Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 9 Waiting
Jia Chuan deliberately moved forward, shouting loudly to attract the attention of the five people, and also to inform his own people. He prayed in his heart that the archer Shunzi could understand his intention. Among so many archers, he chose Shunzi not only because he had the best archery skills, but also because he was smart.

But no matter how clever a person is, he will still make mistakes when he encounters such a situation. Although Shunzi knew to let the horse move forward a few steps and shoot the arrow unexpectedly, the arrow was shot, but the target seemed to be a willow tree on the side of the road.

But Dong Shuben didn't move at all.

Jia Chuan turned his head with his eyes wide open and his mouth open to look at his own people, then looked at the three people on the opposite side who were about to fall to the ground, and then looked at the three people who rushed out of the roadside shed. Then he felt a black shadow flash in front of his eyes, and a man on horseback passed him, but his hands were not idle. Jia Chuan couldn't even see how he took the arrows, and he shot three arrows in succession. The three people who ran out of the shed just drew their waist knives, and fell to the ground in panic without any other reaction.

On the contrary, the person who had talked with Jia Chuan before, and the person behind him, were still standing on their horses. They were obviously stunned by the sudden scene and did not react in time, but they were only a few breaths slower than Zhu Zhanji.

At this time, if Zhu Zhanji wanted to turn his horse around and shoot again, it was too late.

Jia Chuan watched helplessly as the man he had been talking to urged his horse toward him, the long knife in his hand emitting an oppressive chill in the night. Because they were so close, Jia Chuan reacted and wanted to run but it was too late. His eyes almost popped out of his sockets. Just as he was about to shout "The Prince is in front!", he heard another "whoosh" and the man fell off his horse. Jia Chuan's eyes followed the man from high to low, then looked back. Dong Shuben was trembling with fear with his bow and arrow, and Shunzi had finally shot someone. That person fell off his horse almost at the same time as the man in front of Jia Chuan.

Just then, Jia Chuan heard the sound of horse hooves rushing towards him. He turned his head and saw Zhu Zhanji had already arrived in front of the shed. He saw him dismount from his horse...

Jia Chuan stared blankly at Zhu Zhanji drawing his sword and striking the people on the ground one by one. There were no shrill screams, only muffled groans that struck the soul, and each groan made Jia Chuan tremble.

In his previous life, Jia Chuan caught the murderer, but now he was watching someone commit murder.

This unreal feeling was the same as when he first came here, but the chills running through his body were extremely real.

If you had known that Zhu Zhanji was so brave, wouldn't you have let him carry a bow and arrow long ago?

Jia Chuan's emotions instantly changed several times, and he finally came to the conclusion: No matter your background, you have to practice! Who knows what kind of accident tomorrow will be?
It didn't take long to finish off the eight men. After Zhu Zhanji had checked and found no survivors, Haishou arrived. He practically fell off his horse, then crawled to Zhu Zhanji's side and asked in a trembling voice, "Prince, are you okay?"

"Throw these eight people to the side of the road and bury them shallowly." Zhu Zhanji said lightly.

Hai Shou quickly shouted to Jia Chuan, Dong Shuben, and Shunzi, "What are you still standing there for? Do you want the Crown Prince to do it himself?!"

Dong Shuben reacted quickly this time, perhaps because the task this time was relatively easy. He quickly dismounted and fell into the mud after taking only two steps. Shunzi also reacted, dismounted and supported Dong Shuben. The two of them staggered and walked slowly towards the farthest corpse.

Haishou stood up and supported Zhu Zhanji, still muttering, "Take a rest first, take a rest."

Zhu Zhanji looked up at Jia Chuan who was sitting upright on his horse.

Jia Chuan first let out a long sigh, and then said, "Wait for me to slow down. My legs are not listening to me right now and I can't go down."

Zhu Zhanji waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, wait until the two of them have disposed of the body properly, and then we will leave immediately."

