Poisoned Bride and Other Judge Dee Mysteries (23 page)

Judge Dee himself rose before dawn, and having thrown the scarlet pelerine over his shoulders, ascended the dais. In the flickering light of the large candles he called the roll. Somewhat apart from the constables stood a giant of a man, carrying a naked sword over his shoulders.

The judge first ordered Shao Lee-huai brought in from the jail. Shao had been served the customary last meal of wine and roast and seemed resigned to his fate. As he knelt in front of the bench, Judge Dee read out his sentence:

“The criminal Shao Lee-huai shall be decapitated, his head shall be exposed for three days on the city gate, and all his possessions are forfeited”.

The constables bound Shao securely with ropes, and inserted a stake between the rope and his back, bearing a long placard where his name, his crime and his punishment had been written in large characters. They took him outside and made him climb into the open jail cart. A crowd of onlookers had assembled in front of the main gate, the military guard keeping them at a suitable distance with their pikes and halberds.

After this Judge Dee had Hsu Deh-tai brought in. When on entering the dimly lit court hall, he saw the scarlet pelerine of the judge shimmering in the candle-light, the full horror of impending death dawned upon him, and he sank to his knees, crying in abject fright. Judge Dee read:

“The criminal Hsu Deh-tai shall die by strangulation, in such a way that death ensues immediately, but his body shall not be publicly exposed; this mitigation is based on the meritorious services rendered to the State by the said Hsu Deh-tai’s father and grandfather. All his possessions are forfeited”.

After Hsu Deh-tai had been bound and led away, he also was placed in the open cart, the white placard bearing his name and his crime was above his head for all to see.

Finally Mrs. Djou was brought before the judge. She now seemed an elderly woman. She walked with bent shoulders, never looking up.Judge Dee read out:

“The criminal Bee, née Djou, shall be subjected to the lingering death, in such a way that death ensues after the first cut, this mitigation being based on the fact that she has suffered severe torture during the interrogation. Her possessions shall not be forfeited, in consideration of the fact that she leaves behind an old mother. But her head shall be exposed on the city gate for three days”.

Then she also was bound with ropes, and the placard with name, offense and punishment stuck on her back.

As the three criminals stood in the open cart, six soldiers with drawn swords placed themselves behind them, and the other soldiers, shouldering their pikes and halberds, ranged themselves in formation on all four sides of the cart. All the constables and guards of the tribunal took their places, standing in rows of six in front and behind the palanquin of the judge. The procession was headed by ten soldiers on horseback, to clear the way. And directly behind them walked the huge executioner, his sword on his shoulder, flanked by an assistant on either side.

The large gong was sounded three times, and Judge Dee ascended his palanquin. Sergeant Hoong and Ma Joong guided their horses on the right side of the palanquin, and Chiao Tai and Tao Gan rode on left.

Slowly the procession wound its way through the streets of Chang-ping, headed for the western city gate.

Young and old, rich and poor, anyone who could walk had assembled in the street to witness this spectacle. The people cheered loudly as soon as the palanquin of Judge Dee came in sight. But when the cart with the three criminals passed, the younger spectators reviled them, jeering at them at the top of their voices. The elder people in the crowd, however, scolded these youngsters, saying:

“Don’t use your tongue to revile them. Use your brains and reflect on the stern retribution meted out to criminals by the laws of our land. Here you see a violent ruffian, a depraved nobleman, and a lascivious woman, all together as equals in the cart of the condemned. Justice has no regard for rank, position or sex. Let this spectacle serve you as a warning, and always remember it, should temptation come your way”.

As the procession passed through the West Gate, a crowd of more than a thousand people followed behind. By the time they arrived at the execution ground, the early rays of the sun shone on the helmets of the soldiers, standing there on all four sides of the square.

The garrison commander came forward and welcomed the judge. Together they ascended the temporary dais that had been put up in front of the execution ground during the night, and took their seats behind the bench. The constables and scribes ranged themselves in front of the dais.

