Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 34 Middle-aged and Elderly Friends
Jia Chuan was stunned for a moment after hearing what Old Zheng said. Promotion? The test is over?
"I don't know myself, how did you hear it? Is the information reliable?" Jia Chuan asked anxiously.

Old Zheng was also stunned and asked in confusion, "Didn't they tell you three to stay in the county government office first?"

"Is this called a promotion?"

"The county magistrate is very worried. He doesn't know where to best place you."

"Since the imperial decree hasn't arrived yet, I'm just a clerk at best. Why should he worry? Just give me a random title."

"There are also differences among officials. Look, the magistrate, the county magistrate, the chief clerk, the principal and deputy principals—they are officials, but they don't handle official business directly. Who does that? Below them are the six offices: the clerk's office, the household office, the ritual office, the military office, the criminal justice office, and the workshop office. Each office has a chief called the clerk, and the deputy chief is called the manager. These people stay indoors all day, protected from the wind and rain. Who runs errands? The yamen runners are divided into three shifts and miscellaneous servants. The third shift is the "zao" (salvation squad), the men who stand guard in the hall and carry out executions, beating with the mighty sticks. The "zhuang" (strong men), all strong men, are used to run errands. Then there is the "kuai" (fast-moving squad), the constables. In addition to the three shifts, there are also people like us: the coroners, the jailers, the doormen..."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Old Zheng laughed and said, "I was thinking of bringing you to this little courtyard. Now I see that you are not an ordinary person..."

"You seem to have read some books."

"What's the use? My father is a coroner, so I can only be a coroner."

"So you're not going to get married?"

Old Zheng waved his hand and said, "Let's finish here."

Jia Chuan thought for a moment and said, "If, if I can get promoted, I will find a way to transfer you..."

"You'll be a coroner no matter where you go. It's better to stay in this small courtyard. At least you're familiar with it, and the magistrate is... kind. But you, at such a young age, have been blessed with a divine beauties. Your future may be limitless, but... I'm afraid you can't bear this divine grace."

Jia Chuan lowered his head and said nothing.

"You're young, clever, and skilled. A person's strengths must be recognized by others before they can truly be called strengths. And the person who recognizes you is the most powerful person in the world. If you get past this, you'll be surrounded by flatterers in the future. Who doesn't want to hear nice things? If you listen to them for too long, you'll start to mistake lies for truth, and think you're truly remarkable, which will easily offend others..."

"I know."

"What's the point of knowing? Knowing that it's a wall, how many people will hit it? Who doesn't think they are blessed by God and nothing will happen to them?" Old Zheng lowered his voice and said, "Throughout the dynasties, look at the people around the emperor. How many of them had a good end? Aren't emperors human? The worst thing is, every emperor has a different temper. By the time you understand the temper of the current emperor, you'll be dead soon."

Just as Jia Chuan was about to argue, Old Zheng whispered again:

"Let's not talk about anything else. I'll just tell you what I know. During the Yongle period, Emperor Yongle conquered Annan four times, conquered Mongolia five times, and made six voyages to the West. He also moved the capital to Beijing..."

When Jia Chuan heard this, a name suddenly popped up in his mind: Zheng He! His eyes lit up involuntarily.

Old Zheng thought Jia Chuan liked to hear what he said, so he told him everything he knew.

"...The so-called Hongwu Reign and Yongle Prosperity were all about harsh laws and punishments. If you didn't obey..." Old Zheng gestured with a beheading gesture, "If they think you have a problem, they'll kill you. Why are the Jinyiwei so arrogant? They hold the lives of all the officials in their hands! Emperor Yongle fought so many wars, but how could there be money in the treasury? It was all thanks to the crown prince at the time, the late emperor. The late emperor was kind, but what good was it? This year is only the first year of Hongxi, and he's gone. The world has only been peaceful for less than a year. Who knows what the rules will be after the crown prince ascends the throne?"

As Jia Chuan listened, he sorted out in his mind who was whose father, who was whose grandfather, and who was whose grandson.

"You should have heard about this by now. During the Yongle era, there were frequent cases of entire families being implicated. Of course, they weren't as frequent as during the Hongwu era, but they were still quite frightening. After the late emperor ascended the throne last year, he issued a series of decrees abolishing many harsh punishments, strictly prohibiting extrajudicial executions, and forbidding the arbitrary implicating of innocent people. Death penalty cases must also undergo multiple reviews, with the Five Government Offices, Six Ministries, the Tongzheng Department, the Six Departments, and the Three Judicial Departments all participating in the joint hearings to prevent false charges and wrongful convictions."

Jia Chuan nodded frequently.

"You are also the Crown Prince's subordinate. If the Crown Prince follows the example of Emperor Yongle in the future, you will be his lackey. When he has almost dealt with all the dissidents, it would be normal for him to kill you to quell the anger of the officials. So I am really worried about you."

