Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 95 The Wife-Murder Case Two Years Ago
In Qian Xun's mind, being transferred to the position of Chief Secretary of the Prince of Han's Palace was, as Zhu Heng had said, a sign that the Emperor was abandoning him. If he wanted to be a loyal minister, he would have to risk his life, but even if he risked his life, how much could he possibly achieve in the Prince of Han's rebellion? If he died, who would support his family? In the end, he would be impoverished and struggling. By then, who would remember that there was a Chief Secretary with unwavering integrity who did not yield to the Prince of Han and became a loyal minister of the court?
Besides, how did Emperor Taizong obtain the throne? It was incredibly difficult back then. The Prince of Han is far more powerful than the Prince of Yan was back then; if he succeeds…

So, Qian Xun figured it out and decided to take a gamble.

Jia Chuan and Wu Bing's questions and answers were full of threats, but Qian Xun pretended not to hear them. He had no way out anyway, and it might not be a bad thing if he were transferred away now. The Prince of Han had not yet rebelled. If he returned to the capital, he would at most be given a sinecure and would have no hope of promotion.

At least that's how Qian Xun comforted himself.

Moreover, Jia Chuan came to Le'an on official business. Could he really persuade the Emperor to arbitrarily transfer the chief secretary of the Prince's residence without any evidence? Qian Xun did not believe it.

Besides, his order for Jia Chuan to meet the King of Han was simply following protocol; what was wrong with that?
Qian Xun took a deep breath, straightened his back, and said, "Since you know the responsibilities of the Chief Clerk, you should come with me to meet the Prince of Han and explain what happened yesterday, so that rumors will not spread and the people will suffer."

"I don't understand what you're saying. Yesterday's events? Rumors? Have you forgotten that I was the one who said those things? You said it was a rumor? You investigated? I even brought witnesses to your door. Did you find out who sent them to kill me? If not, how can you call what I said a rumor?"

"you……"

"Produce the evidence! I'm certain that the Prince of Han wants to kill me. You still want me to go to his residence? You want to watch me die? Don't talk to me about manners. Does anyone in the Prince of Han's residence even have this? If you think my actions are inappropriate, write to the Emperor and sue me. I'll sue you too. Let's see who the Emperor believes!"

"Don't take advantage of the Emperor's trust to act recklessly. This is Le'an!"

"What do you mean? This territory isn't under the Emperor's jurisdiction? It's your business if you act recklessly and do whatever you want, but you should at least consider your family. Failing to do your job properly might just result in a demotion, but participating in a rebellion is a capital offense that could implicate your entire family!"

"You, you're spouting nonsense!" Qian Xun exclaimed angrily, "You casually accuse me of such a crime, which shows..."

"He dares to do it openly, so why is he afraid of what people will say? Does he think he can hide from everyone just because he's got his head in the ground? Keep jumping around, let's see how long you can keep it up!"

Jia Chuan said this, then strode away.

Qian Xun stood there stunned in the cold wind for a long time. He hadn't seen such a 'straightforward' person in years. How could this person have such audacity? Qian Xun hurriedly thought about it. If it were someone else who said this, he would immediately dare to arrest and punish them. But Jia Chuan had spoken so bluntly, and it seemed that he really couldn't do anything about it.

With the help of the cold wind, Qian Xun suddenly realized something: Le'an was different from usual.

Qian Xun dared not linger and hurriedly returned to the Prince's Mansion.

……

Jia Chuan went straight to the prison, but on the way he didn't forget to send a yamen runner to the back of the house to inform Lin Wei that Qian Xun had left and that he could come out to work.

Jia Chuan's principle in handling cases is to first talk to the suspect, then look at the case file, walk around the scene, and ask the people around the crime scene. This is usually enough to solve a cold case. This is because most cases that happen in ordinary people's homes have clues. The people in this area do not yet have the ability to counter-investigate. In their view, it may be more important to bribe the officials in Tongzhou.

However, due to the time-consuming process, Jia Chuan only solved one other theft case that day, in addition to solving the Wang family murder case.

Although Lin Wei reluctantly went to work at the front office, he felt exhausted after just looking at the files and went back to lie down.

When Jia Chuan found out, it was already dusk. He sighed and walked out of the prefectural government office.

With so many people around today, Jia Chuan wasn't worried at all. He didn't know whether he wanted the Prince of Han's mansion to make another move or just want some peace and quiet for a couple of days.

Thinking of the prisoners in the state jail, Jia Chuan hoped that the Prince of Han's mansion could be quiet for a couple of days so that he could free up his hands to clear up the so-called unsolved cases. But when the cold wind blew, he thought that the New Year was coming soon. He didn't even know when the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth of August had passed. Winter was coming soon without him realizing it, and the New Year was not far away. He hoped that everyone would have a lively and happy New Year... In which year was Zhu Gaochi arrested for plotting a rebellion in the history books?

As Jia Chuan rode on his horse, he desperately searched his memory. He wasn't afraid that the days he could recall would last for several more years; he was afraid that his appearance would rewrite history.