The two assistants of the executioner brought Shao Lee-huai to the centre of the execution ground, and made him kneel. They removed the placard from his back, and loosened his collar so that his neck was bare. The executioner took off his jacket, revealing his muscular torso. Lifting his sword in both hands, he looked at the judge.

Judge Dee gave the sign, and the head was severed from the body with one terrific blow. An assistant picked the head up by its hairs, and raised it in front of the bench. Judge Dee marked its forehead with his vermilion brush, and it was thrown in a basket standing ready nearby, later to be exposed on the city gate.

In the mean time the other assistant of the executioner had stuck a low wooden cross in the ground, and now Hsu Deh-tai was fled to this cross in a kneeling position, his arms being fastened to the horizontal bar. The executioner threw a noose of thin hempcord over Hsu’s head, while the other end encircled file upper part of the stake. He stuck a short wooden stick between the cord and the stake behind Hsu’s head, and looked towardsthe judge.

As soon as Judge Dee had given the sign, the executioner quickly twisted the stick round in both hands, the cord tightened round the criminal’s throat, his eyes bulged from their sockets, and his tongue protruded. The executioner stopped turning the stick, and waited. A deep silence reigned over the execution ground. Not a sound was heard among that crowd numbering more than a thousand people. Finally the executioner felt the criminal’s heart, and reported to the judge that he was dead.

The assistants took his body from the cross, and laid it in the temporary coffin that a representative sent by Hsu Deh-tai’s family had placed there in readiness.

They pulled the cross up, until it was raised to a man’s height above the ground. Having stamped the earth close around the middle stake, they nailed a second horizontal crossbar on, one foot above the ground. Then they took off Mrs. Djou’s clothes, leaving her only one undergarment. She was tied to the cross, her hands being fastened to the ends of the upper crossbar, and her ankles to the ends of the lower one. The executioner placed himself in front of her, holding a long, thin knife. His two assistants stood by his side, carrying a hatchet and a saw.

As soon as Judge Dee had given the sign, the executioner plunged his knife into her breast with a powerful thrust. She died immediately. Then he proceeded to slice and dismember the body with his assistants, beginning with the hands and the feet. Although the process of the “lingering death” was thus executed on a dead body instead of on the living criminal, it still was a gruesome sight, and many in the crowd of spectators fainted. It took an hour to complete the process. What remained of Mrs. Djou’s body was cast in a basket. But the head was marked by the judge, and would be exposed on the city gate for three days, together with a placard stating her crime, as a deterrent example.

Gongs were sounded, the soldiers presented their arms as the judge and the military commander left the execution ground. The judge ascended his palanquin, the commander his military sedan chair. Having entered the city, they first proceeded together to the temple and there prayed and offered incense. In the front courtyard of the temple they took leave of each other, Judge Dee returning to the tribunal, and the commander to his military headquarters.

The gong of the tribunal was sounded three times, and Judge Dee, having taken off the scarlet pelerine in his private office, and having hastily drunk a cup of strong tea, ascended the dais for the noon session. He had previously given orders that Mrs. Bee, the carter’s widow Wang, an uncle of the murdered merchant Liu, and the representative of the family of Hsu Deh-tai, were to present themselves at this session.

The judge first had the representative of Hsu Deh-tai’s family brought in. He ordered him, on his return to the south, to convey his feelings of sympathy to the elders of the Hsu-clan, and then told him to report the possessions of Hsu Deh-tai. The representative produced a document, and read:

“One compound in Huang-hua Village, estimated value 3000 silver pieces, furniture and personal assets to a value of 800 pieces, liquid funds 2000 silver pieces. The last item includes the remainder of the quarterly grant Hsu Deh-tai received from his family, last paid out two months ago”.

Judge Dee had the comptroller of the tribunal called, and ordered the representative to hand the document to him. The judge told the comptroller to sell Hsu Deh-tai’s property, and then dismissed the representative.

