Daming: Internship also counts as work experience

Chapter 92: Emotions are stable again

Lin Wei almost gasped for breath. Jia Chuan immediately added, "If you can admit your mistakes and correct them, and work with me to thoroughly investigate the cases of those imprisoned, I will pretend that I saw and heard nothing. If you do this, the emperor will surely commend you."

Lin Wei had just breathed a sigh of relief when Jia Chuan asked again, "Did you agree to transfer the grain from the state granary to the Hanwang Palace granary?"

Lin Wei wanted to say: Just give me a knife.

"It must have been that wicked Tongzhi Hao who filed the complaint first!" Lin Wei took two deep breaths and said:
"When he came to me, he said the granary was almost burned down. He said he could stop it once, but not the second time. This was very explicit. If the grain was destroyed, his official career would be ruined too. I really wasn't thinking about my official career at the time. There was grain in the granary, and if there were natural disasters or man-made disasters, the people under my rule would have porridge to drink. If it really burned down, well, I knew the people in the Prince of Han's Palace could do it, so I thought as long as I kept the grain, who cares where he put it? In the event of a natural disaster, the emperor would order the Prince of Han to provide disaster relief, so he would have to open the granary, right? Besides, it was agreed to be lent out, and the Prince of Han's Palace signed and sealed it. If I really want it, he has proof to refuse me..."

"You're dreaming! Besides the grain that's handed over every year, if you can even get a mouse out of the Hanwang Palace's granary, you'd be quite capable! If you borrow it and put it in the Hanwang Palace's granary, the state government won't have to pay rent, right?"

"Yes."

Jia Chuan scratched his head and said impatiently, "Hurry up and drink some medicine and get out of bed. First, dress my people so they can get in and out of the government office easily. Then, follow me and deal with the prison situation. As long as I'm alive, you'll be able to breathe. Do you understand? If I wasn't completely sure, how could I dare to be so arrogant?"

Jia Chuan spoke with such confidence that Lin Wei actually felt warm in his heart. In this day and night, he had thought of many ways to save his life by sitting on the fence, but none of them were as effective as Jia Chuan's two sentences. His pounding heart finally settled down a little.

……

Lin Wei felt at ease here, but Hao Wen's heart was almost in his throat.

Hao Wen rarely had the chance to meet the King of Han, but today he was called to the study. In the study, Zhu Gaoxu had a gloomy face. Wang Bin, Zhu Heng, Wei Da, Mei Qing, and Qian Xun all had dark circles under their eyes and sat in the first seat. Half of Zhu Heng's face was still swollen.

"The prince asked you here to ask about Jia Chuan. What do you think of him?" Zhu Heng asked gently, looking at Hao Wen, who was standing there with his back bent and trembling all over.

Hao Wen was stunned. How should he evaluate Jia Chuan?
"Just tell me what he has said to you." Wang Bin said impatiently.

Wang Bin had actually fought side by side with Zhu Gaoxu, and now all the troops in the palace were under his command. He had long looked down on Zhu Heng, who was said to be a counselor but did not have much brains, and often gave the King of Han some bad advice. If he had not stopped him, he would have made another wrong move last night!
"He, he said he wanted to transport the grain back to the state granary."

Zhu Gaoxu frowned. Zhu Hengteng stood up and asked, "Are you saying he knows about the granary?"

"Yes! When he saw me yesterday, he asked about this matter. I explained it in the same way I had told Prefect Lin before, but changed the words. He said that he was here to take care of whatever happened to the prefectural granary. He ordered me to transport the grain back within three days."

"Kill you? You are of a higher rank than him!" Veda reminded.

"Yes, yes. I'm also afraid that he will report this matter and cause trouble for the prince."

Zhu Gaoxu snorted coldly, "Do you think if you hold him back, he won't report it? My eldest nephew's reprimand is a minor matter; I'm afraid he'll take the opportunity to seize the state government's grain... Pick out some old grain and send it back to him."

Mei Qing said, "Your Highness is wise. If this matter is handled smoothly, the person in the capital will not be able to say anything. It will be difficult for the person surnamed Jia to gain merit through this."

"Hmph! He's waiting for me to send someone to burn it. If I don't...will he burn it himself and then put the blame on me?" Zhu Gaoxu said this, sitting up straight and saying, "Such a trick. Wang Bin is right. He's here to force me to rebel. This one thing alone proves how cunning he is!"

Wang Bin nodded and said, "If you don't return the grain, the court will definitely order it back. If you do, he will burn it down himself and then frame the palace. His goal is to provoke the prince into rebellion before he is fully prepared."

Zhu Gaoxu nodded with a gloomy face.

Wei Da thought: When the prince is calm, he acts like a prince, but last night he almost drew his sword and stabbed Wang Bin.

