Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 108 Thinking too much

In his haste, Qian Xun had no choice but to go to the prefectural government office first. It was only natural that the Prince's Mansion would be concerned about such a big event in Le'an. As long as he asked, Lin Wei had to answer him to the best of his ability, even though Lin Wei's words were certainly not as credible as Hao Wen's. But he couldn't wait for Hao Wen anyway.

Since we can't find out anything from Hao Wen first, the only person who can go to the scene to find out the situation and bring the person back is Prefect Lin in the inner quarters.

Qian Xun went straight to the back residence of the prefectural government, only to find that Prefect Lin had fallen into a coma due to his worsening condition.

Qian Xun was furious. "I can't handle Jia Chuan, but you dare to put on an act in front of me?!"
So a basin of cold water was splashed on Prefect Lin's face, and the doctor next to him stamped his feet repeatedly, saying, "This might kill him!"

Qian Xun pretended not to hear. Seeing Lin Wei slowly open his eyes, Qian Xun said sternly, "Stop pretending. Go to Jia Chuan's house immediately, find out what happened, the casualties, and then bring all the people back to me!"

Lin Wei glanced at Qian Xun, shuddered, and said weakly, "I have already written a memorial begging the Emperor to save my life. If it's too late, I will die at the hands of you, the Chief Secretary of the Prince of Han's Mansion."

After saying this, Lin Wei slowly closed his eyes. A group of servants rushed forward to carry him, change his bedding, and prepare his undergarments... These people pushed Qian Xun aside.

Qian Xun was stunned for a moment. In his eyes, Lin Wei had always been easy to bully. Although he had not declared his allegiance to the Prince of Han, he was still capable of doing things. He would often close his eyes and, if the Prince of Han was slightly dissatisfied, he would summon him to the Prince's mansion. Whether he knelt or stood, he would always make him suffer. After that, Lin Wei would close his eyes again. Of course, in Qian Xun's opinion, the Prince did not make things too difficult for him, because the Prince knew that the words and deeds of the Prefect were being monitored by the Jinan Prefecture. This was fine.

But Qian Xun couldn't understand why this sickly old man had suddenly started to rebel, and why he was rebelling so precisely.

In Qian Xun's view, Jia Chuan's one-sided statement could hold out for a while, but if it was combined with the prefect's impeachment, not only would he lose his position as chief secretary, but he would also have no hope of finding a sinecure upon returning to the capital. It would be a miracle if he didn't end up in prison.

He calmed himself down, and after watching the servants tidy Lin Wei up and lay him down again, and the doctor feed Lin Wei a bowl of hot medicine spoonful by spoonful, Qian Xun stepped forward and apologized, "I was too hasty just now, Prefect Lin, please don't blame me. You know that today's matter is of great importance, and I was indeed out of control just now, it was all because I was anxious..."

"You're so impatient, you want to kill me?" Lin Wei was truly enraged; even a clay figure has some spirit!

"Prefect Lin, please don't be angry, please don't be angry. I will come to apologize in person after this matter is settled! But right now, we need to deal with this important matter first..."

"With Magistrate Hao and Judge Jia here, they will handle it themselves. You've seen it for yourself. My life is hanging by a thread right now, and there's nothing I can do."

“How can we not do anything? Hao Wentian went to Jia Chuan’s house before dawn and hasn’t returned yet. We need to know what’s going on there.”

"Chief Secretary Qian is too impatient. Even for a simple murder case, it would take them an hour or two to return. Let alone such a major case, where the scene needs to be examined and the body needs to be inspected, all of which take time."

"If the prefectural government is short-staffed, the Prince's mansion can..."

"Chief Secretary Qian, you might as well just stab me to death and give me a quick death!"

Qian Xun grew anxious: "What do you mean by this?"

"The imperial court has decreed that the Prince's Mansion must not interfere in local affairs. How incompetent is my prefectural government? We haven't even done anything yet, and we already need the Prince's Mansion to intervene? If the Jinan Prefecture finds out, if the Shandong Provincial Administration Commissioner finds out, and even if the Shandong Provincial Surveillance Commissioner finds out, will I still be able to keep my position as prefect?"

"In times of emergency, we must act swiftly! I've heard this commotion is quite significant. I wonder who Judge Jia has offended to attract so many people... If bandits enter the city and harm the people, it will all be your fault. The sooner this matter is dealt with, the better."

Lin Wei weakly waved his hand and said, "If those people were bandits, they have all been detained. If they had any backup, they wouldn't be able to enter the city for the time being, so there's no need for the Prince's Mansion to intervene."

"You! Are you really unable to understand, or..."

"Chief Secretary Qian, either give me a stab or let me rest for a while. The officials from the prefectural government are all at the residence. Why don't you go there yourself? Perhaps Judge Jia will agree with Chief Secretary Qian's suggestion and be willing to let the Prince's Mansion take action. I'm no good. I really need to rest."

