The Red Pavilion

'Not at all!' Ma Joong said airily. 'You miscounted just now.'

'I apologize,' Kia said stiffly. 'I am greatly preoccupied with my sorrows.'

'Well, what are you going to do?'

'I don't know! If only I had the money, I'd buy that girl and vanish! I would then be doing Tao a favour too, he is fond of Miss Feng, you know, only he doesn't want to show it.' Bending over to Ma Joong he whispered hoarsely: 'Mr Tao has scruples, you see.'

Ma Joong heaved a deep sigh.

'Now you listen for once to an experienced man of the world, youngster!' he said disgustedly. 'You and Tao and all of you over-scrupulous brush-wielders only make simple things complicated for yourselves and for others. I'll tell you what to do. You marry the Feng girl, give her all you have got for one month, till she's as low-strung as a girl can get and implores you for a little respite. Then you say all right, she'll get her respite but you can't sweat it out either, so you buy yourself the restful wench and your wife'll be grateful and the other wench'll be grateful and they'll both be as restful or restive as you want them to be. Then you go out and buy yourself a third wife so that you can always propose a four-handed game of dominoes when they start making trouble, that's what my boss Judge Dee does with his three wives and he is a learned scholar and a great gentleman. And, since I mention my boss, I'd better be going now!'

He put the wine jug to his mouth and emptied it. 'Thanks for your company!' he said and walked off, leaving the indignant poet groping for a suitable reply.

XIV

After Judge Dee had left the dormitory he had gone straight to Feng Dai's mansion. At the gate he gave his large official visiting card to the house steward. Soon Feng came rushing out into the front courtyard to meet the unexpected guest. He eagerly asked whether there had been any new developments.

'Yes,' the judge said evenly, 'Some new facts have come to light. Before taking official action, however, I would like to discuss these matters with you. And also with your daughter.'

Feng gave him a quick look. He said slowly:

'I take it that Your Honour desires the interview to be confidential?' When Judge Dee nodded, he continued: 'Allow me to conduct Your Honour to the garden pavilion where you spoke with Mr Tao this morning.'

He barked an order at the steward, then took the judge through the luxurious halls and corridors to the garden at the back of the mansion.

When the two men were seated at the small tea table, the steward poured out two cups, then withdrew. Soon the slender figure of Jade Ring came down the garden path. She was wearing the same black damask dress.

After Feng had introduced his daughter to the judge, she stood herself by the side of her father's chair, with modestly downcast eyes.

Judge Dee leaned back in his chair. Carefully smoothing down his long black beard, he said to Feng:

'I am informed that the Academician Lee Lien, having met your daughter when their boats collided, conceived dishonourable intentions regarding her. I am also informed that later he sent her a message, saying that if she didn't visit him in the Red Pavilion he would make public certain facts regarding a crime allegedly committed formerly by you. Finally, that you were seen near the Red Pavilion on the night the Academician died. Do these allegations represent the truth?'

Feng had become very pale. He bit his lips, searching for words. Suddenly his daughter looked up and said calmly:

'Of course it's true. There's no use denying it, father, I had all along the feeling that it would come out.' Feng wanted to say something but she resumed quickly, looking the judge straight in the eye: 'This is what happened. On the night of the collision, the Academician insisted on apologizing to me personally. He spoke politely enough, but as soon as my maid had gone to fetch tea, he became offensive. He loaded me with fulsome praise, and said that, since our boats would be side by side all night, we might as well put that time to some good use. The man was so convinced of his own charm and importance that it hadn't occurred to him that I might refuse to sleep with him. When I did so, and in no uncertain terms, he flew into a terrible rage and swore he would possess me anyway, whether I liked it or not. I left him standing there and went into my cabin, barring the door on the inside. After I had come home I didn't tell my father, I was afraid that he would quarrel with the Academician and get himself into trouble. The whole incident wasn't worth that, the man had evidently been drunk.'

'However, on the afternoon of the night he died, the miserable wretch sent me a message, of the tenor stated by you.'

Feng opened his mouth to speak but she laid her hand on his shoulder and went on:

'I love my father, sir, I'd do anything to help him. And there had indeed been rumours that once, many years ago, my father did something that might be explained in a manner detrimental to him. I slipped away that night and went to the Red Pavilion. I entered by the back entrance, unnoticed. Lee Lien was sitting at the table, writing something. He declared himself overjoyed that I had come, offered me a seat and said that he had known all along that Heaven had decided that I would be his. I tried to make him talk about my father's alleged crime, but he persistently evaded a direct answer. I said I knew that he had lied, that I was going back home and would tell my father everything. He jumped up, calling me awful names; he tore my robe down from my shoulders, hissing that he would have me then and there. I didn't dare to scream for help, for after all I had gone to his room secretly, and my reputation and that of my father would be ruined if people came to know about that. I thought I could keep him off. I fought back as well as I could, scratching his face and arms. He handled me most brutally. The proof is here.'

Disregarding her father's protests, she calmly loosened the bosom of her robe, let it drop down to her waist and showed the judge her bare torso. He saw the yellow and purple bruises on her shoulders, her left breast and both her upper arms. She pulled her robe over her shoulders again and resumed:

'During our struggle the papers on the table had been pushed aside, now I saw his dagger lying there. I feigned to give up my resistance. When he let my arms go to loosen my sash, I took the dagger and warned him that I would kill him if he didn't leave off. He wanted to grab me again, I struck out wildly with the dagger. Suddenly blood was spouting from his neck. He sank back into his chair, uttering a horrible, rattling sound.'

'I was frantic. I ran home through the park and told my father everything. He'll tell you the rest.'

She made a perfunctory bow and rushed down the steps of the pavilion.

Judge Dee gave Feng a questioning look. The warden pulled at his side-whiskers, then he cleared his throat and began contritely:

'Well, I tried to calm down my daughter, sir, I explained to her that she was of course innocent of any crime, for it's a woman's good right to defend herself as well as she can when she is being criminally assaulted. On the other hand, I said, it would be most awkward for both of us if the affair were dealt with publicly. It would affect her reputation, and although the rumours linking me with the old case are completely unfounded, I wouldn't like to see all that brought up again. Therefore I decided upon an ah . . . rather irregular line of action.'

He paused to take a sip from his tea. Then he went on in a firmer voice:

'I went to the Red Pavilion, where I found Lee dead in his chair in the sitting-room, as my daughter had described. There was little blood on the table and the floor, most of it was on his robe. I decided to make it appear as if he had committed suicide. I carried the body to the Red Room, laid it on the floor and placed the dagger in his right hand. Then I removed his papers from the table in the sitting-room to that in the Red Room, locked the door and left by the veranda. Since the only window the Red Room has is barred, I hoped that the Academician's death would be interpreted as a suicide. And so it was. The Queen Flower's statement about her having refused him supplied a convenient motive.'