Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 174 Live a little longer
"Do you think I don't want to ask?" Jia Chuan snorted, glancing at the door of the west wing: "When it comes to torture, I'm not as good as the two of them. I can't bring myself to do it. And those people are all desperate criminals. If I ask them nicely, will they answer nicely? I can only bluff, but if I want to bluff something out, I have to have something in my mind first."

"I wasn't here just now, so I can't give you any advice..."

"We met an extraordinary person tonight. Not only is he incredibly strong, but he's also not stupid. How much force did Yuanyuan's knife strike? He still has a breath left. He's being held in the courtyard closest to here. Come on, let's go see him."

Old Zheng quickly followed.

"There's another old man, that's really powerful. If it weren't for Han Guang... Hey, is Han Guang back yet?"

"You're back. Going back to your den to sleep. You're not even as good as a dog. Even a dog knows how to get tired."

"Han Guang was a hero tonight. Without him, we and you would probably be separated by death."

"so serious?"

"Look! You said before that I had divine protection, and it seems that's really the case. Except for Duoduo, they are all exhausted. Hey, should I go check on Duoduo first?"

"Mu Lian is here; she's more useful than you right now."

"Yes, and she can move."

……

As they talked, the two walked to the entrance of a small courtyard. There were four guards at the entrance, all of whom were guards of the Prince's Mansion. There were also guards at the entrance of the side rooms inside the courtyard, who were Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards).

"Is it appropriate for you to abandon the prince to interrogate a prisoner like this?" Old Zheng whispered in Jia Chuan's ear.

Jia Chuan watched as the Imperial Guard opened the door and stood outside without moving. He said, "I'm not worried about the Prince right now. I'm a little worried about whether this big guy still has the strength to kill us both."

"Then let's not go in yet. Let's wait until someone wakes up tomorrow, or bring more people."

"No, he must know something. I'll have to ask him to find out the truth before I start fighting amongst myself."

"What do you mean? You're already inside? You... how come you're still a monk?"

At this moment, the Imperial Guards lit a lamp, placed it on the table, and pointed to the bald man on the floor of the hall, saying, "He's the only one who's occupied a room by himself. The guards of the Prince's Mansion thought that even if they brought him back, he would die anyway. But when I came in to check on him just now, he actually asked me for water."

Jia Chuan gestured for the Imperial Guards to leave. He stared at the bald head on the ground that was looking at him with open eyes, clicked his tongue twice, and said to Old Zheng, "He was slashed in the back by Yuan Yuan. How do you think he survived?"

Old Zheng was most concerned about whether the monk was tied up securely. He squatted down to check and then breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that Jia Chuan had already sat down in the chair, he sat down as well and said, "I think Yuanyuan is exhausted. I guess she doesn't have enough strength."

"I'll slash you once, not with full force, you try?"

"What are you saying? We're just ordinary people, but they are, right? A monk..."

"A bald guy is a monk? You're too easily fooled."

Old Zheng asked, puzzled, "If it's not a monk, then what is it?"

Jia Chuan knew that wearing a Taoist robe was a common practice in this era; it was just a style and couldn't be used as a standard for judging identity. But this person dared to come out with his head bare. If a temple was willing to take him in, that would be fine. If not, it seemed he had no intention of leaving anyone alive. Jia Chuan snorted and said, "It's hard to say what he is, but he is definitely arrogant."

"Of all the survivors, why did you choose to question him?"

Old Zheng got up and kicked Bald Qiang as he spoke. Jia Chuan knew that Old Zheng was still worried and was testing the man's reflexes. Jia Chuan was also curious, so he carefully observed the man's reaction. Afterwards, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Jia Chuan said, "Those henchmen may not know anything. Tonight, we'll mainly rely on the old man he mentioned. The old man should be dead. Let's see if we can get anything out of him. They say that people with strong limbs are simple-minded. I talked to him for a bit, and he's not completely stupid. So I'm wondering why someone with a brain would take on this job, especially knowing who I am."

"He knows you?"

Jia Chuan nodded and said, "They not only know me, but they've also seen my portrait. They've come here to kill me."

"Why would I need him to kill you?"

"Isn't that right? I feel the same way. It's like they know me, but it's also like they know nothing about me."

The bald man on the ground didn't understand, but Old Zheng did.

"If he really knew you, he wouldn't be lying here. Although I wasn't here tonight, I can imagine that if he were that powerful and knew you so well, you certainly wouldn't have survived."

