He reverently wrapped the pearl up in his handkerchief and put it in his bosom. Then he resumed:
‘I shall hand the pearl to Mr Kou, together with an official statement signed by me saying that a murder-case prevented Kou from reporting at once that he had news about the discovery of the lost treasure. Thus Mr Kou shall travel to the capital without any misgivings, and present the pearl to the Palace. I hope that the honours the Emperor will bestow upon him, together with the recovery of Gold Lotus, will reconcile him to the loss of the Amber Lady.
‘As to her, I did her a grievous injustice, Hoong. She never had an affair with Tong Mai, and she had not planned to elope with him. She only wanted to acquire this rare treasure for Mr Kou, as a mark of her gratitude to the man who had reshaped her life, elevated her from her wretched condition to become his Second Lady, and whose child she was bearing. Tong Mai she knew only as the son of her former master, who occasionally purchased curios for her husband. She knew nothing of his foul dealings with Yang. My theory about that aspect of the case was completely wrong. I made a very big mistake, and I can do nothing to correct it. The only thing I can do is to apologize humbly to her departed soul.’
The judge stood there silently for a while, his eyes on the dark foliage of the Mandrake Grove, beyond the low garden wall. Then he turned round abruptly and motioned Sergeant Hoong to follow him. They walked back to the gatehouse, mounted their horses, and rode to Marble Bridge Village.
In the market-place the vendors were busy setting up their stalls. There were no other people about at this early hour.
A thin morning haze was hanging over the placid brown water of the Canal, its shreds drifted among the trees overshadowing the small shrine of the River Goddess on the waterside. The old priest was sweeping the fallen leaves from the steps with a long bamboo broom.
The old man looked up indifferently as Judge Dee dismounted and went up the steps. Obviously he did not recognize him as the magistrate.
Blue clouds curled up from the incense burner on the altar, filling the shrine with a subtle fragrance. Through the clouds the judge could vaguely see the face of the goddess, her lips curved in a faint smile.
Standing there with his arms folded in his wide sleeves and looking up at the still face, he let the events of the last two days pass before his mind’s eye. There had been strange coincidences. But did there really exist such a thing as a coincidence? How little did he really know about the minds and motives of his fellow-men! Could he ever dare then to try to understand the powers on high that disposed their destinies?
He said, softly:
‘You are only a man-made idol, but you stand as a symbol of what man cannot know, and is not destined to know. As such, I make my humble bow to you.’
When he had righted himself and turned to go he found the old priest standing behind him. He felt in his sleeve for a few coppers. Suddenly his fingers closed round a silver piece. He took it out and regarded it for a while, deep in sombre thought. It was the same silver piece the Amber Lady had given to him.
He handed it to the priest and said:
‘On the fifth of every month you shall burn a stick of incense here, and offer a prayer for the rest of the soul of Mrs Kou, personal name Amber.’
The old man accepted the silver with a respectful bow. He went to the side-table and opened the bulky register lying there. After he had wetted the worn-down writing brush, he laboriously entered the donation in the book, his grey head bent close to the yellowish page.
Judge Dee went out and descended the stairs. He took the reins from Sergeant Hoong and swung himself on his horse.
Suddenly the old priest appeared at the head of the steps, still holding the writing brush in his wrinkled hand. He asked in a quavering voice:
‘What name shall I enter for the donor, revered sir? And what is the gentleman’s honourable profession? ’
Turning round in the saddle the judge replied shortly:
‘Just write: Dee from Tai-yuan.’ Then he added with a rueful sigh: ‘A student.’
POSTSCRIPT
JUDGE DEE was a historical person, a famous statesman of the Tang dynasty, who lived from 630 to 700 A.D. During the first half of his career, when he was serving as magistrate in various districts, he solved a great many mysterious crimes. Even today, therefore, Judge Dee is remembered by the Chinese people as their master-detective, his name being as familiar to them as Sherlock Holmes is to us. The adventures related here, however, are entirely fictitious.
Note that in Judge Dee’s time the Chinese did not wear pigtails; that custom was imposed on them after 1644 A.D., when the Manchus had conquered China. The men did their hair up in a top-knot, and wore caps both inside and outside the house. They did not smoke; tobacco and opium were introduced into China only many centuries later.
30-vi-1962
Robert van Gulik
The Emperor's Pearl: A Judge Dee Mystery (Judge Dee Mystery Series) Page 16