Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 69 is full of loopholes
Jia Chuan asked Kuang Zhong when he was going to leave Beijing to take up his post.
Kuang Zhong said that the original plan was to leave in two days, but now that he saw that Jia Chuan was a smart man, he didn't need to wait any longer. He would pack up tomorrow and set off early the next morning. He also told Jia Chuan not to come and see him off because they would see each other again sooner or later.

Jia Chuan sent Kuang Zhong out of the yard and watched Kuang Zhong's carriage disappear at the entrance of the alley. He stood in the dusk for a long time before returning to the yard.

……

Dinner was prepared by the servants of the Kuang Mansion, and Dong Yuanyuan helped out, which slowed down the serving of the dishes. However, Dong Yuanyuan ate less during the meal.

During meal time, Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan ate in the backyard, while everyone else sat in the front yard.

Jia Chuan asked Gao Yuntian about his gains, and Chen Mo answered quickly, "At first, he didn't want to go with me to the Imperial College to find Cheng Dianbo. I told him to go and see what his attitude was towards you. I changed into casual clothes and followed him, and I wouldn't speak until the crucial moment."

Gao Yuntian acted as if what Chen Mo said had nothing to do with him and just ate his meal in silence.

"I tried my best to persuade him, and he finally went to the Imperial College with me. But Cheng Dianbo refused to see him. He got anxious and was about to rush in. Cheng Dianbo was probably afraid that things would get out of hand, so when he saw us, his attitude was very cold. His words were full of self-blame for his momentary confusion and delaying his daughter. He finally realized that what we said was true, so I told him about the cancellation of the engagement. Cheng Dianbo's attitude immediately changed. He was no longer indifferent, but spoke very seriously, saying that the two of them were not destined to be together. That's when I learned that their two families didn't have a marriage certificate, and that Censor Gao had never given a betrothal gift. From what Cheng Dianbo said, Censor Gao only gave a jade pendant. Before we could move on to the next step, something happened to Censor Gao."

After listening to this, Jia Chuan glanced at Gao Yuntian, who had no expression on his face, and did not express any opinion. Since there was no marriage certificate, it could not be confirmed. The Cheng family had been doing this at first because they did not want to be known as someone who took advantage of someone's misfortune. But after the rehabilitation, Gao Yuntian was left without support. Although the Cheng family was just a clerk, they also thought about the benefits of the marriage, so naturally they did not want this marriage anymore. Seeing that Cheng Dianbo would rather sacrifice his own daughter to protect his reputation, it was similar to the idea of ​​Gao Yushi who was so poor that he would not use his wife's dowry.

Jia Chuan didn't know whether it was right or wrong, he only knew that doing this would not be good for his family. Cheng Dianbo's daughter was now so old, it would be difficult to arrange another marriage.

Jia Chuan shook his head. Since Gao Yuntian had already changed his mind, he cleared his throat and changed the subject, saying, "I'm going to the palace today. The Emperor has ordered me to investigate a case in the Ministry of Justice first, and then go to Jinan to serve as an officer in the Judicial and Censorate. I'm supposed to be escorted by the Imperial Guard."

Gao Yuntian looked up at this time, frowned and asked, "I haven't started working yet, what should I do?"

Shunzi said hurriedly, "He needs to thoroughly investigate the case at the Ministry of Justice before he can leave. It will take at least a few days."

Chen Mo looked at Jia Chuan and asked, "Are you investigating a case? Or a case from the Ministry of Justice?"

Jia Chuan understood Chen Mo's doubts. Any normal person would have doubts, so the Ministry of Justice dared to send only a ninth-rank clerk today with the imperial edict.

"If we investigate this case, I'm afraid you'll need to bring people to follow us every day." Jia Chuan said, putting down his chopsticks.

Chen Mo frowned, stood up and said, "I'll go to the governor's house and talk to him. If he doesn't agree, I'll find another way to help you."

Jia Chuan wanted to give him a thumbs up for this favor.

Jia Chuan's arrival in Beijing was no different from Granny Liu's entrance to the Grand View Garden. How could he know which way the gates of the various government offices opened? Without someone who could keep the peace, he would have been killed if he left the palace. How could the emperor not have thought of this and make arrangements?
Who can calm the situation? Is there any need to ask?

How could Jia Chuan ask for help based on his personal connections?

Chen Mo walked to the gate of the courtyard, then turned back and sat down, saying, "Let me first hear what the case is, so that I can persuade the governor later."

