Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 134 Next time will be better

Just before the three of them came down, Jia Chuan carefully examined the area around the entrance. The area was slippery from being trampled, with no trace of snow left, only solid lumps of ice. How many people must have stepped on it? What if it was created by sitting? Stepping and sitting... But the entrance was covered by a wooden board, and the snow on the board was as white as that under the courtyard wall. Although Jia Chuan hadn't surveyed this area before, he had still looked around and found nothing unusual. Old Zheng and the yamen runners had even gone to the wrong entrance that day, which showed that this place had also been tampered with and disguised.

The entrance was very close to the back wall, and Jia Chuan even asked Gao Yuntian if it was possible to fly directly out from the entrance.
Gao Yuntian tried it and found that he needed to take two more steps toward the courtyard wall before he could jump over it. Of course, ordinary people would have to climb the wall.

This is one of the reasons why Jia Chuan didn't discover this place sooner, and also why all the snow on the backyard walls was cleared away.

Those Taoist priests need to frequently enter and exit this place, and it would be too conspicuous for it to be completely clean. Moreover, as they walk around more, they will naturally leave traces. However, he did not notice these traces before. Besides not carefully examining the scene, those people would cover the traces they left with snow every time they left. It was just that they thought no one would come during the New Year these two days, so they were so unscrupulous.

Thinking back to the bags of soil he'd seen earlier, Jia Chuan scratched his head. Were these people really that meticulous? This cellar must have yielded a lot of soil. Besides what's still inside, how many people would it take to bring it all out? How many trips would it take? They'd probably been carrying soil for days. This box must have been just dug out…

Jia Chuan stood up and looked seriously at the Gao siblings beside him, saying, "Take as much as you can, and hide it well before you take it out. Gao Yuntian! You go back to Beijing immediately and inform Vice Commissioner Xu... Tell Vice Commissioner Xu that this matter must be reported to Commander Liu, and then to the Emperor. Explain that there should be more gold and silver involved. Uh, you go to the yamen and have Zhao Guang summon all the yamen runners you can find. I need to stay here. Those Taoist priests have quite a few helpers; in case they come looking for us later..."

Gao Yuntian and Gao Yunduo were still surprised by Jia Chuan's first sentence: "Take as much as you can."
Gao Yuntian interrupted Jia Chuan and asked, "I'm going back to the capital. How should I pack my things? Where should I pack them? Where should I hide them?"

Gao Yunduo said, "If, as you say, there are still some in this wall, wouldn't each box contain roughly the same amount? If we take them, wouldn't it be immediately obvious?"

Jia Chuan smiled and said, "If I don't take them, others will think I have. If I take them, others will have an easier time taking them. These bags were all found on that Taoist priest. Who knows how many they have already taken? Besides, even if I don't take them, what the Emperor received doesn't match what's here. So why shouldn't I take them? No matter where we go in the future, we need money. At least right now, we need to start arranging to buy a house for Yuanyuan and Shunzi. They should get married in the next year."

Gao Yuntian said anxiously, "Hey, don't say such useless things, where am I supposed to put on an act?"

Gao Yuntian touched his waist.

Jia Chuan thought for a moment and said, "Don't worry about this for now. Hurry back to the capital, the sooner the better! I don't know how many people there are right now, and whether Duoduo, Yuanyuan, and the yamen runners can hold out until you bring your men back..."

Gao Yuntian handed the nearly burnt wooden stick to his sister, and before Jia Chuan could finish speaking, he disappeared.

"Well, I thought about it carefully last night..." Jia Chuan changed the subject, and was about to say something when no one was around, but Gao Yunduo interrupted him.

"Let's go out and get some firewood first. Yuanyuan should be able to carry some, and I have a cloak, so I can carry even more. But... are you sure we won't run into trouble tomorrow?"

Jia Chuan thought for a moment and said, "If something happens to me tomorrow, it will happen whether I pretend to be in trouble today or not. If nothing happens to me tomorrow, it won't matter if I leave the whole box now. Whether something happens or not, it's none of my business..." Jia Chuan pointed to the box: "It's irrelevant!"

Gao Yunduo nodded and said, "That's right. Although he was a bit greedy, he wasn't corrupt. My maternal grandfather's money... he told me that some of his soldiers found a cave... He also said that the officers in the army were the ones who were really rich. If it weren't for these windfalls, the people would have suffered. He also said that he didn't know whose money it was, so he didn't have any worries about using it. That's why he returned to his hometown early on the grounds of injury and illness. He said that once you become an official, it's hard to have a conscience."

After saying that, Gao Yunduo gave Jia Chuan a playful smile.

Jia Chuan was momentarily dazed.

……

Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan put the three survivors in a nunnery. Jia Chuan thought about asking them some questions, while Gao Yunduo took Dong Yuanyuan to the cellar.

