dear lives of our people at sea?'
An angry roar rose from the crowd. Led by the sailors, they surged forward toward the platform, shouting their protests. The abbot stared at the tall figure of Chiao Tai, his lips parted in fright. Koo, Tsao and the guild masters began whispering to each other anxiously. The captain from the fort worriedly surveyed the excited crowd and his hand went to the hilt of his sword.
Judge Dee raised both his hands.
'Stand back!' he shouted peremptorily at the crowd. 'Since this statue has not yet been consecrated it is not entitled to our respect!'
Loud shouts of 'Hear and obey!' were heard coming from the entrance to the court. When the people turned their heads they saw that dozens of fully-armed constables and guards of the tribunal were running in.
Chiao Tai felled Hui-pen by hitting him on the head with the flat of his sword. Then he lifted it again and dealt the statue a ferocious blow on its left shoulder. The sword leapt from his hand and clattered to the floor. The statue appeared completely undamaged.
'A miracle!' the abbot shouted ecstatically.
The crowd pressed forward and the lance-knights had to keep them back with their leveled spears.
Chiao Tai jumped down from the platform. The soldiers made way for him and he ran up to the terrace. He handed the judge a small piece his sword had chipped off the shoulder of the statue.
Holding the shining sliver up so that all could see it, judge Dee shouted, 'A base fraud has been committed! Impious crooks have insulted the Lord Maitreya!'
Shouting above the din of incredulous voices, he went on. 'This statue is not made of cedarwood, but of solid gold! Greedy criminals wanted thus to convey their smuggled gold to the capital for their illegal gain! I, the magistrate, accuse of this atrocious sacrilege the donor of the statue, Koo Meng-pin, his accomplices, Tsao Ho-hsien and Hui-pen, and declare the abbot and all the other inmates of this temple under arrest, to be heard on the charge of complicity in this sacrilegious crime!'
The crowd kept quiet now; they began to understand the implications of judge Dee's words. They were impressed by his deep sincerity, and curious to know more about this unexpected development. The captain took his hand from his sword with a sigh of relief.
Judge Dee's voice rang out again.
'I shall now first hear Koo Meng-pin, whom the state accuses of desecration of a recognized place of worship, defrauding the state by smuggling and the murder of an imperial official!'
Two constables dragged Koo from his seat, and pressed him down on his knees at the feet of the judge. He was completely taken by surprise. Ills face was ashen and he was trembling violently.
Judge Dee addressed him sternly.
'In the tribunal I shall formulate the triple charge against you in great detail. Your evil plot is well known to me. How you clandestinely imported large quantities of gold from Japan and Korea, smuggled that gold to the Korean quarter and thence to this temple, in the form of gold bars concealed inside the staffs of traveling monks. How the accused Tsao Ho-hsien received those loaded staffs in the deserted temple west of the city, and conveyed them to the capital concealed in his book packages. How when his excellency the late Wang Te-hwa, magistrate of this district, became suspicious, you had him murdered by a poison hidden in the roof beam of his library, above his tea stove. And last, how you planned to crown your despicable crimes by casting this statue in solid gold, to be used for your fraudulent manipulations. Confess!'
A PHILOSOPHER LOSES AN ARGUMENT
'I am innocent, your honor!' Koo cried out. 'I never knew that this statue was made of gold, and I-'
'Enough of your lies!' Judge Dee barked. 'His Excellency Wang told me himself that it was you who planned to murder him! I'll show you his message to me.'
The judge took from his sleeve the antique lacquer box that the Korean girl had given to Chiao Tai. He held up its lid, decorated with the pair of golden bamboo stems. Then he resumed.
'You stole the papers inside this box, Koo, and thought that thereby you had obliterated all evidence against you. But little did you know the brilliant mind of your victim. The box itself constitutes the clue! The pair of bamboos depicted on this box points straight at the pair of bamboos of that stick that is your inseparable companion!'
Koo shot a quick look at his stick, standing against his chair. The silver rings that kept the two parallel bamboo stems together glittered in the light of the torches. He silently bowed his head.
The judge continued inexorably, 'And the dead magistrate also left other clues, proving that he knew that you were engaged in this nefarious plot, and that it was you who were planning to murder him. I repeat, Koo, confess, and name your accomplices!'
Koo raised his head and stared forlornly at the judge. Then he stammered, 'I… I confess.'
He wiped the perspiration from his brow, then went on in a toneless voice.
'Monks of temples in Korea, traveling in my ships up and down between the Korean ports and Peng-lai, carried the gold bars in their staffs, and Hui-pen and Dr. Tsao were indeed the men who helped me to get the gold from here to the deserted temple, and thence to the capital. Kim Sang assisted me, the almoner Tzu-hai assisted Hui-pen, together with ten other monks whom I shall name. The abbot and the other monks are innocent. The golden statue was cast here under the supervision of Hui-pen, using the fire used for cremating the body of Tzu-hai. The real replica, made by Master Fang, I concealed in my residence. Kim Sang employed a Korean artisan to insert the poison in the roof beam in Magistrate Wang's library, thereafter sent that man back to Korea on the next boat.'
Koo raised his head and looked entreatingly at the judge. He cried out, 'But I swear that in all these matters I only acted on orders, your honor! The real criminal-'
'Be silent!' Judge Dee ordered him in a thunderous voice. 'Don't try to foist new lies on me! Tomorrow you shall have full opportunity for pleading your own cause, in the tribunal.' To Chiao Tai he said, 'Seize me this man and bring him to the tribunal.'
Chiao Tai quickly bound Koo's hands on his back and marched him off, with two constables on either side of him.
Judge Dee pointed at Dr. Tsao, who had remained sitting in his chair as if petrified. But when he saw Ma Joong approaching him he suddenly jumped up and rushed to the other end of the terrace. Ma Joong sprang after him, the doctor tried to duck but Ma Joong caught the end of his flowing beard. Dr. Tsao cried out; his beard came off in Ma Joong's large fist. On the small, receding chin of the doctor there remained only part of a thin strip of plaster, partly ripped off. As he lifted his hands to his bare chin with a howl of despair, Ma Joong caught his wrists and bound them together behind the doctor's back.
A slow smile ht up judge Dee's stern features. He said to himself with satisfaction, 'So that beard was false!'
EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER
