Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 48 Choose one of the two
Jia Chuan smiled and said, "That's even better. I think Shunzi is a good man with a good brain. As long as I have someone to eat, I will definitely not let him starve. If Yuanyuan marries him, Old Dong will also be relieved."

"I just can't understand. That girl is pretty and capable, and she's easy to raise. If you want to get married now, the county magistrate will definitely do his best to make it happen. You can even get a wife without spending any money yourself. By this time next year, you'll be a father, and in a few years you can buy a few acres of good farmland. How can you not be tempted by such a life?"

Jia Chuan scratched his forehead. He still had some differences with the ideas of the people in this life. It wasn't that he was picky about body shape and appearance, of course, that was also important. He didn't dream of love. He didn't find it in his previous life, so why would he look for love in this life? But at least he could find someone he could talk to, right?
Jia Chuan had worried about this problem when he was at the Huangluling Inspection Office. Even if he wanted to, he could only find someone he had met in his previous life in his dreams. Now that he was finally out, he had no time to worry about it. Now was not the time for him to think about love. No, they didn't give him that stage here. They just wanted to get married. Jia Chuan shook his head repeatedly.

Old Zheng stopped trying to persuade him and changed the subject, asking, "Do you really want to go to Dongxi Village with Gao Gao?"

"Hmm! You said the Emperor gave me the position of Jingcheng, but didn't ask in advance whether all the Jingchengs of the six chambers were in place? The Jingcheng of the Criminal Chamber is doing well, and now there's someone like me. What do you think I can do? I'm not good at writing or drawing, so I just need to learn a little bit. Wait for other positions to become vacant, and who knows where they'll put me."

"Who dares to change the emperor's will so easily?"

"What do you mean? If the emperor completely forgets me, I will stay in this position until I die."

Old Zheng waved his hand and said, "You don't have the final say on this matter, but the Dongxi Village case has been over three years. If you want to investigate now, what can you find out?"

Jia Chuan thought for a moment and asked seriously, "If I could get the coffin opened for an autopsy, would you dare to do it?"

Old Zheng's eyes gleamed as he sat down next to Jia Chuan and whispered, "My father told me a lot about this back then, but I never used it once. If you can get this opportunity, I'm willing to do it. But... never mind your parents or your in-laws. Who would be willing to let you open the coffin?"

"Haven't you heard that money makes the world go round? Unless it's a murderer, there's no reason not to respond."

"It seems that General Han has given you a lot."

Jia Chuan chuckled evilly.

A few days ago, Han Zhen came in person and talked with Jia Chuan alone.

The bandits' lair at Xiaodong Mountain had hidden a lot of banknotes and cash. In addition to the money returned to Dong Shuben, Han Zhen also secretly gave Jia Chuan three hundred taels of cash. Jia Chuan refused for a long time, and Han Zhen thought he didn't dare to take it, so he explained:

"Everyone knows about this. Yours isn't much, but to be honest, compared to other bandit suppression efforts, the bandits this time are much fatter. They must have just collected some money and haven't had time to spend it yet. Just take it."

Jia Chuan was no longer polite and said, "It's not that I don't want to take it, but you know my status. How dare I use cash?"

Han Zhen understood immediately and began to worry. Jia Chuan still had no place to stay. If he really wanted to exchange it for copper coins or banknotes, he would have to have a place to put them. Even if it was cash, Jia Chuan had no place to hide it!

So, Jia Chuan thought of a good idea.

"General Han, if you don't mind, I'll call you Big Brother! I'll leave this money with you for now. I'm the only one who can feed my whole family. If there's anything I can do with the money, I'll ask you for it. Is that okay?"

Jia Chuan intends to get close to this military general, so why doesn't Han Zhen want to establish this "good relationship"?
Thus, Jia Chuan had another older brother. When Han Zhen left, he left some money for Jia Chuan and also gave Cui Youzhi some money for Jia Chuan's "kindergarten" fees.

Cui Youzhi was moved to tears.

"What can't you do with that spare money? You're digging up a case from a few years ago. If nothing happens, you'll just lose some money. But what if something happens? Do you want to give up the county magistrate's reputation? Do you want to give up your official career? He has been very kind to you. Aren't you being inconsiderate by doing this?" Old Zheng reminded him.

Jia Chuan shrugged and said:

"I've discussed this with Old Cui. How many people are imprisoned in the county government? The Ming Dynasty law clearly states: If a case is delayed for a long time, the prisoner and his associates will be detained for a long time, which is called "extended detention." Go and see if there's any vacant space in the county government jail. The rich can post bail, but the poor can only be detained. I was wondering, how can such a big county be so peaceful every day? Do you think the people would dare to file a complaint if they had grievances? Even the rich are reluctant to file a complaint. Win or lose, how much money will be spent?"

