Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 182 Tang Hu
Chen Mo hurriedly asked, "You mean cleaning up that alley?"

Jia Chuan shook his head: "No, I'll go find out the location in a bit. Asking too early might alert them."

"You mean...they weren't hiding in the alley?"

Just then, Gao Yuntian came in carrying a tray. Hearing this, he chimed in, "It's been sealed off for five days, and there's been no movement inside. Do you think there are people inside? He said long ago that if those people haven't left Kaifeng yet, they're hiding somewhere and secretly watching. I think that makes sense. They've all left, they've all gone back to Jiangnan. Are they just going to ignore the progress here? If they want to make arrangements when they go back, they'll have to consider the situation in Kaifeng, right? They have no idea what we know."

Meng Jun sneered and said, "They're just a bunch of unscrupulous merchants and porters. You're all just sitting here in this courtyard doing nothing. If you let the criminals go, the consequences will be dire..."

Gao Yuntian wasn't happy to hear that: "Crime? You assigned it? From the moment you entered the city gate until you sat here, did you know the details of the case, or were you involved in the initial encounter with the enemy?"

Meng Jun was furious: "You're just a centurion, you have no right to speak!"

Chen Mo said with a gloomy face, "Since you're here to hold us accountable, not to do business, then take us all down. As for what happens next, you have your own rules. Do as you please."

"you……"

Hai Feng quickly tried to smooth things over: "Oh dear, it's all for errands. We haven't dared to dismount easily along the way, it's really been hard work. Commander Meng is a bit angry, please be understanding..."

"We almost lost our lives several times, who has any sympathy for us?" Gao Yuntian asked, his neck stiff.

Before Meng Jun could speak, Jia Chuan said, "Chen Mo, explain the case to them in detail. If they still have the same attitude after listening, I will speak to Commander Liu."

After saying that, Jia Chuan looked at Gao Yuntian and said, "Come on, let's go and find out where they are hiding."

Gao Yuntian followed Jia Chuan angrily toward the door, but Jia Chuan stopped at the door, turned to Meng Jun and said, "It's true that he is a centurion now, but who knows what tomorrow will bring? Will you still be a chiliarch tomorrow? Will you even be able to breathe tomorrow? So, leave a way out for others, don't speak so definitively. I don't know what will happen to you in the future, but I know him. As long as I'm here, he will be above you sooner or later."

Jia Chuan turned his head and was about to take a step when, as if remembering something, he turned his head again and said, "There was a guy named Li Shun, you know him, right? He died right in front of me. He originally thought that the emperor treated me well and wanted to win me over to use me. Later, he found that he couldn't win me over, so he thought that if I joined the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the future... So he decided to kill me, and then he died."

After saying that, Jia Chuan left with Gao Yuntian.

Meng Jun was furious. He stood up, pointed at the open door, and asked Chen Mo, "He, he, he's just a ninth-rank official..."

"So what? Even if you didn't have a rank, you'd still have to obey his orders," Chen Mo said coldly.

Seeing Meng Jun's face flushed with anger, Hai Feng feared he might say something irreparable in the heat of the moment. Since they were on this mission together, he quickly advised, "We're both here on a mission. They must be having a tough time. If it weren't for a major case, we wouldn't have made this trip. Sit down. He even dared to mess with the Prince of Han in Le'an; that's just his nature. Don't take it to heart..."

“Hey, that’s not quite right,” Chen Mo said seriously. “He went to Le’an on imperial orders. Do you even know what his mission was? Could he have accomplished it without doing that? He may have some skills, but he’s not stupid or quick-tempered. Let alone him, even Commander Liu went to Le’an. Would he dare to confront the Prince of Han directly? You can only judge his character after working with him. You’ve only met him once, and you think he’s incompetent just because you didn’t give him face. Whether he’s capable or not is up to the Emperor!”

Meng Jun opened his mouth but held back from speaking. Hai Feng sighed. The three of them had originally gotten along quite well. Chen Mo had been delighted to see the two of them outside the city. Chen Mo had intended to explain the case in detail on the way back to the herb-gathering bureau, but the two of them complained as soon as they saw that Jia Chuan hadn't come. Chen Mo explained why Jia Chuan dared not leave the courtyard, and the two of them thought it was because only the Embroidered Uniform Guard had come this time. If there were other officials, Jia Chuan would definitely leave the city...

Chen Mo, growing impatient, retorted, "How does Jia Chuan know who it is?"

The two men couldn't answer, but they were still unhappy. When they got to the courtyard, Chen Mo deliberately called out first to give Jia Chuan a heads-up. Jia Chuan was used to being lazy, and Chen Mo was afraid that the two men would find fault with him again.

