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
'There's one point that would seem indeed to point to Kou, Your Honour. I mean that Kou employed both Sia and Tong for hunting out curios for him.'
'I learned from Yang,' Judge Dee said curtly, 'that Dr Pien and Mr Kwang Min also collect curios.'
The booming sound of the large bronze gong in the gatehouse reverberated through the tribunal. It was the sign that the noon session was about to begin.
The judge rose from his chair with a suppressed sigh. Sergeant Hoong helped him to don his official robe of heavy green brocade, then handed his master the winged judge's cap of black velvet. While he was adjusting the cap in front of the mirror Judge Dee said:
'I'll conclude the session as soon as possible, Sergeant! Thereafter I want you to go at once to Sheng Pa and see what he has found out about those racing bets. You can tell him, by the way, that I personally put in a good word for him with Miss Liang. Then you go to the Hostel of the Eight Immortals, and ask the owner about Mr Kwang. How often he stayed there, how long, and what visitors he received. Also, whether he had any relations with prostitutes or courtesans and, if so, whether any of those women ever had complaints about him. I want the fullest possible information on that bland businessman.'
The sergeant looked astonished, but there was no time for questions. He pulled the door curtain aside and Judge Dee passed through and entered the court hall. As he ascended the dais and seated himself behind the high bench, the hum of voices in the packed hall died out. Sergeant Hoong, who had stood himself in his customary place on Judge Dee's right hand, bent over to him and whispered:
'The citizens of Poo-yang are eager to hear more details about the murders, sir!'
Nodding Judge Dee surveyed the hall. The headman and six of his constables stood in their appointed place, below the dais and facing the bench. They carried whips, clubs, chains and the other awe-inspiring paraphernalia of their office. On either side of the bench stood a lower table, each with two scribes behind it. They were moistening their writing-brushes to make notes of the proceedings. In the front row of the spectators Judge Dee saw Mr Kou and Dr Pien, standing side by side. Mr Kwang Min and the curio-dealer Yang stood in the second row. He rapped his gavel and declared the session open.
After he had called the roll, he delivered a statement on the discovery of the murder of the Amber Lady and of Sia Kwang, without going into detail. He said that, since the two crimes had occurred in one and the same place, the court was convinced that there was a connection, and that a thorough investigation was in progress.
When the judge had finished, Kwang Min stepped forward. He made a bow and began:
'This person —'
'Kneel down!' the headman barked at him, raising his whip.
Kwang gave him an indignant look, but he obediently knelt on the stone floor in front of the bench and resumed: 'This person, the merchant Kwang Min, has the honour to report that he has decided to reside on his junk, temporarily moored at the landing-stage near the west city-gate.'
'It shall be so recorded,' Judge Dee said. After Kwang Min had risen he suddenly added: 'You were not too communicative when I questioned you this morning, Mr Kwang.' Kwang looked steadily at the judge. He said soberly: 'I was specifically ordered to be brief, Your Honour.'
'One can be brief and still to the point, Mr Kwang. I know where to find you, you may go.'
When Kwang had resumed his place among the spectators, Judge Dee announced a new regulation that had just come in from the capital, regarding the issuing of identity cards. While explaining the new rule he noticed the sultry heat. He was getting drenched with perspiration under his thick robe. As he was about to raise his gavel and close the session two neatly dressed men approached the bench and knelt down. They gave their names and stated that they were shopkeepers. They had become involved in a dispute over the ownership of a piece of land. A few spectators left the hall The judge saw Mr Yang among them.
MR KWANG IS QUESTIONED IN THE TRIBUNAL
He listened patiently to the lengthy explanations of both parties. Finally he dismissed them with the promise that he would have their claims checked in the land registry. Then an old pawnbroker came forward and lodged a complaint about two hooligans who had tried to intimidate him.
The pawnbroker was followed again by other persons. The citizens had evidently been saving up their problems for after the first five festive days of the month. Time dragged on. The greater part of the spectators were now leaving the court hall, including Dr Pien, Mr Kou and Mr Kwang Min. The hour for the noon rice was drawing near. Judge Dee turned round to Sergeant Hoong and said in a low voice:
'Heaven knows when I'll be through ! You'd better go now and do the errands I told you about. I'll see you later, in my private office.'
When the judge was closing the last case, there was a sudden commotion at the entrance of the hall. Judge Dee looked up annoyed, then quickly straightened himself in his chair. He saw a strange procession coming towards the bench.
In front walked three strongly-built fellows. Their clothes were torn, evidently they had been badly knocked about. One held his hands to the sides of his head, his shoulders were covered with blood. Another held his right hand up with his left, his pale face distorted with pain. The third stumbled rather than walked, and kept his hands pressed to his stomach. He seemed on the verge of collapsing, but was kept moving on by vicious stabs in his back from a folded parasol, wielded by Miss Violet Liang. Neatly dressed in her brown jacket and trousers, she strode along, her broad, copper-coloured face expressionless. Behind her came a plump young girl, gaudily dressed in a blue robe with large red roses. The left side of her face was bruised, the eye closed.
Arrived in front of the bench, Miss Liang barked an order at the three men, who sank down on their knees. The headman uttered a curse and stepped up to her, but she pushed him back unceremoniously, snapping: 'I know all about the correct court procedure. You keep out of this!' And, to the girclass="underline" 'Kneel down, dearie, it's the rule. You don't belong to the Palace personnel, like me.' Then she looked up at the judge and began in an even voice:
'This person respectfully reports her original name as Altan Tsetseg Khatun. By Imperial Decree the Chinese surname Liang was bestowed upon her, and the personal name Violet. A wrestler by profession. These three men are deserters from a military Canal junk, at present exercising the profession of footpad. Their names are, from left to right Feng, Wang and Liau. The woman kneeling on my left bears the surname Lee, called Peony, a licensed whore — by Your Honour's leave.' Turning to the senior scribe, she asked: 'Have you got all that down?' As the old man nodded in speechless astonishment, she again addressed the judge: 'This person begs Your Honour to be allowed to file an accusation against the men, Feng, Wang and Liau aforesaid.'
Judge Dee stared silently at the imperturbable woman. Then he said curtly:
'The request is granted.'
'When this person had sat down to her noon rice in the back-yard of her dwelling, attended upon by her maid Rose, she heard a woman cry for help in the alley running behind the said back-yard. She vaulted over the wall, and saw these three men in the act of dragging along forcibly the woman here on my left. When the woman again shouted for help the man Feng gave her a fistblow in her face that closed her left eye and thereupon drew a knife. I saw that the onlookers disappeared round the corner, and therefore stepped up to the men and politely inquired what it was all about. At first they refused to answer, but when I insisted they informed me that the day before yesterday Sia Kwang, a vagrant student, had given them a silver piece and told them to abduct the woman Lee from the establishment she belongs to, and to convey her to the third house in the second street behind the old Taoist temple, owned by a woman called Meng. The men had chosen noon as a convenient time for executing this commission, since at that hour there are few people about. As a further precaution they had wrapped a piece of cloth round the woman's head, but while passing behind my house she had just succeeded in pulling down the said cloth. Since the three men confessed to the crime of abducting a woman by force, and since it had come to my knowledge that this court is interested in the activities of the said Sia Kwang, this person repaired to this tribunal at once, inviting the three criminals to accompany me, and bringing also the woman Lee, as a material witness. I beg Your Honour's favourable consideration.'