Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 74 Fishing
Gao Yunduo had a knife in her hand, and Dong Yuanyuan kicked the fallen big man. The big man weighed about 170 or 180 pounds, and was kicked flying and hit the earth wall. This time the earth wall could not withstand it and a hole was broken, and the big man fell out.

Dong Yuanyuan did not chase after them, but ran towards the children and tried to untie the ropes on them.

Gao Yunduo was no longer worried about Yuanyuan. She dealt with the three people in a matter of seconds. However, she remembered her brother's repeated instructions and wanted to save their lives, so she delayed for a while. After she beat the three people into a pool of blood, she looked up at a vegetable basket hanging from the beam. She jumped up and used the boning knife in her hand to cut the hemp rope. The basket turned over, and a whole bundle of unopened "manifests" fell to the ground. Gao Yunduo picked up a few and took a look. They contained information such as the children's birthdays and the women's hometowns. She gritted her teeth and shouted, "Why don't you go back and report it? Let's see whether they will be escorted directly to Shuntian Prefecture or not? If you are late, it's not my fault if they die!"

……

After listening to the messenger's story, Jia Chuan took several deep breaths.

Chen Mo said gloomily, "Lead the way!"

……

Several people followed the informant to the scene of the crime. Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan had already untied the seven children and were worried about the chains on the necks and wrists of the three women.

The five men were beaten so badly that they couldn't move and were seriously injured. Gao Yunduo wanted to ask how to open it, but they were all unconscious.

As soon as Chen Mo arrived, several Jinyiwei appeared one after another. After they tied up the five boys, someone opened the iron chains around their necks and the restraints on their wrists.

The seven children and three girls were dying. Dong Yuanyuan said they were hungry and needed to be taken back quickly to be fed some porridge. Gao Yunduo said they were all injured and needed medical treatment as soon as possible.

Chen Mo made arrangements with a serious face.

Gao Yuntian called Gao Yunduo aside and gave her serious criticism and education.

Jia Chuan squatted down and picked up the papers scattered on the ground.

Soon the carriages arrived, and both the suspects and the victims were put on them. Dong Yuanyuan watched the carriages leave with tears in her eyes. She wiped her face, turned to Jia Chuan and said, "Brother, you have to keep an eye on them. Don't let these children suffer any more injustices."

Jia Chuan nodded, handed the collected papers to Chen Mo, and asked, "What is the punishment for trafficking women and children according to the Ming Dynasty Law?"

He overlooked this point when he was interning in Dongzhao County.

Chen Mo frowned and said, "The Ming Dynasty Code states in its Criminal Law section: Anyone who devises a scheme to lure innocent people into slavery or sells them into slavery shall be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane and exiled three thousand miles. However," Chen Mo glanced at Jia Chuan and added, "if someone voluntarily sells themselves into slavery, and the slave merely acts as a middleman and negotiates the price, and assists in signing the contract after it is filed with the government, then it is considered a normal transaction."

After saying that, Chen Mo shook the paper in his hand: "It says here that the procedures are complete."

Jia Chuan wasn't surprised. He seemed to be mentally prepared and said, "If it was voluntary, I wouldn't treat you like this."

Chen Mo nodded and said, "All I can do is report back to the pacification envoy. If the pacification envoy sends me to Shuntian Prefecture, I..."

"I understand. If that's the case, can you heal those ten people first?"

"Don't worry about that. Even if I hand her over to Shuntian Prefecture, I will have someone guard her until the case... is investigated." Chen Mo said this without any confidence. He sighed lightly, glanced at Gao Yunduo and Dong Yuanyuan, and said, "They will be fine."

Gao Yuntian breathed a sigh of relief.

Gao Yunduo couldn't understand what the two had just said, and she couldn't help but snort, "If I had known this would happen, I should have killed them!"

Gao Yuntian also became anxious and scolded, "Which god are you?! You always want to fight and kill people. If everyone is like you, what's the point of having a government office?"

"It's useless!"