Qian Xun seemed to have taken it to heart. He turned and hurriedly walked out, not to find Jia Chuan, but to return to the Prince's Mansion and tell Zhu Heng his conjecture.

"...Judging from Jia Chuan's past actions, he is a man of great planning skills. The reason he delayed sending the corpse to the prefectural government was perhaps because he was waiting for the Prince's mansion to act in a moment of desperation, so that he could use this as grounds to report the crime. This is no small matter. The person in the capital could use this as a basis to reduce the number of people in the Prince's mansion again, and even order the Prince to reflect on his mistakes in seclusion..."

Zhu Heng waved his hand, interrupting Qian Xun. At this moment, Zhu Heng had not fully recovered from his fear, but because the fire in his heart had been extinguished, he was particularly calm.

“If we think like you, we’ll be falling into his trap no matter what we do, and we’ll be too hesitant to act. But right now we need to find out how many people Jia Chuan has alive, and we need to make arrangements based on that result.”

Qian Xun let out a breath and said, "I was thinking off-topic."

“You are still too kind-hearted. The prefect probably thinks Jia Chuan is reliable, which is why he dares to oppose the Prince’s Mansion. Go and tell him that there is no need to hurt him, but his family is another matter. He will naturally obey orders.”

……

When Jia Chuan saw Lin Wei, trembling, emerge from the sedan chair and cast a pitiful glance at him with the support of his attendants, he knew that the threat was serious. It was already extremely difficult for Lin Wei to hold on until this point.

"Prefect Lin is in such poor health, yet you still insist on coming in person. Please come with me to rest first, and I will slowly explain the case to you."

Lin Wei gave a wry smile and said, "We need to take everyone back to the prefectural government office."

With just this one sentence, Jia Chuan understood. He nodded, looked up at the sun overhead, and then lowered his head in silence.

Lin Wei shook off his attendant's support, stepped forward, and asked in a low voice, "Is there something troubling you?"

Jia Chuan thought for a moment and said, "These corpses might be taken away by the Prince's Mansion once they return to the prefectural government. You will have two choices: one is to side with the Prince's Mansion and say that you have never seen these corpses and that your claim that your house was besieged is a lie; the other is to insist on telling the truth. In that case, they will use the same trick again and continue to threaten you. Moreover, the prefectural government cannot even protect the corpses, so you will not be able to escape punishment. What will Prefect Lin choose?"

Lin Wei staggered back two steps and collapsed into his attendant's arms, tears streaming down his face.

"I have been reluctant to transport the body back because I don't want to cause you any trouble. By this time tomorrow... you won't need to stand in front. Someone will deal with the Prince's Mansion. But getting through this night will be incredibly difficult for you."

Lin Wei seemed to see a glimmer of light in his eyes. He struggled to stand up straight and asked in a low voice, "Just hold on for one more night?"

Jia Chuan nodded slightly and asked, "Do you have a way?"

Lin Wei thought for a moment, as if he had made a huge decision, and asked in a low voice, "Can you protect my family's safety?"

"Are they threatening you with your family again?"

Lin Wei nodded sadly. "Did I give you a deadline?"

"The sooner the better."

"Does the prefectural government have a cart? Find it, stack the corpses on it, and drive it around the city once, so that all the people can see it. It would be best to pass by the Prince's mansion. No, I can't leave the house. Your men should not provoke him. Just drive through a few more streets and alleys. Once the people have seen it, they will have to think twice before they try to force you. Even if that day comes, I will testify that you had no choice but to do so."

Lin Wei nodded emphatically, as if he had exerted too much force, and he felt dizzy. His attendant quickly supported him.

……

News of the hearse parading through the streets quickly reached the Prince's residence, and the group gathered again in the Prince's study.

Jia Chuan was indeed mistaken this time. The people in the Prince's mansion never even considered taking the bodies away. How could they possibly take so many corpses in broad daylight? Especially after they arrived at the prefectural government office, it would take manpower to transport them in and manpower to move them out. Even if Zhu Gaochi was audacious, he would never order the yamen runners to send the bodies to the Prince's mansion. Moreover, they couldn't fathom Jia Chuan's intentions. Who would dare to make such a suggestion? Weren't they afraid that it was another trap set by Jia Chuan?

Jia Chuan still harbored prejudices. He felt that unless he was present, there was nothing Zhu Gaoxu wouldn't dare to do in Le'an City.

Lin Wei, terrified and ill, was completely unable to think clearly. After the body was transported back to the prefectural government office, only Qian Xun and his men saw the body and tried to get some information out of Lin Wei. They couldn't directly ask how many people were still in Jia Chuan's residence; they could only ask, "Are they all here?"

Lin Wei was barely clinging to life, so there was no need for pretense; he nodded weakly.

