The Red Pavilion Page 15

Ma Joong guffawed.

  ‘Don’t give yourself ideas, little sister! Fact is that when I do a thing, I like to do it proper, putting in all the trimmings, so to speak!’

  ‘You naughty rascal!’ she said, pouting.

  He slapped her behind and walked off.

  Sauntering down the street he found to his astonishment that he really didn’t know whether he was glad or sad. He shook his sleeves and found them very light; he discovered that he had only a few coppers left. Not enough for any of the varied pleasures offered by Paradise Island. He thought about taking a good walk in the park, but his head felt heavy. Better go to bed early. He entered the first doss-house he saw, and invested his coppers in one night’s lodging.

  He stepped out of his boots, loosened his sash and stretched himself out on his back on the common plank-bed, between two snoring loafers. His head on his folded hands, he stared up at the cracked ceiling, covered with cobwebs.

  It struck him that he had a queer way of spending his nights on the gay Paradise Island. First on the floor of an attic, then on a plank-bed at five coppers. ‘Must have been that confounded Soul-changing Bridge I crossed coming here!’ he muttered. Then he resolutely closed his eyes and told himself sternly:

  ‘Go to sleep … elder brother!’

  Chapter 18

  AFTER JUDGE DEE had drunk several cups of tea, the old clerk came in and announced that the warden’s palankeen had arrived in the front courtyard. The judge rose and went to meet Feng and Jade Ring in the corridor.

  ‘My apologies for disturbing you so late in the night!’ he addressed his visitors briskly. ‘Again new facts have been brought to my attention. I trust that a discussion thereof will considerably simplify our pending problems.’

  He led them into the sitting-room and insisted that also Jade Ring take a seat at the table. Feng Dai’s face was as inscrutable as ever, but there was anxiety in his daughter’s large eyes. Judge Dee himself poured out tea for the guests, then he asked Feng:

  ‘Did you hear that this afternoon two of your men were attacked by a band of ruffians?’

  ‘I did, sir. The attack was organized by hooligans from over the river, to avenge three of their gang who had been killed by my special constables during a recent hold-up. I deeply regret that Your Honour’s lieutenant was attacked too.’

  ‘He doesn’t mind, he is accustomed to such frays. Likes them even.’ Turning to the girl, he asked: ‘Could you tell me, just to put the record straight, how you entered this room the other night?’

  She cast a quick look at the closed veranda door.

  ‘I’ll show you,’ she said rising.

  The judge got up and took her arm as she made for the door. He said:

  ‘Don’t bother! Since you came through the park, you went up on the veranda by the broad steps in the middle, I suppose?’

  ‘Yes.’ Then she bit her lips as she saw that her father’s face had suddenly grown pale.

  ‘Just as I had thought!’ Judge Dee said sternly. ‘Let’s stop this comedy, shall we? The only steps the veranda has are at the right and left ends. You were never here, young girl. This afternoon, when I started questioning your father, you took your cue from my opening remarks about the Academician desiring you, and your father having been seen here on the night of his death. You are very clever, you made up a tale on the spot about his trying to rape you here and your killing him-all because you thought that the story would save your father.’ Seeing that the red-faced girl was on the verge of tears, he continued in a more gentle voice: ‘Your story was partly true, of course. The Academician did indeed make an attempt at raping you. But not three days ago, and not here in this sitting-room. It all happened ten days ago, and on board the boat. The bruises you so obligingly showed me had become discoloured; they could hardly have been of such recent origin. Your description of your struggle with the man wasn’t very convincing either. If a strong man sees the girl he is assaulting grabbing a dagger, he’ll of course try to wrest that weapon from her and not go on embracing her, dagger and all. And you forgot also that it was the right jugular vein that was cut. That points to suicide rather than to murder. But, apart from those slips, you made up a nice story, I must say!’