"you……"

"Brother, didn't you see what those people looked like? They were covered in wounds. If they didn't want to escape, why would those three be chained? How old are they? If they were fed, they might not make any noise. Where did their wounds come from? What caused them? What's written on those pieces of paper is the truth? You keep arguing about the laws of the Ming Dynasty, but how has the law ever protected them? If the law doesn't protect them, I will! I will keep an eye on them. If they are really sent to Shuntian Prefecture, I will be waiting at the gate of the government office. If they dare to come out, I will kill them!"

Gao Yunduo was obviously furious, and Dong Yuanyuan also joined in the fun, saying, "I'll go with my sister!"

Shunzi said anxiously, "Don't join in the fun."

Gao Yuntian pointed at Gao Yunduo and looked at Jia Chuan, his face pale with anger. He said incoherently: "See? I can't do anything about it. She's going to kill someone in front of the government office! I can't beat her. Come on, tie her up and throw her at home. I'll quickly find a family to marry her off..."

Jia Chuan suddenly felt ashamed. Gao Yunduo was just an unmarried woman, while he at least had the emperor's support behind him. Hmm... this was at least not quite the right word. Jia Chuan coughed lightly to interrupt Gao Yuntian, then looked at Chen Mo and said, "I'll go with you to meet the pacification envoy. Whether there's a chance or not, we have to try."

Chen Mo's eyes lit up immediately, and he said hastily, "Let's talk about this. I'll go find the pacification envoy, and you go find Xu Chenshi. If we work together, maybe there will be a turnaround."

Jia Chuan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked at Gao Yunduo and asked, "Can you trust me?"

"Do not believe!"

"If I can convict those people this time and find out who is behind this, will you trust me a little more?"

Gao Yunduo looked at Jia Chuan in surprise. Her previous furious expression disappeared. She frowned and said, "Don't try to be so stubborn! You've done me and my sister a favor. I don't want anything to happen to you. Don't worry, I won't be stupid enough to kill someone at the government office. I will plan everything properly..."

"You are planning... why don't you go to heaven?!" Gao Yuntianqi said with a snort.

Jia Chuan sighed and said:
"You still don't believe me. How could they have obtained these so-called legal documents without the protection of official uniforms? How dare they bring these people to the capital? The buyers may be in the capital, but these people are covered in injuries and need to be nursed back to health. Who would be willing to buy them and then spend money to nurse them back to health before using them?"

Dong Yuanyuan asked in confusion, "Brother, who are you asking?"

Jia Chuan smiled and said:

"Brother is deducing this for you. The people we rescued today were all women. Their faces were unscathed, only their bodies were scarred. Since these people have legal documents, why would they be so sneaky? This clearly shows that the transaction they're trying to make has nothing to do with slavery. These ten people must have been handed over to someone. After some training, this person will take action... It's useless for you to kill them."

Gao Yunduo heard it all, and she hurriedly asked, "You know so much. If you tell the Jinyiwei, won't they be able to find out who's behind it?"

Chen Mo made an excuse, saying, "The Imperial Guards are only following orders. If the Emperor hadn't given the order, the case would have been handed over to Shuntian Prefecture. The Emperor might not have had the chance to know what the final outcome would have been."

Jia Chuan was secretly glad that Gao Yunduo only said that he knew clearly, and didn't say that he was involved. After listening to Chen Mo's words, he thought for a while and said, "You two go home first. Brother Chen and I will go. We are afraid that this case will become a big deal. I will go to the palace to explain the pros and cons to the emperor, and then... even if this case does not reach the hands of the Jinyiwei, the people in Shuntian Prefecture will not dare to act recklessly, let alone fool around. They already have a case that was remembered by the emperor because of fooling around, so..."

"it is good!"

After Gao Yunduo finished speaking, she took Dong Yuanyuan's hand and left, with Gao Yuntian and Shunzi following closely behind.

Chen Mo watched the figures disappear at the end of the alley, then turned to ask Jia Chuan, "Are you sure? This isn't something they've just started. I don't know how many years it's been going on, and I'm afraid quite a few officials and nobles are involved..."

"I just thought of that. The Emperor wants to relocate some people. I always feel that the case of the Marquis of Anping Mansion alone is lacking a bit of weight. Besides... haven't we been worried about not finding Xiao Jian in the case of the Marquis of Anping Mansion? With the incident today, I'm afraid the people in Shuntian Mansion will be in trouble. In this case, we can ask about this case as well."