Fortunately, he couldn't remember.

It's like fortune telling. If everything is good, fine, but how can the future only be good? What good is knowing the bad things in advance?
Based on Qian Xun's visit today, Jia Chuan deduced that the Prince of Han must have forcibly swallowed his anger. In a few days, Zhu Zhanji would surely issue an imperial edict to the Prince's residence. At that time, Jia Chuan hoped that the Prince of Han could still endure it, otherwise he would have to find a way to cause more trouble. He couldn't blame others, so he could only risk it himself. For example, if Qian Xun wanted him to go to the Prince's residence today, he would probably go there uninvited in a couple of days.

The people in the Prince of Han's mansion thought the same way. They decided to wait and see what the attitude of the capital was. If it was just the murder case at Zhu Zhanqi's residence, Zhu Heng wouldn't think it was a big deal. If it was arranged by Jia Chuan, Zhu Heng would only think Jia Chuan was childish and ridiculous. But there was also Zhang Xing. The killing in the street was due to the mismanagement of the state government and had nothing to do with the Prince's mansion. Only Zhang Xing needed to be explained. Zhu Heng drafted a memorial of defense and waited for the Prince of Han to submit it after receiving the reaction from the capital. After this matter was over, they would discuss how to punish Jia Chuan.

This was not the procedure Zhu Heng wanted. Even after listening to Wang Bin's impassioned speech, Zhu Heng still felt that even if a minor judge were secretly killed, as long as no concrete evidence was left, the emperor would not do anything to the Prince of Han if he found out.

Jia Chuan was unaware that there was such a confidant in the Prince of Han's mansion; if he had known, he would surely have bestowed upon him the title of a good comrade.

……

Jia Chuan and his group returned to the residence safely. Wu Bing convened a meeting with his men and then reported to Jia Chuan: "The Prince's residence was very quiet today, and no extra men were sent around the residence."

Jia Chuan thought for a moment and said, "Alright, let's all calm down. This will help you find a place to start. Is there any unusual activity at the manor?"

"I dare not approach; it still looks very quiet."

"Let's wait for it to snow; for now, let's stay away."

Wu Bing hesitated for a moment and asked, "You sent the blacksmith and Zhang Xing to the capital in a hurry, so why is Zhu Zhanqi still in the house?"

“He’s a hot potato. Even if I send him to the capital, it will be difficult for the Emperor. That kid is experienced in accusing his father. Whether it’s true or false, he’ll definitely embellish it and make things up. If he tells the whole truth, that’s fine, but I’m afraid he might mix in some fabrications. Once someone finds out, the whole story will be unreliable. How can the Emperor trust his cousin’s words? Sending him there will only cause the Emperor trouble. Keeping him by his side might still be useful.”

Wu Bing nodded.

"Get some rest. We'll continue the investigation tomorrow."

……

The next day, Jia Chuan went straight to the inner quarters of the prefectural government office and spent the morning with Lin Wei hearing civil disputes. The more Jia Chuan listened, the angrier he became. These were all cases that could have been resolved immediately, yet they were being dragged out. A bunch of officials in their robes did nothing but think about how to get promoted and make money. Hao Wen appeared in the hall just as Jia Chuan's anger was reaching its breaking point. He kept giving Jia Chuan meaningful glances, trying to get him to come out. Jia Chuan saw this but ignored him, so Hao Wen paced back and forth in front of the hall.

Annoyed, Jia Chuan got up and walked out of the lobby, asking irritably, "Have you eaten too much and started wandering around?"

Hao Wen didn't care whether it sounded nice or not, and said directly, "The Prince's Mansion said that you refused to discuss the specifics of transporting the grain with them, so the grain... can't be transported back for the time being, I..."

"Whatever! It's not my job. I'll just write the letter to the Emperor truthfully."

"Oh dear, don't bother the Emperor so often. I'm just trying my best to speak on his behalf. It would be best if you could do it yourself..."

"The money that was supposedly given to the Prince's mansion to rent the granary should be transported back together."

"Huh? How...how can we ask for it back?"

"I'm just asking you, how much silver is needed to repair the granary? And how much rent do you pay to the Prince's mansion every month? Are they enough to properly repair the granary?"

Hao Wen was stunned. He hadn't calculated the accounts and thought that no one would notice such embezzlement. Who would bother to check the accounts with the Prince's Mansion?

"I told you, I won't say a word if you bring it all back. If it's less than an ounce, you'll have to go to the capital and explain it to the Emperor yourself!"

Hao Wen immediately became anxious: "What gives you the right to..."

"Because I can speak with the Emperor!"

"I asked you to discuss this with the Prince's Palace, but you didn't go."

"This is your job!"

"I……"

Jia Chuan turned around and went back to the courtroom to listen to Lin Wei's trial.

Hao Wen spun around twice before leaving the front office.

