Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 192 The unknown road ahead

Su Wen and the others did not expect that the emperor would also pass away not long after. They had considered whether they should stop. Not to mention them, even the common people who cared about the court knew that the emperor would not be at peace after the emperor died. Would the emperor directly produce the result they wanted?

Su Wen said they wanted to stop, but Zhou Cheng wasn't willing. He felt the more chaotic things were, the more money they could make. Using live people for drug trials was also Zhou Cheng's idea; they originally wanted to use livestock...

At this moment, Jia Chuan couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you want to make an antidote? Since it's an antidote, naturally you need a doctor to check your pulse and examine you at any time, so that it can be recorded. Find livestock? How do you do that?"

Su Wen hurriedly said that the antidote was easy to fool, but Zhou Cheng later thought of poison. Saving lives could be done openly, and although the price was high, it wouldn't be too high. But poison was only traded in secret, and the price could be sky-high.

In short, Su Wen blamed all those despicable acts on the deceased Zhou Cheng. However, they cooperated very well. In Su Wen's words, those who came to test the medicine were all volunteers. As long as enough money was given, there were plenty of poor people willing to try the medicine.

Because these people were all volunteers, it was easy to bring them to Kaifeng, and there was no need to worry about bringing them to the herb-gathering bureau. The old prince had previously set up a secret passage in the herb-gathering bureau so that his subordinates could come to him to report on their work without anyone else knowing, and it could also serve as a surveillance tool. It is clear that the old prince was well aware that the herb-gathering bureau could save people, but it could also harm them.

Although Zhou Cheng was kept in the dark about this secret passage, as he secured his position as the chief envoy, there were naturally people who sided with him. Zhou Cheng originally planned to do something secretly, but once he found out, he dared not make any rash moves. Otherwise, Zhou Cheng would have been replaced long ago, and the old prince might not have realized until his death that he had trusted the wrong person.

Su Wen and his group built one more passage from the herb-gathering station to the hut, based on these secret passages, but they really didn't have enough time.

Jia Chuan asked, puzzled, "If I hadn't come, how would you have cleaned up the mess?"

Su Wen said, "We may not be able to interfere much with other matters of the court with money, but we can still find a way to get the Prince of Runan, who is not being paid attention to, to return to Kaifeng to visit his family."

Jia Chuan did not expect that their plan was to have Zhu Youxun, the Prince of Runan, uncover the conspiracy.

Unfortunately, Zhu Youxun and his group couldn't control things, or rather, Zhou Cheng couldn't control them. At this point, their arrangement of putting Zhou Cheng in the spotlight in everything finally revealed its drawbacks. They were anxious but couldn't do anything about it.

They hoped that Prince Zhu Youxun of Runan would cause a great disturbance to attract the emperor's attention, and ideally write a secret letter falsely accusing the Bureau of Herbal Medicines... But how could Zhou Cheng allow Zhu Youxun to do such a thing? Wouldn't that ruin his own future?
Su Wen persuaded Zhou Cheng to win over Zhu Youxun by saying: "The new King Zhou could replace you at any time. Then all these businesses would be for someone else's benefit. Only by replacing the King Zhou with one of your own, or at least by having leverage over him, can you force him to join forces with you and prevent him from replacing you. This business can continue. Your illness still needs time, and you must not have any accidents at this time."

It wasn't difficult to persuade Zhou Cheng to win over Zhu Youxun; the challenge was figuring out a way to get Zhu Youxun to make baseless accusations. They believed that as long as he mentioned problems with the Herb Gathering Bureau, the Emperor would definitely investigate. Besides, the Herb Gathering Bureau was readily available and could be used as a pretext. They thought that as long as Zhou Cheng stirred up Zhu Youxun's disloyalty, and since Zhu Youxun was a normal person, he would definitely start with the Herb Gathering Bureau. It was simple and convenient, and Zhou Cheng wouldn't be able to stop him then.

Zhu Youxun's disloyalty didn't need anyone to stir it up. In his mind, only treason could bring down his brother and put him in power. Although it was also a secret plot to frame someone, the method was completely different from what Su Wen and the others wanted.

Zhou Cheng offered Zhu Youxun a hallucinogenic powder in an attempt to win him over, thinking that if Zhu Youxun used it, he would have leverage over him. However, Zhu Youxun hesitated to act, and by the time he did, Zhou Cheng's death was imminent.