Chen Mo raised his eyebrows, thought seriously for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief and said, "You're right. Using this case to force out the case of the Anping Marquis' Mansion can be my reason to convince the pacification envoy."

Jia Chuan was silent for a moment before saying, "Where there are people, there are bound to be these dirty things. These officials are the best at using the law to punish everyone. The emperor... must be helpless. He has to manage every detail, how can he manage everything? I heard that if you want the court to be stable, you need good ministers, capable ministers, and treacherous ministers. They say that if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. What a good excuse!"

Chen Mo said, "No one can clean the pond water. It's good enough if it's not so turbid that it kills the fish."

Jia Chuan took a deep breath, pulled out an ivory plaque from his bosom, and said, "You go see the pacification envoy and tell him that I need to go to the palace. Then we will have a division of labor. You go and explain to the pacification envoy, and I will go and explain to Xu Chenshi. Then..." Jia Chuan picked up the plaque and said, "Go to the palace and talk to the emperor."

Chen Mo stared at the badge for a moment, his heart agitated. Who hadn't once been a young man with the dream of slaying a dragon? But... He forgot which elder had once said, "The Emperor needs treacherous ministers. Treacherous ministers are very useful. They balance the court when things are fine, and when trouble arises, they are picked out and executed. They can stabilize the court and make an example of others, while also winning people's hearts. This is the art of the emperor, and you don't understand! Relying solely on passion will only lead to a quick death and reincarnation. Besides, do you think you can kill them all?"

Therefore, Chen Mo understood what Jia Chuan had just said. At this moment, Chen Mo felt like he had found a confidant, and that the clouds had finally cleared and the moon was shining. He stared at the badge for a while, and suddenly pulled Jia Chuan's wrist and said, "Let's go and complain to my brother!"

……

After hearing Chen Mo's words, the pacification envoy Wang Yu remained silent for a long time with a sullen face. Finally, he asked, "Jia Chuan said he was afraid that time was running out, so you split your forces into two groups?"

Chen Mo immediately understood the crux of the matter and said hurriedly, "He wanted to come with me to see the Governor-General first, but I persuaded him. There have been rumors that the Governor-General's rank is lower than that of a Deputy Minister, but... I was afraid that Deputy Minister Xu would think too much."

"You did the right thing. Remember, I didn't know Jia Chuan was going to enter the palace."

"Yes! I didn't mention this matter."

"You take the prisoner to the imperial prison first, and make good arrangements for the rescued people. I'll go to the palace." Chen Mo was ecstatic. He bowed and left the room, then strode out with a proud look on his face.

……

Wang Yu had made careful calculations. He wanted to express his opinions to the emperor before Jia Chuan entered the palace. He was sure that the emperor would definitely investigate the case thoroughly.

Under normal circumstances, even if he knew about this kind of case, he would just pretend not to know and push it to Shuntian Prefecture. Of course, this kind of case would not come to his hands under normal circumstances. If there really was a victim crying out for justice, he would also go to the government office. They would not intervene unless the emperor ordered them to investigate. And it would be difficult to let the emperor know about this kind of thing!

The Jinyiwei were very busy during the Yongle reign, but this kind of thing still happened. Why? The emperor's heart was not in these trivial matters.

This time it's different.

Unexpectedly, Wang Yu waited in front of the palace gate for a long time before Jia Chuan arrived. Before Jia Chuan had time to greet Wang Yu, he was taken into the palace.

Wang Yu suddenly felt uneasy. He squinted his eyes and looked at Jia Chuan's back, thinking, "This boy will definitely replace me one day."

During the Yongle Dynasty, the Pacification Envoy had no real power. Not only that, Emperor Taizong wanted to suppress the Embroidered Uniform Guard and also established the East Factory. Fortunately, the East Factory had not seen any improvement in recent years. After the new emperor ascended the throne, it was the Pacification Envoy's power that increased little by little. He knew that the commander-in-chief, the co-governor, and the assistant magistrate all had opinions, but the current emperor was a man of his own ideas. He just needed to strike a good balance, and his future would be limitless.

But thinking of the emperor's sincere words every time they met, Wang Yu sighed. If it weren't for the emperor's trust, he would probably not be able to serve as the pacification envoy for long.

