Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 96 Do Today's Work Today
In Jia Chuan's view, there were several suspicious points in this case. The people who had been investigating the case were determined to get Liu Chang to confess, but they couldn't find a motive. There are several possibilities for a man to kill his wife with his own hands. The most likely one is that he was cuckolded and caught in the act of adultery. This case doesn't apply. Not to mention how the adulterer would dare to stay at Liu's house in the middle of the night, such an event would definitely cause a lot of noise. Liu Chang killed his wife but let the adulterer go. Even if the adulterer was someone he couldn't afford to offend, there was no need to strangle him first and then stab him. When one is furious, stabbing is more convenient than strangling.

If Liu Chang overheard something outside, and after returning home to rest, he took advantage of Madam Ma's unpreparedness to strangle her, and then, still angry, took a knife and stabbed her indiscriminately to vent his anger, after calming down, he should have been thinking about how to dispose of the body. In this life, he provided convenience for such a murder case, saying that she died suddenly or that she died of an acute illness, and her maternal family could not say anything.

Why run away? The simple solution is right there in front of you: inform the family, clean up the scene, dress the deceased in burial clothes to cover the wounds, and buy a coffin in time. The matter will be over in a few days.

Another possibility for murdering one's wife is that one has a new lover who wants the position of the legal wife. That would mean the murder was premeditated, but this case doesn't fit. If it was premeditated, one would have planned how to handle the whole thing. If one kills someone and then goes to jail, how can one be with their new lover?

Another issue is that Madam Ma had been bullying her parents-in-law for a long time, and Liu Chang had endured it all...

It doesn't make sense. If there had been an argument, this case wouldn't have been discovered like this. How could a family working together not be able to cover it up? How could there have been screams coming from the early morning?

Therefore, Jia Chuan was going to make this trip because he wanted to know the motive for the crime.

There are also suspicious points in the course of the crime. The strangulation followed by stabbing clearly suggests a desire for revenge. Who would harbor such a deep grudge against a woman in her home? If the murderer had a grudge against the victim, why wouldn't she have cried for help if the murderer suddenly appeared in her home in the middle of the night? Why would the murderer simply enter the house and strangle the victim while she was asleep? How soundly was she sleeping? Was the door unlocked?
You need to ask about all of these things.

This time, the men rode horses, while the yamen runners rode donkeys. Jia Chuan thought it was getting late, so after he went to check on things, he would go straight home after get off work and didn't ride a donkey.

……

The alley where the Liu family lived was also a poor alley, similar to where Zhu Zhanqi had lived before.

Jia Chuan frowned as he looked at the broken courtyard gate. A year of imprisonment had inevitably led to the family's decline. He just wondered how the deceased's two children had survived that year.

The constables knocked on the broken gate. The moment Old Liu opened the gate, he almost fell to the ground. Jia Chuan quickly stepped forward to help him up, and then said gently, "We're just here to ask about the case. We won't take you away again, old man, don't worry."

Old Liu looked at Jia Chuan in horror, then at the group of people outside the courtyard, closed his cloudy eyes, and fainted.

Wu Bing immediately stepped forward to help Old Liu catch his breath.

Jia Chuan sighed, turned to Gao Yuntian and asked, "Did you bring any cash?"

Gao Yuntian frowned and said, "You're going to play the good guy again!"

"To find out the truth, you always have to pay a price."

As soon as Jia Chuan finished speaking, Old Liu woke up. Wu Bing quickly took out a few banknotes from his pocket and stuffed them into Old Liu's pocket, saying, "Take these first, this will put your mind at ease. We're just here to ask about the case from back then, we won't take you away for further questioning."

Upon seeing the banknotes, Old Liu was able to stand up on his own immediately. He quickly stuffed the banknotes into his pocket, his long robe torn in several places, through which the banknotes could be vaguely seen.

"Old man, let's sit in the courtyard for a while..." Jia Chuan helped Old Liu walk inside, but before he could finish speaking, he couldn't continue.

It seemed to make no difference where they sat. The main house and the east and west wing rooms in the courtyard were severely damaged and leaning. An elderly woman with white hair was being supported by two children and stood at the door of the main house, trembling all over. She looked quite frightened.

Jia Chuan said to the yamen runner leading the way, "These next two days, bring some people to help the Liu family with some repairs. It's getting cold, and the elderly and children can't stand it. Ask him for all the expenses." Jia Chuan pointed at Gao Yuntian and said, "If this matter is not handled well, don't blame me for being ruthless."

The yamen runner quickly agreed, and then carefully examined the damage in various places.

There were two wooden stools in the courtyard. Jia Chuan helped Old Liu sit down, then carried a stool to Old Liu and sat down in front of him, asking, "This past year has been tough for you, hasn't it?"

Old Liu wiped away his tears.