Chen Mo understood. He had been the same way back then. The title of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard made them somewhat blind to things, especially when they encountered someone like Jia Chuan, who seemed to be at the height of his power but actually had no foundation. If Jia Chuan was smart, what he should do at this time was to act as a smiling tiger, win over as many useful people as possible, pave the way for himself, and weave a net for himself. If he was not smart, relying on the emperor's favor and being arrogant, he would not be popular for long. He would offend many people, and when he fell, they would definitely follow the crowd to kick him while he was down.

Such people appear from time to time, but few are favored by the emperor. Some only gain the favor of high-ranking officials in the Six Ministries and the Cabinet. Many are completely lost. Don't offend the Embroidered Uniform Guard, or you will never have a good ending. This is also the source of Meng Jun's confidence.

Unfortunately, Chen Mo wasn't on the same page as them.

Chen Mo knew that Jia Chuan didn't fit either of those categories, and he was too lazy to explain to the two of them. Since they were already there, he decided to let them see for themselves. However, he still needed to clarify the details of the case. Whether it was the message he gave to Liu Mian or the message Jia Chuan gave to the Emperor, they were both extremely important, but the details were unknown to them.

So Chen Mo started by talking about Zhu Youxun faking his death and Old Zheng falling ill from fright, and Hai Feng and Meng Jun gradually forgot their previous emotions...

……

Jia Chuan and Gao Yuntian went directly to the front yard, where there were many people from the herb collection bureau, making it easier for him to ask questions.

That day, Commander Lu gave them a good scare and actually arrested several of the most troublemakers and sent them to the government jail. Although the rest of the people did not come forward to inform on them, they were much more obedient.

When Jia Chuan arrived, he only asked one question: Which pharmacy or clinic in the city did Zhou Cheng visit most frequently this year?
After relaying the question to each room, Zhao Dewen returned to the gatehouse where Jia Chuan was waiting and said, "I've told them all. Whoever knows can come to the gatehouse to find you. If none of them know, then we'll have the Imperial Guards ask them one by one..."

"This is quite amazing. You may not know, but they might. Can you explain to me how, as the deputy envoy, you managed to be completely ignorant about the affairs of the envoy?"

Zhao Dewen smiled awkwardly and explained, "He didn't want us to know about his affairs to begin with. We usually try not to get too close, and with me, well, you know, it's even more so. Those people are busy working in various places, so they have more opportunities to hear or see things."

Sure enough, not long after, people began to tell them what they had seen and heard. Although it was just a scene or a few words, they all pointed to the same pharmacy, Hesheng Pharmacy.

Gao Yuntian asked, puzzled, "How did you come to the conclusion that they were hiding in the pharmacy?"

Jia Chuan did not answer him, but walked out of the gatehouse and said as he walked, "Go find Commander Lu and have him secretly determine the location of this pharmacy. If I am not mistaken, it should not be far from that alley."

Gao Yuntian didn't dare to delay and quickly went to find Commander Lu.

Jia Chuan strolled back to the courtyard alone. Just then, Chen Mo was recounting the thrilling events of that night, and Hai Feng and Meng Jun were listening intently. Jia Chuan pushed open the door and came in, immediately asking, "How many people did you bring? Where are you resting now?"

Hai Feng subconsciously replied, "Two hundred people. A dozen or so came to the herb-gathering bureau with the two of us, and the rest were taken away by the commander of the Prince's Palace guards."

"They entered the city gate in great style?"

Meng Jun frowned and retorted, "Otherwise what?" Jia Chuan twirled his fingers and said seriously, "Then we can't wait until dark. Chen Mo, send someone to the city gate immediately and order the guards to allow only entry and no exit after half an hour. Also, send someone to the government office. I don't know who's in charge now, but have them settle the people who couldn't leave the city. The government office will provide food and lodging. Oh, is the inn we rented still vacant? Why are the city gates closed so early..."

"Oh dear, you have to worry about everything, whether it's salty or bland. Just tell me if we need to clean that alley later."

Jia Chuan shook his head and said, "They're not in the alley. Did you talk to them about the dismembered bodies?"

Hai Feng hurriedly said, "I told you, I told you it was all torn apart by someone?"

Meng Jun snorted.

Jia Chuan nodded and said, "The place we're going to later is either empty, or if they're still there, then this incredibly strong person must be there. The Jinyiwei's swords might not be effective; we'll need bows and arrows..."

Chen Mo didn't have time to ask any questions in detail, and only said, "They carried an imperial decree, ordering them to go to the city gate. I understand what you mean. You think that their entry into the city is too conspicuous, and those people will definitely receive the news and know that an attack is about to be launched. Although they are confident in their hiding place, they can't withstand so many Imperial Guards coming. They will still be afraid..."

