Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 72 Digging a hole
Dong Yuanyuan pricked up her ears to listen to the noises inside the house. Occasionally, she caught a few fragmented words from the newcomer: "The sage teaches others courtesy, so the world and the country can be rectified... I had a very pleasant conversation with your father... I miss him very much... I just found out yesterday..."

Dong Yuanyuan wondered why only the guests kept talking. Why hadn't Brother Gao sent them away yet? She looked at the servants and asked, "Can you stay for lunch?"

The servants thought Dong Yuanyuan was a cook. Not to mention a cook, even the owner of the Gao family might not agree with her, so how could they care about a cook?

Dong Yuanyuan continued: "Is there any food in the things you sent? I'm not talking about the food from the store, but if you stay for dinner, the kitchen may not have enough..."

Dong Yuanyuan hadn't finished her words when she heard Gao Yuntian's voice coming from the room. "I just want to know. In the past few years, the Anping Marquis's Mansion knew we were in Dongzhao County, but why hasn't they sent anyone to visit us? Does your son have a few more concubines?"

Gao Yuntian was full of confidence. Not only Dong Yuanyuan heard every word he said, but the servants also heard it.
These servants were originally full of resentment. After all, they were from the Earl's Mansion. This family looked shabby and did not know how to entertain guests. They actually made them stand in the yard and wait. They had also been to many dignitaries' houses. The tea and snacks in the gatehouse and the ear room were not bad. This family did not even have enough food. However, this cook was so strong, but a little noisy.

But after hearing what was said in the room, they looked at each other and realized that their master had come to apologize, so it made sense why they were treated so coldly.

Dong Yuanyuan frowned and asked, "That illegitimate grandson, does he really have several concubines before he even gets married?"

Several servants looked at Dong Yuanyuan with disgust, but no one paid any attention to her.

Dong Yuanyuan was a little anxious. This was a major event related to Gao Yunduo's marriage. She felt that she needed to find out what kind of person the illegitimate grandson was.

So Dong Yuanyuan picked up a servant and walked towards the backyard. The others were shocked and rushed forward to stop her, but who could stop Yuanyuan, whose palms were as hard as hammers?

Several servants who fell to the ground were well-behaved. It was obvious that they had received a lot of training in the Bo's Mansion. They did not dare to shout loudly. After getting up, they went to find the person in charge of the yard, thinking that there would always be someone who could take care of the cook.

Chen Mo came out and took a look. Just as the servants came forward to speak, Chen Mo shouted, "Get out!"

Shunzi followed her to the backyard. He was afraid that Yuanyuan would really hurt the servant, and he didn't know what the outcome would be, so he didn't want to make any mistakes.

The remaining servants were in a dilemma looking at the Moon Gate. Should they go in or not? If this were the case in the Bo Mansion, anyone who dared to enter the Second Gate without permission would have their legs broken at the very least, or be thrown out at the worst.

While the servants here were hesitating, Jia Chuan appeared in the room.

He persuaded Gao Yuntian, whose veins were throbbing, and stood up to pick up the cold tea from last night and poured it for Li Ming. He had deliberately left this pot of overnight tea, and next to it was the hot tea that had just been served. Li Ming watched as an unknown liquid was poured into his teacup. Before he could ask, Jia Chuan spoke first:

"It's understandable that my eldest brother feels resentful. The Anping Marquis's Mansion... is so noble? The Gao family... has been defeated."

Gao Yuntian was about to retort when Jia Chuan held him down and continued, "Anyone would think this marriage is a failure. It's called being well-matched. Even if the uncle doesn't care about these things and is willing to marry someone of lower status, it can't be this low..."

"I heard that my nephew has been transferred to the position of Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard..."

Gao Yuntian said, "Oh!" and said, "No wonder you came today!"

Li Ming was a little impatient. Although he had no title to inherit, he was also from the Earl's Mansion. If it were not for the Earl of Anping who ordered him to come this time, he would have forgotten about the marriage with the Gao family long ago. He was just a bastard's son, and he was too lazy to care about it.

This is what happened.

Early this morning, Li Ming was still wandering in the land of tenderness when his father ordered someone to wake him up. He went to see his father in a daze and got this job.

