Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 118 It’s a human!

Jia Chuan pondered for a moment and said, "If we want to transfer important items, some of those disciples will inevitably have to go back. Unless we only have the master in the manor escort them, but these people in the martial arts world have strict rules. They agreed to only look after the manor and teach their disciples, and they shouldn't be involved in other matters. The Prince of Han can only discuss it with them, but the Prince of Han hasn't left the manor. If someone else goes to deliver the order, they probably won't obey..."

"How do you know so much?" Hou Tai asked.

"Zhu Zhanqi is with me. He doesn't know much else, except for things on the estate."

Liu Mian said "Oh" and then said, "During his years in Beijing, most of the things he did were related to Zhuangzi."

Gu Zuo asked, "Is it to send beautiful concubines to officials' residences?"

Liu Mian nodded and said, "Yes, and by the way, get some information for the Prince of Han. The Prince of Han has pushed all the responsibility onto Zhu Zhanqi."

Hou Tai said, "If that's the case, then Zhuangzi is at his most empty right now."

Jia Chuan said, "Even if it's empty, who would dare to force their way in? There has to be a reason. Right now, the Prince of Han should be more anxious than us. He's anxious for you to leave quickly so he can kill me and vent his anger, but he's also worried about what the Emperor's new decree will be like. Since he said those words, he wanted to scare the Emperor, but at the same time, he didn't leave himself much time to prepare."

Gu Zuo frowned and said, "I wonder how well he's prepared."

Jia Chuan said, "There won't be any progress. It all depends on how they deal with me. The King of Han doesn't have any capable people around him, or perhaps the King of Han won't listen to reason. Either way, he can't be very prepared. He's just indulging in wishful thinking, believing himself to be the chosen one who can get whatever he wants..."

Liu Mian coughed lightly and said, "Since Wu Bing is still keeping an eye on things, let's wait and see. Anyway, we still have to wait for the imperial decree. Before the decree arrives, you must remember not to act rashly."

Jia Chuan nodded heavily.

……

Two more days passed, and the imperial decree still hadn't arrived. Even without Zhu Gaoxu's urging, Liu Mian and Hou Tai were already getting restless.

Hou Tai, in particular, was on a mission to persuade the King of Han to follow the example of the King of Zhao. Although he failed, which was to be expected, he had still accomplished his mission. Staying for an extra day or two would have been fine, but now that he had stayed longer, it would be difficult for him to explain himself when he returned.

The same applies to Liu Mian. As the commander, he should not be away from the capital for too long, especially since the dismissal of his post has already been completed. If the emperor intends for him to stay in Le'an for a few more days, the news will reach him very quickly, without having to come with the imperial decree. Does the emperor need him to participate in the affairs of Le'an?

Liu Mian felt increasingly uncertain as he waited.

However, if Liu Mian and Hou Tai leave, leaving only Gu Zuo, Jia Chuan will have little chance of survival.

Liu Mian wanted to send a message back to the capital to inquire, but he kept delaying it day by day and missed the best opportunity. Now, if he sent a message again, he was afraid he couldn't wait for it to come back and forth.

That evening, Wu Bing returned home. After dinner, the group sat down together to discuss the matter. Liu Mian suggested waiting two more days. If the imperial decree still hadn't arrived, they would have to leave. Jia Chuan would have to hide in the house.

Since the matter of the King of Han killing Jia Chuan has not yet become a fact, it is not reasonable for Jia Chuan to flee at this moment. He can only wait until the King of Han actually takes action before fleeing. However, if he flees, the matter of Zhuangzi will temporarily come to an end.

Gu Zuo stated that as long as there was a confession, he could go to the Prince of Han's residence to request the Prince of Han's cooperation in inspecting the estate.

Hou Tai asked, "The Prince of Han has driven Imperial Censor Gu out of the palace. What should Imperial Censor Gu do now?"

Liu Mian said, "If the King of Han can do it, then even if Imperial Censor Gu risks his life, the King of Han will still be the King of Han, at least for the time being."

Gu Zuo's face was gloomy, and he didn't say anything more.

Now he finally understood Jia Chuan's predicament. He wasn't unaware that the Prince of Han was unyielding, but he simply didn't believe that a young man could deal with the Prince of Han so effectively in Le'an and still survive.

The group could only agree to wait two more days. If the imperial decree did not arrive in two days, Liu Mian and Hou Tai would return to the capital first.

Wu Bing tried to say something several times, but no one noticed.

After they finished chatting, Jia Chuan went to Wu Bing's room.

He wasn't in a good mood. Before Liu Mian and the others arrived, he had made all the necessary preparations. At that time, his adrenaline levels were high, but they had returned to normal in the past few days. It was a bit difficult to rekindle that enthusiasm; all he felt was a headache.

