by Qiu Xiaolong
‘What specifically do you mean by “some people above,” Your Excellency?’
‘Well, I’m just a low-level mayor on the outskirts of the capital,’ Mayor Pei said, abruptly sounding evasive again. ‘There’re so many people high above in the great capital, demanding this and that, as you may well imagine.’
‘Just as the old saying goes, “It’s so difficult to serve as an official in the capital.” There’re so many people high above you here. That’s why I have no choice but to leave.’
‘Come on, Your Honor. You’re one of those most trusted by Her Majesty. You don’t have to say that to me. But it’s true: it’s far more difficult to serve as an official on the outskirts of the great capital, with far more people high above.’
‘And with the case dragging on, bringing about more and more collateral damage—’
‘What do you mean by “more collateral damage,” Your Honor?’
‘Have you heard of the death of Wei, Mayor Pei?’
‘Wei, the good-for-nothing man connected to Xuanji?’
‘Yes, he was killed yesterday afternoon on the road in front of the nunnery. According to some villagers there, Wei’s the man kept by her in a hut she purchased for him.’
‘Oh, I did not know anything because I did not go to the office yesterday. Is there anything – any details – you happen to know about the killing of Wei near the nunnery?’
‘Possibly a chance mugging that went wrong. But I doubt it. Wei did not make a likely target. And it happened in broad daylight, too. According to a villager who hurried out to the crime scene a little later, catching only a glance of the back of a black-attired rider galloping out of sight, Wei was killed with something like a saber. The attacker delivered two or three vicious swipes from the black horse.’
‘A black-attired rider on a black horse! I’ll be damned, Your Honor. It’s getting more and more weird and complicated. I’ll check into it this morning. So you think Wei’s death is related to Xuanji’s case?’
‘Wei’s closely related to Xuanji, no question about it. And there’s another death possibly related to the murder case, I’m afraid.’
‘Another death related to the Xuanji case – when did it happen?’
‘Last night. The young flower girl surnamed Zhang, who had a flower garden at the southern end of the village, was killed on the mountain trail not far from the village.’
‘But how was she connected to Xuanji?’
‘Xuanji frequented her flower garden for bouquets at her poetry parties in the nunnery. In fact, Xuanji took her under her wing as something like a protégée and confidante.’
‘How was the flower girl killed?’
‘She was attacked on the trail. According to some villagers who discovered her body afterward, it was possibly a sex crime that went wrong with scratches and bruises on her body, and with her clothes badly torn.’
‘A sex crime at night in the village neighborhood?’
‘It’s unbelievable, isn’t it?’ Judge Dee paused theatrically before he went on. ‘And there’s something more unbelievable. Among Xuanji’s best-known poems, one is titled, “To a Girl in the Neighborhood.”’
‘Yes, I think I’ve heard of it.’
‘That very poem is about the flower girl in question. So in the course of a single day, with two people connected to Xuanji killed, you cannot help feeling alarmed. What about others connected to her, too?’
‘That’s more than alarming, Your Honor. The list of the people Xuanji’s associated with could be quite long. So the collateral damage—’
‘The list of collateral damage could also turn out to be quite long. And the pressure for a quick breakthrough and conclusion is mounting in the meantime. In the event of more victims and no breakthrough in sight, I don’t know what may happen.’
The mayor stood up in spite of himself. A spell of silence ensued in the room.
‘As you have mentioned, the crux of the matter is a speedy conclusion with an acceptable confession on the part of Xuanji, which is something beyond me. I’ve tried my best, but without any success,’ Mayor Pei finally resumed. ‘Since you’re here today, why don’t you try to talk to her? She must have heard such a lot about you, our celebrated Judge Dee, and you, of all people, may succeed in making her spill out the truth.’
Mayor Pei might not have been too pleased with Judge Dee’s involvement in the investigation, but the mayor had no choice, as he knew only too well.
‘No, it’s your case, Mayor Pei. I don’t think Her Majesty would be too pleased with my cooking in other people’s kitchen.’
