Chapter 34

Chapter 34

I, Lin, Am Innocent

The room, which had been filled with murmurs, gradually fell silent as Li Nan Ke finished speaking.

Everyone was stunned and shocked, frozen in place.

Wasn’t the case already closed?

Why was there another twist, and such an absurd one at that?

“Big Brain, what are you talking about? How could Squire Lin, such a pitiful man, be the mastermind?” Meng Xiao Tu questioned, baffled.

This was also what everyone else was thinking.

After all, Squire Lin was the most tragic figure in this whole ordeal. His wife was still in love with her old flame, and his daughter wasn’t even his. The metaphorical “grass on his head” was so lush it stretched beyond the horizon.

How could such a pitiful man be the mastermind?

Leng Xinnan reacted the fastest. She immediately stepped in front of Squire Lin, preventing him from escaping.

Squire Lin was bewildered.

He turned to Li Nan Ke, his tired and haggard face filled with confusion.

“Officer Li, what are you talking about? What mastermind?”

“I believe there are many coincidences in this world,” Li Nan Ke said calmly.

“But I never believe that a series of coincidences can converge on a single point, especially when these coincidences have a strong purpose.

When did the fates of Madam Lin and Lin Jiao Yue change?

Half a month ago, on the day you, Squire Lin, took them to offer incense.

According to the monk Chang Ming’s account, at that time, your family, along with Wan Ying Ying and Wen Jin Er, went to offer incense and pray together.

While waiting in the meditation room to listen to the monk’s sermon, you found Wan Ying Ying and the others too noisy and sent Lin Jiao Yue and her two friends to the next room.

Then you made an excuse and left Madam Lin alone in the meditation room.

It was at this time that He Qing Yu seized the opportunity and rushed into the meditation room to question Madam Lin about whether Lin Jiao Yue was his daughter.

Madam Lin was clearly caught off guard and forgot that her daughter and her friends were in the next room, which ultimately led to the secret being revealed.”

Li Nan Ke stared directly at Squire Lin, his eyes flashing with a cold light.

“Tell me, was all this a coincidence, or was it deliberately orchestrated?”

Squire Lin remained silent, his fist clenched tightly inside his sleeve.

Li Nan Ke raised his voice. “Let’s go back to the initial question: how did He Qing Yu know that Lin Jiao Yue was his daughter?

Did Madam Lin accidentally reveal it, and someone overheard and told He Qing Yu?

Or did He Qing Yu dream about it?

Come on, no matter how foolish or muddle-headed Madam Lin is, she wouldn’t tell anyone such a fatal ‘secret.’

As long as she didn’t speak, no one would ever know this secret. Unless, her husband discovered something unusual. For example, did Madam Lin mumble something in her sleep? Or did you, Squire Lin, while seeking medical treatment, accidentally learn… that you are actually infertile?”

Squire Lin abruptly raised his head, his eyes glinting with a chilling light.

Li Nan Ke, who had been observing Squire Lin’s expression, smiled.

“It seems it’s the latter. You discovered that you were infertile and realized that Madam Lin had been unfaithful, making you raise another man’s child, right?”

Squire Lin closed his eyes, the sadness, dejection, and numbness gone from his face.

Replaced by a gloomy expression.

It was only at this moment that everyone gradually believed that Squire Lin wasn’t as honest and simple as he appeared.

This man was the true actor!

“I believe you have feelings for Madam Lin, but it’s precisely because of these feelings that you were so furious.

Before this, you must have known about Madam Lin and He Qing Yu’s past, but you didn’t care much. After all, you redeemed Madam Lin from the brothel. Expecting her to be pure and innocent was like expecting a brothel madam to be a virgin.

But raising another man’s child was absolutely unacceptable.

In your eyes, Madam Lin had made a fool of you, and you couldn’t help but imagine her mocking you every time you were intimate.

So, in your anger, you carefully devised a plan.”

Li Nan Ke sat back down on the chair and tapped the table, his expression serious.

“You found a way to let He Qing Yu know about this and made him personally confront Madam Lin.

But Madam Lin rarely went out, and He Qing Yu couldn’t just visit the Lin residence directly. So, to create an opportunity for him, you took your family to the Dustless Temple to offer incense and pray.