The Anping Marquis's Mansion is not as prosperous as it was during the Yongle Dynasty. Li Ming wanted to arrange the marriages of his children while his father was still alive. This arrangement naturally refers to the legitimate sons who can be relied upon. He is only the second son of the Marquis's Mansion, and it will not be his turn to inherit the title in the future. The Anping Marquis had found several jobs for him, but he felt that being a job was too tiring. He thought that if his father was alive, he would rely on his father, and if his father died, he would rely on his son, and it would be easier for him.

As for the concubine's son, you can't count on him. The good ones will naturally be given to the legitimate son first.

Therefore, Li Ming did not care about the marriage of his illegitimate son, and he would just nod his head no matter what his father arranged.

But when his father told him that Gao Yuntian had joined the Jinyiwei, Li Ming's mind became active, and he wanted to arrange the marriage with his third legitimate son.

An Pingbo sighed and said, "You should decide on the marriage first, it doesn't matter who it is."

Li Ming thought, isn't this easy? He only needs to go to the Gao family with the style of an elder and the title of a rich man, bring some gift boxes that are about to be given, and it will be done with just a few words. When he comes back, he can even hug his concubine and take a nap.

Li Ming was still arrogant when he got off the carriage, but the Gao family didn't seem to buy it. They first stopped the servants of the Bo's Mansion from taking down the gifts at the gate of the courtyard. No matter what he said, the big fool of the Gao family refused to accept them. He had to go into the house first. But after he gave him a lecture, a junior dared to get angry with him, and he didn't have time to ask for his legitimate son to marry.

"What you said is wrong. What's wrong with choosing family background for a marriage? If you hadn't joined the Jinyiwei, I wouldn't want this marriage, let alone for my legitimate son, even for a bastard's."

After Li Ming finished speaking, he began to wait for Gao Yuntian's follow-up questions with shining eyes.

"Why did you come if you don't want to?" Gao Yuntian didn't hear anything wrong at all.

Jia Chuan pointed at Gao Yuntian and explained to Li Ming with a smile, "He's my eldest brother, so I'll call him Uncle Li. Uncle Li also knows that marrying a man provides food and clothing. Now that the Gao family is just the two of them, my eldest brother would be concerned about whether his life will be easy after he marries. Uncle Li can understand that, right?"

"My family owns a thousand acres of fertile land..."

"But it's outside Nanjing?"

"How do you know?"

"I'm just guessing. The Anping Marquis's Mansion should have moved to Beijing with Emperor Taizong. I imagine there were many nobles who wanted to follow. If they hadn't been favored by Emperor Taizong, how could they have had this opportunity?"

Li Ming raised his head proudly and glanced at Gao Yuntian, meaning: Look how good this boy is at talking, now you know how powerful our family is, right?

Gao Yuntian turned his face away, he knew that Jia Chuan was about to start digging a hole.

When Shunzi came to report that someone had come to the Anping Marquis's Mansion, Gao Yuntian happened to be at home. He hurriedly found Jia Chuan, and just by looking at Jia Chuan's deep eyes, he knew that the person who came today would not get any benefits.

"But..." Jia Chuan changed the subject: "As the saying goes, no flower lasts forever. No matter how prosperous the Anping Marquis's Mansion was before... which government office does Uncle Li serve in now?"

Li Ming coughed lightly, picked up the cup of cold tea and took a sip. He said, "My family is well-off and there's no need for me to work for them. Don't worry, you'll have no worries about food and clothing if you marry into the Li family."

"Uncle Li, don't blame me for being nosy. I heard someone impeached the Earl of Anping last year. I also heard that two murders were related to the Earl of Anping's mansion."

Li Ming waved his hands and said, "Don't listen to what others say. They are just jealous of the carefree life of the Anping Marquis's family..."

"Murder..."

"Oh, I've already told you not to listen to other people's nonsense. How could a murder case be connected to the Anping Marquis' Mansion? If the Anping Marquis' Mansion wanted someone dead, why would we go to such great lengths?" Li Ming realized something was amiss with his words, and quickly explained, "What I meant was that the Marquis' Mansion has always been capable of resolving matters on its own, no, that..."

"But those jade pieces were indeed custom-made for the Anping Marquis's Mansion, and the murder case is related to jade pieces..."

"My Anping Marquis's Mansion receives countless rewards from the Emperor every year. We only ask a jade shop to customize some of our own things. Who would have thought that those people would kill us just to steal this business? What does this have to do with the Anping Marquis' Mansion?"

