Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 79 Old things
Zhang Zheng has served in Jinan for more than five years. The late emperor never transferred him, and the current emperor even promised to hold on for a while longer. Once the several prefectures under Jinan's jurisdiction have been pacified, he will be transferred back to the capital.

Although Zhang Zheng seldom went to Le'an, he had suffered for the King of Han for a long time. In the 15th year of Yongle, the King of Han was forced to come to his fiefdom, but he dragged his feet, coming and going. It was only about five years ago that he settled in Le'an. Since then, the people of Le'an had no peace. The magistrate of Le'an, Lin Wei, was helpless and wished that Zhang Zheng would report him and transfer him away, even if it meant demoting him.

There have been many unspeakable things in recent years, and Zhang Zheng just feels wronged.

So when he read the secret letter and learned the emperor was going to clean up Le'an, he was initially delighted. Then, looking further into the letter, he realized the person being sent was a young man, and that he was also going to occupy the position of an official in the Ministry of Experience. Zhang Zheng was a little confused. Furthermore, the letter contained numerous instructions for this man named Jia Chuan, repeatedly urging him to cooperate, as if he was afraid the young man would be wronged in Jinan. But how could this man not be wronged on this mission? Lin Wei, the prefect of Le'an, spent his days weeping, as if someone owed him money.

Will the arrival of this young man make a difference?

After reading the secret letter, Zhang Zheng ordered people to make inquiries and found out that this guy not only saved the emperor's life, but also did solve some murders. He might be a capable person, but Zhang Zheng felt that it might be more useful to send a censor.

When Zhang Zheng learned that Jia Chuan had entered the city, he became restless. He wanted to know as soon as possible what kind of young man Jia Chuan was.

"This mission of yours is not easy." Zhang Zheng said.

At this time, a maid came in to serve tea. Zhang Zheng waited until the maid left before saying, "The King of Han has a bad temper. He gets angry if he's not satisfied, and it can bring disaster to others."

When Jia Chuan heard this, he nodded quickly and said, "That makes things much easier."

Zhang Zheng was obviously taken aback, frowned and said, "You are only a seventh-rank employee after joining the company, don't try to show off..."

"Seventh rank? I am seventh rank?" Jia Chuan felt ecstatic and his expression was a little out of control.

Zhang Zheng was stunned again.

"It's like this. I was just a clerk before, with no rank or grade. Mainly, I don't know what experience is... It's not important. I'll go to the government office tomorrow and learn a lot. As for this mission, I think this is what I want to do. Everyone knows that the King of Han is domineering. I think he has been doing nothing for many years. Let's start by investigating the people around him. If there are cases pointing to them, no matter how many cases there are, there will be no problem!"

"If the King of Han tries to stop you, how will you respond?"

"As long as he can't kill me, he can arrest people, try people, and convict people. I don't need anyone from the state government. The people I brought with me can do it."

Zhang Zheng was shocked: "You, he is the king after all, how can you compare with him..."

"This is all old news. No matter what happens now, the emperor is scolding the King of Han..."

"If you push him too far, he'll really kill you!"

"It's not like I haven't killed anyone before. I wish him success."

Zhang Zheng took a breath.

Jia Chuan added, "This is what I think. If a child from a wealthy family wants to act arrogantly and get into trouble, the prerequisite is that there are people at home who support him. If he is not favored, even if he is the legitimate son, he will have to keep his tail between his legs. During the Yongle Dynasty, the Prince of Han dared to act arrogantly because he was favored by Emperor Taizong. Who favors him now? He is not as good as the Prince of Zhao in this regard. The Prince of Zhao knew that the situation was hopeless and quickly obeyed. Why can't the Prince of Han understand this? Or does he simply not want to understand this?"

Zhang Zheng let out a long sigh and said, "That's true, but the King of Han still has his own private troops. Aren't you forcing him to rebel by doing this?"

Jia Chuan raised his eyebrows, picked up the teacup and took a sip formally, then asked, "Is the emperor afraid that he will rebel, or is he afraid that he will rebel once he is ready?"

Zhang Zheng was startled again. He suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the hall, hands behind his back, as if trying to digest Jia Chuan's words. The emperor's secret letter didn't directly express any purpose. He only saw in the letter that the emperor wanted to deal with the King of Han. As for how to deal with him, the letter didn't say, only that Jia Chuan should be guided and acted prudently. He should help him understand what he didn't understand and give him advice on what he didn't understand...

Jia Chuan waited patiently.