Jia Chuan looked at the two children, whose ages were unknown; they were skin and bones, with blank expressions.

"Is your daughter Liu Mo inside?" Jia Chuan asked, seeing the tightly closed door of the side room.

“She got married. If it weren’t for her sending us food from time to time, we, the old and the young, would have starved to death long ago.”

"Oh? Who will she marry into? Will they mistreat her?"

"Sigh, they're not a good family, but they've been quite good to my daughter. At least they don't stop her from sending food to her parents' home."

"What do you mean by 'not a good family'?" Jia Chuan asked, puzzled.

Old Liu hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Jia Chuan thought for a moment, then turned to Gao Yuntian and said, "Give the yamen runner some money and tell him to go buy some pastries, and... some other food. First, see if he has any pots left. If not, buy one."

Upon hearing this, Old Liu immediately perked up and grabbed Jia Chuan's hand, crying out, "Tell me, when such a calamity befalls a family like ours, how can we possibly survive!"

"When you went to bed the night of the incident, Liu Chang hadn't returned yet, right?"

"Sigh, he said he wouldn't be back that night when he left, otherwise he wouldn't be able to drink to his heart's content, and he would always have to worry about the curfew."

Did you hear anything that night?

Old Liu thought for a moment and said, "There was some noise, but who knows if it was caused by some little beasts? Who would have thought that the yamen would be so fixated on this matter, as if hearing any noise meant my son was back? Usually, there's a lot of noise, like rats, hedgehogs, weasels..."

"Since Liu Chang said he wouldn't be back that night, the house naturally wouldn't have left the door open for him. That means the courtyard gate was bolted that night, and their own house door should have been bolted as well, right?"

Old Liu shook his head and said, "I really can't remember. It was my daughter-in-law who tied the rope. Besides, look at my courtyard wall, what difference does it make whether it's tied or not?"

"Did you notice the courtyard gate was open the next morning? The fact that you were able to find your daughter-in-law murdered clearly means that her door was not bolted."

This point was not written in the case file. In Jia Chuan's view, this point was very important, but it must have been very chaotic at the time. Unless he was thinking about asking about this point at the time, it would be difficult to get a real answer if he wanted to ask again. Now that two years have passed, it is even more so.

Sure enough, Old Liu continued to shake his head and said, "I really don't remember. I was so scared at the time that I didn't have time to care whether the gate was open or not, or who opened it. Anyway, my daughter-in-law's door was open."

"But the neighbors have come in, doesn't that mean..."

“Sigh, they can just climb over the wall and get in. Once they’re in, what’s so difficult about unlocking the door?” Jia Chuan looked at the courtyard wall, which was about up to Gao Yuntian’s neck. This kind of wall wasn’t meant to keep anyone out; it was just a boundary marker.

The deceased's door... was either not locked that night, or the deceased had opened the door for some reason.

Jia Chuan pursed his lips and asked again:

"You just said that Liu Mo didn't marry into a good family, but did that family force you to marry your daughter into that family?"

Old Liu just sighed and shook his head, refusing to explain. Jia Chuan could only make up other things until the yamen runners returned with bags and bundles, saying they would pick up the pot the next day. Old Liu was so moved that tears streamed down his face. When he saw his grandchildren wolfing down their food at the door, their mouths greasy, Old Liu finally said:
"That family has been dominating this area for more than just a day or two. It's just because his cousin works in the Prince of Han's mansion, and he's the only son in the family. He doesn't have a proper job, so he steals and robs. Even if the yamen knows about it, they don't dare to do anything about it. His reputation is terrible, sigh."

"Just because he has a relative in the Prince's mansion, does that make him so arrogant?"

"Who can argue with that! The people in the outlying prefecture government just don't dare to interfere. If you can't get away with it once or twice, who would dare to file a complaint? If they set their sights on you, you can only accept your bad luck."

Jia Chuan frowned and asked, "So, marrying your daughter to him was a last resort?"

"Sigh, we spent a year in jail, with no one at home. Our grandchildren were all looked after by the neighbors. We didn't have anything of value to begin with, and with no one home, some heartless person stole everything usable. Not to mention the iron pot, even the bedding was gone. How are we going to survive after we get out? Sigh, he had his eye on my daughter before. We couldn't afford to offend him, but we couldn't let our daughter marry someone like that. Although we're poor, we've always cherished our daughter. When his family came to propose, I was terrified..."

"You declined?"

"Yes, I would rather risk my life than let my daughter suffer this injustice!" Old Liu wiped the corner of his eye.

"Did they do anything?"

“I thought he would definitely cause trouble for my family later, but to my surprise, nothing happened until we came out. Then his family came to talk about it again. His daughter said she was willing to marry him. At that time... sigh, it would have been easier for the two of us to just close our eyes and save trouble, but what about the two children? My daughter said she was really willing, at least she could have enough to eat and survive.”

