Then he ordered:
"Tell me what happened after my arrival here two days ago!"
"One week ago", Liu replied, "Magistrate Kwang reported to my master Your Honour's scheduled arrival. He asked leave to depart early in the morning since he thought it awkward to meet Your Honour. My master agreed. He ordered that no one should take the slightest notice of Your Honour's arrival in order 'to show the new magistrate his place', as he put it.
My master then waited for the old jail warden to report. He failed to show up on the first day. He came the next evening and told my master that Your Honour was determined to attack him. He added that there were only three or four men in the tribunal but he described them as exceedingly fierce and rough men."
Here Tao Gan smiled proudly. It was not often that he heard such a flattering description of himself.
"My master", Liu continued, "ordered twenty of his men to enter the tribunal that very night, capture the magistrate and give all others a thorough beating. When Ling and five men came back with the alarming news that a regiment of the regular army had quietly occupied the city, my master was asleep and nobody dared to disturb him. Early yesterday morning I myself brought Ling to my master's bedroom. He ordered a small black flag to be hoisted immediately over the main gate and then rushed to the main hall. When we were consulting about what to do, Your Honour came with the officers and arrested us."
"What was the meaning of that black flag?", the judge inquired.
"We understand that that was the summons for the mysterious visitor. Every time the flag was hoisted, he used to come that same night."
Judge Dee gave a sign to the headman. Liu Wan-fang was led away.
Then the judge filled out another slip for the warden of the jail and handed it to the headman.
After a while Chien Mow was brought in and led before the dais.
A murmur rose from the crowd as they saw the man who
had ruled them with an iron hand for the past eight years.
Chien certainly was an imposing figure. He was well
over six feet tall. His broad shoulders and his thick neck
showed his great strength.
He made no move to kneel. First Chien looked haughtily at the judge, then turned round and surveyed with a sneer the gaping crowd.
"Kneel before your magistrate, you insolent dog!", the headman barked.
Chien Mow grew purple with rage. Thick veins stood out like whipcords on his forehead. He opened his mouth to speak. Then suddenly a stream of blood gushed from his broken nose. He tottered on his feet for a moment, then collapsed on the floor in a heap.
On a sign of the judge the headman stooped down and wiped the blood of Chien's face. He was unconscious.
The headman sent a constable for a bucket of cold water. They loosened Chien's robe and bathed his forehead and breast. But all was in vain. Chien did not regain consciousness.
Judge Dee was greatly annoyed. He ordered the headman to recall Liu Wan-fang.
As soon as he was kneeling before the bench the judge asked:
"Was your master suffering from any disease?" Liu looked in consternation at the prone figure of Chien. The constables were still trying to revive him. Liu shook his head.
"Although my master has an extraordinarily strong body", he said, "he suffers from a chronic disease of the brain. He has been consulting doctors for years but no medicine was of any avail. When he flew in a rage he would often collapse like this and remain unconscious for several hours. The doctors said that the only means to cure him was to open his skull and let out the poisonous air inside. But no doctor in Lan-fang possessed that particular skill."
Liu Wan-fang was led away. Four constables carried the limp form of Chien Mow back to the jail.
"Let the warden report to me as soon as this man recovers!", Judge Dee ordered the headman.
The judge reflected that this collapse of Chien Mow was extremely unfortunate. It was of urgent importance to learn from Chien the identity of his mysterious visitor. Every hour delay gave that shadowy figure in the background a better chance to make good his escape. The judge regretted deeply that he had failed to question Chien directly after his arrest. But who could have foreseen that he had this unknown accomplice?
With a sigh Judge Dee straightened himself in his chair. He hit his gavel on the bench. In a clear voice he spoke:
"During eight years the criminal Chien Mow has been usurping the privilege of our Imperial Government. From now on law and order are re-established in Lan-fang. The good will be protected, the wicked relentlessly persecuted and punished according to the laws of the land.
The criminal Chien Mow has been guilty of sedition and shall receive his just punishment. In addition to the crime of sedition he has committed a number of other criminal acts. Everyone who has a complaint against Chien Mow shall file this with the tribunal. Every case shall be investigated and compensation given wherever possible. It is my duty to warn you that the settling of all those cases will take time. You can rest assured, however, that in due time your wrongs will be righted and justice done."
The crowd of spectators burst out in loud cheers. It took the constables some time before order was restored in the court hall.
In a corner three Buddhist monks had not taken part in the general excitement. They stood huddled together in a whispered consultation.
Now they pressed forward through the crowd, shouting at the top of their voices that they were suffering under a terrible wrong.
As they approached the dais Judge Dee noticed that none of the three looked very prepossessing. They had coarse, sensuous faces and shifty eyes.
When they were kneeling in front of the dais Judge Dee ordered:
"Let the eldest of you state his name and his complaint!"
"Your Honour", the monk in the middle spoke, "this ignorant monk is called Pillar of the Doctrine. I live with my two colleagues here in a small temple in the southern quarter of this town. We pass our days in devout prayer and self-examination.
Our poor temple has but one valuable possession, to wit a golden statue of our Gracious Lady Kwan Yin, Amen! Two months ago that villain Chien Mow came to our temple and took the holy statue away. In the Nether World he will be boiled in oil for this awful sacrilege. In the mean time, however, we humbly pray Your Honour to have the holy treasure returned to us or, should that scoundrel have had it melted, to grant us compensation in gold or silver!"
Having thus spoken the monk knocked his head three times on the floor.
Judge Dee slowly caressed his side whiskers. After a while he asked in a conversational tone:
"Since this statue is the only treasure your temple possesses, I suppose that you looked after it with due care and devotion?"
THREE MONKS REPORT A THEFT TO THE TRIBUNAL
"Indeed, Your Honour", the monk answered hurriedly s "every morning I personally dusted it with a silk whisk, reciting prayers all the while!"
"I trust", the judge continued, "that your two colleagues were equally diligent in serving the goddess?"
"This insignificant person", the monk on right said, "has for several years every morning and night burned incense in front of our Gracious Lady, and reverently contemplated her merciful features, Amen!"
"This ignorant monk", the third added, "every day spent enraptured hours in front of our Gracious Lady,
Amen!" Judge Dee nodded with a satisfied smile. Turning to the
senior scribe he said curtly: