“No,” Ma Joong answered, “I inquired here and there, but it seems that he has left this place.” Then, turning to Shao Lee-huai, he added:
“Brother Shao, I apologise for not having called on you this morning. But my excursion proved very useful for both you and me. Outside the pass I met a silk merchant, an old friend of mine, who was travelling with a light horsecart from Chang-ping to the north. He was in a hurry, but he stopped long enough to warn me that he had heard that that crook Manager Loo had traced me to this place, and that he is bringing a suit against you and Djao before the magistrate of Chang-ping, for swindling him. Now I happen to know that the magistrate there, the famous Judge Dee, is a just official and doubtless he will pronounce us innocent, and punish that bastard Loo for bringing in a false accusation. Still, the proverb says: ‘If but one word of information against a person gets into court, nine oxen cannot drag it out again.’ Not to speak of all the bother and the loss of time. So I rushed back here to tell you this news.”
As soon as Shao Lee-huai had heard the word “Chang-ping”, his face turned ashen. He said:
“That Judge Dee may be honest or not. But I am not going to let myself become involved in a law suit. After all, your plan is the best. Let us leave here as soon as possible and go to Lai-chow. I have friends there and we can lie in hiding there for a few days, evolving a plan for dealing with that crooked bastard Loo. As I see it now, it will be best to intimidate him first, so that he officially withdraws his complaint and then kill him before he cooks up more mischief”.
Ma Joong pretended to hesitate, but Shao Lee-huai was suddenly in a great hurry, and said:
“You return to the hostel now and pack your things. I shall run back to the shop and explain to the manager. The sooner we leave, the better”.
When Shao had left them, Djao Wan-chuan eagerly asked Ma Joong what had happened. Ma Joong said with a smile:
“Luck is with us. We can settle this affair to-day. After I passed the fort, I met a post-carrier on horseback who was on his way to the tribunal of Lai-chow on some urgent business. This man happened to be a former constable of the tribunal of Chang-ping, a most capable and dependable fellow, who two years ago often went with me when our judge sent me out on some case. My meeting with him seemed to me a Heavensent opportunity. I explained our predicament to him and he promised to inform the magistrate. Since he is traveling on horseback, he must have reached the tribunal by now, and if all goes well, the militia can be waiting for us halfway on the road there, towards the middle of this afternoon. So I came back here and invented my story on the way. I was certain that Shao would get alarmed and himself propose that we leave here as quickly as possible”.
In high spirits they packed their bundles. They had just settled their bill when Shao Lee-huai arrived, all set for the journey. They left the village at a brisk pace, and soon had left the fort behind them.
When they had been afoot for two hours or so along the highroad to Lai-chow, Djao Wan-chuan stood still and said to Shao Lee-huai: “I think the time has come for some frank talking”
“What is the matter, brother Djao?” Shao asked amazed. Then Ma Joong closed in on him, and said:
“You left Kiangsu together with a young merchant called Liu. Now, speak up, did not you murder him and another man near Six Mile Village?”
Shao Lee-huai felt as if a tub of cold water had been poured out over his head. He quickly mastered himself however, and turning round, shouted at Djao Wan-chuan:
“You dogshead, so you cheated me! Yes, I killed young Liu. What are you going to do about it?”
He pushed Ma Joong back, in one jump landed on the high bank of the road, and started to scramble through the undergrowth there, in the direction of the forest.
Ma Joong cursed himself for having underestimated Shao’s presence of mind. Shao was familiar with that neighbourhood, and once in the woods, he would surely make his escape.
Suddenly, however, shouts went up on all sides. Peaks and halberds glittered among the trees. The militia had been lying in ambush there and fell over Shao like a swarm of bees. He tried to grapple with them, but they soon had him securely in chains. Shao cursed horribly and then fell into a sullen silence.
The militia went ahead with Shao Lee-huai in their midst. Ma Joong and his friends brought up the rear.