Jia Chuan nodded and asked, "Who is taking over this business now?"

"It's just a toy. Now that something has happened, it would be bad luck to ask someone else to make it. So, let's not make it. The Bo Mansion doesn't need such a small thing."

Jia Chuan nodded again and said, "Uncle Li, please don't blame me for being nosy. It seems that there are people in the capital who don't like the Anping Marquis's mansion. Seeing that framing them is useless, who knows what they will do to the Li family. Uncle Li, you should bring more people with you when you travel."

Li Ming waved his hands impatiently and said, "You don't need to worry about these trivial things. Where did the title come from? My father was a military commander. How can he be afraid of these scoundrels?"

"Of course, Lord Anping is not afraid. I'm just worried..."

"Don't talk about these useless things. The Anping Marquis's Mansion has many skilled guards. No one can do anything to them. Now let's just talk about the marriage. Let's make it settled. Since you have already joined the Jinyiwei, the eldest brother is like a father. Naturally, you have the final say on your sister's marriage. I have a son, who is a legitimate son..."

"I don't care whether the child is legitimate or illegitimate, I won't agree to this marriage anyway!" Gao Yuntian said with a snort.

"How can you talk to Uncle Li like that!" Jia Chuan poured Li Ming some cold tea and said flatteringly, "Uncle Li, don't blame me. My eldest brother is also worried about the current situation in the Anping Marquis's Mansion. Uncle Li thinks it's okay, but, Uncle Li, you have to think about it. He has joined the Jinyiwei now. There are some things that he may know more than you."

Li Ming's head buzzed and he suddenly became nervous.

Knowing his sons were useless, Li An, the Earl of Anping, worried deeply about them. Fearing they would delay his work, he repeatedly told them to discuss marriage only, not anything else. He also didn't mention Jia Chuan, a troublemaker. But then again, Li An didn't know much about Jia Chuan, so even if he wanted to, he wouldn't have any idea. He was having trouble getting information, but he knew the emperor had ordered a re-investigation of the jade shop murder case.

In fact, Li An just wanted to use marriage as a test. If the Gao family agreed, there would be no need to worry too much. If not, he really had to think carefully about whether he could pass this hurdle.

Ever since someone impeached him last year, Li An felt that he had restrained himself a lot, but there were still people who refused to let him go. In recent days, even the officials he usually interacted with had asked him to stay indoors and not see anyone.

After finally receiving news from the Gao family last night, Li An couldn't fall asleep. He pretended not to know that the Gao brothers and sisters had returned to Beijing, but Gao Yuntian joined the Jinyiwei. Was this a good thing or a bad thing?

There was a moment. Li An felt that he had no one to turn to in Beijing. Nanjing was still the best place! This year's work seemed to have been delayed due to the lunar calendar. It hadn't been completed until now. If it were still in Nanjing, it would have been over long ago. But when Emperor Taizong asked him to come, did he dare to say no?
Gao Yuntian was still okay, as he had seen this kid before. He was a simple and honest person and easy to fool, but where did this Jia Chuan come from?

Precisely because of his lack of understanding, Ang Lee made a wrong move. He would never have thought that his son, who was useless in his eyes, could be very useful in the hands of others.

……

Li Ming now used all his brains to try to get Gao Yuntian to say something, at least to find out why the emperor disliked the Anping Marquis's Mansion.
Gao Yuntian was unwilling to answer, but there were people who were willing to answer.

Jia Chuan actively teased Li Ming's nervous nerves: "...Don't blame him for not wanting to answer, Uncle Li. The Pacification Office also has its own rules. Since the murder case has not been concluded yet, it's normal for the Jinyiwei to take action."

"Didn't they say their colleagues were jealous and wanted to kill? The murderer has been brought to justice, so why is it that this isn't over?"

"It's all because of the man sent to the jade shop by the Anping Marquis's Mansion."

When Jia Chuan said this, not only Li Ming, but also Gao Yuntian was stunned. He stared at Jia Chuan with wide eyes, wanting to ask: Is it so direct?
Li Ming saw this and thought Gao Yuntian was annoyed by Jia Chuan's excessive talk. He hurriedly said, "Even if the marriage doesn't work out, your father has some connections with the Anping Marquis's Mansion. How can you turn a blind eye to it? If he wants to speak, don't stop him!" After that, Li Ming looked at Jia Chuan and asked, "You just said that the people sent by the Anping Marquis' Mansion to the jade shop caused trouble?"