After half an incense stick of time, Zhang Zheng stopped and said seriously, "Don't rush to Le'an. First, familiarize yourself with the rules of the yamen. More importantly, you must be familiar with the situation in the Han Palace. You are in charge of documents and cases in the Experience Department. You can also use this time to look through them and find some useful cases. In short, everything should be planned in the long run. Don't rush into anything. Someone will come to pick you up from the yamen tomorrow. You have had a hard time on the way here, so rest early."

……

After seeing Zhang Zheng off, they returned to the house to eat.

Jia Chuan thought about Zhang Zheng's arrangement and felt that it made a lot of sense. If he rashly rushed to Le'an, he might be able to stir up some trouble, but it would be like two old women quarreling on the street. The reason was not important, but it would end quickly. Between him and the King of Han, his quarrel would end quickly.

Only then did he understand why he had been feeling uneasy. It was like he was originally from the Wudang Sect, but suddenly went to the Tang Sect. The professions were not completely different, and the basic skills were still required, but the differences were obvious.

He doesn't know how to plan, he only knows how to expose plans.

But how could he not plan this mission carefully?
Jia Chuan looked up at the people around him and decided to talk about it when he got to the yamen tomorrow.

……

The next day, the person who came to pick up Jia Chuan was Liang Bo, the governor of the Censorate.

Although Liang Bo is more than ten years older than Jia Chuan, his rank is not as high as Jia Chuan. He is of the eighth rank, so he was very polite when he met Jia Chuan.

Chen Mo and Gao Yuntian sent Jia Chuan to work and agreed to pick him up after get off work, which made Liang Bo even more nervous.

He received a sudden order last night, ordering him to come and take over the new manager today. He was puzzled because he had never heard of anyone having to take over no matter who was transferred.

When I saw him today, I found that he was not only young but also promising, and he was actually escorted by the Jinyiwei.

This was also what Chen Mo meant. He felt that there was no need to hide anything and that he should publicly display his identity. The reason was that he was afraid that Jia Chuan would be bullied as soon as he arrived at the new unit.

Yes, which intern can avoid being bullied?

Unless there is someone above.

When they parted, Chen Mo also advised: "Be tough. If anyone dares to be disrespectful, go home and tell me."

Jia Chuan felt like he was being sent to kindergarten by his parents, and he waved goodbye impatiently.

Liang Bo is a person who knows how to judge the situation. He will answer every question, even without being asked.

He first took Jia Chuan on a tour of the yamen, including the ceremonial gate and drum tower, which symbolized judicial authority; the main hall, where cases were heard and officials were received; the second hall, where daily meetings were held and official documents were processed; the official residences, the prison, and the warehouses.

Jia Chuan visited the place very seriously, as if he was really going to work here for years.

After returning to the office of the Experience Department, Liang Bo first introduced his colleagues and then explained the division of labor.

"...The Censorate is divided into the Experience Department, the Examination and Proof Department, and the Prison Department. Our Experience Department is responsible for receiving documents and investigating criminal cases. The Examination and Proof Department is responsible for verifying and auditing files. The Prison Department is responsible for inspecting prison affairs."

Jia Chuan asked: "We are up there..."

"Oh, the assistant magistrates are assigned to various prefectures, and the deputy magistrates are in charge of various affairs, such as criminal justice, post and communication, and military farms. Above that is the provincial magistrate, who is in charge of the province's criminal cases and supervises officials. We usually don't see the provincial magistrate."

As soon as Liang Bo finished speaking, someone at the door asked, "Has the new experience arrived? The Censor has something to say."

Jia Chuan hurried out, leaving Liang Bo stunned for a while.

……

Zhang Zheng was still as serious as he was last night. He handed a small booklet on the desk to Jia Chuan and said, "Sit down."

Jia Chuan took the booklet and sat down.

Zhang Zheng got straight to the point:
"The Prince of Han was Taizong's second son. When he was first enfeoffed as the Prince of Han, his fiefdom was in Yunnan. He refused to go, even saying, 'What wrong have I done to deserve being banished thousands of miles away?' He was later granted the fiefdom of Qingzhou, but he still refused to go. Eventually, when Emperor Taizong decided to move the capital, he changed his fiefdom to Le'an and ordered the Prince of Han to go there. Only then did he come to Le'an."

Jia Chuan listened very carefully.

"You said some impulsive things last night, and it's not your fault. You don't know what a palace is! This book records the people in the palace. Not to mention his sons, the palace covers an area of ​​100 acres, and the palace is three miles around. There are civil officials and military generals in the palace, and they have different ranks. First of all, the Prince's Tutor is mostly an honorary title, held concurrently by important officials of the court. Zhang Fu once served as the Prince of Han's Tutor... Don't you know who Zhang Fu is?"

