Poisoned Bride and Other Judge Dee Mysteries (14 page)

MAIDEN, speaks:

MAIDEN, speaks:

Judge Dee gave a non-committal answer and sent him away. He knew that there was no time to write a circular to the other district magistrates; by the time their answers came in, Shao Lee-huai would have received news about what was afoot and he would never be arrested. After some thought, Judge Dee ordered the clerk to select the oldest men among the constables, and bring them in.

When three greybeards had come in and respectfully greeted the judge, he asked them whether in their long careers they had ever been in a locality called Turn-up Pass. Two of them said immediately that they had never in their lifetime even heard about a place of that name.

Now the third was an old man of about seventy, who was half deaf. He had heard only vaguely what Judge Dee asked, and had stood there mumbling by himself, pulling at his beard. When the two others had answered the judge, he cackled:

“Turnips! Now, there Your Honour is saying something! The right season has not yet arrived, but if Your Honour wants some, I have in my garden quite a few, imported from another locality. They ripen earlier, and they are real juicy turnips. If Your Honour wants some, I shall be glad to oblige”

The other constables, fearing that Judge Dee would be angry, hastened to say that the old man was deaf, but that he knew all the tricks of the trade and often gave excellent advice; moreover, he still was quite useful for light guard duty. Judge Dee, however, smiled a little and told the old man that for the moment he did not require the turnips, but that he would like to try them some other day.

The old constable, thinking that Judge Dee had misgivings about taking these special turnips from him, insisted:

“Please, Your Honour, allow me to go home and get some nice ones for you. I have more than enough of them, and moreover having come all the way from Szuchuan Pass, they are a rare treat”.

The mention of the name “Szuchuan Pass” startled Judge Dee to no small degree. He remembered how accurately the first part of the verse that he had seen in his dream tallied with the name Shao, and with Divine Village; could it be that the reference to Szuchuan in the second part did not refer to that distant province at all, but to a place that happened to bear that name, right here in the province of Shantung? Would this greybeard have the key to the final solution of the double murder of Six Mile Village?

Thereupon he turned to the other constables and the clerks, and said:

“I have to ask this man a few questions in private. Your presence is no longer required”.

The others thought for themselves that this was going to be a queer conversation, with one of the parties half deaf; but they hastened to obey the judge.

When they were alone, the judge first asked the old constable some routine questions, such as his name and surname, where he came from and how long he had been serving in the tribunal. When he noticed that the greybeard was completely at ease and had become accustomed to his voice, Judge Dee said:

“Now these turnips from Szuchuan Pass, that is a subject I would like to know more about, because I am very fond of eating turnips. Where is that place where they grow, and how far is it from here?”

“None of those young whippersnappers over here”, the old constable said, “know about that place. Yes, I may be old and deaf, but I still know a thing or two that those young constables have never even heard of. Now I don’t say that they don’t treat me as they should a man of my age, and fortunately Your Honour is such a kind master, that—”

“I was asking you”, Judge Dee hastily interrupted before the old man could stray from his subject again, “how many miles that place where the turnips grow is from here”.

“Yes, yes”, the old man said, “I was just coming to that. This Szuchuan Pass is a village in the mountains near the city of Lai-chow, in this same province. During the former dynasty, a native of Szuchuan Province used to come there regularly to sell his goods, and made a good profit. Therefore finally he settled down there permanently, opened a shop, and in course of time became a very wealthy man. After he died, his sons and grandsons continued this business, and theirs became the leading family in the district. Thus people called that locality Szuchuan Pass, because the leading family came from that province. Thereafter, however, the family fortune declined, their wealth was gradually scattered, and finally they left there. Then people forgot all about them, and called the place Turnip Pass, because the turnips there are large and juicy. Now some years ago, one of Your Honour’s predecessors sent me out there on a case and, talking with the old people there, I heard this story about the Szuchuan family. When I returned home, I took a basket of turnips with me and planted them in my garden. They did very well, and I dare say there are none better in this whole district. Now if Your Honour allows me to go home and fetch a few—”

But Judge Dee had not heard his last words. Overjoyed he reflected that Djao Wan-chuan had mistaken Turnip Pass for Turn-up Pass when he heard about Shao Lee-huai’s love nest, and that this mistake had been corrected through the bad hearing of the old constable. And he marveled at the subtle way in which the verse in his dream had conveyed the information that the criminal was to be found there.

“You say that you were once in that neighbourhood”, Judge Dee said to the old constable, “Now that is excellent, for I must send some men there on a case. I wish you could go with them, to show them the way. Can you make such a long journey?”

“Your Honour”, the old constable said, “I may be old and deaf, but I am still capable of executing your orders. Moreover the place is not too far, we should be able to make it in nine or ten days. Your Honour just tell me when I should go”.