Jia Chuan pretended to steal a glance at Gao Yuntian, then said with a slightly uneasy look: "Uncle Li, just pretend you didn't hear it."

"Oh, this is all a misunderstanding. Xiao Jian is a security guard at the Anping Marquis's residence. He went to the jade shop to rush for the goods. How could he be connected to this case?"

Gao Yuntian looked at Li Ming with a surprised expression. He didn't expect that one would dare to ask and the other would actually dare to answer.

Jia Chuan hurriedly tugged at Gao Yuntian and pretended to blame him:

"You have such a bad temper, don't get angry again. If the Jinyiwei have any suspicions, they should give the Anping Marquis's mansion a chance to explain themselves. Uncle Li said it was just a security guard going to the jade shop... But, Uncle Li, don't blame me for asking too much. It doesn't make sense for a security guard to go and urge for goods. The mansion could have sent the butler, or at worst, a servant. I'm just being nosy. If the Jinyiwei ask, my answer will probably arouse even more suspicion."

Li Ming asked nervously, "How do you think I should answer this?"

"I, how do I know how to answer? Uncle Li just has to tell the truth."

"That's the truth! Originally, it wasn't my turn to know about this. It just so happened that one day I wanted to ask when I could pick up the goods. You don't know, there are so many people in the mansion, and there might be some good things. Who knows who it belongs to? Whoever knows about it might be able to get a share. I accidentally heard that the mansion wanted to customize a batch of jade wares, so I wanted to have a few pieces to play with. I told my father, but he just said he had other uses for them. I didn't believe it, so I found out who the family had given them to and went to look for them myself. I thought I could stop a few pieces when they were shipped, and my father usually wouldn't mind. But I didn't expect to meet Xiao Jian one time, and he said that his father asked him to urge them to do something."

"Is this person still in the mansion?"

"Oh, now that you mention it, it's been a while since I last saw him. Who would have thought he would be involved in a murder? I'll go back home and tell my father and see if I can find him so we can talk this over."

Li Ming was about to stand up when Jia Chuan stopped him. Jia Chuan said anxiously, "Uncle Li, aren't you selling me out? It's not a big deal. If Uncle Li goes back home and tells Master, and Master then confronts the Imperial Guard, my eldest brother has just joined the Imperial Guard. Wouldn't I be in a difficult position?"

Li Ming didn't care whether Jia Chuan was a human being or not. He just said, "Father won't question the Jinyiwei. He doesn't dare to."

After saying this, he pushed away Jia Chuan's hand that was blocking him and made a move to leave. Jia Chuan grabbed Li Ming's arm and said:
"Uncle Li, don't be reckless. This case is a secret in the hands of the Jinyiwei. Now a captain of the Jinyiwei is at the Gao family. How can he not be suspicious if Uncle Li left in such a hurry? He will definitely ask what we told you. I won't hide anything. If he asks, I will tell the truth. By the time Xiao Jian is found, no matter what he said, it will be useless. It will only be regarded as an excuse you prepared in advance."

Li Ming was already unable to move when he heard that a captain of the Jinyiwei was in his home. He had witnessed the Jinyiwei's majesty during the Yongle era with his own eyes. Although it had improved a lot in the past two years, the shadow still remained. He listened to what Jia Chuan said and it seemed to make some sense. He grabbed Jia Chuan's wrist and asked, "What should I do? First, explain the reason to the captain?"

"It's not about what Uncle Li said to the Jinyiwei now, but about making them think that before they tip off, they should find Xiao Jian first. That way, the words they ask will be credible. After Uncle Li finishes these things, he can tell the uncle. The uncle will only think that Uncle Li is capable. Telling him now will definitely make the uncle worried. I'm afraid the decision he makes after being confused will not be a good one."

Li Ming said impatiently, "Father is stronger than me, so there's no need to worry. Besides, I'm afraid only father knows where Xiao Jian went. How can I not tell him?"

Jia Chuan had long seen that Li Ming had no strengths, and thought that this encouragement would activate the few competitive bacteria in his body. However, he didn't know that this man had already given up and didn't care at all whether he could look decent in front of his father.

