The Chinese LakeMurders

by Robert Van Gulik

  The Councilor put his elbows on the table and let his large head hang forward. The stiff brocade stood out on both sides of his shoulders like two wings; as the judge saw his hunched shape outlined against the window it resembled that of a huge bird of prey come to roost. But his voice was weak and indistinct as he mumbled:

  "Take a seat, Dee! I presume you are the son of my colleague, the late State Councilor Dee, eh?"

  "Indeed, Excellency!" the judge answered respectfully. He sat down on the edge of one of the chairs against the wall. Liang Fen remained standing by his master's side.

  "I am ninety, Dee!" the Councilor resumed. "Bad eyes, rheumatism… But what can one expect, at my age?"

  His chin sank down deeper on his breast.

  "This person," Judge Dee began, "offers his humble excuses for daring to disturb Your Excellency. I shall state my business as succinctly as possible. I find myself confronted with two baffling criminal cases. Your Excellency is doubtless aware of the fact that the citizens of Han-yuan are not very communicative. They-"

  He saw that Liang Fen frantically shook his head at him. The young man came over to him quickly and whispered:

  "The Councilor has fallen asleep! He is often taken that way of late; he will now sleep for hours on end. We'd better go to my study; I'll warn the servants."

  Judge Dee cast a pitying glance at the old man, who was now lying bent over the table, with his head on his arms. He heard his irregular breathing. Then he followed Liang Fen, who brought him to a small study at the back of the house. The door stood open; it gave on a small but well-kept flower garden surrounded by a high fence.

  The secretary made Judge Dee sit down in the large armchair by the desk, piled with ledgers and books. "I'll now call the old couple that looks after His Excellency," he said hurriedly. "They'll bring him to his bedroom."

  Left alone in the quiet study, Judge Dee slowly stroked his beard. He reflected dejectedly that his luck was not in that day.

  Liang Fen came back and busied himself about the tea table. When he had poured a scalding-hot cup of tea for the judge, he sat down on a tabouret and said unhappily:

  "I deeply regret that His Excellency had one of his spells just when Your Honor came to see him! Can I perhaps be of any service?"

  "Well, no," Judge Dee replied. "Since when has the Councilor had these fits?"

  "It began about half a year ago, Your Honor," Liang Fen said with a sigh. "It is now eight months since his eldest son in the capital sent me here to act as his father's private secretary. For me it was a godsend to obtain this post, for to tell you the truth I belong to an impoverished branch of the family. Here I found food and shelter, and sufficient spare time to prepare myself for my second literary examination. The first two months everything went well; the Councilor had me come every morning to his library for an hour or so and dictated letters to me, or told me all kinds of interesting anecdotes from his long career when he felt in the mood. He is very nearsighted, so he had nearly all the furniture removed from that room, to avoid bumping himself. He also used to complain of rheumatism; but his mind was wonderfully clear. He himself directed the administration of his extensive landed property, and he did it very well.

  "About six months ago, however, he must have had a stroke during the night. He suddenly spoke with difficulty, and often seemed completely dazed. He summoned me only once a week or so, and then would doze off in the middle of our conversation. Also, he will often stay in his bedroom for days on end, feeding only on tea and pine seeds, and drinking infusions of herbs which he prepares himself. The old couple think that he is trying to find the Elixir of Immortality!"

  Judge Dee shook his head. He said with a sigh:

  "It's not always a blessing to reach such an advanced age!"

  "It's a calamity, Your Honor!" the young man exclaimed. "It's therefore that I felt I had to ask Your Honor's advice! Despite his illness, the Councilor insists on conducting all his own financial affairs. He writes letters which he doesn't show me, and he had long discussions with Wan I-fan, a business promoter whom Mr. Liu Fei-po introduced to him some time ago. I am not allowed to take part in those. But I have to keep the books, and I noticed that of late the Councilor has been engaging in fantastic business transactions. He is selling large lots of good arable land for a ridiculously low price! He is selling out his possessions, Your Honor, at a tremendous loss! The family will hold me responsible, but what can I do? They can't expect me to give unasked-for advice to His Excellency!"