  Jade Ring burst out in sobs. Feng gave her a worried look, then he said in a tired voice:

  ‘It’s all my fault, Your Honour. She was only trying to help me. When you seemed to believe her story, I couldn’t bring up the courage to tell you the truth. I didn’t kill that wretched Academician, but I realize that I’ll have to stand trial for his murder. For I was indeed in the Red Pavilion that night. I…’

  ‘No,’ the judge interrupted, ‘you won’t be tried for murdering him. I have proof that the Academician did indeed commit suicide. Your interfering with the dead body served to emphasize the fact that he had killed himself. I presume that you came here that night in order to ask him for an explanation of his plotting against you, together with the curio-dealer?’

  ‘Yes, Your Honour. My men had reported to me that “Wen Yuan would have a box containing a large amount of money smuggled into my house. Then the Academician would warn the provincial authorities that I was submitting wrong tax-declarations. “When I denied it, the money would be ” found ” in my house. Since, in my opinion …’

  ‘Why didn’t you report that plot to me at once?’ Judge Dee asked curtly.

  Feng looked embarrassed. After some hesitation, he answered:

  ‘We of this island hang very much together, sir. It has always been our custom to settle ourselves all quarrels among us, we find it… awkward to bother people from outside with our local feuds. Perhaps it is wrong, but we …’

  ‘It certainly is wrong!’ the judge interrupted peevishly. ‘Proceed with your story!’

  ‘When my men had reported Wen Yuan’s scheming against me, Your Honour, I decided to go and see the Academician. I wanted to ask him openly what he, the son of an eminent man whom I had known well, meant by taking part in a sordid plot against me. At the same time I wanted to take him to task about his trying to assault my daughter, on the boat. However, on my way here I met Wen Yuan, in the park. It was very strange, somehow or other this meeting reminded me of that other night, thirty years ago, when I had met Wen on my way here to see Tao Kwang. I told Wen that his treacherous plans were known to me, and that I was going to see the Academician about it. Wen Yuan was profuse in his apologies, he admitted that he had in a weak moment discussed with the Academician a plan to oust me from my position. Since the Academician was apparently in urgent need of money, he had at first agreed. But then he had, for some reason or other, reconsidered and told Wen that the plan was off. Wen urged me to go on and talk with the Academician, he would bear him out.

  ‘When I entered this room, I knew that my vague foreboding had been right. The Academician was sitting here slumped in his chair, dead. Had Wen known about this, and intended me to be discovered with the dead body, to accuse me of having murdered him? Thirty years ago I had suspected Wen of a similar scheme, namely to have me accused of murdering Tao Kwang. Then I remembered how that old murder had been staged as a suicide, and decided to apply the same trick. The rest was exactly as I told Your Honour this afternoon. When it had been established that the Academician had killed himself because of his unrequited love for Autumn Moon, I told my daughter everything. That made her decide on her impulsive attempt at covering up my tampering with the body.’ He cleared his throat and resumed unhappily: ‘Words don’t suffice to express how sorry I am about all this, Your Honour. Never in my life did I feel so ashamed of myself as when I had to support Your Honour’s mistaken interpretation of the Academician’s last scribblings. I really …’

  ‘I don’t mind being made a fool of,’ Judge Dee remarked dryly. ‘I am accustomed to it, it’s happening to me all the time. Fortunately I usually discover it before it’s too late, though. Well, as a matter of fact the Academician’s last scribblings did refer to Autumn Moon. But he didn’t kill himself because of h
er.’ The judge leaned back in his chair. Stroking his long black beard, he went on slowly: ‘The Academician was a man of great talent, but of a cold and calculating nature. His success came too soon, it went to his head. He had become an Academician, now he wanted to rise higher still, and quickly. But for that he needed much money, and he didn’t have that, for the family estate had declined through bad harvests and reckless speculation. Therefore he worked out, together with your old enemy Wen Yuan, a plan to get access to the fabulous wealth of Paradise Island. Ten days ago he arrived here to execute that plan, confident and overbearing. When he saw your daughter that night on the boat, his stupid pride was hurt by her refusal, and he tried to rape her. When the curio-dealer came to meet him on the landing stage, he was still chafing under that rebuff, and ordered Wen to help him to get your daughter, reminding him that soon you would be arrested and sent to the capital, found guilty of tax-evasion. Wen then took heart and suggested how he could force your daughter to grant him her favours. That rascally curio-dealer saw there his chance to deal you also a personal blow.’

