"I met Chu on the appointed day, and he followed me, his face partly covered by a black hood. I tried to approach the girl, but the old woman stayed close by her all the time, and I had to give up."
"Did you recognize the girl?" Judge Dee interrupted.
"No, Your Honor, I swear I didn't!" Mrs. Pan cried. "I supposed she was some famous courtesan. A few days later we tried again. The pair had strolled to the southern section of the market, they were looking at a Tartar with a performing bear. I stood myself next to the girl and whispered as Chu had instructed me: 'Mr. Yu wants to see you.' The girl followed me without another word.
"I took her to an empty house nearby that Chu had indicated; he followed close behind. The door was ajar, and Chu quickly pushed the girl inside. He told me he would see me later, and locked the door in my face.
"When I saw the placards I realized that Chu had abducted a girl of a well-known family. I hastened to his house with a faked message from my husband, and begged him to set the girl free. But he said he had already secretly removed her to a secluded courtyard in his own mansion, and that no one would ever know she was there. He gave me a sum of money, and promised that he would soon come to visit me again.
"Three days ago I met him in the market. He said that the girl made trouble, she tried to attract the attention of the other members of the household, and he did not get anywhere with her. Since my house was located in a lonely neighborhood, he wanted to take the girl there for a night. I replied that that very day my husband would be away for two days. Chu came that night after the evening meal, dragging the girl along disguised as a nun. I wanted to speak to the girl, but Chu pushed me to the door, and ordered me to go out and not come back before the second night watch."
Mrs. Pan passed her hand over her eyes. When she spoke again her voice sounded hoarse.
"When I came back I found Chu sitting in the hall, half-dazed. I anxiously asked him what had happened, and he told me incoherently that the girl was dead. I rushed to the bedroom and found that he had strangled her. Frantic with fear I ran back to Chu and told him I would call the warden. I didn't mind helping him in a love affair, but I certainly refused to become involved in a murder case.
"Suddenly Chu became very calm. He curtly said that I was already his accomplice and guilty of the death penalty. But he would perhaps be able to cover up the murder, and at the same time take me into his house as a concubine, without anybody ever suspecting it.
"He took me back with him to the bedroom and forced me to strip. He carefully examined my entire body, and when he saw that I had no scars or large birthmarks, he said that I was lucky and that everything would be all right. He took the silver ring from my finger and told me to put on the nun's cloak that was lying on the floor. I wanted to put on my undergarments first but he became very angry, threw the cloak over my shoulders and pushed me outside, ordering me to wait in the hall.
"I don't know how long I sat there, shivering with cold and fear. At last Chu came back, carrying two large bundles. "I have taken the girl's severed head, and your clothes and shoes,' he said calmly. 'Now everybody will think the body is yours, and you shall be safe in my house as my cherished mistress!' 'You are crazy!' I cried out, 'that girl is a virgin!' He suddenly flew into a terrible rage, he started cursing, foam came on his lips. 'A virgin?' he hissed at me, 'I saw the lecherous slut together with my secretary, under my own roof!'
"Trembling with fury he put one of the bundles in my hands, and we left. He told me to lock the front door from outside. We went to his house, walking in the shadow of the city wall. I was so afraid that I didn't notice the cold. Chu opened a back door at the rear of the house, placed one of the bundles under the shrubs in the corner of the garden, and led me through several dark corridors to a separate courtyard. He said I would find everything I wanted there and left.
"My rooms were luxuriously appointed, and an old deaf-and-dumb woman brought me excellent food. Chu came the next day. He seemed very preoccupied and only asked where I had put the jewels he had given me. I told him about the secret compartment in my clothes box, and he said he would get them for me. I asked him to bring also some of my favorite robes.
"But when he came the next day he said the jewels were gone, he gave me only the robes. I asked him to stay with me, but he said that he had hurt his hand, and would come another night. I did not see him again. This is the complete truth."
At a sign from the judge the senior scribe read out his record of Mrs. Pan's confession. She agreed listlessly that it was correct and affixed her thumb mark to the document.
Then Judge Dee said gravely:
"You have acted very foolishly, and you'll have to pay for it with your life. But since Chu Ta-yuan instigated you, and later forced you to go on helping him, I shall propose for you the death penalty in one of its milder forms."
The headman led the sobbing Mrs. Pan to the side door where Mrs. Kuo stood waiting to take her back to jail.
Judge Dee said:
"The coroner shall examine the criminal Chu Ta-yuan. In the course of the next days it will become apparent whether his mind is permanently deranged. Should he recover, I shall propose for him the death penalty in its most severe form, for as well as Miss Liao and presumably Yeh Tai, he also murdered the Sergeant of this tribunal. We shall at once institute a search for Yeh Tai's body.
"This court wishes to express its sympathy with the cruel loss suffered by Guildmaster Liao. At the same time, however, the court is obliged to stress that when daughters have reached marriageable age, it is not only their father's duty to select at once a suitable husband, but also to see to it that the wedding takes place as soon as possible. The wise men of old who drew up the rules for us to live by did not do so without very good reasons. This admonition is also meant for all other householders present at this session.
"Pan Feng shall restore the coffin containing Liao Lien-fang's body to Guildmaster Liao, so that it can be buried together with the recovered head. As soon as the higher authorities have decided how the murderer shall be dealt with, blood money will be paid to Mr. Liao out of Chu Ta-yuan's estate.
"For the time being that estate shall be administered by the comptroller of this tribunal, assisted by the secretary Yu Kang."
The judge closed the session.
Seventeenth Chapter
When they were back in the private office, Judge Dee said in a tired voice:
"Chu Ta-yuan had a double personality. Outwardly he was the jovial, athletic fellow whom you, Ma Joong and Chiao Tai, could not help liking. But the core was rotten, corrupted by his brooding over his one physical weakness."
He gave a sign to Tao Gan, who quickly filled his teacup. The judge drank it eagerly, then continued to Ma Joong and Chiao Tai:
"I had to have time to search his house, and I had to take him completely unawares, for the man is diabolically clever. Therefore I had to send you two with him on that faked errand to Five Rams Village. If the Sergeant had not been murdered, I would have told you all last night my theory about Chu's guilt. But after that I felt I could not ask you to try to behave in a natural manner to Sergeant Floong's murderer. I know that I myself couldn't have done it!"
"If I had known," Ma Joong said fiercely, "I would have strangled that dog with my own hands!"
Judge Dee nodded. There was a long pause.