Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 16 Cleaned Up
Old Zheng cleared his throat and said, "I just looked over your records again. They are really detailed..."

"What did you find out?" Jia Chuan turned his head and asked.

"The deceased was unaware of the attack and died a hasty death."

Jia Chuan nodded and asked, "Why don't you wear a veil?"

"This place doesn't smell good anymore. Wearing this and holding your breath, are you getting married?"

Jia Chuan shook his head, looked at Gao Yuntian who was working hard to dig a hole, and said, "Captain Gao... is quite talented."

"His uncle has a very good relationship with Magistrate Cui, so he usually has a bit of an air of authority, but he is very serious about his work."

Gao Yuntian seemed to know someone was talking about him. He suddenly stopped what he was doing, looked up and around, and then shouted to Jia Chuan, "How many have you written? Maybe you can recognize who is who? We've already dug up more than a dozen. Let's bury some first."

Jia Chuan nodded, but did not move. He wanted to stand up and give some orders, but his stomach was empty for a long time, so he was unable to do so.

"Please tell Chief Constable Gao that Shunzi and I haven't eaten since last night. We're just forcing ourselves to stay awake and can't even speak loudly. Have him have the body brought here so Shunzi and I can identify it together."

Old Zheng quickly replied loudly, then went to help Shunzi over. Shunzi had cried countless times since last night. Dong Shu instinctively closed his eyes and was carried away, but Shunzi didn't dare to. He was afraid that no one would take care of him and he would still be here when he woke up, so he kept holding on.

At this moment, his eyes were red and swollen and his body was weak. He thought he was dying, but when he saw the wooden sign written by Jia Chuan, he couldn't help but want to whimper a few times, but was comforted by Jia Chuan in time.

"You'll cry soon, take a rest now."

……

Jia Chuan thought that with a stretcher, it would be easier to carry the body, but after waiting for a long time, no one came. He looked back several times and saw several yamen runners standing together, always giving way to each other.

Old Zheng couldn't wait any longer and shouted to Gao Yuntian, "Find someone brave enough to help me carry the body!"

Gao Yuntian then realized that none of the yamen runners had come forward. He immediately became furious, threw down his tools, rushed forward a few steps, and shouted, "Come here, all those who are scared to death! Stop standing there and embarrassing yourself!"

"You go?!" Jia Chuan asked with all his might.

Gao Yuntian pretended not to hear, turned around and found a burly man and said, "It's broad daylight, what's there to be afraid of? Go and help Old Zheng carry the corpse, he's not afraid even if he's buried up to his neck in the dirt. You're in the prime of your life, your yang energy is strong, what are you afraid of?"

Old Zheng snorted coldly and left with the man.

……

Two stretchers were made in total, and they took turns going forward. Old Zheng and the man were responsible for carrying the body onto the stretchers, and the other two yamen runners were responsible for carrying it away. Jia Chuan and Shunzi were responsible for identifying the body. After burying it, a wooden board with the name written on it was erected in front of the grave.

The process of identifying the bodies was not smooth. There were swollen and rotten faces, and many bodies were shirtless, with loose hair, and without shoes. The only reference points Jia Chuan and Shunzi could find were height and intuition.

Shunzi burst into tears again. Only then did he realize what Jia Chuan meant by taking a break first. Some of his crying was real. Fortunately, it took a lot of energy to figure it out, so he couldn't cry anymore after crying a few times.

Gao Yuntian was a little timid, but he did his job efficiently. He buried here and dug there. He didn't need to dig a deep pit, which made it easier to relocate the graves in the future. By dark, all forty or so bodies were buried.

Now the only ones left are those "alive people" in the woodshed.

Gao Yuntian was exhausted. He had worked under the scorching sun all afternoon, his clothes soaked with sweat. He sat slumped beside the grave, panting heavily, and said to Jia Chuan, "We might as well just throw those people into the mountain stream and let them feed the wild animals."

Jia Chuan wanted to ask, "Who will throw it away?" The people in the room had been rotting even more severely, and it was difficult to lift them onto the stretchers. Who wouldn't be tired by now? Who still had the energy? Who still had the courage?
It's getting dark.

Jia Chuan drank the water that Old Man Zheng handed him and said softly, "Old Zheng, accompany me to check the last person who died."

"it is good!"

Old Zheng agreed readily, but Gao Yuntian was unhappy.

"What are you checking? I don't think it's necessary. Just throw them into the mountain stream. Let's hurry back to the county government office before it gets completely dark!"

There was no doubt about what Gao Yuntian said, and he put it into practice, standing up with an effort.

Old Zheng supported Jia Chuan, and the two of them ignored Gao Yuntian and walked straight to an independent room at the edge of the two rows of houses.

This room is a woodshed, and it is perfect for the captured people to live here.

