Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 86 Transfer
Jia Chuan felt that the Prince of Han’s Mansion would definitely notice something unusual this time, right?

Three days later, Qiao Wu's message arrived. The street was still bustling with waves, and there was nothing unusual in the entire Le'an.

When Jia Chuan heard Zhang Zheng's news, his first reaction was, "Is the Han Palace doing this on purpose? Waiting for me to fall into this trap?"

Zhang Zheng thought for a moment and said:

"The two things you did both involved the Han Wang Mansion's servants. The Han Wang Mansion has hundreds of servants and servants, and each layer has small leaders. If you think about it carefully, these two things may not even allow you to enter the inner courtyard. As for the blacksmith, all they can think of is that the blacksmith escaped and the servants are afraid of punishment. As long as it doesn't delay the shipment, it's best to keep it secret."

Jia Chuan rubbed his face and asked again, "The emperor should have met the blacksmith, right? Has he sent you a letter?"

Zhang Zheng shook his head and said, "Not yet, but I don't know how long the news of the blacksmith's arrival in the capital can be concealed. The King of Han has planted many people in the capital."

"It doesn't matter if I can't hide it. I'm just curious about what the King of Han will do when he finds out. No way..." Jia Chuan thought for a moment and said, "I have to go to Le'an again. I have to find the tunnel from the blacksmith shop to the King of Han's mansion. This trip will probably take longer, and there's no telling when I might escape back."

Zhang Zheng smiled and said, "You are a loach, not easy to catch. You can't help with this matter even if you go. I have asked Qiao Wu to think of a solution. You can rest for two days."

Jia Chuan smiled bitterly.

……

But no one expected that the emperor's decree would be reversed the next day. Not only did he not receive the praise and comforting words that Jia Chuan had thought of before, but he also did not give clear instructions on the next step. Instead, he gave Jia Chuan a new appointment: the magistrate of Le'an Prefecture.

Not only Jia Chuan was confused, but Zhang Zheng was also puzzled.

The decree only mentioned the appointment without any explanation.

Jia Chuan felt a chill in his heart. This was asking him to push the front line to the enemy's doorstep and speed up his heroic death!
Before coming here, Jia Chuan had indeed considered finding a case and then settling in Le'an permanently. But when he arrived in Jinan and listened to Zhang Zheng's explanation, he realized how naive his idea was. Was it a place where he could stay permanently? Zhu Gaoxu could crush him into ash with a casual wave of his hand.

Does the Emperor think he's too conservative? Or is he too slow?
Zhang Zheng couldn't figure it out either.

Every time Jia Chuan came back from Le'an, Zhang Zheng would combine Jia Chuan's words with Qiao Wu's report and write a detailed report to be sent to the capital. The emperor agreed with it and never blamed him. In his reply, he repeatedly emphasized the need for stability. Why did he suddenly change?

The two of them sat in silence for a moment. Zhang Zheng felt he had found a clue and said, "Perhaps the Emperor feels that we can move forward."

Jia Chuan asked, "Has the Emperor taken over the guards of the Prince of Han's Palace?"

"That's impossible."

"That's right. As long as those people are here, I'll be sending myself to death..."

Zhang Zheng waved his hand and said, "You are an official appointed by the court. The King of Han cannot possibly use his guards to kill you. I am saying this publicly, but secretly, your men are not bad either..."

"Old Zhang, we can't be so defensive. You were the one who told me that if I went to trouble the King of Han openly, he would easily kill me. No matter how skilled my men are, they can't defeat four with two fists, right? And now you're saying this again!"

Zhang Zheng pursed his lips and hesitated for a moment before saying, "It was the Emperor who originally asked me to advise you to take it slow. He was worried that you were too eager to make a contribution and underestimated the King of Han. It wouldn't hurt to get to know him better. The King of Han is domineering, but there's no precedent for arresting and killing local officials. The judge is responsible for criminal cases and household registration. Once you arrive in Le'an, you can travel freely..."

"The Prince of Han has never killed any Le'an official, so why would the current prefect choose to be demoted and transferred? Besides, he's never been killed openly before, so why shouldn't he be allowed to make some breakthroughs? Are you aware of all the secret plots he's been doing? If he wanted to kill me, would the Prince of Han's Mansion be written on my forehead?"

Zhang Zheng asked seriously, "Do you still want to disobey my order?"

