The Emperor's Pearl
- Автор: ван Гулик Роберт Ханс
- Серия: Judge Dee #9
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Другие детективы
Электронная книга - «The Emperor's Pearl». Краткое содержание книги:
In The Emperor’s Pearl, the judge discovers that these two deaths are connected by an ancient tragedy involving a near-legendary treasure stolen from the Imperial Harem one hundred years earlier. The terrifying figure of the White Lady, a river goddess enshrined on a bloodstained altar, looms in the background of the investigation. Clues are few and elusive, but under the expert hand of Robert van Gulik, this mythic jigsaw puzzle assembles itself into a taut mystery.
“If you have not yet discovered Judge Dee and his faithful Sgt. Hoong, I envy you that initial pleasure which comes from the discovery of a great detective story. For the magistrate of Poo-yang belongs in that select group of fictional detectives headed by the renowned Sherlock Holmes.”—Robert Kirsch, Los AngelesTimes
“The title of this book and the book itself have much in common. Each is a jewel, a rare and precious find.”—AtlantaTimes
'Take me to Mr Sun ! ' Judge Dee ordered.
The captain shambled to the raised stern, consisting of a double cabin. After repeated knocking on the narrow door, the window by its side was pushed open. A thin man with a scraggy neck and an aggressive short beard leaned out. A white cloth was wound tightly round his head.
'Do you have to make that awful noise?' he asked crossly. 'I am suffering from a splitting headache. I shouldn't be disturbed!'
'I am the magistrate. No, stay where you are! I only want to ask you how you passed last evening, Mr Sun.'
'In bed, sir. Didn't even have one bite for dinner. These attacks bother me regularly, you know. Confounded nuisance.' He put his elbows on the sill and went on: 'Not that I have no warning, though. The first sign is a feverish feeling, and complete lack of appetite. It is followed by a slight sickness, accompanied by a sour taste in my mouth, and then —'
'Most distressing. Did Mr Kwang come to see you?'
'He did. He looked in before dinner to tell me he was off to the boat races, with a friend of his. Didn't hear him come back. But you'll doubtless find him in his cabin, next to mine here. Was there an accident? '
'I am looking for witnesses. A man was murdered.'
Mr Sun gave the slovenly captain a baleful look.
'Evidently the victim wasn't our captain ! ' he remarked with a sigh. 'A great pity. I never was on a worse-run boat!'
The captain began to mutter indignantly, but the judge turned to him and snapped: 'You'll sail this boat down to the landing-stage near the west gate of the city, and keep it there until further notice!' And, to Mr Sun: 'I am afraid you'll have to stay here for a day or two, Mr. Sun. You might utilize the delay for consulting a doctor. I wish you a speedy recovery.'
Mr Sun started to protest that he was in a great hurry to travel on, but Judge Dee turned his back on him and went on land.
'You are an important witness,' he told Mr Kwang. 'Therefore you'll have to break your journey here. I told the captain to bring the junk to the landing-stage, you can either stay on board or take a room in a hostel, as you like. But report your address to the tribunal at once, so that I can summon you when I need you.' Kwang frowned and was going to say something, but the judge continued in a crisp voice to Pien: 'I'll be needing you too, doctor. You are not to leave the city for the time being. Goodbye.'
He jumped on his horse and rode off, together with Sergeant Hoong. When they were riding along the highway the sun had risen higher and was scorching them with its pitiless rays.
'We should have taken straw hats along!' Judge Dee muttered.
'It's bound to grow hotter still, sir! Not a breeze is stirring, and I don't like those small black clouds gathering over there. We may be in for a thunderstorm, later in the day.'
The judge made no comment. They rode on in silence. When the south gate came into sight Judge Dee suddenly burst out:
'That's the third murder in two days! And of Sia Kwang, the only man who could have shed some light on this baffling business!' Then he went on in a calmer voice: 'I'll tell you frankly that I am worried, Hoong. There's a dangerous, completely ruthless criminal on the loose in our town.'