When Jia Chuan heard this, he was somewhat puzzled. If Zhu Youxun was investigated for using a sleeping potion, Zhou Cheng would not be able to escape! But then he realized that in Zhou Cheng's view, no one would know about this type of drug unless he told him himself. Zhu Youxun knew better than Zhou Cheng what kind of crime this was, so he would naturally keep his mouth shut. Zhou Cheng thought this was his leverage, but unfortunately, he had no chance to hold it in his hands.

Zhou Cheng's death was part of Su Wen's plan, but it could only be carried out after someone came to investigate.

They had hoped that Zhu Youxun would make a scene, but he had his own methods and ignored everyone's advice.

Just as Su Wen was pondering who else he could use, perhaps it was truly divine intervention, Zhu Zhanji sent Jia Chuan.

No matter who came, or what they said to Zhou Cheng, Zhou Cheng's death was imminent.

Su Wen never expected that his nephew would also die. According to their plan, the fake Shunzi would 'die' after revealing Mu Lian's suspicious behavior and Zhou Cheng's secret meeting with the Prince of Han's mansion, and then be disfigured and dismembered...

Jia Chuan seized another loophole. According to Su Wen's plan, there should still be someone in the herb-gathering bureau, and in a high position, otherwise it would be impossible to guarantee that the switch would not be discovered, especially since they would be carrying body parts.

Su Wen then realized he had let something slip and wanted to keep quiet, but Tang Hu wouldn't allow it. Su Wen had no choice but to confess that his nephew had bribed several people in the herb-gathering bureau. These people were from various departments, and the nephew claimed to have chosen the clever ones. Moreover, these people didn't know the real identity of the fake Shunzi and thought that Zhou Cheng was looking for confidants. Those who were chosen all felt overjoyed, thinking that they were not far from becoming rich.

Su Wen and his group thought that after switching out their nephew, all those who knew about it would be silenced. However, since their nephew died before completing his final mission, Su Wen did not let those people go either.

Jia Chuan was puzzled. The herb-gathering bureau was shut down soon after Jia Shunzi died. Jia Shunzi's death was an accident. According to their plan, there must have been some of these people in the herb-gathering bureau at the time. How could they have killed them all without leaving any survivors?
Su Wen said that these people all knew about the secret passage. He originally had three people waiting to deliver the body parts. After learning about the death of the fake Shunzi, the four people left at the herb-gathering bureau hurriedly went out through the secret passage to inform the people in the alley. Su Wen didn't have to worry about it, and these people were all gathered together.

The herb-gathering bureau has many people, and if a few are missing, no one would notice even on a normal day, let alone in the midst of chaos.

Human life is as worthless as grass in the eyes of these people.

This is true not only in the eyes of these wealthy people, but also in the eyes of those officials.

Jia Chuan felt that in this era, if one were born into a poor family, it would truly require a stroke of luck to live a peaceful life until death.

……

Jia Chuan basically understood the whole thing. The so-called courage he hadn't understood before was actually just that these people were hiding behind Zhou Cheng, and they thought they could get away unscathed without anyone noticing.

Su Wen's statement was only a rough estimate; Jia Chuan dared not imagine how many people Liu Ji had mobilized to participate in the whole affair.

With Su Wen's confession, Jia Chuan was completely relieved. He was now just waiting for someone from the capital to take over the case, and then he would go to Zhangde to see Prince Zhao.

Qingming Festival is approaching.

Thinking of the graves at Huangluling, Jia Chuan couldn't help but feel melancholy. Although he had mentioned to Zhu Zhanji that he hoped the government could fund the return of those patrol officers to their ancestral homes, and Zhu Zhanji had agreed, would the people below actually carry it out?
……

That evening, Jia Chuan and Shunzi sat on the veranda, whispering about the matter. Jia Chuan knew he couldn't take Zhao Wang's life to avenge his brothers, but taking his anger out on Zhao Wang or taking him to celebrate the festival with his brothers might be possible.

Shunzi was terrified. She grabbed Jia Chuan's arm and kept saying that Jia Chuan was confused! Just because the Emperor gave him a few smiles, he didn't know who he was anymore? Who was Prince Zhao? He was the Emperor's own uncle. No matter what grudges they had, they were still family. Who gave Jia Chuan the right to lay a hand on him? If he really did lay a hand on him, would the Emperor forgive him?

Jia Chuan patted Shunzi's hand and comforted him, "Why are you in such a hurry? Don't you know how I do things?"