"I don't understand why the county magistrate allowed you to investigate the old case in Dongxi Village?"

"It's very simple. Either I clean up the old cases in the county office, or I investigate the murders that went unreported. I was too bored to give him a third option, so Old Cui chose the latter. Why do you think? It's because these old cases in the county office are difficult to investigate. The more I investigate, the more I know, and the more I might tell the emperor in the future. Do you think he's afraid? Will he let me clean up the old cases?"

Old Zheng nodded gently and said, "In every case, the money and silver that should have been collected were all collected, but in the end, no punishment was given. They have been kept in prison like this. When the county magistrate is replaced, there is no hope of a retrial. Many people have died in prison in this unclear way. This situation is not only here, but also in other prefectures."

"Some cases are indeed complex and difficult to judge, but many more... The county magistrate doesn't want me to know more, so he can only agree to let me investigate the old case in Dongxi Village. Don't worry, once I finish investigating the Dongxi Village case, I will definitely find a way. Not only can I not empty the prison, but at least let some people go home. Even the witnesses have to be detained. Humph, I can't change the laws of the Ming Dynasty, but I can't change this county government?!"

Old Zheng looked at Jia Chuan scrutinizingly and said seriously, "How much money did General Han give you? You don't have any descendants, so why not leave it all with me to avoid a sudden death? General Han doesn't need that little money, but I need it urgently. I need it to buy some wine and meat so that I can enjoy my old age."

Jia Chuan snorted and said, "What's wrong with you letting me brag?"

"I heard from high school that you spent two days diligently studying the Great Ming Code? Did you gain any insights?"

Jia Chuan snorted again:
"It's just a decoration! The law doesn't protect the poor, yet it requires the poor to obey the law... If they really acted according to the Great Ming Code, how many officials would be left in this county government? Not to mention bribery, but just the long-delayed detention. The Great Ming Code clearly stipulates that cases cannot be delayed for too long, and those who delay detention and cause death will be punished by caning. Do you think our county magistrate can withstand a few strokes of the cane? But aren't there a bunch of unsolved suspects in the cells?"

"It's like this everywhere. The rich can still get bail, but the poor are thrown aside for a few months or even years. No one seeks justice for them, and in the end, the case is left unresolved." Old Zheng muttered.

"Speaking of arrests, the Ming Dynasty Code only mentions the punishment for the archers who fail to apprehend the criminals within the deadline. It doesn't mention the punishment for the county magistrates. You're saying that if they can't find the criminals and bring them back, they should be flogged and have their salaries confiscated. Isn't that forcing them to arrest people at will and force them to confess?"

Old Zheng smiled and said, "Gaoshen may be a bit arrogant, but he's pretty conscientious and fair when doing his job. Of course, there haven't been many cases in recent years. As you said, filing lawsuits all the time only makes the people suffer. It's better not to file. If I really have a lot of free time, no one has more. But if you were to live in a place where the yamen runners are vicious and greedy, and there's no wise magistrate, life would be very difficult for the people."

Jia Chuan sighed. What was the purpose of an internship? Naturally, it was to gain a deep understanding of job responsibilities, learn about the company culture in detail, accumulate experience and skills, and establish interpersonal relationships, laying the foundation for a permanent position.

But what had he learned during these few days of internship? Not only was his major not relevant, but his philosophy was completely contradictory. What he had learned and applied in his previous life was only briefly displayed here, like a flash in the pan, and then there was no chance to use it again. If Zhu Zhanji really remembered him, how could he use him?

Jia Chuan himself did not think about it carefully. Although he had thought that Zhu Zhanji would be better off forgetting him, deep down in his heart he still had some small expectations, hoping to stand out in this life and show off his power in a sneaky way.

Just like Old Zheng fantasized about what he should be like if he were a county magistrate, Jia Chuan also had some fantasies in his mind. These fantasies would flash through his mind in the dead of night, and then he would begin to dream.

Sometimes, we even deceive ourselves.

……

The case in Dongxi Village back then was a gang fight, unrelated to a homicide. This morning, officials from the county yamen suddenly returned to Dongxi Village, frightening the villagers. Some curious minds inevitably dropped their work and gathered to discuss the matter privately.

Gao Yuntian took Jia Chuan and several yamen runners for a walk in the village, and then went straight to the bride's in-laws' home.

The family's surname is Sun. The groom had already become a father. Having a new baby should be a happy event for the Sun family, but the Sun family members were not happy because the child was weak and sickly since birth, crying day and night. The family spent a lot of money, most of which was borrowed, but it had no effect. Now the child is eight months old and can't even turn over.

Gao Yuntian walked straight into the yard and shouted, "Is anyone there?"

The child had just fallen asleep and was awakened by Gao Yuntian's noise. He opened his mouth and started crying.

