Murder in Canton: A Judge Dee Mystery

by Robert Van Gulik

‘Be careful,’ she said quietly, ‘those steps are slippery.’

  Tao Gan muttered something and went down.

  When he was standing in the alley, he strained his eyes to get a good look at the house. Just from habit, he told himself; I haven't the slightest inclination ever to come back here, of course. I have no use for women, let alone for that silly bit of skirt with her crickets! He walked on, considerably annoyed.

  IV

  The main thoroughfare that crossed the city from north to south was brilliantly lit by the gaudy lampions of shops, restaurants and wine-houses. Moving along with the motley crowd and hearing fragments of bitter quarrels and spirited altercations, Tao Gan's temper improved. He was smiling his accustomed sarcastic smile again when the high outer walls of the Governor's Palace came into sight.

  Here there were fewer shops, and the traffic grew less. He now saw mainly high buildings, their gates guarded by armed sentries. Those on the left housed the various offices of the city tribunal, on the right was the garrison headquarters. Tao Gan passed by the broad marble steps leading up to the magnificent red-lacquered palace gate. Following the forbidding, crenelated wall, he knocked on the peephole of a smaller gate at the east corner of the compound. He explained to the sentry who he was. The door swung open and he walked through the long, echoing marble corridor to the separate courtyard in the east wing, where Judge Dee had taken up residence.

  In the anteroom the smartly uniformed majordomo scrutinized the dishevelled visitor with raised eyebrows. Tao Gan calmly took off his goatskin caftan. Underneath he wore a dark-brown robe, with the gold-embroidered collar and cuffs that indicated his secretarial rank. The majordomo quickly made a low bow, and respectfully took the shabby garment from him. Then he pushed the high double door open.

  The vast, empty hall was dimly lit by a dozen silver candelabras, standing in between the thick, red-lacquered pillars that formed two stately rows all along the side walls. On the left stood a broad couch of carved sandalwood and a table with a tall bronze flower vase, while the centre of the hall was just a vast expanse of dark-blue carpet. At the far end Tao Gan saw an enormous desk, standing in front of a gilded wall screen. Judge Dee sat behind it, Chiao Tai on one of the low chairs opposite. It was cool in the hall, and very quiet. As Tao Gan walked to the rear, he noticed the faint fragrance of sandalwood and of wilting jasmine flowers.

  Judge Dee wore a purple robe with gold-embroidered rims, and his high, winged cap with the golden insignia indicating a Counsellor of State. He was leaning back in a capacious armchair, his arms folded in his wide sleeves. Chiao Tai seemed deep in thought too; he was staring at the antique bronzes on the desk, his broad shoulders hunched. It struck Tao Gan again that the judge had aged considerably these last four years. His face had grown thinner, and there were many deep lines round his eyes and mouth. His tufted eyebrows were still jet-black, but his long beard, moustache and sidewhiskers were streaked with grey.

  When Tao Gan came up to the desk and made his bow, Judge Dee looked up. He righted himself, shook out his long sleeves, and spoke in his deep, resonant voice:

  ‘Sit down there, next to Chiao Tai. There is bad news, Tao Gan. I was right in sending you two in disguise to the quay, for that set things moving. Fast.’ And to the majordomo who had remained standing there: ‘Bring fresh tea!’

  After the majordomo had left, the judge placed his elbows on the desk, regarded his two lieutenants for a while, then resumed with a bleak smile:

  ‘It's good to be among ourselves again for once, my friends! After our arrival in the capital, each of us was kept so busy there by his own particular duties that there was but rarely an occasion for an informal discussion, as we used to have nearly daily when I was still a district magistrate. Those were good days, when old Sergeant Hoong was still with us and…’ He passed his hand over his face in a tired gesture. Then he took hold of himself and sat up straight. He opened his folding fan, and said briskly to Tao Gan, ‘Just now Chiao Tai witnessed a particularly nasty murder. Before I let him tell you about it, however, I would like to hear your impressions of this city.’

