Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 101 False Accusation at the Door
Jia Chuan fell silent. He thought for a moment. First, he couldn't understand why seven Jinyiwei would go together to do such a secretive thing. If this person had followed him all the way to his lair, then his courage was truly admirable. Second, Jinyiwei who could carry out such a mission were probably only slightly inferior to Chen Mo. If seven of them together couldn't defeat one, then how many could the men around him fight?
Seeing Jia Chuan remain silent, Gao Yuntian gritted his teeth and said, "Don't worry, that's because you haven't met me yet!"

Jia Chuan looked up at Gao Yuntian, stood up and said, "Let's go. If being ruthless is useful, who will still learn real kung fu?"

Zhu Zhanqi asked anxiously, "What should I do? If you run away, you can't abandon me!"

Jia Chuan remained silent. What he was thinking about was: if he didn't go out, would there be any new murders tomorrow?

……

Back in the hall, Chen Mo said before Jia Chuan could even sit down, "I can gather all the Imperial Guards outside the city into this house, along with Wu Bing's men. I should be able to save your life. You said that as long as you spare one or two of them, you can pin the assassination attempt on the Prince of Han..."

"Do you think that at this point, the corpses by the river are still waiting for me?" Jia Chuan asked.

Gao Yuntian interjected, "It's been more than an hour since we received the message. The people from the prefectural government should have been by the river when they delivered it. They should have returned long ago."

Jia Chuan sighed, poured himself a cup of tea, and sat down. At this moment, Wu Bing came in. He looked at the three of them and asked, "Are the people in the manor really that powerful?"

Gao Yuntian repeated Zhu Zhanqi's words, and Wu Bing frowned and said, "Logically speaking, people who have dispersed shouldn't easily gather in one place. To expect to run into seven people together before the mission is completed..."

"So he was just bragging!" Gao Yuntian said excitedly.

Wu Bing hurriedly said, "There was indeed a period of time when we couldn't find anyone, but there was never a time when we couldn't find seven people at the same time, at least not from the information I received. Of course, they weren't under my command, so this is just my deduction."

Chen Mo glanced at Jia Chuan and asked, "If the body by the river has already been taken back to the yamen by the yamen runners, and you're going to the yamen anyway, why would they bother to stage this scene by the river so close to the house?"

Jia Chuan put down his teacup and asked, "If you were hungry and smelled the aroma of meat, and immediately looked over, and that big pork knuckle wasn't far from you, but you didn't have any money and were thinking about the possibility of grabbing it and running away, you hesitated to move. The next day, another big pork knuckle appeared, this time even closer to you, and you still didn't dare to move. If the same thing happened a third time, would you run over, grab it, and run away?"

Gao Yuntian hurriedly said, "I just wanted to trick you into going out!"

Jia Chuan said:
"First of all, if it were just a coincidence that a murder occurred and had nothing to do with the Prince's Mansion, Prefect Lin wouldn't have sent someone to inform me. He would have preferred me to rest for a few more days. Since he did send a report... they don't think I would dare to go out on my first visit. Such an obvious scheme, I have to think it over carefully. But if a series of murders occur, and I, as the judge, don't even dare to leave my residence, is that believable? The memorials impeaching me will give the Emperor a headache. Besides, I can't really be a coward. If I can't do the Emperor's job, what use is there for me in Le'an? They want to gradually induce me to make the wrong judgment and eventually leave."

Gao Yuntian took a deep breath and asked, "They forced you to go out, but refused to come to the house. Does that mean they know about the house...?"

Jia Chuan gave Gao Yuntian an approving look and said, "The first murder case was just a test, or rather, a trap. Tomorrow's murder case might be closer to the house. This house is good in every way, except for one thing: it's too remote. The nearby areas don't have as many streets and alleys and pedestrians as the bustling city center, making it easier for them to surround and attack..."

“Even if you’re at the gate of the house, if you insist on waiting for the constables to take the body back to the yamen before you leave, what can they do? You’re not stupid, they’ll still have to set up ambushes along the way, won’t they?” Gao Yuntian said.

Chen Mo asked, "How do you know they didn't have two plans?"

Jia Chuan thought for a moment and said:
"No matter how much preparation you've made, you know my temperament, but they don't. They can only deduce what I'll do based on their own assumptions. They must have seen my intentions in the Emperor's decree, and they also saw from my request for leave that I wanted to lure them to the house. That's why they're not coming. Not only are they not coming, but they're also trying to force me out of the house. Since they want to force me out, they'll use the methods they think I'll use. They know I have some ability to investigate cases, and I also hold the official position of judge. Starting with murder cases is the most suitable approach."

Jia Chuan paused, stood up, raised his head and said, "But they won't know that I'm a good official who puts the safety of people's lives and property first! Gao Yuntian, go and have Zhu Zhanqi name any of the people in the Han Prince's mansion, as long as they're from the Prince's mansion. Everyone else, get ready to come with me to the prefectural government office! Call Old Zheng too."

