Mei Shilin recounted the events of that day in detail while Zhao Lin stood at the street corner, listening in silence.

It turned out that on that day, Chai Qihong, furious with his sons, had gone to vent to his old friend. He got dead drunk, and Mei Shilin, worried something might happen to him on the way, decided to escort him home.

When they were almost at his front gate, Chai Qihong turned and said, "Brother Mei, I’m home. You can head back now!"

Mei Shilin heard that his speech was clear and his words were coherent, so after a word of caution, he started walking back toward his own home.

He hadn’t gone far when a pained cry of "AGH!" came from behind him. The voice sounded like Chai Qihong’s.

Without a second thought, Mei Shilin turned and ran back toward the Chai family’s residence.

When he got to the gate, he saw Chai Qihong lying on his back in the courtyard, a gleaming steel knife plunged into his chest.

Mei Shilin turned pale with shock. ’Chai Qihong was perfectly fine just a moment ago. How could he be dead in the blink of an eye?’

He worried the killer was still nearby and didn’t dare rush in to check. He opened his mouth to shout, but suddenly realized something:

Everyone at the banquet knew he had escorted Chai Qihong home. The killer had vanished without a trace, and he was the only one at the scene.

’Everyone will think I’m the murderer. How could I ever explain myself?’

The more Mei Shilin thought about it, the more terrified he became. He decided to act as if nothing had happened and quickly left the Chai residence.

He locked himself in his room when he got home. The next day, upon hearing the news of Chai Qihong’s death, he pretended he knew nothing.

"In a moment of cowardice, I hid this matter," Mei Shilin finished, sighing softly.

Madam Mei frowned. "Did you see the killer?"

Mei Shilin shook his head, then hesitated for a moment before saying, "I think I heard someone say, ’Father, why are you so drunk?’"

Madam Mei gasped. "It was one of his sons! Which one?"

Mei Shilin was silent for a while. "From the voice, it sounded like the third son, Chai Jie. But I was far away and couldn’t hear clearly. I might have misheard."

Madam Mei came to her senses, her tone reproachful. "Husband, you’ve been a fool!"

"How have I been a fool?"

"When a murderer kills someone, there’s always evidence like the weapon and bloodstains. You could have been a witness. As long as you reported it to the officials and they investigated the truth, there’s no way you would have been suspected."

Mei Shilin sighed again. "To be honest, I regret my poor judgment now. But so much time has passed. Who would believe me if I spoke up now?"

"Besides, how can I condemn a man to death based on a single sentence? What if I misheard?"

"Of his three sons, Brother Chai’s favorite was his youngest. If the killer wasn’t him, wouldn’t I be framing an innocent man? After I die, how could I face my old friend?"

After hearing this, Madam Mei was speechless for a long moment.

Just then, a KNOCK sounded at the courtyard gate. "Clerk Mei, open up. It’s me, Constable Zhao."

The couple jumped in fright. Madam Mei asked in a panic, "What do we do?"

"It’s fine. You go open the door."

Mei Shilin walked to the window, opened it, straightened his clothes, and composed his expression.

Madam Mei opened the door. Zhao Lin strode straight into the living room and said coldly to Mei Shilin, "Clerk Mei, since you recognized the murderer as the Chai family’s third son, Chai Jie, why did you conceal it and not report it?"

"You know in your heart that he did it, yet you claim you were worried you misheard. Do you even believe that yourself?"

Mei Shilin was aghast. He glanced outside the door. "You... How do you know?"

"I have eyes that see a thousand miles and ears that hear the wind."

Zhao Lin said this half-jokingly, then his expression turned serious. "Chai Jie murdered his own father. He is utterly depraved. Just as Madam Mei said moments ago, there will be a weapon and bloodstains as evidence. You didn’t kill anyone, so what do you have to worry about!"

Hearing this, Mei Shilin was completely convinced that Zhao Lin had overheard their entire conversation. He slumped into a chair, his face filled with shame. "I have failed my friend. What do you want, Constable Zhao?"