Jia Chuan interrupted Chen Mo, saying, "Don't analyze it yet. One of them will take men to the city gate, and the other will go with you to bring in the Imperial Guards. Some of them will seal off the Grass and Tree Garden, and some will be the Imperial Guards with bows and arrows..."

After making the arrangements, Jia Chuan went to the east wing.

Gao Yunduo's back injury hadn't fully healed yet, and Jia Chuan was worried that Gao Yunduo would get anxious if he didn't explain things clearly before leaving, so he came to let him know. Dong Yuanyuan asked anxiously, "Aren't you taking me with you?"

Jia Chuan said, "This time, with the archers from the Embroidered Uniform Guard here, we don't need to lift a finger. You can rest; we should be back by dark."

Mu Lian asked, "Aren't you afraid they'll use poison?"

"What, you want to come along?" Jia Chuan asked.

Mu Lian quickly waved her hand and said, "I know there's a place there that can tear people to pieces, I'm not going."

Gao Yunduo looked at Jia Chuan with concern.

Jia Chuan hurriedly said, "This time there are archers. Unless he can fly or disappear into the ground, I can kill him without even getting close. He's just a tool. I don't need his confession, so I don't need to leave him alive. Alright, you guys rest, I'm going to get busy."

As Jia Chuan came out, he ran into Gao Yuntian and Commander Lu, who were returning. Upon seeing Jia Chuan, Gao Yuntian exclaimed, "You guessed it again! That pharmacy really isn't far from that alley, but it's surrounded by shops, you tell me..."

"Go inside and discuss things with Chen Mo and the others. I have other matters to attend to. Commander Lu, you come with me."

Gao Yuntian was taken aback for a moment, and Jia Chuan added, "I'll be back in a bit."

……

Lu Baihu thought Jia Chuan had something to say to him in private, so he followed Jia Chuan with trepidation, only to find that they went to the courtyard where the bald man was being held.

Baldy recovered even better than Gao Yunduo, but he himself said that his meridians had been severed, and Jia Chuan did not find an expert to confirm it.

Jia Chuan had been coming every day for the past few days, and when he came again today, the bald man didn't seem to mind.
The bald man was tied up very tightly. Except for his increasingly bright eyes, he looked quite uncomfortable. And the bald man had to stay in this position every day. Jia Chuan shook his head as he watched.

The bald man snorted and said, "What do you want to ask me today?"

Jia Chuan sat down in a chair and asked, "If you sit like this, will your blood and qi flow properly?"

"Then untie me."

Give me a reason that can solve this for you.

"I've offended both the officials and merchants of Yangzhou on this trip. I'll definitely be dealt with when I get back. I can only escape to the sea and drift there, so I won't harm anyone else. Besides, I came here to kill you. I didn't take your life, nor did I harm anyone else. I've suffered these past few days and been injured. That's more than enough, isn't it?"

"Want to become a pirate?"

"I kept retreating, but I never expected that I would be driven into a dead end. Oh well, I should be grateful that I survived."

"Shouldn't you be thanking me for saving your life?"

The bald man looked at Jia Chuan and asked warily, "What do you want me to do?"

“You misspoke earlier. How could you possibly think you still have a chance to drift at sea? Do you know that they committed a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of their families…”

“I wasn’t involved. I just came to kill you. Besides, I have no family ties.”

"I am, after all, an official of the imperial court. You failed to kill me, which means you escaped the death penalty but cannot escape punishment. And you still want to go to sea?"

A hint of fear flashed in the bald man's eyes. He had found Jia Chuan to be a reasonable person to talk to these past few days, and he had tried his best to cooperate. However, he knew very little about what was happening in Kaifeng, and could only talk about his own experiences.

The bald man's name was Tang Hu. He had indeed been a monk, and even a martial monk. He was one of those who became monks at a young age. At that time, Tang Hu was only three or four years old and was almost starving to death. He was rescued by monks from the temple when they came down the mountain.

The people in the temple never expected that Tang Hu would have such a big appetite when he was still young. The vegetarian meals in the temple could not satisfy Tang Hu's appetite at all. No one knows when it started, but Tang Hu began to use the skills he had learned to hunt in the forest and secretly make some barbecue. He continued like this for several years until his master found out. After a beating, Tang Hu was ordered to face the wall in a cave for a year. Surprisingly, he persevered. But when he came out, he was still unable to resist the wild game in the forest.

Ultimately, Tang Hu was expelled from the temple.

(End of this chapter)