"I won't go to the Imperial Guard."

"You can choose not to go if you want?"

"What if... the prince looks like his father?"

Old Zheng snorted and said, "The Crown Prince grew up riding horses. Can you find out how many times the late Emperor rode a horse?"

Jia Chuan thought of what Zhu Zhanji had told him about following his grandfather into battle, and sighed. He thought, "Whoever you grow up with, you'll take after him, right?" But he had no recollection of officials like those under Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di during the Xuande reign.

"I've put all my energy into this today. We get along really well, and I only say these things when I'm just chatting with myself. If you can listen to me, that's great. If not, well, let's just accept our fate."

"I've listened to it, but sometimes I have to. I try to avoid it."

Old Zheng patted Jia Chuan on the shoulder and said, "If others had your opportunity, they would be so happy that they would go to his grave. But they don't understand that fortune and misfortune are intertwined. You have no foundation in the court, so if you rise quickly, your fall will not be slow. I worry that in the future, no one will be there to warn you. If you take a wrong step, you will fall into the abyss."

"I'll get through this first. Who knows, maybe I won't be able to get through this one. There's a traitor in the Inspection Office. It all depends on what the Crown Prince thinks. If he thinks the worst, none of us three will be able to escape, and saving the Crown Prince's life will be useless."

"It's rare that you can figure this out."

Jia Chuan looked at Old Zheng in confusion and asked, "You hide here every day and yet you're still concerned about world affairs. Why do you even make a summary when you have nothing to do?"

Old Zheng smiled bitterly and said, "If one day you lose hope, then learn from me. Don't dwell on your own affairs. Think about the outside world, about things that seem unrelated to you but are related. Then you won't find life difficult anymore."

"You are thinking that if you were the emperor..."

Old Zheng quickly covered Jia Chuan's mouth and said anxiously, "Is this something you can say?!"

Jia Chuan quickly nodded to show that he knew he was wrong. Old Zheng let go of his hand, glared at Jia Chuan and said, "It's great that you can secretly think about becoming a county magistrate."

Jia Chuan smiled and said, "When I came here just now, Gao Yuntian told me that he wanted to go with us to suppress the bandits. Shouldn't he have gone with us? Are the yamen runners not allowed to participate in such matters? Oh, yes, we are going to Dongguang County..."

"No matter where we go to find these bandits, he has to follow them. Don't forget, it's because of the Huang Luling case. Those weapons, bows and arrows, and the traitor are all in the bandit's lair. How can he not go there?"

"That……"

"It's because the County Monarch doesn't want him to take risks. I've told you, Gao Yuntian's uncle has a very good relationship with the County Monarch, and the County Monarch treats Gao Yuntian like his own son or nephew. I heard that they're really going to take action this time, and since it's not just a pretense, there will be danger..."

"Then why did Gao Yuntian insist on going?"

"He's a proud and arrogant person to begin with. He's always trying to flatter himself even when nothing happened to him. Furthermore, he's always felt he's capable of something this big. But everyone in the government office is saying it's because of his uncle, so naturally he wants to find an opportunity to prove it's not true. This kid is also a stubborn person. He wants to live a good life, just pretending to be stupid, but he has to compete with others."

Jia Chuan smiled and shook his head. He'd long since learned the futility of being competitive. He was naturally gentle, and his parents were always soft-spoken and never lost their temper with him. But his cunning seemed innate. In third grade, he'd already felt his classmates were childish. One said they'd been to France, another to Germany, and a few words later, they were talking about being on the moon and Mars. He figured if he had time for bickering, why not memorize a few words?
Because of his excellent academic performance, he always seemed to be a loner. After being depressed for a whole day, he would go home and chat with the old man basking in the sun at the door for half an hour to vent his feelings.

Jia Chuan was also very puzzled as to why he was so precocious. Anyway, he only started making friends with people of his age when he was in college, and once he started making friends, he couldn't stop.

Unexpectedly, in this life, the first friend he made was a middle-aged or elderly person.

"They all say you are brave, but I think you are a timid one." Old Zheng said with a smile.

Jia Chuan was stunned for a moment. He thought he had hidden his problem very well, both in his previous life and this life. The fact that he was not afraid of corpses deceived almost everyone. How could he have thought that an old coroner hiding in the small courtyard would see through it after just a few days of contact.

"It's good to be timid. If you're timid, you won't cause trouble. If you're timid, you'll know to think about the consequences. If you're timid, you won't be greedy and just think about it secretly."

Jia Chuan took a deep breath, clasped his fists towards Old Zheng, and said, "You are also a coward."

Old Zheng laughed and said, "If we tell others that we are cowards, I'm afraid no one will believe us."

……

At noon, the two of them had lunch in the courtyard. Jia Chuan knew that his quiet time was running out.

Sure enough, just as the two of them finished eating and cleaned up, Cui Youzhi arrived.