Wang Yu looked towards the palace gate. This Jia Chuan is still young, so let's hold him first. When will he fall? We'll see.

……

How could Jia Chuan know that when he was walking in the palace, a bunch of people were thinking about him at the same time.

Wang Yu was like this, and so was Xu Gong. He was glad that he had won over Jia Chuan early on, as his career might have ended here. However, Jia Chuan was young, and it would be a great benefit to him if such a person could become successful in the future. Xu Gong was thinking more about how to protect Jia Chuan and move forward.

Zheng Daoning was also thinking about Jia Chuan. He had received the news when the Jinyiwei had taken the seriously injured people away. This shock was far greater than Jia Chuan's leaving the coroner behind, and it was even more frightening. He couldn't understand how such an unknown person could suddenly cause such a stir in the capital. Where did he come from?

With such a person around, how long can he keep this official uniform?

Before Zheng Daoning could recover from his panic, another servant came to report: Jia Chuan has entered the palace.

At this moment, Zheng Daoning felt a chill in his heart.

Another person who knew that Jia Chuan had entered the palace was Zhang Lian, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice. After receiving the news, he cursed Jia Chuan's ancestors one by one, but did not dare to delay and changed his clothes in a hurry. He wanted to find the Minister of Justice first, and then see whose connections he could use. He should not hesitate when it was time to be submissive. This was his way of being an official. Sticking his neck out at this time would only make things worse. He believed in his own judgment. The right thing to do was to clear up this matter as soon as possible. Anyway, it was not a serious matter and it was just a momentary confusion.

No matter what kind of net it is, there will always be some loose threads. If you find the right ones, destroying the net will be just around the corner.

……

In the palace, it was still that quiet room.

Zhu Zhanji looked at Jia Chuan with a smile. He was in a very happy mood at the moment.

Jia Chuan was very puzzled. In his opinion, this was something that would make anyone indignant after hearing it. However, Zhu Zhanji did not react much after hearing it. He just asked Jia Chuan to take a break and drink some tea. Didn't he intend to intervene?

Jia Chuan couldn't help but feel suffocated. He thought to himself: Isn't it the reign of Emperor Renzong and Emperor Xuanzong? Does that mean this emperor is okay? How can he be so indifferent to the lives of the people? And how can he be so indifferent to the violations of law and discipline by officials at all levels?

Zhu Zhanji seemed to see Jia Chuan's dissatisfaction and said, "If I worry about these things every day, I'm afraid I won't live long."

Jia Chuan thought to himself: You didn't live long anyway.

Zhu Zhanji added gravely, "Since the First Emperor, which emperor has ever had a good policy on dealing with corrupt officials who disregard the lives of others for money? They just kill one after another and then create another. Emperor Taizu Gao once skinned corrupt officials and placed their skins on straw men in the county government office. So what? The next emperor soon copied them and did the same! They even call it officialdom's rules."

"But the emperor doesn't intend to let it go." Jia Chuan said seriously.

"Of course, it just depends on the timing. You're great, creating the opportunity so quickly. Now I'm just waiting for them to come find me so I can vent my anger and change my ways. You can also take a break, rest for a couple of days, and then set off for Jinan. You're my lucky general, but don't underestimate the enemy. My second uncle is not easy to deal with. He seems impulsive and reckless, but he always manages to get away with it. I hope you won't let me down this time."

Jia Chuan breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that Zhu Zhanji was not ignoring him, but had already made a judgment after listening to what he said.

Like him, Zhu Zhanji also felt that this case of human trafficking could easily expose the network.

Sure enough, after the two chatted for a while, a young eunuch came outside the door to report: The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice wants to see you.

Zhu Zhanji shrugged, looked at Jia Chuan and said jokingly, "Look, here he comes. When you leave the palace, see Wang Yu and tell him that he should be interrogated and questioned, but don't arrest him yet. Try to spread the news as far as possible. The wider the better. I'm busy today, so let him come tomorrow. We have to give them time. One night is enough."

After saying that, Zhu Zhanji waved his hand, indicating that Jia Chuan could leave.

Jia Chuan didn't have time to think about anything else. He stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Oh? You don't want to see anymore? You want me to grant you a marriage now?"

