MENG-PIN BEFORE THE BENCH

Koo paused a moment, and wiped the perspiration from his brow. Then he resumed.

"On his way back to town my manager made inquiries in the military guardhouse, located at the crossing of the country road and the highway, and also at the farms and shops along the highway toward the city. But no one had seen a woman alone passing there on horseback that time of the day.

"Therefore this person, greatly fearing that something untoward has befallen his young bride, now respectfully begs your honor to institute a search for her without delay."

Taking a folded document from his sleeve and deferentially raising it above his head with two hands, he added, "I herewith submit a full description of my wife, the clothes she was wearing and the blazed horse she was riding."

The headman took the paper and handed it to judge Dec. He glanced it through, then asked, "Did your wife have any jewels or large sums of money on her person?"

"No, your honor," Koo replied. "My manager asked Dr. Tsao the same question, and he stated that she had only carried a basket with cakes which his wife had given her as a present for me."

Judge Dee nodded, then asked, "Could you think of any person who has a grudge against you and might have wanted to harm your wife?"

Koo Meng-pin shook his head emphatically. He said, "There may be persons who have a grudge against me, your honor-which merchant engaged in a highly competitive trade hasn't? But none of them would dare to commit such a dastardly crime!"

The judge slowly stroked his beard. He reflected that it would be an insult to discuss publicly the possibility that Mrs. Koo had eloped with somebody else. He would have to make inquiries about the woman's character and reputation. He spoke.

"This tribunal shall at once take all necessary steps. Tell your manager to repair to my office after the session, to report in detail about his inquiries, so as to avoid double work. I shall not fail to inform you as soon as I have any news."

Then the judge rapped his gavel and closed the session.

A clerk was waiting for him in his private office. He said, "Mr. Yee Pen, the shipowner, arrived and told me he wanted to see your honor privately for a few moments. I took him to the reception hall.

"Who is that fellow?" Judge Dee asked.

"Mr. Yee is a very wealthy man, your honor," the clerk replied. "He and Mr. Koo Meng-pin are the two largest shipowners in this district; their ships go all the way to Korea and Japan. Both of them own a wharf on the river front where they build and repair their ships."

"All right," Judge Dee said. "I am also expecting another visitor, but I can see Yee Pen right now." To Sergeant Hoong he added, "You'll receive Kim Sang, and make notes about what he reports on his inquiries about his master's lost wife. I'll join you here as soon as I have heard what Yee Pen has to say."

A tall, fat man stood waiting for the judge in the reception hall. He knelt as soon as he saw judge Dee ascending the stairs. "We are not in the court hall here, Mr. Yee," Judge Dee said affably as he sat down at the tea table. "Rise and take this chair opposite me:"

The fat man mumbled some confused excuses, then sat down gingerly on the edge of the chair. He had a fleshy, moon-shaped face with a thin mustache and a ragged ring beard. The judge did not like his small, crafty eyes.

Yee Pen sipped from his tea; he seemed at a loss how to begin. "In a few days," Judge Dee said, "I shall invite all the notables of Peng-lai for a reception here. Then I hope to have the advantage of a longer conversation with you, Mr. Yee. I regret that just now I am rather occupied. I would appreciate it if you would forsake the formalities, and state your business."

Yee quickly made a deep bow; then he spoke.

"As a shipowner, your honor, I naturally have to follow closely all that goes on on the water front. Now I feel it my duty to report to your honor that there are persistent rumors that large quantities of arms are being smuggled out through this city."

Judge Dee sat up straight.

"Arms?" he asked incredulously. "Where to?"

"Doubtless to Korea, your honor," Yee Pen answered. "I heard that the Koreans are chafing under the defeat we inflicted on them, and are planning to attack our garrisons leaguered there."

"Have you any idea," Judge Dee asked, "who are the despicable traitors engaging in that trade?"

Yee Pen shook his head. He replied, "Unfortunately I couldn't discover a single clue, your honor. I can only say that my own ships are certainly not used for that nefarious scheme! These are just rumors, but the commander of the fort must have heard them too. They say that all outgoing ships are being searched there very strictly these days."

"If you learn anything more, don't fail to let me know at once," the judge said. "By the way, have you perhaps any idea what could have happened to the wife of your colleague Koo Meng-pin?"

"No, your honor," Yee answered, "not the slightest. But Dr. Tsao will be sorry now that he didn't give his daughter to my son!" As the judge lifted his eyebrows, he added quickly, "I am one of Dr. Tsao's oldest friends, your honor, we are both adherents of a more rational philosophy, and opposed to Buddhist idolatry. Though the subject was never actually mentioned, I had always taken it for granted that Dr. Tsao's daughter would marry my eldest son. Then, three months ago when Koo's wife had died, Dr. Tsao suddenly announced that his daughter would be marrying him! Imagine, your honor, the girl is barely twenty! And Koo is a fervent Buddhist; they say he is going to offer a-"

"Quite," Judge Dee interrupted him. He was not interested in this family affair. He went on. "Last night two of my assistants met your business manager, Po Kai. He seems a remarkable fellow."

"I hope for all concerned," Yee Pen said with an indulgent smile, "that Po Kai was sober! The man is drunk half of the time, and the other half he is scribbling poetry."

"Why do you keep him then?" the judge asked, astonished. "Because," Yee Pen explained, "that drunken poet is a genius in financial matters! It is absolutely uncanny, your honor. The other day I had reserved the whole evening for going over my accounts with him. Well, I sat down with Po Kai and started to explain. But he just took the entire sheaf of documents from my hands, made a few notes while leafing them through, and gave them back. Then he took a writing brush and wrote out neatly my balance, without one mistake! The next day I told him to take a week off for drawing up an estimate for a war junk to be built for the fort. He had all the papers ready that same evening, your honor! Thus I could submit my estimate long before my friend and colleague Koo had his ready, and I got the order!" Yee Pen smiled srnugly, then concluded, "As far as I am concerned, the fellow may drink and sing as much as he likes. During the little time he works for me, he earns twenty times his salary. The only things I don't like about him are his interest in Buddhism and his friendship with Kim Sang, the business manager of my friend Koo. But Po Kai maintains that Buddhism answers his spiritual needs, and that he worms much information about Koo's affairs out of Kim Sang-and that of course comes in useful, sometimes!"

"Tell him," Judge Dee said, "to come and see me one of these days. I found in the tribunal a notebook with calculations I would like to have his opinion on."

Yee Pen gave the judge a quick look. He wanted to ask some-thing, but his host had already risen and he had to take his leave. When Judge Dee was about to cross the courtyard he was met by Ma Joong and Chiao Tai.