Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 155 Zhou Family
Zhao Dewen panicked immediately and hurriedly said, "No, no, no, I don't know what you want to ask, and it's not appropriate..."

"Don't you know what I'm asking? Which servants did Zhou Cheng bring to the herb-gathering bureau yesterday? Where did he eat last night? Who was with him during the meal? The herb-gathering bureau isn't small, but it also has quite a few people. Did no one see Zhou Cheng last night? I just asked you, how long was it between the servants discovering the body and you arriving with your men? You said you didn't have time to ask, did you meet with the deputy envoys face to face? Did you meet to discuss whether to stop the flow of medicinal herbs?" Jia Chuan suddenly slammed his fist on the table and angrily rebuked, "Didn't you even discuss how to cover this up? Whose mouths should be silenced?"

Gao Yuntian immediately stepped forward.

Jia Chuan leaned forward and glared fiercely at the frightened Zhao Dewen, saying, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard has a way to make you say something voluntarily, without having to answer every question!"

Zhao Dewen hurriedly explained in a trembling voice, "It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! Listen to me first. It's not yet the end of the first month of the lunar calendar, and this is the only time of year when things are relatively quiet. There are only a few people at the Herb Gathering Bureau. Since we knew in advance that someone from the Imperial Hospital was coming, Ambassador Zhou was waiting at the Herb Gathering Bureau. We asked if we needed to stay behind, but Ambassador Zhou said no, he could handle it all by himself. We, we also rarely get a break. We only need to check on the Herb Gathering Bureau every day and then go back. With Ambassador Zhou here, why should we pay any attention to anything?"

Jia Chuan continued to stare fiercely at Zhao Dewen.

Zhao Dewen had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "I, I did lie. We received the news a little late and then rushed over from home... I was afraid you would misunderstand something. When we arrived, the servant was already dead, but we didn't touch him, we didn't touch anything. He, he died in the side room."

How do you know that person is Zhou Cheng's servant?

Zhao Dewen opened his mouth, thought for a moment, and asked, "Otherwise, who else could it be?"

"How many years have you worked with Zhou Cheng?"

"It's been around for quite a few years."

"You don't recognize the servants around him?"

"I know them. Oh dear, they're all like that now, who would dare to look closely? They're all dressed the same."

What did they eat last night?

Zhao Dewen spread his hands, looking aggrieved, and said, "I don't have time to ask these questions. I don't even know how I'm breathing right now."

Jia Chuan stood up and said, "Lead the way, let's go to Zhou Cheng's house."

Zhao Dewen immediately panicked and hurriedly said, "I won't go. I can find someone to lead the way or have a yamen runner lead the way."

"What are you afraid of?"

"His wife is a real shrew, that lady is truly... We haven't gone to his house to report this yet. We were hoping the government officials would go, but it turns out they've also heard of that lady's reputation and haven't gone to report it yet..."

“Perfect timing, I’ll go report this! You go and find out where Zhou Cheng ate last night, what he ate, and who was with him. I’ll leave one of the Imperial Guards with you.”

……

Jia Chuan said he was going to deliver a message, but he still picked up Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan on the way. He felt that it was still necessary to deal with the woman who could make the herb collection bureau and the government office afraid. What if she did something wrong? You know, it's not the villains you have to fear, but the shrew. Although Chen Mo and the others might not have this concept, Jia Chuan felt at ease after picking up these two.

Chen Mo and Old Zheng were left at the herb-gathering bureau. The bureau needed Chen Mo to oversee things, while Old Zheng was recovering from a serious illness and shouldn't be overworked.

Gao Yuntian, accompanied by several Imperial Guards and Jia Chuan, left the herb-gathering bureau. They first returned to the inn to pick up Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan, while Shunzi was taken to the herb-gathering bureau. Afterward, the group went to Zhou Cheng's residence.

When Zhou Cheng married Zou, his wife, he was just a shop assistant at the Zou family's pharmacy. Later, the Zou family used money to climb the social ladder through the Prince's Mansion and got him into the herb collection bureau. In just a few years, he became the deputy envoy, and a few years later, he became the ambassador. He never moved up again.

Jia Chuan had heard that the ambassador of the Kaifeng Herbal Medicine Bureau was someone even the prefect and the provincial governor respected. The reason was simple: medicine was the foundation of life. Whether one would have many children or grandchildren was uncertain, but someone in the family would inevitably fall ill, and it was hard to guarantee that it wouldn't be a rare or difficult disease. Moreover, the Herbal Medicine Bureau was responsible for supplying medicine to the Imperial Hospital. The Imperial Hospital had many procurement channels, but the Kaifeng Herbal Medicine Bureau was indispensable, naturally because it had good medicine. And the appointment of the ambassador of the Herbal Medicine Bureau was solely at the behest of the Prince of Zhou.

At that time, Prince Zhu Su of Zhou trusted Prince Zhou Cheng implicitly, and his position as ambassador was unshakeable. After the death of the old Prince Zhou, the new Prince Zhu Youdun of Zhou did not touch any of the people left behind by his father.