‘But it would be a different story with others failing to produce anything satisfactory in that kitchen. Not to mention the fact that it’s a request from Minister Wu.’
That was probably a well-calculated probe from Mayor Pei, but it was also an opportunity Judge Dee thought he had to seize.
‘If you really insist, I would not mind giving it a try, but I cannot guarantee anything, Mayor Pei.’ He then added, as if as an afterthought, ‘I’ve read quite a lot of her poems, so I think she may at least tell me something about her work, and possibly about her life behind it – if nothing else – from a one-to-one talk in person.’
‘Yes, you have written a number of poems yourself. That will most likely make her willing to talk to you. Not just as Judge Dee, but as Poet Dee, too.’
‘I’m not a poet beside her. But just between you and me, I have been toying with the idea of compiling a collection of her poetry.’
‘A poetry collection – what a novel idea! And a practical one as well. With an in-depth discussion with her about her works, yours could soon prove to be the one and only authorized edition,’ Mayor Pei said with a broad grin. ‘A visit to her prison cell could be arranged for you right at this very moment.’
Judge Dee had visited prisons before on a variety of occasions. This would probably turn out to be one of the most depressing visits. He found himself immersed in dismal anticipation, what with Xuanji’s tragic life story, and with the inevitable doom looming against her in the background.
Yang followed his master, looking around on high alert and grasping the hilt of the saber fastened by his side.
The prison guard was a tall, gaunt man surnamed Huang, who looked to be in his mid-fifties. The moment Judge Dee handed him the handwritten note from Mayor Pei as well as the authorization letter from Internal Minister Wu, Huang knelt down on the dirty ground in haste and kowtowed non-stop like a prisoner there.
‘Your visit today is bringing the greatest honor to the sordid prison, Your Excellency.’
‘I’m here because of a possible poetry collection for Xuanji. So I’ll be talking to her alone. You don’t have to say anything about it to other people, of course.’
‘Absolute privacy, I understand, Your Excellency. You may talk to her as long as you like. In fact, you are the only one Mayor Pei has granted permission to go in and visit her here. As people are all saying, she’s the black fox spirit incarnate, capable of causing horrible harm to those who come close to her. We cannot be too careful.’
‘You don’t have to worry about that for my master,’ Yang cut in with undisguised scorn in his voice. ‘He’s a man of such noble integrity that evil spirits could do him no harm.’
‘Oh, you may run an errand for me, Yang,’ Judge Dee said to his loyal assistant. ‘Go and buy a decent basket of lunch for Xuanji and me. And a kettle of mellow yellow rice wine, too. It may be a long talk, and it will soon be lunchtime.’
‘Yes, it will be lunchtime soon. You need to take care of yourself, too, Master.’
As Yang was about to leave, Judge Dee turned abruptly to stop him. ‘Also, go to Mayor Pei’s residence first for a search warrant for both the hut and the nunnery. Bring in whatever strikes you as suspicious or unusual.’
‘I’ll do a thorough search both in the hut and the nunnery, Master.’
‘And one more thing, bring over the yellow silk underrobe to me as well upo
n your return. I have left it in a mahogany box in the carriage outside. And a bouquet of peonies.’
‘Yes, the yellow silk underrobe embroidered with golden dragons. As for the peonies, what color?’
‘It does not matter. You pick whatever color is available. And don’t worry about the expense.’
With Yang withdrawing out of sight, Judge Dee turned to Huang,
‘People cannot be too careful; I couldn’t agree with you more. Now, a couple of questions for you first, Huang.’
‘Yes, anything you want to know, Your Excellency.’
‘Has anyone else come to visit her in the prison cell here?’
‘Nobody except the mayor himself, and he was here just one time, but he did not stay long. Nor did he step inside her cell. I had to drag her out to the prison office for the meeting.’
‘Has anyone else tried to contact her or send her things or messages?’
