Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 144 Returning to Beijing
Zhang Zheng walked up to Jia Chuan, bent down, looked directly into Jia Chuan's eyes, and asked, "Do you still have a way out? Before going to Le'an, who did you offend? After going to Le'an, who did you offend? If it weren't for the Emperor standing behind you, could you have survived with just the Gao siblings?"

Jia Chuan felt a chill run down his spine.

"Don't you understand the principle that you can't have your cake and eat it too? When you protected the Emperor and left Huanglu Ridge, you still had a way out. At that time, did you not think about what the future would bring? Or did you also want to be promoted and ennobled? But after you found out that Prince Zhao was involved, you had no way out."

Zhang Zheng sat down in the chair. At this moment, he still felt that Jia Chuan was afraid. No matter what he was afraid of, he was definitely afraid. Otherwise, why would he give up the imperial favor that was right in his hands?

Zhang Zheng took a deep breath and asked coldly, "Have you considered how someone else would feel if you reacted this way, instead of me?"

Jia Chuan felt his hair stand on end. He had just told Zhang Zheng that there was no need to dig too deep into the case. Zhang Zheng also knew that he was the one who first discovered the gold, and he now wanted to retire from the underworld.
Zhang Zheng turned his head and saw that Jia Chuan was covered in sweat. He knew that the boy was quite frightened and couldn't help but complain, "You are usually very thoughtful in your work. How come you suddenly became confused? I'll pretend that you don't consider me an outsider. Just don't tell anyone else about the nonsense you just said... You didn't tell Xu Gong, did you?"

Jia Chuan quickly waved his hand and said, "No, no! Why would I tell him these things? He wouldn't even ask."

Zhang Zheng thought for a moment and said, "Don't hold a grudge. The Emperor is using you like this to give you experience. You're still young. I would like to take on this kind of job, but firstly, my body might not be able to handle such a lot of travel, and secondly... you really have exceptional skills in investigating cases. Although the trip to Le'an was full of scares, it was still a close call. And to save your life... we even asked people from the martial arts world. I know you didn't have an easy time in Xian County, but I didn't expect that it would take away your courage."

Jia Chuan continued waving his hand and said:
“Old Zhang, stop talking. Sigh, well, tell me what's wrong first? I'm not as capable as you think. I'm not afraid of anything else, I'm afraid of… disappointing the Emperor. We've finally accumulated some merit, haven't we? Don't let one bad job ruin everything. This little temple, do you know, when I was guarding it, only Duoduo and Yuanyuan were by my side? But I know there are definitely quite a few people. Being able to carry out the excavated soil and then the gold, it's not something a few people can do. And I can only grit my teeth and guard it. That kind of worry and fear… I understand these difficulties very well, and others can only understand a little. It's the same principle as saying more and making more mistakes, doing more and making more mistakes, so…”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zheng felt relieved. If this was the reason, it made sense. He thought about Jia Chuan's assignments, which were indeed all quite troublesome. He had finally managed to escape danger, only to encounter such a situation. If it were him, he would probably want to take a break, or perhaps he could live off these achievements for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, Jia Chuan was too young, and the Emperor was currently short of manpower, or more precisely, he lacked people he could trust.

Seeing Zhang Zheng sigh and his expression soften considerably, Jia Chuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell the truth, but how could he talk about not being able to find a wife if he didn't step down? He wouldn't mention anything that might arouse the Emperor's suspicion, let alone involving Gao Yunduo, or even anyone else.

Perhaps it was because he had watched too many political dramas in his previous life, or perhaps it was because he had witnessed firsthand how human life was treated like dirt by those in power in this life, that Jia Chuan dared not use such a thing to test who was truly trustworthy.

"Let's get down to business first," Zhang Zheng said solemnly. "Before the late emperor passed away, the Prince of Zhou suddenly died of illness. The Prince of Zhou was the fifth son of the founding emperor, and his fief was Kaifeng..."

The last time Jia Chuan heard royal secrets was from Zhang Zheng, who introduced Zhu Gaoxu's family background. At that time, Jia Chuan was already shocked by the "deep affection" between Zhu Gaoxu and his son Zhu Zhanqi. However, compared with the experiences of Prince Zhou, Zhu Su, Zhu Gaoxu was still happy so far.

Zhu Su was enfeoffed as the Prince of Wu in the third year of the Hongwu reign, with his fief in Hangzhou. Later, because Wu was an important place in Jiangnan, he was enfeoffed as the Prince of Zhou in the eleventh year of the Hongwu reign, with his fief in Kaifeng.

This prince was indifferent to military and national affairs and had no opportunity to participate. He liked to tend to flowers and plants and study medicine. He had the appearance of a harmless prince. He was not in the running for the throne. However, in the twenty-second year of Hongwu, Zhu Su left his fiefdom and went to Fengyang to visit his seriously ill mentor. When his father found out, he was exiled to Yunnan.

Zhu Su didn't know at the time that a few years later, one of his nephews would also be enfeoffed in Yunnan. He threw a tantrum and refused to go to his fief, and in the end, he really didn't go.