……

Zhu Heng had put a lot of thought into this. The riverside murder was just a prelude. He knew Jia Chuan would definitely see through it. He was certain that Jia Chuan would be uneasy after finding out, and that unease would contain anger at his miscalculation. But no matter how angry he was, he wouldn't come up with a solution on the first day. Jia Chuan would definitely consult with his advisors for countermeasures, but this plan was not so easy to break.

"Get out? Go to the crime scene or back to the yamen?" Jia Chuan knew it was a trap, but he couldn't figure out where the ambushers were.

Zhu Heng couldn't help but stroke his beard and smile smugly when he thought of Jia Chuan's worried expression.

Not coming out? The person who is on duty for the Emperor is hiding in his house and dares not move. It's fine for a day or two, but after three or five days, I wonder how the person in the capital will deal with Jia Chuan when he finds out.
Zhu Heng believed that Jia Chuan must know that the Prince's Mansion had made thorough preparations this time. The clearer the Prince's Mansion knew, the less likely Jia Chuan would dare to act rashly.

As long as Jia Chuan comes out, with the experts from the manor and the capable people from the Prince's mansion, and with the ambush laid in advance, Zhu Heng can't think of how Jia Chuan can save his life. Of course, there wasn't time to make arrangements last night, and Zhu Heng felt that Jia Chuan would definitely not dare to come out after the first murder case.

As for the ambush, whether he went to the crime scene or the prefectural government office, Jia Chuan would always come out of the courtyard gate. None of the surrounding residents were there. Who would have thought that the ambush he wanted to set up was in the alleyway in front of the house? You want me to besiege the house? I will use the empty rooms around to ambush you when you come out.

Zhu Heng felt that Jia Chuan couldn't possibly have left the house for the first murder case. By nightfall, the defenses around the house would also be weak. He reasoned that Jia Chuan must have realized that the Prince's Mansion hadn't moved for a day and a night, forcing him to leave the house because of the murder case. He also believed that subsequent murders would occur not far from the house, and Jia Chuan would deduce that the Prince's Mansion was lying in ambush near the crime scene, thus overlooking the entrance to the house.

Just as Jia Chuan had predicted, Zhu Heng planned to commit a murder every day, with the crime scene getting closer and closer to the mansion. In Zhu Heng's view, this was an open scheme to lead Jia Chuan towards the crime scene, because he had learned that Jia Chuan would have to go to the crime scene to investigate the case. Jia Chuan must also think that the people in the Wangfu knew about his habit, and thus put a lot of effort into it.

This time, Zhu Heng wanted to kill not only Jia Chuan, but also all those who had been lurking in Le'an for many years, plotting to sabotage the King of Han's grand plan. He would not let any of them go!

Zhu Heng felt confident of victory this time, but just as he was enjoying tea and reading, his attendant rushed in to report that Jia Chuan had gone straight to the prefectural government office.

Zhu Heng frowned, asking himself, "Is he really not afraid of death? No, he must be thinking of taking risks. If so, he must have made preparations. But no, why would he dare to go out today? Could it be that he has someone in the Prince's mansion?"

……

While Zhu Heng was still trying to figure out who the traitor was, Jia Chuan and his men had already arrived at the prefectural government office.

Lin Wei was surprised, and Hao Wen was even more baffled.

Without saying a word, Jia Chuan led Old Zheng straight to the mortuary of the prefectural government.

Lin Wei rushed from the back courtyard to the second hall, where Hao Wen grabbed him and said very seriously, "Judge Jia's actions will get us killed sooner or later!"

Lin Wei glanced at Hao Wen but didn't say anything.

Hao Wen then said, "He caused trouble while he was alive, and if he dies, it will be the fault of Prefect Lin. The best course of action now is to keep him in the house and prevent him from showing his face again. Prefect Lin should assign the investigation to someone else. That way, he can stay in the house peacefully, which is better for both of us."

Lin Wei asked, "He's a judge in Le'an. Is it believable that he's hiding at home after a murder case?"

"Only in this way can the prefect submit his memorial. It would be best if the emperor could transfer him away. Prefect, please think about it: since he came, have you and I had a single day of peace?"

Lin Wei ignored this and asked, "You said it's safest for him to stay at home, but I don't understand. What danger is there for him if he leaves the house? Why should I transfer the responsibility of investigating the case to someone else?"

Hao Wen was taken aback. He knew some of the Prince's arrangements, but not much. He had discerned from Jia Chuan's request for leave that Jia Chuan was aware of the situation, and that today should at least be a quiet day, even with a murder case. However, Lin Wei's question made Hao Wen realize that the prefect was unaware of the details. He coughed awkwardly and said, "I saw that Judge Jia had already taken leave, yet he came to the prefectural office again because of a murder case. I truly admire him, but I was also worried that something might have happened to him, which is why I spoke to the prefect about it."