Jia Chuan was too lazy to expose him and went straight to the story of the case.

On the ninth day of the third lunar month, a craftsman from a small jade workshop in southern Beijing failed to come to work on time, so the master asked his apprentice to go and call him. The craftsman's name was Zhang Yu. He was in his thirties and still alone, so he lived in the backyard of the workshop. At that time, the jade workshop had taken on a big job and needed to rush the work. How could they do it without one person?
When the young apprentice opened the door, he saw Zhang Yu lying on the bed, covered with a quilt. The young apprentice walked over and wanted to wake Zhang Yu up, but saw Zhang Yu's pale face and a dark red knife wound on his neck. The young apprentice screamed and ran out.

The small workshop was on the street, and although it wasn't a busy area, there were still people walking on the street, including fellow workers. The young apprentice ran out howling, pointing at the backyard and shouting heartbreakingly: "Someone's dead! Someone's dead!"

It wasn't just the people in the workshop who ran to the backyard. For a while the backyard was crowded with people, and some people even ran directly to Shuntian Prefecture to report the case.

Shuntian Prefecture investigated the case and soon found out that the small workshop had received an order from the owner of Hongyun Jade Shop to customize a batch of expensive jade ornaments. The workshop had also paid a deposit, but there was also a delivery deadline. If the delivery could not be made on the specified date, not only would the deposit be returned, but the jade shop owner would also have to compensate for his losses.

These details were written in great detail in the files, but the coroner's testimony only used a few simple sentences.

Shuntian Prefecture soon found out that Zhang Yu was killed by the owner of a fellow workshop on the same street because of jealousy. His goal was to prevent Zhang Yu's workshop from completing orders.

Logically, the case should have ended here, and the poor boss of the same business had confessed to the crime. However, at this time, the owner of the jade shop who provided orders to the small workshop died at home, and his death was the same as Zhang Yu's.

There are two things about the shop owner's death that are glossed over in the file. One is the condition of the deceased when he was found, which is what made Jia Chuan angry, and the other is that the jade artifact the deceased wanted was an order placed by the Anping Earl's Mansion.

The file focuses on how the confessed murderer killed again, which is irrelevant to Jia Chuan. It says that although the owner of the workshop was imprisoned, the other family members saw that the owner of the jade shop did not hand over the order to their family, so the owner's brother killed him in anger.

This business also had a small workshop. The two brothers were imprisoned one after another and confessed their crimes, so the workshop was closed down.

When Jia Chuan finished speaking, Chen Mo said:

"There aren't many jade workshops in Beijing. The jade needed by the royal family is manufactured by the jade workshops under the Imperial Household Department. Most private jade workshops are small. Limited by the shortage of jade materials, they are not large-scale and their craftsmanship is poor. They only produce jade for the wealthy among the common people. If the Earl of Anping really wants something, he shouldn't want the things made by these workshops. The jade workshops in Yangzhou have better craftsmanship. Perhaps the Earl of Anping went to the jade shop to buy something, and the owner of the jade shop took the initiative to find a small workshop in the city to save money."

Jia Chuan said, "Before the emperor ascended the throne, he ordered a re-investigation of the case. The Ministry of Justice added some details, such as the fact that the deceased craftsman, Zhang Yu, was not a household craftsman, nor was he from the capital. He came from Nanjing. During the Yongle period, he worked in a jade workshop in Nanjing. After the capital was moved, he also came to Beijing."

"Is it not a craftsman household but a civilian household?" Chen Mo asked.

Jia Chuan shook his head and said, "The file doesn't mention it. It only adds that Zhang Yu has no parents, wife, or children, and is a cold and aloof person. He doesn't even get along with the people in the workshop, let alone his colleagues."

Chen Mo pondered for a moment and asked, "Where do you plan to start?"

Jia Chuan asked seriously, "Don't you need to ask the governor if he can investigate with me?"

Chen Mo waved his hand and said, "You can't do this by yourself, regardless of whether the governor agrees or not..."

"Why don't you know whether I agree or not?"

Before Chen Mo could finish his words, Xu Gong appeared at the gate with someone.

Chen Mo was shocked and stood up immediately.

Jia Chuan and others also quickly stood up.

……

The person Xu Gong brought with him was Wang Yu, the pacification envoy of the Pacification Office, who was the one who asked the question.