“I know, but I also know that once people have power, their minds easily change.” Shunzi said excitedly, “You can’t do anything foolish! I know you want to avenge your brothers, and you feel that they died unjustly, but who is King Zhao? And who are we? Let’s just say that they had a hard life in this world, and that being reincarnated sooner might not be a bad thing.”

Jia Chuan snorted and said, "Originally, I really had no way to vent my anger, but now, Zhu Youxun said that Prince Zhou sent a secret letter to Zhangde Prefecture, right? This matter needs to be investigated, and coincidentally, it's my turn to investigate... I don't want to do anything, I just want to take Prince Zhao to Huangluling to take advantage of the spring scenery. This matter naturally requires the Emperor's approval. A prince cannot leave his fiefdom without an imperial edict. This is not something I can do on a whim."

Shunzi blinked at Jia Chuan.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Jia Chuan sighed as he spoke, "At this time last year, we were still in Huangluling. The snow hadn't melted completely yet. I forget who got food poisoning, but they were running out in the middle of the night..."

"It was a lame horse. It ate undercooked beans, and the fart it made was... well, almost a year has passed in the blink of an eye."

"Could we take King Zhao to kowtow to them and leave that aside? We should go back and take a look; I'm afraid their remains haven't made it home."

Speaking of returning to Huangluling, Shunzi felt that he should also bring Lao Dong over, otherwise how would Lao Dong live the rest of his life?
Jia Chuan disagreed. Dong Shuben still had a son. Even if the couple's relationship was ruined by the beating, the father-son bond would still remain. Shunzi unilaterally felt that Dong Shuben should be brought to live with her and be taken care of, but Old Dong might not think so.

……

Inside the room, Chen Mo, Gao Yuntian, Haifeng, and Meng Jun were discussing how to escort those who had been captured but were still alive, those whom Su Wen had later confessed to, back to Beijing. There were quite a few people, but Chen Mo and Gao Yuntian probably wouldn't be going back with the team; they would still be going to Zhangde with Jia Chuan, as had been agreed upon beforehand.

Hai Feng and Meng Jun were both puzzled as to why this young man named Jia Chuan was so restless. But they had heard that his official position had been changing all the time, and the highest he had ever held was the seventh rank. Could it be that the emperor was intentionally letting him accumulate merits so that he could suddenly return to the capital after a few years and directly enter the Six Ministries, starting as a vice minister? If that were the case, then trouble would surely happen wherever Jia Chuan went, and it would all be things that could accumulate merits.

For the emperor, Jia Chuan was a lucky star, but for local officials...

The two of them then thought of the many boxes of silver that had been brought up from the secret room. All the silver that should have been kept had been kept, with Jia Chuan having the most. Although his rank was far lower than theirs, the two of them had silently accepted that Jia Chuan was the boss here. For some reason, the two of them felt envious, envious that Chen Mo and Gao Yuntian could follow Jia Chuan.

I wonder how much they'll make at their next location!
In the east wing, Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan were comforting Mu Lian. No matter what, it seemed that Mu Lian's life could be saved. Based on Jia Chuan's confidence, Mu Lian was probably fine. However, she might be taken away by the Mu family. Would they ever have a chance to see each other again?
Tang Hu sat alone on the steps at the entrance of the courtyard, which was already bolted. He would glance at Jia Chuan under the eaves, then at the candlelight in the east wing, and occasionally look up at the full moon in the sky. No one could have imagined that Tang Hu felt a sense of peace at this moment, and this peace was simply because he didn't have to worry about not having food to eat in a few days.

At least for now, things are peaceful. He himself doesn't know how long this peace will last, or what he should do next after solving his basic needs. He hasn't figured it out yet.

As the moonlight deepened, everyone drifted off to sleep.

……

At the same time, in Zhangde Prefecture.

Prince Zhao, Zhu Gaosui, was awakened by a nightmare. He sat up abruptly and, upon realizing that he was in his familiar bedroom, let out a long sigh. The scene in his dream was truly terrifying: dozens of skulls covered in rotting flesh lunged at him. He had killed far fewer people in his life than his second brother had, so it was more likely that his second brother would have such a dream.

Zhu Gaosui wiped the sweat from his forehead and lay down again.

...At the same time, a scream came from an alley in Zhangde Prefecture, followed by several more screams.

……

Spring has finally arrived, and flowers are blooming. Jia Chuan, riding his horse, admires the lush greenery lining both sides of the official road and can't help but sigh: "If you didn't experience it yourself, you'd really think that ancient times were all about natural beauty with green mountains and clear waters. Who would have thought that indiscriminate logging was the norm here? Not to mention that royal palaces needed high-quality timber, even ordinary people, not to mention officials, needed timber to build their own houses, not just thatched huts. Not to mention that people needed firewood for heating in winter and for cooking all year round..."