Jia Chuan raised an eyebrow, looking at the puzzled expression on the man's face, and said, "Still don't understand? You've been tricked."

The bald man frowned.

“Those who know me will know who is around me. If you had known beforehand, you wouldn’t have been stabbed like this, and you wouldn’t be lying here half-dead. They said they were giving you money to kill me, but in reality, someone wanted to use me to get rid of you.”

Old Zheng couldn't help but look at Jia Chuan with admiration. He had been following Jia Chuan's lead and acting as a straight man the whole time. Although he didn't know what Jia Chuan's purpose was, he figured it was always right to do it. But how could he have imagined that Jia Chuan's final conclusion would be like this?

The bald man's eyes widened immediately.

Localized reactions are still acceptable.

Jia Chuan continued, “I don’t know if you can survive, because I won’t save you. No matter who plotted against you, you injured my people, so I can’t save you. As for the loss you suffered… you have two choices. One is to swallow your pride and be buried with me in the ground, and that’s it for this life. We can talk about it in the next life. The other is… to borrow my hand to help you take revenge. You’re a smart person, so you can choose. I’ll wait for you for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Whichever you choose, I will grant your wish.”

The bald man's expression was tragic, his eyes still wide open. For a moment, Jia Chuan was afraid that the bald man might accidentally anger him to death.

Old Zheng asked in a worried low voice, "Will he understand what you're saying? Should I be more direct?"

Jia Chuan crossed his legs and said, "Isn't it obvious enough? From the moment I saw him stride out of the secret passage, I knew he'd been tricked. With his skills, if he just knew who was around me, none of us would survive, and he could have made the money he wanted. But his eyes never looked anywhere else; it was as if everyone present was a breathing dead man. That old man at least knew he was holding a poisoned hidden weapon, but he only had a pair of bare hands..."

How do you know he came all this way for the money?

“Look at his dirty and tattered Taoist robe. It’s not even warm yet, and he’s only wearing a pair of straw sandals. Think back to those masters and disciples in the Prince’s mansion. They weren’t all clean and tidy, but their clothes were all made of good materials. This is the difference between having a master and not having anyone living there. When someone has a master, they represent not only themselves but also the reputation of their master’s family. How can they look so poor and shabby?”

"So, is he a monk or not?"

"Perhaps he once wanted to become a monk, or he caused a big trouble in the temple and wanted to change his identity and hide in the mountains. Later, he was discovered. I deduced that he had lived a decent life before, otherwise he would not have been unable to endure the hardship and thought of making this trip to earn enough money to hide again."

Old Zheng frowned and asked, "He's already living in the mountains, what does he need so much money for? He has nowhere to spend it." "He doesn't live deep in the mountains. Do you have a wife and children? Judging by your age, you must be over thirty."

Jia Chuan's eyes never left the bald man's face. When Jia Chuan mentioned his wife and children, the bald man took a breath and tensed up.

"I can't save you, but I can save them."

Baldy tried to turn his head to look at Jia Chuan, but perhaps due to his injuries, he couldn't move his head. Jia Chuan stood up cooperatively, but didn't go over; it was enough for Baldy to see him.

"He said he could send my son to school," the bald man said softly.

Jia Chuan sat down again.

Old Zheng looked at Jia Chuan with a puzzled expression, then at the bald man, as if he wanted to say something, but hesitated and then closed his mouth.

The room fell silent.

The bald man wanted to see Jia Chuan's expression, but Jia Chuan had already sat down, and he couldn't turn his head, so he couldn't help but ask, "Did you hear me?"

"What you're saying is nonsense. Whether I heard it or not is irrelevant. You don't have much time left," Jia Chuan said coldly.

The bald man closed his eyes and asked softly, "What rank are you?"

Jia Chuan's eyes lit up, and he asked, "You only saw my portrait and didn't even know my official rank before accepting this job?"

"You can't beat them."

"Hmph! Regardless of my official rank, why go to such lengths to kill me? Haven't you considered why?"

"You've blocked their path to wealth."

"Someone! Go and fetch the imperial physician from the Prince's residence."

……

The imperial physician repeatedly took his pulse, his expression quite varied.

Jia Chuan was getting impatient. He had analyzed the situation using his scientific knowledge and concluded that the bald man had no chance of surviving. If the medical aspect involved metaphysics, then he would solve the problem using physical methods.

But what he needs right now is to let this person live a little longer. He still has many questions to ask, and he can't let the situation unfold where, at the crucial moment, with just a few key words, the person gives up and dies.

