Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 149 Have a Bite

Jia Chuan understood Gao Yunduo's anger, but he didn't say anything. He just gestured for everyone to make room for the doctor. The hall of the side room was very small. Jia Chuan left Shunzi and Lu Baihu to watch over the room and led the others to the main room.

Gao Yunduo was clearly not just speaking in anger; she followed closely behind Jia Chuan, still insisting, "I don't care what kind of kings they are, toying with other people's lives like this makes them think they can act recklessly and no one will dare to hold them accountable. If you..."

“Besides Shunzi, I knew Old Zheng the longest. He lived alone in Dongzhao County, spending his days with corpses, and most of the time he was alone, so I thought of bringing him with me…” Jia Chuan went into the house and walked to the charcoal brazier, warming his hands on it. “My original intention was that if I could make some contributions, I could share some with him so that he could have a more comfortable old age. But now… do you think I would just ignore it?”

Gao Yuntian sat down in a chair and said to Gao Yunduo in an annoyed tone, "Don't make things worse. Right now, saving Old Zheng is the priority. He's not afraid of the Prince of Han, so why would he be afraid of a mere Prince of Runan who only has a nominal title?"

Chen Mo sat down in the chair next to Gao Yuntian, and Jia Chuan looked at him and asked, "Has the matter of the Prince of Runan's sudden death been reported to the Emperor?"

"I really don't know. Reporting it is Zhou Wang's business. The information I received came from the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Kaifeng Prefecture. But when we went to the Prince's residence today, I felt... Zhou Wang probably knew that the Prince of Runan had faked his death and took the opportunity to hold a funeral. He might have reported it, thinking of accusing his younger brother of deceiving the emperor."

"You mean the King of Zhou knew that the King of Runan was faking his death?"

"Yes, I was so scared that I took several steps back. King Zhou stood there without moving, and the corners of his mouth even turned up. Then, when he saw me looking at him, he pretended to be panicked and sat down on the ground with a thud."

"Did the Prince of Runan say anything after he sat up?"

"He grabbed Old Zheng's arm, pointed at King Zhou, and said, 'He wants to kill me.'"

Jia Chuan then asked, "Did you see his complexion and breathing at the time? Did he seem like he had just woken up?"

"He didn't just wake up. Even if he had just woken up, he listened quietly to us talking before sitting up."

"Does he look like someone who hasn't eaten for two days?"

"He spoke with great confidence and showed no weakness."

"Besides these two precious sons, does the old Prince Zhou Ding have any other offspring?"

Chen Mo shook his head and said, "There are only these two sons left. The current King Zhou has been married for many years but has no children, while the King of Runan does have two sons."

Jia Chuan walked to the door with a stern face and said, "They should have received the news when we left the capital. They knew you were Jinyiwei, yet they still dared to act so recklessly!"

Gao Yuntian said, "Could it be that they know Old Zheng is just a coroner, which is why they dared to do this..."

"It's time to change Old Zheng's reputation as the coroner of Dongzhao County."

After saying that, Jia Chuan went to the side room.

Chen Mo looked at Gao Yuntian, and Gao Yuntian looked at Gao Yunduo. At this moment, Dong Yuanyuan spoke up: "If we get Uncle Zheng into the Embroidered Uniform Guard, then Big Brother will have an excuse to vent his anger on them."

……

The people in Prince Zhou's residence soon received the news that the people who came to the residence today to conduct the autopsy were members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, not someone surnamed Jia. Prince Zhou, Zhu Youdun, was somewhat disappointed. Of course, he had already begun to be disappointed when he saw that it was an old man rather than a young man who came forward, but now that he had received the news, his disappointment was even more thorough.

Prince Zhu Youxun of Runan thought this was even better. In his view, no matter who it was, the blame should be placed on the King of Zhou. He felt that if the King of Zhou hadn't wanted to kill him, he wouldn't have faked his death to save his life. It was a cause-and-effect relationship, so in the end, it was all the King of Zhou's fault. Anyone would think that was the way it was.

If it were just an ordinary coroner today, Zhu Youxun would have thought it wasn't powerful enough. The more important the person, the better. He had previously thought it would be that autopsy expert, the young man surnamed Jia who had inexplicably been favored by the emperor, coming to "visit" him. Now that he knew it was a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who was far more important than Jia, Zhu Youxun was naturally more satisfied.

Clearly, both Zhu Youdun and Zhu Youxun had heard of Jia Chuan, but to varying degrees.

Zhu Youxun had heard of Jia Chuan, but what did that have to do with him? This time, he was only keeping a close eye on the movements of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He wanted to use the Embroidered Uniform Guard's hands and mouth to help him ascend the throne, so that he would no longer return to the capital as a poor and wretched Prince of Runan, holding a title but being a laughing stock in the eyes of others.