When they reached the city of Lai-chow night was falling and a group of constables from the local tribunal came with lighted paper lanterns to meet them. A curious crowd thronged round the procession as it wound its way through the streets. The constables shouted:
“Make way, make way! This is a dangerous murderer, arrested on the orders of His Excellency the magistrate of Lai-chow!”
The local people were full of admiration, and shouted: “Long live our magistrate!”
At the tribunal Ma Joong had the necessary documents relating to Shao Lee-huai filled in and sealed, and the magistrate gave them permission to hand Shao over to the warden of the local jail, to be kept there for the night. These things having been settled, Ma Joong and his companions rented a room in the large hostel opposite the tribunal, treated themselves to a good meal, and talked happily till a late hour.
The next morning Shao was duly delivered to them. The only unpleasant occurrence was that the headman of the constables wanted a generous tip from Ma Joong. for the trouble he had taken about the arresting of Shao Lee-huai. Ma Joong was indignant, and wanted to refuse, for after all it was the militia who had done the job. The old constable, however, took him aside and said: “After a couple of years the magistrate here may be transferred to some other post, but that headman of the constables will still be here for many years to come. It is wise to give him something. You may need him later in connection with some other case.” Thus Ma Joong gave him some small silver pieces out of their traveling fund and they parted on excellent terms.
On the road back nothing happened. Djao Wan-chuan and Ma Joong repeatedly endeavored to persuade Shao Lee-huai to confess everything to Judge Dee, in order to get his sentence mitigated or deferred. But Shao only cursed them all, and walked on sullenly, Djao holding the ends of the chain that bound his hands behind his back.
On the morning of the seventh day they arrived at Chang-ping and hurried to the tribunal. They first handed Shao over to the warden of the jail, and then went to report to Judge Dee. Although the sun had just risen, the judge was already sitting in his private office, sipping his morning tea. He was very gratified to hear that their expedition had been successful, and soon after ordered the morning session to be opened.
When Shao Lee-huai was brought before the bench by file constables, and his chains had been taken off, Judge Dee asked him: “What is your name, and what crime have you committed?” “Your Honour, my surname is Shao and my personal name Lee-huai. I am a native of Kiangsu Province. Since my early youth I have been engaged in the silk business. When recently I heard that a great demand for raw silk existed here in Shantung, I came here to do some business. I was suddenly arrested by the constables of this tribunal, I don’t know for what crime. I beg Your Honour to redress my wrong.”
Judge Dee said with a cold smile:
“You need not try to fool me, a magistrate, with clever words. Don’t you know the old rule that itinerant merchants should help and protect each other on the road? Why did you kill your young colleague Liu near Six Mile Village, and, having stolen his cart with silk, also kill an innocent man who happened to pass by? Tell the truth, and be quick about it!”
Now Shao Lee-huai still hoped that there was no direct proof, and resolved to try the utmost to save himself.
“Your Honour”, he said, “I beg your favourable consideration. All this talk about me having killed somebody is a wicked scheme of that man Djao Wan-chuan, who harbors an old grudge against me, and therefore tries to involve me in a murder case. How could I ever think of murdering a travel companion? Everybody knows that in our trade it is a great advantage to have a friend with you when you are o
n the road. I am being falsely accused, and I pray Your Honour to see that justice is done!”
“You insolent scoundrel”, Judge Dee said, “I tell you that Djao Wan-chuan is right here, and I shall confront you with him.”
Then he had Djao brought before the bench, and he told again how he had met Shao Lee-huai on the road, how Shao had told him that Liu had died of a sudden illness, and so on.
Shao Lee-huai, however, kept shouting that this was a string of outrageous lies and that he was being falsely accused. Judge Dee gave a sign to the constables. They threw Shao down on his back, placed the screws round his hands and his ankles, and turned them on tight. Soon flesh and bones were crushed and blood stained the floor. But Shao still cried between his groans that he was innocent.
Then Judge Dee ordered two constables to take the thin rattan, and to beat Shao all over his body with full force as he was lying there in the screws.