Hai Shou hurriedly advised, "The prince is injured and needs to rest."

Zhu Zhanji subconsciously touched the wound on his shoulder and said, "Life is more important than injury. I can run for another two hours and then I can mobilize troops. It won't be too late to rest then."

Haishou wanted to persuade him again, but Zhu Zhanji broke free from his support and asked impatiently, "If another thief comes, will you go up and fight him?"

Haishou opened his mouth, bowed and stood aside. Zhu Zhanji glanced at Dong Shuben and Shunzi and said, "Go and help!"

"I have to serve His Highness..."

"Need not!"

When Jia Chuan heard this conversation, he felt it would be impolite not to continue, so he quickly gathered his energy, turned over and got off the horse, and sat down on the muddy ground in one go.

Zhu Zhanji laughed heartily, and the wound was pulled, and a hissing sound was heard.

Jia Chuan stood up, stretched his legs, and said, "I've never seen the world before, this is my first time... Your Highness, please don't be surprised."

Zhu Zhanji snorted and said, "The court keeps you here, but you don't need to fight in battle. Yet you neglect training. It's a rare thing for you not to be frightened and scream in panic after something like today."

Jia Chuan replied, "Yes," and was about to help Dong Shuben carry the body. Then, the sound of horse hooves could be heard again. Jia Chuan turned around and saw Kuang Zhong approaching. Just looking at the scene before him, Kuang Zhong was already incoherent: "Who? Who's that on the ground? Who killed who? Where did the dead body come from?"

Hai Shou quickly stepped forward to help Kuang Zhong off his horse and said, "Who could it be? Please help move the body to the side of the road and bury it shallowly."

Kuang Zhong didn't care about his injuries and followed Hai Shou to move the body.

Zhu Zhanji walked up to Jia Chuan and asked in a low voice, "Where did you work before you came to the Inspection Office?"

Jia Chuan's heart skipped a beat: "Ah? Why does Your Highness ask this?"

"Inspector, what did the archers look like just now? You are so calm in the face of danger..."

"Talent! There's nothing I can do. If it hadn't rained tonight, even if I could handle it, I'd probably be the one lying down right now."

Zhu Zhanji wiped his face and said, "It's dark and rainy, they can't see what we are doing."

"That's one reason. Secondly, they hadn't received any news from the King of Han and didn't know there were people from the Inspection Department with His Highness. They still followed the previous plan to intercept him. That's why it's so important that the news can be delivered in time before the showdown."

After Jia Chuan finished speaking, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he had successfully interrupted the conversation.

"If Haishou arrives early, how will you respond?"

"There's no way to deal with it! If I had known that Your Highness was such a skilled archer, the bow and arrow would have been in Your Highness's hands long ago."

"Who could have thought they would leave us this kind of opportunity? They kept dropping down from the sky all along the way, and my escorts could only fight hand-to-hand, so how could they have the chance to use arrows? You said last night that you wanted to bring archers, and I didn't want to agree at first, but now it seems you're thinking ahead."

Jia Chuan coughed lightly. Who else could he bring? There were quite a few patrol officers with strong escape abilities. Who could run faster?
"My father has always believed that Nanjing is the foundation of the Ming Dynasty and was very concerned about Grandpa's relocation of the capital... and since this year, Nanjing has been hit by frequent earthquakes. My father thought it was a warning from heaven, so he ordered me to go to Nanjing to guard it. However, less than a month after I left, Haishou came to say that my father was seriously ill. Just two days after I set off, I met Kuang Zhong..."

Jia Chuan felt his head buzzing. His first reaction was, "Dapang is dead?" His second reaction was, "Is this something I can listen to?"

Zhu Zhanji seemed very satisfied with Jia Chuan's stunned and surprised expression. He pointed to the shed on the side of the road and said, "Go in and wait. I'm afraid they will need a while."

Jia Chuan followed Zhu Zhanji into the shed.