Jia Chuan heard Xu Gong say that the rank of the Pacification Envoy was not as high as his, but when the three of them talked, Jia Chuan clearly felt that Wang Yu did not have the kind of respect for Xu Gong that a subordinate had for his leader. Jia Chuan was well aware of this kind of face-saving project. Even if he did not know how to flatter, he always had to act humble.

But Wang Yu didn't have it, so Jia Chuan couldn't understand.

After Xu Gong took Wang Yu away, Chen Mo told him everything in detail, and he realized that this Wang Yu was no ordinary person.

After Zhu Di moved the capital, the powers of the Northern and Southern Pacification Offices gradually changed. The Northern Pacification Office was responsible for criminal matters, while the Southern Pacification Office that remained in Nanjing was in charge of military matters. In other words, the imperial prison, this hell on earth, was under the jurisdiction of the Northern Pacification Office.

In theory, the Zhenfu Division is just a division under the Jinyiwei, but the authority of the Northern Zhenfu Division is getting bigger and bigger.

Chen Mo told Jia Chuan that when the Northern Pacification Office tried cases in the imperial prison, it did not need to go through the joint trial of the three judicial offices, or even the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and could report directly to the emperor.

Jia Chuan took a deep breath. Now he understood. The Jinyiwei had fourteen subordinate offices plus the Zhenfu Division, and the Zhenfu Division was the only one that could skip the department heads and report directly to the big boss. Although Xu Gong was a senior executive in the department and had a higher rank than Wang Yu, he was responsible for the overall work. When it came to specific rights, he was not as great as Wang Yu. Naturally, Xu Gong did not have the right to dismiss the Zhenfu Envoy, so Wang Yu was not afraid.

Jia Chuan secretly thanked himself for his composure in behaving neither servilely nor arrogantly just now. Fortunately, Wang Yu just came to see him, perhaps out of curiosity, or perhaps because Zhu Zhanji had given instructions. In any case, Wang Yu did not talk about business during this visit. He chatted some small talk with a calm attitude, and there was no sign of any intention of getting close to him.

Now think about it, Wang Yu was in charge of the imperial prison, which belonged to the interrogation department, and those he arrested and tried were officials. It seemed that he would have nothing to do with Jia Chuan for the time being.

Jia Chuan had never thought about joining the Jinyiwei, and he just listened to Chen Mo's introduction. He was more concerned about the case against Anping Earl. Who would the Jinyiwei send to follow him to investigate?

Chen Mo said, "Since Xu Chenshi has brought the pacification envoy here, it means that the Jinyiwei will fully cooperate."

Now Jia Chuan finally understood. Although he knew that he was not fighting alone, Zhu Zhanji wanted more people to know, so Xu Gong and Wang Yu came in person tonight.

This trip was to make it clear to the officials in the capital that although it was Jia Chuan who was investigating the case on the surface, it was actually the Jinyiwei who were investigating.

Why did Zhu Zhanji go through so much trouble? Jia Chuan felt that apart from building momentum for his trip to Jinan, it was probably a helpless move.

Zhu Zhanji did not want to be like his grandfather and take drastic measures against civil and military officials, but some officials were not up to the task. He gave them a chance, but after the case was re-investigated and reported, there was still no change. What should he do?
It's really a different way to tie up a monkey. Every emperor has a different way of thinking. It's also difficult for those officials who catch up with the handover. Just when they figure out the previous one, they are replaced by the next one...

Jia Chuan believed that Xu Gong's visit tonight would soon reach the ears of the leaders of various departments, and someone would come to see him early tomorrow morning.

……

That night, Jia Chuan slept well. Chen Mo also stayed and did not leave, saying that it would be convenient for him to go out and investigate the case early in the morning.

Afterwards, Jia Chuan found out that Xu Gong had not mentioned who he would send when he came. Chen Mo had taken the position on his own initiative. Even if he could not follow the investigation, he still had to take Gao Yuntian to go through the formalities of withdrawing the engagement and joining the company.

In Chen Mo's mind, Jia Chuan would join the Jinyiwei sooner or later, and his official position would definitely be very high. The rank of Qian Hu was already the limit for him. If he fawned over him now, perhaps he would have the opportunity to be promoted in the future.

Jia Chuan didn't care, as he lived in the same room with Gao Yuntian. The one who felt uncomfortable was Shunzi, who lived in the same room with Chen Mo.

Shunzi never imagined that one day he would sleep in the same room with a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He had only recently dared to look the yamen runners in the eye, so it was a bit difficult for him to accept it. As a result, Shunzi did not sleep well that night and had nightmares.

……

early morning.

