Chapter 34
Early that morning, everyone in Yao Chunnuan's area was talking about how she had been burglarized last night.
"I heard someone broke into the room where Recorder Yao and her female companion slept last night."
"This is too scary, right? Is she okay?"
"I heard she had a miscarriage and was bleeding. The man and woman she lived with came this morning to ask our squad leader to send a doctor back to see her. They say she can't get up now."
"Where's the thief?"
"They caught him and are torturing him."
Lin Hui listened to these discussions and walked slowly along the way, in a good mood.
His idea was simple: since he couldn't change Chen Jin's mind, he could just as easily make Yao incompetent. He wasn't trying to kill her, wasn't she pregnant? He just wanted to scare her and make her stay in bed for a while. As for her miscarriage from the shock, it was her own bad luck.
As soon as Lin Hui arrived at the office, he saw four soldiers standing behind Chen Jin. They pointed at him and shouted, "Catch him!"
Lin Hui was shocked and struggled desperately, but to no avail. "Sir, why is this happening?"
"Yang Datou has confessed that you and he conspired to murder Yao at home last night."
Hearing this, Lin Hui was shocked at first, then shouted, "Impossible! I was at home all night last night and didn't see him at all!"
Chen Jin narrowed his eyes, "Do you know who Yang Datou is?"
Lin Hui choked, "No matter who he is, it's slander. How could I possibly conspire with others to murder the Yao family?" Damn it, I don't know who this Yang Datou is working for, but he dares to put the blame on him!
Chen Jin said, "Yao is seriously injured and in critical condition. Yang Datou has identified you. If you can't produce evidence to prove your innocence, I will have to have you arrested."
Yao Chunnuan persuaded Yang Datou, the thief from last night, to be a witness. She dared to do this because Xiao Jieming had inquired about Lin Hui's whereabouts yesterday, and the vague information had increased his suspicion by two points.
Yao was seriously injured and wanted to be held responsible, that was right, but what the hell was Yang Datou pointing at him? When had he conspired with him, and how could he not know? Such a huge basin of dirty water was poured on him, and Lin Hui was almost crazy.
As the saying goes, it takes only one mouth to spread rumors, but it takes a lot of effort to refute them. Now Yao Chunnuan is the one who spread the rumors, and Lin Hui is the one who refuted them.
Yao Chunnuan's move was equivalent to a direct checkmate. The key to her being able to do this was that Lin Hui was not innocent.
If Lin Hui claims that he is innocent, he must provide evidence.
Lin Hui is now worried about this. How can he prove it? He came back from Ping'an Lane last night and stayed at home to avoid suspicion.
Now, it was obviously not possible to say that he had stayed at home all night. This would confirm that he and Yang Datou were conspiring at home. Was he going to reveal his whereabouts in Ping'an Lane last night?
Lin Hui looked uncertain, he was frantically calculating the gains and losses.
Now there is an even more hateful mastermind behind the scenes, the Yao family has been destroyed, and his goal has been achieved.
The most important thing now was to remove himself from this matter, lest he be accused of conspiring with Yang Datou. He had to choose the lesser of two evils. Even if it meant exposing his verbal manipulation, it was worth it. Even if Chen Jin got angry, he'd probably calm down after a while after explaining things properly.
Just when Lin Hui was silent, Chen Jin waved his hand and said, "Take the person away."
"etc--"
Lin Hui yelled, "He can't be arrested. Wasn't Yao seriously injured?" If a pregnant woman bleeds during labor, there could be two deaths. If he doesn't confess, he'll be suspected and blamed.
"Actually, I went to Anping Lane last night after drinking at your house."
"Didn't you say you were going home after drinking at my house last night?"
“I didn’t go straight home.”
"What are you doing in Ping'an Lane?" It was a mixed bag, a gray area where ordinary prisoners wouldn't go for forced labor. This bit of information brought Yao's suspicions one step closer.
"I felt depressed and wanted to go there for a walk."
Lin Hui was clearly not telling the truth. Chen Jin asked, "You can tell the truth or not, but can anyone prove that you went to Ping'an Lane last night?"