"Since it's all death, I'd rather die with one blow!"

After Jia Chuan finished speaking, he stood up and strode away.

……

In the courtyard of the house, Gao Yuntian and Chen Mo were practicing martial arts when they suddenly heard a knock on the door. Chen Mo frowned and went forward, but when he opened the door he saw Jia Chuan with an angry face.

It’s not time to get off work yet, and the two of them haven’t gone to pick him up yet, so why did he come back by himself?

Chen Mo leaned out to take a look, and confirmed that Jia Chuan had returned alone without anyone to see him off. He became a little impatient, and after closing the door, he followed Jia Chuan and complained, "How can you be so bold? Even if you didn't wait for the two of us to pick you up, you should have found a few people to see you off. Even if they were useless, they could at least report a message..."

"It's all about death, no matter how!" Jia Chuan replied, without stopping in the yard, he pushed the door open and entered the house. After entering the house, he picked up the teapot on the table and drank a few mouthfuls from it, then he fell directly on the bed.

His only thought at the moment was: I'm done! Whatever happens!

Chen Mo and Gao Yuntian were both a little confused. They came in and asked a few questions, but Jia Chuan closed his eyes and said nothing, so they had to leave.

A moment later, Old Zheng, Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan arrived.

Old Zheng sat down beside the bed, looked at Jia Chuan's face, and asked, "Have you been wronged?"

Jia Chuan still said nothing.

Dong Yuanyuan asked, "Brother, didn't you have enough for lunch? There's still some left in the kitchen. I stewed a chicken for lunch and it was delicious. I'll go get it for you, brother."

Old Zheng said hurriedly, "You're the one who's eating it! I tell you to eat less every day, but if I hadn't stopped you today, how could there be any left? When you and Shunzi get married, the bed will only be big enough for you. It's cold now, but next summer, you'll suffer."

Dong Yuanyuan's face wrinkled like a bun as she muttered, "Just don't take it, you're nagging again!"

Gao Yunduo asked directly, "Let me know whether you are dead or alive."

"Just think of it as me dead." Jia Chuan said with his eyes closed.

"You have to take care of us before you die, otherwise you are not allowed to die!"

Dong Yuanyuan whispered to Gao Yunduo, "Look, if you ask him, he'll answer."

Jia Chuan sat up suddenly and saw Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan standing in front of the bed. He was shocked: "How could you two..."

Dong Yuanyuan immediately interjected: "There are no outsiders!"

Jia Chuan rubbed his face and sighed, then got out of bed and sat on a chair.

"When you encounter difficulties, don't keep them to yourself, speak up." Old Zheng said earnestly: "Three cobblers can be better than Zhuge Liang. Maybe we can come up with an idea."

Dong Yuanyuan nodded heavily.

Gao Yunduo snorted and said, "I'm afraid the only one who can make him like this is the emperor. If the emperor wants him to do something he doesn't want to do, I'm afraid we can't help him."

Dong Yuanyuan thought for a moment and said, "Then let's go home and farm. We can live in the same village, buy a few acres of land, and live our lives as usual!"

Gao Yunduo turned and walked out, saying as she walked, "Let him figure it out for himself."

Jia Chuan asked loudly, "Are you not going to persuade me any more?"

Gao Yunduo stopped, turned around and asked, "Will my advice be of any use to you?"

Jia Chuan was stunned for a moment, then said dejectedly: "It's useless, you all should leave. When I say leave, I don't mean go back to the house, I mean... leave Jinan."

Old Zheng stood up and asked anxiously, "What do you mean? You called me out just to let me know how far it is from Dongzhao County to Jinan?"

Gao Yunduo asked, "We can leave, but what about Brother Chen and my brother? What about the other Jinyiwei? They have errands to lead."

Jia Chuan thought about it and it made sense. He waved his hands in frustration and said, "Let me think about it alone."

……

Jia Chuan sat quietly until dusk, still unable to figure out the reason. His mind kept flashing back to the dark and windy night, with countless people flying down from the courtyard wall, holding up cold swords...

Suddenly someone knocked on the door. Jia Chuan thought he was being called to have dinner. Thinking that he still had to eat, he was about to ask to put the food in the house when the door was pushed open and Zhang Zheng appeared in front of the door.

Jia Chuan quickly stood up.