Zhao Lin smiled faintly. "I only wish to bring the killer to justice. You said just now that when you saw Chai Qihong dead, there was a knife in his chest?"

"That’s right. It was dark, but the blade was gleaming and very conspicuous."

"What were the knife’s approximate length and width?"

Mei Shilin thought for a moment. "The knife was stuck in his body, so I couldn’t see the whole thing. But from the part that was visible, it was at least two feet long and about as wide as half a palm."

Zhao Lin nodded. ’A knife that big can’t be easily hidden on one’s person or casually discarded,’ he thought.

Moreover, when the knife was plunged into his chest, it must have sprayed a lot of blood, staining the killer’s clothes and shoes.

There were many beggars in the East City who slept on the streets, under trees, or in bridge tunnels at night. It wouldn’t be easy for Chai Jie to dispose of the items without being seen.

The items were most likely still hidden in his house.

At this thought, Zhao Lin felt a renewed sense of hope, as if a path had just cleared. He clapped his hands together. "Clerk Mei, if I find the physical evidence, are you willing to testify in court?"

Mei Shilin nodded firmly. "I should have done so from the start."

"Thank you, Clerk Mei. It’s late, so I won’t disturb you any longer."

Zhao Lin took his leave. Madam Mei looked at her husband and asked, "What’s that Constable Zhao’s story? Does he really have eyes that see a thousand miles and ears that hear the wind?"

Mei Shilin just shook his head with a wry smile.

Zhao Lin had been running around all day and was quite tired. By the time he returned to the yamen, it was already past the second watch.

’I have a witness. As long as I find the physical evidence, I can seal this case!’

It had been a long day, and he was indeed exhausted. He lay down and immediately drifted into a hazy sleep.

「The next morning at roll call」

Sun Zhang made a point of walking over, hypocritically asking if Zhao Lin was getting used to his first day on duty, if he was facing any difficulties, and so on.

Zhao Lin put on a grateful expression. "Reporting to the Head Constable, I’ve just taken over and am still getting my bearings. Please correct me if I fall short."

"Oh, that’s good. By the way, there are several murder cases in your district. How’s the investigation going? Do you have enough men?"

Sun Zhang asked with "concern."

Zhao Lin pretended to be troubled. "I don’t have any leads yet."

Sun Zhang’s expression turned serious. "You have less than six days. You need to step it up. Otherwise, if the County Magistrate and the Chief Constable hold us accountable, I won’t be able to bear the consequences."

’Consequences? He can go eat shit!’

Zhao Lin sneered internally but his face remained impassive. He said in a low voice, "Rest assured, Head Constable. I will do my utmost." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

After the morning meeting, Zhao Lin gathered Liang Song, He Qingquan, and Tao Erleng.

"The killer is the Chai family’s third son, Chai Jie. Don’t spread this around for now. I already have a witness. What we need now are two things."

"First, physical evidence—the murder weapon. Second, he claims he was at the casino all night and never went home. We need to expose that lie."

Neither Liang Song nor Tao Erleng said anything. Liang Song trusted Zhao Lin, while Tao Erleng would follow him without question.

Only He Qingquan suspected that Zhao Lin couldn’t handle the pressure and was trying to find a scapegoat.

"Constable Zhao, who is this witness you mentioned? Why didn’t they come forward earlier?"

Zhao Lin shook his head slightly. "The witness’s identity will remain confidential for now. We’re going to find those two gamblers."

The case file recorded that two gamblers, Gao Xiaoliu and Duan San, said Chai Jie was at the casino all night and only left at dawn.

Zhao Lin led his men to the casino to ask for the two men’s addresses.

The casino naturally wasn’t going to offend Officials over two gamblers. Besides, it wasn’t a secret, so they immediately told them the truth.

To save time, Zhao Lin decided they should split up. He would take Tao Erleng to grab Gao Xiaoliu, while Liang Song and He Qingquan would get Duan San.

The two gamblers had only just returned home and hadn’t yet gone to sleep when Zhao Lin and his men caught them red-handed.