Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 65 Entering Beijing
After the group left the city gate, Dong Shuben followed County Magistrate Yu and the yamen runners and headed for Dongguan County.

When they parted, Dong Shuben burst into tears. Dong Yuanyuan thought it was a farewell to death and started crying too. Dong Shuben sobbed and told her to take good care of herself. Dong Yuanyuan asked, "Will I never see Dad again?"

Gao Yunduo comforted him, "Wait until your father has settled your marriage, and then we'll see each other again."

"Then why are you crying, Dad?"

Dong Shuben covered his face and sobbed.

Jia Chuan said, "He was afraid of being beaten if he went back to see your mother alone, and he envied us for going to Beijing together, so he felt wronged."

"Oh." Dong Yuanyuan wiped the tears from her face: "It has nothing to do with me."

Gao Yunduo was amused by Dong Yuanyuan's words. When Jia Chuan saw Gao Yunduo's smile, his eyes brightened and a small flower bloomed unnaturally in his heart. It should be a night-blooming cereus, which only bloomed for a moment and then quickly hid away.

……

Although it was only a two-day journey, Chen Mo still accepted some food and utensils prepared by the county government and put them in the carriage.

After Chen Mo learned that there were three other people besides Jia Chuan and Gao Yuntian, he ordered people to buy three horses.

Cui Youzhi was so moved at that time. If the county government had to pay for everything, he could only shamelessly ask Han Zhen for two horses when he delivered the letter to Han Zhen.

Jia Chuan rewrote the letter, just to inform Han Zhen that he had arrived in Beijing and let Han Zhen get familiar with his handwriting. If he needed money in the future, he might arrange for someone to take his letter to collect the silver.

Jia Chuan's handwriting is indeed something no one can imitate.

Everyone was originally riding horses. It was Dong Yuanyuan's first time riding a horse. The horse seemed to know something and showed some resistance. In the end, Gao Yunduo accompanied Dong Yuanyuan in a carriage.

Jia Chuan was in a low mood at the beginning. He didn't know what was waiting for him, nor did he know what he would encounter along the way. It seemed that nothing was under his control.

He missed his previous life so much, even though he had many dissatisfactions in his previous life, but looking back now, it seemed like a fairyland!
Along the way, you can occasionally see small one-room shops with adobe roofs on both sides of the road, with thatched sheds made of bamboo poles in front of the shops, tea stalls where broken tea is boiled in large copper kettles, pastry shops selling various soups and hot pots, and even open-air gambling houses.

Some porters would have tea, eat and relax there when passing by to avoid the sun.

Usually, when these people saw the Jinyiwei team coming from afar, they would immediately hide aside. This made Jia Chuan slowly feel relieved. No one would approach where they could see, and if anyone really wanted to take action, it would be seen at a glance.

Just wait and see if anyone comes at night.

Chen Mo seemed to see through Jia Chuan's thoughts and said proudly, "Jia Jingcheng, don't worry. We have the Jinyiwei escort. I can guarantee that no one dares to come."

Jia Chuan believed this, but he couldn't have the Jinyiwei protecting him all the time. How could he not worry if he couldn't find the person behind the scenes?

"Captain Chen, just call me Jia Chuan. You are older than me, so you can just call me by my first name."

"That's right. I'm afraid you won't be Jing Cheng this time. Then I won't be polite."

Chen Mo was chatting with Jia Chuan, but his eyes never stopped looking around. This made Jia Chuan more convinced that Chen Mo was a man who looked rough on the outside but was actually delicate on the inside. With him around, Jia Chuan at least didn't have to worry about anything along the way.

"Where will we stay when we get to Beijing?" Jia Chuan's tone seemed to relax.

"Originally, it was just you and Gao Yuntian. Gao Yuntian has a family in the capital, so Xu Chenshi only asked that you be taken to his house. Xu Chenshi would make the arrangements himself, but now there are a few more people, so we need to report back before making any arrangements."

Gao Yuntian was behind the two of them. He said, "Don't worry, Xu Chenshi. They can all live in my house. My house is close to Xihua Gate, so it will be convenient for him to come to the palace."

Chen Mo turned his head to look at Gao Yuntian and asked, "Is your house still habitable?"

"Just clean it up and live there. They are not picky, any place in the Inspection Office can accommodate them." Gao Yuntian replied.

"Today is different from the past. Let's report back to Xu Chenshi first."

Jia Chuan said, "I'll feel more comfortable staying at Brother Gao's house. After I meet the Emperor, I'll know what my assignment is..." He sighed, "Don't worry, Brother Chen. I'll definitely meet with Xu Chenshi first, and I'll tell him in person then."

