As Yoo Kee was pressed to his knees in front of the dais, Judge Dee said sternly:
"Yoo Kee, you are guilty of high treason. This is a crime against the state for which the law prescribes a terrible punishment. Yet perhaps the great name of your late father and a recommendation from me might bring the authorities to mitigate somewhat the fearful fate that awaits you. Therefore I advise you to confess now and give a full account of your crime!"
Yoo Kee did not reply. His head hung low and he breathed heavily. Judge Dee gave a sign to the headman to leave him alone.
At last Yoo Kee looked up. He said in a toneless voice, quite different from his accustomed animated way of talking:
"Beyond the two Uigurs, I have no accomplices in my mansion. I would have told my servants at the very last moment that we were going to take over the town. The four soldiers received a gift in money. Tomorrow, on the hour of midnight, they would light a signal fire on the highest watch tower in the Chien mansion. They were told that this would be the sign for a band of ruffians to create a disturbance and that that was the cover under which the two large goldsmiths' shops of this city would be looted. In fact, however, the fire would be the sign for the Uigur tribes over the river to attack. Ooljin and his Chinese helpers would then have opened the Watergate, and…"
"Enough!", Judge Dee interrupted him. "Tomorrow you shall have full opportunity for telling the entire story.
Now I only want you to answer one question. What did you do with the testament you found concealed in your late father's scroll picture?"
A look of surprise flashed over Yoo Kee's haggard face. He replied:
"Since the original testament stated that the property was to be divided equally between me and my half brother Yoo Shan, I destroyed it. Instead I inserted into the lining of the scroll a paper that I had written myself and that would establish beyond all doubt that I was the only rightful heir."
"You see", the judge said disdainfully, "that every one of your black deeds is known to me! Lead the criminal back to jail!"
Not long after the judge had closed the session, Chiao Tai came to his private office and reported that all the criminals had been duly placed under arrest. In the Northern Row there had been some trouble, The Hunter had resisted his arrest but he had been knocked down by Corporal Ling.
Judge Dee leaned back in his chair. Sipping a cup of hot tea he said:
„ Ooljin and the six Uigurs must be conveyed to the capital. Let Corporal Ling select ten soldiers, and set out on horseback tomorrow morning. If they change horses at the nearest military post, they should be in the capital within a week. The three shopkeepers and the soldiers who accepted the bribe, I shall judge here."
Looking at his four lieutenants sitting in a half circle in front of his desk, Judge Dee continued with a smile:
"I think that with the arrest of the leaders we have nipped this plot in the bud!"
Chiao Tai nodded eagerly.
"The Uigur tribesmen", he said, "are not to be despised as warriors in a pitched battle in the open field. They are fine horsemen and their archers shoot with deadly accuracy. But they have neither the experience nor the equipment necessary for laying siege to a walled city. When tomorrow night they don't see the signal fire on the watch tower, they will not dare to attack!"
Judge Dee nodded.
"I leave it to you, Chiao Tai", he said, "to make the necessary preparations to meet any eventuality."
With a bleak smile the judge added:
"You cannot complain that you are not kept busy here, my friends!"
"The other day when we were approaching Lan-fang", Sergeant Hoong said with a smile, "Your Honour observed that our task here would be interesting because we would meet here unusual problems! That surmise has indeed come true!"
Judge Dee wearily passed his hand over his eyes.
"I find it difficult to believe", he said, "that it is only one week since we arrived here in Lan-fang!"
Putting his hands into his wide sleeves he continued:
"Looking back upon the last few days I think that Chien Mow's mysterious visitor worried me more than anything else. It was evident that he was the brain behind the tyrant's activities. I knew that as long as he was free anything might happen!"
"How did Your Honour discover that it was Yoo Kee?", Tao Gan asked. As far as I can see there was no clue at all to the stranger's identity!"
Judge Dee nodded.
"It is true", he replied, "we did not know much. Yet there were two indirect clues. First, we knew that he must be a man conversant with the internal and external affairs of the Empire. Second, that he probably lived in the vicinity of Chien Mow's mansion.
I must confess that at first I strongly suspected Woo Feng of being our man. Woo is exactly the kind of reckless fellow who would venture on such a wild scheme. And his family background would have given him sufficient knowledge of affairs of state to guide Chien Mows' actions."
"Moreover", Sergeant Hoong interrupted, "there is Woo's queer predilection for barbarian art!"
"Exactly!", said Judge Dee. "However, Woo lived far from Chien Mow's mansion and it seemed unlikely to me that he would be able to leave his quarters regularly in an elaborate disguise without the garrulous host of the Eternal Spring Wineshop coming to know of it. Lastly, Ma Joong's talk with The Hunter proved that the plans of the conspirators were not affected by Woo's arrest."
Judge Dee pulled his hands from his sleeves and leaned with his elbows on the table. Looking at Chiao Tai he continued:
"You, Chiao Tai, suggested the solution to me!"
Chiao Tai looked his astonishment at this unexpected statement.
"Yes", the judge went on, "it was you who, in connection with our imaginary army, pointed out to me that a ruse could work two ways! It suddenly dawned on me that Yoo Kee's elaborate preparations for defending himself against a barbarian attack could as well be explained as preparations for taking part in such a raid!
Once that my suspicions had been aroused I found that Yoo Kee fitted the part of Chien Mow's secret adviser very well. First, Yoo Kee is of course thoroughly conversant with political affairs, he grew up in the house of one of the greatest statesmen of our time. Second, his house is within walking distance of Chien Mow's mansion, he would soon see the black flag that Chien used to hoist on his gate when he wanted Yoo Kee to visit him that day.
Then I started to ask myself a few questions. Why should a man who is afraid of a barbarian raid purchase a mansion in the most dangerous spot, in the southwest corner of the city near the Watergate? And that while he already possessed a mansion near the East Gate, a safe location where he can flee to the mountains at the first sign of danger? And why did Chien Mow take no measures against Yoo Kee when the latter took Chien's best fencing master away?
There could be only one answer: Yoo Kee was Chien's adviser, it was he who organized the plan for establishing an independent kingdom here on the border.
Lastly, Chien Mow told me so himself!"
"When was that, Your Honour?", Sergeant Hoong and Ma Joong exclaimed at the same time. Tao Gan and Chiao Tai stared at the judge in utter amazement.
Judge Dee looked at his lieutenants with a quizzical smile.
"When Chien Mow was dying", he replied, "we all thought that he tried to start a sentence with 'You…'. I should have known better! A dying man who can hardly speak does not try to formulate a complicated sentence. He only wanted to pronounce one name, the name of the murderer of Magistrate Pan. And that name was Yoo Kee!"