Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 87: 'Framed' in Public

Zhu Zhanqi was indeed surprised, but not happy.

He did tell people who came to the Prince of Han's Palace that someone wanted to bribe him, which caused two servants of the Prince of Han's Palace to wait in his cold and miserable place for more than half a month. When Jia Chuan did not show up, Zhu Zhanqi had to endure several beatings.

After he was beaten, he had some strength left and started hitting Yu Yan. There was not much in the house, so he used everything that could be used to smash things. At that time, he forgot what Jia Chuan had told him before he left.

Now, Jia Chuan took advantage of the night to watch Yu Yan, whose face was covered in bruises, standing timidly by the side. It was useless for him to do anything. Dong Yuanyuan rushed forward, picked up Zhu Zhanqi and was about to throw him to the ground. Jia Chuan hurriedly stopped her and said, "He is a witness. He can't die now."

"He must suffer the punishment of his life!" Gao Yunduo stepped forward and Zhu Zhanqi wailed.

Jia Chuan pretended not to hear and turned to Chen Mo, saying, "Go to the provincial government office and beat the drum. Report that several bodies have been found in the home of a commoner in the Prince of Han's mansion, and the victim, the commoner Zhu Zhanqi, wishes to report this to the authorities."

Chen Mo glared, Gao Yuntian opened his mouth, and Shunzi almost fell to the ground. Old Zheng had been wondering why he had brought him here, but now he understood: he was here to investigate a case.

Even the wailing Zhu Zhanqi stopped shouting. He lay on the ground and looked up at Jia Chuan in surprise.

Wu Bing was also puzzled. The four people in the backyard were all... No, there was still one alive.

Jia Chuan looked at Zhu Zhanqi and said:

"I always keep my word, but I hate people who scheme against me the most. I'm going to give you one more chance. Listen carefully. The last time I came, I was an experienced official in the Shandong Provincial Criminal Investigation Department. This time, I'm the magistrate of Le'an Prefecture. There's a body of a servant from the Prince of Han's mansion in your backyard. You've always wanted to report it to the authorities but didn't dare. I saved you last time, and now that you know I'm here, you've come to me, hoping I'll help you catch the real culprit and clean up the mess."

Zhu Zhanqi's mouth opened wider and wider.

"Of course, there's another way. I heard the neighbors complain about the stench around your house. I have experience investigating crimes, so I knew something was wrong with your home. So I brought someone to investigate and discovered bodies in the backyard... There are two options. In the first option, you're the victim reporting the case to the police. There were four bodies in the backyard, and there were five people there. One of them ran away, so he must be the murderer. You were forced into a corner. In the second option, you're the murderer. It's your choice."

Chen Mo understood immediately and turned away.

Gao Yunduo seemed uninterested in all this. She stepped forward and helped Yu Yan into the house. Zhu Zhanqi was surprised by Jia Chuan's identity. Before he could make a choice, Gao Yunduo turned around at the door and said, "Yu Yan can't stay here. I want to take her back."

Jia Chuan said: "Not only does Yu Yan have to go, but this thing must be taken away as well. If we leave it here, we will die. Now is not the time yet."

Zhu Zhanqi reacted immediately, struggled to stand up, and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Didn't I tell you that if I want to punish your father, I have to start with you, but you are currently not even as good as a servant in the palace, so I can only borrow your house to punish the servants in the palace."

"You, didn't you say you have a grudge against my father?"

"As an official, can't you have a grudge against your father?"

"You, you, you, how dare you, a judge, go against the palace?"

"Don't worry about me. Just tell me which one you choose. I can't say anything else right now, but I'm sure of your life."

"You wish! I won't choose any of them. When the officials come, I'll tell them the truth..."

"Okay, since you chose the second option, then the murderer is you. Let's see if you can see anyone from the palace before you die in prison."

The scene of being beaten suddenly flashed through Zhu Zhanqi's mind. How could the people in the palace save him?

Jia Chuan ignored Zhu Zhanqi and said to Gao Yuntian, "Take Shunzi and Old Zheng to the backyard and dig the pit. When the constables from the prefectural government come, take the bones directly back to the prefectural government."

Old Zheng asked, "It's just bones? Do you need to determine the cause of death?"

Jia Chuan said, "It's been almost a month. There should still be some decayed flesh, but the bones should be visible. As for the cause of death, you can ask them. But you need to make some changes when you write it down."

