Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 157 Exclusion?

Chen Mo replied:

"We've asked everyone we need to, and they said it was a normal meal, four dishes and a soup. We've checked the kitchen, and there's nothing suspicious. Last night, only one servant was attending to Zhou Cheng, which is why I said the poison must have been administered in this courtyard. If that's the case, it's naturally related to those four deputy envoys. The herb-gathering bureau is a large place with many people and a diverse population. The guards were all transferred from the Prince's mansion, and there are quite a few of them. They patrol regularly every day. Although there are no guards in this courtyard, due to the rules set over the years, no one else dares to enter the courtyard without a reason. The only ones who can enter are the deputy envoys."

Jia Chuan stared blankly at the charcoal brazier, without saying a word.

Old Zheng said, "Since both master and servant were poisoned, and possibly with the same poison, then this servant must know who it is; he recognizes them."

Shunzi glanced at Old Zheng, then at Jia Chuan, before saying, "If the murderer could be seen by the servants, and we don't kill him then, but instead kill him later, isn't that too risky?"

"When Zhao Dewen arrived, the servant was already dead. Guess what the servant's name was?" Jia Chuan looked up at Shunzi and asked.

Upon hearing that the servant had long since died, Shunzi hurriedly asked, "Is it possible that the master and servant died at the same time?"

"How could they do it simultaneously? One in the main room and the other in the side room—is poisoning so easy? Zhou Cheng has that kind of status; a servant could easily finish him off with a single blow. This kind of poison is far too precious..."

"Why do you think it's precious?" Jia Chuan interrupted Old Zheng and asked.

"Isn't that a pointless question? If poison were commonplace and easily obtainable, would you still be alive? If you had a grudge, wouldn't you be able to kill whomever you wanted?"

Jia Chuan smiled and said, "It's not that easy. But you've hit the nail on the head. If it's just to kill Zhou Cheng and his servant, there's no need to use poison. This is easy to explain. So-called colorless and odorless poison is very difficult to make at this stage, especially for Zhou Cheng. It's unlikely that he would drink something containing poison unless he did it willingly."

"How do you know there are no colorless and odorless poisons?" Cailian couldn't help but ask.

Jia Chuan still ignored her and continued:
"Following this line of thought, Zhou Cheng must have left or taken something when he went home at noon, and he left three other servants behind when he left home. I deduce that he knew that his life or death was uncertain last night, but this servant, whose name was also Shunzi, is someone I can be suspicious of."

Shunzi glared, pointed outside, then sighed and said, "Same name, different fate."

Jia Chuan suddenly turned to Chen Mo and said, "Zhao Dewen doesn't want to go to the Zhou family, which doesn't make sense. Bring him here."

……

Zhao Dewen entered the room trembling. He first glanced at Cailian standing to the side before looking at Jia Chuan.

Jia Chuan showed no intention of offering his seat, but instead asked directly, "I just want to know why you lied? If your answer doesn't satisfy me, our next meeting will be in jail."

Zhao Dewen hurriedly replied, "Everything I said is the truth."

"You said you remember the servants who usually followed Zhou Cheng, but the person who died in the side room was one of those servants who usually followed Zhou Cheng. How could you not recognize him?"

Zhao Dewen paused for a moment before saying, "It's not that I don't recognize them, it's that I didn't dare to look closely. Besides, Ambassador Zhou is very suspicious, and the people around him change occasionally. They don't talk much to us at all. Although these people are servants of the Zhou family, they are arrogant and domineering in the herb collection bureau. Moreover, we don't see them every day, so it's normal that I couldn't recognize them at a glance."

“That’s normal, but just because you don’t recognize them doesn’t mean others won’t. They accompany Zhou Cheng every day. Even if they were replaced recently, it would only take a day or two for many people in the herb-gathering bureau to recognize them. You said that the people around Zhou Cheng can walk around the herb-gathering bureau with impunity. How can they not remember their faces?”

"But, but I just didn't dare to look closely. Are we talking about the same thing?" Zhao Dewen asked, feeling wronged.

Jia Chuan turned to Cai Lian and asked, "Do you know her?"

Cailian quickly waved her hand and said, "I rarely go to other courtyards. No matter how arrogant his servants are, they can't get to my dilapidated courtyard."

Zhao Dewen also said, "Among Ambassador Zhou's servants, let alone those who are always with him, even if someone suddenly comes and says they are from the Zhou family, even if they are just a bug in the Zhou family, we still have to treat them with respect."

Chen Mo said in a deep voice, "If you ask me, these two should be taken directly to the government office and subjected to severe torture before they will tell the truth."

Zhao Dewen was clearly terrified by Chen Mo's words. He hurriedly begged for mercy, "If I knew anything, I would have been poisoned to death like that servant long ago. How could I be standing here alive?"

"What if you were the one who poisoned him?" Chen Mo asked in a deep voice.