Lin Wei sat down in the chair. The tea had just been served, and before Lin Wei could even take a sip, a yamen runner came to report: Judge Jia has led a group of men to the Prince's mansion to arrest someone.

A cup of hot tea was thus given to the blue bricks on the ground.

……

Jia Chuan, along with Gao Yuntian and Chen Mo, who were dressed in Jinyiwei uniforms, and Wu Bing and six of his men, who were dressed in yamen runners, rode ten horses and arrived at the main gate of the Prince's Mansion. Chen Mo stepped forward and knocked on the door, saying that the judge had come to arrest the murderer.

The gatekeeper had never seen anything like this before, and hurriedly reported back inside. Soon, Qian Xun rushed to the gate and saw Jia Chuan, shouting sternly, "You are simply lawless!"

"Heaven? I wonder if Chief Secretary Qian's heaven is a clear sky?" Jia Chuan pointed to the sky and asked, "If not, who knows when your heaven might change. Let me remind you, this world belongs to the emperor!"

Jia Chuan's last half of the sentence was sung in a very high pitch, almost cracking.

Qian Xun was somewhat intimidated by Jia Chuan's imposing manner. He couldn't help but take a step back. He knew the Emperor's decree. If this matter was not handled properly, he was not afraid of being transferred, but he was afraid of being punished!
"There has to be concrete evidence, right?" Qian Xun asked, his confidence completely gone.

"Didn't Chief Clerk Qian even ask who I was supposed to arrest?"

"You need concrete evidence to arrest anyone!"

"Nonsense! Let alone the fact that the culprit is a member of the royal family, even if he were a commoner, I would still investigate and arrest him. I will not wrong an innocent person, but I will never let a bad person go free! I don't understand why Chief Secretary Qian is protecting him like this."

"I didn't cover for anyone..."

"Since there is no cover-up, I will personally go to arrest the murderer. Why is Chief Secretary Qian stopping me?"

Qian Xun hurriedly said, "The Chief Secretary's duties include overseeing all matters of the Prince's Palace, including handling cases where anyone in the Prince's Palace violates the law..."

"Stop talking nonsense, just tell me if you're handing over the person or not!"

“Come in with me and we will talk.”

"Dream on! Everyone in Le'an knows that the Prince's mansion wants to kill me. Do you think I'll come out alive if I go in? Just hand over the prisoner."

Qian Xun was so angry that he spun around in circles. After hesitating for a moment, he finally asked the question he didn't want to ask: "Who is it?"

"Hu Wang!"

Qian Xun paused for a moment, then smiled and asked, "Are you sure it's him?"

Jia Chuan was startled by Qian Xun's smile. At that moment, he was only thinking that no matter who it was, he could frame this person. In any case, the murderer must have been someone from the Prince's mansion, and anyone Zhu Zhanqi could recognize was definitely not a good person. It wouldn't hurt to frame him. But then Qian Xun smiled...

"Do you dare to let him come out and confront me? If I'm wrong, you naturally won't release him, and I can't just make baseless accusations..."

"Okay! You wait."

Qian Xun said, then turned and entered the Prince's Mansion.

Jia Chuan felt a pang of panic. He suddenly realized a possibility: the person Zhu Zhanqi knew in the Prince's mansion must be an old man. The word "old" indicated both seniority and age. Moreover, there were eunuchs in the Prince's mansion. He had left in a hurry and forgotten about this. What if it was an old eunuch...

Jia Chuan gasped, quickly going over his thoughts again. This impromptu frame-up wasn't so easy.

Not long after, Qian Xun came out with an older man, followed by several guards from the Prince's Palace.

Jia Chuan didn't even glance at the guards; all his attention was on this middle-aged man. This man was clearly a lowly servant, dressed in coarse cloth, with a wrinkled face, bright triangular eyes, a gray beard on his chin, and a fairly robust physique.

As long as he's not an old eunuch, it's fine.

Jia Chuan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you Hu Wang?"

"Yes."

"Any job in the Prince's residence?"

"Driver."

Do you recognize He Fei, the body found this morning by the river in the west of the city?

"do not know."

Jia Chuan snorted coldly: "Don't you even need to think about it?"

"I only recognize the people inside the Prince's mansion; I don't recognize the people outside."

"Is this true? If I can find someone you know outside the manor, how will you explain that? Will you just say you forgot?"

"Absolutely not! If I say I don't know them, I simply don't know them. I'm just a coachman; all I need to do is know the way. I won't leave the manor without reason, and I certainly wouldn't dare to get acquainted with anyone outside the Prince's residence. I can guarantee that I don't know anyone in Le'an City."

(End of this chapter)