Judge Dee's Cases · chapter 8 of 8
The Widow Speaks
夫人说话了
In court Judge Di lays out clue after clue until the truth comes out. Then the old woman shares tea, the team shares a feast, and the drum sounds once more.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 第二天早上，县衙里挤满了人，连门外都站满了人。
Dì'èr tiān zǎoshang, xiànyá lǐ jǐ mǎn le rén, lián ménwài dōu zhàn mǎn le rén.
The next morning the court hall was packed, and even the doorway was full of people.
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 夫人，你的表哥说，毒药是你叫他买的。你有什么话说？
Fūrén, nǐ de biǎogē shuō, dúyào shì nǐ jiào tā mǎi de. Nǐ yǒu shénme huà shuō?
Madam, your cousin says you told him to buy the poison. What do you have to say?
- The Widow 他说谎！他为了救自己，什么话都说得出来！
Tā shuō huǎng! Tā wèile jiù zìjǐ, shénme huà dōu shuō de chūlai!
He's lying! To save himself he would say anything!
Chapter 8 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Judge Dee's Cases is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- The Cousin 我没有说谎！你说过，只要两个人都不在了，钱和房子就都是我们的！
Wǒ méiyǒu shuō huǎng! Nǐ shuō guò, zhǐyào liǎng gè rén dōu bú zài le, qián hé fángzi jiù dōu shì wǒmen de!
I'm not lying! You said once those two were gone, the money and the house would be ours!
- The Widow 我从来没有说过！我是一个好妻子！
Wǒ cónglái méiyǒu shuō guò! Wǒ shì yí gè hǎo qīzǐ!
I never said that! I was a good wife!
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 好。那我们不听他，只听证据。洪亮，第一件。
Hǎo. Nà wǒmen bù tīng tā, zhǐ tīng zhèngjù. Hóng Liàng, dì yī jiàn.
Fine. Then we won't listen to him, only to the evidence. Hong Liang, the first item.
- Hong Liang 药铺的账本。五天以前，卖了一大包老鼠药。
Yàopù de zhàngběn. Wǔ tiān yǐqián, mài le yí dà bāo lǎoshǔ yào.
The medicine shop's ledger. Five days ago, one large packet of rat poison was sold.
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 药铺老板说，买药的人穿蓝色的丝绸，手上有绿色的玉戒指。这就是你的表哥。
Yàopù lǎobǎn shuō, mǎi yào de rén chuān lánsè de sīchóu, shǒushàng yǒu lǜsè de yù jièzhi. Zhè jiùshì nǐ de biǎogē.
The shopkeeper says the buyer wore blue silk and a green jade ring. That is your cousin.
- The Widow 那是他买的，和我有什么关系？
Nà shì tā mǎi de, hé wǒ yǒu shénme guānxi?
He bought it. What does that have to do with me?
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 第二件。仵作的银针变黑了，是毒。你说，你的丈夫那天晚上只喝了一碗汤，那碗汤是你做的。
Dì'èr jiàn. Wǔzuò de yínzhēn biànhēi le, shì dú. Nǐ shuō, nǐ de zhàngfu nà tiān wǎnshang zhǐ hē le yì wǎn tāng, nà wǎn tāng shì nǐ zuò de.
Second. The coroner's silver needle turned black, so it was poison. You said your husband drank only one bowl of soup that night, and you made it.
- The Widow 汤是我做的，可是毒不是我放的！
Tāng shì wǒ zuò de, kěshì dú búshì wǒ fàng de!
I made the soup, but I didn't put in the poison!
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 你怎么知道，毒在汤里？仵作只说是毒，没有人说过在哪里。
Nǐ zěnme zhīdao, dú zài tānglǐ? Wǔzuò zhǐ shuō shì dú, méiyǒu rén shuō guò zài nǎlǐ.
How do you know the poison was in the soup? The coroner only said poison. Nobody said where.
- The Widow 我……我是猜的……
Wǒ… wǒ shì cāi de…
I... I guessed...
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 第三件。昨天夜里，你的表哥端着茶，走进老太太的厨房，手里还有毒药。
Dì sān jiàn. Zuótiān yè lǐ, nǐ de biǎogē duān zhe chá, zǒujìn lǎotàitai de chúfáng, shǒulǐ háiyǒu dúyào.
Third. Last night your cousin carried tea into the old woman's kitchen, with poison in his hand.
- The Cousin 大人，我全都说了。她想要钱，她想要一个不用再过苦日子的新生活……
Dàren, wǒ quán dōu shuō le. Tā xiǎngyào qián, tā xiǎngyào yí gè búyòng zài guò kǔ rìzi de xīn shēnghuó…
My lord, I've told everything. She wanted the money, a new life without hardship...
- The Widow 闭嘴！你这个没用的人！……好，是我。汤是我做的，药也是我放的。
Bì zuǐ! Nǐ zhège méi yòng de rén!… Hǎo, shì wǒ. Tāng shì wǒ zuò de, yào yě shì wǒ fàng de.
Shut up! You useless man! ...Fine. It was me. I made the soup and I put in the poison.
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 为了钱吗？
Wèile qián ma?
For money?