Now he ordered the constables to bring in Mrs. Bee, Mrs. Wang, and the uncle of Liu the merchant. When all three were kneeling before the bench, he told the comptroller to report. This official opened a file, and read out:

“The local silk broker in this city has received a letter from Manager Loo Chang-po in Divine Village, with the information that the silk deposited there by Djao Wan-chuan has been sold for 900 silver pieces. Out of this sum Manager Loo has refunded three hundred to Djao Wan-chuan, this being the sum he had lent to the criminal Shao Lee-huai. Manager Loo, desirous to show his public spirit, has taken a commission of only ten percent of the remainder, instead of the customary twenty, so that the net proceeds of this sale are 540 silver pieces. Manager Loo has authorised the silk broker to pay this sum to the tribunal.

“The district magistrate of Lai-chow has reported through his comptroller that an inventory taken by his constables in Turnip Pass, showed that Shao Lee-huai’s possessions there amounted to 200 silver pieces, augmented with 60 which various persons there owed him as gambling debts. From this total of 260 the magistrate of Lai-chow deducted 60 for the costs of collection”.

Here there was an interruption, as the headman of the constables started to blurt out highly offensive remarks at the mention of the magistrate of Lai-chow.

“Silence!” shouted Judge Dee in a thunderous voice. Turning to the comptroller, he said: “Proceed!”

“Thus,” the comptroller continued, “the net proceeds of the possessions of the criminal Shao Lee-huai amount to the sum of 200 silver pieces. The grand total of the money available to the tribunal is 6540 silver pieces”. Judge Dee said:

“I rule that of this sum, you shall pay 1540 silver pieces to the uncle of the victim Liu present here, for the bales of silk belonging to that merchant, and the cash that Shao Lee-huai took from him. In addition, you shall pay him 1000 silver pieces as smart money.

“Further, you shall pay the sum of 1000 silver pieces to Mrs. Bee, in monthly installments of ten silver pieces, to cover her costs of living in the ensuing years, and to pay for the education of her granddaughter.

“Finally, you shall pay a lump sum of 1000 silver pieces to Mrs. Wang, as smart money.

“The remaining 2000 silver pieces revert to the State and shall be entered in your books as such. In your quarterly report you shall enter these financial arrangements in detail, including a copy of the report from Lai-chow”. Looking at the headman of his constables, Judge Dee added:

“No doubt the comptroller of the prefectural office shall study this report from Lai-chow with due care”.

Mrs. Bee, Mrs. Wang and the uncle of the merchant Liu prostrated themselves and knocked their heads to the floor several times to show their gratitude. Judge Dee left the dais, and entered his private office. He changed into a comfortable informal robe, and, moistening his writing brush, began drafting a report on the execution, to be forwarded to the prefect.

He had not been writing long, when suddenly a panting clerk burst into the room, and said excitedly:

“Your Honour, a Court messenger carrying an Imperial Edict has arrived at the main gate!”

Judge Dee was very astonished at this news, and wondered what was afoot. He hurriedly donned his full ceremonial dress, and at the same time ordered the senior scribe to have the court hall cleared, and to place the special high table with the incense burner, reserved for Imperial Edicts, against the northern wall.

When the judge entered the court hall, the Imperial messenger was already standing there, carrying an oblong box in both hands, which was wrapped up in yellow brocade. This messenger was a tall young courtier, with grave mien, who wore the robes and insignia of a Junior Assistant to the Grand Secretary.

When the judge had greeted him with due ceremony, he guided him in front of the high table, adding new incense in the burner. As fragrant smoke curled upwards, the messenger reverently placed the box on the table, and retreated a few steps. Judge Dee prostrated himself below, and knocked his head on the floor nine times in succession.

Then the judge rose and waited with bowed head while the messenger took off the wrappings and opened the yellow leather box inside. He took from it a scroll mounted on yellow brocade, which he placed in front of the incense burner. The messenger himself added new incense in the burner, and then said solemnly: “The August Words shall now be read”.