After Zhou Cheng established himself in the herb-gathering bureau, Zou Shi's status rose accordingly. In Kaifeng, prominent families would issue tickets to this lady for weddings, funerals, and chrysanthemum outings. At first, Zou Shi knew to restrain herself and put on an act, but it wasn't long before her true colors were revealed.

Especially after losing my temper in public for the first time and nothing happened, I simply let it go after that.

Everyone in Kaifeng knew that Zhou Cheng was a womanizer. He kept quite a few concubines in his backyard, and the number increased year by year, but the number remained constant. None of them had children. Over time, the people could figure out why. Zou Shi not only had a fiery temper, but also ruthless methods. In addition, some servants of the Zhou family would occasionally spread rumors: not to mention the concubines in the backyard, even the servants wanted to avoid Zou Shi. Being scolded was the least of their worries. If the mistress was in a bad mood, it was common to be beaten for no reason.

The persona of Zou has been successfully established.

However, the Zhou family was like a second royal mansion in Kaifeng, and no one dared to offend them. The young women who first entered the Zhou family were from Kaifeng, and their families had also approached the Zhou family, but nothing came of it. It is said that those who entered the Zhou family later were sent from all over the country.

However, Zou and Zhou had been married for twenty years without ever revealing their relationship. The people gossiped that if Zou hadn't been unable to give birth, even the flies in the Zhou family's backyard would have to be female.

It is said that Zou's plan was to adopt one of her brother's sons, but Zhou Cheng never agreed.

Jia Chuan heard these rumors from Commander Lu on his way to the Zhou family.

Lu Baihu was already staying at the inn, but after picking up Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan, he came along as well.

Besides Jia Chuan, Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan also heard these words.

The two sisters have a good relationship not because they spend a lot of time together, but because they genuinely share the same ideas when it comes to things.

Just like now, the two of them didn't speak, but with just a glance, they knew what the other was thinking.

The Zou family is in for trouble.

……

The Zhou family's house was actually easy to find. Jia Chuan felt that there was no need for anyone to lead the way. The common people might not know which street the Prince's Mansion was on, but they would definitely know the Zhou family's house number.

From the moment the yamen runner leading the way said, "This is the back gate of the Zhou family," to actually reaching the main gate, it really took quite a bit of time.

The Zhou family's mansion was almost as grand as a prince's palace. Jia Chuan stood in front of the gate and thought: It's not that the Zhou family couldn't be more magnificent, it's just that the prince's palace is there, and he doesn't dare to overstep his bounds.

The yamen runner leading the way stepped forward and knocked on the door. The gatekeeper opened the door a crack and, before the Imperial Guard could speak, said irritably, "Ambassador Zhou is not home. Go to the herb collection bureau to look for him!"

The door closed again.

Jia Chuan dismounted, handed the reins to the Imperial Guards, and stood with his hands behind his back in front of the gate. Behind him stood Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan, who had just dismounted. Gao Yuntian and Lu Baihu wanted to find a place, but they couldn't stand in front of Jia Chuan. They changed positions several times but still felt uncomfortable. At this moment, Jia Chuan shouted, "Break it open!" The two of them rushed forward.

The Imperial Guards pounded on the door, shouting and announcing their presence, but the gatekeeper still refused to open it, yelling that they had already sent someone to the herb-gathering bureau and that these people outside would be in for a beating when their master returned.

Jia Chuan was puzzled. After Zhou Cheng rose to that position, didn't he teach his family any relevant common sense? Didn't he set any rules for his servants? Was he really that insensitive to the name of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

The Imperial Guards continued banging on the door, and after making a series of threats from inside, they fell silent.

Gao Yuntian walked to Jia Chuan's side and asked, "Should I go in and open it?"

Jia Chuan glanced at the courtyard wall, nodded, and said, "Don't get hurt."

"This? It can't hurt me?"

After Gao Yuntian finished speaking, he took a running start and leaped into the air... Soon, the door was opened.

Jia Chuan stepped over the threshold with his hands behind his back, walked around the screen wall, and stood in the front courtyard to wait. He had already heard the commotion; quite a few people had arrived.

The Zhou family's estate is quite large, with many courtyards likely divided into inner quarters, so naturally, there are many guards.

Sure enough, more than twenty people dressed in uniform arrived in a menacing manner. Jia Chuan even had an impulse to ask if there was a 9527.

But Jia Chuan's gaze was soon drawn to the people behind him. Four maids surrounded a plump middle-aged woman, followed by five or six rough-looking old women.

The woman was dressed in an extremely wealthy and imposing manner. Jia Chuan even felt that she had put on every possible accessory. The red cloak she wore was even more vibrant than the one Gao Yunduo had worn before, giving the impression that the Empress Dowager was about to leave the palace.

Jia Chuan took a deep breath, choked by the cold air, and couldn't help coughing twice. Gao Yunduo said with concern, "Knock them down first, so we don't waste time talking!"

Jia Chuan turned to Gao Yuntian and asked, "Are you sure you can manage on your own?"

"And I'm here too." Gao Yunduo had barely finished speaking when she rushed out.