To arrive in Yunnan alive was already a blessing from heaven, but Zhu Su lived there for more than a year before his father transferred him back to Kaifeng.

Following Emperor Jianwen's ascension to the throne, Zhu Su was quite quiet. Of course, in those years, no one was truly not quiet.

But Emperor Jianwen didn't think that way. Having too many uncles was not a good thing. After ascending the throne, he orchestrated a series of events that led to the Jingnan Campaign. Emperor Jianwen received a secret report that Zhu Su and Zhu Di were in contact...

When Zhang Zheng got to this point, he said in a low voice, "This matter isn't recorded in the historical records. The situation was quite chaotic at the time, and I only heard about it from others. It's said that his second son betrayed him, and anyway, the Zhou king was imprisoned at the time."

After the Jingnan Campaign, Zhu Di ascended the throne, and Zhu Su was restored to his princely title and his ban was lifted.

This time, Zhu Su further distanced himself from court affairs, establishing a "Medicine Collection Bureau" in Kaifeng and devoting himself to medicine. Even so, in the eighteenth year of Yongle's reign, someone reported him for plotting a rebellion. Zhu Di directly ordered a thorough investigation. After the investigation, it was discovered that Zhu Su's second son, Zhu Youxun, was at odds with the heir apparent, Zhu Youdun, and conspired with his younger brother, Zhu Youxi, to falsely accuse the heir apparent of rebellion. Somehow, this reached Zhu Di's ears and was simplified to Zhu Su plotting a rebellion.

Zhu Di realized he had wronged his brother, Zhu Youxun, who was demoted to a commoner and sent to Yunnan along the same route his father had taken. Zhu Su, having failed to properly educate his son, handed over his guards the following year to demonstrate his loyalty, and the matter was finally dropped.

After the emperor ascended the throne, he granted a general amnesty to the imperial family. Zhu Youxun was lucky; he was summoned back to the capital and even had his title of Prince of Runan restored.

The title of Prince of Runan was merely a title; he had no fiefdom and no real power. When Zhu Youxun, the Prince of Runan, returned to Beijing, he could only live there.

In the twenty-second year of the Yongle reign, this prince, who could sit at home and still have his chamber pot thrown at him, finally passed away. His posthumous title was initially 'Jian' but was later changed to 'Ding'.

Even in his tomb, Prince Ding of Zhou could not find peace. Some time ago, Zhu Youdun, the designated successor and eldest son of Prince Zhu Su, the new Prince of Zhou, informed Zhu Zhanji that there was "strange activity" in the Prince of Zhou's palace.

This left Zhu Zhanji completely bewildered. According to custom, shouldn't he have heard something and then issued an edict, instructing the new Prince of Zhou to hand over something as a sign of loyalty? Why was he being asked to answer first?
At first, Zhu Zhanji didn't have time to pay attention, but Zhu Youdun wouldn't give up. He wrote secret letters to Zhu Zhanji and finally succeeded in provoking him.

……

"You want me to go to Kaifeng to investigate the relationship between King Ding of Zhou and King Han during his lifetime?" Jia Chuan asked, his eyes widening.

“This is also my deduction. Why would His Majesty tell me the details? When Prince Zhou was in Yunnan, I heard that he befriended many Dai doctors and had close ties with the Baiyao family. After returning to Kaifeng, he devoted himself to the study of medicine... After the Jingnan Campaign, Prince Han had dealings with this idle prince..." Zhang Zheng coughed twice and lowered his voice to say, “Although the late Emperor was weak, he was always in good health. Two days before his death, he suddenly felt unwell, and then medicine was useless.”

Zhang Zheng didn't finish speaking, but Jia Chuan listened to the whole thing. He sighed inwardly, wondering why they couldn't escape the messy affairs of the royal family. Why have so many children?!
"His Majesty's intention is for you to return to the capital first. When you go to the palace to meet His Majesty, he will explain everything to you in detail. This kind of case is not easy to investigate, but if His Majesty personally points out the direction for you, just follow it."

Jia Chuan opened his mouth, wanting to ask something, but didn't know where to start. In the end, he just sighed and remained silent.

Zhang Zheng stood up and said with a smile, "You're incredibly lucky, kid. This mountain is a credit you picked up by chance, and now the Emperor is personally bestowing upon you another one..."

"No need for the truth?"

“Take this case for example. There’s no concrete evidence, but you and I both know that your deductions are pretty close to the truth. If you really want to find out the truth, you won’t need to do anything else in your life. Is it really necessary?”

"It's not that I'm being pretentious, but ultimately, it's more appropriate for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to handle the matter of going to Kaifeng."

How do you know you're not a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard this time?

Jia Chuan gasped. He knew he was like Sun Wukong, changing his official position or identity wherever he went. The job he least wanted to do, outside of the palace, was as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Zhang Zheng patted Jia Chuan on the shoulder and said, "Go back and pack your things. Xu Gong has gathered all your men here, and the Emperor has given you another chance to take them all with you. Chen Mo and Gao Yuntian will escort you back to the capital. It's a bit late today, so let's set off tomorrow morning. This year has been a bit tough, but it's alright. The best days are yet to come."