Lin Hui hesitated for a moment and then smiled bitterly, "I'm just walking around, who would recognize me?"
"If no one can prove it for you, no one can guarantee the truth of what you say. So I'm sorry, you still have to bear the responsibility for Yang Datou's accusation."
Lin Hui also knew that his words were a bit far-fetched. Yang Datou was insisting on this point at the risk of his life. If he couldn't produce evidence to prove his innocence, he would have to bear the consequences.
Lin Hui felt helpless and said, "I remember I had a conversation with the pancake vendor."
"What did you say?"
Lin Hui remained silent. He had gone to Ping'an Lane to avoid people and reduce the possibility of showing his face. This was the only conversation he had, and one could imagine what it was about.
"It doesn't matter if you don't say anything. If the old man selling pancakes doesn't remember you, your testimony will be useless."
"We just chatted for a few minutes, I really don't remember what we said."
Chen Jin asked someone to invite Uncle Zhu, the pancake seller in Ping'an Lane. It turned out that the uncle had no impression of Lin Hui because he had quite a lot of customers coming and going every day.
Lin Hui said, "Old Man Zhu, you should remember me. I chatted with you at that time."
Old Man Zhu said, "Well, customers don't know this, but those who come to buy pancakes from me, the talkative ones, will chat with me for a while, and I can't remember everything." Then he suggested, "Why don't you tell me what you talked about with me at that time, and I'll see if I can remember it."
Lin Hui said vaguely, "I don't quite remember what we talked about. I vaguely think they mentioned this batch of prisoners who had just arrived in Yichun this winter, and that quite a few of them were very generous."
When Old Man Zhu heard this, he slapped his thigh and said, "Yes, yes, I remember it..."
"It's good that you have an impression--" Lin Hui quickly stopped him from speaking further.
Old Man Zhu said excitedly, "You also mentioned that there was a pregnant woman named Yao in your team who spent two or three taels of silver a day, right?"
Lin Hui froze.
"That's right, that's what you said when you bought pancakes from the old man's stall that day. I remember it exactly like that!"
The dice have been drawn! Chen Jin said silently in his heart.
Yao had indeed predicted this. She said Lin Hui was average in ability, a master at squeezing people out, but not a quick thinker. As long as the trap was well designed, with three sides surrounded and one side missing, Lin Hui would definitely take the bait.
This wasn't a particularly sophisticated scheme. But judging by his behavior, he probably judged others by his own assumptions, believing that someone else was behind Yang Datou, and that Yang Datou was throwing mud at him to protect him. He had no doubts, wondering why the mud would be thrown at him instead of someone else. Perhaps it's because someone with a guilty conscience always suspects their secrets will be exposed.
Chen Jin looked at him with a meaningful look. He then asked Lin Hui, "Is there anyone else who can prove that you went to Ping'an Lane?"
Lin Hui shook his head. "There's no one else, but this one person alone is enough to prove my innocence. How could I possibly be conspiring with that Yang Datou? If they really wanted to plot something, who would choose his home as the location?"
Chen Jin shook his head, "No, you are wrong. This very fact proves that you are not innocent!"
Lin Hui was stunned. What did this mean?
"I also remember that it was because I heard these two sentences in Ping'an Lane last night that I became malicious." A voice sounded behind them.
Lin Hui turned around and saw the door behind him was pushed open. Yao and a battered prisoner were standing there. He immediately realized that this was all a scam! And he hadn't noticed it!
For a moment, his face turned blue and white, like a color palette.
Lin Hui, "You guys are plotting against me!"
Yao Chunnuan nodded, "Yes." Lin Hui was trying to kill her, so why should she be polite?
"Despicable!"
Chen Jin, "Lin Hui, are you still so stubborn?"
Lin Hui took a deep breath and smiled, "Ah Jin, it's not that serious. I just said a few honest words in front of everyone in the hall. As for what others think of it, I don't care, right?"
"You're right, you just have sinister intentions, and you haven't broken any laws. If your work ability is as thick-skinned as you are, you would have been promoted long ago. It's because you yourself are mediocre that you need to use various means to eliminate dissidents. Your superiors are really unlucky to have a subordinate like you." Yao Chunnuan cursed without any dirty words, and she would step on Lin Hui's sore spot wherever she touched.
