Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 178 Piecing Together Corpses
Old Zheng snorted and said, "I couldn't have imagined it would be them, but they insisted on handing it over to you. Now look what they've done. I really don't know what they were thinking."

"What else can you think? You can definitely kill him and then get away unscathed," Gao Yuntian added.

"Whether we leave or not is pointless now. Fortunately, we still have their people in the herb-gathering bureau, whether they're imprisoned or yet to be discovered. After we finish eating, Old Zheng and I will go and piece together the corpses. If you can move, interrogate that clerk first..."

"We're investigating. The fact that no one has come forward to report anything means this person is very stubborn."

Jia Chuan said "Oh," and looked at Commander Lu, saying:

"Let's put the city gates aside for now. Right now, you're the only one who's still alive. The most important thing is to guard the herb-gathering bureau. Not a single fly can be let out. I estimate it will take another two or three days until people from the capital arrive. And we'll need people to patrol the surrounding streets and alleys day and night. Here's what I'm thinking: the old prince won't build a secret passage for the herb-gathering bureau, but Zhou Cheng and his team will. They just don't have enough time. Even if they do build one, it will only be enough to get out, not too far from the bureau. Have the constables take you around to ask if anyone bought a house a year or two ago, or even just a few months ago. Check those houses. If we don't have enough manpower, we'll borrow some from the prince's mansion. As for the secret passage in the herb-gathering bureau..."

Chen Mo said, "After I finish eating, I'll rest for a bit..."

"You should rest. You don't need to do anything. Leave the secret passage for now. They know we've found it. Let's see if they dare to go down it. The people who came to carry the body to the herb garden in the middle of the night were outsiders, the same group that came last night. Duoduo took care of them all by herself. There aren't many of them in the herb-gathering bureau. It's a bit like Zhou Cheng rented out part of the herb-gathering bureau, only providing the space and herbs. The rest should be done by those people."

"No wonder we couldn't get any information from them."

No sooner had Gao Yuntian finished speaking than a voice from the Imperial Guards came from the courtyard: Zhao Dewen, the deputy commissioner of the Herb Gathering Bureau, requests an audience.

Jia Chuan exclaimed, "Oh dear! How could I have forgotten about him?" Then he shouted, "Quickly, let him in!" and followed him out of the house.

Zhao Dewen looked haggard and exhausted, with a few strands of his long, disheveled hair swaying in the wind. The moment he saw Jia Chuan, tears welled up in Zhao Dewen's eyes, and he said with grief and indignation, "If we don't find a place to settle these dozens of people, they will definitely tear me apart alive."

Jia Chuan quickly reassured him, "Don't worry, don't worry, I'll think of something right away. Have you eaten yet?"

"How could I possibly eat? If it weren't for the Embroidered Uniform Guards keeping me in check, I would have been eaten by them long ago."

Zhao Dewen was truly wronged.

They initially thought they were just temporarily settling those people in the front yard, and that they could return once Jia Chuan and his men finished their business. However, after a whole night of waiting, no one paid any attention to them, and no one came all morning either. Last night, dozens of people were crammed into the house. No matter how many rooms there were, there weren't enough for them to lie down comfortably. There weren't many chairs either, so all night, these people could only take turns sitting on chairs, while others squeezed onto the floor. But the floor was still cold, so how could they sleep soundly? When they woke up early in the morning, some of them were quite irritable. They wanted to ask the Imperial Guards to come and check on them, but the Imperial Guards trusted Jia Chuan completely and simply said that they could leave and someone would come to call them.

Zhao Dewen tried to be patient, but by noon he couldn't take it anymore. These people hadn't eaten much last night, not because they had no appetite, but because they didn't eat much. They hadn't had breakfast today, and lunch was pitifully small. They didn't dare to cause trouble for the Imperial Guards, so they naturally came to Zhao Dewen to make a scene. He didn't dare to trouble the Imperial Guards, so he made the trip himself.

"Does the herb-gathering bureau still have any place to accommodate them...?"

"If they did, why would they be placed in the front yard? Each courtyard in the herb-gathering bureau has its own purpose; we can't just send them to live in the storeroom, can we?"

Jia Chuan pulled Zhao Dewen into the house, made him sit down, and personally served him rice and vegetables. Zhao Dewen was also hungry, so he wolfed down his food, let out a satisfied burp, and then hurriedly asked:
"Is there something wrong with the courtyard they were staying in before? Can't they go back to live there?"