There was no need for Jia Chuan to make such a big fuss about Zhu Gaoxu. He had wanted to kill Jia Chuan for a long time, but he had never been able to do it. It was okay before because he was not in his territory, but now he was right in front of him and he couldn't kill him. With Zhu Gaoxu's temperament, he would not think about what might happen next and would arrange for people to take action again.

Zhu Heng understood Zhu Gaoxu, so he had to go along with Zhu Gaoxu's temper in some matters, because he felt that killing Jia Chuan was no big deal compared to stabilizing Zhu Gaoxu.

But Wang Bin didn't think so. He felt that the fact that the emperor could send Jia Chuan here openly was already an attitude. Since he knew the emperor's purpose, he should just avoid him. What the palace needed to do most now was to bide its time and secretly seek support from various parties, rather than competing with a small judge and letting him jump around. As long as the palace ignored it, what could happen?
Last night, Zhu Heng saw that Zhu Gaoxu looked like he couldn't bear this, so he insisted on taking action at midnight. His reasoning was, "If we let him go like this, wouldn't it let everyone know that the prince is easy to bully? Who would be willing to follow behind and support him?"

Zhu Gaoxu agreed and nodded repeatedly.

Wang Bin was so angry that he didn't care about his status and said, "The support of all parties is not based on temporary power, but on strategy. Isn't forbearance a kind of strategy? Emperor Taizong's life was so difficult back then. The reason why the Jingnan Campaign was successful was entirely due to Emperor Taizong's courage and strategy. Now..."

"Are you saying that the prince is brave but not wise?" Zhu Heng slammed the table and stood up.

Wang Bin was a military general and was not good at arguing. At this moment, he was so angry at Zhu Heng that it seemed as if something was blocking his throat. He could only glare at Zhu Heng.

Zhu Gaoxu waved his hand and said, "At midnight, take action and kill!"

Wang Bin was furious. He stood up and lay across the hall, shouting, "If Your Majesty insists on taking action tonight, then please kill me first!"

"Do you think I don't dare?!" Zhu Gaoxu was also anxious.

"Your Highness! This is not the Yongle Dynasty. If Your Highness makes any mistakes, no one in the court will come to your rescue! Jia Chuan is the bait, and the one in the capital is waiting for Your Highness to take action!" "As long as you deny it, who can say it was the Prince's palace that did it..."

Before Zhu Heng could finish his words, Wang Bin slapped him across the face and shouted, "It's long past the point where you can just deny it!"

Zhu Heng now knew how strong Wang Bin's grip was. He only saw Wang Bin's mouth moving, but he could only hear a buzzing sound. After a moment, he felt a burning pain on the left side of his face and a bloody taste in his mouth.

Wang Bin was not dispelled by the slap. He continued to glare at Zhu Heng and said:
"The man in the capital is going to lay off the guards of the palace after ascending the throne. How long do you think he can delay this? If you can't kill him, do you think he's easy to fool? He can tolerate it, but you can't? Didn't you carefully read the letter that Jia Chuan said he sent to the capital today? Why does the prince need to acknowledge anything now? As long as the officials in the court and the people are convinced, the prince will have to acknowledge it even if he doesn't want to! Lay off once, lay off twice. Except for the guards, the land and estates awarded by the court can be taken back, the annual salary can be reduced, and after a thorough investigation of local taxes, what else do you want to keep?! If the court doesn't want the prince to continue making money from those businesses, you will go to the capital to speak for the prince?!"

Wang Bin took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "The most unbearable thing is to be cut by a knife!"

The study suddenly became quiet.

Wang Bin took a few deep breaths, then turned to Zhu Gaoxu and said, "Your Highness! We all know that the man in the capital is determined to leave his name in history. Furthermore, due to Emperor Taizong's instructions, he dares not force us. However, giving him a handle while we are still unprepared will only weaken your power. Your Highness, please be cautious!"

Zhu Gaoxu had a gloomy face, and Zhu Heng had not yet recovered from the previous shock.

Mei Qing, noticing the uneasy atmosphere, quickly stood up and helped Zhu Heng to his seat. Then, he smoothed things over, saying, "This is all for the sake of His Majesty. Don't let the harmony get in the way. Jia Chuan is a cunning villain. Minister Wang is right to be cautious. It's hard to guard against a villain. It's understandable that Mr. Zhu wants to vent His Majesty's anger..."

"Now is not the time to vent your anger!" Wang Bin said in a deep voice: "Why did he dare to bring the wounded and the dead to the gate of the palace? What did he say along the way that was not true? The people who attacked tonight might have changed their weapons? Can you guarantee that no one will be left alive? Even if Jia Chuan is killed, what will happen? There is no one in the capital to send anymore. Just these few things, after the capital is furious, when the court goes to court, the weapons, bloody clothes, and Zhang Xing will be handed over to the three courts for trial. Then, the prince's apology will only be to ask for dismissal to show his loyalty!"

Zhu Heng reacted, covering his face and saying, "It can be said that Zhang Xing is framing the prince out of resentment..."