Moreover, to prevent them from suppressing the matter, you even waited for Wan Ying Ying and the others to arrive and brought them to the temple together, setting up that trap.

You let Lin Jiao Yue and the others learn the truth without any mental preparation!”

At this point, Squire Lin finally tore off his mask of grief and desolation, a chilling smile gradually spreading across his lips, like a villain who had succeeded in his scheme.

“Clap! Clap!”

Squire Lin clapped his hands and gave Li Nan Ke a thumbs-up.

“Brilliant! Truly brilliant! It’s a pity that that wretched girl isn’t my biological daughter. Otherwise, I would have made you my son-in-law no matter what.”

Everyone present felt a chill down their spines as Squire Lin admitted his actions.

One Lin Jiao Yue was already a headache.

They hadn’t expected that her adoptive father was an even more skilled manipulator.

“Son-in-law is out of the question. I’m not interested in your daughter,” Li Nan Ke said with a smile.

“However, I do have some thoughts about your wife. She is indeed quite charming.”

“Haha, Brother Li has excellent taste,” Squire Lin laughed.

But soon, the smile on his face faded, and he looked at Li Nan Ke with a sinister expression.

“So, Brother Li, do you think I did the right thing?”

“I’m not in a position to judge,” Li Nan Ke replied.

Squire Lin’s face contorted with rage, and he said coldly, “Although I, Lin, keep a low profile, I’m not a pushover to be bullied. Did that wretched woman really think that I, Lin, am a cuckold who enjoys raising her lover’s daughter?”

“I’d like to ask everyone here, if you encountered such a thing, what would you do? Would you be willing to be a cuckold?”

“Brother Li, if it were you, what would you do?”

Li Nan Ke smiled. “I haven’t encountered such a situation, but from your perspective, I understand you.”

Meng Xiao Tu frowned. “But why did you make it so complicated? You would have been ridiculed anyway, so why not just expose the matter? Then, Madam Lin and Lin Jiao Yue would be ruined, and you would have achieved your goal.

Now, you’ve made it so complicated that so many people have lost their lives because of it. There’s a Demonic Creature, a Grave Person, and the whole of Dongqi County was almost thrown into chaos.”

This was also the question lingering in everyone else’s minds.

It was originally a simple matter, but now it had become so complicated.

Squire Lin smiled and looked at Li Nan Ke. “Brother Li, you’re so smart, why don’t you guess why I did this?”

“Killing is indeed satisfying, but to truly quench hatred, one must break their spirit!” Li Nan Ke gave the precise answer.

The smile on Squire Lin’s face froze. He looked at Li Nan Ke intently and said, “Brother Li, I can now be sure that if it were you, you would be even more ruthless than me!”

Li Nan Ke said, “You wanted to see Madam Lin and Lin Jiao Yue living in fear and anxiety every moment. You wanted to see Madam Lin forcing a smile every time she faced you, her heart filled with fear and unease.

You wanted to see Lin Jiao Yue struggling desperately for her so-called dream of becoming a princess. You wanted to see their family fall apart and even turn against each other.

The more caring and ignorant you appeared, the more they would suffer.

Scalding a frog with hot oil is indeed satisfying, but watching the frog slowly die in warm water would give you the greatest release of hatred!

This is the true effect you, Squire Lin, wanted to achieve!

And you did achieve it, even better than you imagined.”

Silence fell over the room.

Everyone looked at Squire Lin with a newfound fear.

When an honest person finally erupted, it was truly terrifying.

“You understand me, Brother Li.”

Squire Lin let out a long sigh, a sinister smile on his face.

This was his way of breaking their spirits!

He had been holding back, unable to tell anyone that all of this was his masterpiece. It was agonizing.

Now that Li Nan Ke had revealed it, the feeling of exhilaration was indescribable.

There was finally someone in this world who understood him.

Leng Xinnan said with a complex expression, “Squire Lin, I understand your desire for revenge, but too many people have died because of it.”

“Did I kill those people!?”

Squire Lin raised his voice and sneered. “Lord Leng, may I ask, who did I, Lin, kill? Wan Ying Ying and Wen Jin Er are dead, and I’m heartbroken, but did I kill them?