The corporal of the guard had seen them approaching. Now he stood stiffly at attention in front of the guardhouse, inside the gate. Through the window came a rattling sound. Two soldiers were sorting out bamboo markers on the high table. Judge Dee halted his horse, bent down from the saddle and looked through the window. After a while he righted himself, and pensively let his riding-whip swing to and fro. He had a vague feeling that those rattling markers ought to remind him of something that was in the back of his mind. But the connection was just out of his reach. He knitted his eyebrows.
The corporal looked at him, astonished. He said awkwardly:
'It is, ah ... a rather hot day, Excellency.'
Deep in thought, Judge Dee had not heard him. Suddenly he smiled broadly. Turning to Hoong on the horse behind him, he exclaimed:
'Holy Heaven, that must be it, of course!' Then he said briskly to the corporaclass="underline" 'Let those two men of yours arrange all those markers according to their numbers. If they should find two that bear the same number, send those to the tribunal at once!'
He urged on his horse.
Hoong wanted to ask the judge what was wrong with the markers, but Judge Dee said quickly:
'I'll go to see Sheng Pa's girl-friend myself. You go to the Kou mansion and find out from the servants whether Kou went out this morning. I don't care whether you bully or bribe, as long as you get that information!'
'What about the morning session of the tribunal, sir?' the sergeant asked worriedly. 'The news of the Amber Lady's murder will have spread throughout the city now, and soon the people will know about Sia Kwang's death too. If we don't issue some sort of official statement, tongues will begin to wag and all kinds of fantastic stories will be told in the tea houses!'
Judge Dee pushed his cap back from his perspiring brow.
'You are right of course, Hoong! Let it be announced that there'll be no morning session today, but that the court will convene at noon. I'll then just make known the bare facts and add a non-committal statement about the investigation being in progress. Let's exchange our caps. I have no idea who or what that Miss Liang is, so that I had better go there incognito.'
After he had put on Hoong's small skull-cap, they parted. Judge Dee rode in the direction of the Temple of the War God. Wearing that cap and covered with dust and perspiration as he was, he hoped that he would not be recognized.
XI
The street urchin whom he asked after Miss Liang's house did not give him a second look. He silently pointed with a dirty forefinger at a large wooden barrack, near the corner of the street.
When Judge Dee had dismounted and was fastening the bridle of his horse to the ring in the wall, his eye fell on the red-lacquered signboard hanging next to the door. It was inscribed with four black letters in cursive writing that read Wu-te Tao-chang, 'Training Hall of Martial Virtue'. The large square seal at the top indicated that the inscription had been written by one of the Imperial Princes. Doubtfully shaking his head he went inside.
It was fairly cool in the dim, spacious hall. In the centre a thick reed mat had been spread out on the floor. Six hefty men, stripped to the waist, were practising wrestling-grips there in pairs. Farther on two dishevelled ruffians were fencing with bamboo sticks. Half a dozen men were sitting on the wooden bench against the side wall, intently following the proceedings. No one paid any attention to the newcomer.
One of the fencers got hit on his hand. He let his stick drop and began to curse volubly.
'Mind your language, Mister Mo, if you please!' a grating voice resounded from the back of the hall.
The fencer looked round with a frightened face.
'Yes Miss Liang!' he said meekly. 'Sorry Miss Liang!'
He blew on his sore fingers, picked up his stick, and the fencing went on.
Judge Dee walked round the wrestlers and up to the counter. Then he stood stock-still. He stared with unbelieving eyes at the colossal woman reclining in the armchair there. This mountain of flesh was clad in a short-sleeved jacket and wide trousers of rough brown cotton, as worn by professional wrestlers. One red sash was wound tightly round her barrel-like torso under her ample bosom, and a second round her waist, supported her paunch. Raising her round, expressionless face up to the judge, she asked in a rasping voice:
'What do you want, stranger?' Taking hold of himself, the judge spoke gruffly: 'My name is Jen, I am a boxing-master from the capital. I have to stay here for a few weeks, and Mr Sheng Pa directed me here, for advice about getting a few pupils. To keep my rice-bowl filled, you see?'