Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 140 Know
Seeing that Jia Chuan understood, Xu Gong patted Jia Chuan's hand, his bloodshot eyes still showing some excitement despite his exhaustion: "I remember someone saying that you have divine protection, was it the Emperor who said it? The Emperor is truly wise!"

Jia Chuan frowned. These were Old Zheng's words, how did they become the Emperor's words?
Xu Gong released Jia Chuan's hand, closed his eyes, and muttered with satisfaction and relief:
"After the late emperor ascended the throne, he dealt with some people in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Can you guess who it was? That's how Liu Mian and I got the chance to come up here. The late emperor instructed us never to act like the Embroidered Uniform Guard during the Yongle era again. The rules of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were also changed. After the emperor ascended the throne, he constantly admonished us... I personally witnessed how arrogant my former superiors were, and I also felt that such behavior was really inappropriate. In the past two years, I have been thinking that I must be careful in my work and not let the emperor down. Perhaps I will lose some power and money... But look, isn't this making up for it? So, don't rush, don't fight or grab, what is meant for you will naturally come..."

Xu Gong fell asleep, and Jia Chuan helped him cover himself with the brocade quilt that Zhao Guang had brought that morning. He then checked that the charcoal brazier on the ground was burning just right, and quietly left the nunnery.

Zhao Guang arrived early in the morning, but was stopped by the Imperial Guards at the foot of the mountain. After leaving his belongings, they were driven away.

Jia Chuan had no idea about Zhao Guang at the moment. He stood at the door and let out a long breath. Now he finally understood why Qian Guan and Xu Gong were so excited as if they had discovered a treasure. He had thought of it before: everyone involved would get some benefits, and the emperor wouldn't say anything even if he knew. Just like when Han Zhen wiped out the bandits and seized some gold and silver, he secretly gave some to Jia Chuan. Zhu Zhanji knew about it. In other words, there was an unspoken rule in an area that Jia Chuan was unaware of, an unspoken rule that even the emperor tacitly approved.

So Qian Guan left excitedly, knowing that whether he was there or not, he would still get his share.

But Jia Chuan was a little nervous because Xu Gong's words sounded like he could get enough to live comfortably for several lifetimes.

Seeing Jia Chuan frowning, Gao Yuntian quickly asked, "What's wrong? What did Vice Commissioner Xu say to you?"

Jia Chuan shook his head and asked, "Why didn't Chen Mo come with you?"

He's behind.

Jia Chuan nodded and sat down in front of the fire. Since everyone who saw it was entitled to a share, he naturally hoped that everyone he knew could be there, but unfortunately, he couldn't ask Wu Bing to make the trip.

“The villagers down the mountain can’t go out for the next few days.” Gao Yuntian added a few pieces of firewood to the fire. “It will be even more troublesome when Brother Chen arrives with his troops.”

Jia Chuan looked towards the direction of the backyard wall that had already been demolished, pondering that the area beneath this temple also needed to be excavated, and this was not something that could be resolved in just a few days.

Gao Yuntian then asked, "Have you interrogated the three people in that house? How did they know there were such good things in the cellar?"

Jia Chuan turned to look at Gao Yuntian and gave a wry smile. So far, apart from those who brought it up themselves, no one had asked him about the details of the case.

That's good, otherwise he would have had to rack his brains to figure out how to protect the villagers. The current situation has given him the best way to help the villagers escape this calamity.

……

Xu Gong woke up after sleeping for a little over an hour, and Jia Chuan immediately offered his suggestion.

"...There are still many places to dig. Once Chen Mo arrives with his soldiers, setting up camp in this weather won't be feasible. Besides, it's best if the common people know as little as possible. But from today onwards, carriages will be coming and going... When I was in Le'an, I knew that the Prince of Han would target me, so I first had the people from the prefectural government relocate the surrounding residents elsewhere. At the time, I thought that the Prince of Han's men were all ruthless, and I didn't want to endanger the lives of the people. Now..."

“Your idea is good. Someone! Find the magistrate immediately and order him to relocate the villagers to another place before nightfall tomorrow. Make sure they are properly settled. Once things are settled here, let them come back.”

Jia Chuan quickly added, "The county government should bear all the necessary expenses during this period, so as not to cause widespread resentment among the people."

Xu Gong smiled, waved his hand, and the person who was obeying the order withdrew. Xu Gong pointed at Jia Chuan and said, "You are still a vengeful person. It seems that the magistrate has made you suffer a lot. Well, it is normal for a scholar to suffer some grievances without anyone to support him."

Jia Chuan wanted to explain that the people shouldn't have to bear the costs themselves, and it had nothing to do with whether he had suffered any injustice. However, Xu Gong was preoccupied with the treasures buried in the ground, and walked towards the construction site while talking.

