Nominal: My senior brothers are all big shots

"That's not all," Lin Feng's eyes gleamed. "Yi Xuexi has just been promoted ahead of schedule, right in the eye of the storm. If his wife, an ordinary rural woman, suddenly becomes rich because of her husband's promotion, her family's tea sells for the price of gold, and she might even be embroiled in unexplained wealth issues... this dirty water, even if it doesn't hit Yi Xuexi, will still splash all over Sha Ruijin. The cadre selection he strongly promoted will be shrouded in shadow. Promoting one, causing many to fall—this kind of blow is even more effective."

Qi Tongwei listened with great excitement, "However, will the higher-ups find out about this quickly? Once they do, they will definitely investigate thoroughly, and this trend may be stopped very soon."

"So," Lin Feng looked at him, "what we need to do is not to fan the flames, that would be too obvious. Instead... we need to push things along while keeping the news under wraps, delaying the time it takes for the higher-ups to notice."

"How exactly do we do it?"

"First," Lin Feng held up one finger, "you can appropriately leak some insider information through some reliable, non-directly related channels: for example, that a certain leader's secretary is offering a large sum of money to purchase [something], or that a certain company boss has already stockpiled a batch to use to circumvent key barriers... muddy the waters further, let prices continue to soar in more secretive circles, and make the participants more high-level and core. But the information should be controlled to circulate within a specific small circle, and should be kept out of reach of mainstream media or the internet too early."

"Secondly," Lin Feng held up his second finger, "monitor the movements of Yi Xuexi's family and relatives. If Mao Ya or her relatives, faced with a sudden influx of buyers and exorbitant prices, can't resist and end up selling some items at high prices, or accepting some form of sponsorship or investment, then the evidence will be solid. You need to find a way to ensure that if such transactions occur, the traces can be secretly recorded, but absolutely not let Yi Xuexi himself or Mao Ya realize they are being investigated."

"Third, and most importantly," Lin Feng said seriously, "use your resources in the propaganda department and the public security cyber police to monitor this closely. If there is any sensitive information about exorbitantly priced tea or tea recommended by the Party Secretary that attempts to spread widely in local mainstream media and social media, it must be suppressed immediately or redirected to other unrelated directions. Before the provincial Party committee or higher authorities take the initiative to pay attention, we must not allow this matter to become a public opinion event. What we want is for this boil to slowly swell up inside, accumulating enough pus, rather than letting it burst prematurely."

Qi Tongwei carefully noted it down, nodding repeatedly. "I understand. We need to let this fire burn even brighter, reaching more people, especially those in Sha Ruijin's inner circle who want to get close to him; but we also need to cover the flames to prevent the smoke from escaping and alerting those above. When the time is right, for example, when Sha Ruijin touches on the interests of higher levels in a crucial decision, or when we need to retaliate... then we'll release this tea scandal, which has already been brewing and has far-reaching implications. By then, the chain of witnesses and evidence may have already been formed, and Sha Ruijin will be unable to defend himself."

"That's right." Lin Feng nodded, picking up his teacup. "Although tea leaves are small, they can reflect people's hearts and become a fulcrum to influence the overall situation. Sha Ruijin wants to use a cup of tea to convey a gentle breeze, so let's turn this cup of tea into a bitter cup that he himself may not be able to swallow. However, Tongwei, we must be extremely careful in this operation. The people we find must be absolutely reliable, and all actions must be indirect, as indirect as possible. Right now, we are waiting, and we are also laying the groundwork."

Qi Tongwei's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. This is interesting, very interesting. Sha Ruijin probably never imagined that his attempt to be approachable would sow the seeds of such a hidden danger. I'll go and make the arrangements right away."

At the same time, in the designated interrogation room of the Handong Provincial Procuratorate.

Hou Liangping sat behind the interrogation table, his face cold and his eyes sharp as knives, fixed intently on Cai Chenggong opposite him. Lin Huahua sat beside Hou Liangping, taking notes.

Since Ouyang Jing landed safely, Hou Liangping has been trying to find new clues, and Cai Chenggong is Hou Liangping's breakthrough point. Hou Liangping has been leading the interrogation for nearly four hours.

Hou Liangping kept increasing the pressure, trying to pry Cai Chenggong open up.

"Cai Chenggong, regarding the 35 million loan to Dafeng Factory, the guarantor signatures of 47 employees—handwriting analysis revealed that over 30 of them were forged!"

Hou Liangping slammed a copy of the appraisal report on the table. "Forged signatures, false guarantees, fraudulently obtaining loans—the amount is exceptionally large. You know perfectly well what kind of crime this is!"

Cold sweat streamed down Cai Chenggong's face. He licked his chapped lips and said in a hoarse voice, "Monkey... I... the factory really couldn't survive back then. The bank was pressuring me like crazy... I had no choice... that's why I resorted to this. I used all the money in the factory; I didn't squander it..."

"Didn't squander it?" Hou Liangping sneered, pulling out another bank statement. "Less than a month after this loan was approved, 1.5 million yuan was transferred in three installments to the account of a company called Dingsheng Mining. According to our preliminary investigation, the actual controller of this company has close ties with Ding Yizhen! Cai Chenggong, you used the money you swindled to bribe Ding Yizhen, didn't you?!"

Cai Chenggong's body trembled violently, his face turning even paler. "No...it's not bribery! It's...it's an investment! Ding Yizhen said he has a coal mine project in the west with great prospects, and he wanted me to join him...it's a legitimate investment..."

"Invest? Invest in a so-called coal mine that you've never investigated, or even know the exact location of?" Hou Liangping pressed on, his speech quickening.

"Ding Yizhen abused his power to facilitate your illegal acquisition of loan information, and you, in turn, transferred some of the embezzled funds to an overseas account designated by him under the guise of investment. This is a typical case of power-for-money exchange and joint crime! You and Ding Yizhen were simply conspiring to obtain bank loans and then divide them among yourselves!"

"I didn't! I didn't conspire with him! He forced me! He said if I didn't invest in this project, I could forget about doing business!" Cai Chenggong became agitated and shouted his defense. He knew that getting involved with Ding Yizhen meant serious trouble.

"Besides Ding Yizhen, who else have you transferred benefits to?!" Hou Liangping's voice suddenly rose. "Gao Xiaoqin from Shanshui Manor, have you given her any money? What role did she and Shanshui Group play in the equity change of Dafeng Factory?! And Qi Tongwei from the province, what is your relationship with him? Why does his car frequently enter and leave Shanshui Manor? How many times have you seen him there?!"

These questions are mostly based on some vague accusations made by Cai Chenggong and Hou Liangping's own suspicions, without any concrete evidence. However, under the current high-pressure interrogation atmosphere, simply bringing up these names is a huge psychological deterrent.

Upon hearing the names Gao Xiaoqin and Qi Tongwei, especially the words "Shanshui Manor," Cai Chenggong felt as if he had been struck by a high-voltage current. He jolted half an inch off his chair, and his entire body began to tremble violently.

"The monkeys...it was them..." Cai Chenggong's voice was hoarse and broken, filled with sobs and extreme resentment, "They set me up! It was those people from Shanshui Manor...they ruined me! They destroyed my family!!"