He explained to Wu Bing that Gao Yuntian and the others' return should be seamlessly connected with Liu Mian and the others' departure, and Wu Bing simply nodded.

Jia Chuan emphasized that the Prince of Han's mansion was definitely eyeing them covetously, and if there were any loopholes in the connection, the people of the Prince of Han's mansion might seize the opportunity. Although Gao Yunduo's injuries had almost recovered, she might not have a chance of winning.

Wu Bing nodded to indicate that he understood and would make the arrangements.

Jia Chuan inquired about the situation at the estate, and Wu Bing said that there was still no one patrolling, and his men dared not get too close, only keeping a watchful eye on it from a distance.

Jia Chuan didn't say anything more and went back to his room to sleep.

Lying on the bed, Jia Chuan analyzed the possible reasons for the unusual quietness of the manor. Zhu Gaoxu must know that Jia Chuan had his eye on the manor, so why was he so calm?
If there are only three blacksmith shops, the Prince's manor needs to build a secret passage to transport raw materials and finished products. If the estate is also privately manufacturing weapons, it must be on a much larger scale than just three blacksmith shops. Where will the raw materials be transported from? There hasn't been any transport of vehicles for so many days. Has it stopped? Or does the estate also have a secret passage? Or does the estate not even have such a business at all?
Zhu Zhanqi said that he invited people from the martial arts world to teach disciples in order to train Zhu Gaoxu and his sons. At that time, Zhu Zhanqi said, "...the rest will be guards for us brothers." In other words, the initial purpose of finding people from the martial arts world was to have them as personal guards. At that time, Zhu Zhanqi was still a member of the Prince's Mansion, so there must have been such a reason. But after arriving in Le'an, was the purpose different?
What are we letting them look at in Zhuangzi? Conversely, what is worth letting them look at?

On such occasions, Zhuangzi seemed to have sheathed all his claws and was quietly waiting for something. The King of Han was not one to be good at judging the situation. He would not restrain himself just because someone came to Le'an. That was Zhuangzi. It's just that those who could usually lead people out on patrol had been transferred to the King's palace by the King of Han. What could the remaining people do if someone dared to break into the outer perimeter of Zhuangzi?
It's better to stay in the village than to go out and draw attention to yourself.

At this time, the King of Han would consider Jia Chuan as his hypothetical enemy in everything he did. All he could think of was Jia Chuan's men loitering around the manor. In the King of Han's view, the people around Jia Chuan were all very skilled, so it was pointless for them to patrol. It would be better to guard the manor.

The King of Han took a step back, all for the sake of that thing in the village.

This must be something Zhu Gaochi was terrified of Zhu Zhanji finding out about. He wasn't afraid of Zhu Zhanji knowing he harbored rebellious intentions, but he was afraid of Zhu Zhanji knowing he had hidden such a thing...

Jia Chuan immediately got up; he wanted to question the survivor again, as his guess was correct.

Wu Bing left someone for Jia Chuan. Although Gao Yuntian and Chen Momo were not there, he didn't need his entourage to answer the questions.

Upon returning to the secret room, the survivor was still lying on the ground, barely alive, under Dr. Deng's care, but his eyes were brighter than before.

Jia Chuan could see clearly because he was holding an oil lamp in his hand.

Before entering the house, Jia Chuan had his attendants extinguish the torches and light the oil lamp he had brought.

The oil lamp cast a soft light, and the surroundings were dim. Jia Chuan felt this would make the man feel safe. The man hadn't seen the light for several days and had become accustomed to the darkness; a sudden bright light would startle him. Therefore, Jia Chuan thoughtfully brought only one oil lamp. He only needed to observe the man's expression.

"Is your master still in the manor?" Jia Chuan asked gently as he sat down in front of the man.

The man glanced at Jia Chuan, then closed his eyes and remained silent.

"That is, you are an apprentice who has not yet completed his apprenticeship... If I were you, and I opened my eyes, this might be the only light I would ever see in my life."

"You...you're going to kill me?"

Hearing this, Jia Chuan was very surprised; he hadn't expected this person to speak.

“Even if I don’t kill you, someone else will. I don’t know how many times I’ve stopped them for you these past few days, but now…”

Jia Chuan deliberately drew out the sound, but his eyes remained fixed on the man.

The man opened his eyes, snorted, and said nothing more.

"So I'm trying one last time. What if you figure it out and are willing to say something? If you're not willing to say anything, that's fine too. No matter how you live your life, you still have to die. That's the only fair thing. You can see clearly when you're reborn next time. If you can't, just wait a few more years. Don't rush. I think the place you're in this life is not as good as the one below."

The man had no expression.

Jia Chuan then said, "After the three of you arrived, a few more people came."

The man instinctively looked at Jia Chuan.

“You don’t need to look at me. They couldn’t get in, so I’m not sure if there were three or four. Add to that the two who are close to the King of Han, and you should be able to understand that I… can’t hold on.”