Jia Chuan shook his head. The vegetation in Huangluling was relatively lush because there were few people around. Any place closer to the city was barren, with only wild grass and flowers still growing back in the spring breeze.

Jia Chuan sighed and turned to look at Qian Guan.

Thinking about what would have happened if it weren't for him, Jia Chuan smiled bitterly; he would probably be in a prison van heading to the capital right now.

Zhu Zhanji sent the Left Censor-in-Chief to Kaifeng, an old man who was stern and unsmiling, with deep wrinkles on his face that could trap a mosquito, serious and inflexible.

Jia Chuan explained the evidence he had uncovered one by one, and even showed the old man everything he needed to see. The old man's tightly furrowed brows remained furrowed as he examined the evidence carefully and was extremely rigorous during the interrogation. It could be said that he worked day and night.

Those who had been interrogated were escorted back to Beijing in batches.

Jia Chuan was initially relieved to have found a competent helper, but he never expected to get stuck with Tang Hu.

Jia Chuan thought that protecting Mu Lian would be somewhat difficult. Perhaps Zhu Zhanji had given instructions, or perhaps the Duke of Qian's mansion had intervened, or perhaps the old man also felt that Mu Lian's merits and demerits could be offset. He only said that he would take Mu Lian back to the capital, and the Duke of Qian's mansion would send someone to pick her up.

Mu Lian refused to return to the capital, stating that she would rather stay in the herb-gathering bureau and live a lonely life.

Jia Chuan had no time to care what Mu Lian thought, because the old man insisted on arresting Tang Hu and escorting him back to the capital.

If this had happened when Jia Chuan first transmigrated, he would have had no objections. Even if he had his own thoughts, he would have waited until he returned to the capital to find a way to exonerate Tang Hu. But the current Jia Chuan had already thrown the discipline of his previous life to the back of his mind and readily accepted the place of human relationships in the law in this life. Unconsciously, he developed a double standard: others want to use human relationships to cover up the law, but that's not allowed; he can see the pros and cons, so that's fine.

Moreover, in Jia Chuan's view, Tang Hu's crime could be let go as long as he didn't pursue it, since it was just a thug hired by Liu Ji. But the old man didn't think so and insisted on arresting Tang Hu and sending him back to the capital for severe interrogation, saying that Tang Hu must know more.

Jia Chuan was furious. The case was already very clear. Not to mention that Tang Hu had already told them everything he knew, even if he had concealed something, it was about his own background and had nothing to do with the case. The one who should be interrogated was Liu Ji, not Tang Hu. Moreover, if it weren't for Tang Hu, they might still be guessing who the mastermind was. Even if we were to consider merits and demerits, Tang Hu's merits could outweigh his demerits.

An old man and a young boy started arguing.

The old man felt that Jia Chuan was taking advantage of the emperor's favor and was disregarding the law.

Jia Chuan retorted, "Could you have investigated this case clearly without me? Your talk of disregarding the law is just handing you a credit, giving you the opportunity to pretend to be a capable official after you return to the capital?"

The old man fell ill from anger and lay on the bed looking like he was on his deathbed.

Mu Lian suggested seeing the old man off, but Jia Chuan told her to stay out of the way!
Fortunately, Qian Guan came with the old man. For such a big case, Zhu Zhanji trusted the eunuchs around him the most.

When Jia Chuan met Qian Guan, he realized this. He also recalled that there were indeed a few outstanding eunuchs among them in the late Ming Dynasty, which shows that the foreshadowing had been laid at this time.

Qian Guan was a reasonable man. He dismissed everyone and sat down by the old man's bedside to patiently persuade him. The old man agreed that Jia Chuan could take Tang Hu away, but he could no longer stay in Kaifeng.

Jia Chuan was also afraid that he might lose control and anger the old man to death, which would mean all his hard work had been for nothing.

So, the next day, Jia Chuan and his party left Kaifeng in a very pleasant manner. Gao Yunduo's carriage was padded with thick brocade quilts, and the carriage moved very slowly.

Going to cause trouble for the King of Zhao is not something that can be rushed; it's fine to take it slow.