"Ah? No, no, I mean, the forty or so people from the Huangluling Inspection Office are still hastily buried there. I don't know if their families have heard the news yet, let alone if they can handle it. I, I want to ask if you can arrange for someone to help relocate their graves, and then give each family a few taels of silver, as a way to comfort their families."

Zhu Zhanji raised his eyebrows. He had heard that Jia Chuan was in love with Gao Yunduo. He thought of finishing the Le'an matter first. If the two of them were in love with each other, granting them a marriage would be a reward.

Zhu Zhanji really didn't know what reward to give Jia Chuan. In his opinion, Jia Chuan didn't care much about material things.

If Jia Chuan knew about this huge misunderstanding, he would definitely wail.

But what Jia Chuan didn't know was that he spoke today because of those people, and Zhu Zhanji further deepened his understanding of this.

Seeing that Zhu Zhanji was hesitant to speak, Jia Chuan thought he was being abrupt and hurriedly explained, "I've been dreaming about them these days. They probably know that I'm different now, so they asked me to do something. I..."

Zhu Zhanji waved his hand and said, "You don't need to worry about these things. Someone will take care of them. Just go about your business. They died for me, and I won't treat them unfairly."

……

Jia Chuan was exhausted. These people didn't speak directly, always saying things that made people ponder. He didn't bother to think too much, but he felt a little regretful. Judging from Zhu Zhanji's intentions, a marriage was very likely. He had used a good opportunity elsewhere. But it didn't matter. Who knew if he would return alive this time? It would be bad if Gao Yunduo was implicated. Besides, would Gao Yunduo be willing? Forced to marry him home? That kind of thing couldn't be done.

When Jia Chuan thought of this, he had already left the palace. He saw Wang Yu repeating Zhu Zhanji's words, and then he realized what was going on. Zhu Zhanji was fishing, and he would wait for the bait to come. If he ordered the Jinyiwei to conduct a thorough investigation today and arrest whoever was found out, it would be very troublesome. Wouldn't it be a replay of the Yongle Dynasty?
But Zhu Zhanji just threw out the baited hook, and when those people received the news, they would be frightened. Then someone would feel that they were not deeply involved in the case and would come forward to surrender. Then the investigation would be much easier.

It can be seen that the imperial prison at this time was far from being as abusive as it was in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.

Thinking of this, Jia Chuan felt a little more favorable towards Zhu Zhanji, so much so that when Wang Yu invited him to his home for dinner, he agreed without thinking. As a result, he had to go to Xu Gong to explain after dinner, and when he returned to Gao's house, it was already dark.

Xu Gong was very happy and felt that Jia Chuan's concern was a respect, and that his worries for Jia Chuan were not in vain.

Gao Yunduo was unhappy. She had no way to get any news, and Chen Mo had not come back either. She was worried about whether the children had enough to eat and whether anyone was treating the injuries of the girls. She became impatient and wanted to go to the street to inquire about the news, but Gao Yuntian made her so angry that she could only sit at the door and watch.

When Jia Chuan came back and saw the atmosphere in the yard, he took the initiative to tell Gao Yunduo the result without waiting for her to ask. Gao Yunduo's mood immediately brightened up, and she pulled Dong Yuanyuan and jumped back to the backyard.

Gao Yuntian sighed and said that he should marry Gao Yunduo off immediately. Jia Chuan advised, "I'm here, what are you afraid of?"

Gao Yuntian thought about it and it was true. It was indeed difficult for him to manage the children alone in the past, but now Gao Yunduo could still listen to Jia Chuan's words.

If Old Zheng were here at this time, he would definitely explain for Jia Chuan. What Jia Chuan said was completely different from what Gao Yuntian thought.

Jia Chuan was tired after a long day and wanted to go into the house to rest. Shunzi asked, "Didn't the coroner say that we could go back today?"

Jia Chuan then realized that there was such a person and hurriedly said, "Let him stay one more night. Tomorrow, the Jinyiwei may come to question him. Then his life will be safe. It will be fine for him to go back. I'm afraid it won't be possible tonight."

Shunzi nodded, and thinking that Chen Mo would not come back tonight, he happily went back to the house.

……

(End of this chapter)