  He nodded to the thin man, leaned back in his chair and began to fan himself. Tao Gan shifted in his chair, then began quietly:

  ‘After Chiao Tai and I had escorted Your Honour to the palace here, we went in a litter to the south city, looking for lodgings near the Arab Quarter, as you had ordered, sir. Brother Chiao chose an inn near the Moslem mosque, I one just outside the south gate, on the quay. We met again in a small eating-house for our noon rice, and passed the entire afternoon strolling about all along the river front. We saw many Arabs about; I heard that about a thousand of them have settled down in the city, and there are another thousand on the ships they have in port They keep very much to themselves, however, and don't seem to mix much with the Chinese. Some Arab sailors got nasty when a custom-guard hit one of them, but they soon calmed down when the soldiers had marched out and after one of their leaders had reprimanded them.’ He pensively stroked his moustache and resumed, ‘Canton is the wealthiest city in the entire south, sir, famous for its gay nightlife, especially on the flowerboats in the Pearl River. Life moves here at a feverish pace: merchants who are rich today may be beggars tomorrow, and at the gaming tables fortunes are made and lost every night. It goes without saying that this is a veritable paradise for all kinds of racketeers and swindlers, big and small, and that there's a considerable amount of financial juggling going on. But the Cantonese are businessmen first and foremost, they don't bother much with politics. If they grumble a bit now and then about the central government, it's only because, just as most businessmen, they resent official interference with their trade. But I found no signs of any real discontent, and I just can't see how a handful of Arabs could ever stir up real trouble here.’

  As Judge Dee remained silent, Tao Gan pursued:

  ‘Before leaving the quay, we made, in a wine-house, the acquaintance of a sea captain called Nee, rather a nice fellow who speaks Arabic and Persian, and used to trade to the Persian Gulf. Since he may prove a useful connection, Chiao Tai accepted his invitation to visit him tomorrow.’ He gave the judge a diffident look, then asked, ‘Why are you so interested in those black barbarians, sir?’

  ‘Because, Tao Gan, they represent our only hope of obtaining a clue to the whereabouts of a very important man who has disappeared in this city.’ The judge waited till the two servants had placed a tea-tray loaded with exquisite antique porcelain on the desk, under the watchful eye of the majordomo. After the latter had poured the tea, Judge Dee told him, ‘You may go and wait outside.’ Then he resumed, looking steadily at his two lieutenants:

  ‘Ever since His Majesty fell ill, contending groups have been forming at court. Some support the Crown Prince, the rightful heir to the throne, others the Empress, who wants to replace him by a member of her own family; still others are uniting in a powerful combination that favours a Regency, after the Great Demise. The man who holds the balance of power is the Imperial Censor Lew. I don't think you have ever met him, but you have heard about him, of course. A young, but extremely capable man, dedicated to the interests of our great Empire. I have been maintaining close contact with him, for I have a high regard for his integrity and his great talents. If a crisis should develop, I shall give him all my support.’

  Judge Dee sipped his tea. He considered for a while, and resumed:

  ‘About six weeks ago Censor Lew travelled here to Canton, accompanied by his trusted adviser Dr Soo and a number of military experts. The Grand Council had ordered him to check the preparations for our naval expedition to Annam. He returned to the capital and handed in a favourable report, praising the work of Weng Kien, the Governor of the Southern Region, whose guest I am now.

  ‘Last week the Censor suddenly came back to Canton, this time accompanied only by Dr Soo. He had no orders to do so, and nobody knows the purpose of this second visit. He did not notify the Governor of his arrival and did not present himself in the pal
ace here; evidently he wanted to remain incognito. But a special agent of the Governor once happened to see the Censor and Dr Soo near the Arab quarter, on foot and rather poorly dressed. After the Governor had reported this to the capital, the Grand Council instructed him to trace the Censor's whereabouts, and to apprise the Censor that the Council had ordered him to return to the capital without delay, for his presence was urgently required at court. The Governor mobilized all his investigators, special agents, and so on. They combed out the city, but their efforts were of no avail. The Censor and Dr Soo had disappeared completely.’

