Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 73 Two Beauties Show Their Power
When Li Ming thought of this, he subconsciously looked up at Gao Yuntian who was looking down.

'No wonder he's reluctant to agree,' Li Ming thought to himself.

Li Ming felt that he had figured out what his father had done. He thought it was okay, and it would have been okay in the past. However, the new emperor had a different temper from Taizong. It seemed that he was not going to indulge his father this time. But his father was still kept in the dark. Also, since moving to Beijing, his father was obviously not as comfortable as when he was in Nanjing.

Chen Mo didn't give Li Ming much time, as he was afraid that Li Ming would really figure it out, so he said:

"You don't need to panic too much. Finding Xiao Jian is the most important thing right now. However, Earl Anping may not agree. Wait for you to quietly find out where Xiao Jian is. I will personally capture him, which will be a credit to you. Then tell Earl Anping about this matter. Earl Anping will then plead with the emperor. The emperor, considering our old friendship, may be able to make a big deal out of it and simply say that Xiao Jian was seeking revenge for a personal vendetta. However, if Earl Anping finds out now, you should know something about your father, and he might insist on going his own way and continue to conceal the truth. The Imperial Guards will have to investigate on their own. If they find out first, then, regardless of whether you knew about it or not, you and I will probably meet in the Imperial Prison."

Li Ming didn't think any more about it. He immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "I'll go back home and find a way to find out."

"I will arrange for someone to accompany you back to the mansion. I will see how many servants you bring with you. I will replace one of my men. You can go into the mansion in a discreet manner. If you find anything, immediately order him to report back and I will make the arrangements."

Li Ming hummed and was about to leave when Jia Chuan stopped him and said, "When you go back, your uncle will definitely ask you about your marriage. Just say that the Gao family is not very willing. Gao Yuntian is busy today and can't say more. Let's agree to discuss it tomorrow."

Li Ming hummed twice again and hurried out of the room.

……

The man who was taken to the backyard by Dong Yuanyuan was left behind.

He had no choice but to stay. It would be difficult to go back if he didn't stay. The man's face was bruised and swollen. If Gao Yunduo hadn't taken action, Dong Yuanyuan would have been so angry at the man's sarcastic words that she punched him twice.

This servant only thought of Dong Yuanyuan as a cook and naturally did not take her seriously. The poverty of the Gao family was obvious to him, so he could not help but feel disgusted. When Dong Yuanyuan asked questions, he answered mainly with sarcasm. After two punches, he became obedient. When Gao Yunduo came out to ask about some things in the Bo's Mansion, he could only answer them frankly.

Gao Yunduo first asked about the personal situation of the illegitimate grandson. After knowing that this person was not welcome in the uncle's mansion and was not living a comfortable life but still did not forget to stroll around the red-light district, she began to ask if there was anyone in the mansion who was good at martial arts?

This point coincided with Jia Chuan's. After Jia Chuan sent Li Ming away, Gao Yunduo asked Dong Yuanyuan to call Jia Chuan to the backyard.

"The guards at the Marquis' mansion are all quite skilled. The servants said they were carefully selected by Marquis Anping, and the shortest they've served him is ten years. One of them, Xiao Jian, suddenly disappeared four months ago. They inquired about him out of curiosity, and he said he had some matters at home and would return once they had dealt with them."

Dong Yuanyuan interrupted, "I thought the people in the Lord's Mansion only had good food and good clothes, but I didn't expect their lives weren't all that smooth. Just like my eldest brother, there are people who want to kill him."

Jia Chuan immediately became alert and asked hurriedly, "Are you saying that someone wants to kill An Pingbo?"

Dong Yuanyuan nodded and said:

"That man said that the Earl of Anping forbade anyone from telling anyone about this matter. He only agreed to tell me if I stopped beating him after he told me."

Gao Yunduo explained, "Yuanyuan was clever. She didn't know how to ask, so she asked the servant to tell her something unknown to outsiders. He said someone had sneaked into the garden repairmen and wanted to kill Lord Anping, but failed. However, the man escaped. Lord Anping ordered everyone in the mansion to keep silent. Anyone who dared to discuss this matter in private would be beaten to death, and their entire family would be punished. What did you say? Did my brother agree to it carelessly?"