‘Not that I know of, Your Excellency. Certainly, nothing like a basket of lunch or a bouquet of peonies.’
‘Has she said anything to you about the case?’
‘She’s broken, literally broken, washing her face with tears all day long. And she has hardly spoken a complete sentence to me.’
While talking, Judge Dee followed Huang through the narrow corridor with darksome, squalid cells lined along both sides – some occupied with prisoners, some vacant – toward the end of the corridor which presented a more somber cell like a deserted enclave on the right. That was a single cell for Xuanji.
It might be just as well. At least he did not have to worry about being observed or overheard in his meeting, discussing the case with her.
Still several steps away from the cell door, he was greeted with an unpleasant stench issuing from the cell.
Looking through the enveloping dimness, he managed to make out a slender figure lying on something like a heap of straw and rags, which apparently served as a bed for her. The musty-smelling, oppressive-looking cell was littered with nondescript rubbish under the crumbling walls. Except for a small bamboo stool and a black wooden chamber pot, there was no other furniture in the cell.
Huang hurried ahead of Judge Dee and unlocked the brass padlock with a clang.
Stepping into the cell, Judge Dee was shocked at the sight of Xuanji lying with her face turned to the wall, and with her back bare – practically all the way down to her bare feet.
It was obvious that she had not washed for days. A repulsive odor came from her sullied body, possibly from the rotten straw, too. His glance moved down and noted her dirty, almost black, soles; she must have been moving barefoot all the time since she had been in prison.
She seemed to have difficulty turning slowly over to him, with her hands and feet still in black iron chains. He found himself staring at a young woman who had a haggard yet still attractive face, even with smudges and bruises. She appeared so fragile, vulnerable in something like a sleeveless wrap of rough material, suggestive of a piece of cloth tossed over the front of her naked body at random, secured by only a straw belt along the waist, leaving her back entirely uncovered.
At a candlelight masquerade party in the nunnery, such exotic attire – if ‘attire’ was the word for it – could have been seen as surrealistically sexy, but in the squalid cell, it merely added to the sordidness of the scene.
And to his horror, the wrap appeared badly torn around her left shoulder, revealing some crisscrossing welt-like streaks, as if painted in scarlet, which must have been inflicted after she was thrown in prison.
What she would have really looked like as a celebrated poetess at those glamorous poetry parties in the nunnery, Judge Dee failed to imagine.
‘You don’t have any prison clothes for her?’ Judge Dee said to Huang, knitting his brow over the scene. ‘After all, she is such a renowned poetess.’
‘No, we had no choice, Your Excellency,’ Huang said in a hesitant whisper. ‘She was carried into the cell unconscious, with her thighs and buttocks still badly bleeding after the brutal bludgeoning at the courtroom. Had we put any clothing on her, it could have hurt more terribly with her skin stuck to fabric with dried blood. So we improvised like that. We managed to have her lying on her stomach, and her back uncovered, so the wounds could heal a little quicker. Fortunately, the weather has been relatively warm for the last few days.’
‘Bring a doctor to the prison immediately – wait, no, immediately after I leave. She should have her wounds treated as soon as possible, and as properly as possible, and then have some proper clothing made for her here.’
‘But somebody from above gave the order that she should be treated just like other prisoners – no special treatment whatsoever. You may guess what an order like this could mean, Your Excellency.’
‘Well, tell “somebody from above” that I have ordered you to do so. If anything happens because of it, I will be held responsible.’
The talk with the prison guard must have given the judge away, making it impossible for Judge Dee to present himself to her merely as a scholar interested in the compilation of a poetry collection, but he did not think he could make much use of such a cover in her presence.
Recognizing his authoritative air, she sat up, trying to pull down the wrap to cover her soiled legs and feet, but it was an unsuccessful attempt.
‘Stay outside, Huang. I will call you if I need you.’ He then added, ‘Oh, go and bring in a basin of hot water and clean towels.’