Jia Chuan chased after him, but it was only a few steps, so he didn't bother to explain.

……

On his way back after being sent away early in the morning, Zhao Guang's right eyelid kept twitching, which made him even more terrified. He had a feeling that the Imperial Guards would suddenly appear in front of him and take him away.

Finally back in the back courtyard of the county government office, the first thing Zhao Guang did was drink his medicine, a calming medicine. As he drank the medicine, he cursed Song Sheng in his heart. Ever since this thing came, nothing good had happened!

Zhao Guang took off his clothes and rested, wanting to take a nap. Although he was curious about what was in the small temple, his hatred for Song Sheng and his fear of the Embroidered Uniform Guard occupied most of his energy, leaving him no time to think about what was happening on the mountain.

The effects of the medicine soon took hold; he felt an overwhelming drowsiness almost simultaneously with hearing the servants' rapid footsteps.

Zhao Guang couldn't understand. He had been standing at the foot of the mountain for quite a while. What couldn't he have said then? Why did they have to wait until he got home and lay down before bothering him?
Zhao Guang got up angrily, feeling dizzy and suddenly worried that he might lose his life because of Song Sheng.

After Zhao Guangping calmed down and dressed neatly, he came to the hall and immediately heard the orders from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, especially the last sentence: all expenses should be paid in advance by the county government, and the villagers should not be wronged. The Embroidered Uniform Guard will send people to assist.

Assistance? More like surveillance!
Where would the county government get the money to settle over a hundred villagers? Especially in such a remote place, it seems they even need to prepare food for them, and it's unknown how many days it will take before they can move back. This is forcing him to use his own savings.

Zhao Guang felt like fainting. If he, the county magistrate, fell ill, the county assistant would naturally take charge of everything. He was eager to see how Song Sheng would handle the matter.

Just as Zhao Guang was about to fall to the side along his trembling legs, a voice rang in his mind: Could it be that Song Sheng did this on purpose?

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Zhao Guang immediately stood firm and bowed to show his determination not to fail in his mission.

After seeing off the Embroidered Uniform Guards, Zhao Guang couldn't help but feel that Song Sheng was setting a trap for him, with the aim of taking control of all affairs in the county government during this period, so that all the credit would go to Song Sheng in the future.

So, Song Sheng deliberately tried to scare him the day before yesterday, hoping to make him fall seriously ill. But Song Sheng didn't expect that he was usually very health-conscious and had a very strong body! He didn't fall ill this time, and seeing that he was still able to go to the village this morning, Song Sheng, whose first plan failed, came up with a second plan. He deliberately kept quiet about telling him about the job in the village, waiting for him to relax before making things difficult for him. Fortunately, he was in good health!
...At this moment, Jia Chuan on the mountain sneezed several times. He looked at the setting sun and thought that Gao Yunduo might be thinking of him, which warmed his heart.

Four more boxes were unearthed during the day, but Jia Chuan didn't care. He had already taken what he was supposed to, and Xu Gong had his own arrangements for the rest, so he didn't need to worry about it. Chen Mo would also arrive later, and he wouldn't be shortchanged either. At this moment, Jia Chuan was only thinking about finding an excuse to leave and go back to celebrate the New Year with the people waiting for him.

Xu Gong was so enthusiastic about his work that he didn't have time to chat with Jia Chuan about anything else. The workers on the construction site had stopped working. A small portion of the people who came with him stayed down the mountain to patrol with the yamen runners, while the rest were divided into two shifts and had been digging since last night. It wasn't that they were too tired to dig anymore, but that they dared not dig any further, as the site might collapse at any moment if they continued to dig.

However, the frozen soil above is very hard, and not much can be dug away in half a day. At present, many large openings have been made at the entrance of the cellar, but the ones inside are even larger. Moreover, all the buildings in the temple have to be demolished, and the ground below also needs to be dug. With the current number of people, it is difficult to make any further progress even if they work themselves to death without solving the problem of the frozen soil above.

Xu Gong was discussing with his men how to continue working without wasting time while waiting for the soldiers to arrive.

Some suggested using wooden stakes for support, and there were also forests nearby, so the villagers' firewood wouldn't be enough. However, arranging for people to cut down and transport the timber would take time, and Xu Gong, who was eager to get things done, obviously couldn't accept this troublesome process.

On his way here, Xu Gong had thought about it and was quite certain that Jia Chuan had discovered a treasure. He considered himself to know Jia Chuan well and naturally dared to let his imagination run wild. But he never expected that the person who put these boxes there would place them so casually and then fill them with soil to create a small mountain.