Zhu Youdun knew that among the people on this trip to Kaifeng, Jia Chuan was the one who truly had influence. He desperately hoped that this young man would be the one to come today, so that he could use Jia Chuan to get rid of his brother who only caused trouble.

Zhu Zhanji received several secret letters from Zhu Youdun mentioning "strange activity," which was naturally caused by Zhu Youxun, whom Zhu Zhanji had personally ordered to be released back to the mountains. Jia Chuan could understand Zhu Zhanji's motive for releasing the silly roe deer back to the mountains, so how could Zhu Youdun not see it?

If you want to set an example for other princes by organizing the Prince Zhou's residence, you have to make some noise first, and it has to be a real noise, so as not to be criticized by later generations like Jianwen.

Zhu Youdun had neither the time nor the desire to deal with these trivial matters, which truly delayed his writing and rehearsing. He was currently writing "Righteous and Brave Refusal of Gold," and several lines of the lyrics had been carefully considered. Originally, he could have finished writing them before the New Year, but then Zhu Youxun arrived, and his inspiration was completely ruined by his younger brother. But what could he do? Although he was the eldest brother, Zhu Youxun was ordered to return to the Prince's Mansion, and he couldn't be driven away. Zhu Youdun was worried.

When Zhu Youdun learned that the Emperor had accepted his appeal and sent Jia Chuan, the man who had caused a ruckus in Le'an, he felt a glimmer of hope...

Zhu Youxun arrived in Kaifeng in high spirits and immediately began contacting old friends. He even openly tried to win over the commander of the guards of the Prince's Palace and drank with the chief secretary of the Prince's Palace. Because he had returned by imperial decree, these people had no choice but to give him face. However, after a few days, various rumors began to spread in the Prince's Palace. The core of the rumors was that the Emperor intended to replace the Prince of Zhou with someone else.

A few days later, news spread that the prince knew his throne was in jeopardy and might take action.

Zhu Youdun had also heard about it, but he simply shook his head.

What excited Zhu Youxun was that his elder brother only knew how to compose music and direct plays and did not care about anything else, which allowed him to act recklessly after returning. But this was also what angered him. How could such a person be worthy of being the King of Zhou?
Next, all he needs to do is feign death before the Embroidered Uniform Guard arrives in Kaifeng. Zhu Youdun will surely panic, and the men he brings will insist that the Prince of Zhou framed him. How could Zhu Youdun dare to report this? In desperation, he will draw his sword and kill his attendants, thus confirming the Prince of Zhou's crime of assassination. Once the Embroidered Uniform Guard arrives... the Prince of Zhou's throne will be his.

Unfortunately, Zhu Youdun was not as easy to bully as he thought. No sooner had he feigned death than Zhu Youdun brought out a coffin...

Zhu Youxun wanted to use the Embroidered Uniform Guard to bring down his elder brother, but Zhu Youdun had no choice but to ask Jia Chuan to discipline his naughty younger brother. Little did he know that this would only cause trouble for Old Zheng.

... Jia Chuan stayed by Old Zheng's bedside. Five doctors were treated that afternoon, and two imperial physicians from the Prince's mansion also came. The prescription that the seven of them developed was decocted and fed to Old Zheng. Old Zheng still insisted on having a high fever and occasionally talked nonsense and shouted.

Three of the doctors ran away, but Jia Chuan felt that since they didn't want to treat him, there was no point in keeping him around, so he didn't order anyone to stop them.

The remaining two waited for at least two hours before leaving, leaving only the two imperial physicians from the Prince's residence. It wasn't that they didn't want to leave, but that they couldn't.

Jia Chuan knew what this meant. With the principle of trying anything as a last resort, he tried to lower Old Zheng's fever with physical methods. Jia Chuan had only one thought in his mind: the fever couldn't continue like this.

The Prince's mansion had a stash of strong liquor, which Jia Chuan obtained. While waiting, Jia Chuan, Gao Yuntian, and Shunzi wiped Old Zheng's entire body with warm water, paying special attention to the skin folds. Chen Mo was responsible for giving Old Zheng warm water, two spoonfuls every few minutes. When the Prince's mansion's strong liquor arrived, Jia Chuan instructed them to wipe the soles of his feet, groin, and armpits...

The strong smell of alcohol in the room made Jia Chuan feel dizzy. As he vigorously wiped Old Zheng's armpits with alcohol, he seemed to see Old Zheng open his eyes.

"Have a bite."

Old Zheng woke up.

……

Whether it was the Chinese medicine that finally took effect, or Jia Chuan's haphazard actions that worked, or Old Zheng's efforts to stimulate his immune system for a sip of wine, in any case, after Old Zheng said he wanted a sip, Chen Mo quickly gave him several sips of warm water, and Old Zheng closed his eyes again in satisfaction.

The high fever gradually subsided afterward.