……

In the afternoon, Jia Chuan wanted to investigate a wife-murder case from two years ago. The perpetrator died in prison before being convicted, and the case had been shelved ever since. However, Lin Wei's lax attitude made him hesitant to leave. He was still moving slowly, and if he wasn't around, Lin Wei would probably go back to the inner quarters to rest.

A key reason why Lin Wei was unwilling to hear cases was that he needed to return ill-gotten gains. Whether it was a dispute over family property, a case of fraud, a fight between neighbors, or a case of being arrested for violating the law, in the initial hearings, both the defendants and plaintiffs had received bribes to smooth things over, and the officials in the prefectural government had their own illicit income. But now, whenever someone raised a question, Jia Chuan would make Lin Wei pay compensation. Lin Wei expressed his dissatisfaction but dared not speak out, and could only protest by being negligent.

Nowadays, everyone in the prefectural government, regardless of rank, has some respect for Jia Chuan. Firstly, they know that Jia Chuan came to Le'an on imperial orders, and everyone seems to know his purpose: to oppose the Prince of Han. Secondly, they have seen that Jia Chuan really dares to oppose the Prince of Han's mansion, and the Prince of Han's mansion has no way to deal with Jia Chuan. Even the Prince of Han's mansion is like this, so they can only be respectful.

Therefore, although there is a prefect in the state government, everyone knows in their hearts that the real person in charge is Judge Jia.

This was the common rumor, and people in the Prince's palace had naturally heard about it, but no one dared to mention it to the Prince of Han.

……

In the late afternoon, seeing that Lin Wei was truly unable to hold on any longer, Jia Chuan let him go back to the inner quarters to rest. Lin Wei went to the office, carefully reviewed the case file of the wife-murder case, and then called a yamen runner to lead the way, leading his men away from the state government office.

On the way, Jia Chuan mentally reviewed the case.

Two years ago, on a summer morning, a scream came from a house in the south of the city, waking up the neighbors. The curious neighbors rushed to the Liu family's yard, where the scream had come from.

What people saw was the elderly couple, Liu, slumped down at the door of their eldest son's room, with dark bloodstains clearly visible on the door.

Ma, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Liu family, was murdered. The report was filed by Ma's maternal family. The coroner's report stated that the deceased was first strangled, with obvious ligature marks on her neck. Then, the murderer stabbed her more than ten times in the chest and abdomen with a boning knife. Because she was stabbed after death, the bleeding was not as severe as when she was alive, and the shape of the wounds was also different from when she was alive...

Jia Chuan accepted the autopsy report. The coroner and investigators at the time were quite serious. The coroner determined the murder weapon to be a boning knife based on the shape of the victim's wounds. The boning knife in the Liu family's kitchen was indeed missing, and Liu Chang, the eldest son of the Liu family, did not return home on the night of the incident.

Did they never go home, or did they come back and then leave again?
The elderly couple insisted they had never returned, but their daughter, the deceased's sister-in-law, let slip that she heard noises at the gate in the middle of the night, but later changed her story to say she must have misheard.

The elderly couple, Liu Chang and Liu Mo, had a daughter late in life. This daughter was eleven years younger than their son. Their grandchildren were running around everywhere, but their daughter was still unmarried. At the time of the incident, Liu Chang was twenty-eight years old, and his sister Liu Mo was seventeen. Their grandchildren lived with the elderly couple in the main house, Liu Chang and his wife lived in the east wing, and Liu Mo lived in the west wing. The Liu family only had one courtyard. The family made a living by doing manual labor in the city, barely managing to get enough to eat.

Liu Chang confessed that he stayed at his friend's house to drink that night, and after drinking too much, he rested there. When dawn broke, a neighbor came to tell him that something had happened at his house, and that's when he learned that his wife had been murdered.

During the trial, the bailiffs tortured Liu Chang, but Liu Chang refused to admit to killing his wife.

Perhaps due to excessive torture, 28-year-old Liu Chang died of illness in prison a year later, allowing a number of witnesses related to the case to return home, including Liu's elderly parents, their daughter Liu Mo, and Liu Chang's friend...

According to the law, officials are punished if a prisoner dies in prison, especially if the prisoner has been imprisoned for a long time. However, regulations are regulations, especially since this case has gone through the previous prefect and the current prefect, Linwei. Liu Changshang was injured under the previous prefect and died under the current prefect, so although the case is not closed, it seems that they can pass the buck to each other, and the case has been left unresolved.

In addition, three top leaders had changed in the past two years, and officials in various departments had also been replaced. At first, Jia Chuan couldn't understand why Zhang Zheng didn't care. He had been in office for more than five years and must have known about the case. Later, he remembered a sentence in the case file: Liu Chang's parents initially insisted that Liu Chang had not returned home all night, then changed their statement to say that they heard noises at the gate in the middle of the night, and then changed it back again to say that they had not heard any noises. In addition, Liu Mo also changed his statement, so it was only natural to conclude that Liu Chang was the murderer.

Even under torture, Liu Chang refused to confess to his crimes.

(End of this chapter)