Judge Dee at Work

'I have examined the coffin of the Crown Prince for hours, to­gether with Mao's best men, but we can find no sign that it has been tampered with. Sang maintains they excised a large section of the lacquer coating, made a hole, pushed the stuff inside and replaced the section of coating. According to him, there are ex­perts who can do this without leaving a trace. Maybe there are, but I must have positive proof. But I can't desecrate the coffin of the Emperor's beloved son by breaking it open — I may not even scratch it without the special permission of His Majesty — and it'll take at least six days before I can get word from the capital. On the other hand I can't open the offensive before I have made sure that Sang's accusation is false. If I can't do that in two hours, I shall have to order a general retreat. Set to work, Dee!'

The judge walked around the coffin of the Crown Prince, then he also examined cursorily that of the Princess. Pointing at a few long poles that were lying on the floor, he asked, 'What are these for?'

'I had the coffin tilted,' General Mao said coldly, 'in order to verify whether the bottom hadn't been tampered with. All that was humanly possible has been done.'

Judge Dee nodded. He said pensively, 'I once read a description of this palace. I remember that it said that the August Body was first placed in a box of solid gold, which was then placed in one of silver, and that in turn in a case of lead. The empty space around it was filled up with the articles of adornment and court costumes of the Crown Prince. The sarcophagus itself consists of thick logs of cedarwood, covered on the outside with a coat of lacquer. The same procedure was followed two years later, when the Princess died. Since the Princess had been fond of boating, behind the palace a large artificial lake was made, with models of the boats used by the Princess and her court ladies. Is that correct?'

'Of course,' the Marshal growled. 'It's common knowledge. Don't stand there talking twaddle, Dee! Come to the point!'

'Could you get me a hundred sappers, sir?'

'What for? Didn't I tell you we can't tamper with that coffin?'

'I fear the Tartars also know all about these coffins, sir. Should they temporarily occupy the city, they'll break the coffins open to loot them. In order to prevent the coffins from being desecrated by the barbarians, I propose to sink them to the bottom of the lake.'

The Marshal looked at him dumbfounded. Then he roared: 'You accursed fool! Don't you know the coffins are hollow? They'll never sink. You ...'

'They aren't meant to, sir!’ Judge Dee said quickly. 'But the plan to sink them provides us with a valid reason for deplacing them.'

The Marshal glared at him with his one fierce eye. Suddenly he shouted: 'By heaven, I think you've got it, Dee!’ Turning to General Mao, he barked: 'Get me a hundred sappers here, with cables and rollers! At once!’

After Mao had rushed to the staircase, the Marshal started pacing the floor, muttering to himself. General Lew covertly ob­served the judge. Judge Dee remained standing there in front of the coffin of the Crown Prince, staring at it silently, his arms folded in his long sleeves.

Soon General Mao came back. Scores of small, squat men swarmed inside behind him. They wore jackets and trousers of brown leather and peaked caps of the same material, with long neck- and ear-flaps. Some carried long round poles, others rolls of thick cable. It was the sappers corps, expert at digging tunnels, rigging machines for scaling city walls, blocking rivers and har­bours with underwater barriers, and all the other special skills used in warfare.

When the Marshal had given their commander his instructions, a dozen sappers rushed to the high gate at the back of the vault, and opened it. The bleak moonlight shone on a broad marble terrace. Three stairs descended into the water of the lake beyond, which was covered by a thin layer of ice.

The other sappers crowded round and over the coffin of the Crown Prince like so many busy ants. One heard hardly a sound, for the sappers transmit orders by finger-talk only. They are so quiet they can dig a tunnel right under a building, the occupants becoming aware of what is happening only when the walls and the floor suddenly cave in. Thirty sappers tilted the coffin of the Crown Prince, using long poles as levers; one team placed rollers under it, another slung thick cables round the huge sarcophagus.

The Marshal watched them for a while, then he went outside and on to the terrace, followed by Dee and the generals. Silently they remained standing at the water's edge, looking out over the frozen lake.

Suddenly they heard a low rumbling sound behind them. Slowly the enormous coffin came rolling out of the gate. Dozens of sappers pulled it along by thick cables, while others kept plac­ing new rollers underneath it. The coffin was drawn across the terrace, then let down into the water as if it was the hulk of a ship being launched. The ice cracked, the coffin rocked up and down for a while, then settled with about two-thirds of it under water. A cold wind blew over the frozen lake, and Judge Dee started to cough violently. He pulled his neckcloth up over the lower part of his face, beckoned the commander of the sappers and pointed at the coffin of the Princess in the vault behind them.

Again there was a rumbling sound. The second coffin came rolling across the terrace. The sappers let it down into the water where it remained floating next to that of the Crown Prince. The Marshal stooped and peered at the two coffins, comparing the waterlines. There was hardly any difference, if anything the coffin of the Princess was slightly heavier than that of the Crown Prince.

The Marshal righted himself. He hit General Lew a resounding clap on his shoulder. 'I knew I could trust you, Lew!' he shouted. 'What are you waiting for, man? Give the signal, go ahead with your troops! I'll follow in six hours. Good luck!'

A slow smile ht up the general's stern features. He saluted, then turned round and strode off. The commander of the sappers came and said respectfully to the Marshaclass="underline" 'We shall now weigh the coffins with heavy chains and rocks, sir, then we ...'