  The judge nodded comprehendingly. This was indeed a delicate problem. After a while he said:

  "It won't be an easy or agreeable task, Mr. Liang, but you will have to apprise the Councilor's son of the situation. Why don't you propose to him that he come here for a few weeks; then he'll see for himself that his father is in his dotage."

  Liang Fen didn't seem to relish the idea. The judge felt sorry for him; he fully realized how awkward it was for a poor relation of such an illustrious person to communicate to the family the unwelcome news about the head of their clan. He said:

  "If you could show me some actual examples of the Councilor's mismanagement, I shall be glad to draw up a note for you that I, the magistrate, have personally convinced myself that the Councilor is not any longer capable of conducting his affairs."

  The young man's face lit up. He said gratefully:

  "That would be a tremendous help, Your Honor! I have here a summary of the Councilor's most recent transactions, which I drew up for my own orientation. And here is the ledger with His Excellency's instructions, written by himself, in the margin. The writing is very small, because of his nearsightedness, but the meaning is clear enough! Your Honor'11 see that the offer for that piece of land was far below its actual value. It is true that the buyer paid cash in gold bars, but-"

  Judge Dee seemed deeply engrossed in the summary Liang had given him. But he didn't take in the content; he looked only at the handwriting. It resembled closely that of the love letters which the Student of the Bamboo Grove sent to the dead dancer.

  He looked up and spoke.

  "I'll take your summary with me for a closer study." As he rolled it up and put it in his sleeve he said: "The suicide of Candidate Djang Hoo-piao must have been a big blow to you."

  "To me!" Liang Fen asked, astonished. "I have heard people talk about it, of course, but I have never met that unfortunate youth. I hardly know anybody in this town, Your Honor; I seldom go out, practically only to the Temple of Confucius, for consulting the books in the library there. I use all my spare time for my studies."

  "Yet you do find time for visiting the Willow Quarter, don't you?" Judge Dee asked coldly.

  "Who has been spreading that slanderous talk!" Liang Fen exclaimed indignantly. "I never go out at night, Your Honor; the old couple here will confirm that! I haven't the slightest interest in those light women, I… Besides, where in the world would I get the money for such escapades?"

  The judge made no response. He rose and went to the garden door. He asked:

  "Used the Councilor to walk out there when he was still in good health?"

  Liang Fen shot the judge a quick look. Then he replied:

  "No, Your Honor; this is only a back garden. That small gate over there leads to the alley behind the house. The main garden is over on the other side of the compound. I trust that Your Honor doesn't give any credence to those evil rumors about me? I really can't imagine who-"

  "It doesn't matter," Judge Dee interrupted him. "I shall study your summary at leisure, and in due time let you know."

  The young man thanked him profusely, then led him to the first courtyard and helped him to ascend his palanquin.

  When Judge Dee came back to the tribunal, he found Sergeant Hoong and Chiao Tai waiting for him in his private office. Hoong said excitedly:

  "Chiao Tai has made an important discovery in the house of Dr. Djang, Your Honor!"

  "That's welcome news!" the judge remarked as he sat down behind his desk.
"Speak up. What did you find, Chiao Tai?"

  "It isn't much, really," Chiao Tai said deprecatingly. "With the main business we didn't get any forrader! I made a second search for that queer fellow who spied on Your Honor in the bridal room, and Ma Joong helped me after he had come back from the Buddhist Temple, but we didn't find the slightest clue to him or to his whereabouts. Neither did we find out anything special about that carpenter, Mao Yuan. The steward had summoned him two days before the wedding. The first day he made a wooden platform for the orchestra, and slept in the gatehouse. The second day he repaired some furniture and the roof of the bridal room, which was leaking. He again slept with the doorman, and the following morning repaired the large dining table. Then he lent a hand in the kitchen, and when the feast had started he helped the servants to drink the wine that was left over. He went to bed dead drunk! The next morning the dead body of the bride was discovered, and Mao stayed on out of curiosity till the professor came back from his fruitless search for his son. Then the steward saw Mao standing talking outside in the street with the fisherman who had found Candidate Djang's belt. Mao left with his toolbox and his ax. All those days Dr. Djang didn't speak with Mao; it was the housemaster who gave him his instructions and who paid him off." Chiao Tai pulled at his short mustache, then went on:

  "This afternoon, when the professor was taking his siesta, I had a look at his collection of books. I found a fine old illustrated work on archery which greatly interested me. When I put it back, I saw an old book that had been lying behind it. It was a chess manual. I leafed it through, and found on the last page the problem that the dead dancer carried in her sleeve."