Jia Chuan kept asking questions for a long time, but none of the three people opened their mouths.

After Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan came up, they lit a fire in the open space and sat around it to warm themselves.

Dong Yuanyuan was even 'fatter' than before. She sat nervously by the fire, not daring to move. When Shunzi and the village chief came up, they immediately noticed that something was wrong with Dong Yuanyuan.

Shunzi sat down next to Dong Yuanyuan and asked in a low voice, "Were you frightened just now?"

Dong Yuanyuan shook her head stiffly and glanced at Gao Yunduo, who was sitting beside her, wrapped tightly in a cloak.

Shunzi frowned and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

"Is it...is it that obvious?" Dong Yuanyuan asked nervously.

Shunzi looked around. Jia Chuan was talking to the village chief, while Old Zheng and the yamen runners were sitting opposite Gao Yunduo warming themselves by the fire.

"If others aren't paying attention, you won't know for now, but you still have to tell me what happened."

Dong Yuanyuan leaned close to Shunzi's ear and whispered what she had on her body. Shunzi was so shocked that he almost cried out. Then, like Dong Yuanyuan, he sat down by the fire, his whole body stiff.

Old Zheng didn't pay much attention to Dong Yuanyuan, but he still glanced at Shunzi several times. Then the two walked to the wall and whispered to each other.

Jia Chuan told the village chief about the current situation. He hadn't had time to figure out the details of the case yet, but what he did know was that the Taoist priests were originally a group. They must have known that there were some things hidden in this small temple, which is why they came looking for them. The things were in the cellar. They had already sent people back to the capital, and people from the capital would be sent soon. But they had to ensure the safety of this place while they waited.

The village chief was basically dumbfounded.

Jia Chuan then said seriously, "Later, many yamen runners will be coming from the county government..."

Jia Chuan was halfway through his sentence when he seemed to remember something. He turned to the constable and beckoned him, saying, "Come here."

The bailiff ran up to Jia Chuan, who said, “Go back to the yamen immediately and tell the magistrate that I said the villagers should not be burdened with the food and supplies for the people and horses these past two days. Tell him to prepare food and have the bailiff bring it. Tell him that as long as the matter of the small temple is resolved, I will forgive the past and reward him for his efforts. Say it exactly as I said it.”

The constable nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, and Jia Chuan made him repeat it before letting him leave.

The village chief calmed down a bit by then, and thinking of Jia Chuan's consideration, he couldn't help but bow deeply in gratitude.

No matter how big or small the matter is, if the people from the yamen come and force him to prepare food, he can't say no. If the food is bad, he might get scolded. Even if all the food prepared by the whole village for the New Year is given to these people, it might still not be enough.

Jia Chuan hurriedly said, "You don't need to do that. When the constables arrive, I'll check their numbers. If there are too few, you'll have to find some villagers to help patrol down the mountain. We need to hold out until the third day of the new year. I estimate that the people from the capital will definitely arrive by then. Don't worry, your little matter is nothing. Just tell those people not to mention it again."

The village chief nodded repeatedly, and then asked, "How will you accommodate so many people tonight?" "We'll have to take turns staying. You'll also need to persuade some families to let us stay here, at least to keep us warm. But this little temple can't be left unattended. A few of us will stay here the whole time."

"I'll make arrangements right away."

The village chief had only taken a few steps when Jia Chuan stopped him again: "Hey, don't bother that family with the sick child. If they don't have enough money, go to the county government office and find me. Don't do anything foolish again."

The village chief bowed deeply again, then ran out of the temple gate.

Jia Chuan breathed a sigh of relief, turned his head, and knew that Shunzi and Old Zheng both knew.

"It's not even evening yet, and they're all frozen solid? Can't they all be a little more responsible?" Jia Chuan said, shaking his head in worry, and walked over to sit next to Gao Yunduo.

"You don't need to be so formal. Be casual. When Gao Yuntian and Chen Mo arrive with their men, you and Yuanyuan don't need to say anything. Just leave. The constables will definitely bring carriages soon. I've made all the arrangements in advance. You two can get in the carriages and go back first..."

"If someone really comes to rob me tonight... I'm afraid I won't be able to fight them off with all this gear," Gao Yunduo said in a low voice.

Dong Yuanyuan nodded emphatically and said, "Big brother, it's too heavy!"

"Who told you to take so much!" Jia Chuan said, frowning.

Old Zheng asked in a low voice, "Should I and Shunzi go down and decorate some more?"

"Forget it, half a box is gone. Even if you're greedy, you can't keep taking advantage of one sheep," Jia Chuan said impatiently.

Shunzi looked around and saw that it was just the two of them. He then asked in a low voice, "What Duoduo said earlier was right. If someone comes to take it, only the two of them can fight, and they can't move very well. We might as well put them on me and Old Zheng."

