The Chinese Maze Murders (37 page)

Quite another motif is worked out in the ‘Case of the Hidden Testament’. This case is based on a well-known ancient Chinese plot. A brief version occurs in the
T’ang-yin-pi-shih
, a collection of ruling cases compiled in 1211 A.D.; cf. my translation entitled ‘T’ang-yin-pi-shih, Parallel Cases from under the Peartree, a 13th century manual of Jurisprudence and Detection’ (Sinica Leidensia Vol. X, Leiden 1956), page 177, Case 66-B. Another brief version is found in the famous 16th century collection of crime stories
Lung-t‘u-kung-an
which describe the exploits of the master-detective Pao-kung who lived during the Sung Dynasty. There the story bears the title of
Ch’e-hua-chou‘
The Taking apart of the Scroll Picture’. A more elaborate version is given in the popular 17th century collection of Chinese stories
Chin-ku-ch’i-kuan;
it is inserted there as the third tale, entitled
T’eng-ta-yin-kuei-tuan-chia-szu
‘Magistrate T’eng‘s marvellous solution of the Inheritance Suit’. In the original story the real testament is found hidden in the scroll’s mounting, the clues contained in the picture itself are an embellishment I have added. I also added the new plot of the maze mystery which–as far as I know–does not occur in ancient Chinese detective stories although mazes are occasionally mentioned in the description of Chinese
palaces. The design of the maze reproduced in the present story is in reality that of the cover of a Chinese incense burner. It is an old Chinese custom to place a thin plate of copper with a cut-out and continuous design, on top of a vessel filled to the brim with incense powder. When the powder is lighted at one end of the design, it slowly burns on like a fuse following the design. During past centuries, there were published in China a number of books reproducing various designs of this kind, usually representing some auspicious phrase, and often of great ingenuity. The design utilized in the present story was borrowed from the
Hsiang-yin-t’u-k’ao
a book on this subject published in 1878.

The plot of the girl with the severed head is a quite common one in old Chinese crime stories; cf., for instance, my translation of the
T’ang-yin-pi-shih
, Case 64-A. I worked it into a story centering round sapphism, an aberration described in a number of Chinese novels and plays. The best known example is the love story of the girl Ts’ao Yü-hua and Mrs. Fan Yün-chien, in the 17th century play
Lien-hsiang-pan
, by the famous artist and playwright Li Yü. Cruelty of women towards women servants etc. is amply illustrated in Chinese ‘romans de moeurs’; I mention as an example
Chapter VIII
of the well known novel
Chin-p’ing-mei.
The frequent occurence of sapphism, and occasional cases of sadism among women in ancient China must doubtless be ascribed to the polygamic family system, where a number of women were obliged to live in constant and close proximity. Students of sociology will find this problem discussed at some length in my book ‘Erotic Colour Prints of the Ming Period’ (Tokyo 1951, Vol. I, p. 146-148). I selected this motive for inclusion in the present novel partly because it enabled me to create unexpected
developments and partly in order to show how surprisingly ‘modern’ old Chinese plots can be.

The exposure of the three monks who falsely reported the theft of a golden statue, in
Chapter VII
of the present novel, is based on a story in-the
T’ang-yin-pi-shih
, the collection of criminal cases mentioned above. This particular case will be found on page 159 of my translation, Case 57-B.

The ‘framework’ of the present novel, viz. a tale of a distant town where a local bully has usurped power, also is a common situation in Chinese novels. Sometimes a clever magistrate outwits and deposes the usurper, sometimes it is the usurper who is the hero of the story. He takes over from a corrupt magistrate, and subsequently is officially confirmed in his position by a grateful government.

Finally, the role played by ‘Master Crane Robe’ in this novel (see
Chapter XIX
) is a much-chastened version of the ‘deus ex machina’ found in many old Chinese detective novels; they introduce a supernatural being (sometimes the King of the Nether World himself come down to earth in human shape) which helps the magistrate to solve a baffling crime by means of occult powers. This element is, of course, unacceptable to the modern reader. In the present novel, therefore, I represent Master Crane Robe as a high-minded Taoist recluse, leaving it open as to whether the clues Judge Dee discovered during their conversation were the result of a lucky accident, or of the master’s inside knowledge of Governor Yoo’s affairs, or, again, of the master’s unusual mental powers. I chose as background of their conversation the contrast between Confucianism and Taoism. As is well known, Confucianism and Taoims are the two basic ways of thought that have dominated Chinese philosophy and
religion ever since approximately the 4th century B.C. Confucianism is realistic and very much of this world, Taoism is romantic and wholly unworldly.

Judge Dee, as an orthodox Confucianist scholar-official, venerates the Confucianist Classics which attach supreme importance to such accepted moral values as justice, righteousness, benevolence, duty, etc. Master Crane Robe, on the other hand, advocates the Taoist principle of the relativity of all accepted values, and a life of non-action jenseits vom Guten und Bösen’, in complete harmony with the primordial forces of nature. These two conflicting views are epitomized in the couplet of Governor Yoo about the worm and the dragon. This couplet I quoted from a Buddhist work on Ch’an (Japanese: Zen) philosophy. The Ch’an sect of Buddhism often comes very close to Taoism.

R. H. VAN GULIK

*
In the novel itself all Chinese names are transcribed in such a way, that they can be easily pronounced. In this Postscript, however, I use the regular system of transcription used in most English sinological publications.