Императорская жемчужина

V nadezhde kupitʹ best͡sennui͡u zhemchuzhinu, kogda-to ukradennui͡u iz imperatorskogo dvort͡sa, zhena vladelʹt͡sa antikvarnoĭ lavki prikhodit nochʹi͡u v zabroshennyĭ khram Beloĭ bogini. V drevnie vremena zdesʹ sovershalisʹ chelovecheskie zhertvoprinoshenii͡a, no seĭchas zhertvoĭ stanovitsi͡a sama molodai͡a zhenshchina. Kto zhe prestupnik, i kak ėto ubiĭstvo svi͡azano so strannoĭ smertʹi͡u grebt͡sa, uchastvovavshego v gonkakh lodok-drakonov? Ėto predstoit vyi͡asnitʹ sudʹe Di i ego vernym pomoshchnikam.

Hoping to buy a priceless pearl, once stolen from the Imperial Palace, the wife of the owner of an antique shop comes at night to the abandoned temple of the White goddess. In ancient times, human sacrifices were performed here, but now the victim is the young woman herself. Who was the culprit, and how was this murder connected with the strange death of a dragon boat racing oarsman? Judge Dee and his loyal assistants will have to find out.