‘I totally understand, Your Honor. In your first scenario, your analysis of the murder case is really thorough and well founded about Wei’s affair with the maid, about my fit of insane jealousy that led to her death, about Wei’s help with the burial job that night, and about my initial unwillingness to make a clean breast of it. Finally, you have helped me see the light. I have no other choice, I know, but to sign a new, truthful confession to the murder.’

‘If you want to make a new statement – a more admissible one with all the convincing details, you need to talk to Mayor Pei. And I think you can give him the black fox spirit costume. That may explain a lot of the inscrutable things in the case. Of course, I’ll talk to Mayor Pei, and perhaps to Minister Wu, too, and they, anxious for a speedy conclusion of a high-profile case, may be willing to listen to me.’

‘Thank you so much. And I know what I shall say to Mayor Pei.’

‘As for the peony poem, Xuanji, it may not be too good an idea for me to put in this edition of your poetry collection, but perhaps later, in a revised edition.’ He then rose, putting into his own bag the piece of paper with the peony poem written on it, the yellow silk dragon-embroidered underrobe, and the scroll of Xuanji’s calligraphy.

It was an unmistakable hint that he would not give them to others, provided Xuanji held on to the scenario she had given him.

‘I really appreciate it. I know how much I owe you for the speedy conclusion of the case. Oh, Judge Dee – can I call you Judge Dee?’

Emerging out of the prison cell, Judge Dee felt another wave of weariness – closer to sickness – washing over him.

Huang, the prison guard, was hurrying over, carrying a tray of wok-fried sticky rice snacks in his hands, and looking up at Judge Dee with a ludicrous, obsequious grin.

Judge Dee decided not to go back to Mayor Pei. He did not know what he could tell Pei. Xuanji would have to tell Pei first, and then Judge Dee would corroborate Xuanji’s version, adding his comments like a poetry collection compiler. The ‘new confession’ would, he hoped, not differ too much from the first scenario he had described to her inside the prison cell.

On the spur of the moment, he dashed off a couple of lines on a scrap of paper.

She’s willing to talk to you now, I think. Wei was connected, but not the flower girl Zhang. I have to start preparing for my trip early tomorrow morning.

It was not his case. There was no point Judge Dee putting his finger into Mayor Pei’s pie. Whatever the outcome now, it would not be his problem, nor would he want to take any credit.