Shao’s body had become hardened by long training in the art of fencing with sticks but he could not stand this torture. The thin rattan cut right into his flesh; soon his screams stopped. He had lost consciousness.
Judge Dee ordered the constables to loosen the screws and throw cold water over him. When Shao had regained his senses, Judge Dee said:
“You dogshead, for a few hundred silver pieces you have murdered two innocent men and involved two innocent outsiders. The death penalty is too light a punishment for these crimes. And now you still aggravate matters by refusing to confess. I have confronted you with the witness Djao Wan-chuan. Tomorrow I shall confront you with a second witness and see whether then you still dare to deny your guilt!”
Judge Dee stood up, and with an angry sweep of his long sleeves, he left the dais.
Chapter 19
JUDGE DEE CLOSES THE CASE OF SIX MILE VILLAGE; MR. HUA RUSHES TO THE COURT AND REPORTS A MURDER
THAT SAME DAY, Judge Dee sent Ma Joong to Six Mile Village, to tell the hostel keeper Koong Wan-deh, and Warden Pang that they were wanted for further questioning; he was also to pass by Mrs. Wang’s village, and summon her to appear at the morning session of the tribunal on the following day. But Ma Joong was on no account to tell them that the murderer had been caught.
The next day, when the session opened, Judge Dee first had Koong Wan-deh brought before him.
“After you filed your complaint here,” Judge Dee said, “I went to great trouble to unravel this case, and finally I have located and apprehended the real murderer. It is the merchant Shao, the man who disappeared after the murder. Now when this man came to your hostel together with the merchant Liu, you saw him face to face. Give me an exact description of his appearance.”
Koong Wan-deh said in a quavering voice:
“Your Honour, this happened several weeks ago and my memory is rather vague. But I am certain that he was of middle height, and seemed about thirty years old. He had a lean swarthy face. There is one thing, however, that I particularly remember. When he and Liu were drinking and talking at a very late hour that night, Shao called me to their room, and asked whether it was not too late to send a waiter out for another jar of wine. Saying so he laughed loudly, and as he happened to be sitting right next to the candle, I noticed that one of his front teeth was completely black”.
Judge Dee asked: “Is it true that until I told you a few moments ago, you knew nothing about this man Shao having been caught, and that you have not seen him since that night in your hostel?”
Koong Wan-deh having affirmed this, Judge Dee had this fact duly recorded by the clerks. He knew that if Shao proved to have this black tooth, then all possible doubt would be removed. He hastily filled in a slip for the warden of the jail, and told two constables to fetch Shao Lee-huai.
When Shao was kneeling in front of the bench, Judge Dee shouted at him:
“You villain, yesterday you obstinately protested your innocence. Now look up and see who this man is!”
Shao immediately recognised the hostel keeper of Six Mile Village. He knew then that there was no hope and began cursing violently. His black front tooth was there for all to see.
Shao continued cursing Djao Wan-chuan and Koong Wan-deh, and screamed in a blind rage:
“You think you have caught me, but I shall rather die than confess!
Judge Dee banged his fist on the table, and shouted in a thundering voice to the constables to apply the “great torture”.
They brought in an iron pan with glowing coals, and thereon laid several feet of thin chain. When these chains had become red-hot, they picked them up with a pair of tongs, and threw them on the floor. Then they stripped off Shao’s trousers, and holding him by his arms, made him kneel on the chains.
Shao emitted piercing shrieks of agony. The stench of burnt flesh filled the court hall. Then his screams changed to moans, and he fainted.
The constables dragged him aside. He sank in a heap on the floor. Their headman brought a bowl of vinegar and sprinkled it over the glowing coals. A penetrating smell dispelled the bad odour. Gradually Shao came to his senses again. His face was ashen and his features contorted. Two constables had to support him when he was made to kneel in front of the bench. Judge Dee said:
“If you don’t confess, I shall subject you to other tortures. It is now in your own hands.”