Jia Chuan was woken up by Gao Yuntian and said, "Someone from Shuntian Prefecture is coming."

Jia Chuan was prepared, but he had assumed the first arrival would be from the Ministry of Justice. Regardless of who arrived, Jia Chuan didn't want to delay his visit to the South City Jade Workshop and the owner's home. He wanted to understand how the murderer had committed the crimes. Given the distinctly different circumstances surrounding the two murders, how could the murderer have managed to use the same method?

The person who came from Shuntian Prefecture was the magistrate Lu Feng. He didn't want to come, but he had no choice.

This case was originally investigated by Lu Feng, but later it had nothing to do with him. Now the prefect was afraid of something going wrong and it was not easy for him to show up in person, so he ordered him to make this trip. The purpose was to complain, give a brief introduction to the official environment in the capital, introduce who was who, and finally see Jia Chuan's reaction. If he was sensible, he would invite him to his home for a visit and a simple meal.

Ever since Jia Chuan realized that he had the Jinyiwei to protect him, he became arrogant.

Just kidding, I don't even know how long I'll live. What's that old saying about chicken soup? Yeah, just live today like it's your last!
When Jia Chuan first heard this sentence, he sneered. He understood the deeper meaning of this sentence, but it was not practical. However, this sentence was very suitable for the current situation.

Therefore, Jia Chuan did not give Lu Feng a good face at all. When they met, he asked, "Is the coroner of this case still in Shuntian Prefecture?"

Before Lu Feng could say a word about the paper he had prepared in advance, he was sent back to the government office to find a coroner.

Jia Chuan wanted to take the coroner to do it again to see whether it was the coroner's limited ability or some other external factors that caused the entire chain of evidence in the file to fall apart.

Yesterday, Wei Wenliang came on behalf of the Ministry of Justice. The leaders at all levels of Shuntian Prefecture did not know what he said after he returned. However, after Xu Gong took Wang Yu to Gao's house in the evening, the news spread. This is a metaphysics, how did it spread?

Even though the curfew was strict at the time, Shuntian Prefecture Governor Zheng Daoning and Ministry of Justice Left Vice Minister Zhang Lian still overcame all difficulties and met.

Of course, neither of them would have thought that this side of them could only be seen with the help of the Jinyiwei.

In other words, Jia Chuan saw through the matter at a glance from the coroner's testimony. Zheng Daoning knew it, but he didn't expect Jia Chuan to ask to see the coroner right away and didn't give Lu Feng any chance to speak.

Zheng Daoning hesitated. How much of a role could a coroner play? Even if there was one, there was no evidence now, and the body had turned to bones. Any doubts were futile.

Zhang Lian meant last night that once the Jinyiwei got involved in this case, there would be no chance of covering it up.

But Zheng Daoning still had a glimmer of hope. He thought that if the emperor insisted on doing something, he could just order the Jinyiwei to investigate. Why would he have to let someone who appeared out of nowhere take the lead?

Zhang Lian was also confused, so he said, "Let's wait and see. If we can win him over, that's great. If not... let's see what he's capable of. Anyway, what needs to be dealt with has already been dealt with. If he's smart, he'll realize when he investigates that too many people have no way out. If he still wants a future... since the Jinyiwei aren't standing in front... let's wait and see."

Zheng Daoning kept repeating these words in his mind, and finally made up his mind: "Take the coroner and go see him!"

……

The coroner in Shuntian Prefecture was in his forties and his name was Han Si.

Han Si followed Lu Feng to Gao's house trembling with fear, but Jia Chuan had already left. Dong Yuanyuan stood at the gate and said, "Brother left a message, saying that if you bring Wu or something with you, go to the jade shop to find him. If not, you can go back."

Lü Feng was, after all, a magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture, a sixth-rank official. How could he let a nameless, unnamed boy take a walk around? He couldn't help but feel annoyed, and left with Han Si in a huff.

Although Lu Feng was angry, he did not dare to go back to the government office directly. He could only hold back his anger and slowly run to the south city.

It was already late noon when the two of them arrived at the small jade workshop where the incident occurred. It was indeed a little late. They were also told that the people who came had left and went to the jade shop owner's house. Lu Feng was so angry that he stamped his feet and had to chase after them, but he was still a step too late.

In the end, Lu Feng and the coroner met Jia Chuan at Gao's house.

At this time, the sunset is just right.

Jia Chuan was quite polite to Han Si and asked Shunzi to bring a small stool for Han Si, but he ignored Lu Feng who was full of anger.