"I don't know." Jia Chuan shook his head sincerely.

Zhang Zheng frowned and continued, "The palace has a Chief Secretary's Office. The Chief Secretary is of the fifth rank and is in charge of the palace's political affairs, coordinating relations with the court. There are also officials such as the Chief Justice, the Chief Accountant, the Chief of the Temple, the Chief of the Treasures, and the Chief of the Food... There are twenty or thirty of these civil officials, all appointed by the court. Now listen to the military commanders. The Prince of Han was favored by Emperor Taizong and made outstanding contributions in the Jingnan Campaign. He was specially granted the title of 'Tian Ce Guard' by Emperor Taizong. Do you know why this name was used? It's because Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, was known as the 'General of Tian Ce'..."

Jia Chuan heard from Zhu Zhanji that Zhu Gaoxu always compared himself to Li Shimin, and this was the reason.

"When Yunnan was first enfeoffed, although the title was no longer used, there were still two guards! Each guard consisted of over 5,000 men. Later, when the title was changed to Le'an Prefecture, the two guards were still retained. The guard force far exceeded that of the prince system."

Jia Chuan took a breath.

"Although the previous emperor abolished some of the system after he ascended the throne, how do you know that the King of Han didn't just do it perfunctorily? The emperor issued another order to abolish the system after he ascended the throne, but I didn't see it anyway." Zhang Zheng sighed and said:

"The Han Palace has a Guard Command, which includes commanders, thousand-household members, hundred-household members... and a ceremonial guard. You can roughly calculate how many people he can use, not to mention the desperate criminals he has hired. There are hidden armored soldiers and assassins in the palace, and they even dare to manufacture weapons privately. The late emperor was kind and tolerant. After the emperor ascended the throne, he strictly monitored the officials in the palace. The chief secretary and the commander were appointed by the emperor himself. They came earlier than you. The new chief secretary is named Qian Xun. I met him when he first came. I didn't see him when I went to Le'an the day before yesterday."

Jia Chuan suddenly felt ominous and asked hurriedly, "The Prince of Han has already gone so far. The Emperor directly ordered him to enter the palace and then arrested him there. Doesn't his life or death depend entirely on the Emperor's words?"

"The Emperor must have heard this a lot. Jianwen once summoned the then Prince of Yan to the capital."

Jia Chuan said "Oh", and understood in his heart that this was another attempt to not want to leave the word "imitation" in the history books.

Zhang Zheng sighed and said, "Emperor Taizong indulged the Prince of Han, and the late Emperor tolerated the Prince of Han. Now, as for Your Majesty, I don't know what Your Majesty will do, but your presence here may be an expression of His Majesty's attitude."

Jia Chuan thought to himself: A twisted life is bound to have twists. Zhu Zhanji wanted to live up to his ancestors, wanted the history books to look good, and didn't want to imitate his uncle... Not to mention that he did succeed in the end.

"Your words kept me awake last night. It's a good thing you're brave, but if you don't plan well and underestimate the enemy... by the time the emperor receives the news, you'll be long gone! How can the men you brought with you stand up against the guards of the Prince of Han's Palace? Forget about those guards, the Prince of Han's Palace alone has no fewer desperate criminals than you."

Jia Chuan frowned, wondering if he was wrong. Were the people who were intercepted and killed on the road really sent by the King of Han?
"Speaking of the King of Han's sons, he has eleven sons. Except for the eldest son who died young, the others are all alive and well. It's just that the second son didn't please the King of Han and was demoted to a commoner. Now the third son is the crown prince. If you cause trouble, why would the King of Han intervene?"

Jia Chuan took a deep breath, stood up, bowed deeply to Zhang Zheng, and said respectfully:

"Last night, I was indeed trying to show off my strength and said some nonsense, not afraid of being laughed at by the Censor. Ever since I knew I was going to be assigned this task, I have been extremely nervous. The methods that the Emperor is unwilling to use, or cannot use, are precisely what the Prince of Han relies on. He knows what the Emperor is afraid of. So, if I push him too hard on this trip, he will kill me. If I am powerless and fail to complete the Emperor's task, however, I previously thought that it would not be that easy for him to kill me, but after listening to the Censor's words today..."

"I thought you didn't know Le'an was in danger."