  "Excellent!" Judge Dee exclaimed. "Did you bring the book with you?"

  "No, Your Honor. I thought that the professor might become suspicious if he discovered that it was missing. I left brother Ma to watch the house and went to the bookshop opposite the Temple of Confucius. When I mentioned the title of the book, the shopkeeper said he still had one copy, and began at once about that last problem! He said that the book was published seventy years ago by the great grandfather of Han Yung-han, an old eccentric whom the people here used to call Hermit Han. He was famous as a chess expert, and his manual is still widely studied. Two generations of chess lovers have pondered over that last problem, but no one has ever succeeded in discovering its meaning. The book gives no explanation of it; therefore it is now generally assumed that the printer added that last page by mistake. Hermit Han died suddenly while the printing was still in progress; he didn't see the proofs. I bought the book. Your Honor can see for yourself."

  He handed the judge a dog-eared, yellow volume.

  "What an interesting story!" Judge Dee exclaimed. He eagerly opened the book and quickly read through the preface.

  "Han's ancestor was a fine scholar," he remarked. "This Preface is written in a very original, but excellent, style." He leafed the book through till the end, then took from his drawer the sheet with the chess problem and laid it next to the printed book. "Yes," he pursued, "Almond Blossom tore that sheet from a copy of this book. But why? How could a chess problem that was printed seventy years ago have anything to do with a plot that is being hatched now in this city? It's a strange affair!" Shaking his head, he put the book and the loose sheet in the drawer. Then he asked the sergeant: "Have you found out more about Liu Fei-po, Hoong?"

  "Nothing that has a direct bearing on our cases, Your Honor," Hoong replied. "Of course, the sudden death of his daughter and the disappearance of her body have set tongues wagging in that neighborhood. They say that Liu must have had a premonition that the marriage would be an unlucky one, and therefore tried to have it annulled. I had a cup of wine with one of Liu's palanquin bearers in the wine shop on the corner near the Liu mansion. The fellow told me that Liu is fairly popular with his personnel; he is a bit strict, but since he is away traveling so often they have on the whole an easy life of it. He told me one strange thing, though. He maintains that Liu sometimes practices a kind of vanishing trick!"

  "Vanishing trick?" the judge asked, amazed. "What did he mean by that?"

  "Well," Hoong said, "it seems it has happened several times that after Liu had retired to his library, when the steward went there to ask him something he found the room empty. He then looked for his master all over the house, but he was nowhere to be seen, and nobody had seen him go out. Then, at dinnertime, the steward would suddenly meet him walking in the corridor, or in the garden. The first time it happened the steward told Liu that he had been looking everywhere for him in vain, but then Liu had flown into a rage and cursed him for a doddering fool, blind as a bat. He said he had been sitting in his garden pavilion all the time. Later, when the same thing repeated itself, the steward didn't dare to remark on it any more."

