court hall now.'
When the young man had taken his leave, Sergeant Hoong remarked:
'I think that Liang spoke the truth, Your Honor.'
Judge Dee made no response. He motioned the sergeant to help him don his official robe.
Three beats on the gong announced the evening session. Judge Dee left his private office, followed by Hoong and Tao Gan. When he had seated himself behind the bench, he saw that there were only a dozen or so spectators. The citizens of Han-yuan had apparently for the time being given up hope of hearing sensational news. But he noticed Han Yung-han and Liang Fen standing in the front row, and behind them Guildmaster Soo.
As soon as he had called the roll, Judge Dee filled in a form for the warden of the jail. He gave it to the headman and ordered him to lead Wan I-fan before the bench.
Wan I-fan seemed completely unperturbed by his arrest. He gave the judge an impudent glance, then knelt down and answered in a steady voice the formal questions about his name and profession. Then Judge Dee spoke:
'I have obtained proof that you have lied to this court. It was you who tried to persuade Dr. Djang to buy your daughter. Do you want to hear the details, or do you confess?'
'This person,' Wan I-fan replied respectfully, 'acknowledges that he has misled Your Honor. He let himself be led astray by his eagerness to help his friend and patron, Mr. Liu Fei-po, in the latter's case against the professor. Since, according to the law, I can be freed on bail for this offense, pending the payment of a fine, I beg Your Honor to fix the amount due. No doubt Mr. Liu Fei-po will be found willing to put up bail, and pay the required sum.'
'Second,' Judge Dee said, 'this court has also proof that you, taking advantage of the Councilor's lapsing into his second childhood, persuaded him to engage in reckless financial transactions, to your own personal gain.'
This second accusation didn't seem to make any impression on Wan either. He said placidly:
'I deny emphatically ever having financially injured Councilor Liang. Mr. Liu Fei-po had introduced me to His Excellency; it is on Mr. Liu's advice that I recommended the Councilor to sell some of his estates which in the expert opinion of Mr. Liu were due to diminish considerably in value in the near future. I beg Your Honor to have Mr. Liu deliver testimony.'
'I shan't be able to do that,' Judge Dee said curtly. 'Mr. Liu Fei-po has left without any previous warning, taking away with him his liquid funds and important papers.'
Wan I-fan jumped up. His face had a deadly pallor as he shouted:
'Where did he go to? To the capital?'
The headman wanted to press Wan down on his knees again, but the judge quickly shook his head. He said:
'Mr. Liu has disappeared and his household is ignorant of his whereabouts.'
Wan I-fan was rapidly losing his self-control. Sweat pearled on his forehead. He muttered, half to himself: 'Liu has fled…' Then he looked up at the judge and said slowly: 'In that case I shall have to reconsider some of my previous statements.' He hesitated, then went on: 'I beg Your Honor to grant me time for reflection.'
'Your request is granted,' Judge Dee replied at once. He had seen the look of frantic entreaty in Wan's eyes.
When Wan had been led back to jail, Judge Dee raised his gavel to close the session. But just at that moment Guildmaster Soo came forward, together with two members of his guild. One proved to be a jadeworker, the other a retail dealer in jade. The latter had sold to the artisan a block of jade, but upon splitting it up into smaller pieces the jadeworker had found it had a defect, and he refused to pay. Since he had discovered that the block was faulty only after he had cut it up, he couldn't return it to the dealer either. Soo had tried to make them accept a compromise, but the men had rejected all his proposals.
Judge Dee listened patiently to the long-winded explanations of both parties. Letting his eyes rove over the court hall, he noticed that Han Yung-han had left. When Soo had again summed up the position, Judge Dee spoke to the dealer and the jadeworker:
'This court finds that both of you are at fault. The dealer, as an expert, ought to have noticed that the block was faulty when he purchased it, and the jadeworker, as an experienced professional, ought to have discovered the defect without cutting up the block. The dealer bought the block for ten silver pieces, and sold it to the jadeworker for fifteen. This court rules that the dealer shall pay the jadeworker ten silver pieces. The cut pieces shall be divided equally among them. Thus each pays a fine of five silver pieces for his lack in professional skill.'
He rapped his gavel and closed the session.
Back in his private office Judge Dee said contentedly to the sergeant and Tao Gan:
'Wan I-fan wants to tell me something he didn't dare to reveal in the public session. It is against the rules to question a prisoner in private, but in this case I feel justified to make an exception. I shall have him brought here now. You'll have noticed that he said that Liu Fei-po fled. Now we shall hear more about-'
Suddenly the door flew open and the headman came running inside, followed by the warden of the jail. The former panted:
'Wan I-fan has killed himself, Your Honor!'
Judge Dee crashed his fist on the table. He barked at the jail warden:
'Didn't you search the prisoner, you dog's-head?'
The warden fell on his knees.
'I swear that he didn't have the pastry on him when I locked him in, Your Honor! Somebody must have smuggled that poisoned cake into his cell!'
'So you have admitted a visitor to the jail!' the judge shouted.
'Nobody from outside has come into the jail, Your Honor!' the warden wailed. 'It's a complete riddle to me!'
Judge Dee jumped up and went to the door. Followed by Hoong and Tao Gan, he crossed the courtyard, passed through the corridor behind the chancery, and entered the jail. The warden led the way with a lighted lantern.
Wan I-fan was lying on the floor in front of the wooden bench that served as bed. The light of the lantern shone on his distorted face; his lips were covered with foam and blood. The warden pointed silently at a small round piece of pastry on the floor, next to Wan's right hand. One piece was missing; Wan had evidently taken only one bite from it. Judge Dee stooped. It was a round cake filled with sugared beans, as sold by every baker in town. But there was impressed on its top, instead of the usual baker's shop sign, a small picture of a lotus flower.
The judge wrapped the cake up in his handkerchief and put it in his sleeve. He turned round and walked back silently to his office.
Sergeant Hoong and Tao Gan looked worriedly at Judge Dee's tight face as he sat down behind his desk. The judge knew that the sign of the lotus had not been meant for Wan, for it was dark in his cell when a messenger brought him the deadly gift. The sign of the lotus was intended for him, the magistrate! It was a warning from the White Lotus. He said in a tired voice:
'Wan was murdered in order to seal his lips. The poisoned cake was given to him by a member of the personnel. There's treason here in my own tribunal!'
Sixteenth Chapter
Ma Joong and Chiao Tai had studied in the chancery a map of the province, and had made a provisional plan for their expedition.
They selected two good horses, and left town in an easterly direction. After they had descended into the plain they followed the highway for half an hour or so. Then Ma Joong halted his horse and said:
'Don't you think that if we cut across the paddy fields on the right here, we should come soon to the boundary