Jia Chuan motioned Li Ming to sit down. He also needed to think about how to find Xiao Jian without letting Earl Anping know.

"Uncle Li, tell me the truth. How respectable can the Marquis of Anping be in front of the Emperor? What I mean is, if the murder case is indeed related to the Marquis of Anping's mansion..."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

"Has Xiao Jian ever left the Bo Mansion before? Why did he disappear after the murder at the jade shop?"

Li Ming was stunned, his expression gradually turning into surprise, and he stuttered, "You, you mean, Xiao Jian, he, he, really did something?"

"I'm asking Uncle Li, now you know why my brother Gao doesn't dare to accept such a good marriage, right? Uncle Li really said that if he goes back to the mansion to ask, will the uncle tell Uncle Li the truth?"

Li Ming shook his head subconsciously.

"Yes, but once the Bo Mansion is found guilty, no one will care who knows about it and who doesn't. I'm afraid the charges will be severe."

Li Ming's face turned pale, and scenes of what he had seen and heard during the Yongle period flashed through his mind.

Gao Yuntian looked at Li Ming, then at Jia Chuan, his mouth gaping. He'd thought that if he could just get some little-known facts about the Bo Mansion today, it would be a good thing. But how had it gotten to this point? Where had Li Ming been led astray?

"What do you think I should do?" Li Ming asked Jia Chuan with a pale face.

Jia Chuan looked embarrassed and said, "Uncle Li, how about this? I'll go ask the captain and ask him to give us some rules. You can't go wrong if you do as he says."

Li Ming immediately recovered his health and nodded repeatedly.

Jia Chuan was afraid that Gao Yuntian might say something wrong if he stayed, and all his efforts would be wasted, so he wanted to take Gao Yuntian with him. Gao Yuntian asked curiously, "Do I have to go too?"

"Nonsense! If you don't go, how would Captain Chen know who I am?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ming hurriedly stood up, not caring about seniority, and bowed to Gao Yuntian, saying, "Please help me, my dear nephew, this is all a misunderstanding. If it is really related to Xiao Jian, then it is his personal grudge and has nothing to do with the Bo Mansion."

Gao Yuntian looked even more flustered than Li Ming and followed Jia Chuan out of the house.

Only after they left the house did they realize that the backyard was also very lively, but Jia Chuan didn't care about the backyard at this time. Anyway, whether it was Gao Yunduo or Dong Yuanyuan, they were not people that ordinary men could afford to offend.

The servants who were staying in front of the moon gate in Bo's mansion saw that everyone in the main room had come out, so they hurried to the main room. Before they could say anything, they were scolded by Li Ming.

Several people stood next to the pile of things with their heads hung, and the one in the backyard could only wish for good luck.

……

Jia Chuan hurried into the room, pulled Chen Mo to a corner, and said a few words. Chen Mo was a little confused and asked, "What did you do to him that he would be so obedient? If he thinks about what you said carefully, he will know that it is not appropriate..."

"I'll tell you more later. Show your authority and follow me."

Gao Yuntian followed back without saying a word, and followed back without saying a word again. His confused look did not make Li Ming feel suspicious, because he seemed to be more interested in the scar between Chen Mo's eyebrows. He stared at him intently and forgot to look away.

Chen Mo's aura didn't need to be faked. Just standing there made Li Ming's legs tremble. If Li An saw his son like this, he would probably be furious. There was a time when Li An was also a terrifying existence, especially in front of those old ministers of Jianwen. Even without mentioning the glory of the past, Li Ming was still a member of the Bo's Mansion. Moreover, the Jinyiwei had done nothing to others but never to the Bo's Mansion. How could he be so cowardly?

Chen Mo didn't sit down. He just stood in the hall with a gloomy face and said, "This case is closely related to Xiao Jian, the guard of the Anping Marquis's mansion. The Anping Marquis intends to protect him and has hidden him. Are you aware of this?"

Li Ming fell down on the chair in fear, and his mind suddenly became clear: No wonder his father suddenly thought of the Gao family after so many years. His father received the news that the case was handed over to the Jinyiwei for investigation, and he also knew that Gao Yuntian joined the Jinyiwei. He asked me to come here today just to test him!

(End of this chapter)