"I'll ask you a few questions. Just answer them truthfully. If you're not comfortable answering, just keep quiet. I won't ask any more questions."

Han Si sat obediently in the yard and nodded.

"When you saw the craftsman's body, there was no blood on the bed, but there was blood on the deceased, is that correct?"

Han Si nodded.

"Do you remember the distribution of the blood on the deceased's body?"

"More on the upper body, less on the lower body, and also on the shoes."

Jia Chuan frowned and asked, "Did the blood on the upper body splash up, or flow down? Oh, it just flowed down."

"All."

"Did it ever occur to you that the deceased was not in bed at the time of the crime?"

Han Si nodded.

"Have you ever looked for the place where the deceased was killed?"

"I've looked for it..." Han Si hesitated to speak.

As expected, Jia Chuan did not ask any further questions, but instead asked the owner of the jade shop. The question was the same, and Han Si gave the same answer.

After Jia Chuan finished asking, he turned to look at Lu Feng and said, "Coroner, I want to stay. You go back first."

"How ridiculous!" Lu Feng finally found a way to vent his anger: "The coroner is..."

"Why don't you stay too?" Jia Chuan asked with a cold face.

"you……"

"You're not staying here to live, but to go to the imperial prison." Chen Mo said with a gloomy face, leaning against the door frame.

Han Si's body tilted and he fell to the ground.

"You don't have to go to the imperial prison. We keep you here to save your life." Jia Chuan explained.

Han Si let out a sigh of relief.

Seeing this, Lu Feng pointed at Jia Chuan, quickly retreated to the door, turned around and left without saying a word.

"Get up! Now you can tell the truth. Did you find out where the deceased was killed?"

Han Si stood up and sat back on the stool, saying in a trembling voice, "I wasn't given a chance to look for it. I said the deceased didn't die in bed, but the captain was in a hurry to return to the government office, so he didn't let me investigate. I went back to the government office and reported it to the governor, but there has been no response yet."

Jia Chuan nodded and asked again: "The time of death of the deceased... is it at night as you said?"

Han Si quickly waved his hands and said, "I can't tell when he died, but it looks like he must have been dead for more than ten hours."

"Oh? The craftsman and the jade shop owner were both dead for over ten hours before anyone reported the crime?"

"The shop owner had been dead for a longer time, and his body was already rotting. Fortunately, it was March..."

"But the file doesn't mention rotting flesh."

Han Si hurriedly said, "I don't know about that, but the autopsy showed that he had been dead for many days. I told the truth when the governor asked me. As for what is written in the file, I, well, it's not my place to know."

"How many days did it take for the artisan Zhang Yu and the shop owner to die?"

Han Si thought for a moment and said, "I wouldn't dare say anything about this."

Chen Mo walked into the courtyard and said in a low voice, "If you don't dare to speak nonsense, then come with me to the Imperial Prison. Perhaps you will dare to speak."

Han Si was so frightened that his whole body was shaking. He looked at Jia Chuan for help and said, "There were five days between the two cases, but judging by the bodies, maybe not so many days, only one or two days."

"When did the Ministry of Justice capture the murderer who killed Zhang Yu?"

Han Si seemed to be thinking hard and said, "I really can't remember. It seems that he was caught a day later."

Jia Chuan sighed and asked again, "After the Ministry of Justice took over, did they conduct a re-autopsy?"

"No."

Jia Chuan looked at Chen Mo and said, "I'll make you a bet. The two murderous brothers you sent to the Ministry of Justice for interrogation must have died in prison. And all the other witnesses, like the servants in the shop owner's house, have disappeared."

Gao Yuntian walked out of the house and said, "Do you even need to tell me that? There's no evidence. I'll see how you continue your investigation."

As early as when he left the jade workshop, Jia Chuan asked Chen Mo to send people to the Ministry of Justice to interrogate the two brothers. He said it was an interrogation, but in fact he wanted to protect them first. After he finished this trip, it was hard to say anything else, but he could still clear the two brothers of the charges.

But after hearing what Han Si said, Jia Chuan knew that the two of them were unlikely to be alive.

Not only was the case file riddled with holes, the entire investigation process was a complete sham! Jia Chuan had no idea how these people had the confidence to survive the joint trial of the three judicial departments. Unless... they were in cahoots with each other, having done this kind of thing so many times that they were emboldened and didn't even bother to fabricate a perfect story. If that was the case, how could they have let those two live?

(End of this chapter)