  Judge Dee took a sip from his tea. He resumed:

  ‘However, after his arrival here the Academician got so busy amusing himself with Carnation, Peony and other beautiful courtesans that he forgot all about your daughter. But not about the plan to oust you. He met at the gaming table a young man whom he thought he might use for concealing the money in your mansion.

  ‘Then, on the 25th, the day of his death, the Academician made a discovery, or thought he had made a discovery, that changed everything for him. He paid off the three courtesans he had been sleeping with, and he sent his sponging boon-companions home, back to the capital. For he had decided to put an end to his own life. In the evening, before executing this plan, he walked over to the pavilion of the Queen Flower, for a last meeting with her.

  ‘Since they are both dead, we shall never know what their exact relationship was. According to what I heard, however, the Academician invited her to his parties just to lend glamour to them, he never got round to trying to sleep with her. And perhaps for that very reason she became to him, in his last hours, the symbol of all the earthly pleasures he was about to renounce. In that nostalgic mood he entrusted her with a letter to his father, which she forgot to deliver. She had not tried to make him her lover, probably because her intuition had told her that he had the same cold, utterly selfish character as she herself. And he certainly never offered to redeem her.’

  ‘Never wanted to buy her out? But that’s preposterous, sir!’ Feng exclaimed. ‘She said so herself!’

  ‘She did. But that was a lie. When she heard that he had killed himself, and left a few scribblings referring to her, she thought that an excellent chance to bolster further her reputation in the world of the “flowers and willows”. She boldly stated that she had refused the flattering offer of this famous young scholar.’

  ‘She offended against the unwritten code of elegant life!’ Feng burst out angrily. ‘Her name shall be struck from the list of Queen Flowers.’

  ‘She wasn’t better than she should have been,’ Judge Dee remarked dryly, ‘but it was your trade that made her so. Another reason for not speaking harshly of her is that she died a most horrible death.’

  The judge cast a quick glance at the closed veranda door. He passed his hand over his face. Then he fixed his two visitors with his penetrating eyes and resumed:

  ‘You, Feng, tampered with the evidence of a suicide. And you, Jade Ring, told me a string of lies. However, fortunately for you, you two lied to me in informal conversation, you didn’t put your false testimony in writing, marked with your seal and thumbprint. Neither do I forget that when you, Feng, swore to me that you were telling me the complete truth, you said emphatically that this oath was limited to your account of what happened thirty years ago. Well, the law defines the ultimate aim of justice as redressing, as much as possible, the damage wrought by a crime. And attempted rape is a crime, and a very serious one too. Therefore I shall forget about the mistakes you and your daughter made, and I shall have the Academician’s suicide now registered as such, including the alleged motive of unrequited love. There is no sense in spoiling the reputation the unfortunate Queen Flower left here, so you shan’t mention her deceit, and you shan’t strike her name from the list.

  ‘As regards the curio-dealer Wen Yuan, he is guilty of malicious plotting. But he did that in such an ineffectual way that all his clumsy plans came to nought before he had even dared to begin their execution. He probably never committed any real crime, his character is mean enough but he lacks the courage to translate his cowardly, underhanded schemings into action. I shall take appropriate measures for preventing Wen, once and for all, from getting up schemes against you, and from maltreating defenceless girls.

  ‘Two capital crimes were committed here in the Red Pavilion. Since, however, neither you nor your daughter, nor, indeed, Wen Yuan, had any part in them, I shan’t discuss those dark deeds. That’s all I have to say to you.’

  Feng rose and knelt in front of Judge Dee, and his daughter followed his example. They started to protest their gratitude for his leniency but the judge cut them short impatiently. He made them rise, and said:

  ‘I disapprove of Paradise Island, Feng, and of all that goes on here. But I do realize that in a way such resorts are a necessary evil. And a good warden like you ensures that it is at least a controlled evil. You can go.’