Jia Chuan took a deep breath, looked around, and asked, "You're having such a hard time, didn't your in-laws say they'd help you out?"

"It's already good enough that my daughter brings me food every now and then."

"Is his home far from yours?" Jia Chuan asked, standing up.

"What, what are you going to do?" Old Liu asked in a trembling voice as he stood up.

"Of course, I'll go ask your daughter about the details of the case that day."

Old Liu said anxiously, "You can't even get into his house."

Jia Chuan raised an eyebrow: "If they won't let me in, I'll smash their door!"

Old Liu said in a panic, "Don't provoke him! If he gets angry, my... my daughter is at home..."

Jia Chuan said with a stern face, "Brother Chen, tell him who I am?"

Chen Mo stepped forward and shouted, "The one who went against the Prince of Han's mansion is the newly appointed judge of the prefectural government!"

"So... brief?" Jia Chuan asked, frowning.

"As long as he knows who you are, what's the point of saying so much?" Chen Mo said, taking a step back.

Old Liu obviously knew, and he stared at Jia Chuan in astonishment, his mouth agape, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

“I’ve said it before: if anyone from the Prince of Han’s household commits any more wrongdoing, you dare to report it, and I dare to investigate and arrest them! Besides, I only went to his house to ask about the case from back then. Do you think anyone can’t afford to offend anyone? If he dares to do anything to your daughter afterward, then come to the prefectural government office to find me…”

Old Liu hurriedly said, "Once you've finished asking and left, he'll definitely ask who led you to his house. All the neighbors will know you came to my house first. How will I have a chance to go to the prefectural government office to find you?"

Jia Chuan sat down again, thought for a moment, and said, "Tell me about his family situation first, and I'll see how I can help you when I get there."

"Can...you still help me?" Old Liu asked in surprise, then noticed that Jia Chuan's expression had changed, no longer gentle. He turned to look at the old woman sitting at the doorway, hugging the children, gritted his teeth, and turned back to say:
"That scoundrel from the Yu family... They own a cosmetics shop, but business is so-so. I heard it all depends on his cousin in the Prince's mansion. There are so many women in the Prince's mansion... Anyway, they're never short of food or clothing. His family wasn't originally from Le'an; they moved here with the Prince's mansion. Who knew them at first? He never pays at restaurants or teahouses, and he only gives a few coins at the market depending on his mood. Naturally, someone reported him to the authorities..."

"Is Stinky Fish's cousin a minor leader in the Prince's mansion?"

"I heard that he manages about a hundred people. Actually, every time he reports someone to the authorities, although he won't be punished, he'll always quiet down for a few days. Who knew he'd take a fancy to my daughter... That scoundrel is only in his early twenties, but he has several women in his harem and hasn't had a single child. His family is worried..."

"Your daughter isn't your legal wife?"

Old Liu lowered his head and slowly shook it sadly.

Jia Chuan stood up again and said, "You have to believe me. Since I'm going, I won't cause any trouble for your family. You just need to patiently wait for the yamen runners to come and repair your house, and then find some odd jobs to raise your grandchildren. Once they're adults, your lives will be better."

Old Liu tried to stop him, but Chen Mo stood in the middle, so Old Liu didn't dare to say anything more and could only explain where Chouyu lived.

……

The stinky fish's house wasn't far from the prefectural government office, and it was already dusk when Jia Chuan and his party arrived.

Gao Yuntian kept nagging all the way home, saying that if they didn't go home by this hour, wouldn't that be giving the Prince's Mansion an opportunity to make a move?
In truth, Jia Chuan had hesitated. He had planned to go to the Liu family before leaving get off work to inquire about the case, and then discuss other matters tomorrow. However, news of his visit to the Liu family this afternoon might have reached the Yu family. What would Chouyu do? Jia Chuan didn't know. He had provoked this trouble, so naturally, he had to resolve it. As for the Wang Mansion… Jia Chuan looked around at the people around him. As long as he didn't spend too much time at the Yu family, the Wang Mansion would receive the news and make arrangements, which shouldn't be too late. At worst, they could fight again. Jia Chuan was no longer afraid of sudden attacks and even had a little bit of anticipation.

When Zhu Heng in the Prince's Mansion received the news, he did have this thought, but he dared not easily express his opinion. He could only send people to keep a close eye on things. If he was not well prepared, not only would he fail to kill Jia Chuan, but he would also be in trouble if Jia Chuan left anything behind, especially for him.

On the other hand, Zhu Heng felt that Jia Chuan's actions were like a trap to lure the enemy into a snare. How could he possibly be thinking of investigating a case under such circumstances? Who would believe that?!

……

(End of this chapter)