“How could it be me… Me, what benefit would I gain from killing Ambassador Zhou?” Zhao Dewen remembered that his tone had changed.

"Perhaps you can then take up the position of ambassador."

"The Prince rarely pays attention to the affairs of the Herb Gathering Bureau. When the old Prince was alive, I might have had a chance, at least the old Prince knew who I was. But the Prince doesn't know. There are four deputy envoys. Even if I kill him, it might not be my turn. Why bother? Besides, I'm not capable of doing it. Ambassador Zhou rarely cares about the affairs of the Herb Gathering Bureau. On the contrary, all the things that cannot be recorded in the accounts between various places have to go through him. I know nothing about these interpersonal relationships. If you really asked me to be the ambassador, I wouldn't know where to start."

Jia Chuan scrutinized Zhao Dewen. He knew that Zhao Dewen had told the truth in a moment of panic, but could that clear him of suspicion?

"You said the Herb Gathering Bureau has other matters to attend to in various places?" Jia Chuan asked casually. "These matters are probably too difficult for Zhou Cheng to handle alone, right? He needs some people to assist him. Who are these people? If you find them, I won't make things difficult for you anymore."

Zhao Dewen was almost in tears. Where could he find her?
"If you had asked this a year ago, I might have been able to find one or two people to answer. But since the old prince passed away, this herb-gathering bureau has been like Ambassador Zhou's own private property. Why are the four of us deputy envoys? It's because we're obedient. We don't ask what we shouldn't ask, we don't look at what we shouldn't look at, and we never inquire about what we shouldn't inquire about. Why did we not do anything this morning after receiving the news, but instead gathered together to discuss how to respond? Can this be explained? We would like to say that we suddenly contracted a serious illness, but... but who would believe that?"

"The tigress you mentioned at Zhou Cheng's house is just a fox pretending to be powerful. Once Zhou Cheng died, she lost her arrogance. I really don't understand why you dare not go to the Zhou family."

Zhao Dewen seemed taken aback, as if he hadn't expected Jia Chuan to suddenly bring up this issue.

"I guess Zhou Cheng's wife knows you, and you're afraid she might say something you don't want me to know if she sees you."

Zhao Dewen's legs gave way and he fell to the ground, startling Cailian.

"Come on, tell me what's making you afraid? If you don't tell me, I can have Ms. Zou speak."

Zhao Dewen stared at the blue bricks on the ground, his face pale, and did not answer.

Chen Mo shrugged and said, "I told you to take him to the government office..."

Jia Chuan waved his hand and said, "I don't trust the government office. Let's find a room to lock him up first. I reckon he's not the only one who needs to be locked up." ...

After a somewhat informal meal, Jia Chuan and Old Zheng began a thorough second autopsy.

In fact, Old Zheng had already performed multiple physical examinations on Zhou Cheng, but he had never looked at the servant's body again.

Cailian followed him into the side room, and Jia Chuan did not say anything.

Because Old Zheng already knew Zhou Cheng's body inside and out, he quickly noticed the difference when he examined Shunzi's body.

There was no vomit on 'Shunzi''s side, his fingertips did not have any burn marks, the pad of his right thumb and the side of his index finger were slightly yellow, the deceased's mouth only had a bitter almond taste, no spicy smell, and 'Shunzi' had injuries on his body.

"These injuries indicate that the deceased had been entangled with someone before his death. Perhaps someone wanted to make him drink poison, but he wasn't as obedient as Zhou Cheng," Jia Chuan said.

Old Zheng nodded and said, "Zhou Cheng's body had delicate skin and tender flesh, without any bruises or bumps. Do you think Shunzi might have done some work before he died and gotten hurt? Servants, after all, inevitably do some rough work."

“He’s no ordinary servant; he wouldn’t be assigned to do manual labor at the herb-gathering bureau.”

"That's true. The fact that the murderer was able to separate the master and servant and poison them shows that it wasn't just one person..."

Jia Chuan turned to look at Old Zheng and asked, "When he ran out to announce that Zhou Cheng was dead, he didn't call for anyone to separate him."

Old Zheng then remembered this matter and asked, "Could it be that someone is lying?"

Jia Chuan shrugged and said, "Shunzi is right. If they were going to kill them at the same time, why did they have to do it separately? If they weren't killed at the same time, where would the murderer get the confidence to strike again without being discovered? Besides, what's the use of keeping them alive for a few more hours? Just to send a message? That doesn't make sense! The poisons that the master and servant were ingested might not be the same, or it's possible that Zhou Cheng really drank more than one kind of poison? Why would he willingly drink it?" Jia Chuan frowned and pondered for a moment, then stood up and said, "Let's go check on Zhou Cheng again."

Old Zheng quickly followed, but Cai Lian, who was standing by the wall, did not move for a long time.