Jia Chuan smiled bitterly and said, "Of course I don't know. I just don't know how the Emperor can sleep well with the King of Han still having so many troops at this time. The King of Han is... a man with rebellious intentions. Instead of waiting for him to be fully prepared before taking action, it is better to follow the Emperor's pace and force him to act in advance. Firstly, this can eliminate this hidden danger as soon as possible, and secondly, the process of suppressing him will be easier."

Zhang Zheng nodded. Jia Chuan's words confirmed his suspicions. He paused for a moment and said, "Sharing the Emperor's worries is a minister's duty, but..." Zhang Zheng looked at Jia Chuan and said, "If you can't think through every step, you won't survive more than a few days in Le'an."

Jia Chuan said with a pale face, "I feel that even if I have made up my mind, it will be the same if I go."

Zhang Zheng waved his hand and said, "That's different! Your Majesty... Actually, the late emperor has been interfering in the Han Palace since the beginning, but it's just not obvious. Your Majesty has only recently ascended the throne, and some of the decrees must have just been passed down. Besides, why would Your Majesty only send you for such a big matter? Be patient and plan carefully, and you may be able to accomplish something."

Jia Chuan's eyes lit up. That's right! Why would Zhu Zhanji send only him? And he remembered what Zhu Zhanji had said: Don't worry about other things.

Seeing that Jia Chuan seemed to understand, Zhang Zheng said, "Go ahead. First, take a good look at the people in the book, and then look through the documents and files for any cases you can use. Alas, for any case related to the Han Palace, either the victims can't be found, or there's insufficient witnesses and evidence. The people in the government office are helpless, and most of them are unsolved cases, so there aren't many that can be used."

Jia Chuan bowed again, expressing his sincere gratitude.

……

In the next few days, Jia Chuan was like a student about to take his final exams, going back and forth between two points and concentrating on studying.

Seeing how diligent Jia Chuan was during his internship, Liang Bo couldn't help but look at him with new eyes. Who doesn't know that officials are just officials, and the work is done by clerks? It's obvious that Jia Chuan has a background and is bound to be promoted one day. Logically, he should be busy networking with officials at all levels, but he just stays in the office all day, reading documents.

The people in the house have been very idle these days. Dong Yuanyuan and Gao Yunduo wanted to go out for a walk several times, but were stopped by Gao Yuntian. This time, even Shunzi advised Dong Yuanyuan to be patient. This place is not like the capital, and don't act rashly before you understand the situation clearly.

Dong Yuanyuan didn't know how to put the cause and effect together, but Gao Yunduo did. She knew her own personality very well, and when she thought about Jia Chuan's current situation, she really held back. As a result, the two of them had nothing to do all day and chatted with the maids. If Gao Yunduo hadn't stopped her, Dong Yuanyuan would have already adopted several sisters.

Dong Yuanyuan took care of all the rough and heavy work in the house. No matter what anyone said, it was useless. She always felt uncomfortable if she didn't work after eating, and she couldn't do delicate work, such as needlework. It was almost late autumn and winter was not far away. These maids had nothing to do, so they followed Gao Yunduo to do needlework. There were cloths of various textures and mink fur in the house that Chen Mo bought according to Gao Yunduo's requirements... Dong Yuanyuan sometimes rubbed her face with the cloth while holding it, and kept shouting "comfortable".

This house was arranged by Zhang Zheng, and so were the servants. Naturally, they were all trustworthy. However, Jia Chuan never asked about it and always thought it was arranged by Chen Mo. Anyway, they were all trustworthy, so it didn't matter.

After more than ten days of silence, Jia Chuan still hadn't found a case that he could exploit, and he couldn't help but feel anxious.

One day, he approached Zhang Zheng and expressed his concerns: "...if you're so afraid of everything, I'm afraid you'll miss out on the Emperor's important plans."

Zhang Zheng glanced at Jia Chuan and motioned him to sit down. After thinking for a moment, he said, "There's someone you might be able to take action against."

"Who?" Jia Chuan leaned forward and asked.

"Zhu Zhanqi, the second son of the King of Han."

"Wasn't he disliked by the King of Han, demoted to a commoner, and sent to Fengyang to guard the imperial mausoleum?"

"We need to find out why the King of Han disliked this son. The Crown Prince of Han died in the 19th year of the Yongle reign, and then the third son, Zhu Zhantan, was named Crown Prince. Why was the second son skipped over?"

Jia Chuan's eyes lit up as he listened to Zhang Zheng's explanation.