Qian Xun knew he wouldn't get anything out of Lin Wei, so he inquired about Hao Wen's whereabouts.

Lin Wei could only shake his head, and Qian Xun could only leave with his men.

Then there was no further movement until nightfall.

……

Both sides made mistakes in judging each other, but the people in the Prince's Palace made more mistakes.

After Qian Xun led Wei Da to identify the body, he hurriedly returned to the Prince's Mansion.

When Wei Da entered the study, he said he didn't see anyone from the estate. He counted the people and found that seven were missing, plus those from the estate, making a total of ten missing.

Zhu Gaoxu's face had turned ashen. Wang Bin hurriedly said, "The most urgent thing is to guard the city gate. Hao Wen probably knows some of the truth and has been detained by Jia Chuan. We should ask the officials we know in the Prince's mansion, or start with the yamen runners. We must find out whether the person who was left behind is dead or alive."

Zhu Heng said, "After the incident, when the state government received the news and rushed over, the matter that needed to be dealt with had probably already been dealt with. By the time the state government arrived, all they would see were these corpses. Unless Hao Wen had a chance to talk to Jia Chuan's people or to go inside the house to investigate, it would be difficult to find out anything."

Mei Qing nodded in agreement and said, "Jia Chuan didn't immediately transport the body back to the prefectural government because he was plotting to harm the Prince's Mansion. The Prince saw through it and didn't fall for it, so he had no choice but to transport the body back. Later, he calculated that we would look for people in the manor. Even if Hao Wen found out something, can we trust him?"

Wei Da said, "I'm just puzzled. News from Le'an City can reach the capital directly. Even if this matter can be reported today, it will take at least four or five days to receive the imperial decree from the capital. In those few days, we can break through Jia Chuan's house even if it's a fortress of copper and iron. As long as we get all the people he left behind out, he won't be able to frame the Prince's Mansion no matter how many mouths he has! Can't he understand such a simple principle?"

Mei Qing looked at Wei Da with surprise, then at Wang Bin, opened her mouth but didn't say anything.

Wang Bin glared at Wei Da and said, "How to get them back is something we'll have to think about carefully!"

"Let's think this through! What's your plan?" Zhu Gaoxu roared.

The study immediately fell silent.

Zhu Gaoxu stood up, and Wang Bin, who was closest to him, felt a slight shiver run down his spine.

"I'm afraid of everything!" Zhu Gaoxu paced back and forth, saying, "I think Wei Da is right. Does his house look like an impregnable fortress? Now that we've come this far, what's there to be afraid of?!"

"Your Highness!" Zhu Heng hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "It's not that I'm afraid of anything else, it's that I'm afraid the person left behind was deliberately left behind. If we go again tonight, I'm afraid..."

Wang Bin nodded and said, "Mr. Zhu means that the people are already dead, but Jia Chuan deliberately left behind a few corpses in order to provoke the Wang family to take action again."

Mei Qing also said, "That's true. Otherwise, after the incident last night, he should have taken a bunch of corpses to the gate of the Prince's Mansion. No, if he wanted to attract the attention of the people, he should have waited until dawn to do so. Why didn't he do it? Last time, it was to make it easier for his men to take Zhang Xing out of the city. His gonging and drumming was just to make us ignore the city gate. This time, he didn't do it because he knew it was useless, and also because... there were no living people to send."

If Jia Chuan were to hear this, he would probably applaud. In order to avoid the worst possible outcome, they explained the other possibilities in great detail.

Zhu Gaoxu remained rational and asked, "What will you do if there are any survivors?"

The people inside looked at each other, and none of them dared to say anything about going again that night.

Zhu Gaoxu looked at Wei Da, who realized he had misspoke and quickly bowed, saying, "This matter still needs careful consideration. Jia Chuan is full of scheming and wickedness, and his men are all quite skilled. If we want to do something else, I'm afraid we'll have to go back to the manor..."

Before Wei Da could finish speaking, he saw Wang Bin's fierce gaze.

Wei Da quickly added, "But Zhuangzi couldn't do without people either."

Zhu Gaoxu actually sat down. After thinking for a moment, he asked Zhu Heng, "Do you know the details of the house where Jia Chuan lives?"

Zhu Heng felt his head buzzing. How could he know? How could he possibly know? No one had paid attention to this house before. By the time they did, Jia Chuan had already moved in. Even if they sent people to monitor it, they were outside. How could they know what was inside?

Seeing that Zhu Heng had not spoken for a long time, Zhu Gaoxu's anger was reignited, and he inevitably roared and cursed again.

……

Jia Chuan successfully diverted Zhu Gaoxu's attention completely to himself, causing him to neglect more important matters, something Jia Chuan never expected.

While the Prince's mansion was still discussing how to respond, Jia Chuan was already sitting in a secret room on the first basement floor, interrogating the man from the manor who had been brutally kicked by Dong Yuanyuan.

(End of this chapter)