Jia Chuan thought that there must be a reason why this person was left behind. For example, this person was very close to Han Wang Zhu Gaoxu and knew a lot of inside information. He wanted to find something to prove this person's identity. If he could find it, on the one hand, he could confirm that it was indeed Han Wang's people who were chasing the prince in the land temple that night. On the other hand, he could also confirm that the people who came to the Tu Xunjiansi were not Han Wang's people. Even if Han Wang's people wanted to silence someone, they would do it quietly without firing guns. Why would they make such a big fuss, as if they were afraid that their name would not be recorded in history books?

History books? Jia Chuan shook his head. He couldn't remember anything when he was free, but now he had to think of his last name. It was better not to bother searching.

Jia Chuan checked hurriedly last night. Seeing that the time of death was different and the injuries were not fatal, he went to check the next body.

At that time, Jia Chuan was still thinking: If this person survives until we return, even if he is a liar, he can confess that they are Han Wang's men and prove that Han Wang wants to murder the crown prince. But who were those people who were slaughtered that night? Zhu Zhanji can't help but investigate.

Furthermore, if the mastermind behind the massacre only wanted Zhu Zhanji to quickly execute the King of Han, wouldn't it have been better to leave a few more people alive? Was he going through an entire night just to leave behind a half-dead man?

Jia Chuan couldn't understand it. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like they were trying to massacre the Inspection Office, but who was the Inspection Office bothering?

Old Zheng's idea was very simple. He liked Jia Chuan very much at the moment. He was just asking him to perform an autopsy, and he was eager to see what other abilities Jia Chuan had.

Seeing Jia Chuan and Old Zheng ignoring him, Gao Yuntian felt humiliated. He dragged his trembling legs after them, and shouted, "How dare you ignore what I say?"

A yamen runner caught up and whispered, "When the county magistrate left, he told Captain Gao to obey the orders of that man named Jia Chuan."

Gao Yuntian stopped and remembered that the prince was behind this person.

Gao Yuntian frowned and muttered, "Could it be that the prince has mistrusted someone? No, I have to keep an eye on it."

At this time, Jia Chuan and Old Zheng had already entered the room. The smell in the room was no longer acceptable to humans. Even though they both wore several layers of face masks and had blocked air circulation in some areas, they still couldn't stand it, not to mention the maggots everywhere.

So the two of them carried the body out.

Gao Yuntian had been standing outside trying to build up his courage, but when he saw the two men carrying the body out, he couldn't help but step back. "We need to bring out another one for comparison."

"it is good!"

Gao Yuntian took two more steps back. He looked up at the sky, but could no longer see the golden edge. The sun should have set. The sky could get dark at any time. After dark, those who should come out would naturally come out. Where could they hide in such a desolate place?
"They are all wearing black clothes, but the materials of their linings are different," said Old Zheng.

"Well, the style of the boots is slightly different too."

"They all brought net scarves."

"This man's hair is cleaner than the man who died early."

Old Zheng asked, "What does this mean?"

"That means at least this person has the privilege of taking a bath at any time."

Old Zheng nodded, and then fell into deep thought for a moment, as if wondering when was the last time he took a bath?

Jia Chuan also fell into deep thought. Someone had shown Dong Shuben the badge that night, but now the badge was gone. It must have fallen off during the fight and the bondage. If there was only one badge among these people, and it was in this person's hands, it would prove that this person was the leader of this operation. It could be said to be a double insurance. Why was there no badge?

Jia Chuan thought again: Sparing him shows that those who massacred him knew the people in the Han Palace very well, but it is hard to explain why they went to such lengths. Wouldn't it be better to keep them all alive? How can one person's confession compare to the confessions of many?

In Jia Chuan's view, this was just a matter of taking off pants to fart, but he forgot that the people here had a different understanding of fatal injuries than he did.

"Boss Gao, take your men and follow Shunzi to the land temple in front to look for the waist badge. If you find it, don't shout, just bring it to me."

Gao Yuntian raised his eyebrows. In the Dongzhao County government office, the number of people who dared to order him to do something like this could be counted on one hand, and they were all away at the moment...

"If it were any later, I would have to crawl on the ground with a torch to search for it. If I found a severed arm or limb, I would be shocked again."

When Gao Yuntian heard this, he immediately called a few people to help Shunzi walk towards the land temple. He felt sorry for himself and did not move.

Jia Chuan continued to think: He had seen the people who came later at the Earth God Temple that night. Their clothes were incomparable to these people, and they were even wearing straw sandals. So he insisted on his inference that the first group of people were from the Han Palace. For various reasons, they did not dare to kill Zhu Zhanji with their own hands, and placed their hopes on the people in the martial arts world behind them. At that moment, in the eyes of the people in the Han Palace, Zhu Zhanji was a turtle in a jar.