Judge Dee dismissed him with a few kind words, and enjoined him not to tell others about their conversation.

The next day, after the morning session, Judge Dee called Djao Wan-chuan, and told him the good news that Turnip Pass had been located. Djao was amazed, and said:

“Thus one sees how closely woven are the nets of Heaven’s justice! Well, since the criminal is there, let me go and get him!”

Judge Dee told him to wait till Ma Joong’s return from Huang-hua Village. In the mean time he drew up an official document for the magistrates of the districts they would have to pass on their way out there, stating their business and adding the usual request that if the need should arise, they give them the necessary assistance.

That night Ma Joong came back. He also was overjoyed to hear the news. Judge Dee ordered him to pack his luggage that same night, and set out early the next morning, together with Djao Wan-chuan, Chiao Tai and the old constable. Then he handed him their credentials and money for travelling expenses.

After an uneventful journey, in the afternoon of the seventh day, the four men arrived at the city of Lai-chow, the last stop before they would reach the passes.

They sent the old constable ahead to reserve a room in a hostel. The other three went to the office of the district magistrate to have their credentials stamped. Just as the clerk brought their documents back, the old constable entered the gate of the tribunal and told them he had found a nice room in a cheap hostel. They went there together and informed the manager that they were travelling silk merchants.

When the waiter brought their dinner to the room, Ma Joong asked him about the silk market in the passes. The waiter said that the market was not bad. People there had plenty of money. But he added that he hoped they were not planning to go out there to sell their wares, but would do business in the city. For a very moderate commission, the waiter was willing to introduce them to some people who might be interested in buying. Djao Wan-chuan, however, cut him short and told him that the next morning they were going to Turnip Pass, and that they were not interested in the market in the city.

The waiter gave them a queer look. He said that it was a lonely place, with bad roads. There was a garrison of about six hundred soldiers stationed there, to guard the passes. But doubtless they knew all that.

Ma Joong told him that they were newcomers but the waiter did not seem to believe that. When asked again about a large silk merchant there, he said reluctantly that he had heard a shop Lee Da mentioned. Suddenly the waiter departed without waiting for a tip.

“What”, Ma Joong exclaimed, “is wrong with that bastard?”

Djao Wan-chuan looked rather unhappy and said: “Friends, now I remember that I have been to the place before, although at that time I did not know that one of the villages scattered around the passes was called Turnip Pass. Let me tell you that we shan’t have an easy job. The people living there are a bad lot. In summer, when the grain is standing high in this part of the province, they lie in ambush along the highroads killing and robbing all merchants and travellers that happen to pass. So bad is the reputation of the region that experienced travellers prefer to make a long detour to avoid passing through there when the grain is standing high. The garrison is stationed there to prevent the local people from creating disorder on a large scale rather than for guarding the passes. All these robbers are banded together in gangs, and Shao Lee-huai must be well in with them. If we try to arrest him there we will have the whole gang on our necks”.

Ma Joong said laughing:

“Now brother, that is queer talk from you! You don’t mean to say that you are afraid?”

“There you are wrong”, Djao Wan-chuan said, “But I know what I am talking about. I stand up to anyone, but there is a difference between courage and foolhardiness”.Chiao Tai fully agreed with Djao, and added:

“Let us not forget that we are far from our own district and that the local authorities won’t thank us for stirring up trouble. You can assume that the district magistrate is content at leaving that crowd of robbers in the passes well alone, as long as they don’t rebel or refuse to pay their taxes”.

Then Djao Wan-chuan said:

“What about the military? We have our credentials and we could apply through the district magistrate to the garrison commander”.

Now the old constable laughed aloud and said:

“You fellows may be strong and good fighters, but in this you are extremely new. Listen to a old man grown grey in official service: that garrison commander is either getting a share of the loot or he is completely satisfied with his easy life there. Try to get his help against the gangs, and what will happen? If he has you flogged as trouble-makers and sends you back to Chang-ping in chains, you will be lucky!”

Ma Joong fully agreed with the old constable. They all fell silent and thought hard how this difficulty could be solved. After some time, Djao Wan-chuan struck the table with his fist, and said:

“Friends, I have found it! I have promised the judge that I would get this Shao Lee-huai, and I am going to do it. When we arrive at the passes tomorrow, we will separate as soon as we have located a hostel. Then I will go alone to the Lee Da silkshop and try to locate our man through them. When I have found him, I will tell him some cock and bull story about Manager Loo having cheated me with the silk, and that he must go back with me, in order to get our money out of him and something extra for our trouble. I shall invite him to the hostel where we give him a good dinner and persuade him to leave together with us the next day. And then, as soon as we have left and get near the city, we tell him that he is arrested!”

They all thought that this was an excellent plan and Ma Joong praised Djao’s resourcefulness. They had a last round of wine and then went to bed for a good night’s rest.