Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 143 Don't be afraid

Zhang Zheng smiled and said:

"When you arrived in Beijing, I had just set off back to Jinan. I only learned halfway there that you had gone to the manor... But let's not talk about that. After the New Year, I will be transferred to the Censorate, so the matter of the small temple will be entrusted to me. Besides supervising the Embroidered Uniform Guard to find the treasure on the mountain as soon as possible and transport it back to the capital, I also want to hear your deductions on this case. I know that although this case has occurred right before our eyes, if we really investigate it..."

Zhang Zheng shook his head and said again:
"The man sent back by Vice Commissioner Xu told us about the case, but he mainly wanted the imperial decree rather than the case details, so he gave a very brief account. Even so, it surprised the Emperor. You found out through the autopsy that the person who came was from the Northern Yuan tribe. The Emperor's meaning is that what these people are concerned about may be related to the past events of the previous dynasty. Therefore, this case does not need to be too detailed, but we must follow the clues to find the root of the problem."

Jia Chuan pursed his lips, thought for a moment, and said, "This is something we should discuss. I don't think it's necessary. What is the root? It's the people of the previous dynasty. The Yuan Dynasty later became the Northern Yuan, and now it's fragmented. How can we find the root? Let me explain the case to you in detail, and you'll understand what I mean."

Jia Chuan recounted the case, then discussed his deductions regarding the gold and silver on the mountain. After taking a sip of the tea, which had almost cooled down, brought by his attendant, he summarized his findings:

"The Emperor wants the root of the problem, but we can't find it. The old monk's lineage is probably already dead. If we discover them on New Year's Day, I have enough men to follow the trail and maybe we can find their accomplices. But what good will that do? The person who tracked us down here might be a tribal chief. He might have accidentally learned about this incident from back then and needs these things to wipe out other tribes..."

“You just said that the two old Taoist priests might have been brought by those people and forced to go to the small temple on the mountain under threat. Moreover, these two even attracted the attention of the villagers in order to save their lives... If these two didn't want to do it, they could have found a chance to escape after entering the village. Why would they die in the temple with the monks? That's one point. Secondly, I know that whether it's the Tatars or the Oirats, there are people who speak the Central Plains language very well. If you can't understand their accents, just change your clothes... There's no need to send two old Taoist priests on this trip, is there?”

Jia Chuan knew that Zhang Zheng was not easy to fool, nor did he intend to. So he explained the case in detail, intending to let Zhang Zheng know that the emperor's intentions were not easy to fulfill, nor was it necessary to fulfill them. Then he talked about the gold and silver on the mountain. His idea was that as long as he got the gold and silver, that would be enough. Unexpectedly, Zhang Zheng's attention was actually on the case.

"Well, there's no concrete evidence to prove this right now. But here's my deduction: whatever foreign tribe knows about the secret hidden in the small temple, it's definitely confidential. The people who would know it and be sent out by the chief to do this job are probably not as useful as military generals. At most, they can offer advice from behind the scenes. The ones who can come out are all warriors, and young and strong at that. There shouldn't be many people like that who are proficient in our language. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, when he was chasing after them and beating them up, they wanted to send people to study abroad, but they just didn't have time to think about cultivating such talents."

Zhang Zheng frowned, but did not interrupt Jia Chuan, and continued to listen attentively.

"They were able to pinpoint the location of the small temple on the hill, so I deduce they didn't just find it. They must have tried many methods. With their skills, sneaking into a temple at night would be easy, but the temple is only so big. They must have searched every possible place. As for the cellar, they probably knew about it before and even went down there. Here's the problem: no matter where they suspect those things are hidden, they certainly aren't out in the open. Right now, we don't know how many boxes there are in total, but perhaps they know, or at least they know there are quite a few, otherwise they wouldn't have risked coming here..."

“I understand.” Zhang Zheng nodded and said, “They brought the old Taoist priest not to knock on the temple door, nor to find out where the box was hidden, but to create an opportunity for them to make their move.”

Jia Chuan breathed a sigh of relief. It was so much easier to talk to someone who understood him. He nodded vigorously and said, "I don't know if the two old Taoists are really Taoists. I'm more inclined to believe that they aren't."

"Oh? Why?"

"They have very delicate skin and tender flesh."

Zhang Zheng frowned.

Jia Chuan continued:

“I couldn’t understand it before either. Why didn’t they run away? Not only did they not run away, but they were also afraid that the villagers wouldn’t know they went to the small temple. And on New Year’s Day, we suddenly arrived at the small temple and the people we met were also dressed as Taoist priests… After we found out what was in the cellar, when we looked back, we finally understood why those people froze four people to death and hid their bodies in the dry well.”