Jia Chuan stated his request directly, which relieved the imperial physician, who said that he could fulfill the request to live a little longer.

Soon, the bald man was forced to drink a bowl of herbal medicine. Jia Chuan wanted to ask: Doesn't it need to be boiled? Is it a powder?
The imperial physician said that he couldn't guarantee it would take too long, maybe only an hour or two.

Jia Chuan felt it was enough.

The imperial physician withdrew.

Throughout the entire ordeal, no one checked the bald man's back injuries. Jia Chuan was afraid that checking it would kill him, and the imperial physician felt it was unnecessary, as he could tell from the pulse that the man's life force was barely surviving.

"I'm extending your life simply because I'm curious how someone like you could swallow this insult. I'm really curious about who they are, and who you are?"

The bald man closed his eyes and remained silent.

"If you're unwilling to talk about it, let me ask you another way: Is there anyone else you need me to protect?"

Old Zheng immediately chimed in, "Since he asked that, he'll do his best to protect the person you want to take care of. He's a man of his word, so don't miss this opportunity. Don't underestimate him just because he's not a high-ranking official. In this world, apart from the Emperor, there's really no one he's afraid of. Many people have tried to kill him, but who has succeeded? What about the Prince of Han? He almost lost his life at his hands..."

"What do you mean by 'almost'? It was inevitable, it was just a matter of time."

The bald man opened his eyes.

Old Zheng advised again, "What's the use of taking all your troubles to the underworld? Things from this life should be settled in this life. When your time comes, you'll close your eyes and be gone. How can you let the living have an easy time? In my opinion, those people have no good intentions. Whether they can win or not is their business. If they can't win, they'll go down to join you. If they can win, those people will go down to join you. Either way, you won't lose out."

“I told you they could let my son go to school, why don’t you believe me?” the bald man asked.

"With all your strength, if you only wanted to send your children to school, you would have far more options than other poor families. You know your time is running out, and you didn't immediately reveal who sent you, which shows you're still hesitating. But I don't believe you're holding back because you're worried I can't beat them, or because you're afraid of retaliation against your family. I've captured quite a few people; it's impossible that you're the only one who knows more. Their retaliation would target the living. You're already dead; retaliation against your family... doesn't make sense."

Old Zheng asked, "Then what makes sense?"

"He wants to hide his background and find a plausible reason to cover it up. Otherwise, I'd say he's a little crazy. Who do I care who you are? I just want to know who wants to kill me and why?"

"I told you, you're blocking their path to wealth, but I don't know how you did it."

“You say I can’t beat them, but I know their official positions aren’t high. If they were in high positions, they would know my situation.”

Old Zheng couldn't help but interject, "Aren't you overestimating yourself a bit?"

"The matter of Le'an could not be kept secret in the first place. Before I went to Le'an, I even sent the Prefect of the Capital to jail. In order to find someone to intercept and kill me on the way, the Prince of Han even spread rumors that I was the grandson of so-and-so, which caused the families who suffered after the Jingnan Rebellion to pool their money to kill me. Do you think there is anyone in the officialdom who doesn't know me? Of course, there are different levels of knowledge. Anyone with a higher official rank can find out by asking around. My rank is not high, but my prestige in front of the Emperor is unmatched by them. As long as they know this, anyone who wants to make a move against me will have to think twice beforehand."

"He holds no official position." The bald man seemed to be struggling to utter these words.

Jia Chuan raised his eyebrows and slapped his thigh: "I knew it!"

"What do you mean? What does it mean to have no official position? Do you know who it is?" Old Zheng asked anxiously.

Jia Chuan shook his head and said, "I don't know."

"I don't know, why are you so excited?!"

"My deduction was correct! From the moment the fake Shunzi mentioned the Prince Mu's residence, I suspected that there was something wrong with the people behind these people. Think about it, that fake Shunzi must have a high position in the gang, otherwise he wouldn't be able to stay by Zhou Cheng's side. This kind of job requires someone who is highly trusted by the leader and has the right to make decisions independently in case of emergencies. Although I still don't know why they wanted to poison Zhou Cheng, I know that they approached Zhou Cheng under the pretext of continuing the family line. And in the past year, they have been contacting the prefect through Zhou Cheng. Let me give you an example. Suppose that the Prince of Han was involved, do you think he would only let Zhou Cheng contact the prefect?"

(End of this chapter)