"He may not be very smart, but he's not stupid. This case is inevitably linked to Earl Anping, so how dare he agree to it?"

After saying this, Jia Chuan turned and walked towards the front yard, saying as he walked, "Just listen to the wall."

Jia Chuan called Chen Mo, Gao Yuntian and Shunzi to the front yard. They sat on stools and started a new round of case analysis.

Gao Yuntian was very active and was the first to speak:

"...I've always been puzzled as to why the jade shop closed, but the small workshop is still open? Now I understand. Those people in the jade shop couldn't stay. In other words, when Shuntian Prefecture investigated Zhang Yu's murder, they found something. So the owner of the jade shop had to die, and the other employees were also dismissed..."

Jia Chuan interrupted Gao Yuntian and said, "According to what you said, who closed the jade shop and laid off the employees? After the jade shop owner was killed, the decision on whether to close the shop or continue operating should have been made by the jade shop owner's family, but the file does not mention the jade shop owner's family."

"Is this important?" Chen Mo asked.

Jia Chuan scratched his head and said, "The file should have been detailed. The jade shop owner was the victim, so the victim's family situation, daily contacts, living habits, and so on should all be reflected in the file. As for what happened to the jade shop later, let's just say Shuntian Prefecture didn't pay attention and forgot to add more information. That makes sense, but looking back now, who was the one who decided to close the jade shop in the first place?"

Jia Chuan didn't care whether they understood what he said or not, and continued speaking along his own train of thought:

"This case wasn't originally difficult to solve. I think Brother Gao is right. Shuntian Prefecture must have uncovered something when they were investigating Zhang Yu's murder. I was thinking about this yesterday when I went to the small workshop. These are all clues that are clearly visible. Anyone in charge of the investigation at the prefecture would have seen them. Did they turn a blind eye from the beginning, or did they later frame the case as a murder motivated by jealousy?"

"Is this important?" Chen Mo asked again.

Jia Chuan explained, "In addition to investigating the Earl of Anping, the Emperor also wants to discipline some other officials."

Chen Mo said "Oh" and nodded.

Shunzi said, "It's obvious that Shuntian Prefecture was trying to figure out who was involved in Zhang Yu's death. They must have quickly found the attendant, and then someone contacted the prefect. And then... I've never been an official. Even if the Earl of Anping had some connection with the Shuntian Prefecture Governor, by the time this case was reported to the Ministry of Justice... wouldn't it be that the Earl of Anping already had connections everywhere? Why would the Ministry of Justice help cover it up?"

Gao Yuntian asked in confusion, "Have you never heard of officials protecting each other?"

"You want to protect me even if you don't want your life or this official uniform?" Shunzi asked in confusion.

Chen Mo smiled and said:

"How could they have thought that doing so would cost them their official uniforms? They've done it so many times, and nothing happened every time, so how could they have thought that they would have sprained their ankle in this case? You think human lives are at stake, but in their eyes, they are trivial matters. They only care about how much the Marquis of Anping gives them. Can this case be made to make sense after a fabrication? Whether the Marquis of Anping gives them is worth their fabrication. Besides, even if the Marquis of Anping didn't intervene, murder cases like this are when the yamen is profitable. All witnesses have to stay in the yamen until the case is brought to court and closed before they can go home. This is because they are afraid that someone will collude with the testimony. But as long as they pay money, they can avoid this suffering. So, a case that could have been concluded in a few days is dragged on for a month, and physical evidence that could have been found is ignored. The more suspects there are, the more money they make."

Shunzi was a little frustrated: "They already have enough food and clothing, why are they still so greedy?"

"Even if you get to that position and you're still greedy, they'll say they have no choice." Chen Mo's face darkened. "That's why I want to join the Jinyiwei. I want to see how forced they are!"

Seeing that the case analysis meeting was about to go off track, Jia Chuan hurriedly pulled it back:

"Anping Bo was once assassinated in his mansion, but the attempt failed and the assailant escaped. I think the assassin was most likely Zhang Yu, but Anping Bo did not report the incident. This shows that he knew who wanted to kill him. It was the kind of vengeance that could not be made public. Since he did not report it, Anping Bo could not just sit there and wait for the next attempt, so he ordered people to search the city."

