Looking at his four lieutenants sitting in a half circle in front of his desk, Judge Dee continued with a smile:

"I think that with the arrest of the leaders we have nipped this plot in the bud!"

Chiao Tai nodded eagerly.

"The Uigur tribesmen", he said, "are not to be despised as warriors in a pitched battle in the open field. They are fine horsemen and their archers shoot with deadly accuracy. But they have neither the experience nor the equipment necessary for laying siege to a walled city. When tomorrow night they don't see the signal fire on the watch tower, they will not dare to attack!"

Judge Dee nodded.

"I leave it to you, Chiao Tai", he said, "to make the necessary preparations to meet any eventuality."

With a bleak smile the judge added:

"You cannot complain that you are not kept busy here, my friends!"

"The other day when we were approaching Lan-fang", Sergeant Hoong said with a smile, "Your Honour observed that our task here would be interesting because we would meet here unusual problems! That surmise has indeed come true!"

Judge Dee wearily passed his hand over his eyes.

"I find it difficult to believe", he said, "that it is only one week since we arrived here in Lan-fang!"

Putting his hands into his wide sleeves he continued:

"Looking back upon the last few days I think that Chien Mow's mysterious visitor worried me more than anything else. It was evident that he was the brain behind the tyrant's activities. I knew that as long as he was free anything might happen!"

"How did Your Honour discover that it was Yoo Kee?", Tao Gan asked. As far as I can see there was no clue at all to the stranger's identity!"

Judge Dee nodded.

"It is true", he replied, "we did not know much. Yet there were two indirect clues. First, we knew that he must be a man conversant with the internal and external affairs of the Empire. Second, that he probably lived in the vicinity of Chien Mow's mansion.

I must confess that at first I strongly suspected Woo Feng of being our man. Woo is exactly the kind of reckless fellow who would venture on such a wild scheme. And his family background would have given him sufficient knowledge of affairs of state to guide Chien Mows' actions."

"Moreover", Sergeant Hoong interrupted, "there is Woo's queer predilection for barbarian art!"

"Exactly!", said Judge Dee. "However, Woo lived far from Chien Mow's mansion and it seemed unlikely to me that he would be able to leave his quarters regularly in an elaborate disguise without the garrulous host of the Eternal Spring Wineshop coming to know of it. Lastly, Ma Joong's talk with The Hunter proved that the plans of the conspirators were not affected by Woo's arrest."

Judge Dee pulled his hands from his sleeves and leaned with his elbows on the table. Looking at Chiao Tai he continued:

"You, Chiao Tai, suggested the solution to me!"

Chiao Tai looked his astonishment at this unexpected statement.

"Yes", the judge went on, "it was you who, in connection with our imaginary army, pointed out to me that a ruse could work two ways! It suddenly dawned on me that Yoo Kee's elaborate preparations for defending himself against a barbarian attack could as well be explained as preparations for taking part in such a raid!

Once that my suspicions had been aroused I found that Yoo Kee fitted the part of Chien Mow's secret adviser very well. First, Yoo Kee is of course thoroughly conversant with political affairs, he grew up in the house of one of the greatest statesmen of our time. Second, his house is within walking distance of Chien Mow's mansion, he would soon see the black flag that Chien used to hoist on his gate when he wanted Yoo Kee to visit him that day.

Then I started to ask myself a few questions. Why should a man who is afraid of a barbarian raid purchase a mansion in the most dangerous spot, in the southwest corner of the city near the Watergate? And that while he already possessed a mansion near the East Gate, a safe location where he can flee to the mountains at the first sign of danger? And why did Chien Mow take no measures against Yoo Kee when the latter took Chien's best fencing master away?

There could be only one answer: Yoo Kee was Chien's adviser, it was he who organized the plan for establishing an independent kingdom here on the border.

Lastly, Chien Mow told me so himself!"

"When was that, Your Honour?", Sergeant Hoong and Ma Joong exclaimed at the same time. Tao Gan and Chiao Tai stared at the judge in utter amazement.

Judge Dee looked at his lieutenants with a quizzical smile.

"When Chien Mow was dying", he replied, "we all thought that he tried to start a sentence with 'You…'. I should have known better! A dying man who can hardly speak does not try to formulate a complicated sentence. He only wanted to pronounce one name, the name of the murderer of Magistrate Pan. And that name was Yoo Kee!"

Tao Gan crashed his fist on the desk. He gave the others a meaningful look.

"I must add", Judge Dee continued, "that it was old Master Crane Robe who suggested this to me. At the very beginning of our conversation he misheard 'Yoo 'for 'You'. At least I thought that he had misheard… Looking back on that strange conversation I suspect that every word of the old master was said with a purpose and had a very special meaning…"

Judge Dee's voice trailed off. He fell silent and for a few moments pensively stroked his beard. Then he looked at his lieutenants and continued in a brisk voice:

"Tomorrow I shall close the case against Yoo Kee. The charge of high treason is the most serious one that can be made, it disposes of his murdering Magistrate Pan.

In the same session, I shall close the murder of General Ding!"

The last announcement gave Judge Dee's lieutenants their second shock that evening. They all spoke together.

Judge Dee raised his hand.

"Yes", he said, "I have finally found the solution of that queer and complicated case. The man who actually killed the General signed his name to the deed!"

"So it was, after all, that impudent rascal Woo!", Sergeant Hoong said excitedly.

"Tomorrow", Judge Dee said calmly, "you will know how General Ding met his death."

He sipped his tea. Then he went on:

"Today we have made much progress. Yet there still remain two vexing problems. The first is a practical and urgent one, namely the disappearance of White Orchid. The second is a less urgent one, but all the same it needs our full attention. I mean the riddle of Governor Yoo's picture.

Unless we can establish that Mrs. Yoo and her son Yoo Shan are the rightful owners of half of the Governor's property, they will forever be as destitute as they are now. For since Yoo Kee will be indicted on the charge of high treason, the government will confiscate all his possessions.

Unfortunately, Yoo Kee destroyed the testament he found in the Governor's scroll picture. So that proof is gone. Yoo Kee's confession does not alter the fact that the old Governor on his deathbed bequeathed the picture to Mrs. Yoo and her son, and 'all the rest' to Yoo Kee. The higher authorities, and especially the Board of Finance will base themselves on that oral will, and confiscate all Yoo Kee's property. Thus unless I solve the riddle of that picture, Mrs. Yoo and Yoo Shan will receive nothing!"

Tao Gan nodded. He slowly played with the three long hairs that sprouted from his left cheek. Then he asked:

"At the beginning we did not know that Yoo Kee was concerned with this plan for taking the city. We only knew that he was the defendant in an inheritance suit. Why did Your Honour right from the beginning take such a great interest in the case Yoo versus Yoo?"

Judge Dee answered with a smile:

"Since I am explaining, I may as well tell you the background of my special interest in that case.