  "I fear," Judge Dee said, "that the palanquin bearer had had a drop too much! Well, as regards the two calls I made this afternoon, Han Yung-han let it slip out that Dr. Djang retired before his time because one of his girl students accused him of an offense against morality. Han maintains that the professor was innocent, but according to him all prominent citizens of Han-yuan are high-minded persons! Thus Liu's accusation about Dr. Djang assaulting his daughter may, after all, not be as improbable as it seemed to us at first sight. Second, Councilor Liang has a nephew living with him whose handwriting seems to me to resemble closely that of our elusive Student of the Bamboo Grove! Give me one of those letters!" Judge Dee took the summary Liang Fen had given him from his sleeve, and studied it together with the letter Hoong placed before him. Then he hit his fist on the table and muttered peevishly: "No, it's the same thing we are running up against every time in this vexing case! It just doesn't fit! Look: it's the same style of calligraphy, written with the same ink and the same kind of brush! But the strokes are not the same, not quite!" Shaking his head he went on: "It would all tally nicely, though. The old Councilor is in his dotage, and except for an aged couple there are no other servants in that large mansion. That fellow Liang Fen has his quarters on a small back yard, with a door to an alley behind the house. Thus he has an ideal situation for a secret rendezvous with a woman from outside. Perhaps it was there that the dead courtesan used to spend her afternoons! He could have made her acquaintance in a shop somewhere. He maintains he didn't know Candidate Djang, but he knows very well we can't check that, because he is dead! Does the name Liang occur on that list the professor drew up for you, Hoong?"

  The sergeant shook his head.

  "Even if Liang Fen had an affair with Almond Blossom, Your Honor," Chiao Tai remarked, "he couldn't have killed her because he wasn't on the boat! And the same goes for Dr. Djang."

  Judge Dee folded his arms across his chest. He remained deep in thought, his chin on his breast. At last he spoke.

  "I admit frankly that I can't make head or tail of it! You two can go now and have your meal. Thereafter Chiao Tai goes back to the house of Dr. Djang to take over there from Ma Joong. On your way out, Sergeant, you can tell the clerk to serve my evening rice here in my office. Tonight I shall reread all documents pertaining to our two cases, and see whether I can't find a lead." He angrily tugged at his mustache. Then he resumed: "For the time being our theories don't look very promising! Number one: the murder on the flower boat. A dancer is murdered in order to prevent her from betraying a criminal plot to me. Four persons had the opportunity: Han, Liu, Soo and Wang. The plot has something to do with an unsolved chess problem that is only seventy years old! The dancer also had a secret love affair-that perhaps has nothing to do with her murder. Her lover was Dr. Djang, who was familiar with the pen name found on the love letters, or Liu Fei-po, for the same reason plus the resemblance of his handwriting, or Liang Fen, because of the resemblance of the handwriting plus the fact that he had an excellent opportunity for having secret meetings with her in his quarters.

  "Number two: a professor of profound learning but questionable morals assaults his daughter-in-law, who commits suicide. The groom also commits suicide. The p
rofessor tries to have the body buried without an autopsy, but a carpenter suspects the truth because he had a talk with a fisherman-make a note that we try to locate that fellow, Hoong!-and that carpenter is promptly murdered, apparently with his own ax! And the professor sees to it that the dead body of the bride disappears without a trace.

  "That's all! But now don't you two start thinking that there's something afoot here! Goodness, no. This is a sleepy little town; nothing ever happens here-says Han Yung-han! Well, good night!"

  Ninth Chapter

  THE JUDGE ENJOYS THE MOON ON THE MARBLE TERRACE; HE HEARS A STRANGE STORY DURING A NIGHTLY VISIT

  When Judge Dee had finished his dinner he told the clerk to serve tea on the terrace.

  The judge slowly ascended the broad stone staircase and seated himself in a comfortable armchair. A cool evening breeze had swept away the clouds. The full moon cast its eerie radiance over the wide expanse of the lake.

  He sipped the hot tea; the clerk disappeared noiselessly on his felt shoes. The judge was all alone on the broad terrace. With a contented sigh he loosened his robe, leaned back in the chair and looked up at the moon.

  He tried to review the events of the past two days. He found to his dismay, however, that he could not concentrate his thoughts. Disconnected images kept flitting across his mind's eye. The face of the dead courtesan staring up at him from under the water, the horribly disfigured head of the murdered carpenter, the haggard face outside the window of the bridal room-all those kept turning round and round in quick succession.

  Judge Dee got up impatiently. He went to stand by the marble balustrade. The town below was alive with human activity. He could hear faintly the din from the market place in front of the Temple of Confucius. This was his town, with thousands of people entrusted to his care. Yet foul murderers stalked about there planning who knew what new crimes. And he, the magistrate, was unable to stop them.