Judge Dee nodded. He rose and started changing into his official robes. While he was placing the winged judge's cap on his head he suddenly said:
'If I am not mistaken, Ma Joong, you reached the ninth and highest grade in boxing about ten years ago, did you not?'
The tall fellow squared his shoulders. He replied proudly:
'Indeed, Your Honour!'
'Now think back', Judge Dee ordered, 'and tell me how you felt towards your master when you were still a beginner, say of the second or third grade!'
Ma Joong was not accustomed to analyse his feelings. He knitted his brows and thought furiously. After a while he answered slowly:
'Well, Your Honour, I was deeply devoted to my master. He certainly was one of the finest boxers of our time and I admired him greatly. But when I boxed with him and he eluded my cleverest blows without the slightest effort, playfully hitting me anywhere he liked despite my frantic defence, I still admired him but at the same time I hated him because of his infinite superiority!'
Judge Dee smiled wanly.
'Thank you, my friend!', he said. 'This afternoon I went to the mountains south of this city and there met a person who greatly disturbed me. Now you have put into words exactly what I did not dare to formulate so clearly for myself!'
Ma Joong had no idea what the judge was talking about but he felt flattered by the praise. With a broad smile he pulled aside the screen leading to the court hall. The judge passed through and ascended the dais.
Twentieth Chapter
Three beats on the gong announced the opening of the afternoon session of the tribunal.
No one knew that anything but routine matters would be dealt with, so only a few dozen spectators had drifted into the court hall.
As soon as Judge Dee had seated himself behind the bench and opened the session, he gave a sign to Headman Fang. Four constables went to the entrance of the court hall and remained standing there on guard.
'Because of important reasons of state', Judge Dee announced, 'no one shall leave this court before the session is closed!'
A murmur of astonishment rose from the audience.
Judge Dee took up his vermilion brush and filled out a slip for the warden of the jail.
Two constables brought in the Uigur. He walked with difficulty, they had to support him by his arms.
In front of the dais he let himself down on one knee; the splinted leg he stretched out in front with a groan of pain.
'State your name and profession!', Judge Dee ordered.
The man lifted his head. Deep hatred shone from his burning eyes.
'I am Prince Ooljin, of the Blue Tribe of the Uigurs!', he snapped.
'Among you barbarians', the judge said coldly, 'a man
calls himself a prince as soon as he has twenty horses! But that is neither here nor there.
The Imperial Government in its infinite grace has deigned to accept the Khan of the Uigurs as a vassal and he has duly sworn allegiance to His Majesty taking a solemn oath with Heaven and Earth as witness.
You, Ooljin, have been scheming to attack this town. You have betrayed your own Khan and you are guilty of rebellion against the Imperial Government.
Rebellion is a most serious crime, it is punished with the extreme penalty in a severe form. Your only hope for having this punishment somewhat mitigated lies in telling the complete truth; this means that you must also reveal who are the Chinese traitors who promised to collaborate with you in the execution of your nefarious scheme.'
'You call such a Chinese a traitor', the Uigur shouted, 'I call him a just man! Some Chinese recognize that what they have taken from us must be given back. Dit not you Chinese encroach on our pastures, your peasants ploughing our good grasslands and transforming them into rice fields? Have we not been driven away farther and farther to the desert where our horses and cattle die on our hands?
I shall not reveal the names of those Chinese who realized the awful wrong that your people have done to us, the Uigur tribes!'
The headman was going to hit him but the judge raised his hand.
Leaning forward in his chair he said quietly:
'It so happens that I have no time for preliminaries. Your right leg is already broken, you cannot walk anyway. So it won't inconvenience you much if your other leg should be broken too.'
Judge Dee gave a sign to the headman.
Two constables threw the Uigur on his back on the floor and stood with their feet on his hands. Another brought a wooden trestle of about two feet high.
The headman lifted Ooljin's left leg and bound the foot to the trestle. He looked up at the judge.
As Judge Dee nodded, a sturdy constable struck the knee with a heavy rounded stick.
The Uigur let out a hoarse scream.
'Take your time', the judge ordered the constable,' don't hit too fast!'
The constable struck a blow on the shin, then two on the thigh.
Ooljin screamed and cursed in his own language. When his shin was struck again he yelled:
'One day our hordes shall invade your accursed country, we shall raze your walls and burn your cities, we shall kill your men and make your women and children our slaves…'
His voice became a wild scream as the constable hit him another vicious blow. As he raised the stick again for the final blow that would break the leg, Judge Dee held up his hand.
'Yoo will realize, Ooljin', he said casually, 'that this interrogation is mere routine. I just want you to confirm what your Chinese confederate told me when he reported on you and your tribesmen and gave away the entire plot!'
With a superhuman effort the Uigur tore away one of his hands from under the feet of the constable. Raising himself on his elbow he shouted:
'Don't try to catch me with brazen lies, you dog official!'
'Well', Judge Dee observed coldly, 'of course a Chinese is much too clever for you stupid barbarians. He made it appear as if he was on your side. And when the time came, he reported everything to the authorities. Soon the government shall appoint him to a lucrative post as a reward for his valuable information. Don't you see how you and your ignorant Khan were made fools of?'
As he began to speak the judge gave a sign to Ma Joong. Then Yoo Kee was led before the dais.
When he saw the Uigur lying on the floor Yoo Kee's face turned ashen. He wanted to run away but Ma Joong grabbed his arm in a vice-like grip.
As soon as the Uigur saw Yoo Kee, he spat out a string of curses.
'You son of a dog!', he yelled, 'You vile traitor! Cursed be the day on which an honest Uigur resolved to work for a double-dealing Chinese cur like you!'
'Your Honour, this man is crazy!', Yoo Kee shouted.
Judge Dee ignored him. He calmly addressed the Uigur:
'Who are your accomplices in this man's mansion?'
Ooljin gave the names of the two Uigur warriors hired by Yoo Kee ostensibly as fencing masters. Then he shouted:
'And let me tell you that there are also Chinese traitors! That dogshead Yoo may have fooled me but I assure