"They are quite good at their job. With this shed, they don't have to worry about the sun during the day or the rain at night." Zhu Zhanji sat on a stone in the shed and sighed.

"They should take turns to be on duty outside."

"No one from the Ministry of Rites is willing to make this trip. Why do you think that is?"

Jia Chuan was frightened by Zhu Zhanji's leaping thoughts and didn't know how to respond. "Within a year, Grandpa and Dad were both gone, leaving me alone..."

Jia Chuan didn't know how to answer.

Zhu Zhanji wiped his eyes, chuckled sarcastically, and said, "My second uncle, who claims to be Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, used to make things difficult for my father when Grandpa was alive. He became even more arrogant after my father ascended the throne. My father only knew how to tolerate and yield, leaving all the civil and military officials at a loss as to what to do. Moreover, Zhong was a doctor in the Ministry of Rites. According to etiquette, he should have come to take me back to the capital, but... no one dared to come!"

"The King of Han has arrived... and the situation is like this? Your Highness knew the dangers of the journey when he left Nanjing, right?"

Zhu Zhanji did not answer this question, but said:
"It was a rare achievement that they were able to keep the death a secret, buying me time to return to the capital. However, my second uncle was very influential, and naturally someone would quietly inform him of what was happening in the palace. Therefore, the officials in the Ministry of Rites knew that this trip might not return. It was only when the Minister of Personnel specifically asked Kuang Zhong to come that Kuang Zhong had the chance to come. As a result, all his followers died along the way. How could I not know the dangers along the way?"

Jia Chuan nodded.

"Now it seems that the boat may have sailed past thousands of mountains, but Second Uncle is still here. He won't stop. But I promised Grandpa that I would not stain my hands with the blood of the Zhu family. Tell me, what should I do?"

For the first time, Jia Chuan felt that being appreciated by his leader was a bad thing, a very bad thing.

"Oh, just think I'm in unbearable pain from my wound. What nonsense! How can I ask you about this..."

"Your Highness..."

"You don't have to give me advice, but you have to find out that it was the King of Han who caused the danger I encountered on my way back to the capital! Can you do it?" Zhu Zhanji stood up and asked seriously.

"Huh? Do you still need to...check?"

"There must be some concrete evidence to silence the historians."

Jia Chuan thought he'd found a secret manual, but even with the manual, he still needed to practice it himself, which was quite arduous. Whenever he had a break along the way, he'd pondered whether there was a shortcut. If he could cling to this sturdy thigh, he could hide in the shadows and act like a fox with the power of a tiger... But before he could fully embrace the thigh, it kicked him out. It didn't matter if he lived or died, he could come back alive and cling to the thigh again.

Jia Chuan wiped the water from his face, which was not sure whether it was rain or sweat, and said softly, "Maybe he will hand over the evidence himself?"

"what for?"

"Uh... Your Highness, please think about it. He knows Your Highness knows that he wants to assassinate him, and he also knows that Your Highness knows that he wants to usurp the throne. After Your Highness returns to the capital and ascends the throne, can he still pretend that nothing happened? Even if he wants to pretend, his temper won't allow him to, and he knows that Your Highness won't allow him to..."

"That's why you want to check! I don't have the time to pretend with him. I don't want to wait even a day longer."

Jia Chuan was stunned for a moment.

"Once the troops arrive, you will return to Huangluling and await orders. This matter must be investigated, and investigated publicly!"

Jia Chuan didn't have time to figure out what Zhu Zhanji meant. He opened his mouth and wanted to ask: Is there no one left in the court?

Haishou came over breathlessly and said that everything had been handled.

Zhu Zhanji nodded, took a deep breath and said, "Get on the horse and hurry up!"

……

It's dawn again.

In a pavilion beside a straight official road, Zhu Zhanji sat on the ground, leaning against a pillar, closing his eyes to rest.

Kuang Zhong stood there, closing his eyes and leaning against another pillar, enduring the pain.