Jia Chuan told everyone else to rest. He would keep watch for the first half of the night, while Shunzi would keep watch for the second half. The two imperial physicians were taken away by Commander Lu to be settled. They would not be able to return to the Prince's Mansion until Old Zheng was fully recovered.

Jia Chuan stayed with Old Zheng. The room was dimly lit by only an oil lamp, which reminded Jia Chuan of several crime scenes he had witnessed in his previous life. The crime scenes themselves weren't scary, at least not to him. What was scary was his own self-inflicted fear, such as the sudden ringing of a cell phone while he was deep in thought...

Dim lighting can easily breed fear.

Jia Chuan straightened his back, touched Old Zheng's forehead. As long as the fever didn't return tonight, he would have made it through this ordeal. Jia Chuan let out a long breath and was about to lie down on the edge of the bed for a nap when he heard a slight noise at the door. He froze in his forward-leaning posture.

Jia Chuan strained his ears to discern the sound, then sensed a figure standing behind him. He froze, staring at the shadow on the wall, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead. He suddenly recalled the scene of Old Zheng being frightened. Knowing Old Zheng as he did, he would have been just like him then—covered in sweat and frozen in place, then should have recovered after a while. He was certainly frightened, but not this badly, unless…

Jia Chuan suddenly turned his head, startling Chen Mo, who whispered, "Are you crazy? Why did you turn around like that?!"

"Who gave you permission to stand behind me?"

"I thought you were about to take a nap, and I was wondering whether I should wake you up when you suddenly turned around." Chen Mo sat down on the edge of the bed, fuming.

"Why are you running here instead of resting?"

“I’ve rested, but I just can’t understand why you did all this for him. You told everyone he was from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but did you get permission from Commander Liu or Vice Commissioner Xu?”

Jia Chuan shrugged and said, "His Majesty has given me permission to act as I see fit."

"That's what the Emperor said, but... but you still have to give Commander Liu some face. No matter which government office you're in in the future, or what title you're given, you still have to deal with the Embroidered Uniform Guard..."

"You mean I should consider whether Commander Liu is comfortable or not, and shouldn't stand up for Old Zheng?"

Chen Mo glanced at the sleeping Old Zheng.

Jia Chuan said, "You saw him today and he was frightened, but you didn't lose your temper. Instead, you brought them back directly. After the late emperor ascended the throne, he strictly controlled the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The emperor also repeatedly instructed that they should not act arrogantly like they did during the Yongle era. You have indeed restrained yourselves, but others probably won't forget what the Embroidered Uniform Guard used to be like. Their fear of you is ingrained in their bones."

"You mean... I should do something for Old Zheng at the Prince's Mansion today? Sigh, you don't understand. We also have to distinguish between people and tasks. The Prince of Runan is indeed just a nominal title, but he still occupies the position of a county prince."

“You guys followed me in Le’an… In my eyes, regardless of rank, you are all the same. When I saw Gao Yuntian come with Xu Qian in the small temple, the first person I thought of was you. That’s a good thing. Everyone involved will benefit. Although I don’t have any experience as an official, I can’t say I have none. My internship counts as seniority, and I’ve been doing it for quite a while now. I understand a bit about the ins and outs here. The package you sent me was only part of it. After they’ve dug it all up, my good brother will send me more.”

Chen Mo was taken aback. He had always felt that Jia Chuan's brain was different from others, as if it was specially designed to handle cases and emergencies. However, Jia Chuan might not understand the ways of officialdom and needed Chen Mo to give him some pointers. For example, when Jia Chuan suggested that Old Zheng join the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Chen Mo did not refute him on the spot. He was thinking of finding an opportunity to remind him that it was better for Jia Chuan not to make decisions on his own when it came to matters involving the Embroidered Uniform Guard. This time it was not a big deal, but Chen Mo was afraid that Jia Chuan would get used to it and act this way in every matter, big or small, which would be troublesome.

But Jia Chuan's words made Chen Mo feel that his worries were unnecessary, as Jia Chuan seemed to understand everything.

Seeing that Chen Mo was looking at him without speaking, Jia Chuan continued, "I know you've always looked down on Old Zheng and Shunzi, and I've never forced you. They're very important to me, and I'll remember that myself. How could I let him get away with making fun of Old Zheng like that?!"

Chen Mo frowned and said, "You'd better think this through carefully. You should find a way..."

“Old Zheng has seen more corpses than anything else in his life. I was just too worried to think straight. If it were Shunzi, his current state would make sense, but Old Zheng… he can sense something at a glance without even checking, and he'll be on guard. It’s hard to frighten him like this now!” Jia Chuan shook his head.

Chen Mo thought for a moment and asked, "You mean Old Zheng saw something else? Not just dead people opening their eyes?"

"At least it's not something that can scare him like this just by opening his eyes casually."

"I saw a face..."

Jia Chuan and Chen Mo were both startled and looked at Old Zheng at the same time.

(End of this chapter)