This sentence made Gao Yuntian and Chen Mo very happy, especially Gao Yuntian. He had been waiting for Jia Chuan to call him "big brother" for a long time, but Jia Chuan had always been impolite. Now he has become sensible in front of outsiders.

Chen Mo was also very happy. He knew that this person had a bright future. Before coming, Xu Gong repeatedly reminded him not to be clever and just need to escort him back to Beijing safely. He also said not to underestimate this person and that he must have some ability to be favored by the emperor.

Chen Mo put all these words, as well as the process of his previous inquiry into the cause of Li Shun's death, into his mind and came to several conclusions. Apart from the fact that this person was trying to win him over, he felt that Li Shun's death must be related to this person.

This is why Chen Mo first thanked Jia Chuan, saying that Jia Chuan had done him a favor. He had been wanting to deal with Li Shun for a long time. He was a thousand-householder, and Li Shun was only a hundred-householder, but he hadn't been able to succeed yet. This showed Li Shun's ability. Chen Mo knew that it wouldn't be long before Li Shun would be able to climb up, and by then...

As to whether it was Jia Chuan who sent Li Shun away, Chen Mo had a definite answer in his mind, but it didn't matter if it was not him. He thanked him first, and then explained to Jia Chuan - I am yours.

Jia Chuan's willingness to call him Brother Chen instead of Captain Chen brought their relationship much closer. How could Chen Mo not be happy?

……

They rested at the post station at night.

Chen Mo said that they would be able to enter the capital at dusk tomorrow after passing Liangxiang.

Jia Chuan encountered a post station every thirty to fifty miles along the way, which surprised him immensely. Had he not noticed when he was protecting Zhu Zhanji, or was he taking a different route? He didn't think he'd seen these post stations before. Then he thought about why Zhu Zhanji hadn't dared stay in one during his escape. After all, staying there would have given the enemy more time to recruit more men to kill him. If there were one or two masters like the Black-Cloaked Swordsman among them...

Jia Chuan felt that the man in black did not look like one of the King of Han's men, but he couldn't give a reason why.

When the postmaster saw that the visitor was a Jinyiwei, he had no reason not to be welcoming, but one room was not enough for each person. Jia Chuan said that except for Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan, everyone else should squeeze in and not cause trouble for the post station.

In this way, three or four people can be accommodated in one room.

Jia Chuan, Gao Yuntian and Shunzi lived in the same room, but Chen Mo insisted on squeezing in.

Chen Mo made small talk and explained the route in detail, saying that he could have gone through Jinghai via Yangcun and Tongzhou to the capital, but he chose to go through Xiongxian, Zhulu and Liangxiang to enter the capital.

While Jia Chuan was still waiting for the reason, Chen Mo fell asleep and snored loudly.

Jia Chuan's heart was in his throat. How could he fall asleep so easily? Why not arrange who would be on duty and who would be on night patrol?
Gao Yuntian whispered, "Since Brother Chen is so sure, I think he is sure too."

Jia Chuan stared at Chen Mo for a while, and when he saw his eyelashes fluttering, he smiled and said, "Brother Chen must have a plan in mind. Let's go to sleep too."

……

The night was uneventful.

The group set out on their journey before daybreak.
When he saw the outline of the capital city rising and falling on the skyline like a sleeping dragon in the distance at dusk, Jia Chuan was actually a little excited.

In his previous life, he had been to Beijing twice, once for business and once for tourism. He didn't know much about the city, but he had definitely been to the Forbidden City. He clearly remembered that when he reached the Meridian Gate, he felt it was magnificent. When he passed the Meridian Gate and looked at it again, before he could sigh in admiration, a young man next to him raised his arms and shouted, "I'm home!"

In this life, he is going to revisit his old place, and he is somewhat excited inside.

Chen Mo looked at Jia Chuan's excited face and thought he was just a novice, so he couldn't help but raise his head.

When Dong Yuanyuan heard they were almost at the city gate, she wanted to get out of the car, but Gao Yunduo pulled her back and whispered, "You can see even if you lift the curtain from inside the car. It would be bad to get out."

"Why?"

"The capital has many rules. We have the Royal Guards escorting us, so it's better for us to stay out of the spotlight."

Dong Yuanyuan didn't understand, but still said "Oh", then leaned on the car window and looked outside curiously.

Jia Chuan, filled with immense excitement, watched the few early fallen leaves drifting down the moat. It was as if he saw himself. He quickly looked up and followed the team slowly to the foot of the city. Then, tightly gripping the reins, he gazed up at the triple-eaved hip roof that swallowed up half the sky, the painted Chiwen (Chiwen) flying through the shadows of the clouds, seemingly about to break through the air...