Jia Chuan stood in the middle of the pavilion. The tearing pain on the inside of his thigh made him spread his feet shoulder-width apart. He grimaced and endured the pain without daring to complain.

A quarter of an hour ago, Dong Shuben took Haishou and Shunzi to mobilize troops. Only then did Jia Chuan know that Bazhou was garrisoned by the Yulin Guard, who were directly under the emperor's personal army. No wonder Zhu Zhanji insisted on going to Bazhou to mobilize troops.

Fortunately, Jia Chuan was not asked to go. After the guards came to pick up the prince, he and Dong Shuben Shunzi had to go back to Huangluling. Given the current condition of his legs, Jia Chuan didn't know if he could still stand after returning.

"I have a fine head of a god of longevity, red beard and black teeth. I can be said to be a brave general." Zhu Zhanji suddenly said.

Kuang Zhong opened his eyes, looked at Zhu Zhanji with a frown, sighed softly, and closed his eyes again.

Jia Chuan had heard of Zhu Zhanji's hobby. He was probably the only emperor in history who enjoyed cricket fighting. But Jia Chuan didn't know much about crickets, so he just said "Oh" politely.

"Last year I got a Green-Headed General from the Xiaoling Mausoleum, but the real top-quality ones have to be found in Mangdang Mountain. Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty killed a white snake there and spilled its blood on the grass. Since then, the fighting insects in this area have become extremely ferocious."

Jia Chuan said "Oh" again.

Zhu Zhanji endured the pain from his wound, gritted his teeth, moved his butt, opened his eyes, looked around, and asked, "How long have they been gone?"

"It'll probably take about an incense stick of time." Jia Chuan replied.

Zhu Zhanji sighed and said, "I'm too impatient. Bazhou...is a strategically important defensive position in the southern part of the capital. Previously, it belonged to Dadu Road, and now it belongs to Shuntian Prefecture. Together with Zhuozhou, Pingzhou, and Jizhou, it protects the capital. If the garrisons here have all been bribed by my second uncle, then it won't matter whether I return to the capital or not."

Kuang Zhong wanted to say something comforting, but he didn't have the strength. He stood because sitting down would touch the wound.

Jia Chuan was unsure how to answer the question. He thought: The higher the position, the greater the suspicion. The experiences along the way must have cast a psychological shadow on this emperor, who was considered a good emperor. If there is no psychological intervention, I am afraid...

When Jia Chuan thought of this, he couldn't help but dive into the pond of history in his mind, wanting to look up the time when Zhu Zhanji was in power. It was really a case of regretting not having read enough books when you need them. He did think of Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiuyu, but he didn't get any information about Zhu Zhanji's life span. However, he could infer that it was not long!
Or would it be Zhu Qizhen, the "God of War," who personally offered himself as a hostage to the Oirat Mongols? Some jokes aren't just told once; they're passed down through the generations, embellished and adapted into novels, jokes, and even television dramas... If Zhu Qizhen were still alive, what would he think?
Just as Jia Chuan's thoughts were wandering, Zhu Zhanji spoke again.

　I received a text message about the application for signature yesterday afternoon. I was very happy. I didn’t expect that the platform can sign contracts so quickly. It was done in half an hour and the signing status was changed quickly. I wanted to notify everyone to invest quickly but I didn’t have enough time.

　　Thanks to Yaotai Jianfeng, there is no such person, there is no frost in the world 1234, the only autumn, 20240624195117135, Edison for the reward, I bow to you very much!

　　Thanks to Dongting Baitiao, Uncle Qiaosheng, cherrylk, Shaytony, Yaotai Jianfeng, and Kuaishi ks for their monthly tickets. I bow to them wholeheartedly!

　　There are so many words of gratitude to express, but all of them can be summed up in one sentence: Without you, there would be no book.

　　I'll do my best!
　　Shout out: Please collect and read! ! ! !

　　Bow your fists deeply!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)