...Jia Chuan walked into the courtyard, and Gao Yunduo came out to greet him upon hearing his voice. She asked from inside the courtyard, "How is it?"

Jia Chuan looked at Gao Yunduo, stopped, and said in a serious, low voice, "What you told me, you must not mention to a second person, not even your brother. Do you understand?"

Gao Yunduo was stunned.

Jia Chuan said softly, "Don't think too much about it. It's just between the two of us. Pack your things, we'll go back to Beijing tomorrow."

Gao Yunduo exclaimed in surprise, "Huh?"

Jia Chuan sighed and said, "I'm not as lucky as your maternal grandfather. At least for now... I'm not in control of my own destiny."

Just as Jia Chuan finished speaking, Dong Yuanyuan pushed open the door and came out.

……

At dusk, Chen Mo and Gao Yuntian returned, clearly aware that they had been given new assignments.

Chen Mo called Jia Chuan to the courtyard. Xu Gong couldn't leave, so he asked Jia Chuan to pass on a message and some gifts.

"I've handed the package to Gao Yunduo. You don't need to refuse. Xu Qianshi told me to tell you that it's what you deserve. The Embroidered Uniform Guard handed it to you personally, so you can take it without worry."

Jia Chuan knew this would happen, so he remained silent.

Chen Mo expected Jia Chuan to panic and make some excuses, but seeing that he remained silent, she was somewhat surprised and asked, "Did you understand what I said? There's a bundle, and inside is..."

"I'm not stupid!" Jia Chuan retorted irritably.

Chen Mo thought about it and realized that Jia Chuan couldn't possibly be so clueless as to not understand, so this expression must be related to Vice Commissioner Xu.

Chen Mo pursed his lips and said:
"Xu Qianshi said he would apologize to you after returning to the capital. He said he had no choice but to do so. He didn't expect you to understand, but he just wanted you to know that he was sure you were alright. If anything happened, he would risk his life to exonerate you, but only if you did not do anything to offend the Emperor."

Jia Chuan smiled and countered, "If I haven't done anything to wrong the Emperor, why would I need him to risk his life for me?"

Chen Mo pursed his lips, thought for a moment, and said, "When I got there and saw Yuanyuan and the others... I knew you would be angry. You would want them to stay far away from you, but if Vice Commissioner Xu didn't do this, someone would definitely seize on this and cause trouble afterward..."

"You don't need to explain for him, I understand."

"I didn't explain for him, but I thought that if it were me, I would tell you directly first..."

"That's what really annoys me. He wants to do things flawlessly to please the Emperor, and he also wants me to be grateful to him like a fool. He probably thinks that I'm only alive today because of luck."

Chen Mo said in a low voice, "He now realizes he underestimated you. He's not so busy on the mountain that he can't find the time to come down. He has to go back to the courtyard to sleep, right? He's just embarrassed to come see you, especially knowing that it's Zhang Zheng who came and that you're going back to the capital to take on a new job. How could he not know that he's been too clever for his own good?"

"I don't want to join the Embroidered Uniform Guard," Jia Chuan said dejectedly.

"What do you mean? This assignment..."

"I don't know, I'll find out when I get back. I need to think about how to explain this to the Emperor. Ugh, investigating cases isn't tiring, these things are too mentally taxing."

Chen Mo thought for a moment and said, "If the Emperor insists on sending you to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you should ask for a position as the Commander of the Southern Garrison. Although the rank is not high, it is advantageous because the Emperor is far away and there are not many troubles. Of course, you also have no power, but it is peaceful."

Jia Chuan waved his hand and turned to walk into the house.

……

More than a month later, Jia Chuan returned to Beijing.

Coming back is better than leaving; at least it wasn't done sneakily.

It was past noon when the group entered the city. Chen Mo reminded Jia Chuan that although this trip was not considered a return to the capital to report on his duties, they should still go to the palace gate to inquire first. If the emperor did not appear today, it would not be too late to return to the Gao family to rest.

Jia Chuan knew this was the rule, and he had to abide by it no matter how tired he was.

So, Chen Mo and Gao Yuntian escorted Jia Chuan to the palace gate, while the others went to the Gao family.

Jia Chuan felt that it was getting dark, and the Emperor should show some consideration and let him go back to rest first, and see him again tomorrow.

But then a young eunuch came to lead the way.

Jia Chuan turned to look at Chen Mo and Gao Yuntian, and said wearily, "You two go back first. We don't know when we'll be out of here..."

Chen Mo frowned and said, "Let's go inside quickly. Can we really leave? There's a carriage; we won't get cold."

Jia Chuan thought about it and realized it made sense. They were on official business. He sighed inwardly, thinking that in his previous life, at least he could go home first after returning from a business trip. Sigh, he walked with heavy steps and entered the palace after passing through security.

……

(End of this chapter)