The man's face immediately showed a look of surprise and confusion.

"I know you're wondering why the King of Han would take such a lowly judge like me so seriously? Who are you all? Did you participate in the assassination plot against the Emperor? I'm the one who helped the Emperor escape... Putting all that aside, you're lucky to have been chosen to learn martial arts at the manor. If it were a peaceful and prosperous time... it wouldn't really matter to you. Right now, apart from your master, almost everyone at the manor is after me. If I were to go straight to the manor now..."

The man frowned.

"You don't need to worry about me. So many people can't do anything to me. You can imagine my abilities. It won't be difficult for me to get out. I'm just worried that I can't beat those old masters and can't take... the people they're watching."

The man suddenly looked at Jia Chuan, his eyes filled with astonishment, his pupils dilating slightly.

The man's expression stirred a storm in Jia Chuan's heart, and he instinctively straightened his back. He had guessed correctly! They were looking at a person, not an object.

Jia Chuan took a deep breath and said, feigning composure:
"Since I was able to keep you here, you should have some respect for me. Now you know how much the King of Han values ​​me. If I didn't know something, why would he go to such lengths to take my life? Unfortunately, he can't take my life, but I can't save yours. Is there anything you want to say to me? We part ways today, and we can only meet again in the next life. I have only one question: do you think I can defeat those old masters?"

The man looked flustered, but kept his lips tightly pressed together and didn't say a word.

"Alright, since you're unwilling to help me, I won't force you. Let's part ways here. I don't know when they'll come to kill you, or they might not be able to find you even after entering the house. But if they don't come back in the next few days, you'll probably go hungry. Let's both pray for ourselves."

After Jia Chuan finished speaking, he stood up. Because he had been sitting cross-legged for a while, his process of getting up was not very smooth.

The man suddenly spoke up, puzzled, and asked, "Someone like you wants to go to the village?"

Jia Chuan steadied himself, chuckled, and said, "Someone like me, even if your prince couldn't kill me, he couldn't even keep an eye on the estate, yet he still wants to sit on the throne. Don't you think he's utterly useless?"

"It will be useless for you to go."

Jia Chuan waved his hand and said, "You don't know how powerful I am. Those who thought Zhu Gaoxu was safe have all run into trouble with me..."

"You can't take him with you."

Jia Chuan held up the oil lamp, tilted his head, and thought for a moment. He asked in bewilderment, "I was wondering if you were reminding me or... that you were thinking of the Prince's Mansion even on your deathbed?"

The man closed his eyes and stopped speaking.

Having already learned what he wanted to know, Jia Chuan did not linger any longer.

After Jia Chuan left, the room was plunged into darkness again. The man was filled with unease, unable to understand why this young man knew so much about Zhuangzi.
……

The following day, a northwest wind howled.

Jia Chuan originally wanted to go to the yamen with Gu Zuo, so that he could know the news in advance if the imperial decree arrived today. However, he turned back after he had already reached the gate of the courtyard.

It's too cold. The wind can penetrate anything when riding a horse. Besides, Liu Mian isn't bringing any men with him, only the men Wu Bing left for him and Gu Zuo's entourage. He's afraid they'll be sent away by the King of Han on the way back, and that Gu Zuo's life will be in danger.

Liu Mian didn't go to the prefectural government office because he would know a little while in advance if the imperial decree arrived in Le'an, so he didn't need to wait there. Jia Chuan didn't ask, so he didn't say anything. Besides, he only knew that the Prince of Han was determined to kill Jia Chuan, but he had never experienced such a battle. He thought that as long as he and Hou Tai were in Le'an, the Prince of Han would not take action again. Seeing Jia Chuan return, he asked him with a smile why. Jia Chuan said he was afraid of dying, but he didn't take it seriously.

Jia Chuan mentioned again that the people in the manor hadn't returned yet. Liu Mian thought about it for a moment before realizing what was going on. Right now, this house was the only shell Jia Chuan had; if he dared to show his face, he would be stabbed...

Jia Chuan was anxious. If the imperial decree did not arrive in the next two days, tomorrow might very well be the last peaceful day of his life.

Feeling uneasy, Jia Chuan did another round of radio calisthenics in the courtyard. After warming up a bit and calming down, he realized that it was already late and Chen Mo hadn't arrived yet.

Wu Bing left again last night. Jia Chuan was thinking of waiting for Chen Mo to come so he could ask about the arrangements for returning to the house the day after tomorrow, but when it was time for lunch, Chen Mo still hadn't come.

Could something have happened over there?

Jia Chuan immediately ordered Wu Bing's men to go and check. The man hesitated for a moment and advised, "Commander Chen came over once in the afternoon before. Why don't we wait a little longer?"

(End of this chapter)