As soon as the two stepped out of the side room, they saw Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan in the courtyard. Dong Yuanyuan was playing with Da Huang, who was having a great time, probably because he knew he wouldn't die for the time being.

"Why don't you come inside and rest? It's cold outside," Jia Chuan said to Gao Yunduo.

Before Gao Yunduo could say anything, Dong Yuanyuan said, "I found out so many things. I almost went in to look for you."

"Oh? Let's talk inside. I need to wash my hands first."

……

Both Zou and Yue Niang suffered a lot. Gao Yunduo didn't want to fight back, but the two women acted like shrewish women in the street. First, they cursed each other, and then they pulled each other's hair. Zou was injured and inevitably suffered some losses. Yue Niang could have taken the opportunity to get revenge, but in order to maintain her charmingly sickly beauty, she only ate a little bit every day. At this time, she needed the most strength, but she didn't have any.

Seeing that the two women were too exhausted to fight anymore, Gao Yunduo finally spoke. She only said, "Zhou Cheng is dead," and the two women expressed their grief in different ways.

Zou cried out, her neck contorted in agony, while Yue Niang remained dazed.

Dong Yuanyuan was annoyed by what she heard, and with one shout she silenced Zou Shi and brought Yue Niang's soul back to reality.

No matter what Gao Yunduo asked, neither of them answered.

Gao Yunduo realized that if she wanted to get some information, she had no choice but to take action.

Dong Yuanyuan was very puzzled. She muttered, "Mother didn't lie. There really are people who will ask questions. Just answer them properly. Sigh."

Jia Chuan asked Gao Yunduo several questions, and Gao Yunduo asked them all without missing a single one.

Zhou Cheng has many friends and acquaintances from all over the country. In previous years, when Zhou Cheng came back, he would talk about the herb-gathering bureau. In the last two years, he has basically stopped going to Zou's place. In previous years, some people would come to the house looking for Zhou Cheng, but in the last two years, very few people have come to the house looking for him. In the past, Zou would inquire about everything, big or small, but in recent years, even if Zou came to him, it would mainly be a quarrel. It was difficult to even have a calm conversation, let alone talk about the people and things in the herb-gathering bureau.

Fortunately, Zou Shi was unable to conceive, and the children in the backyard remained childless. Zou Shi then began to dream of adopting a nephew from the Zou family into her own name. However, Zou Shi remembered very clearly that from the month the old prince passed away, Zhou Cheng stopped paying money to the family. The Zhou family was not short of money, but not paying was another matter. Zou Shi suspected that Zhou Cheng had another family outside and might even have a child.

Yue Niang has been in the manor for three months, which is considered her period of exclusive favor. Whenever Zhou Cheng comes back, he will stay in her room. However, she said that Zhou Cheng will not mention the matter of the herb-gathering bureau. He only hopes that her belly will show signs of pregnancy soon. Moreover, she felt that Zhou Cheng no longer had much patience for her. A few days ago, Zhou Cheng said that if it didn't work out, he would take another concubine.

As for what Zhou Cheng did when he returned yesterday at noon, Yue Niang actually knew. It wasn't that Zhou Cheng told her anything, but rather that her maid had bribed the servant who attended to Zhou Cheng in the mansion. Yue Niang not only knew when Zhou Cheng returned to the mansion, but also where he went. She also knew that Zhou Cheng had bought a new set of jewelry, which cost three taels and six qian of gold. Yue Niang was secretly delighted for several days, but when Zhou Cheng returned yesterday at noon and went to the study to take the jewelry, she realized that it wasn't a gift for her.

"He went back at noon to pick up the jewelry?" Jia Chuan repeated Gao Yunduo's words in surprise.

At this moment, Cailian was not in the east wing; it was all his own people. Jia Chuan's surprise puzzled Shunzi, who asked, "What do you think he went back for?"

Jia Chuan said, "I thought he knew there was a hurdle to overcome that night, and he went back to retrieve something that would give him a chance to get through it. But why did he leave all his servants behind when he left home, only taking Shunzi with him?"

"A fake straight!" Dong Yuanyuan corrected.

Jia Chuan hummed in agreement twice, indicating that he understood.

Gao Yunduo said:

"Zhou Cheng has become increasingly prominent in the past two years. His servants are divided into those who go out with him and those who serve at home. He has also established rules that these two groups are not allowed to have any contact in private. He probably doesn't want outside affairs to enter the house, nor does he want household affairs to leave the house. But this is not something he can do as he pleases. Naturally, some people are trying to bribe the people around him. I heard that Zhou Cheng wants to replace those three. It seems that currently only that fake Shunzi can be trusted. This is what Yue Niang said."

"Did you find the three servants that Commander Lu sent men to look for?" Jia Chuan asked.

Dong Yuanyuan quickly said, "We found it. It came back with us."

"Are all three of them alright?" Jia Chuan said softly, as if talking to himself, "That means they know nothing."

(End of this chapter)