He knew that the main responsibility for today's unpleasant ending was his. He had thought that he would go to Zhang Zheng to apologize after he figured it out, but he didn't expect Zhang Zheng to arrive first.

Jia Chuan hurriedly saluted respectfully, and then said, "Please wait a moment, Censor. I will definitely apologize when I figure it out."

"Have you thought it through?" Zhang Zheng sat down in the main seat in the hall without any hesitation.

Gao Yuntian followed in to light the lamp and gave Jia Chuan a few winks. As soon as he left, Chen Mo came in with hot tea and gave Jia Chuan a few more winks.

Jia Chuan didn't have time to respond. He stood before Zhang Zheng, bowing like a child who had done something wrong. After the door closed again, he said sincerely, "I really don't understand, but even if I don't understand, I shouldn't have lost my temper with the Censor. I was... very naive about this matter."

Zhang Zheng pointed to the chair and said, "Sit down. You can still call me Lao Zhang. It sounds nice and makes us seem closer."

Jia Chuan sat down below Zhang Zheng, his head bowed, and didn't respond. "After you left, I thought about it for a long time." Zhang Zheng touched the hot teacup to warm his hands. "The emperor has always trusted you, but you, on the other hand, have never trusted the emperor."

Jia Chuan only heard a buzzing in his head, and he looked up at Zhang Zheng.

Zhang Zheng sighed and continued, "Before you came, the Emperor sent me a secret letter, expressing his care and favor for you, but not a single word about the purpose of your visit. I only found out what you were going to do after meeting you. But the Emperor was very straightforward in his memorials about other matters. Do you know why?"

Jia Chuan frowned.

"It took me a while to figure it out. Although the main road from Beijing to Jinan is not in danger of being attacked by the King of Han, the Emperor, just in case, will tactfully release any news related to you. This is to protect you! Do you know how many people are deployed to protect the courtyard where you live? In addition to the Ministry of Justice, the government office, the provincial government, and the military command office have all sent people. Why is it that only I discuss things with you every time? It's not because you are currently serving under me. Jinan is too close to Le'an. The Emperor can build momentum for you in Beijing, but he will never allow officials from Jinan Prefecture to have any contact with you. He is afraid that someone has been bribed by the King of Han."

Jia Chuan felt sweat all over his body in the cold weather. He always felt that he was a chess piece. Since he was a chess piece, he might be abandoned at any time. He was mentally prepared for this and wanted to find a time to take Gao Yunduo back to the mountains before he was abandoned. However, he did not expect to be abandoned so soon.

But after listening to Zhang Zheng's words, he was not just a chess piece at all. He was clearly Zhu Zhanji's half-brother!
Zhang Zheng saw the disbelief in Jia Chuan's eyes, sighed, and said, "Although I still don't understand why the emperor transferred you to Le'an, I know that the emperor values ​​talent and loves you very much. He will not let you die in vain!"

"You mean, the Emperor has made all the arrangements around the King of Han?"

"I don't know, but I feel that the situation of the Prince of Han before the Emperor ascended the throne must have been very different from his current situation. Although the murder case cannot be concluded, the Emperor cannot just ignore it. There are many officials in the Prince of Han's palace. Except for his own servants, all those in charge must be appointed by the court. Even if they go, they will be sidelined, or like Qian Xun, they can't be contacted, which means they are under house arrest. He dare not kill because the court may reappoint them at any time. If the old and new people are replaced, the Prince of Han's palace will be in big trouble if they can't hand over people."

Jia Chuan seemed to understand some of it, and he remembered what Zhu Zhanji had said to him: "...You don't have to worry about other things." He also thought at the time that Zhu Zhanji must have arranged other people to lurk around the King of Han, and there might be new adjustments at the moment, so Zhu Zhanji was confident in letting him take a big step.

"After the Emperor ascended the throne, he ordered the Prince of Han's Palace to disband its guards. The Prince of Han was slow to act, and the Emperor didn't urge him... Today, you and I received the imperial decree for your transfer. Perhaps the Prince of Han also received the imperial decree for the transfer of certain officials in the Prince of Han's Palace. The Emperor's move must be related to the blacksmith... Although you and I are in Jinan, we know far less about the situation in Le'an than the Emperor does. Since the Emperor dared to let you go, there must be a reason why you must go, and there is also a chance for you to save your life. The Emperor must have considered it and thinks you are capable of the task."