"Jia Chuan, hurry up, follow!"

Chen Mo's shout brought Jia Chuan, who was staring blankly, back to his senses. He then noticed that the people heading into the city had been stopped and they had cut in line.

None of the Jinyiwei dismounted, but Jia Chuan, with a feeling of respect in his heart, felt that riding a horse through the city gate was impolite, so he dismounted. Gao Yuntian saw this and dismounted as well.

When passing through the doorway, a chill made Jia Chuan take a deep breath. He exhaled gently, as if afraid that the noise would alarm someone. He stepped on the stone slabs and imagined what would happen hundreds of years later... No, hundreds of years later, this door would be gone!

He clearly saw the iron plaque with the word "Fucheng" hanging under the eaves of the arrow tower.

He took another deep breath. If he hadn't had time to see the words on the city gate just now, he would be able to see them clearly after entering the city wall.

Although he had only been to Beijing twice, he had made careful plans both times, including the inner city, the outer city... Only then did Jia Chuan realize that he had not seen the outer city when he came here, which means that there was no outer city in Beijing during the Xuande period.

Thinking about which grandson, great-grandson, or great-great-grandson completed the construction of Beijing's inner and outer cities, Jia Chuan couldn't help but smile, and then looked up at the city wall.

It was not known whether this square city wall was inherited from the Yuan Dynasty. It looked a bit mottled. Jia Chuan even saw a gap on the stone steps that looked like it was cut by a scimitar. He wanted to imagine the battle scene of that year, but he had already followed the team out of the city wall.

Chen Mo looked back and saw that Jia Chuan had dismounted, so he also dismounted and waited for Jia Chuan to come forward and introduce, "The west side is Meishi Street." It was already dusk, and there were still coolies carrying wicker coal baskets on their shoulders walking through the streets. They must be in need of coal from wealthy families.

Jia Chuan seemed to smell the fragrance of freshly split pine coal, and for a moment, he forgot what day it was.

In his previous life, he lived in a rural area in Northeast China for a period of time because of a case in a mountain village. Every time he went into a household to investigate, he would smell this smell. He was curious and asked the locals about it, and learned that it was the shavings used for burning fire.

Jia Chuan patted his face and took a deep breath to remind himself to come back. He looked at the dirt road with coal slag under his feet, then looked up and looked forward. The wine flags fluttered like a colorful cloud in the dusk. Green-curtained carriages and wheelbarrows were running side by side on the official road. There was also a teahouse on the street with bamboo curtains on the second floor, and some music could be heard faintly.

Jia Chuan didn't know at what moment his excitement and excitement disappeared, as if the various smells on the street brought him back to reality.

……

Chen Mo knew where Gao Yuntian's home was. He only said that it was not far from Xu Chenshi's residence. He said that he would take Jia Chuan to see Xu Chenshi first, and the others would go to Gao's house to rest. If Xu Chenshi had other arrangements, someone would inform him. If Jia Chuan stayed at Gao's house tonight, he would send Jia Chuan there.

So the group separated at a certain intersection, and Jia Chuan followed Chen Mo.

Xu Gong had received the news and was waiting at the door.

Jia Chuan handed the reins to Chen Mo and shouted, "Brother!" and walked forward quickly.

This time he called me "big brother" without a surname.

Chen Mo raised his eyebrows, knowing in his heart that he had done the right thing this time.

Xu Gong was very enthusiastic and took Jia Chuan's hand and walked into the house.

Because the national mourning period had not yet ended, Xu Gong only prepared some vegetarian dishes, and added some fruits and noodles to the table.

Jia Chuan was indeed hungry, so he said, "I won't be polite to you, big brother," and then he picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

Seeing that Jia Chuan was not unfamiliar with him, Xu Gong smiled.

Jia Chuan ate half his meal before he began to inquire about his new job.

Xu Gong shook his head and said, "I only know that the emperor has important responsibilities for you, but I don't know what your mission will be."

"What do you think, brother?"

"I can't live without the King of Han."

"Or the King of Han?" Jia Chuan asked puzzledly.

Xu Gong smiled bitterly and said, "Do you think it's so easy to convict someone of treason?"

Jia Chuan was about to say that Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di were both... but he quickly shut his mouth.

"Not to mention that there is no witness to identify him, even if there is, as long as the King of Han denies it, the Emperor is helpless. The Emperor... is in a difficult position."

Jia Chuan turned his head and looked around, and Xu Gong ordered his servants to leave.

