Chapter 67 - 63: Mei Shilin

Zhao Lin used the same old trick, telling Chai Jie that he had evidence Chai had murdered his own father.

Chai Jie, of course, refused to admit it. He loudly proclaimed his innocence, his reaction even more vehement than his two older brothers’.

"That constable just now looked so fierce. It was terrifying."

After Zhao Lin left, Xiao Taohua patted her chest and said, "Master Chai, aren’t you scared?"

"Heh, what do I have to be scared of? My old man got himself killed. It has nothing to do with me," Chai Jie said dismissively.

Xiao Taohua opened the window and saw Zhao Lin’s figure below. "Oh my," she said, surprised, "he’s still downstairs."

Chai Jie spat. "Tch! These constables. Instead of catching the killer, they come here to intimidate me, a member of the victim’s family. How outrageous. If he dares to come back, I’ll go to the yamen and report him!"

"But I’m still worried."

"Worried about what? My little beauty..."

Zhao Lin didn’t listen any further and quickly walked away from the brothel.

This young master seemed debauched and unrestrained, but he was actually deeply cunning. This kind of person rarely opened up to anyone, let alone a prostitute.

’I have extraordinary hearing, but I can’t see into a person’s heart.’

If the killer was one of the three brothers, Zhao Lin felt that Chai Jie was a more likely suspect than his two seemingly boorish older brothers.

A gambling addict has no humanity; they’re capable of anything.

He had met all three brothers. Now only one suspect remained—Mei Shilin.

Mei Shilin was a longtime friend of Chai Qihong and also worked at the yamen. He probably wasn’t home yet, so Zhao Lin decided to pay him a visit later.

With time to spare, he changed into his training clothes and went to the Liuhe Sect.

"How was your first day on duty at the yamen?"

Yuan Cheng walked over with a smile and asked.

"It was fine. Just some routine work."

Zhao Lin gave a casual reply, then jumped onto the plum blossom poles to stretch his muscles and bones.

He appeared to be training diligently, but his mind was still on the case.

According to the information from Tian Dabang, Mei Shilin worked as a clerk at the yamen. He was humble, cautious, and highly regarded by the County Magistrate.

Sun Zhang hadn’t dared to give him a hard time, only taking a simple statement.

Zhao Lin also felt that it was unlikely Mei Shilin was the culprit. He had no motive; after all, Chai Qihong’s fortune wouldn’t go to him.

However, Mei Shilin was the last person to see Chai Qihong alive. He might know something.

Mei Shilin’s home was in West City, not far from Shuncheng Street, where Zhao Lin had bought his own courtyard house.

After finishing his training, Zhao Lin followed the address on the slip of paper to Mei Shilin’s house.

He didn’t barge right in. Instead, he extended his hearing to listen from outside.

To avoid attracting attention, he held his iron ruler and paced back and forth on the street, making it look like he was on patrol.

Mei Shilin had a son and a daughter, both of whom were married. Only he and his wife, an old couple, were left at home.

Zhao Lin could tell that there were indeed two people in the house.

From the occasional sound of a page turning and the clatter of pots and bowls, he deduced that the two had already eaten dinner.

Mei Shilin was reading, and his wife was cleaning up the dishes.

"Sigh..." Mei Shilin suddenly sighed.

In the dead of night, it was easy for emotions to overflow and thoughts to run wild.

Zhao Lin really hoped he would say something.

But after the sigh, Mei Shilin fell silent again for quite some time.

"Wife, warm up half a pot of wine for me."

Mei Shilin’s voice finally broke the silence.

"Husband, is something on your mind? You’ve been sighing so much lately."

An elderly woman’s voice spoke. It must have been his wife, Madam Mei.

"I don’t have anything on my mind. Is the wine ready?"

"It’s almost ready."

A short while later, the sound of Mei Shilin drinking could be heard from inside the house.

Sighing and drinking his sorrows away. A thought sparked in Zhao Lin’s mind.

’In wine, there is truth. Drink up.’

One cup, two cups, three cups... By the fourth cup, the pot was empty, the wine dripping out drop by drop.

’Good. Drink some more.’

Zhao Lin waited patiently for Mei Shilin to finish drinking. Estimating the time it would take for the alcohol to take effect, he walked up to the front door and knocked hard.

"Who is it?" Madam Mei asked from inside the house.

"A constable from the county office, looking for Clerk Mei," Zhao Lin replied.

"It’s so late. What is it?"

"Just a small matter. I’ll leave as soon as I’m done asking."

Mei Shilin came out, slurring his words. "I... I’ll get the door."

He opened the door and saw an unfamiliar face. "You are?" he asked, a little surprised.

"I’m a new constable. Clerk Mei may not have seen me before." Zhao Lin took out his waist token and flashed it in front of him.

Mei Shilin glanced at the waist token and asked, "What is it?"

As someone who also worked for the government, he wasn’t afraid of constables like an ordinary citizen.

"May I come in and talk?" Zhao Lin asked with a harmless-looking smile.

"Come in."

Mei Shilin glanced out at the street, deliberately leaving the main door wide open.

The two went into the living room and took their seats.

Mei Shilin said to his wife, "Serve some tea. I need to sober up."

Then he turned to Zhao Lin and said, "I think I saw you at the morning roll call. Which chief constable are you under?"

Zhao Lin replied, "Chief Constable Sun Zhang. Today was my first day."

Mei Shilin said, "Oh. This is West City. I recall Chief Constable Sun is in charge of East City, isn’t he?"

Zhao Lin smiled. "Clerk Mei is correct. However, a case I’m responsible for in East City is related to you."

Mei Shilin’s brow furrowed. "Constable Zhao, what do you mean by that?"

Zhao Lin didn’t speak. When Mei Shilin looked over, he stared at him and said, "Clerk Mei, since you know who killed Chai Qihong, and you were his closest friend, why don’t you tell the truth?"

"Do you want to see the killer get away with it?"

Mei Shilin was startled, then angered. "Nonsense! How would I know?"

Zhao Lin sharply noticed that as Mei Shilin spoke, his eyes blinked several times in succession—a sign of lying.

CRASH...

The teacup in Madam Mei’s hand fell to the floor.

Zhao Lin’s mind raced. He spoke slowly, "Which son was it?"

Mei Shilin averted his gaze, glancing at the broken porcelain on the floor. "I told you, I don’t know anything."

Zhao Lin didn’t press him further. He stood up and said, "Clerk Mei, you’d better think carefully. This is a murder case. Withholding information is also a serious crime."

While he was speaking to Mei Shilin, his eyes were fixed on Madam Mei.

"You should leave. The day I took Chai Qihong home, I left right after," Mei Shilin said, quickly regaining his composure, his voice growing louder.

"I suggest you think about it again," Zhao Lin said before striding away.

Madam Mei stood stunned for a long moment before silently starting to clean up the mess on the floor. She then went out and closed the courtyard gate.

"My dear..." Mei Shilin said, sounding a bit guilty.

"We’ve been married for so many years, and you’re still keeping secrets from me?" Madam Mei said, her head lowered.

"I..." Mei Shilin hesitated.

Madam Mei glanced at him. "The day Chai Qihong died, you claimed to be sick and didn’t go to the yamen. You even locked yourself in your room. Why? Was it you who killed him?"

"How could I possibly kill him!"

Mei Shilin quickly denied it. "I’ve known Brother Chai for many years. We had no grievances."

As he spoke, he got up and walked to the door, peered outside for a moment, then turned back, closed the door and windows tightly, and finally said, "That day, Brother Chai came to find me. We were drinking with a few mutual friends until very late..."