Jia Chuan digested it for a moment, then let out a long sigh and said, "This trouble is also his own fault. I didn't have time to question the blacksmith, but it seems he said a lot... Come to think of it, the more thorough the King of Han's preparations, the more people will be involved, the more things will be moved, and the people will suffer. The sooner he is forced to rebel, the less suffering the court and the people will suffer."

"You're thinking of the people, which proves the Emperor hasn't misjudged you. Now that the transfer order has been issued... the sooner you leave, the better."

Jia Chuan nodded. He waited for two more days to give Zhu Gaoxu time to prepare, and what Jia Chuan wanted was to make the King of Han more confused.

……

At the end of the first hour of the night, the gates of Jinan opened, and a group of people slowly walked out of the gates towards Le'an.

There were quite a lot of escorts. Jia Chuan felt that all the people that Zhang Zheng had mentioned, who were originally arranged around the house, had followed. Of course, they only sent them to the outside of Le'an City and returned without even entering the city gate.

Moving is indeed a magical thing. When I first arrived in Jinan, I didn't have so many things. Jia Chuan looked at the three carriages that were now packed full. Except for Old Zheng in the carriages, they were all the things and food he had accumulated in his daily life. He didn't know if the house he was going to settle down in could fit them all.

After entering the city, they saw Qiao Wu and others at the city gate. This time he didn't need to hide his identity anymore and took everyone to another house.

This time, not only did Qiao Wu act openly, but all of Qiao Wu's subordinates who had met Jia Chuan also did so openly and were waiting in the new house.

This house has three courtyards and is the best house Jia Chuan has lived in so far. He did not expect that he would live in a good house in the small Le'an. However, this house is not close to the city center, but not far from Zhu Zhanqi's home. It is a relatively remote place.

Why was such a nice house built in such a remote place? Jia Chuan didn't bother to ask, but he noticed along the way that the house was not far from the city wall.

It was already dark when the group arrived at the house. The maid and the cook did not follow them. Dong Yuanyuan was sad about this for a whole incense stick of time. Fortunately, Qiao Wu always made good arrangements. Regardless of whether the things they brought were settled or not, hot meals were already placed in the main hall in the front yard.

Qiao Wu knew that Jia Chuan didn't have so many rules, and he also knew that there would be an old man among the people coming this time. With him and the other eight people sitting together at the round table, Qiao Wu was a little hesitant at first, but if he didn't rush to eat the dishes on the table, he really wouldn't be full.

So Qiao Wu had no more worries and started to eat voraciously. It tasted really good.

After dinner, Qiao Wu wanted to quietly call Jia Chuan aside and talk about the use of this house. He signaled to Jia Chuan with his eyes, but Jia Chuan said, "Let's all listen together. In case of an emergency, we will know how to escape."

Gao Yuntian frowned and said, "Why are you saying something we can't understand again? Where are you running to?"

Jia Chuan ignored Gao Yuntian and turned to ask Qiao Wu, "Is there a tunnel leading to the outside of the city?"

Qiao Wu was stunned for a moment, looked around, and then asked, "Who told you?"

"I'm guessing. This place is relatively close to the city wall. It was built so big, probably to cover up the trouble of digging a tunnel. How long did it take to build it?"

"Construction began before the King of Han was enfeoffed. It took more than two years and was completed a month before the King of Han arrived in Leshan. In addition to providing access to the outside of the city, there are also several hidden rooms underground that can accommodate more than a hundred people."

Everyone was shocked. Jia Chuan pointed to the ground and asked, "Are you saying there's someone underground now?"

Qiao Wu waved his hand and said, "No, I will slowly gather all my men in the city here, and some will come in batches."

Jia Chuan became serious. He stood up and faced Qiao Wu, respectfully clasping his fists and asking, "Senior, are you a member of the Jinyiwei?"

Chen Mo immediately stood up as well. Gao Yuntian couldn't sit there any longer. Shunzi naturally pulled Old Zheng to stand up as well. Only Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan were still sitting.

Qiao Wu had no choice but to stand up as well. He smiled gently and said, "My name is Wu Bing. I used to be a sword-bearing guard in the vanguard of the palace army, responsible for the prince's close protection. I'm not from the Jinyiwei."

Jia Chuan didn't quite understand and asked, "When the Emperor was the Crown Prince..."