- The Widow 为了钱，也为了不想再种田的日子……大人，我错了。
Wèile qián, yě wèile bù xiǎng zài zhòng tián de rìzi… dàren, wǒ cuò le.
For money, and for a life without farm work... My lord, I was wrong.
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 有些人，为了钱，看不清自己的心。来人，把他们带下去，大唐的法律会公平地处理。
Yǒuxiē rén, wèile qián, kàn bù qīng zìjǐ de xīn. Lái rén, bǎ tāmen dài xiàqu, Dà Táng de fǎlǜ huì gōngpíng de chǔlǐ.
Some people, because of money, cannot see their own hearts. Take them away. The law of Tang will judge them fairly.
- Narrator 几天以后，狄公来到老太太的小院子里。
Jǐ tiān yǐhòu, Dí Gōng láidào lǎotàitai de xiǎo yuànzi lǐ.
A few days later Judge Di came to the old woman's little courtyard.
- The Old Mother 大人，请喝茶。这杯茶，我先喝了一口，没有毒。
Dàren, qǐng hē chá. Zhèbēi chá, wǒ xiān hē le yì kǒu, méiyǒu dú.
Please have some tea, my lord. I took a sip first, and there's no poison.
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 老人家，您那天晚上，真是太勇敢了。
Lǎorenjia, nín nà tiān wǎnshang, zhēn shì tài yǒnggǎn le.
Grandmother, you were truly brave that night.
- The Old Mother 我的儿子在天上看着我呢。我不能给他丢脸。
Wǒ de érzi zài tiānshàng kànzhe wǒ ne. Wǒ bùnéng gěi tā diū liǎn.
My son was watching me from heaven. I couldn't shame him.
- The Old Mother 大人，谢谢您。您让我知道，这个县里，还有人愿意听一个老太太说话。
Dàren, xièxie nín. Nín ràng wǒ zhīdao, zhège xiànlǐ, háiyǒu rén yuànyì tīng yí gè lǎotàitai shuōhuà.
Thank you, my lord. You showed me there is still someone in this county who will listen to an old woman.
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 只要有人敲鼓，我就会听。
Zhǐyào yǒurén qiāo gǔ, wǒ jiù huì tīng.
As long as someone beats the drum, I will listen.
- Narrator 傍晚，县衙的厨房里，热闹得像过年一样。
Bàngwǎn, xiànyá de chúfáng lǐ, rènao de xiàng guò nián yíyàng.
That evening the court kitchen was as lively as New Year.
- Ma Rong 肉！我的肉！大人说过，每天都有肉！
Ròu! Wǒ de ròu! Dàren shuō guò, měitiān dōu yǒu ròu!
Meat! My meat! The magistrate promised meat every day!
- Tao Gan 我算了一下，马荣一个人的饭钱，够五个人吃。
Wǒ suàn le yíxià, Mǎ Róng yí gè rén de fànqián, gòu wǔ gè rén chī.
I did the sums. Ma Rong's food money alone could feed five people.
- Ma Rong 三碗是早饭，这才是晚饭！
Sān wǎn shì zǎofàn, zhè cái shì wǎnfàn!
Three bowls was breakfast. This is dinner!
- Hong Liang 大人，来，我给您倒杯酒。今天，大家一起喝一杯。
Dàren, lái, wǒ gěi nín dào bēijiǔ. Jīntiān, dàjiā yìqǐ hē yì bēi.
My lord, come, let me pour you a cup. Today we all drink together.
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 好。这一杯，不是为我，是为所有敲鼓的人。
Hǎo. Zhè yì bēi, búshì wèi wǒ, shì wèi suǒyǒu qiāo gǔ de rén.
Good. This cup is not for me. It's for everyone who beats the drum.
- Tao Gan 为敲鼓的人！也为不敲鼓、但是偷偷藏着坏事的人！
Wèi qiāo gǔ de rén! Yě wèi bù qiāo gǔ, dànshì tōutōu cáng zhe huàishì de rén!
To those who beat the drum! And to those who don't, but are hiding something bad!
- Ma Rong 别说了，快吃！菜要冷了！大人的话很重要，可是热菜更重要！
Bié shuō le, kuài chī! Cài yào lěng le! Dàren de huà hěn zhòngyào, kěshì rècài gèng zhòngyào!
Stop talking, eat! The food is getting cold! The magistrate's words matter, but hot food matters more!
- Hong Liang 大人……您听。
Dàren… nín tīng.
My lord... listen.
- Judge Dee (Di Renjie) 又有人在敲鼓了。洪亮，拿我的帽子，下一个案子来了。
Yòu yǒurén zài qiāo gǔ le. Hóng Liàng, ná wǒ de màozi, xià yí gè ànzi lái le.
Someone is beating the drum again. Hong Liang, get my hat. The next case has arrived.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- How does Judge Di catch the widow in a slip?
“你怎么知道，毒在汤里？仵作只说是毒，没有人说过在哪里。”
- What is the first piece of evidence?
“药铺的账本。五天以前，卖了一大包老鼠药。”
- What does the widow finally say?
“汤是我做的，药也是我放的。”
- What does the old woman do with the tea for Judge Di?
“我先喝了一口，没有毒。”
- How does the book end?
“又有人在敲鼓了。”