Jia Chuan smiled and looked at Lu Baihu, saying, "Go tell those people that a secret passage has been discovered in their courtyard. Everyone is a suspect for now and needs to be taken to the prefectural jail. Once a high-ranking official from the capital arrives, they will be severely interrogated and tortured. Only those who are confirmed to be unrelated to the case can leave. Of course, if anyone thinks of something before being tortured, as long as it is the truth, they will not only avoid going to the prefectural jail, but will also be provided with accommodation and a good rest immediately. However, if they lie, I will make them wish they were dead without waiting for the officials from the capital!"

Lu Baihu immediately left the house.

Zhao Dewen was stunned for a moment before he remembered to ask, "Are there really problems with those courtyards?"

Jia Chuan raised an eyebrow and said, "I'm just wondering, those courtyards are usually where people live, but they need to do things secretly. In other words, this courtyard isn't their main place of activity. So what's the purpose of this courtyard that can be accessed from here?"

Zhao Dewen stared wide-eyed as he processed Jia Chuan's words.

Chen Mo said, "Those courtyards are all connected. With this entrance to the underground, it's very convenient for people in the other courtyards to go down. The tunnel exit isn't inside the house, but under the well in the courtyard. That well is just for show. In the dead of night, as long as you can enter the courtyard, you can go down into the tunnel."

After hearing this, Jia Chuan looked at Zhao Dewen.

Zhao Dewen hurriedly said, "That row of courtyards mainly houses the clerks of the medicinal herb collection bureau. They keep separate ledgers for the different sources of medicinal herbs, and they also need to keep separate records before and after drying. They require quite a few clerks..."

“You’ve already said all of this yesterday, is there anything new?” Jia Chuan asked.

Zhao Dewen shook his head.

"You know who caused the most trouble this night and this morning, right? Go to the front yard and tell Commander Lu to arrest those who caused the most trouble first."

Zhao Dewen wiped the sweat from his face, got up and left the room.

Chen Mo frowned and asked, "So you want to find their people in the Herb Gathering Bureau?"

“Last night, Baldy followed you out through the tunnel. Where did that old man come from? The first group of people were the ones who used to carry the corpses. They came in through the north side gate. Who was guarding outside at the time? I asked your men last night, and they said that when it was time for dinner, there were fewer guards, and no one saw anyone come in through the north gate. I didn’t have time to investigate further, but these people knew the route very well. But the old man and his apprentices who came later were here for the first time. Where did they come from? Did they also come through the north gate?”

Chen Mo hurriedly asked, "Weren't some of the disciples left alive last night?"

"While unconscious, Gao Yuntian was too ruthless. Whether he lives or dies is entirely up to fate."

Jia Chuan stood up, glanced at Old Zheng, and said, "Let's go. That bald man came through the tunnel with Chen Mo. So who tore the corpse apart?" Only Mu Lian knew that the dismembered bodies had been torn apart by someone. No one else in the room had heard Jia Chuan mention it before, so they were naturally surprised, especially Gao Yuntian. He grabbed Old Zheng's arm and asked, "You mean the dismembered bodies in that small house were all... all torn apart by human hands..."

"What he said? I was too busy throwing up yesterday to take a closer look."

Old Zheng impatiently broke free from Gao Yuntian's clutches, went inside, picked up his toolbox, and waited at the door.

Gao Yuntian looked at Jia Chuan in horror.

Jia Chuan shook his head and said:
"If you were still thinking, you would know to rest and recover as soon as possible. There are still powerful people around, so I deduce that they still have people in Kaifeng Prefecture. This powerful person didn't appear last night, so he must be guarding the master. Will they still make a move? I don't know. Right now, the herb-gathering bureau is riddled with holes. No, I mean, how many secret passages lead to the outside? We don't have enough manpower. We've only found this one, and we don't even know if we can get out. Where do they use the laboratory? How do they bring in living people? Where are the medicinal herbs prepared? Zhao Dewen said that there are special people recording everything in and out of the warehouse. They can't use a lot of medicine, so how can they make sure the records look correct?"

Gao Yuntian stared with his mouth agape, and Shunzi asked in bewilderment, "With so many things to investigate, why did you insist on piecing together the corpses?"

Jia Chuan sighed and said:
"Problems are discovered little by little. I thought that finding the secret passage yesterday would lead to their laboratory, but it attracted Baldy. I need to find the people still in the herb-gathering bureau, and more importantly, the people still in Kaifeng. Baldy and his group came directly to the herb-gathering bureau after escaping from the city gate without contacting anyone, mainly because they wasted too much time crossing the city gate. Therefore, I need to use those body parts to determine the person in charge of Kaifeng Prefecture. If they haven't left, where are they most likely to be now?"

After saying that, Jia Chuan and Old Zheng left the house.

Gao Yuntian turned to Shunzi and asked, "Did you understand?"

Shunzi scratched his head and said, "I think he means you guys need to get better quickly, because you might have to get another beating later."