"It was when the late emperor was the crown prince." Wu Bing looked sad.

Jia Chuan took a deep breath in surprise, pondering Wu Bing's previous words and this one for a while. Before he could come to a conclusion, Wu Bing said again, "Sit down and talk. According to my rank, I am only a centurion of the Jinyiwei. I really don't deserve such courtesy from you. Please sit down first."

"Rank is not important. You have been hiding your identity here for many years, and you deserve our respect." Jia Chuan bowed again.

Chen Mo and Gao Yuntian also followed suit and saluted. Then Gao Yuntian said, "Don't think that your rank is not as high as Brother Chen's at the moment. You will see in the future."

Wu Bing waved his hand and said, "I only want to fulfill the late emperor's last wish. I have never thought about anything else."

Jia Chuan also felt that standing was not a good idea, so he sat down first, and the others followed suit.

Wu Bing then said:

"Back when the late emperor was still the crown prince, Emperor Taizong was suspicious of him and personally dispatched a hundred Jinyiwei to take turns guarding the Eastern Palace. Later, the Eastern Palace guards were nominally under the jurisdiction of the Zhanshi Mansion, but in reality they were under the control of the emperor's personal army... that is, the Jinyiwei. The late emperor seemed to have anticipated this and secretly replaced several of us early on. His sole purpose was to prepare for the Han prince's vassal state."

Wu Bing paused and continued, "Those years were difficult for the late emperor in the palace, but he said the real trouble lay with the King of Han. His fiefdom kept changing, and he refused to accept his fiefdom until Le'an was settled. The late emperor said he would definitely accept his fiefdom this time, so we began preparing here... but we didn't expect to have to wait so long."

Jia Chuan asked in confusion, "If you were prepared, why didn't you take action last year when the late emperor was in power?"

"Emperor Taizong's death was sudden. The late emperor wanted to prioritize stability, but who could have imagined... Although the late emperor reigned for only ten months, during those ten months, my staff increased several times. Most of the mansions and personnel you saw were arranged last year. The late emperor once said he didn't want the crown prince to be dragged down by his second uncle, but unfortunately..."

Jia Chuan and everyone else knew what Wu Bing meant by this. Big Fatty had only been in office for ten months before he passed away, and he had not had time to deal with this disaster for his son.

"You are now affiliated with..."

"Before, our identities could not be made public. The emperor only found out about us after he ascended the throne. We can't be said to be subordinate to him. Before, he said he would obey the Shandong Provincial Criminal Investigation Commissioner, but now he obeys Judge Jia."

Jia Chuan took a deep breath and said quickly, "Just call me Jia Chuan, like them..."

"How can that be?"

"Why not? You don't know, my position can be changed at any time. I was still an employee yesterday morning. Just listen to me and call me by my name!"

Gao Yuntian saw Wu Bing's troubled expression and interrupted him, asking, "Such a large house is abandoned here. Didn't the people in the Han Palace become suspicious?"

Wu Bing laughed and said, "This place was haunted before."

Gao Yuntian stood up faster than Dong Yuanyuan, and both of them looked terrified.

"Oh, this is just an excuse, what are you afraid of?" Chen Mo said unhappily.

Gao Yunduo pulled Dong Yuanyuan, and after Dong Yuanyuan sat down, she whispered, "Are you kidding me?"

"That's right. Otherwise, such a large house must have someone of status living in it, no matter if it's a businessman or an official. How can the Han Palace let him go? But once the news of the haunting spreads, if they do something serious, no one will dare to approach the house."

Dong Yuanyuan said "Oh", Gao Yuntian sighed softly and sat down.

Wu Bing said, "In the beginning, the people who saw the ghost were all our own people. They spread the word that the owner was no longer willing to live there and wanted to sell it cheap, which attracted a lot of people. If we make good arrangements for it, no one will come to visit it anymore. Over time, it will naturally become deserted and look rundown from the outside. The people in the Han Palace will look down on it."

Jia Chuan said, "Now that we're staying here, I'm afraid the Prince of Han's Mansion will realize they've been tricked. Come on, let's go see Zhu Zhanqi."

"Now?" Jia Chuan's jumping thoughts prevented Wu Bing from turning around in time. He couldn't help but ask in surprise.

Jia Chuan stood up and said, "He's been waiting for me for so many days, I have to give him a surprise."

……

(End of this chapter)