'In love with that haughty, cruel woman? Heaven forbid, sir! I can't understand why Silver Fairy admires her so much, she often treated her and the other girls most harshly, whipping them at the slightest provocation! She even seemed to take pleasure in that, the repulsive creature! I wanted to make sure that she wasn't going to punish Silver Fairy for spilling wine on the robe of that wretched old curio-dealer, that's why I went after them, sir. But when I passed the Queen Flower's pavilion, all was dark there. So I went on and walked in the park for some time, to cool my head.
'I see. Well, here's the maid with my noon-rice. I'll have to change into a more comfortable dress.'
The poet hurriedly took his leave, mumbling excuses and looking even more dejected than before.
Judge Dee changed into a thin grey robe, then sat down to his meal. But he hardly tasted what he ate, his thoughts were elsewhere. After he had drunk his tea he got up and started to pace the veranda. Suddenly his face lit up. He stood still and muttered:
'That must be the solution! And that puts the death of the Academician in quite a different light!'
Ma Joong stepped out on the veranda. Judge Dee said briskly:
'Sit down! I have found out what happened to Tao's father, thirty years ago!'
Ma Joong sat down heavily. He was tired but happy. At the Widow Wang's he had found Silver Fairy much better, and while the widow was preparing the noon meal, he had done considerably more with the girl up in the attic than talk about their native place. In fact he had been so busily engaged that, when they went down at last, he had only had time for one quick bowl of noodles.
'Tao's father was indeed murdered,' the judge resumed, 'and in the sitting-room here.'
Ma Joong slowly digested that announcement. Then he protested:
'But Tao Pan-te stated that he had found the corpse in the Red Room, Your Honour!'
'Tao Pan-te was mistaken. I discovered that because he mentioned that the bedstead was on his right side, against the north wall. I made inquiries and found that the bedstead of the Red Room has always been where it is now, on the south side, against the wall on the left. However, although the inside of these apartments has never been changed, thirty years ago the outside was entirely different. The wistaria that now partly screens this veranda was not yet there, neither were the park restaurant and the tall trees opposite. From this veranda one had an unobstructed view, and one could enjoy beautiful sunsets.'
'I suppose one could,' Ma Joong said. 'Silver Fairy was really a sweet girl. Knew what a man wanted, too.'
'Don't you see it? The boy had never been here before, but he knew that the suite was called Red Pavilion because the bedroom was done all in red. When he entered the sitting-room it was bathed in the red glow of sunset! No wonder he mistook the sitting-room for the Red Room—which he had expected to see!'
Ma Joong looked over his shoulder at the sitting-room, taking in the sandalwood furniture, all left its natural colour. He nodded ponderously.
'Tao's father was killed in the sitting-room,' Judge Dee went on. ' It was there that his son saw his dead body, and got a glimpse of the murderer, clad in a white undergarment—not in a red robe, as the boy thought. As soon as the boy had rushed out, the murderer removed the body to the Red Room, locking the door behind him. He threw the key inside through the barred window, thus setting the stage for the alleged suicide. He assumed that nobody would pay attention to what the frightened young boy might say.' He paused a moment, then resumed: ' Since the murderer was clad in a white undergarment, I take it that he had a tryst with the courtesan, Green Jade, in the Red Room. Tao Kwang, his rival in love, surprised them, and he killed Tao with his dagger. Tao Pan-te's theory is right, his father was murdered. This throws a new light on the death of the Academician, Ma Joong. That was also a murder staged as a suicide, in exactly the same manner as thirty years ago. The Academician was killed in the sitting-room, where anybody can enter freely and unobserved by way of this veranda. Then his body was brought to the Red Room, with his papers and everything. It worked once, so the murderer thought he might as well repeat the trick! And that constitutes an important clue to his identity!'
Ma Joong nodded slowly.
'That means that either Feng Dai or Wen Yuan is our man, sir. There's one important difference between the two cases, though. When the Academician was found dead, the key was not on the floor but inside the lock! You can't throw it into that position, sir. Not in ten thousand years!'
'If Feng is indeed our man, I could explain that point too,' the judge said pensively. 'In any case, I am certain that, if we identify the murderer of Tao Kwang and the Academician, we shall also know exactly what happened to the Queen Flower.' He frowned and added after some reflection: ' Yes, I'd better have a talk with Silver Fairy, before I see the curio-dealer. Do you know where we can find her?'
'In her dormitory behind the Crane Bower, Your Honour. She said she would go back there today.'
'Good. Take me there!'
XI
Since it was still early in the afternoon, the street of the dormitories was quite busy. Messengers and tradesmen went in and out of the front doors, and everywhere one heard the sound of flutes, guitars and drums as the courtesans practised music and singing.
Ma Joong halted in front of the door marked 'Second Rank, No. 4'. He explained to the surly elderly woman who opened that they wanted to see the courtesan Silver Fairy, on official business. The woman silently led them to a small waiting-room, then went to fetch the girl.
Silver Fairy came in and made a low bow. She discreetly ignored the wink that Ma Joong gave her behind Judge Dee's back. The judge motioned the elder woman to leave them alone, then kindly addressed the girclass="underline"
'I am told that you are a pupil of the Queen Flower. She taught you singing and dancing, I suppose?' As the girl nodded, he went on: 'So that means that you came to know her well, doesn't it? '
'Oh yes, sir! I saw her nearly every day.'
'In that case you'll be able to enlighten me on a point that is puzzling me. I gathered that she had expected my colleague, Magistrate Lo, to buy her out, and I know that she was very disappointed when she found that she had been mistaken. Then she began at once to look for another patron. This proves clearly that she was keen to find a lover willing to take her away and marry her, doesn't it? '
'Very keen indeed, sir! She often told me and the other girls that being chosen Queen Flower is the golden chance for finding a wealthy protector and establishing yourself in a secure position for life.'
'Exactly. That being so, why then did she refuse the offer of such an eminent and wealthy person as the late Academician Lee Lien?'
'I have been wondering about that too, sir! I discussed it with the other girls; we all think that she must have had a special reason, but we can only guess what that was. There was something secretive about their relationship, we never knew where they ah . . . sported together. He invited her to all his parties, but after dinner they never made use of the private rooms provided by the restaurants. And she never went back with him to his own hostel either. After I had heard that the Academician had killed himself because of her, I . . .' She blushed and gave the judge a quick look. 'Well, I mean to say, I was a bit curious about how those two had gone about it, so I asked the old maidservant who looks after the Queen Flower. But she said that the Academician visited the Pavilion only once, on the same night that he committed suicide. And on that occasion they only had a brief talk. Of course the Queen Flower has the freedom of the island, so there are numerous other places where she can receive her lovers. Yesterday afternoon I made bold to ask her herself, but was told curtly to mind my own business. I thought that rather strange, for she always told us in great detail about her intimate experiences. I remember how she made all of us laugh when she described how that portly Magistrate Lo had . . .'