As they were crossing the natural bridge over the ravine, Tao Gan asked: "Isn't that the monastery which Your Honour planned to visit some time ago, in order to make inquiries about those three young women, called Liu, Huang and Gao, who died there last year?"
"It is," the judge replied soberly. "It's not the kind of place I would choose to stay overnight together with my womenfolk. But it can't be helped."
The sure-footed litter-bearers went quickly up a steep flight of slippery steps, zig-zagging up through high trees. Judge Dee followed close behind them, but he found it difficult to keep up with their pace. He was glad when above him he heard a gate open on creaking hinges. They entered a large, walled-in front courtyard.
The bearers carried the litters up a second flight of steps at the back of the court, and put them down under a high archway of blackened bricks. A group of monks in saffron-coloured robes stood waiting for them there, carrying lampions and smoking torches.
Judge Dee heard the main gate through which they had entered close with a resounding thud. He suddenly shivered. He thought he must have caught a bad cold in the rain. A short, corpulent monk stepped forward and bowed deeply in front of him. He said in a brisk voice: "Welcome to the Morning Cloud Monastery, Your Honour! I am the prior here, at Your Honour's service!"
"I hope our sudden visit doesn't inconvenience you," Judge Dee said politely.
"It's a signal honour, sir!" the prior exclaimed, blinking his slightly protruding eyes. "It adds splendour to this auspicious day! We are celebrating the foundation of our monastery, as we do every year on this day. This is the two hundred and third time, Your Honour!"
"I didn't know that," the judge said. "May your monastery prosper for ever and ever!" A gust of cold wind blew through the archway. He cast an anxious eye at his ladies who were stepping down from the litters, assisted by the maids, and resumed: "Please lead us to our quarters. We all need to change our clothes."
"Of course, of course!" the small prior exclaimed. "Follow me please!" As he led them into a narrow, dark passage, he continued: "I hope you won't mind the steps. I'll take you to the east wing by a roundabout way. There are many sets of steps, but it'll at least save you from going outside again and getting wetter!"
He went ahead, holding a paper lantern close to the floor so that Judge Dee and Tao Gan could see the steps. A novice followed, carrying a lampion on a long stick, and Judge Dee's wives brought up the rear together with six lay brothers who carried their travelling bags and boxes, suspended on bamboo poles over their shoulders. When they had gone up the first flight of stairs and turned a corner, it had grown very still; nothing was heard any more of the storm outside.
"The walls must be very thick!" Judge Dee remarked to Tao Gan. "They knew how to build in those days! And they didn't grudge expense!" As they began another steep ascent, Tao Gan added: "But they made far too many stairs!"
After they had climbed two more flights of stairs, the prior pushed a heavy door open. They entered a long, cold corridor lighted by a few lanterns hanging from the thick, age-blackened rafters overhead. On their right was a blind plaster wall; on the left was a row of narrow, high windows. Here they again heard the gale blowing outside.
"We are now on the third floor of the east wing," the prior explained. "The steps on the left there lead down to the hall on the ground floor. If Your Honour listens, you can hear faintly the music of the mystery play they are performing there now!"
The judge halted and listened politely. He could vaguely hear the beat of drums coming from far below. It was soon drowned by the rattle of the rain against the shutters. The wind was gaining in force. He was glad they were inside.
"Round the corner ahead there," the prior went on in his quick, clipped voice, "are Your Honour's quarters. I trust you won't find them too uncomfortable. Presently I'll take Your Honour's assistant down to his room on the floor below, where we have a few other guests staying." He motioned the novice with the lampion to precede them, and they went on.
Judge Dee looked round. His wives and the maids were just emerging at the head of the stairs at the end of the corridor. He followed the prior.
Suddenly a particularly violent rush of wind blew open the shutters of the window on his left, and a gust of cold rain came inside. With an annoyed exclamation Judge Dee leaned outside and grabbed the swinging shutters to pull them shut. But then he stood stock-still.
The window in the wall of the building opposite stood open, and across the dividing space of six feet or so he looked into a dimly lit room He saw the broad back of a man wearing a close-fitting iron helmet, trying to embrace a naked woman. Her face was covered by her right arm; where the left should have been there was only a ragged stump. The man let go of her and she stumbled back against the wall. Then the wind tore the hooks of the shutters from Judge Dee's hands, and they slammed shut in his face. With an oath he pushed them open again, but now he saw nothing but a dark curtain of rain.
By the time he had the shutters fastened, Tao Gan and the prior had stepped up to him and helped him to secure the rusty bolts.
"You should have let me do that, Your Honour!" the prior said contritely.
The judge remained silent. He waited till the women and the bearers had passed by them, then asked: "What is that building over on the other side there?"
"Only the store-room, Your Honour," the prior replied. "We had better…"
"Just now I saw one of the windows there standing open," Judge Dee interrupted him curtly. "But someone closed it very quickly."
"Window?" the prior asked astonished. "Your Honour must be mistaken! There are no windows on this side of the store-room. There's only a blind wall. This way please!"
The First Lady
III
Silently Judge Dee followed him around the corner. There was a dull pain behind his eyes; evidently he had caught a head cold. Moreover, he had been looking through the grey curtain of the falling rain, and it had been only one brief glance. He felt feverish; it could have been a hallucination. He gave Tao Gan a quick look, but apparently his assistant had seen nothing. He said: "You had better go and change, Tao Gan! Come back here as soon as you are ready."
The prior took his leave with many bows. He walked back to the stairs together with Tao Gan.
In the spacious dressing room his First Lady was giving directions to the maids as to which of their boxes should be opened. His two other wives were supervising the bearers, who were busy filling the bronze brazier with glowing coals. The judge looked on for a while, then walked on to the bedroom beyond.
It was a very large room with only a few pieces of solid, old-fashioned furniture. Although thick draperies were drawn over the windows, he could hear faintly the sounds of the storm outside. A huge bedstead stood against the back wall; heavy curtains of antique brocade hung down from its carved ebony canopy, high up near the raftered ceiling. In the corner he saw a dressing-table of blackwood, and next to it a small tea-table with four stools. Except for a large bronze brazier there was no other furniture. The floor was covered by a thick, faded brown carpet. The room didn't seem very inviting, but he reflected that when the brazier was burning and all the candles lighted, it would probably not be too bad.
He pulled the curtains of the bedstead aside. It provided ample room for himself and his three wives. As a rule he didn't like them all sleeping together. At home each of his wives had her own separate bedroom, and he either passed the night there or invited one to his own bedroom. As a staunch Confucianist he thought that to be the only proper arrangement. He knew that many husbands slept with all their wives together in one bedroom, but Judge Dee thought that a bad habit. It lessened the women's self-respect and did not make for a harmonious household. However, when travelling it couldn't be helped. He went back to the dressing room, and sneezed several times.