“You two can’t fit all of Yuanyuan’s things on her… but we can split them. Duoduo’s things are what the Taoist priest wanted to take, and they’ve already been put in a bag, so they’re easy to carry. Yuanyuan’s things are just what she’s been carrying, and I’m afraid they’ll all fall to the ground with a clatter when she gets up.”

Dong Yuanyuan quickly shook her head and said, "No! I'd rather lose the meat than let them fall."

Old Zheng stared wide-eyed and asked, "After all this talk, if bad guys really come, who will fight them?"

After a moment of silence, Gao Yunduo burst out laughing and turned to Jia Chuan, saying:
“You said we’re all spineless, but aren’t you the same? Since you’re so sure that the people coming are Brother Chen and my brother, no matter how many Imperial Guards they bring, no one can stop Yuanyuan and me. Let’s take these things off our bodies, divide them into several bags and hide them. When they come, we’ll find a chance to put them back on our bodies, and then we can go down the mountain and get on the carriage.”

Jia Chuan thought about it and agreed. No matter who came, with his current influence in front of the Emperor, who could stop him from letting anyone pass? He comforted himself, there's always a first time for everything, and everyone gets a little nervous the first time, but he'll be better next time.

……

Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan went to a nunnery and came out after a while. As soon as they came out, the village head led a few people into the temple.

Jia Chuan got up and went to greet him.

The village chief said with a smile, "I thought you hadn't had lunch, so I made some steamed buns, date buns, and some rice porridge. They're still hot. Have a bite quickly."

Old Zheng and Shunzi asked in low voices almost simultaneously, "Is it hidden well?"

Dong Yuanyuan nodded smugly and said, "The old monk had some spare robes. I put the good stuff in the middle and tied it in a tight knot to hide it well."

Gao Yunduo said in a low voice, "This nunnery belongs to me and Yuanyuan. It's just the two of us women. No one else is allowed to enter."

Upon hearing this, Old Zheng got up and ran to the kitchen, then came out carrying a pile of firewood, saying, "Let's light another fire at the entrance of the nunnery. The two girls live here, and we have to keep watch over them. A lot of yamen runners will be coming soon."

Upon hearing this, Shunzi quickly got up and went to fetch some as well.

The village chief watched as the group carried firewood and lit a fire in front of the nunnery. After thinking for a while, he whispered to Jia Chuan, "Actually, it would be better for the two girls to go back, or stay with a villager. I'll find a family with girls..."

Jia Chuan waved his hand with a smile and said, "Even if all of us men were together, we couldn't beat those two. I only called the constables here to bluff. If someone really comes, we'll still have to rely on those two. There are three survivors they left behind in another nunnery. They can't leave here, so..."

"Understood, understood! Quickly, have some food."

Jia Chuan turned to Shunzi and Old Zheng and said, "You two hurry up and eat. After you're done, add some firewood to the three people in the nunnery and feed them some porridge."

……

When Zhao Guang arrived with a dozen or so constables and a cartload of food, it was already getting dark.

It must be said that Jia Chuan was extremely nervous about embezzling such a large sum of money for the first time. He understood the reasoning behind it, just like he had seen pigs run before, but it was still a bit difficult to pretend that he had eaten pork. His composure was clearly an act.

Gao Yuntian's return to the capital was already a very urgent matter, and Jia Chuan still wanted him to go back to the county government office first. Otherwise, Gao Yuntian would not need to go into the city and could go directly back to the capital, which would save a lot of time. This trouble was only because Jia Chuan forgot that there was a yamen runner with him. Why did Gao Yuntian have to make this trip?
After meeting Gao Yuntian, Zhao Guang keenly sensed that the outcome of this matter might have a huge impact on him, which he could feel from Gao Yuntian's haste.

For a moment, Zhao Guang regretted not investigating the case himself. The fact that the Embroidered Uniform Guard was so anxious must mean a great achievement. But the more he knew that this matter was of utmost importance, the less Zhao Guang dared to act rashly.

Song Sheng already had some grudges against him. If he were to receive a reward or commendation for this matter, wouldn't it be even more convenient to deal with him?
At that moment, Zhao Guang forgot what Gao Yuntian had said: "Find more yamen runners and keep a close watch on the small temple. At the latest, the Embroidered Uniform Guard will definitely come the day after tomorrow."

His mind was preoccupied with how to hinder Magistrate Song. As for what exactly was discovered in the small temple, Gao Yuntian naturally wouldn't tell him. He didn't have time to ponder that matter either; he simply felt that the case was of great importance and that there had already been a breakthrough.

A tremendous achievement is about to fall upon Magistrate Song.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, the constable returned.

(End of this chapter)