Jia Chuan pondered his words for a moment and then said:
"Buddhism and Taoism have always been the religions practiced by the people of the Central Plains. As for why they believe in them, they probably can't understand it. By creating the illusion that a Taoist priest and a Buddhist monk have disappeared at the same time, especially at the end of the year, the villagers would feel a sense of awe and stay far away, making it easier for them to take action. However, they soon discovered that digging at night alone wouldn't work, as those boxes were indeed not easy to find..."

Zhang Zheng began, “In the first year of Hongwu, Emperor Taizu conferred the title of ‘Zhengyi Sijiao Zhenren’ upon Zhang Zhengchang, the Celestial Master of the Zhengyi School of Longhu Mountain, and bestowed upon him a silver seal with the rank of second grade. However, he abolished the title of ‘Celestial Master’ and established the ‘Daolu Si’ (Taoist Records Office) under the Ministry of Rites to manage Taoist affairs, such as praying for rain and warding off disasters. When Emperor Taizong came to power, he… designated Wudang Mountain as ‘Dayue’ (Great Mountain) and built the Golden Summit and Zixiao Palace on its summit… These things were enough to make people think that the court was promoting Taoism, but in reality, it was weakening it. The highest rank of the Daolu Si was only sixth grade, and it had no real power. The ‘Great Ming Code’ was extremely strict on temples and Taoist monasteries, not only prohibiting people from becoming monks or nuns at will, but also limiting the number of people in temples and Taoist monasteries. The ordination certificate was not easy to obtain.”

Zhang Zheng took a sip of tea.

Jia Chuan was completely confused.

"You just mentioned delicate skin and tender flesh, which suggests that they are very likely not true Taoists. Most of the Zhengyi and Quanzhen sects are affiliated with the imperial court. Besides serving as officials and compiling books like the Daoist Canon, some Taoists are supported by powerful figures because of their medical or magical skills. However, folk Taoists, such as the Lushan sect and the Jingming sect, mainly make a living by presiding over funerals and exorcising evil spirits. If those two Taoists could be affiliated with powerful figures, how could they have been captured and used by the tribe? And if they were folk Taoists, how could they have delicate skin and tender flesh?"

Jia Chuan then understood that Zhang Zheng had said a lot to prove that the two Taoist priests were not real Taoist priests. However, Jia Chuan felt that it was inappropriate to distinguish between real and fake based on social status. It was possible that some people entered the Taoist temple to arrest two Taoist priests. When he said that the two priests had delicate skin, he meant that they had no scars on their bodies.

If they were kidnapped and forced, how could those people be so lenient? But Jia Chuan hadn't analyzed this point yet. He had just felt that reporting to Zhang Zheng was easy, and that his ideas would easily be accepted by Zhang Zheng...

Jia Chuan picked up his teacup and took another sip, but Zhang Zheng's explanation made him feel that his previous seemingly far-fetched deduction was somewhat plausible. The simultaneous disappearance of the monk and the Taoist priest might be an attempt to create an eerie atmosphere and prevent the villagers from approaching the small temple.

Jia Chuan put down his teacup and said:

"The reason those two fake Taoist priests attracted the villagers' attention was perhaps because they didn't completely believe the promises made by the people who hired them to swindle people. I had several hypotheses, but none of them could explain why they didn't run away, especially since the bundle of silver was placed on the platform of the main hall. Before I knew what was in the cellar, I couldn't deduce where those people were from, so I habitually assumed that the two fake Taoist priests knew they would die if they went out, or that they had relatives in the hands of someone. But after I captured three people alive and learned what was in the cellar, and after consulting with Leng and Jing, a deduction just popped into my head..."

Zhang Zheng interjected:
"Those two were just swindlers. The tribe found them and made a deal with them. They pretended to be Taoist priests and went into the temple to trick the old monk into handing over some hidden silver, and then they would split the loot... But the two of them felt that they were outnumbered and that something was wrong with those people. However, they couldn't resist the temptation of the silver, so they thought they were clever and wanted to attract the attention of the villagers. Once the deed was done, at least in this village, those people wouldn't dare to make a move, and they would have a chance to leave with the silver. The silver in the bundle was initially intended by the fake Taoist priest to arouse the greed of the yamen runners, but later it was continued to be used by those tribesmen. Maybe it was all planned in advance."

Jia Chuan breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, saying, "You see, none of our deductions can be substantiated. There are hidden silver places in the main hall, but how much exactly? I think it's definitely more than what's in the bundle, but who can we ask to prove it? It's all just deduction, which is why I said there's no need to get to the bottom of this case. We just need to know the general outline. The gold and silver in the cellar are the key. As long as we can find all the boxes safely and transport them back to the capital, this case can be closed."