"Those dismembered bodies..."

“Oh dear, you didn’t just find out today that he can’t walk when he sees a corpse. Have you forgotten what Huangluling looks like? He’s looking at each one one by one. Let him examine them. Once he’s done, his mind will be at peace, and he can finally focus on his work…”

"Are you all deaf? Big Brother said those dismembered bodies can lead to the bad guys still in Kaifeng." Dong Yuanyuan suddenly said. She seemed to have finished eating. She put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and said, "I'll go check on my sister and see if I can pick up Big Yellow."

……

In the east wing, Mu Lian finished feeding Gao Yunduo and, having eaten her fill, was tidying up.

Gao Yunduo asked, "Aren't you going to listen to what they're saying?"

"I listened in the courtyard for a while, and I think I can get rid of the Duke of Qian's mansion. I'm just waiting for someone from the capital to come and arrest me and behead me."

"So, at the time you thought that as long as he agreed to marry you, he would find a way to save your life."

Mu Lian stopped what she was doing, sat down on the edge of the bed, and said, "I was too naive. I thought that as long as he knew who poisoned Zhou Cheng, he could gain merit. I would help him gain merit, and he would save my life. It would be easy to negotiate. Besides, I am, after all, the daughter of the Duke of Qian. Although I am born out of wedlock, it is still acceptable for me to marry him, an official of less than the seventh rank..."

Mu Lian gave a wry smile and then said:
“How could I have imagined that this case would be… I’ve been here for almost eight years and haven’t found anything suspicious. Even when I saw someone carrying a body out that night, I was more surprised than suspicious. When I saw that Zhou Cheng had been poisoned and knew who the murderer was at the time, I thought it was just a murder case. In my panic, I did something foolish, and that’s why I had this foolish thought. I thought that since he was in charge, it would be easy for him to cover up my little affair, as long as I was willing to offer myself to him… He said I was being clever, and I didn’t agree at the time. But now I realize that I was indeed being clever! Now I understand. He said he found out, and he really did find out. Sure enough, once he found out, the Duke of Qian’s mansion was directly removed from the list, so I’m not in a hurry anymore.”

Gao Yunduo said, "Don't worry, he might be able to find a way to save your life. Don't let his loud and boisterous manner fool you, he has the softest heart. You were forced to kill him. Besides, the one who died was a bad guy, so it shouldn't have cost him his life."

At this moment, Dong Yuanyuan entered the room and asked, "How are you feeling, sister?"

Mu Lian interjected, "How well can she be? You might recover faster, but even if she uses my medicine, she'll probably have to lie in bed for a few days."

"Oh, I'm full. I want to see if I can lift Big Yellow. My brother said I'll probably have to fight again later, so I need to get better quickly..."

After saying that, Dong Yuanyuan lay down and fell asleep by the bedside.

……

The dismembered body parts were placed in a side room in the adjacent courtyard by the Imperial Guards, and no one said a word.

Some of the Imperial Guards and Prince's guards lived in this courtyard. When Jia Chuan and Old Zheng began piecing together the corpse in the side room, the guards who were taking turns resting and preparing to go on duty curiously approached and peeked over. One of them yelled "Ao!" which startled Old Zheng so much that he sat down on the ground.

Jia Chuan's hands trembled, and he couldn't help but shake his head, thinking that he must set up his own studio in the future, so as not to scare others and himself.

The task at hand is not easy. It would be difficult to figure out who is who, but it is possible to piece together the four torsos. If they were really stabbed with a knife, and in the same place, it would be difficult to distinguish them based on physical characteristics. The perpetrator used a cruel tearing motion.

"This thing is probably not human, is it? How could a human have such strength? Even Yuanyuan can't do that." Old Zheng's face was pale, and his hands trembled as he gathered the body parts together.

Jia Chuan recalled a ridiculous anti-Japanese war drama from his previous life, where someone tore apart Japanese soldiers with their bare hands. He had heard it as a joke, but who would have thought that four of them would be right in front of him?

“Yuanyuan, it’s not that I can’t do it if I’m in a hurry, it’s just that I simply won’t do it. But tearing four people apart with my bare hands… If this person isn’t eliminated, others will definitely suffer in the future. Look at these four people’s fingernails, they are all very neat and clean, the calluses are only on their fingers, and the backs of their hands don’t look like they’ve been exposed to the sun and rain. And look at their toes, they’re just as clean… Not even a single toenail with fungus, and the calluses on the soles of their feet aren’t thick. Let’s each look at two heads, see if their hair and scalp are full of dirt or grease…”

"Why do you think they cut off their eyelids?" Old Zheng asked in a trembling voice.

(End of this chapter)