Dividing family property in ancient times was always a major issue, and the disputes it caused were many.

In his previous life, Zhao Lin had heard an ancient story about dividing an inheritance that was quite interesting.

During the Han Dynasty, there was a man named Xu Wu who had two younger brothers.

After their parents passed away, Xu Wu proposed they divide the family assets and live separately, and his two brothers agreed.

So he split all the property into three parts. He took the largest share for himself, leaving his two brothers with only a small portion each.

The neighbors all looked down on him for it, mocking him for hoarding the family fortune and being unworthy of being the eldest brother. At the same time, they praised the two younger brothers for being magnanimous and not stooping to their brother’s level.

The younger brothers’ reputations gradually spread, and they were soon recommended for official appointments by the local prefect.

But then, Xu Wu invited the clan elders to his home and tearfully said, "Everyone has misunderstood me! I only did it for my two brothers, who had yet to make a name for themselves, to keep them from being distracted by money."

"It was to motivate them to study hard. I didn’t care if my reputation was ruined, as long as they had bright futures ahead of them, it was all worth it."

Afterward, Xu Wu gave all his remaining assets to his two younger brothers.

When the neighbors heard this, they thought it made perfect sense and praised him as a wonderful older brother. Seeing how considerate he was of his siblings, the prefect, with a grand wave of his hand, also recommended him for an official appointment.

Through Xu Wu’s maneuvering of the family property, the family gained three official appointments, and the prefect earned a reputation for recognizing talent. It was a win-win-win situation.

The three brothers of the Chai family, however, were not nearly so harmonious.

"I don’t know what sins Chai Qihong committed in a past life to have three sons, each more unfilial than the last."

"The eldest runs a lumber shop and steals business from his own father. The second runs with the Water Dragon Gang, intimidating common folk and preying on the innocent. The third is a hopeless gambler who spends all his time in casinos and brothels..."

The next day, Zhao Lin went to the docks again to ask Tian Dabang about what had happened the day before.

Before he could even open his mouth, Tian Dabang launched into a breathless account of the inside information he had just dug up.

Zhao Lin frowned as he listened. ’What kind of family is this?’ he thought.

Tian Dabang spoke with great animation for a long time before shaking his head with a sigh. "Chai Qihong also has an unborn child. Let’s just hope when the child grows up, they don’t take after their brothers..."

Zhao Lin immediately cut him off. "An unborn child? With his second wife?"

The case file noted that Chai Qihong’s first wife had died last year and he had taken a new one, but it made no mention of a pregnancy.

According to the laws of Great Yue, a wife could not inherit family property, so Zhao Lin had figured the second wife had no motive to murder her husband. Besides, she wasn’t even home when the crime occurred, so he hadn’t paid her much mind.

Tian Dabang nodded. "That’s right. Chai Qihong’s second wife has been pregnant for three months now. I heard she had terrible morning sickness, so she went back to her family’s home to recover a long time ago."

Zhao Lin didn’t know if this information was relevant to the case, but he made a mental note of it anyway.

"Constable Zhao, I wrote this down for you. See if you can use it," Tian Dabang said, handing over a slip of paper.

Zhao Lin took it and saw the names and addresses of the three Chai brothers written on it, along with the places they frequented, the friends they had, and even the mistresses they kept, all recorded in clear detail.

In addition, there was also information on the friend who had escorted Chai Qihong home on the day of the incident.

"Brother Tian, thank you so much!"

"Constable Zhao, you’re being too formal."

Tian Dabang grinned from ear to ear. "It’s a trivial matter, nothing worth mentioning..."

Leaving the docks, Zhao Lin led Liang Song, He Qingquan, and Tao Erleng straight to the lumber shop run by the eldest Chai brother.

The shop was north of the docks, and they arrived in no time.

Many logs were piled up in front of the door. There was no one coming or going; business didn’t look good.

Before they entered, Zhao Lin glanced at Tao Erleng and saw his brow was deeply furrowed and his fists were clenched, as if he was psyching himself up for a fight.

"When I’m questioning someone in a bit, don’t you hit them."

Zhao Lin had learned from Tian Dabang that the eldest and second Chai brothers both had bad tempers.

If an argument broke out and Tao Erleng went crazy and beat someone to death, his own career as a constable would be over.