"According to what you said, the jade shop owner should be on the same side as the Earl of Anping. He said that the Earl of Anping's mansion wanted a lot of jade, but in fact he knew where that person was and was just looking for an opportunity to get rid of this trouble."

Chen Mo's words made Jia Chuan dazed for a moment. He remembered that the black-clothed swordsman had said something similar, but the disaster the black-clothed swordsman was talking about was him.

Gao Yuntian added, "If it weren't for the fact that the Earl of Anping had been so clever as to have his son come to discuss marriage with me today, you would have had a hard time getting this information if you went to the Earl of Anping's mansion today."

Jia Chuan collected his thoughts and said, "I didn't intend to find out anything when I went to the Anping Marquis' Mansion. I just wanted to trick him so that I could have a clear idea and put on a show for the Shuntian Prefecture and the Ministry of Justice. For a case like this that happened so long ago, it's difficult to find the real culprit through the details, and there's no..."

Jia Chuan wanted to say that he didn’t have the corresponding equipment, but fortunately he reacted quickly and applied the emergency brake.

Chen Mo interjected, "You told me to have someone find the people in the workshop to draw a portrait of the attendant, and you also told me to have someone check the whereabouts of the original employees of the jade shop. In fact, all this was done for the people from Shuntian Prefecture and the Ministry of Justice to see?"

"What else? If there is enough time, maybe I can find some clues by following the clues, but I don't have time. The emperor only gave me three to five days in total, and that would only alert the enemy. I originally thought that the officials from the Ministry of Justice would come to me. When I came back from the Anping Marquis's Mansion, the officials from the Ministry of Justice would come, and I would hint at them. The Ministry of Justice got involved relatively late, so maybe I could persuade them to surrender. It would be difficult for Shuntian Mansion, as they are the link between the upper and lower levels. But who would have thought that the Anping Marquis would let his son come to him." Jia Chuan spread his hands.

Gao Yuntian asked hurriedly, "Do you think that follower is still alive?"

"If that follower is Xiao Jian, he might still be alive. He's been with Lord Anping for many years. I'm not saying Lord Anping is too loyal, but it's hard to train people like him. Lord Anping sent his son on this journey today to test him. That means he doesn't know the disaster is imminent, so Xiao Jian should still be alive."

Chen Mo asked, "What will you do if Li Ming can't find out where Xiao Jian is when he returns?"

Jia Chuan shrugged and said, "As usual, wait for the Ministry of Justice to come to me. I will persuade him to confess his guilt to the Emperor. When the Earl of Anping asks them for favors, he may not tell the truth. He will definitely say it's a misunderstanding or a quarrel between servants. In short, it's a trivial matter. If I can deduce the truth, explain it in a proper way, and then explain the pros and cons, there is still a possibility that he will surrender."

These words sounded lacking in confidence, and Jia Chuan couldn't help but sigh.

Shunzi asked:
"The jade shop owner died only a day or two later than Zhang Yu, or almost the same. But in your deduction, he was on the same side as Anping Bo. A craftsman died, a life. I know these high-ranking officials won't care, but one is better than two, right? I think in a case with two lives, Anping Bo would have to pay more money. Couldn't he have hidden it first like Xiao Jian? It makes sense to close the shop at that time, just to avoid the limelight." "That's the reason. So there must be other reasons for the death of the jade shop owner. This boss is not as good as Xiao Jian. Xiao Jian is skilled and has followed Anping Bo for many years. He will still be useful in the future. But this jade shop owner... it's hard to say. After the incident, the jade shop closed. How to deal with the remaining inventory? Who will deal with it? There are always some unsettled accounts in the shop. Who will handle them? Why is it not mentioned in the file? It's not mentioned because it can't be written down in black and white. So I infer that this jade shop is more or less related to Anping Bo, and the Anping Bo's Mansion can make the final decision."

Shunzi sighed and said, "They say it's nice to lean against a big tree for shade, but it depends on what kind of tree it is. If there are licorice on the tree, and you get all of it, it could be fatal."

As soon as Shunzi finished speaking, Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan walked out of the backyard hand in hand and headed straight for the gate.

"Where are you going?" Shunzi asked.

Dong Yuanyuan said with a smile: "Sister said there are delicious foods on the street. Let's go have lunch."

Gao Yuntian frowned and said, "After you leave, what are we going to eat for lunch?"