  The judge heaved a sigh. He shook his head and continued:

  The matter had to be kept a closely guarded official secret, for the Censor's prolonged absence from the capital might have serious political consequences. The Council suspected that something was seriously amiss here, and therefore informed the Governor that the matter had been disposed of, ordering him to call off the search. At the same time, however, the Council instructed me to go to Canton and institute a secret investigation, on the pretext of gathering information on foreign trade in connection with a query from the Board of Finance. In fact, however, our task is to establish contact with the Censor, find out from him why he came to Canton, and what is keeping him here. For Dr Soo we need not look any more. His dead body is lying in the side hall. Tell him what happened, Chiao Tai!’

  Chiao Tai gave his astonished colleague a brief account of the double murder in the Arab quarter. When he had finished, Judge Dee said:

  ‘I recognized the body brought here by Chiao Tai at once as that of Dr Soo. The doctor must have spotted Chiao Tai when you two were walking about on the quay, but he did not want to accost Chiao Tai as long as you, Tao Gan, were still with him, because he had never seen you before. So he followed you two to the wine-house, and after you had separated he spoke to Chiao Tai. However, Dr Soo himself had been followed by the Arab assassin and the mysterious dwarf. Those two must have seen Dr Soo accosting Chiao Tai, and they took quick action. Since the Arab quarter is a rabbit warren of crooked alleys and unsuspected shortcuts, they and their accomplices could run ahead and post themselves in the two or three alleys Chiao Tai and Dr Soo would have to pass through. The Arab assassin was partly successful, for he murdered Dr Soo. He had planned to kill Chiao Tai too, but then a third, unknown party intervened, and strangled him. Thus we have to reckon with two well-organized groups, equally ruthless in their methods, but pursuing conflicting aims. Which proves that the Censor is in very serious trouble indeed.’

  ‘Is there no indication at all regarding the nature of that trouble, sir?’ Tao Gan asked.

  ‘None but his evident interest in the Arabs here. After you had left this morning to look for a lodging, the Governor showed me over my quarters here in the east wing. I told him to send me the secret dossiers on the provincial and city administration of the last year, for my general orientation. I devoted the morning to a careful study of these. However, I found only routine problems, nothing connected with the Arabs here, and nothing that could conceivably rouse the Censor's special interest. I did find, however, the report of the agent who had got a glimpse of the Censor and Dr Soo. In it he states that both of them were dressed rather poorly, and looked wan and worried. The Censor was accosting a passing Arab. Just when the agent was stepping up to them to confirm their identity, the three men disappeared among the crowd. The agent then hurried to the palace and reported to the Governor what he had seen.’ The judge emptied his teacup and went on, ‘Before leaving the capital, I made a study of the affairs the Censor had been working on, but I failed to discover a single reference to Canton or to the Arabs here. As for his private life I know nothing beyond the fact that he is a man of considerable means but still unmarried, and that besides Dr Soo he has no close friends.’ Giving his two lieutenants a sharp look, he added, ‘The Governor must be kept ignorant of all this, mind you! When I had tea with him just now, I told him that Dr Soo was a dubious character from the capital who had got mixed up here with Arab hooligans. The Governor must be left under the impression that we are here only to investigate foreign trade.’

  ‘Why, sir?’ Chiao Tai asked. ‘Since he is the highest local authority, he might help us in…’

  The judge shook his head emphatically.

  ‘You must remember,’ he said, ‘that the Censor did not apprise the Governor of his second visit to Canton. That may mean that the Censor's business here is so secret that he doesn't dare to take even the Governor into his confidence. It may mean also, however, that the Censor doesn't trust the Governor, and suspects him of being implicated in whatever mysterious business the Censor is tracing here. In either case we must abide by the Censor's policy of utter secrecy—at least until we know more about what is going on here. Therefore we can not avail ourselves of the facilities the local authorities could supply us with. After I had taken my noon rice, however, I did summon the head of the special branch of the military police, and he selected four secret agents who will assist us with the routine side of our investigation. As you know, the special branch is entirely independent; the local military authorities have no say over them, and they report directly to the capital.’ He sighed and resumed, ‘So you see we are confronted with a particularly difficult task. On one hand we must feign to collaborate closely with the Governor for a fictitious purpose, and on the other conduct our own investigation with the utmost discretion.’