Tao Erleng nodded in agreement. "I won’t beat him to death."

Zhao Lin sighed inwardly and explained patiently, "It’s not ’don’t beat him to death,’ it’s ’don’t beat him at all.’"

Tao Erleng replied reluctantly, "Fine."

Zhao Lin walked into the shop and saw two clerks standing in the main hall, chatting.

"Where’s your Shopkeeper?"

The eldest Chai brother was a penny-pincher who acted as his own Shopkeeper while his wife served as the accountant, which was why Zhao Lin asked this.

The two clerks were startled when the four constables burst in. One of them asked in alarm, "Officers, what can we do for you?"

The other, quicker-witted clerk pointed toward the back room. "The Shopkeeper is in the back."

Zhao Lin ignored them and led his men straight inside.

In the courtyard between the front and back yards, a man in his thirties was sitting on a chair, a book in his hand, teaching a five-or-six-year-old child to read. A woman stood beside them.

"You must be Chai Ren," Zhao Lin said as he walked into the courtyard.

The man’s expression changed. He stood up and replied, "I am he. Is there something you need, Officer?" As he spoke, he shot a look at the woman.

The woman quickly picked up the child and scurried into the house.

Zhao Lin nonchalantly pulled up a chair and sat down. "On the day of your father’s... incident, you went to see him, didn’t you?"

A flicker of impatience crossed Chai Ren’s face. He lowered his head. "Yes, I did."

"What for?"

"To borrow money. The shop is short on cash."

"Did your father lend you the money?"

"No."

"You two had a huge fight over it, so loud the neighbors heard everything. Is that right?"

"Yes. But I left right after the argument and never went back."

These questions were all recorded in the case file. Zhao Lin had deliberately asked them again, but he wasn’t planning on asking any more of the same questions.

"I hear that when you first opened this shop, business was good. Then your father used underhanded tactics to steal your customers and drove you down with low prices. Is that correct?"

Chai Ren gritted his teeth and said nothing.

Zhao Lin said slowly, "You went to his home to borrow money and were refused, so you harbored a grudge..."

Chai Ren was taken aback. "Sir, what are you implying?"

Unfazed, Zhao Lin continued, "And so, in a fit of rage, you killed him!"

Chai Ren couldn’t hold back his anger. "You—that’s a vile accusation!"

Zhao Lin sneered. "I’d advise you to confess. The evidence is irrefutable. You can’t talk your way out of this."

He Qingquan watched from the side, dumbfounded. ’This is no way to conduct an interrogation,’ he thought, but then a new idea occurred to him: ’Could it be that Constable Zhao knows he can’t solve the case and plans to force a confession?’

Chai Ren was trembling with rage. "If you have evidence, then show it!"

"So arrogant! You deserve to die!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Tao Erleng suddenly leaped up and charged at Chai Ren, his fist raised.

"Stop!"

Zhao Lin was prepared and shoved him aside.

The man was surprisingly strong; Zhao Lin had to use a great deal of effort to hold him down.

Chai Ren stumbled back a few steps in fear.

Zhao Lin pulled Tao Erleng toward the exit, then looked back at Chai Ren. "Just you wait. I’m going to the county magistrate to get a public warrant for your arrest."

"Why are they suddenly arresting you when you were just talking?"

After Zhao Lin and his men left, Chai Ren’s wife emerged from the house.

"I didn’t do it, so what’s there to be afraid of?" Chai Ren was fuming, panting heavily as he spoke.

"Then why did he say he had evidence?"

"Hmph. A clear conscience fears no accusation. I don’t care what evidence he thinks he has."

"Husband, give me a straight answer. Did you have anything to do with your father’s death?"

"How many times do I have to tell you? I didn’t lay a single finger on him! Why are you still asking? I don’t believe it. They say the new county magistrate is impartial and incorruptible. How dare a lowly constable like him frame me..."

Zhao Lin stood on the street opposite the lumber shop, straining his ears to listen to their conversation.

Seeing Zhao Lin standing perfectly still, He Qingquan gave Liang Song a puzzled look, as if to ask, ’What is Constable Zhao doing?’

Liang Song shook his head, indicating he didn’t know either.

After a moment, Zhao Lin murmured to himself, "It’s probably not him."