Gao Yunduo didn't even turn her head: "It's not like you don't have hands."

Jia Chuan blurted out: "You don't want to listen?"

Dong Yuanyuan turned around and looked at Jia Chuan and said, "I understand everything. Do you still need to listen?"

"Don't cause trouble!" Gao Yuntian shouted.

Shunzi hesitated for a moment and asked Jia Chuan, "Do you want me to follow you?"

Gao Yuntian asked, "What's the point of you following her? She doesn't even listen to me, how can she listen to you?"

Chen Mo smiled and said, "This is Beijing. Nothing will happen. There will be people following us. Don't worry."

Jia Chuan breathed a sigh of relief and continued:

"The Anping Marquis's mansion has a large population and many descendants, but distributing the family property is a problem. It's normal for one branch to secretly open a shop and earn more income. Perhaps that's why the file doesn't state it so clearly. So they pretended that the boss was from Nanjing, and that he was the boss in name only, but actually just the manager. This made things much easier. As long as they fired the employees, they thought the true situation of the shop would be covered up. At least they didn't think such a case would attract the attention of the emperor. It can be seen that they do this kind of thing frequently."

Chen Mo shook his head and said, "According to what you said, they should have done it secretly, quietly..."

"How can it be so quiet?" Shunzi asked. "The investigation into Zhang Yu's death will inevitably lead to the jade shop. He's the main witness. Brother Chen, don't forget that Shuntian Prefecture is investigating a colleague who was murdered out of jealousy. What was he jealous of? Of course, it was the jade shop's work. How could the jade shop owner be left out during this interrogation?"

Chen Mo frowned and thought about it.

Jia Chuan was a little surprised. He knew Shunzi was shy, but now he dared to refute Chen Mo's words. Jia Chuan quickly looked at Chen Mo, afraid that he would be angry. Chen Mo was frowning and thinking, so Jia Chuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Gao Yuntian leaned forward and asked Jia Chuan:

"Is it possible that the owner of the jade shop was murdered elsewhere? They were trying to kill him quietly, just as Brother Chen said. But when the Shuntian government realized that wasn't working, they secretly transported the body back to the shop's backyard. So when the shop assistants found the body, it was already rotting."

Jia Chuan hummed several times, nodded frequently, and said, "This inference makes sense. I was wondering why he was not discovered until several days after his death. Now that you explain it, it all makes sense."

Shunzi glanced at the smug Gao Yuntian and asked Jia Chuan, "Why couldn't you have killed Zhang Yu quietly? If you had kept it a secret from the beginning, there wouldn't have been any of the subsequent events."

Chen Mo waved his hand and said, "Don't you think they've reached the point where they can do whatever they want and kill whoever they want?"

"Isn't it?" Shunzi asked back.

Jia Chuan said:
"That depends on who they want to kill. Logically speaking, it shouldn't be a problem for a great master to deal with a craftsman. But what if this craftsman is difficult to deal with? Someone who can come to the mansion to assassinate the master must have some skills, right? What can I do if I get in? Now we all know that the guards in the mansion have been with the master for many years and are very skilled. It would be difficult for him to succeed in the assassination alone. But so many people in the mansion didn't stop him. Doesn't this also mean that this person is not easy to deal with?"

Gao Yuntian nodded and said:

"This explains why the follower went twice. The first time, as you inferred, he went to look for someone, but Zhang Yu happened to be away. The second time, because the jade shop owner was with him, Zhang Yu was not on guard. Xiao Jian unexpectedly killed Zhang Yu with a single blow. It can be seen that Xiao Jian's skills are not low. That's why the Earl of Anping won't be willing to kill him. As long as we can find out where Xiao Jian is hiding, we can act quickly and perhaps we can really bring him back alive."

"When the time comes to send him to the Imperial Prison, even if his mouth is made of bronze, I can still pry it open!"

"Let me make some tea. I'm feeling a little thirsty from talking all this time," said Jia Chuan.

Shunzi stood up immediately.

Not long after, Shunzi arrived with a teapot and cups. The few of them chatted for a while in the courtyard. Just as Shunzi was about to get up to cook, someone hurried into the courtyard and bowed, saying, "The two girls just arrived on the street and saw someone acting suspiciously. The Gao family girl followed them, and then..."