In order to strengthen his control over the Ming army, one of Zhu Di's important strategies was to arrange marriages between the royal family and Ming army generals. Most of the wives and concubines of the princes and grandsons came from the families of meritorious officials. One of Zhu Gaoxu's concubines, Guo, was the granddaughter of Guo Ying, Marquis of Wuding, not to mention his principal wife, Wei.

But Zhu Zhanqi's biological mother not only had no official status, but also angered Zhu Gaoxu for some reason, and this person was no longer in the palace. It was originally a royal secret, and outsiders could only guess. But when Zhu Zhanqi was fifteen or sixteen years old, he did something that made outsiders think that this woman must have died at the hands of Zhu Gaoxu, otherwise Zhu Zhanqi would not have done such a thing.

What did he do?
At that time, the Prince of Han's Palace was still in Nanjing, and Zhu Di had not yet moved the capital. Zhu Zhanqi actually ran to his grandfather to complain about his father. What he complained about was not anything else, but his father's ambition and some improper behavior.

After Zhu Di successfully usurped the throne, he launched several campaigns against the Northern Yuan Dynasty and built the city of Beijing, so he did not spend much time in Nanjing. The fat regent had a hard time, but was often suspected by Zhu Di. Zhu Gaoxu played an indispensable role in this.

Zhu Zhanqi's complaint came at the right time. Zhu Di might have shared some of his suspicions with his second son. It was possible that Zhu Zhanqi was the main contributor to the fat man's securing the position of crown prince. However, for a son to sue his father was a serious crime in the imperial era when filial piety was the guiding principle and emphasis was placed on the relationship between ruler and subject, father and son.

It can be seen to what extent Zhu Zhanqi hates his father. Jia Chuan doesn't know how ruthless this man is. Even if he is doomed, he is still willing to drag his father down with him. Is there something wrong with his brain?

When Zhu Di chose to keep the peace for the sake of the royal family's reputation and tried hard to reconcile the father and son, Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Zhanqi behaved very obediently.

From then on, Zhu Gaoxu seemed like a good father. Zhu Zhanqi thought that his father had changed his opinion of him, and perhaps he was secretly glad that he had made the right move.

I have to praise the way these father and son think, it is really unique.

When the capital was moved, Zhu Gaoxu could not go to Beijing, so he arranged Zhu Zhanqi to stay in the capital, mainly to collect information. Zhu Zhanqi was also conscientious in his duties.

It seemed as if the father and son had no recollection of what had happened that year.

In the 22nd year of the Yongle reign, Zhu Di died in Yumuchuan on his way back from his fifth personal expedition to the northern desert. Yang Rong, a military official, secretly returned to the capital and informed the powerful Zhu Gaochi of the news. To ensure a smooth succession to the throne, the powerful Zhu Gaochi orchestrated a series of maneuvers. He ordered the crown prince, Zhu Zhanji, to rush to Kaiping to take command of the army; Mu Xin, the son-in-law of the emperor, was appointed commander of the Nanjing rear army command; and he ordered the eunuch Wang Gui to rush to Nanjing to assist in the defense (or as military supervisor).

Although Zhu Zhanqi was unaware of his grandfather's death, he was still able to find out everything that was happening in the capital and report it to Zhu Gaoxu. Sometimes he could send out six or seven secret reports in one night...

Why did Zhang Zheng know so much? Jia Chuan didn't think about it.

Although Zhu Gaoxu went to Beijing to attend the funeral when the opportunity was almost gone, Da Pang had to give him a scolding. Perhaps the two brothers spoke more directly at that time. When other families encountered problems, their fathers would try every means to protect their sons. However, Zhu Gaoxu saw that he was at a disadvantage at the time. In order to protect himself, he not only took the initiative to take out Zhu Zhanqi's letter of informing him and betrayed his son, but even expressed his willingness to kill his own son for the sake of justice during the confrontation.

Jia Chuan first tried to calculate the area of ​​the shadow in Dapang's heart at that time. It was at least half dark. No one could have imagined this.

Jia Chuan tried to calculate the area of ​​Zhu Zhanqi's psychological shadow at that time, and it should be completely dark.

It was not right for Dapang, as the eldest uncle, to kill his own nephew right after he ascended the throne, especially since he knew who was the culprit. How could he let his nephew take the blame? He just said, "The child is not worthy of being killed."

His father insisted on demoting Zhu Zhanqi to a commoner and sending him to Fengyang to guard the imperial mausoleum. Dapang agreed but did not give a direct order.

Jia Chuan listened carefully as if he was taking a history class, but when he thought about it carefully, he realized that this happened last year.

(End of this chapter)