Lin Hui's face turned pale instantly.
The corner of Chen Jin's mouth twitched. Is he the unlucky superior?
"You said you've been sucking blood from Sergeant Chen for years. Sucking his blood is fine, but you've also been corroding his very foundation. Don't deny it, he's been a small-time leader for years, and he's still a small-time leader, unable to make any progress. Ultimately, it's all your fault."
"He treats you like a brother, but as someone with some power, he needs subordinates to do the work. You're not capable enough to share the burden, but don't spend all day trying to harm those who could share the heavy lifting for your brothers."
Who could stand being pointed at and scolded like that? Lin Hui couldn't stand it at all. He shouted back, "So what are you doing? Setting up a trap to frame me and exclude dissidents?"
Yao Chunnuan sneered, "Do you think you are worthy enough to eliminate dissidents?"
If he hadn't plotted against her, she wouldn't have bothered to care about someone with barely any ability, someone who didn't work hard to improve their own abilities and instead spent their days trying to squeeze out those who were better than them. People like Lin Hui were only good at internal competition.
Chen Jin said, "Lin Hui, you're overthinking it. Recorder Yao doesn't need to do this. Why would you do such a thing? Didn't I tell you last night? Recorder Yao's presence won't hinder you at all."
"She's getting in my way now!"
Chen Jin couldn't help but shout, "She's about to be transferred to serve under General Guanjun. She'll only stay for a few more days at most. Lin Hui, I didn't know you were so narrow-minded! You can't even tolerate it for a few days!"
"She? Impossible!" Lin Hui looked incredulous.
Recently, there was news that the Yichun military settlement would soon send a general to take charge of the settlement. They were privately wondering if they would have a chance to follow him. Unexpectedly, this Yao family member had already boarded the ship.
"It's true. She is the one specifically requested by the general's chief steward."
Lin Hui is jealous and vomiting blood, so what does he mean by this?
If Chen Jin had told him earlier, he would have just had to be patient. The recorder was just a stepping stone for the opponent; a light step would have made the opponent leap to the front, completely out of his way. But now, he had offended a promising opponent for no reason. Why didn't he just be more patient?
Yao Chunnuan was also a bit surprised to hear this news. She hadn't expected this at all. She had only one very practical thought in compiling the information, which was to gain a firm foothold despite Lin Hui's exclusion. She didn't know how Chen Jin had managed to catch the eye of the Grand Steward under General Guanjun. But she had to accept this favor.
Yao Chunnuan discovered that after she worked hard and sorted out the people and things around her one by one, she could feel that her luck was getting better. She had a feeling that whatever she wanted came true, and things went so smoothly as if she was the heroine favored by heaven.
Just like this time, it's... quite embarrassing, especially since Wei Qiuyu worked so hard for so long and in vain, and in the end she was the one who got promoted again and again, cough cough cough.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Lin Hui asked.
Chen Jin was stunned at first, then he smiled with relief. He was just that kind of person, always blaming others and never reflecting on himself.
"Lin Hui, I won't keep you here anymore. Do you want to go to the Yichun camp or somewhere else?"
Lin Hui couldn't believe it. "You want to drive me away too? Don't you forget when you first entered the military camp..."
"I haven't forgotten! But think about what you've done under me over the years. Any favors I've owed you are enough to offset that."
After Yao's conversation with him, Chen Jin thought carefully about the past. Why was it that every capable prisoner assigned to him was poached? Not only were there people outside constantly poaching him, but there were also people inside constantly pushing talented laborers out. With such pressure from both inside and outside, how could he not leave?
Yao said that Lin Hui had been sucking his blood and corroding his foundation. This was true. He had never been so clearly aware of the harm caused by Lin Hui.
Even though Lin Hui was unwilling, he was sent away by Chen Jin.
Chen Jin did not hide the reason for sending him away. People in the military settlement soon knew about his great achievements, especially the last few comments from Yao Chunnuan, which made him famous.
