old Master Crane Robe who suggested this to me. At the very beginning of our conversation he misheard 'Yoo 'for 'You'. At least I thought that he had misheard… Looking back on that strange conversation I suspect that every word of the old master was said with a purpose and had a very special meaning…"

  Judge Dee's voice trailed off. He fell silent and for a few moments pensively stroked his beard. Then he looked at his lieutenants and continued in a brisk voice:

  "Tomorrow I shall close the case against Yoo Kee. The charge of high treason is the most serious one that can be made, it disposes of his murdering Magistrate Pan.

  In the same session, I shall close the murder of General Ding!"

  The last announcement gave Judge Dee's lieutenants their second shock that evening. They all spoke together.

  Judge Dee raised his hand.

  "Yes", he said, "I have finally found the solution of that queer and complicated case. The man who actually killed the General signed his name to the deed!"

  "So it was, after all, that impudent rascal Woo!", Sergeant Hoong said excitedly.

  "Tomorrow", Judge Dee said calmly, "you will know how General Ding met his death."

  He sipped his tea. Then he went on:

  "Today we have made much progress. Yet there still remain two vexing problems. The first is a practical and urgent one, namely the disappearance of White Orchid. The second is a less urgent one, but all the same it needs our full attention. I mean the riddle of Governor Yoo's picture.

  Unless we can establish that Mrs. Yoo and her son Yoo Shan are the rightful owners of half of the Governor's property, they will forever be as destitute as they are now. For since Yoo Kee will be indicted on the charge of high treason, the government will confiscate all his possessions.

  Unfortunately, Yoo Kee destroyed the testament he found in the Governor's scroll picture. So that proof is gone. Yoo Ke
e's confession does not alter the fact that the old Governor on his deathbed bequeathed the picture to Mrs. Yoo and her son, and 'all the rest' to Yoo Kee. The higher authorities, and especially the Board of Finance will base themselves on that oral will, and confiscate all Yoo Kee's property. Thus unless I solve the riddle of that picture, Mrs. Yoo and Yoo Shan will receive nothing!"

  Tao Gan nodded. He slowly played with the three long hairs that sprouted from his left cheek. Then he asked:

  "At the beginning we did not know that Yoo Kee was concerned with this plan for taking the city. We only knew that he was the defendant in an inheritance suit. Why did Your Honour right from the beginning take such a great interest in the case Yoo versus Yoo?"

  Judge Dee answered with a smile:

  "Since I am explaining, I may as well tell you the background of my special interest in that case.

  I must state that I have always been deeply interested in the personality of Governor Yoo Shou-chien. Many years ago when I was preparing myself for my second examination, I copied out all the reords I could lay hands on of the criminal cases solved by Governor Yoo when he was still a district magistrate. Poring over those I made it my ambition to learn his brilliant deductive methods. Later I carefully studied his inspired memorials to the Throne and tried to absorb his burning passion for justice and his deep devotion to the state and the people. He was for me the shining example, the ideal of the perfect servant of the state.

  How I longed to meet him in person! But that was of course quite impossible since he was a Governor and I but a struggling young candidate.

  Then Governor Yoo suddenly resigned. This inexplicable action of my hero perturbed me greatly. I have been wondering about it ever since.

  When I found in the archives here in Lan-fang the file Yoo versus Yoo, it seemed to me as if at last I would have an opportunity of coming nearer to the idol of my youth, that I would meet him, as it were, in the spirit. The riddle of his testament seemed to me a challenge from beyond the grave…"

  Judge Dee paused and looked intently at the scroll picture hanging on the wall opposite.

  As he pointed at it he continued:

  "I am firmly resolved to find the secret of that scroll! Since Yoo Kee's confession, the old Governor's message has become more than a challenge. I feel it is my solemn duty to the Governor's memory to see to it that the widow and the son of the man I worshipped obtain what is rightfully theirs. All the more so since I sent his eldest son to the execution ground."

  The judge rose and stood himself in front of the picture. His lieutenants left their seats and also gazed once more at the mysterious landscape.

  Folding his hands in his sleeves Judge Dee said slowly:

  " 'Bowers of Empty Illusion'! How deeply it must have shocked the old Governor when he found that his eldest son had inherited his father's brilliant mind, but nothing of his noble character!

  I know every brush stroke of this picture by heart. I had hoped that the old country mansion would have given me some clue, yet I cannot…"

  Suddenly the judge stopped. Bending forward he looked over the entire picture from top to bottom. As he straightened himself he slowly tugged at his whiskers. Then he turned round. His eyes were shining.

  "I have found it, my friends!" he exclaimed. "Tomorrow, this riddle also will be solved!"

  Twenty first Chapter

  JUDGE DEE CLOSES THE CASE OF THE MURDERED GENERAL; CHIAO TAI RELATES THE STORY OF A MILITARY DISASTER

  The next day, when Judge Dee opened the morning session of the tribunal hundreds of people were crowding the courtroom. The news of Yoo Kee's arrest had spread all over the town and the wildest rumours were circulating with regard to the arrest of the Uigur chieftain.

  Judge Dee slowly surveyed the crowd, and pondered for a while as to how he should start the questioning. He reflected that Yoo Kee excelled in dissimulation and secret planning; he was wont to direct affairs from behind a carefully constructed screen. Often such persons break down completely once they have been forced to come out into the open.

