Robert Gulik - The Chinese Gold Murders

"This person must insist, your honor, that the tribunal take appropriate measures to have that man-eating tiger that roams about in our district traced and killed without delay!"

A murmur of approval rose from the audience.

"This very morning," Judge Dee said, "the tribunal shall send out hunters to look for the animal."

As soon as Dr. Tsao had withdrawn to his former place in the front row, Yee Pen came forward and knelt before the bench. After he had formally stated his name and profession, he began.

"This person read this morning the placard concerning his business manager, Po Kai. It is rumored that the said Po Kai was involved in a brawl on a Korean barge. I wish to state that the said Po Kai is a man of erratic habits and I must decline all responsibility for whatever he has done outside his office hours."

"When and under what circumstances did you engage the man Po Kai?" Judge Dee asked.

"He came to see me about ten days ago, your honor," Yee Pen replied, "with a letter of introduction from the famous scholar Tsao Fen, in the capital, a cousin of my good friend Dr. Tsao Hohsien. Po Kai stated that he had divorced his wife and wanted to stay for some time far from the capital, where his former wife's family were causing him trouble. He proved a dissolute drunkard, but of extraordinary business ability. After I had read the placard, I summoned my steward and asked him when he had last seen Po Kai. H etold me that the man had come back very late last night; he had gone to his room in the fourth courtyard of my mansion, and soon after had left again, carrying a flat box. Since my steward is familiar with Po Kai's irregular habits, he took no special notice, but it did strike him that the man seemed to be in a great hurry. Before proceeding to this tribunal I searched his room, and found nothing missing except a leather box he used to keep his papers in. All his clothes and personal belongings were still there."

He paused a moment, then concluded.

"I would like to have the statement about my not being responsible for Po Kai's unauthorized activities placed on record, your honor!"

"It shall be recorded," Judge Dee replied coldly, "but together with my comment, which you shall hear now. I don't accept that statement, and herewith declare that I do hold you fully responsible for all your manager did or did not do. He was in your service, and lived under your roof. He took part in a carefully prepared scheme to murder two of my assistants. It is up to you to prove that you were not concerned in that too!"

"How could I prove that, your honor?" Yee Pen wailed. "I don't know anything about it, your honor! I am a law-abiding citizen. Didn't I visit your honor the other day especially to report that-"

"That story was a deliberate lie!" Judge Dee interrupted him harshly. "Furthermore, it has been reported to me that queer things are going on in the vicinity of your mansion, near the second bridge over the canal. Until further notice you'll be under house arrest!"

Yee Pen started to protest but the headman growled at him to keep silent. Two constables led him away to the guardhouse, there to await judge Dee's further orders as to the degree to which the house arrest was to be enforced.

When Yee Pen had been led away, Koo Meng-Pin knelt down before the bench.

"This person," he said, "takes a slightly different attitude from that adopted by my friend and colleague Yee Pen. Inasmuch as his manager also, the Korean Kim Sang, was involved in the brawl on the barge, he wishes to state emphatically that he does feel that he bears the full responsibility for all activities of the said Kim Sang, including those he might engage in outside his office hours. I report to your honor that the Korean barge on which the outrage occurred was my property, and the three boatmen Korean sailors in my service. My foreman on the shipyard testified that last night, at the time of the evening meal, Kim Sang came to the wharf and ordered the barge to be rowed out, without mentioning its destination. Needless to say that he acted without my orders, and without my knowledge. But I shall personally investigate this outrage thoroughly, and I shall welcome the stationing of a few experienced men from this tribunal on the wharf and in my house, to supervise all my activities."

"This court," Judge Dee said, "appreciates Koo Meng-pin's cooperative attitude. As soon as the investigation of the brawl has been closed, the corpse of the said Kim Sang shall be transmitted to him for being conveyed to the next of kin, for burial."

The judge was about to close the session, when he noticed some commotion among the audience. A tall, coarse-faced woman in a black robe with a gaudy red pattern was pushing her way through the crowd, dragging along a veiled woman. While she knelt down, the veiled woman remained standing by her side, with bent head.

"This person," the kneeling woman said in a hoarse voice, "respectfully reports that she is Mrs. Liao, owner of the fifth flower boat, outside the east gate. She is bringing a criminal before your honor's tribunal."

The judge leaned forward and looked at the slender figure with the veil. He was rather astonished at what the woman said, for as a rule brothel owners were perfectly capable of dealing in their own way with offending prostitutes.

"What is the name of this girl," he asked, "and what is the charge you wish to bring against her?"

"She stubbornly refused to give her name, your honor!" the woman cried out, "and-"

"You ought to know," Judge Dee interrupted her sternly, "that you are not allowed to let a girl work in your establishment before you have ascertained her identity!"

The woman hurriedly knocked her forehead on the floor and wailed, "I beg your honor's pardon a thousand times! I should have begun by stating that I did not engage this girl as a prostitute. This is what happened, your honor, the complete truth! On the fifteenth, before dawn, Mr. Po Kai comes to my boat with this girl, clad in a monk's cowl. He says she is his new concubine, whom he brought home the evening before. His first wife wouldn't let her stay in the house, she ripped the girl's clothes to ribbons and insulted her and wouldn't listen to reason, although Mr. Po Kai argued with her till deep in the night. He says it'll take him a few days to talk his wife round, and that he wants to let the girl stay on my boat till he has fixed everything. He gives me some money, and tells me to get the girl a decent dress, for she has nothing on her but that cowl. Now Mr. Po Kai is a good customer, your honor, and he works for the shipowner Yee Pen, and the sailors are also such good customers, so what can a woman alone do but say yes, your honor! I give the chicken a nice dress, let her stay in a good cabin all by herself, and when my assistant says she might as well receive customers to keep in form, she won't dare to tell Mr. Po Kai anyway, I say at once no. I stand by my promises, your honor; that's the fixed policy of my house! But at the same time I always say, your honor, the law comes first! So when this morning the greengrocer's boat comes alongside and the vendor tells me that placards are up for the arrest of Po Kai, I say to my assistant, `If this wench is not a criminal herself, then she'll at least know where his excellency can find Po Kai. It's my duty to report her.' And thus I bring her here to the tribunal, your honor."

Judge Dee sat up in his chair. He spoke to the veiled woman. "Take your veil off, state your name, and describe your relations with the criminal Po Kai."

THE woman lifted her head and with a tired gesture raised her veil. The judge saw that she was a quite handsome girl of about twenty, with a friendly, very intelligent face. She spoke softly.