Jia Chuan then asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, is this so difficult because Emperor Taizong or the previous emperor left a golden medal of immunity for the King of Han?"

Xu Gong laughed heartily and said, "Where did the golden medal of immunity come from? Even if there was one, it would only exempt him from charges other than treason. But you are right. The King of Han knows that the Emperor won't do anything to him without solid evidence. If he did it, he would be betraying his ancestral promise, and his name would be recorded in history, which would not be a good reputation. The Emperor values ​​both of these things."

Jia Chuan nodded and said, "As long as I am not ordered to find a way to make the King of Han rebel, it's fine. If I were to do this, I wouldn't be able to do it. If I went, the King of Han would kill me with a single blow."

Xu Gong frowned and asked, "You were assassinated in Dongzhao County. Was it someone sent by the King of Han who did it?"

Jia Chuan shrugged and said:
"At first, I thought both princes would dislike me. The environment they grew up in shaped them... Oh, so they just wanted to kill whoever they disliked. Then I heard Chen Mo say that Prince Zhao had been honest, so the only one left was Prince Han. But why would Prince Han think so highly of me? He actually sent someone with such amazing kung fu skills..."

"Then you underestimate the King of Han. He has many capable people under his command, but they just don't know how to use them effectively."

Jia Chuan tried to think about the King of Han's past "achievements". Perhaps this prince's train of thought was just so strange. If he couldn't understand it, he would just ignore it for the time being.

So Jia Chuan took the initiative to talk about Gao Yuntian's life experience.

"...I only found out about it after Li Shun died. That night, General Han didn't let us participate in the bandit suppression. We sat in front of the grave and had a heart-to-heart talk, and he told me about this incident. I thought it was really hard to explain, so I didn't tell my eldest brother at first. I also knew that my eldest brother would find out after investigating, but at that time, I was a little scared of Li Shun. I always felt that the Jinyiwei would only..."

Jia Chuan didn't say anything else, but Xu Gong seemed to understand what he meant. He raised his hand and patted Jia Chuan gently, saying, "Censor Gao was indeed wronged, but he did not die under torture."

Jia Chuan frowned and looked at Xu Gong.

"Censor Gao was a noble man, cynical and incorruptible, though not without pedantry. He had few friends in the officialdom, but many political enemies. They imprisoned him to serve as a warning, not to kill him. Otherwise, why would they have spared his family or confiscated his property? But he proved so stubborn. He was held captive for three days, untortured. When they were removing his shackles and heading to the torture chamber, he slammed his head against a brick wall. He was still breathing, but the force he exerted was too great, and even the imperial physician was unable to save him."

Jia Chuan took a deep breath.

"I wasn't even a clerk at the time, and this case wasn't my responsibility. I couldn't help but feel sorry when I heard about it. It was the end of the 19th year of the Yongle reign, and there were many things going on, so this matter went unresolved. It wasn't until last year, after the late emperor ascended the throne, that the case was reopened and Gao Yushi was cleared of all charges. However, Gao Yushi's wife, who was also a hot-tempered person, went to Shuntian Prefecture several times to appeal for justice, but to no avail. She took her children back to Dongzhao County, and a year later, she also died with Gao Yushi."

Jia Chuan had been busy asking about Gao Yunduo before and had never asked about Gao Yuntian. Now, after listening to what Xu Gong said, he was surprised at the hot temper of Gao Yuntian's parents, but he was even more surprised that the Jinyiwei could investigate a person so thoroughly.

Since you know it so clearly, do you know other things as well?
So, Jia Chuan asked seriously, "Gao Yuntian and his sister are both engaged. Can they get married first when they come back this time?"

Xu Gong smiled and said, "Go back and ask Gao Yuntian. Let's not talk about what happened before. Since his father was exonerated, has his father-in-law's family had any contact with him? Even if his uncle sent some New Year's gifts to the capital, did he receive any return gifts? His sister's marriage is even more..."

"What do you mean? Do they want to cancel the engagement?" Jia Chuan widened his eyes and raised the corners of his mouth.

Xu Gong shook his head and said, "Everyone is waiting and watching. The brother and sister are now helpless. Back then, Censor Gao wanted to be a lone minister and cut off all contact with his brothers. The only family they can rely on is my father-in-law's family, but they are just an ordinary family, at least in the eyes of others."

Xu Gong looked at Jia Chuan meaningfully.

Jia Chuan naturally knew that Gao Yuntian's uncle was a rich second-generation. From what Xu Gong said, his uncle was very low-key and not many outsiders knew the truth.

