He was referring to what everyone had been speculating about for months. Kubilai’s attempts to conquer the southern Song had stalled around the city that Lin mentioned. It was on the banks of the Han river, and without it Kubilai’s efforts would fail. It was said that a young general called Aju was planning to take charge of the siege. It looked like Taitemir was going to be involved too. He scanned the preparations for war again, as though reluctant to tear his mind away from war to discuss the matter he must have brought us here for. But after a long pause, which involved him sucking the ends of his straggly moustache, he got to the point.
‘I believe you have overruled Li Wen-Tao and released this Chin girl.’
Despite my reservations about mixing it with the Mongol, I was prepared to wade in and defend us. But Lin surreptitiously tapped my arm, and spoke instead.
‘My humble apologies for being so crude as to countermand one of your officials, but there did seem to be… inconsistencies in his case.’
Taitemir looked hard at Lin.
‘But his decision is effectively my decision. So you are not merely going against the prefect’s ruling, but mine also. And now the Great Khan himself is interested, I understand.’
The atmosphere was getting tense, but I suddenly realized that Taitemir was trying to find a way out of a dirty business that had, like the gunpowder-filled bamboo explosives the Chinee loved, backfired on him. Lin saw it too.
‘What if you were to discover, by your own efforts, that Li Wen-Tao was a corrupt official? Then you could, with a clear conscience, change your ruling.’
‘Is he corrupt?’
Taitemir examined Lin’s face closely, and I held my breath. Lin said nothing, but his face spoke a thousand words. Taitemir’s face broke into a grim smile.
‘Yes, you are right Master… er… Lin, I have uncovered evidence of the prefect’s corruption. So his judgement on the girl is clearly flawed. I have suspended the death penalty accordingly until fresh evidence is produced.’
Our relief must have been audible, and Taitemir nodded, also glad to be out of a possible bind himself. He had a couple of points to mention though.
‘You have found the probable murderer in this case, then? You need investigate no further?’
Lin eagerly nodded.
‘Yes, my lord.’
‘Oh, and you can furnish me with the written documentation concerning the corruption I discovered as soon as you like.’
I thought with admiration what a crafty manipulator he was. Our evidence against Li had become his. But it had served its purpose, and we had avoided Ko’s trap, it seemed. With the business out of the way, Taitemir was more relaxed, and he seemed keen to show us the extent of his preparations. He led us over to a curious device of wood and rope. Set on wheels, it was a large frame on which pivoted a long pole. The pole was set off-centre with ropes attached to a T-bar on the short end. The longer end had a sling attached. I recognized it as a siege engine called a trebuchet in the West. Taitemir patted it proprietorially.
‘Of course it can hurl rocks great distances, but we also now use projectiles made of gunpowder packed in a bamboo tube along with broken porcelain. When it explodes the results are devastating.’ He grinned evilly. ‘But even that is not enough. My Chin experts have created a device we call the excrement bomb.’
Lin grimaced in distaste at such an uncouth weapon. But I was interested.
‘What goes into it?’
‘The main ingredient is powdered human shit, croton oil – that blisters the skin on contact – white arsenic, and a sort of beetle that causes blistering. Oh, and aconite. We have heaps of aconite root here.’
TWENTY-FOUR
An ant may well destroy a whole dam.
As Lin and I rode along the grey, stony track that led to the low building that was Pianfu’s prison, we discussed the interview with Taitemir. It had left me with an uneasy feeling.
‘Did you get the impression the governor was relieved we had found a culprit for the murder of Geng?’
Lin tried to be noncommittal, but he knew what I was intimating.
‘You think we should still consider him a possible suspect because of his reaction to our identifying Wenbo as the killer? Are you backing away from that position?’
‘No, no. Wenbo did kill his father. But think what Taitemir said about that dirty bomb. It is to be loaded with aconite. He has mountains of the very poison that killed Geng lying around outside his tent. The agent of the killing could still be Wenbo. The prime mover might have been Taitemir.’
‘Because he owed Geng money? He didn’t care about being indebted to him, Nick. It is a normal state for a Mongol governor to use his position to obtain goods for free.’
I groaned in frustration.
‘You are right. But you know how Kubilai is cracking down on corruption and building up his bureaucracy. Even the governor in a remote region such as Taitemir might feel he has to clean out his stables before more government officials arrive. Especially with Kubilai’s war-machine shedding light on the governor’s activities. The quiet disposal of a nuisance might have been a better option than the summary one of a slit throat.’
Lin remained unconvinced, but I was prepared to store my misgivings away for another day. Besides, as we approached the prison, I could see signs of unusual behaviour. It was still early morning, but the bulky figure of the prefect, dressed in his blue silk robe, was in evidence already. He was stomping around the compound in front of the cell block, waving an elegant bamboo cane at the cowering gaoler. The door to Wenbo’s cell stood half open, the interior dark and ominous. I murmured to the already shaken Lin Chu-Tsai.
‘I will go ahead and see what has happened. If they have let Wenbo slip through their hands, either deliberately or accidentally, then heads will roll.’
The mood I was in, I meant what I said quite literally. The executioner’s blade had been denied Jianxu – it could be slaked on Li’s blood for all I cared. I spurred my horse up the track towards the two men, who were still squabbling and had not seen my approach. I dismounted and called out.
‘What is going on here?’
Both Li and the gaoler turned to face me, startled by my sudden appearance. The gaoler cowered before the demon, and even Li looked crushed. He could not look me in the eye, and poked at the ground with his silver-topped cane.
‘There is a problem, Master Investigator.’
I was angry, and prodded the prefect in his soft breasts.
‘I hope Wenbo has not escaped, or worse still been deliberately released by you. I have to see him today.’
Li’s face was ashen.
‘Geng Wenbo is still in his cell, and you can see him. But it is going to be impossible to get a confession out of him.’
By this time, Lin, at his horse’s more sedate pace, had caught me up.
‘And why is that, Master Li? Are you denying us access to our suspect? The Great Khan himself will hear of this.’
Li blustered as Lin got off his mount.
‘No, you don’t understand me.’ He sighed, his whole fat face collapsing over the stiff collar of his gown. He waved his cane at the gaoler.
‘Show them what you found this morning.’
We followed the bandy-legged gaoler into Wenbo’s cell, and at first I thought it was empty. I could see no sign of the boy. I called out to Li.
‘Is this some sort of trick?’
In a quavering voice, he replied.
‘Look behind the door.’
Both Lin and I peered into the darkness immediately behind the half-open cell door. We gasped simultaneously. Wenbo was pinioned halfway up the door his legs folded under him. His head stuck out at an awkward angle and his face was red and bloated. My immediate reaction was that somehow Geng Wenbo had hanged himself from the bars of the cell door grille. Looking more closely, my suspicion was confirmed. I could see a thin cord embedded in his neck, which must have originally been used as a belt around his waist. From his neck, a loop of it went around one of the bars in the grille. Lin spoke in wonderment, and with not a little suspicion.