He Qing Yu is dead, and I’m glad, but did I kill him?

Old Qin turned into a Demonic Creature, and I sympathize with him, but did I, Lin, administer the Red Rain?

From beginning to end, these hands of mine are clean!”

Squire Lin clasped his hands behind his back and straightened his chest.

“I only revealed Lin Jiao Yue’s true identity to He Qing Yu. I only took my wife and daughter to the temple to pray.

May I ask, what’s wrong with that? Which law of the Great Zhen Dynasty did I, Lin, violate?

You can’t arrest me based on this, can you?”

Guo Gang said calmly, “Your wife resurrected He Qing Yu. You put the Red Rain in her teacup. You can’t deny that, can you?”

Squire Lin laughed. “Of course, I can deny it. After all, you have no concrete evidence. Besides, as you said, it was my wife who resurrected He Qing Yu. What does it have to do with me?

But I, Lin, act with integrity. I admit that I put Red Conch in my wife’s teacup. But that was only because I felt sorry for my wife, who was exhausted, and wanted her to calm down.

Who knew that she had also put some in herself? It was just a misunderstanding.

Lord Leng, you’re not going to arrest me, Lin, because of this, are you? After all, I only bought it, not sold it.

According to your investigation, sixty or seventy people bought Red Conch from that medicine shop in recent years. Are you going to arrest all of them?”

“If you only arrest me and not them, I, Lin, will not be convinced.”

Faced with Squire Lin’s sophistry, everyone was angry but helpless.

He hadn’t participated in the murders.

And there was indeed no evidence to directly convict him for He Qing Yu’s resurrection.

They could forcibly convict him if they wanted to.

But Squire Lin must have built connections with government officials over the years. If they framed him with false charges and something went wrong, no one could bear the consequences.

“Why did you resurrect He Qing Yu?” Leng Xinnan asked.

Squire Lin spread his hands, feigning innocence.

“Lord Leng, it was my wife who resurrected him. Asking me is useless.”

This cunning old fox would never admit to this grave crime.

Li Nan Ke provided the answer, “Because he didn’t expect Lin Jiao Yue to be so ruthless, killing her friends and He Qing Yu one after another. If he didn’t intervene, this matter might have been suppressed.

Moreover, with He Qing Yu dead, if the case were ever exposed, he would be the prime suspect.

Therefore, no matter what, He Qing Yu couldn’t die.

More importantly, resurrecting He Qing Yu would further break Madam Lin and Lin Jiao Yue, driving them to a dead end.”

Squire Lin gave him a thumbs-up again but didn’t say anything.

This gesture was enough to show that Li Nan Ke’s deduction was correct.

“Alright, it’s getting late, so I, Lin, won’t disturb your work any further. If you have any more questions, you can come to my Lin residence and ask slowly. I, Lin, will certainly treat you well,” Squire Lin said, bowing to Leng Xinnan and Li Nan Ke with an exceptionally bright smile.

“Especially you, Brother Li. I really have to thank you this time. Otherwise, things wouldn’t have turned out so well.”

With that, he turned to leave.

Caiyun and Caiyue instinctively tried to stop him, but seeing Leng Xinnan shake her head slightly, they stepped aside.

“I still have two questions,” Li Nan Ke suddenly said.

“Ask away, Brother Li,” Squire Lin said, stopping and turning around.

Li Nan Ke asked, “When did you learn that you were infertile?”

“It was in the fourth month. Because my performance in the bedroom wasn’t as good as before, I went to see a doctor,” Squire Lin answered honestly, his expression showing a hint of helplessness. He knew he couldn’t be convicted, and he also had a good impression of Li Nan Ke.

The thing men fear most is being impotent.

Going soft.

“Alright, second question,” Li Nan Ke continued. “You’re a wealthy man with a vast fortune. Why did you marry a courtesan?”

Squire Lin fell silent.

His eyes revealed a complex mix of emotions that were difficult to describe.

After a long silence, he turned and walked out the door. His voice drifted back, “Because she resembled a woman I liked when I was young.”

“That makes sense,” Li Nan Ke said, suddenly understanding.

First love was a bittersweet memory that most men couldn’t forget.

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