Gao Yuntian pulled the confused old Zheng towards the backyard, explaining as they walked. Shunzi followed behind tremblingly. The man with open eyes hanging on the wall would meet him in his dreams from time to time. He was a little scared to see him in the middle of the night while he was awake.

Seeing these people were serious, Zhu Zhanqi remembered who the current emperor was. He then realized that his father might be in trouble, and he suddenly became excited.

"I will do as you say, and afterwards... you might give me the title of King of Han?" Zhu Zhanqi's eyes flashed with greed. Even though it was dark and there were no lights in the courtyard, Jia Chuan could see clearly.

'This guy has gone insane,' Jia Chuan thought to himself, but he opened his mouth instead: "After your father was dealt with, the current Crown Prince, your third brother, will definitely not be any better. You haven't been in the palace for all these years, so you must be unaware of everything. If you make another contribution this time, who else will the throne be given to if not you?"

Zhu Zhanqi's face lit up with excitement. He had already forgotten about passing on the news to his father last year and said enthusiastically, "What do you need me to say? Just give me the written petition and I'll put my fingerprints on it."

Jia Chuan looked at Wu Bing and said, "Do you have any writing brushes and ink in your house?"

Wu Bing knew that Jia Chuan was talking about the house where the leader was imprisoned, which was very close to here, so he nodded.

Jia Chuan said, "Zhu Zhanqi is suing the palace's servants for taking human lives and burying the bodies in their own backyard. The palace's servants coveted the property Zhu Zhanqi brought with him, and after an uneven distribution of the spoils, one of them murdered the other four in Zhu Zhanqi's home and buried them in the backyard. The murderer then left and didn't flee. A few days later, he came back to the house, boasting and threatening. He boasted about how he could kill people without getting hurt, and threatened Zhu Zhanqi to hand over his hidden treasures, or he would be the next to die. Zhu Zhanqi witnessed the servants killing people with his own eyes, and was terrified every day. So he wrote a complaint, accusing the Han Palace of taking human lives and condoning the servants' murder. That's about it. Write it quickly and bring the ink pad so he can sign it."

Only at this moment did Wu Bing truly understand why he could only do things secretly for so many years, but could take action when this young man came. When he killed people here, Wu Bing was a little frightened, but he didn't know what to say. Now it seems that everything is in the control of this young man.

Wu Bing did not dare to delay and turned around and disappeared into the darkness.

Jia Chuan had dared to kill because he thought he would use him someday, but he hadn't expected it to be used so soon. He also wanted to try it out first to see how the Han Palace would respond. It was also clear whether Zhu Zhanji wanted him to carry the explosives to block the gun hole, or whether Zhu Gaoxu could only watch helplessly.

If it was the former, he would run faster.

……

Not long after, Wu Bing came back with the complaint. Zhu Zhanqi didn't even look at it and excitedly pressed his fingerprints on it.

Jia Chuan stood at the doorway, feeling the cold wind, waiting for the officials from the provincial government to arrive. He believed that when he entered the city today, the officials in the provincial government would know about it. Perhaps the Prince of Han would know too. They were probably all waiting to see what happened tomorrow. Jia Chuan snorted coldly. If he was going to do it, why wait until tomorrow? There was no victim for the case involving the Prince of Han's mansion? Then he would find one himself. If Zhu Zhanji agreed, he could make a black face out of white!
……

Lin Wei, the magistrate of Le'an Prefecture, originally wanted to warm his feet and then rest. Tomorrow he still had to think of a way to deal with the new judge. He knew a little about the origin of the new judge, but the Prince of Han's Palace was keeping a close eye on him, so he didn't dare to be too enthusiastic. He might be called to the Prince of Han's Palace to report, and he would have to stay there for two or three hours, and he might not even see the Prince of Han. He would have to go back the next day. He was fed up with this kind of life, but what else could he do?
How can one not bow his head under the eaves? Even if he was stubborn, what about his family? He couldn't stand the trouble caused by the people from the Han Palace.

Lin Wei sighed and was about to have the maid wipe her feet and get into bed when he heard a servant hurriedly outside the door, his voice trembling as he announced, "Reporting to the prefect, the Jinyiwei captain is here to report a case..."