Which came first, the mountain or the box?

Xu Gong remembered Jia Chuan saying that a Yuan Dynasty person first brought these boxes to this uninhabited place, and then over the decades, people gradually appeared in the vicinity. So, what kind of scene would be under this small hill?
Xu Gong was too excited to think about it further.

Some suggested leaving young and strong villagers to help, and Xu Gong thought this was a good suggestion.

After hearing this, Jia Chuan remained silent for a moment, then asked Xu Gong, "If it's all the soldiers we brought... how to do it is naturally up to you, brother. If we need the villagers' help, wouldn't it be safer for you to send someone back to get an imperial decree? I'm afraid there aren't enough villagers in this village, are there? But is the Emperor willing to send out the message right away? I don't understand these things, but I'm sure you can think things through thoroughly."

This was indeed Jia Chuan's true thought. He genuinely didn't know if he needed to apply to higher authorities for such a matter of requisitioning laborers. As for what would happen to the villagers after they found out, Jia Chuan felt that as long as Zhu Zhanji didn't suspect the villagers' bloodline, it wouldn't cause too much trouble. He could just say that an ancient tomb had been discovered and that a rescue excavation was being carried out. In the previous life, the things underground belonged to the country, but in this life, everything belongs to the royal family. Who would dare to object?
Xu Gong calmed down considerably after hearing this. This matter could not be rushed. It was easy to dig it out, but the key was to transport it safely. It was clear that the two hundred men that Chen Mo brought were not enough. More manpower needed to be transferred. Moreover, it was best to have an imperial censor watching over this matter to avoid causing trouble for the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the future. In addition, he left in a hurry and did not really understand the emperor's intention. Could this matter be exposed?
Xu Gong patted Jia Chuan on the shoulder earnestly and said, "Fortunately, I have you here. Otherwise, I'm afraid I would have done something wrong without even realizing it, and by the time I found out, it would have been too late to do anything about it."

These words immediately extinguished Jia Chuan's desire to go back home for the New Year reunion. Undeterred, he said, "I'm afraid I can't be of much help here..."

Xu Gong waved his hand and said, "You are very important. I feel at ease with you here."

Jia Chuan sighed inwardly.

Xu Gong noticed Jia Chuan's preoccupation and asked in a low voice, "Are you still thinking about capturing those people?"

"Uh……"

"Don't think about these things anymore. They ran away long ago when they saw the imperial officials coming. Where can you catch them? With those three people and that corpse, I will explain to the Emperor when we return to the capital. Oh, the Emperor won't ask any questions. You can just write the case file truthfully at the Ministry of Justice. Only you can investigate this case to this extent. If it were anyone else, humph!"

Xu Gong was busy again, arranging for people to return to the capital to obtain imperial orders, arranging for people to continue digging the frozen soil, arranging for people to send the three survivors in the nunnery and the corpses on the snow back to the capital, arranging for people to dismantle the nunnery and the main hall, arranging for people to lead yamen runners to cut down and transport timber...

……

The campfire had moved, and Jia Chuan sat alone beside it.

It was already dark, but he knew that the surroundings were as bright as day. With the yamen runners, there were only a few dozen people, and they had to take turns working. There were only a few dozen people working, but he could feel that the atmosphere was bustling with activity.

The neighborhood chief just came by and sat next to me; we chatted for a bit.

He told the village head that the county government would arrange for the villagers to stay elsewhere the next day, and they would return once the imperial court had dealt with the situation properly.

The village chief did not answer.

Jia Chuan didn't say anything more. After a while, the village chief sighed and said, "You know everything."

Jia Chuan didn't turn his head, staring at the fire, and said, "You didn't need to say that."

"I won't feel comfortable if I don't say anything. I'm curious when you found out..."

"The more you say, the more mistakes you make. You said that the old monks on the mountain rarely come down to beg for food. The villagers bring them up the mountain, and they also carry water and chop firewood. The villagers do all of this on their own initiative. You don't even know how they take turns. This means that they have a division of labor and everything is arranged properly. The fact that they can be so orderly must be because they have followed this routine for a long time."

The village chief took a deep breath and said, "I didn't expect that you would think of it just from my casual remark."

"There must be a reason why you can be the village head. I don't want to know. I just need to know that you are all inherently good. What does it matter to you who becomes emperor? Let alone such things, what does it have to do with the small temple you have guarded for generations? Now that some good things have been dug out, it had nothing to do with you before, and it will have even less to do with you now. It's pointless for me to keep harping on you!"

The village chief let out a long sigh and turned to look at Jia Chuan: "I've thought about poisoning you all."

"Ah."

Jia Chuan responded calmly.

(End of this chapter)