Cui Youzhi meant that there was another meeting in the afternoon and Jia Chuan had to attend it no matter what.

Jia Chuan smiled and said, "Let's wait until the imperial edict arrives."

What Jia Chuan meant was that you guys do your research, and as for me, we’ll talk about it later.

According to Jia Chuan and Li Shun's predictions, even if there was no imperial decree today, there would be news from the capital.

Cui Youzhi thought about it and it made sense, so he left without stopping.

Jia Chuan began to feel uneasy. Of course, he was afraid that Zhu Zhanji was a suspicious person, but he was also afraid that if he was transferred to the Jinyiwei or the army, how would he survive?
At this time, Jia Chuan was even more convinced that the Jinyiwei were the emperor's dogs. They would bite whoever the emperor told them to bite without any discrimination, and would even actively create unjust cases in order to gain favor. Jia Chuan had a bottom line. There were some things he could do to survive, but there were some things he could not do, even if he was beaten to death.

And how much hardship would he have to endure if he joined the army? Besides being a fast runner, he lacked upper limb strength. Going to the army would only lead to disadvantages, and the thought of it made him feel miserable. But Zhu Zhanji did say that he should go to the army to gain some experience, and Kuang Zhong had even interceded for him. If Zhu Zhanji insisted on doing so, who else could speak for him?
Jia Chuan waited anxiously for Li Shun.

Li Shun had no objection to this small courtyard. He sat next to Jia Chuan and chattered about the contents of several meetings, as if he was reporting on his work.

Jia Chuan just listened without saying anything.

Ever since Li Shun entered the yard, Old Zheng has been squatting in a corner.

This made Jia Chuan feel a little distressed, but he also knew that even if he forced Old Zheng to come over, Old Zheng himself would not feel well.

Li Shun talked for a long time, but to no avail. Jia Chuan remained silent.

"This matter arose from your inference, so it should be..."

"If I don't have this inference, can the bandits stay?"

"Then it has nothing to do with me."

Jia Chuan stood up and said, "You should understand better than anyone that what I'm waiting for right now is news from the capital."

Li Shun also stood up and said, "We must always make preparations for both situations..."

"That's your business. I'm not in the mood."

After saying that, Jia Chuan turned around and wanted to leave, but he saw the yamen runners running towards him in a hurry. His heart suddenly jumped into his throat.

……

Jia Chuan had many predictions, but none of them came true.

What came from the capital was an imperial edict, which mostly talked about the arrangements and requirements for the bandit suppression, including which departments would cooperate, who would be in command, how many troops would be required, how many days would be required to complete the task, what points had to be achieved, and what kind of results were not acceptable. It also said some words that Jia Chuan could not understand at all. Finally, it contained the advice on how to deal with Jia Chuan: to transfer him to the position of deputy commander of the criminal department of Dongzhao County and to serve as the deputy commander of the bandit suppression.

The names of Dong Shuben and Shunzi were not mentioned in the decree, which is understandable. But as for the titles of Jingcheng and deputy commander, can one person let go of them?
The person who came to announce the decree was a young eunuch, otherwise he would not have arrived so quickly. He not only brought the decree, but also two letters, one to Jia Chuan and the other to Li Shun.

The letter to Li Shun was given and that was it, but the one to Jia Chuan, the young eunuch personally helped Jia Chuan up, took him to a deserted corner, and presented the letter to him with both hands, saying respectfully, "Eunuch Haishou is my master. Before he left, he repeatedly told me to tell Jia Jingcheng that when I see him, the most important thing is to keep my life while on duty, because wealth and honor in the future await."

Jia Chuan looked at the fair-skinned young man in front of him, and he realized after a moment that Haishou was telling him that Zhu Zhanji still trusted him. He wanted to imitate what he saw on TV and take out something and put it in the young man's hand, but he subconsciously touched his pocket and then his chest, which was so flat that he could feel the bones on his body.

Jia Chuan coughed awkwardly and asked, "What's your name, eunuch?"

"Jia Jingcheng can just call his servant Qian Guan."

Jia Chuan felt that this name sounded like calling someone "hypocritical," but he couldn't stop them from calling him. He could only pretend not to hear it and said, "Well, what a good name! Are you anxious to return to Beijing?"

"I didn't dismount when I came here, so there's no rush to go back."

"That's good. Come back to my residence with me. I don't have anything else right now, but I can still treat you to a meal."

Of course it can be done, and he doesn't have to buy or cook.

……

　My brain went crazy yesterday, and I didn’t even know what day it was during the New Year. Fortunately, I still remembered that yesterday was the fifth day of the New Year. I just forgot what day it was. Today is only Monday, and tomorrow is Tuesday. Hahahaha. Please try your best to help me dig it out tomorrow. It’s February!

　　This time the date won’t be wrong.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)