Gao Yuntian followed closely behind.

Dong Yuanyuan, being sensible, stood guard over Jia Chuan and said, "Actually, I can handle this myself; there's really no need for you to do it, sister."

"You go? If you go, few of them will survive. Skill is also about knowing when to stop. Duoduo knows how to use light and heavy blows, but you only know how to use heavy blows, hey..."

Logically speaking, it only took two sentences to exchange words, and even if the twenty-odd guards were incompetent, they were still young and strong men...

The guards hadn't expected to start fighting right away. Of course, they had never encountered anything like this before, so they were inevitably a bit careless.

The Gao siblings didn't give them time to react. Gao Yuntian didn't even use his iron ruler; he dealt with it with his bare hands, and Gao Yunduo was already in front of Zou Shi.

Jia Chuan's exclamation came as he saw Gao Yunduo, like an arrow, fall down wherever she went, and in the blink of an eye, she collapsed in front of Zou Shi. Without stopping or hesitating, she reached out and slapped her.

Zou Shi did not fall down immediately after being struck by Gao Yunduo's palm. Instead, she was stunned for a moment before crashing heavily to the ground.

It wasn't that the maids didn't want to help, but Gao Yunduo wouldn't stop. The four maids collapsed even faster than Zou Shi. Seeing that only a few rough-working women were left, Dong Yuanyuan became anxious: "Sister, rest. Leave the rest to me!"

Jia Chuan regretted not bringing Shunzi along. Shunzi wanted to come, otherwise he would have been the only one left at the inn. However, Jia Chuan considered that they had enough manpower and that they weren't there to fight, so he found a member of the Imperial Guard to lead Shunzi to the herb-gathering bureau.

Jia Chuan hadn't anticipated a fight. Wherever the Embroidered Uniform Guards went, there would be fights? At most, Zou Shi would put up a stubborn resistance, and Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan would step forward to teach Zou Shi a lesson, letting her know who's in charge.

As expected, an unexpected incident occurred. Jia Chuan felt that Zhou Cheng's family and even servants might be too arrogant, thinking that the Zhou family was the pinnacle of power in Kaifeng. Therefore, Gao Yunduo suggested that they stop talking nonsense and directly use force to intimidate them. Jia Chuan agreed, but he did not expect to injure Zou Shi first.

It's not that Zou Shi can't be hurt, but Jia Chuan still has questions to ask, otherwise what would he be doing here?
Jia Chuan shook his head as he walked past the groaning guard lying on the ground, stood in front of Zou Shi, and turned to Gao Yunduo with a helpless expression, asking, "Can you wake her up?"

Gao Yunduo's attention is now focused on Dong Yuanyuan. Dong Yuanyuan has been following Gao Yunduo for so many days, and in her spare time, she has actually learned some moves quite well. Dong Yuanyuan herself knows that she can't always rely on surprise attacks or brute force; sooner or later, she won't be able to stand up again.

These are the words Shunzi once said. Dong Yuanyuan's greatest strength is that she listens to advice, so she began to learn some moves from Gao Yunduo. Today can be considered a small test.

Seeing that Gao Yunduo ignored him, Jia Chuan followed her gaze and couldn't help but exclaim "Oh dear!"

It was as if Dong Yuanyuan's moves were playing in slow motion. After she finished one move, she would think about what the next move would be.
The old women, who were initially terrified, were surprised to find that it was a fool who came when it was their turn. After overcoming their initial fear, the fire sticks in their hands became useful.

Seeing Dong Yuanyuan being beaten while posing in pain, Jia Chuan exclaimed, "Oh dear!" Gao Yunduo then shouted, "Take care of them all first. You're still not skilled enough."

Dong Yuanyuan said "Oh," and took a deep breath to stop her move. Just then, a fire poker appeared in front of her. Dong Yuanyuan grabbed it and shouted...

Seeing that there was nothing to worry about, Jia Chuan asked Gao Yunduo in a low voice, "Could you wake her up first? I still have a lot of questions to ask her."

Gao Yunduo looked down, then stepped on Zou Shi's inner thigh, causing Zou Shi to let out a scream and sit up abruptly.

……

In the main hall of the front courtyard, Jia Chuan sat at the head of the table, Zou Shi lay on the ground, and everyone else stood around him.

Jia Chuan said, "Raise your head."

The prestige that Madam Zou had accumulated over the past twenty years vanished in an instant with the cold wind in the courtyard. She didn't know who the person was, nor why this was happening. It wasn't that she didn't know fear, but she knew pain even more. In all these years, she had never suffered like this.

Zou raised her head, glared fiercely at Jia Chuan, and asked through gritted teeth, "Do you know... whose house this is?"

"Zhou Cheng can die, and so can you."

Zou didn't understand, but she could tell that these people knew whose house this was. She wanted to say something about looking to the future, and also to vent her anger. This way of thinking, which she had developed over the years, couldn't be changed overnight. No matter what she looked like now, she couldn't see it herself anyway. In just a moment, Zou regained some courage.

(End of this chapter)