being carried across the creek over the Rainbow Bridge did he comment to Hoong on the beautiful view presented by the White Cloud Temple ahead. Its white marble gates and the blue tiled roofs stood out against the green mountain slope.
They were carried up the broad marble stairs, and the bearers deposited the palanquin in the spacious courtyard, surrounded by a broad open corridor. Judge Dee gave his large red visiting card to the elderly monk who came to meet him. 'His holiness is just finishing his afternoon devotion,' he said.
He led them through three other courts, each on a higher level against the mountain slope, and connected with each other by beautifully carved marble staircases.
At the back of the fourth court there was a flight of steep steps. On top judge Dee saw a long, narrow terrace, hewn directly into the moss-covered rock. He heard the sounds of running water.
'Is there a spring here?' he asked.
'Indeed, your honor,' the monk answered. 'It sprang from the rock below here four hundred years ago, when the founding saint discovered the sacred statue of the Lord Maitreya on this site. The statue is enshrined in the chapel there on the other side of the cleft.'
The judge saw now that between the terrace and the high rock wall there was a cleft of about five foot broad. A narrow bridge consisting of three transverse wooden boards led over it to a large, dark cave.
Judge Dee stepped on the bridge and looked down into the deep cleft. Some thirty feet below him a swift stream gushed over pointed stones. A delightful cool air came up from the cleft.
Inside the case on the other side of the bridge he saw a golden trellis, with a red silk curtain hanging behind it. That apparently concealed the holiest of the holy, the chapel of the statue of Maitreya.
'The abbot's quarters are at the end of the terrace,' the old monk said. He took them to a small building with an elegantly curved roof, nestling in the shadow of century-old trees. Soon he came out again, and bade the judge enter. Sergeant Hoong sat down on the cool stone bench outside.
A magnificent couch of carved ebony covered with red silk cushions took up the entire back part of the room. In its middle a small, rotund man was sitting cross-legged, huddled in a wide robe of stiff gold brocade. He bowed his round, closely-shaven head, then motioned the judge to sit down on a large carved armchair, in front of the couch. The abbot turned round and placed the visiting card of the judge respectfully on the small altar in the niche behind the couch. The rest of the walls were covered by heavy silk hangings, embroidered with scenes from the life of the Buddha. The room was pervaded by the heavy smell of some outlandish incense.
The old monk placed a small tea table of carved rosewood by the side of judge Dee's chair, and poured him a cup of fragrant tea. The abbot waited till the judge had taken a sip, then he said in a surprisingly strong, resonant voice, 'This ignorant monk had intended to go to the tribunal tomorrow to pay his respects. It greatly distresses me that now your excellency has come to see me first. This monk does not deserve that signal honor.'
He looked straight at the judge with friendly, large eyes. Although Judge Dee as a staunch Confucianist had little sympathy for the Buddhist creed, he had to admit that the small abbot was a remarkable personality, and had great dignity. He said a few polite words about the size and beauty of the temple.
The abbot raised his pudgy hand.
'It's all due to the mercy of our Lord Maitreya,' he said. 'Four centuries ago he deigned to manifest himself to this world in the shape of a sandalwood statue, more than five feet high, representing him sitting cross-legged, in meditation. Our founding saint discovered it in the cave, and thus this White Cloud Temple was built here, as guardian of the eastern part of our empire, and the protector of all seafarers.' The abbot let the amber beads of his rosary glide through his fingers, softly saying a prayer. Then he resumed. 'I had planned to invite your excellency personally to honor with his presence a ceremony which will soon be held in this humble temple.'
'I shall deem it an honor,' Judge Dee said with a bow. 'What ceremony will that be?'
'The devout Mr. Koo Meng-pin,' the abbot explained, 'has asked permission to have a life-size copy made of the sacred statue, to be presented to the White Horse Temple, the central shrine of the Buddhist creed, in our imperial capital. He grudged no expense for having this pious work executed. He employed Master Fang, the best Buddhist sculptor in this province of Shantung, to make drawings of the sacred statue here in our temple, and to take the most careful measurements. Then Master Fang worked for three weeks in Mr. Koo's mansion sculpting the copy in cedarwood on the basis of his notes and sketches. All that time Mr. Koo treated Master Fang as his honored guest, and when the work was completed he gave a splendid feast, where Master Fang occupied the place of honor. This morning Mr. Koo had the cedarwood statue conveyed to this temple, in a beautiful case of rosewood.'
The abbot nodded his round head with a satisfied smile; evidently these things meant a great deal to him. Then he resumed. 'As soon as a lucky day has been determined for the auspicious event, the copy of the statue will be solemnly consecrated in this temple. The commander of the fort has obtained permission for us that the statue shall be escorted to the capital by a detachment of lance-knights. I shall not fail to inform your excellency in advance as soon as date and hour for the consecration ceremony have been fixed.'
'The calculations have just been completed, your holiness,' a deep voice spoke up behind the judge. 'The time will be tomorrow evening, and the hour the end of the second night watch.'
A tall, spare monk stepped forward. The abbot introduced him as Hui-pen, the prior of the temple.
'Wasn't it you who identified the dead monk this morning?' Judge Dee asked.
The prior gravely inclined his head.
'It is a complete mystery to all of us,' he said, 'for what reason our almoner Tzu-bai visited that distant place at such an unusual hour. The only explanation would seem to be that he had been called by one of the farmers in that neighborhood on an errand of mercy and was waylaid by robbers. But I suppose that your honor has found some clues?'
Slowly tugging at his side whiskers, judge Dee replied, 'We think that a third person, as yet unknown, wanted to prevent at all costs the dead woman from being identified. When he happened to see your almoner passing there, he wanted to rob him of his cowl to wrap the woman's body in. You know that when he was found the almoner was clad only in his undergarment. I presume there was a scuffle, and Tzu-hai died from a sudden heart attack.'
Hui-pen nodded. Then he asked, 'Didn't your honor find his staff near his body?'
Judge Dee thought for a moment.
'No!' he said rather curtly. He had suddenly remembered a curious fact. When Dr. Tsao had surprised him in the mulberry bush, the doctor's hands had been empty. But when the judge overtook him on his way back to the road, he had been carrying a long staff.
'I will avail myself of this opportunity,' Hui-pen continued, 'to report to your honor that last night three robbers visited this temple. A monk in the gatehouse happened to see them when they climbed over the wall and fled. By the time he had raised the alarm, they had unfortunately already disappeared into the wood.'
'I'll have this looked into at once,' the judge said. 'Could that monk give a description of them?'
'He didn't see much in the darkness,' Hui-pen replied, 'but he says all three were tall men, and that one had a thin, ragged beard.'
'It would have helped,' Judge Dee said stiffly, 'if that monk had been a more observant fellow. Did they steal anything of value?'