  ‘And with an unknown opponent closely watching us too!’ Tao Gan remarked.

  ‘Not us, but the Censor and Dr Soo,’ Judge Dee corrected. ‘For that person, or persons, can not possibly know the real purpose of our visit here; that is a secret of state, known only to the Supreme Council. They watch Dr Soo, and presumably also the Censor, because they do not want them to communicate with outsiders. And since they don't shrink from murder, the Censor may be in considerable danger.’

  ‘Are there any grounds for suspecting the Governor, sir?’ Chiao Tai asked.

  ‘None that I know of. Before leaving the capital I looked up his record at the Board of Personnel. He is described as a diligent and capable official, a brilliant young man already twenty years ago, when he was a junior assistant in the local tribunal here. Thereafter he served with distinction as magistrate in several districts, and was promoted to Prefect. Two years ago he was again sent to Canton, this time as Governor of the entire southern region. His family life is exemplary; he has three sons and one daughter. The only critical remark I found was that he is devoured by ambition, and fervently hopes for the post of Metropolitan Governor. Well, after I had given him the rigmarole about Dr Soo's murder, I ordered him to summon for a conference half an hour before the evening meal, the best experts on foreign trade. Thus I hope to gather some general information on Arab affairs, under the cloak of orientating myself on foreign trade in general.’ Rising he added, ‘Let's go to the Council Hall now; they'll be waiting for us.’

  As they were walking to the door, Tao Gan asked:

  ‘What could an Imperial Censor have to do with the paltry affairs of those black barbarians, sir?’

  ‘Well, one never knows,’ Judge Dee said cautiously. ‘It seems that the Arab tribes have united themselves under a kind of chieftain whom they call the Khalif, whose armed hordes have overrun most of those barren western regions. What happens in those benighted lands on the periphery of our civilized world does not concern us, of course; that Khalif has not even become important enough to dare send tribute-bearing envoys begging His Imperial Majesty to grant him the status of vassal. Yet there is the possibility that some time he may establish contact with our archenemies, the Tartars, beyond our north-western frontier. Also, the Arab ships here in the south might supply arms to the rebels in Annam—just to mention two possibilities that come to mind. But let us not indulge in irrelevant speculation. Come along!’

  V

  The majordomo led the judge and his two assistants ceremoniously through a veritable maze of covered corridors. After th
ey had crossed the central courtyard where clerks, messengers and guards were bustling about in the light of the coloured lampions, he took them through an imposing gate and ushered them into the sumptuous Council Hall, brilliantly lit by dozens of man-high candelabras.

  The Governor, a tall, bearded man with broad, round shoulders, received the judge with a low bow that made the sleeves of his gorgeous robe of shimmering green brocade sweep the marble floor. The golden insignia attached to the quivering wings of his high cap made a tinkling sound. He acknowledged Judge Dee's introduction of Colonel Chiao and Chief-Secretary Tao with another, now rather perfunctory bow. Then he presented the thin, elderly man who was kneeling by his side at Pao Kwan, Prefect of Canton, in charge of the city administration. The Prefect touched the floor with his forehead.

  Judge Dee told the Prefect to rise. After a casual glance at the old man's deeply-lined, worried face, he followed the Governor, who conducted him to a throne-like seat in the rear. Then the Governor stood himself respectfully in front of the dais; for although he was the highest authority in the Southern Region, he was still several ranks below Judge Dee, now President of the Metropolitan Court, and for two years concurrently Counsellor of State.

  The judge sat down, and Chiao Tai and Tao Gan went to stand somewhat apart, on either side of the dais. Tao Gan looked quite dignified in his long brown robe and high gauze cap. Chiao Tai had put on his spiked helmet and had taken a sword from the armoury of the palace. The close-fitting coat of mail revealed his wide, bulging shoulders and muscular arms.