  When Feng was taking his leave he asked, somewhat diffidently :

  ‘I suppose it would be presumptuous to ask you, sir, what two capital crimes Your Honour was referring to just now? *

  The judge considered this question for a while. Then he replied:

  ‘Not presumptuous, no. After all, you are the warden here, you have a right to know. Premature, rather. For my theory has not yet been confirmed. As soon as I have obtained that confirmation, I shall let you know.’

  Feng and his daughter made their obeisance and left.

  Chapter 19

  THE NEXT MORNING Ma Joong came to report for duty very early, when Judge Dee was still eating his morning rice, out on the veranda. A thin mist hung over the silent park; the wet garlands of coloured silk drooped limply among the trees.

  The judge gave his lieutenant a brief account of his talk with Feng and his daughter. He concluded: ‘Presently we shall go and try to find Miss Ling. Tell the manager to have two horses ready for us. If Miss Ling is not back in her hovel, we’ll have to make a fairly long ride up-country, to the north of the island.’

  When Ma Joong came back Judge Dee was just putting down his chopsticks. He rose and went inside, telling Ma Joong to lay out his brown travelling robe. While helping the judge to change, Ma asked:

  ‘I suppose that Kia Yu-po isn’t implicated in all those queer goings on, sir?’

  ‘No. Why?’

  ‘I happened to hear last night that he plans to leave the island, together with a girl he has fallen in love with. His engagement to Miss Feng was more or less foisted on him, I gathered.’

  ‘Let them go. I don’t need him. I think we’ll be able to leave here too today, Ma Joong. In your spare hours you got all the amusement you wanted, I trust?’

  ‘I did indeed! But Paradise Island is a very expensive place!’

  ‘I don’t doubt it,’ the judge said, winding the black sash round his waist. ‘But you had two silver pieces, those’ll have sufficed.’

  ‘To tell you the truth, sir, they didn’t! I had a very good time, but all my money is gone.’

  ‘Well, I hope it was worth it! And you still have your capital, the gold you inherited from your uncle.’

  ‘That’s gone too, sir,’ Ma Joong remarked.

  ‘What’s that? Those two gold bars you intended to save for later? That’s incredible!’

  Ma Joong nodded sadly.

  ‘The fact is, Your Honour, that I found here too many attractive girls, far too many! And far too expensive!’

  ‘It’s disgraceful!�
�� Judge Dee burst out. ‘Squandering two whole gold bars on wine and women!’ He adjusted his black cap with an angry jerk. Then he sighed and said with a resigned shrug: ‘You’ll never learn, Ma Joong.’

  They walked in silence to the front courtyard and ascended their horses.

  Riding ahead, Ma Joong took the judge through the back streets and across the piece of wasteland. At the entrance of the path leading on among the trees, he halted his horse and remarked that it was there that he and his two friends had been attacked. He asked:

  ‘Did Feng know what was behind that attack, sir?’

  ‘He thinks he does, but he doesn’t. I know. It was aimed at me.’

  Ma Joong wanted to asked what that meant but the judge had already urged on his horse. When the large yew-tree came into sight Ma Joong pointed at the hovel standing against its gnarled trunk. Judge Dee nodded. He dismounted and handed the reins of his horse to Ma Joong, saying:

  ‘You stay here and wait for me.’

  He walked on alone through the wet grass. The morning sun had not yet succeeded in piercing the dense foliage that overhung the shed’s roof. It was clammy in the shadow; there was an unpleasant odour of rotting leaves. A faint shimmer of light appeared behind the dirty oil-paper of the single window.

  Judge Dee stepped up close to the ramshackle door and listened. He heard a strangely beautiful voice softly croon an old melody. He remembered that it had been popular when he was still a child. He pulled the door open and entered. While he was standing there, just inside the entrance, the door fell shut behind him, creaking on rusty hinges.

  The light of a cheap earthenware oil lamp lit the drab room with its uncertain light. Miss Ling was sitting cross-legged on the bamboo couch, cradling the repulsive head of the leprous beggar in her arms. He was lying flat on his back on the couch, the sores on his limbs showed through the soiled rags that partly covered his emaciated body. His one remaining eye shone dully in the lamp-light.