After kicking over the foot basin, Lin Wei slid and sat down on the ground. After struggling to get up, he felt dizzy. When he calmed himself down and opened the door, he saw Chen Mo standing behind the servant with a gloomy face.

A dozen or so constables and runners from the prefectural government accompanied the prefect's sedan chair and followed Chen Mo's horse as they hurried towards Zhu Zhanqi's home in the night. They were stopped and questioned by patrol officers. Lin Wei, who was sitting in the sedan chair, groaned bitterly. This matter would soon be known to the people in the Han Palace. What should he do?!
When they arrived at Zhu Zhanqi's gate, they saw no lights in the courtyard. Lin Wei got out of the sedan chair and asked tremblingly, "Where is Judge Jia?"

A man spoke from the darkness, "Zhizhou Lin is a little slow to arrive. Why didn't he light a torch? Are you worried that the people in the Han Palace will find out? You can't hide it. Light the torch, otherwise how will we transport the body? Is there a carriage following? Is Zhizhou coming alone?"

Lin Wei was furious. From what he had heard, he knew that the Han Palace would know about this, so why did he act so recklessly? He was so arrogant because he relied on the emperor's favor!
Lin Wei didn't know whether he was angry or scared, but he waved his hand tremblingly and said, "Light the torch."

In an instant, the black barrier before his eyes dissipated, and Lin Wei saw a young man standing in front of the door, looking up at the sky. He walked into the yard tremblingly, pointed at Jia Chuan and asked, "Are you Judge Jia?"

Jia Chuan looked up at the sky, wondering how the moonlight had suddenly vanished. Could it be that the moon here was also afraid of the King of Han? Hearing Lin Wei's question, he looked toward the courtyard gate and said, "It's me. The petition is ready. Magistrate Lin, please accept it."

Gao Yuntian stepped forward and handed over the petition. Lin Wei was about to refuse it in anger, but Jia Chuan added, "He is the general flag of the Jinyiwei."

Lin Wei could only swallow the words of accusation he wanted to say, and obediently took the complaint, turned around and handed it to a middle-aged man in casual clothes beside him. Then he nodded to Gao Yuntian as a gesture of courtesy, and then took two steps forward and said to Jia Chuan seriously: "Judge Jia just arrived in Le'an, and he did this..."

"I've been here several times. I took the victim to my residence. He shouldn't be staying in the government office. Magistrate Lin, please be patient. I will arrest the murderer in a moment."

Lin Wei nearly fainted. His mind was in a tangle. He was just thinking about how to teach this fledgling boy how powerful a tiger could be when he heard the yamen runner behind him shout, "Who are you?"

A woman replied coldly: "Your aunt!"

Lin Wei was furious. "I can't do anything to the young man the emperor photographed, so how can I do anything to the onlookers?" He turned around and was about to order the onlookers, regardless of gender, to be beaten with a few boards first! Then he saw two women, one fat and one thin, raise their hands and push down the yamen runners who were blocking their way and directly enter the courtyard.

"Sent it back?" Jia Chuan asked.

Gao Yunduo replied: "Yes! Brother Wu's people are watching, nothing will happen."

"Remember, when you start fighting, you may break your arms and legs, but you must hold your breath."

"Know!"

Lin Wei was stunned. He asked anxiously, "Who are you going to attack?" Jia Chuan patiently explained, "Whatever Lin Zhizhou knows, I think the Prince of Han's Palace will also know. If you bring people here, they won't be idle either. It's time to do it."

Lin Wei felt a stream of warm blood dripping from his head directly to his feet. He felt a chill running down his spine and was about to throw himself to the ground. The middle-aged man beside him quickly supported him. He took the opportunity to take a deep breath, steadying himself, and said weakly, "You, you think your life is too short!"

"Oh? I didn't realize that in Lin Zhizhou's heart, Le'an no longer belonged to the emperor, but to... the King of Han?"

"You, oh my! You are so ignorant! You..."

Jia Chuan walked up to Lin Wei and whispered, "Zhizhou Lin just needs to pretend to be sick so as not to offend either side."

Lin Wei was shocked. He could tell there was something else hidden in Jia Chuan's words. What did he mean by not offending either side? Could the King of Han be compared to the Emperor? If so, wouldn't that mean...

"You, you don't understand what I mean. I know you're young and impetuous, but it's better to take your time and work things out slowly..."