Xu Gong said again:

"People in the capital, especially high-ranking officials, marry not only for the sake of social status, but also for the sake of respectability and support. Now that the Gao family has fallen, and Imperial Censor Gao never planned and paved the way for his son during his lifetime, a few years have passed in the blink of an eye. Do you think the daughter of the Cheng family is not in a hurry to get married? This is why I hurriedly transferred Gao Yuntian to the Jinyiwei."

"Brother wants to help him?"

"Yes! I know you're on good terms with him, but I'm not helping him entirely because of you. Censor Gao's death is closely related to the Imperial Guards. The Imperial Guards must give the Gao family an explanation."

"If that's the case, once the Cheng family learns that Brother Gao has returned and joined the Imperial Guard, they'll definitely start arranging a marriage all over again. Then, his sister's marriage..."

Xu Gong frowned and said:
"At that time, Censor Gao didn't want to make friends with the rich and powerful, so he only found an eighth-rank Imperial College clerk for Gao Yuntian. However, the Gao family's daughter had been favored by Anping Earl Li An since she was very young, and he wanted to marry her to his illegitimate grandson. Censor Gao repeatedly declined, saying that his daughter was still young and it was not time for marriage. Li An, relying on his status as a meritorious official during the Yongle Dynasty, repeatedly pressured Censor Gao into agreeing to discuss marriage after his daughter reached the age of marriage. When Censor Gao got into trouble, the Gao family's daughter had not yet reached the age of marriage..."

"So the marriage doesn't count?!" Jia Chuan was overjoyed and couldn't control his expression.

"Listen to me first. Last year, Li An was impeached for 'arrogance and lawlessness.' Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, he hasn't had time to deal with him yet. You say this marriage is real, and many people do know about it. You say it doesn't count, and it's true that it hasn't been discussed. But I heard that Censor Gao's daughter has the same personality as him. She said that since he promised it back then, as long as the Anping Marquis's Mansion still recognizes her, she will marry him."

"Is this what she said? She's just a girl, what does she know?" Jia Chuan couldn't help but blurt out.

Xu Gong smiled and said:

"Who says it isn't? This is the downside of having no parents to rely on. How can marriage be a joke? After the Emperor ascended the throne, he began to rectify the administration, including the arrogant and lawless behavior of the nobles. Li An himself didn't even know that he had been handed over to the Emperor, and the officials in the court were also watching..."

"These nobles must have felt that they had great achievements. Although they had no real power, they had already tied themselves to a group of officials, so they acted without restraint. They really should read the history books. The books clearly state that throughout the dynasties, especially the Song and Ming dynasties..."

Jia Chuan slammed on the brakes and then said, "Those famous people in the Song Dynasty, right? Which one of them didn't have meritorious service? And which one of them had a good ending?"

"Which history book are you reading?"

"That's all I said. I meant don't be too arrogant."

Xu Gong nodded and said:
"Li An did act arrogantly during the Yongle reign, and he may have used his title to oppress the people in private... Well, there's no need to investigate these matters in detail. Of course, it's not just his family... Anyway, if Censor Gao's daughter comes forward now... you should try to persuade her. Not to mention that the marriage hasn't been decided yet, even if the etiquette has been followed, it's reasonable to cancel the engagement after all these years of inactivity. Furthermore, as for Gao Yuntian's marriage, the Imperial College's Dianbo wants to cancel the engagement, but he's afraid of damaging his reputation, so he's been dragging it out for years. You should make Gao Yuntian think it over."

Jia Chuan nodded repeatedly, thought for a moment and said, "I'd better live in Gao's house. On the one hand, I can be more comfortable there, and on the other hand, I can persuade the brothers and sisters to cancel both of these marriages!"

Xu Gong hummed and said, "Gao Yuntian should have started as a small flag officer when he joined the Pacification Office. I felt that he had made contributions in the Huangluling case, so I discussed it with the Pacification Commissioner and reported it back to the Commander. I can make an exception and start as a general flag officer. Don't worry, I will find a way to promote him to a centurion in a year or two. Don't underestimate the position of general flag officer. It is also a seventh-grade rank. The execution of specific cases depends on them, so it is easy to make meritorious contributions."

Jia Chuan hummed a long sigh and asked tentatively, "Is this matter irreversible?"

　Today I tried merging two chapters into one. I was afraid that some readers might not have enough chapter cards, so I separated them. In fact, they were all updated at the same time, but divided into two chapters. Some readers said that merging one chapter can be used to forward a chapter package. Subscription is so important for February, so I thought of giving it a try. If it affects your subscription, you can tell me.

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　　There are not enough words, continue tomorrow!

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(End of this chapter)