The moment Huang withdrew from the cell, Xuanji said in a feeble voice, ‘Forgive me for presenting my pathetic self to you at such a place, Your Excellency.’
‘You don’t have to say that, Xuanji. Let me introduce myself. I’m Dee Renjie. People sometimes call me Judge Dee, but I also write poems. As a fan of your poems, I would like to compile a special collection of the poems composed by you, Wen, and possibly Zi’an too – that is, if I can get hold of enough of his works. I’ve talked to Mayor Pei, a former colleague of mine, about such a possibility, and he suggested that I have a talk with you here to double-check the circumstances in which some of the poems were composed.’
‘Thank you so much for your interest in my poetry, Your Honor. And you’re the first visitor to step into the squalid prison cell, which I appreciate from the bottom of my heart. For poetry or not, Mayor Pei would never have set foot inside the prison cell.’
‘But I would like to say one good word for Mayor Pei, Xuanji. I have just had a talk with him. According to him, he once tried to invite you to his party because Zi’an’s wife, a distant cousin of his, had behaved in such an unfair way to you. He simply wanted to offer a sort of compensation—’
‘What’s the point of saying all that to me at present, Your Honor?’
‘Mayor Pei feels so sorry about what happened to you in the courtroom, but he had no choice because of your unacceptable statement about the murder case. Not just with the first statement, but with the second one made in the prison as well. As a mayor, he’s supposed to go on with the interrogation, giving you another beating, and then still another, until you finally come to tell the truth – an admissible, convincing confession about the murder, an acceptable statement in which people will no longer be able to find so many holes.’
‘What can I do if others choose not to believe me? You are the celebrated Judge Dee, you tell me what—’
It was then that the cell door was elbowed open again.
Huang returned, holding a large wooden basin of warm water in both hands along with three or four clean towels draped on his right arm.
‘That’s a good job, Huang. Remove the chains from her wrists and ankles. You don’t have to worry about anything. She can hardly walk right now.’
‘Whatever you wish, Your Excellency.’
Huang did what he was told before he stood up obsequiously in expectation.
‘You may leave now, Huang. I, too, want to step out with you for a breath of fresh air. It’s a bit too stuffy in here for an old man like me. Take your time, Xuanji.
I’ll be back in a while.’
It was after quite some time that Judge Dee returned to the foul-smelling cell.
But Xuanji looked like a different woman, her hair tied with a scrap of rag, her face still so pale, wan, but with the smudges wiped away. She was not without a suggestion of her once vivacious beauty.
The water in the wooden basin at her feet also appeared different – of a sordid black color – like a footnote to the metamorphosis in the prison cell.
She blushed, struggled up with difficulty, knelt down on the dirty, damp floor, and kowtowed to Judge Dee.
He hastened to help her back to the heap of straw. From the opening of her wrap, he caught a glimpse of a rivulet of sweat leaving a light black streak in the hollow of her bosom again, as he perched himself on the squeaky bamboo stool opposite in the suffocating cell.
‘I’m sorry about what has happened to you, Xuanji. I’ve read so many of your poems with admiration. How I wish I could write like you! Your poem “To Zi’an, Looking out across Han River in Sorrow” is such a masterpiece indeed:
‘Myriads of maple leaves
upon myriads of maple leaves
silhouetted against the bridge,
a few white sails return late in the dusk.
How do I miss you?
My thoughts of you run
like the water in the West River,
flowing eastward, never-ending,
day and night.’
‘You don’t have to say that to me, Your Honor. Poetry can make nothing happen in this world of red dust. You’ve just read that piece written to Zi’an, but he has not even sent a short message to me in the prison here.’
‘What a shame!’
‘Like others, I’ve heard so much about your brilliant work as a capable and honest official, Your Honor. My days are numbered; I know that only too well. There’s no point beating about the bush. Apart from all the empty talk about poetry, what else can people really do with an ill-starred woman like me?’
Apparently, Xuanji was too intelligent to believe that he came to the prison for the sake of poetry.