Gao Yuntian was also startled by the sudden crying, and Jia Chuan shook his head.

Upon hearing the news, the village headman came running over. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he asked flatteringly, "What does Captain Gao want? He just sent someone to ask me over for questioning. Why did you come here in person?"

Gao Yuntian pointed inside the courtyard and asked, "Where are his family members?"

"Alas, old Sun had a grandson, but before he had time to be happy, he was already in debt. Now the old couple are both sick. You know, they only have Sun Wang, a sickly child. Who could have thought that they would have such a small child? The villagers helped them in every way they could, and they also consulted every doctor they could, but the child still cries day and night, can't sleep well, can't eat, coughs for no reason, and has a fever..."

Jia Chuan raised his eyebrows, his eyes shining, and said, "That's why we came here."

"Ah?" Gao Yuntian looked at Jia Chuan in confusion.

Jia Chuan glanced at Gao Yuntian and said, "As for his family's affairs, well, it all came down to their ignorance back then. The bride was dead, and death is the greatest thing. But they had to make up stories and provoke others. Now they've come after his children. Who can they blame?"

After hearing this, the Lijia slapped his thigh and sighed in agreement, "The villagers are also talking about this privately, but what can we do about it? They have done this themselves, so they must bear the consequences."

"Didn't you ask someone to take a look?" Jia Chuan asked seriously.

"What can I get? I didn't think about it at first, but when I thought about it, I was already in debt, so where would I get the money to do this?"

At this time, a young woman appeared at the door of the main house holding a crying child. Jia Chuan looked over and saw that the woman had a pale face, was skinny, and had a hunched back. She gently patted the crying child and looked at the gate of the courtyard as if asking for help.

Lijia asked loudly: "Is Sun Wang not at home?"

The woman shook her head.

Jia Chuan was just thinking about how to phrase the exhumation of the coffin and the autopsy as a solution to the Sun family's problems when Gao Yuntian spoke up:

"Your family buried the newly married woman hastily back then, bringing about such a disaster, and you don't even realize it? Now that we know about it, there's no reason for us to ignore it. When Sun Wang comes back, tell him that we need to open the coffin, rebury the body, and rebury it. Only then can we resolve your family's current difficulties. You don't have to worry about the money, we'll help you with that! But we can't stay in the village for long..."

The woman couldn't help but take two steps forward, holding the crying child in her arms, and said hurriedly, "He'll be back soon. Can you guys go inside and wait for a while?"

Jia Chuan scratched his nose. He really couldn't figure out when Gao Yuntian's mind was at home and when it was traveling.

Gao Yuntian pretended to be embarrassed and looked at Jia Chuan and asked, "Shall we go in and wait?"

Jia Chuan also frowned and said, "Let's get Taoist Zheng here first."

Gao Yuntian asked, "Don't we have to wait for Sun Wang to come back? Taoist Zheng would need a lot of money to hire him."

Jia Chuan looked up at the sky and said seriously, "This trip will take at least two or three hours. If we start in the afternoon, their family will see improvement tomorrow. If we don't have this fate, we shouldn't force it."

The woman asked anxiously, "Please give me the money that the Taoist priest needs..."

"Of course, that's ours." Gao Yuntian interrupted the woman and said, "But time waits for no one. Can you make the decision?"

"Can, can, can!"

Gao Yuntian looked at the Lijia and said, "You can be a witness. If we invite Taoist Zheng here, they will change their mind again and lose the money for nothing."

Lijia hurried forward and whispered a few words to the woman. The woman turned back to the house. Lijia turned back to Gao Yuntian and said, "Let her ask her parents-in-law. It's not certain if she agrees alone."

Gao Yuntian said impatiently, "I think we should just forget it. They themselves are not in a hurry..."

"Captain Gao, please wait a little longer. I'm afraid it won't work if we just tell his family about opening the coffin. We also need to explain it to his wife's family."

Gao Yuntian glared and asked, "Does my mother's family also have such a thing?"

"I haven't heard of that."

"Yes, the Sun family is in trouble right now. We all know why. If my family members try to stop us, they would be too cruel."

　Tomorrow is Tuesday again. I feel a little resistant to this day for some reason. My grades last week were pretty good, and I was notified that I would be recommended this week. I waited until after seven o'clock on Friday and still didn't come to the site for a message. I asked the editor and found out that I was squeezed out in the end. I am a little disappointed, but I still have to study hard and improve every day.

　　It might be available this Friday, but I need to discuss it with the editor on Thursday, so I might not be able to let you know in time. Apologies for that!
　　A reader once said, just focus on writing and don’t think about anything else. I’ll try my best!

　　It's Monday, how far is Friday? Let's all work hard!

(End of this chapter)