"How many years have you been planning this?"

Lin Wei was choked.

"You've been harassed and persecuted by the Prince of Han's Mansion, and you've suffered a lot. You're afraid that my actions will implicate you, but the emperor's orders cannot be disobeyed. Do you understand? If you're afraid, then hide away. If you have any objections, you can submit a letter to the emperor. Of course, I can do the same. I've already thought of all the charges against you. Do you want to hear them?"

The words "The Emperor's order is hard to disobey" already made Lin Wei's head buzz. He didn't hear what Jia Chuan said next. He kept thinking in his heart: Is this the end? Is the Emperor finally going to take action?
Seeing that Lin Wei was stunned, Jia Chuan was just about to scare him further and exaggerate the victory when he heard the sound of horse hooves.

The curfew is obviously useless to the people in the Han Palace.

Jia Chuan took a few steps back and shouted, "Everyone, retreat to the sides of the yard!"

The constables and yamen runners didn't move. Jia Chuan glared at Lin Wei, who shuddered and quickly ordered, "Retreat to the sides of the yard!"

He stood behind Jia Chuan without Jia Chuan's persuasion and whispered, "I've been looking forward to this day for a long time."

Jia Chuan frowned, squinted his eyes and said, "I don't know if I can succeed, but someone has to try."

Just as Jia Chuan finished speaking, he saw three men in tight-fitting clothes rushing into the courtyard. One of them stepped forward and was about to angrily question him, but Jia Chuan shouted, "Capture them all, Gao Yuntian! Don't let any of those outside escape!"

As soon as Jia Chuan finished speaking, Gao Yunduo's skirt blossomed into petals. As soon as Jia Chuan finished speaking, the man in front of him screamed and fell to the ground. Gao Yunduo was still muttering, "If you wear soft armor underneath, I can't hurt you?"

Dong Yuanyuan now has a long sword in her hand, which was given to her by Chen Mo. In the small courtyard in Jinan, when Gao Yuntian and Chen Mo were sparring, she was imitating them. After seeing this, Gao Yunduo gave her advice: There is no need to learn any moves. With your strength, no one dares to come forward if you just chop randomly. Even I don’t dare.

So Dong Yuanyuan stood in front of Jia Chuan. Her mission today was to protect Jia Chuan.

There were three people in the yard, and Chen Mo didn't even have to make a move before they fell to the ground. Gao Yunduo quickly retreated to Jia Chuan's side, and Chen Mo stepped forward. After hearing a few screams, Chen Mo stood up, turned around and said to Jia Chuan, "It's broken."

At this time, Gao Yuntian flew out of the courtyard wall, walked to the door with a ruler in hand and said, "There are four people outside the door, and I knocked them all down."

Jia Chuan took a deep breath, put his hands behind his back, turned to Lin Wei and said:
"There are four bodies in the pit in the backyard. The murderer is one of those who broke into the house at night. Oh, there's another one coming soon. I'll give the prisoner's confession to Lin Zhizhou in a moment. Now Lin Zhizhou needs to order someone to bring the bodies in the pit back to the government office. I've brought the forensic doctor, no, the coroner, who will deliver the confession to Lin Zhizhou. Chen Mo! The people escorting the government office will escort the prisoner back to the government office. Anyone who dares to stop them will be chopped to pieces!"

The constables and bailiffs in the courtyard were all dumbfounded. They had seen people from the palace beating others in the street, but they never thought that they would see them being beaten by others today.

Lin Wei felt like his heart was about to jump out of his mouth, but he felt an indescribable joy.

Gao Yunduo, Chen Mo, Gao Yuntian, even Dong Yuanyuan and Wu Bing, all did what they were supposed to do as a routine, and waited for Jia Chuan to order them to do the next thing.

The only person who was truly nervous might be Jia Chuan, but he still had to pretend to be calm.

The three people lying on the ground and the four people knocked down by Gao Yuntian outside the courtyard were trying to figure out what had just happened. How did they fail?

Jia Chuan looked at the constables and yamen runners running towards the backyard and shook his head. Without a body bag, what could they do with their bare hands?
Sure enough, those people came back the same way they ran there, and reported to the prefect that they needed to go back to the yamen to get something to hold the bones.