Shao Lee-huai’s spirit had been broken, and at last the full truth was revealed. He said in a low voice:
“I used to pass through this province every year, peddling my silk. I did fairly well until I met a woman who made me spend most of my money on her. After a year I was obliged to borrow, and this spring I found myself heavily in debt. Now this young merchant Liu was a man of the same village as I. His full name was Liu Guang-chi. We had agreed that we should travel together this year. When I saw that he was taking three hundred silver pieces with him, and a pushcart with bales of raw silk to a total value of about seven hundred silver pieces, I conceived the plan to kill him, and take his money and his wares. There would have been enough to pay off my debts, and even sufficient to set up a business in some lonely spot and live in comfort with that woman. Ever after we had set out together, I was on the look out for a suitable opportunity for executing my plan, but other merchants accompanied us. I had to wait till the two of us arrived alone at Six Mile Village. Seeing that Koong’s hostel was located in a lonely neighbourhood, I persuaded Liu to stay there over night. That night I purposely kept Liu talking and drinking till deep in the night. He was dead drunk when I put him to bed. It was only a few hours later when the last nightwatch sounded. I dragged him up and made him leave the hostel with me, supporting him on my arm. Outside in the morning air he sobered up a bit. I made him push the cart for a while. When we arrived at the market gate dawn was just breaking and there was nobody in sight. I walked up behind him and plunged my knife under his right shoulderblade. Liu fell down with a gasp and then tried to turn round to me. I kicked him down. When he opened his mouth to scream, I cut his throat. Then I bent over him, and started to loosen his girdle to take his money. But just as I found the silver, I heard the creaking sounds of a pushcart. Looking up I saw a yokel coming towards us, pushing an empty cart. When he came near, he saw the body of Liu lying there and started to say something. I sprang towards him and, gripping his right arm with my left, I stuck my knife between his ribs. He started to scream, so I jerked him round and threw him on his face and then finished him off with a knife thrust in his back. His cart was but a small affair, so I transferred part of Liu’s bales to this cart and hastily went away, pushing Liu’s cart and dragging the other cart behind me. When I arrived at a safe distance, I threw the small pushcart in a ditch. But although I had thus got rid of the only witness to the murder, I still felt far from safe. So when a couple of hours later I happened to meet Djao Wan-chuan on the road, I told him that Liu had died, and handed the cart with the bales to him. He gave me three hundred pieces of silver as an advance on the price he would get for the silk. Then I hurried on to Lai-chow and from there went to the passes
where the woman was waiting for me. This is the whole truth. I crave Your Honour’s leniency since I still have my mother to support.”
Judge Dee shook his head, and said:
“Also Liu Guang-chi and the carter Wang had parents to support. I rule that in this particular case this circumstance shall not be considered”.
When the clerk had written out the confession, the senior scribe read it out in a loud voice. Shao Lee-huai confirmed that it expressed accurately what he had said, and affixed his thumbmark to the document. He was led back to the jail to wait for the confirmation of his sentence by the central authorities.
Then Judge Dee had Warden Pang brought before him, and sternly admonished him never again to try to squeeze money out of innocent people by falsely accusing them. The judge ruled that the two severe bamboo beatings he had received previously were sufficient punishment for his offense, and told him that he could go.
Warden Pang knocked his head on the floor several times to show his gratitude for this leniency, for he knew very well that Judge Dee could have meted out to him a much heavier penalty.
Finally Judge Dee had the widow Wang brought in. To her he said:
“The other day you reported to me that your husband, the carter Wang, had been done to death violently, and asked me to avenge him. I have now found the murderer. He has confessed his crime. As soon as the higher authorities have confirmed his sentence, I shall have him executed, so that your husband’s soul can rest in peace.”
He added a few kind words to comfort her and told her that, after the execution, a suitable sum of smart money would be paid out to her.
Then Judge Dee left the court hall. In his private office he changed into an informal robe. He had Ma Joong, Chiao Tai, Djao Wan-chuan and the old constable called in, and commended them for their good work on the case. He handed to Djao Wan-chuan one hundred silver pieces as a reward for his voluntary help.
The Celebrated Cases Of Judge Dee Page 15
