First Chapter A strange meeting takes place on a lotus lake; Judge Dee is attacked on his way to Lan-fang Second Chapter Judge Dee opens the first session of the tribunal; He discovers in the archives an unsolved problem Third Chapter The judge witnesses a quarrel on the market; A young man forecasts his father's murder Fourth Chapter Tao Gan reports on a mysterious old mansion; An ingenious trap is set in the dark tribunal Fifth Chapter Twenty ruffians attack in the dead of the night; Judge Dee sets out on a dangerous excursion Sixth Chapter Four guildmasters are received in the main hall; Mrs. Yoo visits the tribunal with an old picture Seventh Chapter Three roguish monks receive their just punishment; A Candidate of Literature reports a cruel murder Eighth Chapter An old General is murdered in his own library; Judge Dee goes to visit the scene of the crime Ninth Chapter Judge Dee ponders alone in a dead man's room; The autopsy brings to light the cause of death Tenth Chapter Judge Dee pays a visit to an eccentric young man; He presides an artistic meeting in the tribunal Eleventh Chapter Tao Gan has an adventure in an old temp≤ Ma Joong meets his math in a drinking bout Twelfth Chapter Judge Dee discusses the secrets of two pictures; A young girl discovers passionate love letters Thirteenth Chapter Yoo Kee entertains a distinguished guest to tea; Judge Dee decides to revisit the General's studio Fourteenth Chapter A strange clue is found in a dead man's room; Judge Dee sends his men to arrest a criminal Fifteenth Chapter Painter Woo reveals his secret in the tribunal; Judge Dee orders a search of the Eastern city Sixteenth Chapter Ma Joong investigates the licensed quarter; He is made a partner in a nefarious scheme Seventeenth Chapter Mrs. Yoo pays a second visit to the tribunal; A queer discovery is made in an old mansion Eighteenth Chapter Judge Dee decides to consult an old hermit; Ma Joong catches his man in the Drum Tower Nineteenth Chapter A recluse discourses on the purpose of life; Judge Dee learns the old Governor's secret Twentieth Chapter A rebel chieftain confesses under torture; A mysterious stranger is at last identified Twentyfirst Chapter Judge Dee closes the case of the murdered General; Chiao Tai relates the story of a military disaster Twentysecond Chapter Judge Dee explains the murder of General Ding; He reveals the secret of the scroll picture Twentythird Chapter The judge leads his men to the heart of the maze; A gruesome discovery is made in a secret pavilion Twentyfourth Chapter A young girl goes to visit a famous artist; A criminal is caught in an unexpected place Twentyfifth Chapter Two depraved criminals suffer the extreme penalty; Judge Dee learns the secret of an abstruse couplet.