Qian Guan also went along on the journey. Zhu Zhanji's plan was quite thorough. Even if Jia Chuan went to Zhangde Prefecture under the guise of verifying the secret letter, Prince Zhao might not see him. Jia Chuan's rank was really not high enough, and it would be troublesome if he caused any trouble. But it would be different if Qian Guan went with him.

Jia Chuan felt that this was a sign of the leader's consideration, and he could not let him down.

So after Qian Guan conveyed the old man's meaning, he wanted to say a few words of advice, but Jia Chuan readily agreed.

Having done everything that needed to be done, Jia Chuan was more than willing to do the remaining tedious tasks of organizing evidence and writing case files.

When Jia Chuan passed away, the old man realized how important Jia Chuan was only when he got up and threw himself into his work.

He and Jia Chuan had only spent three days together before they had a falling out. When Jia Chuan was around, he only needed to ask one question to know the details. Although it was really tiring to run around and see things, he had endless summaries to write every night. Now, when he picked up his pen, he didn't know what to write. It seemed that there were still many things he couldn't understand, but there was no one to ask him.

……

Jia Chuan had no time to worry about how the old man in Kaifeng was doing; he was figuring out how to get the Prince of Zhao to willingly go with him to Huanglu Ridge.

Qian Guan had repeatedly advised Jia Chuan to be careful in his conduct upon arriving in Zhangde. In his opinion, it would be best for Jia Chuan to meet with Prince Zhao and then let the matter rest. He didn't understand why Jia Chuan insisted on antagonizing a member of the royal family. Even if this prince was now merely a figurehead, he was still surnamed Zhu. What Jia Chuan did might be harmless now, but what about the future? How could Jia Chuan guarantee that he would never offend anyone or fall into a downward spiral?

By then, bringing up old grievances will all be wrong...

Jia Chuan listened attentively, his expression one of receptiveness, but his mind was still preoccupied with the idea of ​​taking the King of Zhao on a trip.

When the group was halfway through their journey, an old acquaintance, Mu Lian, joined them.

Mu Lian was originally going to stay in Kaifeng to wait for the old man to return to the capital. Although Jia Chuan didn't know if his cousin was still in Kaifeng, and if he was, why didn't he just pick Mu Lian up? Why did he have to wait until the capital to do it? But he didn't have time to think about it. Before leaving, he told Mu Lian, "After you return to the capital, find a way to stall him until I get back."

Mu Lian didn't say anything at the time.

No matter how willful Mu Lian was, she didn't dare to cry and demand to leave with Jia Chuan and the others. She chose to follow them.

Jia Chuan sighed and shook his head, as did Old Zheng and Shunzi. Dong Yuanyuan and Gao Yunduo were very happy, and Gao Yuntian noticed that Tang Hu was also very excited. He urged his horse closer to Tang Hu and whispered, "What are you so happy about?"

Tang Hu simply smiled and remained silent.

Gao Yuntian said, "Even if they come, we have to send them back."

"Why?" Tang Hu asked, his face darkening.

Gao Yuntian gestured towards Qian Guan's retreating figure and whispered, "With him here, how could the Emperor not know? If he knew, how could he not inform the Mu family? If the Mu family knew, how could they not come to take him away?"

"Then I'll kill him first! The Mu family won't know."

"Look at you, so capable! Who is he? Don't even mention killing him, try to hurt him even a little bit and see if Jia Chuan can still live!" Gao Yuntian said through gritted teeth.

Tang Hu, however, remained grim, his eyes fixed fiercely on Qian Guan's back.

Gao Yuntian realized he had gotten himself into trouble and quickly reported it to Jia Chuan.

Jia Chuan was at his wits' end and could only use a combination of persuasion and coercion to get Tang Hu to temporarily abandon his idea of ​​killing Qian Guan.

As for Mu Lian, Jia Chuan ignored her completely.

However, Jia Chuan couldn't just focus on taking the King of Zhao on a tour anymore.

The first half of the journey was quite pleasant, but the second half became somewhat dull. However, just as we were approaching Zhangde, a member of the Imperial Guards came to deliver a message: Zhangde Prefecture had been sealed off.

Jia Chuan reined in his horse and listened carefully to the conversation between the newcomer and Chen Mo. After listening, he couldn't help but gasp and muttered, "I'm not some kind of cricket reincarnation, trouble always seems to follow me wherever I go. Isn't this just like Old Ke?"

He looked up towards Zhangde, where something was surely waiting for him. Would he still be safe? He glanced at Tang Hu, who was secretly watching Mu Lian, took a deep breath, and spurred his horse forward…

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