fort, manned by a strong garrison. They search all incoming and outgoing ships, and a few years ago, during our war with Korea, they prevented Korean war junks from entering the river. North of the river the coast consists of high cliffs, and down to the south there is nothing but swamps. Thus Peng-lai, being the only good harbor hereabouts, has become the center of our trade with Korea and Japan.'
'In the capital I heard people say,' Hoong added, 'that many Koreans have settled down here, especially sailors, shipwrights and Buddhist monks. They live in a Korean quarter, on the other side of the creek east of the city, near where there is also a famous old Buddhist temple.'
'So you can now try your luck with a Korean girl!' Chiao Tai said to Ma Joong. ''Then you can also buy off your sin cheaply in that temple!'
Two armed guards opened the gate, and they rode along a busy shopping street till they reached the high wall of the tribunal compound. They followed it till they came to the main gate, in the south wall, where a few guards were sitting on a bench under the big bronze gong.
The men sprang to their feet and saluted the magistrate sharply. But Hoong noticed that behind his back they gave each other a meaningful glance.
A constable took them to the chancery on the opposite side of the main courtyard. Four clerks were busily wielding their brushes under the supervision of a gaunt, elderly man with a short gray beard.
He came to meet them in a flurry and, stuttering, introduced himself as the senior scribe, Tang, temporarily in charge of the district administration.
'This person deeply regrets,' he added nervously, 'that your honor's arrival was not announced in advance. I could make no preparations for the welcome-dinner and-'
'I assumed,' the magistrate interrupted him, 'that the boundary post would have sent a messenger ahead. There must have been a mistake somewhere. But since I am here, you'd better show me the tribunal.'
Tang first took them to the spacious court hall. The tiled floor was swept clean, and the high bench on the platform in the back was covered with a piece of shining red brocade. The entire wall behind the bench was covered with a curtain of faded violet silk. In its center appeared as usual the large figure of a unicorn, symbol of perspicacity, embroidered in thick gold thread.
They went through the door behind the curtain and, after having crossed a narrow corridor, entered the private office of the magistrate. This room was also well kept: there was not a speck of dust on the polished writing desk, the plaster walls were newly whitewashed. The broad couch against the back wall was of beautiful dark green brocade. After a brief glance at the archives room next to the office, Magistrate Dee walked out into the second courtyard, which faced the reception hall. The old scribe explained nervously that the reception hall had not been used after the investigator's departure; it might be possible that a chair or a table would not be standing in its proper place. The magistrate looked curiously at the awkward, stooping figure; the man seemed very ill at ease.
'You kept everything in very good order,' he said reassuringly. Tang bowed deeply and stammered, 'This person has been serving here for forty years, your honor, in fact ever since I entered the tribunal as an errand boy. I like things to be in their proper order. Everything always went so smoothly here. It is terrible that now, after all those years-'
His voice trailed off. He hurriedly opened the door of the reception hall.
When they were gathered round the high, beautifully carved center table, Tang respectfully handed the large square seal of the tribunal to the magistrate. He compared it with the impression in the register, then signed the receipt. Now he was officially in charge of the district Peng-lai.
Stroking his beard, he said, 'The magistrate's murder shall take precedence over all routine affairs. In due time I'll receive the notables of the district and comply with the other formalities. Apart from the personnel of the tribunal, the only district officials I want to see today are the wardens of the four quarters of the city.'
'There is a fifth here, your honor,' Tang remarked. 'The warden of the Korean settlement.'
'Is he a Chinese?' Judge Dee asked.
'No, your honor,' Tang replied, 'but he speaks our language fluently.' He coughed behind his hand, then went on diffidently. 'I fear this is rather an unusual situation, your honor, but the prefect has decided that these Korean settlements on the east coast here shall be semiautonomous. The warden is responsible for the maintenance of the peace there; our personnel can go in only if the warden asks for their assistance.'
'That's certainly an unusual situation,' the judge muttered. 'I'll look into that one of these days. Well, you'll now tell the entire personnel to assemble in the court hall. In the meantime, I'll just have a look at my private quarters, and refresh myself.'
Tang looked embarrassed. After some hesitation he said, 'Your honor's residence is in excellent condition; the late magistrate had everything painted anew last summer, Unfortunately, however, his packed-up furniture and his luggage are still standing about there. There is no news yet from his brother, his only living relative. I don't know where all those things should be sent to. And since His Excellency Wang was a widower, he had employed only local servants, who left after his… demise.'
'Where then did the investigator stay when he came here?' the magistrate asked, astonished.
'His excellency slept on the couch in the private office, your honor,' Tang answered unhappily. 'The clerks also served his meals there. I deeply regret, all this is highly irregular, but since the magistrate's brother does not answer my letters, I… It is really most unfortunate, but-'
'It doesn't matter,' Judge Dee said quickly. 'I hadn't planned to send for my family and servants until this murder had been solved. I'll go to my private office now and change there, and you'll show my assistants their quarters.'
'Opposite the tribunal, your honor,' Tang said eagerly, 'there's a very good hostel. I am staying there myself with my wife, and I can assure your honor that also his assistants='
'That's highly irregular too,' the judge interrupted coldly. 'Why don't you live inside the tribunal compound? With your long experience you ought to know the rules!'
'I do have the upper floor of the building behind the reception hall, your honor,' Tang explained hurriedly, 'but since the roof needs repairing, I thought there would be no objection to my living, temporarily of course-'
'All right!' Judge Dee cut him short. 'But I insist that my three assistants live inside. You'll have quarters arranged for them in the guardhouse.'
Tang bowed deeply and left with Ma Joong and Chiao Tai. Hoong followed the judge to his private office. He helped him change into his ceremonial robe, and prepared a cup of tea for him. As the judge was rubbing his face with a hot towel he asked, 'Can you imagine, Hoong, why that fellow is in such a state?'
'He seems a rather finicky kind of person,' his old assistant replied. 'I suppose that our unexpected arrival rather upset him.' 'I rather think,' Judge Dee said pensively, 'that he is very much afraid of something here in the tribunal. That's also why he moved to that hostel. Well, we'll find out in due time!'
Tang came in and announced that everybody was in the court hall. Judge Dee replaced his house bonnet by the black, winged judge's cap, and went to the hall, followed by Hoong and Tang.
He took his seat behind the high bench, and motioned Ma Joong and Chiao Tai to stand behind his chair.
The judge spoke a few appropriate words, then Tang introduced to him one by one the forty men who were kneeling on the stone floor below. Judge Dee noticed that the clerks were dressed in neat blue robes, and that the leather jackets and iron helmets of the guards and constables were polished well. On the whole they seemed a decent lot. He didn't like the cruel face of the headman of the constables, but he reflected that those headmen usually were nasty fellows who needed constant supervision. The coroner, Dr. Shen, was a dignified elderly man with an intelligent face. Tang whispered to the judge that he was the best physician in