This is how his life will be. He has mediocre abilities and likes to exclude and frame his companions. Which small boss would dare to use him? Even if the small boss dared, his subordinates would not be willing to do so.
As Lin Hui was sent away, news spread that Yao Chunnuan would soon be transferred to serve under the general.
Chen Jin thought that he had leaked the news in advance because of his hasty words, so he hurried to see Manager Wu to explain.
Manager Wu listened to the whole story with great interest and did not blame him. Instead, he went to meet Yao Chunnuan in advance to finalize the matter.
*******
“It’s rising, and rising again!”
"Who gave birth? It must be from the next team. No one in our team is pregnant. No, someone is pregnant, but Yao's belly is only four months. That's not called giving birth, that's called miscarriage!"
"It's not the birth of a child, but the promotion of a job."
"Oh, who got promoted then?"
"Recorder Yao!"
Everyone was stunned. "There's news that he was transferred directly to the general's command, right? It's not a rumor?"
"I heard from the sergeant that the documents are about to be issued. There's no running away."
If the chief said so, it must be true. Oh my god, she got promoted again!
Yao Chunnuan's three consecutive jumps left all the prisoners stunned.
In fact, not only the prisoners and laborers, but also the military families were concerned about this.
Yao Chunnuan has truly stood out this time.
But why did she do that? This is the question almost everyone has.
Almost no one would link her promotion to a relationship, as she was over four months pregnant. The person who transferred her must have been a high-ranking military official, someone who had all the women he wanted. He wouldn't be so picky as to be attracted to a pregnant woman like her.
The reason why Yao Chunnuan was transferred to the general's command was not difficult to find out, because General Guanjun took office very quickly. After he took office, his subordinate, General Wu, distributed the information previously compiled by Yao Chunnuan to the clerks below for reference and study.
But the first group of middle and high-level military officials who heard the news all looked strange, because those who had connections knew that this table method was contributed by Han Laoer's wife Wei Qiuyu, but they did not expect that it would be developed and promoted by Yao Chunnuan.
Wei Qiuyu: I was very angry.
Yes, Wei Qiuyu also knew the reason for Yao Chunnuan's promotion. She wanted to vomit blood, really.
What right does Yao Chunnuan have?
She was the first person to come up with the table method! As the first person to try it, she not only failed to get the big meat, but was also scolded and punished by the Han family, and her husband didn't help her...
She was the first to bring up the table method, but it was like a hot potato. She tried to eat it, but it burned her all over.
Where's Yao Chunnuan? Follow her and pick up her slack!
To be honest, Wei Qiuyu felt both regret and doubt after getting such a result. She regretted her own recklessness, but at the same time she couldn't help but wonder, is the person she was wearing really the heroine in the book? If so, why did she have such a difficult life?
Wei Qiuyu was puzzled.
Sensing that her mood was not right, Han Jinan warned her, "Don't mess with the Yao family."
Wei Qiuyu looked at him aggrievedly.
Han Jinan sighed, "I know you're feeling wronged. But the Yao family is really hard to mess with, and they're ruthless. Look at her, she can ruin someone's future with just one move. It's so similar to how she treated us back then, even cutting off our escape route."
Lin Hui's case wasn't a big deal, but after Yao Chunnuan's comments, it became very serious. He dared to say that since Lin Hui had a reputation for sucking the blood of his masters and corroding their foundations, no one in a higher position would be willing to use him.
"But, what she got should have belonged to our Han family." Wei Qiuyu was so angry that she burst into tears. She hated why Lin Hui didn't kill Yao Chunnuan.
Han Jinan sighed. He felt deeply sorry for the situation. The Yao family had incredible luck, having simply hooked up with the champion general. This was supposed to be their chance.
Compared to the Han family, the Wang family was relatively calm about Yao Chunnuan's big promotion.
But the people in the Wang family, especially the men, were greatly shocked. All their feelings can be summed up in three words: awesome.
The women of the Wang and Han families: ...
No, wasn't Yao Chunnuan just promoted from a prisoner to a recorder? How long had it been, less than two weeks? Another promotion? How could she be so capable?
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