It can be seen that although the subordinates of King Han Zhu Gaoxu were his confidants, they were by no means loyal servants. There was still a chance that some of them would rebel. It just depended on who found them and what benefits they promised.

As for the group of people who slaughtered the Inspection Office, the marks left by their boots were no worse than those of the people in the Prince of Han's Palace. It can be seen that the identity and financial resources of the people behind the scenes are not much worse than those of the Prince of Han. They brought archers, but all the arrows they shot were retrieved. Are they afraid that their identities could be confirmed through the arrows?

Jia Chuan gritted his teeth and said, "We need to take this body and the clothes on the body next to it back, Captain Gao! Did you have a carriage when you came?"

"It's no use asking him. He only remembers whether he rode a horse or a donkey. He did have a carriage when he came here, but I'm afraid it's gone now."

"Then wrap him up tightly and ride with me. There should be unused bedding in the room, Captain Gao! Order someone to burn this room down." Jia Chuan didn't even turn his head as he stripped the clothes off the corpse. Even if they were incomplete, they were still evidence.

"You said to burn it? Wasn't it built with banknotes and silver? Besides, the body is also evidence..."

"There are maggots everywhere, the stench is unbearable, and the body is severely decomposed. If we wait another two days, we won't be able to examine it closely. By the time it's time to testify, only bones will be left..."

Jia Chuan sighed. If possible, he would like to keep the body, but the conditions do not allow it. If he leaves it here, no matter who comes to inspect the scene next time, they will not be able to work in peace.

"Instead of digging a pit and burying them, it's better to burn them. It won't make much difference. Otherwise, why don't you send people in to carry them out one by one? Then, take advantage of the night to carry the bodies into the forest..."

"You! Good! Come on, burn this room down, don't set off a volcanic forest!"

……

It finally got dark.

It was a very hot season and there had just been a heavy rain, so the woods were very humid. However, the target was the woodshed, so it was still easy. However, controlling the fire really exhausted the yamen runners.

The flames that shot up into the sky not only illuminated the surroundings, but also seemed to burn away the fear in Gao Yuntian's heart. His waist was very straight.

But the people sent to look for the badge returned empty-handed.

Jia Chuan was even more confused. The purpose of keeping the person alive was to convict him, but the evidence that could lead to the conviction had disappeared. Even if this person survived until they came back, without saying a word, wouldn't it be a waste of time to keep him alive?
Old Zheng's portrait seemed to know what Jia Chuan was thinking. He smiled in the firelight and said, "Perhaps this man is a living signboard. It seems that many people know him."

Jia Chuan frowned. What he saved by leaving this person alive was not his mouth but his face!

When Zhu Zhanji ordered Jia Chuan to find evidence, Jia Chuan had a premonition that this would not be so easy. Even if there were living people in his hands, if they were like the legendary death warriors, it would be difficult to get anything out of them, and it would be difficult to keep an eye on them to prevent them from committing suicide. What's more, the King of Han's men would not wait for these people to confess and would definitely kill them.

At that time, Jia Chuan was still thinking about how difficult the interrogation would be. He never thought that when he came back, he would see the ancestor of the difficulties!

Now that Old Zheng had reminded him, Jia Chuan felt that he seemed to have some idea, but he still couldn't see the whole picture clearly.

……

The fire lasted until midnight before it was completely extinguished. The group walked out of the forest with difficulty, staggering onto their horses and donkeys. Jia Chuan also had to carry a corpse that was about to become a giant. Except for Old Zheng and Shunzi, no one was willing to approach him.

The five soldiers were very anxious. Seeing that the other five had not yet brought the people from the garrison, they didn't know whether they should go back to Bazhou or stay and wait.

Jia Chuan's mind was now numb. Apart from thinking about getting to the county government office as soon as possible to refrigerate the body, he had no other thoughts.

According to Old Zheng's boasting, the county government's morgue was cold in summer and frozen in winter. If they could find a few more pieces of ice, they could at least buy Jia Chuan a day or two to think about the corpse and decide what the use of this person was.
Gao Yuntian had always believed that everyone was under his command, so when he saw the five soldiers not mounting their horses and looking hesitant, he said, "Come back with us for now. Tomorrow morning, you can decide whether to go or stay. Be careful not to get carried away by evil spirits if you stay here."

Upon hearing this, Jia Chuan turned around and said, "Come with us, your people should also be at the county government office."

Gao Yuntian's words were not effective, but the five people listened to Jia Chuan and got on their horses without asking why.

Just as the group was about to set off, everyone heard the sound of horse hooves. In the darkness, this sound naturally carried a sense of oppression, making the already frightened people feel suffocated.

So, they seemed to be frozen, all looking at the end of the darkness.

(End of this chapter)