"Why can't I explain it to you clearly! When there's someone behind you, black can be said to be white. But if there's no one behind you, you're already black, so who can you expect to clear your name?!"

Zhu Heng stared blankly at Wang Bin, whose eyes were wide open with anger.

Zhu Gaoxu also came to his senses at this moment and canceled the action for that night.

……

Wu Bing was fully prepared and waited all night, but no one from the Prince of Han's mansion showed up, and he felt a little complicated.

Jia Chuan didn't take it seriously. The longer the Prince of Han's Mansion didn't take action, the more it showed that they still had a long way to go before they were ready. He wouldn't be surprised by anything Zhu Gaoxu did, and it didn't matter if he didn't do anything. Just because he kept his composure this time didn't mean he could keep his composure next time. Character is something that is innate and cannot be changed!
Zhu Zhanji will definitely magnify the assassination in the street and talk about it in detail, followed by the matter of the blacksmith shop and the farm outside the city. Don't be impatient!
……

Hao Wen didn't know what happened last night. Seeing that the King of Han agreed to bring back some old grain, he was somewhat relieved. Then, when he heard several people analyzing Jia Chuan's plan for the granary, he couldn't help but wipe his sweat.

He could tell that these people thought Jia Chuan was difficult to deal with, but he had to face him every day. Once Jia Chuan saw some clues, he would be arrested and brought back to the capital and thrown into prison without waiting for the Prince of Han to start a rebellion. If it was the Ministry of Justice prison, it would be okay, but if it was the Jinyiwei prison... Hao Wen thought of the scar on Chen Mo's forehead and couldn't help but shudder.

Coincidentally, Zhu Heng suddenly turned around and asked him, "Is the captain of the Jinyiwei next to Jia Chuan not here today?"

"Yes, I'm following you."

"Follow? He returned to the city?" Zhu Heng asked in surprise.

Wang Bin snorted and said, "You think you can stop us just by placing people at the city gate? The soldiers guarding the city are all ours. We can't even control Le'an, so why can't you just be patient?!"

Zhu Hengjing had lost his arrogance that night. Even Zhu Gaoxu understood what Wang Bin meant. If he continued to be stubborn, he would not be able to attend the next meeting.

After all, Zhu Gaoxu thought that he would be able to ambush Zhu Zhanji halfway. Since Zhu Di suddenly passed away, only a little over a year had passed, and he was indeed not prepared for anything else. Although he was extremely reluctant to swallow this anger, he knew that his eldest nephew in the capital was eyeing Le An after the ambush, and he had to endure it even if he couldn't bear it.

But Zhu Gaoxu still did not give up. He wanted to know more about Jia Chuan and see if there was any other way to make him die suddenly if killing him directly did not work.

However, Hao Wen had just met Jia Chuan and couldn't explain anything at all.

Zhu Gaoxu was a bit irritable again. A sleepless night made him emotionally unstable. He hadn't been able to stop Jia Chuan's men from leaving the city, and he hadn't discovered them in time when they entered the city. When he heard Wang Bin's ruthless words, he was immediately furious. But he didn't know what to do to Wang Bin. He looked at Qian Xun and said, "Go to the provincial government and tell them that I want to see him. Tell him to come quickly! When he comes, make him kneel for a day. His mind will clear up."

Qian Xun was still eating melons on the side, and was suddenly given a task. He was shocked, but he had no choice but to stand up and say "yes". Then he asked: "As for the grain, did you agree to let him transport it back in the next two days?"

"Let him come and talk. Let's delay it for two days, and then give it to him! Then send someone to watch. Anyone who tries to set the fire will be immediately arrested and brought to the palace for strict interrogation! He wants to frame me, so I will help him!"

Qian Xun breathed a sigh of relief. He thought that there must be a reason to call Jia Chuan here. He killed him yesterday, and today he said that you, a new official, had to pay a visit to the prince at the palace. If you didn't come, could he still drag you here by force?
It would be easier to trick people into coming with an excuse. Qian Xun bowed and retreated, thinking that this young man named Jia would definitely not be able to resist the temptation of credit. If he wanted to transport the grain back to the provincial granary, he would naturally have to check the account books to see how much he had transported out and how he planned to transport it back. This matter needed to be discussed. There were some things he could not make the decision on, so he would invite Jia Chuan to the palace to discuss it, so as to avoid the trouble of passing messages back and forth.

Qian Xun thought over and over again on the way to the right words. He was mentally prepared. Jia Chuan dared to make such a big noise yesterday, so he must not be an easy person to deal with. This young man was in a state of anger and would not listen to reason. However, he lacked experience in being an official. Qian Xun felt that as long as he led the way properly, he could control everything.

But when Qian Xun arrived at the provincial government office, he found out that the new judge had gone out to investigate a case and was not in the government office.

(End of this chapter)