Gao Yuntian looked up to the sky and cried out "Ouch!" Then he slapped his thigh and said, "I've gotten into trouble again! She always thinks she's doing justice for the heavens, and she didn't even ask if the heavens agreed?!"

Gao Yuntian rushed out after yelling, and Shunzi followed him in panic. Jia Chuan shouted, "Listen to what's going on first!"

Gao Yuntian stood at the gate and turned around and shouted, "She must have beaten someone up again. I have to go over there quickly, otherwise..."

The person who brought the news hurriedly said, "Those people deserve to be beaten! But there are too many of them. I came back to ask if they should be sent directly to Shuntian Prefecture."

Chen Mo frowned and said, "Tell me slowly."

Shunzi pulled Gao Yuntian back quickly to listen.

……

It turned out that Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan had just walked onto the street when they saw a man stealthily walking towards an alley with his hands covering his chest.

Gao Yunduo, with her many years of experience in upholding justice, judged that there must be something wrong with this man, so she pulled Dong Yuanyuan to follow him. The man walked through the alleys, crossed the street and entered the alley again. He did this for a long time and finally stopped in front of the gate of a courtyard deep in an alley.

Gao Yunduo pulled Dong Yuanyuan behind the wall and waited until the man entered the courtyard before approaching.

Dong Yuanyuan asked in a low voice, "Sister, do you think he stole some food and hid it on his chest?"

Gao Yunduo signaled Dong Yuanyuan not to make a sound, put her ear to the outside of the courtyard gate and listened carefully. Suddenly, with a look of anger, she kicked the gate open, rushed into the yard, and kicked open the wooden door. At that moment, the smell of rotten sawdust mixed with the sour smell of fermented rotten vegetable leaves and a hint of blood hit her face.

Dong Yuanyuan was afraid that Gao Yunduo was in trouble, so she followed closely behind. After seeing the inside of the house clearly, she couldn't help but shout, "Oh my God!"

There was nothing in the room. On the right, seven little girls tied up like dumplings were huddled in the corner. Three teenage girls had iron chains around their necks and wrists. Their wrist bones were clearly visible and bleeding. On the left, five adult men of varying weights were sitting on the ground, preparing to eat.

"You're quite good at choosing a place. You're playing the game of hiding under the lamp. You think no one can find you if you hide here?" Gao Yunduo said as she picked up a wooden stick from the ground and smashed it directly on the face of the first person who rushed up. Three yellow teeth fell to the ground and hot blood splattered on the mottled earthen wall. The remaining four people came to their senses. One picked up a wooden stick, one swung an axe, and one picked up a boning knife. Three of them rushed up together. There was also a burly man with nothing in his hands who went straight to Dong Yuanyuan.

Dong Yuanyuan had never seen such a scene before, and she had never seen such a miserable scene in the corner. When the burly man rushed towards her, Gao Yunduo was terrified, but she was surrounded by three people and could not separate herself for a while. She could only shout "Be careful!"

Dong Yuanyuan seemed to be stimulated by the scene in the corner. Without waiting for the man to reach her, she rushed over with all her strength. The man thought that the girl was just a little fat and he could take care of it with a palm. However, before he could swing his palm, he felt like he had hit a mountain. He could not hold on at all and his body was thrown directly against the earth wall, which was almost cracked.

At the same time, the man wielding the axe had already swung the axe towards Gao Yunduo's left shoulder. Gao Yunduo spun around, stepped on the man's crown, and used the wooden stick as a sword to stab the man swinging the axe three inches below his ribs. The man screamed in pain, and when he fell to the ground, he also brought down his accomplice holding the stick.

It happened in a flash. The man wielding the boning knife was a short man. When he saw Gao Yunduo fall to the ground, he immediately rolled on the ground and rushed towards Gao Yunduo's ankle tendons.

Gao Yunduo did not dodge, but waited for the right moment to stab the ground with a wooden stick. One side of the wooden stick was stuck in the blood groove of the boning knife, and then the wrist bone twisted. The man cried out in pain, and the wooden stick twisted the boning knife and stabbed back at the man's face. The man quickly let go of the knife and rolled to the side, and the boning knife fell into Gao Yunduo's hands.

(End of this chapter)