Zhang Zheng looked at Jia Chuan probingly and asked, "Is there no other possibility? If it's just that those tribes wanted to do something, then it's true, as you said, but..." "There's no other possibility. I've been to the site several times, and guess what? The first two times I didn't find any trace. When I found the cellar, I found that they hadn't even dropped a single speck of dirt. At first, I couldn't understand how they could be so meticulous."

"Since they are not on their own territory, and this matter is of great importance to them, and time is limited, if they had more time, they could first bribe the people in the county government, and everything would be much easier."

"Don't be so sure, that county magistrate could have cooperated if he had been given some money. Unfortunately, they thought of using religion to scare away the villagers, and they also wanted to take advantage of the year-end to avoid doing any official business... They didn't expect me to come. So there's no need to investigate this case to the end, and there's no way to find the root of it anyway. When those two fake Taoist priests agreed to cooperate, those people had already decided to kill them. They brought this on themselves, and who can stop them?"

Zhang Zheng nodded and said, "It is indeed difficult to investigate thoroughly since it involves foreign tribes. His Majesty is worried that some officials have been implicated over the years, but as you said, their planning and actions are very meticulous. If anyone had been involved, things wouldn't be like this now." Zhang Zheng looked at Jia Chuan: "His Majesty means that it's best not to publicize this matter too much. It would be best to have an explanation. I've been thinking about it all the way here, but I haven't come up with a good one. You'll have to help me think of one."

“That’s easy,” Jia Chuan said, spreading his hands. “There’s an ancient tomb in this mountain. When it was being looted, the county magistrate of Xian County caught them on the spot. The emperor ordered people to investigate. The tomb was severely damaged, but a few burial objects were still left. The emperor had no choice but to order people to clean it up. As for which dynasty the tomb was from? It had all been looted. There was no epitaph or seal left.”

Zhang Zheng stared at Jia Chuan for a long while before asking in a low voice, "You..."

"No! I went to great lengths to think of this for you."

Zhang Zheng quickly cupped his hands in greeting to Jia Chuan, then let out a long breath and said, "I've finished telling you my story. Now let's talk about yours."

Jia Chuan was stunned.

"Don't be alarmed, it's not a bad thing."

"The rewards have been issued?" Jia Chuan asked excitedly.

"Uh... The Emperor has ordered you to go to the capital immediately and head to Kaifeng. Don't get excited, let me finish speaking first." After saying this, Zhang Zheng got up and opened the door, saying to the people outside, "No matter who comes, stop them first."

Jia Chuan tensed up. He didn't want to hear any more secrets or things that couldn't be told, because he knew it couldn't be anything good! He was thinking that after returning to the capital, he would refuse all the rewards and could barely accept being a county magistrate, and then he could settle down with his wife and children in a warm bed... But the excitement he felt just now, when he thought about the possibility of receiving rewards, was still lingering.

When Zhang Zheng closed the door and turned back, Jia Chuan's expression was a riot of colors.

Zhang Zheng couldn't help but laugh and said, "What are you afraid of? If others were to gain such trust from the Emperor, they would probably kowtow countless times at the ancestral hall to thank their ancestors for their protection."

"I sprang from a rock, with no one to protect me. You should think carefully before you tell me, or not. I was planning to go back and talk to the Emperor about retiring early and going home to retire..."

"This matter is indeed best left to you. Don't worry, it won't be as dangerous as Le'an's. You just need to keep your mouth shut..."

"No food or water allowed?"

"The matter under investigation involves members of the imperial family and clan. It must not be discussed with anyone except those close to you."

"You'll kill me to silence me after you're done?"

"Hey, why would I kill you?!"

Jia Chuan was puzzled: "Why don't you ask the Embroidered Uniform Guard for this kind of thing? Isn't that what they're supposed to do? If they do it, no one will dare to question them, so there's no need to worry about it."

Zhang Zheng looked at Jia Chuan with a probing gaze. At first, he thought Jia Chuan was frightened by the Prince of Han, but he had already said there was no danger. Why was Jia Chuan so resistant when he didn't even know what kind of job it was? Could it be that he had already heard about it?

"Have you heard anything from others?" Zhang Zheng asked, frowning.

"Who would I hear that from? Xu Gong practically lived in a cellar when he arrived, and he was still wary of me. Now that you've come, if the Emperor had sent someone else, I would never forgive Xu Gong!"

Zhang Zheng laughed and said, "It's your mistake to want to befriend the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Jia Chuan immediately deflated.

"But you should also see how much the Emperor trusts you. Otherwise, if someone else had made this trip, you and those around you would have been questioned. The case you told me about... has no evidence whatsoever. It would be normal for you to be impeached."

"The ginseng is just a ginseng-song style, what does it have to do with me?"

(End of this chapter)