The wood of the statue was left plain the sculptor had cleverly used the grain for accentuating the folds of the robe that descended from her rounded shoulders. The man looked up once more at the goddess. He paid not the slightest attention to the lonely visitor. The priest looked out over the river-bank, gaily decorated with coloured lampions, then bent again over his prayer-book. He checked himself and cast an anxious glance at the old priest in a tattered brown robe, sitting on the bench at the entrance of the shrine. But tonight I have chosen a new victim for you, duly prepared for sacrifice. ‘Over in your sacred grove, you took her away from me just when I was about to sprinkle you with her blood.

‘Yes, you may well be happy!’ the man said bitterly. Original Mongolian name Altan Tsetseg Khatun, ‘Golden Flower Princess’Ī TALL MAN was lighting a stick of incense on the altar of the River Goddess.Īfter he had stuck it in the bronze burner, he looked up at the serene face of the life-size statue, lit by the uncertain light of the only oil-lamp that hung from the smoke-blackened rafters of the small shrine. Miss Violet LIANG Owner of a training hall. Persons connected with ‘The Case of the Emperor’s Pearl’ The Amber Lady his secondary wife, a former slave-girl KOU Yuan-liang a wealthy collector of curios Persons connected with ‘The Case of the Murdered Slave-maid’ Persons connected with ‘The Case of the Dead Drummer’ HOONG Liang his trusted personal adviser, Sergeant of the tribunal It should be noted that in China the surname - here printed in capitals - precedes the personal name.ĭEE Jen-djieh Magistrate of Poo-yang, a thriving district in Central China, on the Grand Canal

The Emperor's Pearl by Robert van Gulik