  The judge wrote Yoo Kee's name on a slip and handed it to Headman Fang.

  As Yoo Kee was brought in Judge Dee saw that his surmise had been correct. Yoo Kee had changed overnight into a different person. The cloak of easy joviality that he had so carefully worn had fallen off. There was left nothing but a listless, broken man.

  Judge Dee said quietly:

  "At yesterday's session we went through the formalities. You can now begin immediately with your confession!"

  "Your Honour", Yoo Kee spoke in a toneless voice, "when a man has been left no hope either in this world or the next there is no reason why he should not tell the whole truth."

  Yoo Kee paused for a moment. Then he suddenly said bitterly:

  "I know that my father hated me. Well, I hated him too although I admit that I feared him! While he was still alive I had already made the firm resolution that I would become a greater man than he. He had been a governor, I was to be a sovereign ruler!

  For years I made a careful study of the border situation. I realized that if the barbarian tribes could be united and given some guidance they could easily overrun the entire border region. With Lan-fang as capital I could found a kingdom astride the border. While keeping off the Chinese authorities by promises of submission and lengthy negotiations about vassalage, I would steadily enlarge the kingdom to the west by attracting more and more barbarian chieftains; thus while my power would be growing in the west, my attitude to the Chinese authorities in the east would gradually stiffen until I would be so strong that no one would dare to attack me."

  Yoo Kee heaved a sigh, then went on:

  "I was confident that I had sufficient diplomatic skill and knowledge of Chinese internal politics to execute this scheme. But I lacked military experience. In Chien Mow I found a useful tool. He was a determined and ruthless man, but he knew he was not qualified to act as a political leader. I encouraged him to establish himself as the local ruler here and showed him how he could consolidate his position against the central authorities. He acknowledged my leadership. After our plans had materialized, I would have appointed Chien Mow as my Generalissimo. At the same time I used Chien's activities to test the reaction of the central authorities. Everything succeeded, the central government seemed to acquiesce in the irregular situation here. So I resolved to take the next step and establish contact with the Uigur tribes.

  Then that interfering fool, Magistrate Pan arrived. Through an unfortunate accident a letter I had written to an Uigur chieftain fell into his hands. I had to act quickly. I ordered Orolakchee, a cousin of the Khan and my confidential agent, to lure Pan to the river and kill him. Chien Mow was angry, he feared that the government would retaliate. But I instructed him how he could cover up this crime, and nothing untoward happened."

  Judge Dee was going to interrupt Yoo Kee but on second thoughts he decided that it was better to let him tell his story in his own way. Yoo Kee went on in the same toneless voice:

  "I would have come out into the open then were it not that the Khan received information of big Chinese victories over the barbarians in the north. He started to waver and finally withdrew his support. Then I engaged in complicated negotiations with minor chieftains, and finally succeeded in uniting three powerful tribes. They would attack the city if I guaranteed that the Watergate would be open and that the main points inside the town would be occupied by my men.

  When the date had been fixed, Your Honour arrived with a regiment of the regular army for inspecting the border, Chien Mow was arrested and his men dispersed. I feared that my plans had leaked out and that in the near future a strong garrison would be sent to Lan-fang. I decided to take immediate action.

  Tonight three Uigur tribes will gather in the plain. When at midnight they see the signal fire on the watchtower, they will ford the river and enter the city by the Watergate.

  That is all!"

  The crowd started to talk excitedly. They realized that
they had narrowly escaped being overrun by cruel barbarian horsemen.

  "Silence!", shouted Judge Dee.

  Then he ordered Yoo Kee:

  "State how many men these three tribes can put under arms!

  Yoo Kee thought for a while, then he replied:

  "About two thousand trained mounted archers, and a few hundred footmen."

  "What part were the three Chinese shopkeepers to play in this scheme?" asked the judge.

  "I never met them", Yoo Kee answered, "it was my fixed policy to remain in the background as much as possible. I ordered Orolakchee to enlist the help of about one dozen Chinese to guide the Uigur warriors to the tribunal and the gates. He located those men and guaranteed their support."

  Judge Dee gave a sign to the senior scribe. He read out his record of Yoo Kee's statement, and Yoo Kee affixed his thumbmark to it.

  Then the judge spoke in a solemn voice:

  "Yoo Kee, I pronounce you guilty of the crime of high treason. It is possible that the higher authorities will mitigate to some degree the severity of the extreme penalty in deference to the meritorious services of your late father, and because you confessed without pressure. But it is my duty to warn you that the Code prescribes for high treason the punishment of execution by the process called 'lingering death', that is, being cut to pieces alive.

  Lead the criminal away!"

  Then Judge Dee addressed the court:

  "I have arrested all the leaders of this nefarious scheme. The barbarians will not dare to attack tonight when they do not see the signal fire. I have issued orders, however, to make the necessary preparations for any eventuality. In the course of today you will receive instructions from your wardens what to do. The barbarians have never been able to take a walled city so there is nothing to fear!"

  The spectators broke out in cheers.

  Judge Dee hit his gavel on the bench. Then he announced:

  "I shall now hear the case Ding versus Woo."

  He filled out a slip with his vermilion brush. Soon Woo Feng was led before the dais by two constables.