Jia Chuan thought for a moment and said, "The most urgent task is not to transport the bones back to the government office, but to close the case immediately. I need to write the case file overnight and send it to the capital immediately. I can use my name to get it directly to the emperor's desk."

Lin Wei made a face that didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and asked, "Case closed?"

Lin Wei wiped the sweat from his forehead in the cold weather and asked cautiously, "Do you mean to finish writing the file tonight?"

Jia Chuan nodded and said, "Don't give the Han Palace any time."

Lin Wei took a deep breath and asked, "Are you not going to the court anymore?"

"Pass! Send the files out first. Tomorrow morning, beat the gongs and drums so the people can come and see you in court."

"The palace..."

"I will guard outside the government office. If one prince comes, I will keep one. If a pair comes, I will keep two. If he sends troops, that will suit my wishes. A prince should not interfere in local affairs. He was the first to overstep his bounds. Whatever I do, I will not be punished."

"Really?" Lin Wei felt as if his fighting spirit was ignited.

"I'm just saying this. Just do what you have to do and I'll protect you. No one will dare to touch you."

"It's not that anyone would touch me, but I can't handle being asked to question them from time to time."

"You don't have to go."

"That would be disrespectful."

Jia Chuan snorted coldly and said, "From now on, disrespecting him will no longer be a crime. What are you afraid of? Your salary comes from the court, not him."

Lin Wei suddenly felt more confident. Then he changed his mind and realized that he was not afraid of the palace because he was afraid of the Prince of Han's complaint. The lives of his entire family had been threatened by the Prince of Han's men before. No matter where his family members were, as a prince with so many people under his command, couldn't he kill them whenever he wanted?
"But, my family's lives..."

"The people around him now...mainly want to kill me, so they don't have time to miss your family. Or maybe he fell ill after the court session tomorrow, and being unable to get out of bed is just an excuse. I won't tell the emperor."

Lin Wei looked around and saw people everywhere. At this time, the leader was dragged over by Wu Bing and Shunzi.

"He was so hungry that he had no strength left, so he was dragging himself a little slowly." Wu Bing explained and handed the blood-stained clothes hanging on his arm to Jia Chuan.

Jia Chuan handed the work clothes to Lin Wei again and said, "This is the concrete evidence that the four skeletons in the backyard and this person in front of you are servants of the Han Palace. Of course, this person came with the seven people tonight, and it was he who killed the four people in the backyard. Does Lin Zhizhou understand?"

Lin Wei lowered his head and wiped the sweat off his face. How could he not understand? He had done this kind of thing... many times.

Before Lin Wei arrived, Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan sent Zhu Zhanqi, Yu Yan and Old Zheng back to the house. Wu Bing and Shunzi went back to bring the leader, and by the way, brought his confession in advance... The confession of murder was written, and the work clothes of the Prince of Han's Mansion that the people in the backyard had worn were also brought.

After Jia Chuan finished speaking, he stepped forward and squatted in front of the leader. In front of those standing and lying down, he spoke directly: "I have told you everything I should have said before coming here. Let me repeat it again. You killed those four people in the backyard. Are you willing to admit it? If you admit it, I will let you eat well every day, and then you will not be punished. In the end, you will change your name and gender and live a new life based on your own ability. If you don't want to admit it, I will kill you here and say that you committed suicide out of fear of punishment. You choose one."

These words once again left everyone in the yard stunned.

The leader had heard this before. He looked at Wu Bing helplessly. Wu Bing said earnestly, "He keeps his word."

Jia Chuan frowned. He couldn't understand why this man would seek help from the person who abused him at this time? Just because he looked familiar?
The leader looked at Jia Chuan again and asked, "Can I really survive?"

Jia Chuan pointed at the three people on the ground. The leader, who had just been dragged along by Wu Bing and Shunzi, had closed his eyes and ignored the scenery along the way. Now, looking in the direction Jia Chuan pointed, he was immediately terrified. He knew all of these people. Normally, he would have wanted to avoid them, but today, they were lying on the ground, groaning softly...

"You can't go back to the palace no matter what, so why not take a gamble and bet that I'm trustworthy? This is your only chance to stay alive."

The leader had been dizzy and hungry these days, but the cold wind made his mind very clear. He imagined the scene of returning to the palace for any reason, and the only outcome was to be beaten to death.

"Okay! Tell me what you want me to do."

"Sign first, and I'll tell you how to answer in court tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)