The Emperor's Pearl

'Since the murderer had to be connected with the antique trade, I thought of course of Yang, as a fourth suspect. Physically he fitted my intuitive picture of the criminal, and he had the same opportunities for committing the crimes as Kou, Pien or Kwang. Yang was present at the boat race and showed special interest in our diagnosis of Tong's death; this morning he had gone out for a ride up-country, so he could have killed Sia; and he was in the neighbourhood of the tribunal when Miss Liang went there to report the prostitute's abduction. Further, there were three points against him. First, although he assured me he had never visited the ruined temple, he knew about the altar being separated from the statue's pedestal. This suggested that he had indeed visited the temple, probably in order to rob it. Second, his pretending not to know Tong and Sia, which seemed highly improbable since those two were engaged in the same trade. Third, his contradicting Sheng Pa's informa­tion that Dr Pien needed money; this suggested that Pien was Yang's henchman, whom he wanted to protect against all possible suspicion.'

The judge waited till Sergeant Hoong had refilled his cup, then went on:

'However, every one of these three points had a perfectly innocent alternative. Yang might have read in some other antiquarian treatise about the change made in the temple. Tong and Sia might have deliberately avoided Yang as a dangerous competitor in the curio trade. And Dr Pien might have concealed his financial difficulty so well that only Sheng Pa's all-seeing and all-hearing beggars could come to know about it. And, most important of alclass="underline" Yang had no motive. I knew Yang and his habits fairly well; if there was a motive, I thought that its roots must lie somewhere in the past. But there was no time for a detailed investigation, I had to take immediate measures. And measures that would allow me to check my logical deductions as well as my vague intuition.'

'Thus I laid tonight's trap, intended for all four suspects, all at the same time. If Kou, Pien or Kwang were the criminal, I hoped that my reading out of the faked letter, my dark hints about the criminal having made a mistake, my macabre talk about avenging ghosts culminating in the sudden appearance of the white hand, would frighten the guilty person into betraying himself — as I explained to you in detail before we came here. What I did not tell you then was that I expected Yang, if he were indeed the criminal, to come here to spy on us.'

'Before we left the tribunal, you heard me tell the head­man to follow us here and, as soon as I had sent Kou's steward away, to round up all the servants except the gate­keeper, and herd them together in a back room. Then he and his men were to hide themselves beyond the bend of the corridor. They were to arrest anyone who should leave the library, but they were not to interfere with anybody com­ing from outside. These instructions were meant to make sure that Kou, Pien or Kwang would not escape if one of them were the criminal and, at the same time, to facilitate Yang's spying on us — if he were our man. Well, my intuition proved to be right. Yang was the murderer and he fell into my trap. You yourself heard him state just now that he had indeed come prepared to take action — which would have proved beyond doubt that he was the criminal.'

'You took a terrible risk, sir! If I had known that, I would never have agreed to the plan. Never!'

Judge Dee gave his old assistant an affectionate look. He said soberly:

'Now you know the reason why I didn't tell you about that particular part of my scheme, Hoong.'

'You were right, sir! I was terribly afraid as it was! As the tension kept mounting, I expected every moment one of those three men to attack you!'

'I didn't feel too well myself!' Judge Dee said with a wan smile. 'I had seen this room only once before and mis­takenly assumed that, when the candelabras along the back wall were out, the large candle on the table here would allow me to watch the door on my right and the three men opposite me, all at once. If Yang comes to spy on us, I thought, I'll notice his setting the door ajar, and if he should rush inside later to attack me or his accomplice, I'll have plenty of time to tackle him and shout for the constables. As it was, however, I could see on my right only black shadows, and I found it impossible to deliver my speech, and yet keep an eye on the door as well as on my three suspects all the time. When I knew that someone was inside, and heard the sound of breathing close behind me, I was struck by the uncomfortable thought that this time I had tempted providence too far!'

He passed his hand over his eyes, then went on in a tired voice:

'Now that I have heard Yang's confession, I understand that it all began with his love for Gold Lotus. This infatua­tion became tangled with his passionate love of fine art, the two finally blending into the frenzied desire of a lonely elderly man to possess and enjoy what he soon was to lose forever. Possessing Gold Lotus in the ruined temple, yet irrevocably losing her, incapacitated him in mind and body, and engendered in him a maniacal rage, which he sought to appease vicariously by maltreating other women.' He heaved a sigh, then resumed: 'As to Pien, according to the law he should be beheaded. But since there are mitigating circum­stances for the misguided doctor, I shall propose to have his death sentence commuted to a long prison term. Remind me, Hoong, to make arrangements for Miss Lee, after the case has been disposed of. We'll give her a round sum from the confiscated assets of Yang, so that her father can redeem her. She impressed me as a staunch girl, she deserves better than life in a brothel.'