Zhang Guanku, Jia Langzhong, Zhao Langzhong and others from Taicang and Gaocang arrived at Taicang at the exact time, chatting and laughing.
After Zhu Ping'an left yesterday afternoon, they went to the room where Zhu Ping'an checked the accounts and looked through it carefully. They found that the results of Zhu Ping'an's audit, the Toad Inspector, except for the picture of the toad squatting on the lotus leaf yesterday afternoon, there was only a blank piece of rice paper with the four characters "甲", "乙", "丙" and "丁" written on it.
So, they went to Jinfeng Tower last night and spent a relaxing night there. They had breakfast there again this morning before returning to Taicang leisurely.
After returning to Taicang, Zhang Guanku and others were told that Zhu Pingan had come to Taicang early this morning. Zhang Guanku and others did not take it seriously. He came early, so what does it matter if he came early or late? It's just like drawing a toad and writing A, B, C, and D.
"What's going on? Why are people from the East Factory here too?"
However, when they learned that people from the East Factory had also entered Taicang and were on duty in the courtyard where Zhu Ping'an was checking the accounts, Zhang Guanku and others immediately became restless.
The group hurried to the yard where Zhu Ping'an was checking the accounts.
"Stop now!"
Zhang Guanku and others had just walked to the outside of the yard where Zhu Ping'an was checking the accounts, and before they reached Zhu Ping'an's room, they were stopped by someone with an expressionless face.
"Don't you know us? We are officials from Taicang. We are here to see how Lord Zhu's accounts are going." Doctor Zhao stepped forward and said.
“Stop!!”
The Dongchang guard who was standing in front of them spoke again in a cold voice, and stretched out his hand to pull out a piece of his sword, and a part of the blade reflected a dazzling light.
Doctor Zhao got furious when he heard that. He was a doctor, but he was actually scolded by a low-level Dongchang man. How dare you be so ambitious!
This is intolerable. Seeing that Doctor Zhao was about to explode, Doctor Jia reached out and held him back in time.
"Haha... This is really a flood that has washed away the Dragon King Temple. This is Zhang Guanku from Taicang. We are all officials from Taicang. Please let me come in and pay my respects to your superiors."
After Doctor Jia stopped Doctor Zhao, he smiled and walked up to him and introduced himself to the Dongchang guard who was blocking his way. He then held a red envelope in his backhand and stuffed it into the guard's hand without leaving any trace.
The "clerks" mentioned by Doctor Jia are different from the "clerks" we have today. It is a name for the men of the East Factory.
The highest official of the East Factory was called the Factory Master, the Supervisor, or the Factory Supervisor. They were usually from the eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department. Their full name was "The Imperial Commissioner General of the East Factory, the Eunuch in Charge of the Schools", or simply the Superintendent of the East Factory. Under the Factory Master, there were more than 40 people including the Supervisor, the Foreman, and the Office Manager, who were divided into twelve groups: Zi, Chou, Yin, and Mao. Below them were the Chief of Staff and the Guardian, who were responsible for the investigation. The Chief of Staff was equivalent to the team leader, also called the "File Head", and there were more than 100 people in total, also divided into twelve groups: Zi, Chou, Yin, and Mao. The File Head commanded several Guardians, who were the most basic personnel of the East Factory, called "Fanzi", or "Ganshi".
"I am on duty under the order of the emperor. Except for the inspectors of the Taicang Silver Treasury, no other people are allowed to approach." The Dongchang foreign official on duty glanced at Doctor Jia, put one hand on his sword, ignored the red envelope handed to him by Doctor Jia, and said expressionlessly, without any intention of compromise.
Doctor Jia's hand that was handing over the red envelope froze there, he chuckled dryly a few times, and then took it back.
"Please invite your superior here. I am an old friend of Captain Liu from your East Factory. Perhaps your superior also knows me."
Zhang Guanku, who had been silent all this time, stepped forward and spoke, his voice carrying the bearing of a superior.
As soon as Zhang Guanku finished speaking, before the report was made, Zhang Guyi, a captain of the Eastern Depot, slowly walked out from the yard. The black cloak behind him fluttered without wind, and the long sword in the scarlet scabbard on the left side of his waist did not sway at his hip, as if it was fixed at his waist.
When Zhang Guanku and Jia Langzhong caught a glimpse of Zhang Guyi from afar, their faces turned pale and they cursed in their hearts why the Eastern Depot sent this person.
"Eh? Who is this young lady with a sword?"
Doctor Zhao glanced at Captain Zhang and his eyes suddenly lit up. He couldn't help but whisper to Doctor Jia.
"Fuck, you're courting death, that's the Bloody Sword of the East Factory!"
Upon hearing this, Doctor Jia's face changed drastically, as if he had seen a flood or a ferocious beast. He immediately reached out and pressed Doctor Zhao's mouth, wishing he could sew Doctor Zhao's mouth shut with needle and thread.
Upon hearing this, Doctor Zhao's face turned pale and he took a step back... Fortunately, fortunately, the distance is still far, so they shouldn't be able to hear it... Doctor Zhao comforted himself in his heart.
Zhang Guyi, the Bloody Sword, seemed to have super hearing. He glanced at Doctor Zhao from afar and smiled femininely.
This smile frightened Doctor Zhao so much that his anus tightened, cold sweat broke out on his back, and he almost had urinary incontinence.
Zhang Guyi, the Bloody Sword, is one of the most famous executioners in the Eastern Depot. He got the name of the Bloody Sword because of his notoriety for killing people with the sword in his hand. The so-called Bloody Sword means that whenever Zhang Guyi's sword is unsheathed, blood will drip without exception.
Zhang Guyi had three "don'ts" when killing people. The so-called "three don'ts" did not mean not to kill people, but to kill people regardless of good or bad, status, gender, age or status… There were at least eighty high-ranking officials and dignitaries who died at his hands, if not a hundred.
The Blood Sword was well-known in the East Factory for his viciousness. He had superb killing skills. It was said that he could peel off a whole human skin. It was also said that he could torture a prisoner with more than 3,600 cuts, up to 3,800 cuts, and the prisoner would still be breathing...
Eight years ago, during the Renyin Palace Incident, Yang Jinying and other maidservants attempted to murder Emperor Jiajing but failed. They were arrested and Yang Jinying, Yang Lianxiang and other 16 maidservants were all executed by slow slicing regardless of whether they were the mastermind or the accomplices. The main executioner of the chief criminal Yang Jinying was the young Bloody Sword…
There are also rumors that the favorite concubines Cao Duanfei and Wang Ningpin, who were implicated in the Renyin Palace Coup, were summoned to the palace by Empress Fang and executed by slow slicing with the Bloody Sword. However, this is, after all, a palace matter, a secret, and cannot be confirmed.
But no matter what, the reputation of the Bloody Sword is real. In the capital, the three words "Bloody Sword" can stop children from crying at night.
Therefore, seeing the bloody sword made the officials from Taicang feel frightened and fearful.
"Hehehe, I'm Zhang Guyi, a captain from the East Factory, meeting you all. I've been ordered to assist in the audit of Taicang's account books. Except for the auditors, no outsiders are allowed to get close to the account books. I wonder if you all have any objections to this?" Zhang Guyi, the Bloody Sword, walked closer and asked with a feminine smile, his eyes scanning Taicang Zhang Guanku and others one by one.
It would have been better if the Blood Sword didn't smile, but when it smiled softly, Jia Langzhong and the others felt even more panicked.
"No, no, ahem... We just came to see if there is anything that requires our cooperation in Taicang."
After hearing this, Doctor Jia and others coughed, shook their heads, and replied with an apologetic smile.