Shortly after noon, Doctor Jia returned to Taicang from outside and went straight to Zhang Guanku's office with a serious face.
Soon, all the important officials in Taicang were called into the room by Zhang Guanku.
After hearing the news brought by Doctor Jia, the people in Taicang opened their mouths in surprise, somewhat unable to believe it.
According to their previous speculation, the people from the East Factory were here to monitor Zhu Ping'an and prevent him from escaping like other officials from the Taicang Inspection Team. But unexpectedly, Zhu Ping'an went to great lengths to ask for the people from the East Factory!
This upside-down contrast shocked everyone in Taicang and made them think a lot.
"Zhu Ping'an must have had his head caught in the door, so he actually went to Xiyuan to ask the East Factory to monitor him?!"
"Why did he go through all this trouble?!"
"Could it be that Zhu Ping'an deliberately asked the people from the East Factory to participate in the inspection, so that he could guarantee that even if there were problems in the future, he would be able to stay out of trouble with the East Factory's proof?"
"Could it be that this guy really found out something and went to Xiyuan to ask the people from the East Factory to protect the account books in order to avoid any accidents?"
"Impossible, how could Zhu Ping'an find the problem? Our Taicang account books were all made by 'Ghost Hand Zhang' and his men. The accountants in the entire capital city have been checking for months and couldn't find any problems. How could a young boy who can't even use an abacus find the problem in just one day yesterday? Impossible, absolutely impossible."
"Could it be that Zhu Ping'an is just being mysterious? He wants to get some benefits from us?"
"Yes, I think what Mr. Zhang said makes sense. A poor countryman takes the imperial examination to become an official, isn't it for wealth and glory? Zhu Ping'an does this, haha, he has a big appetite..."
Everyone in Taicang expressed their own opinions and there were disagreements, but many people expressed vigilance, suspicion and concern about Zhu Ping'an's abnormal behavior.
"If you ask me, if we want to have a long night without any trouble, we might as well go all out and just kill Zhu Ping'an..." Doctor Zhao was a ruthless man. He said with a ferocious face, stretched out two fingers and made a throat-cutting gesture on his neck.
"No, no, it's bloody... Besides, how can we kill him with the people from the East Factory guarding us? Moreover, if Zhu Ping'an is killed in Taicang, we will be in big trouble. But if he is outside Taicang, Zhu Ping'an is obviously prepared. He always has two guards following him closely. These two guards are not simple. When they were waiting for Zhu Ping'an outside, they started fighting with several soldiers from the Shenji Camp. The soldiers from the Shenji Camp were not even a match for them in three rounds."
As soon as Doctor Zhao finished speaking, a treasurer from Taicang expressed his opposition. He had witnessed with his own eyes the scene of Liu Dadao and Liu Mu fighting with the soldiers of the Shenji Camp, and knew that Liu Mu and Liu Dadao were very skilled.
The Shenji Camp is the elite among the elite of the Ming Dynasty. Even the well-trained soldiers of the Shenji Camp were easily defeated by Liu Mu and Liu Dadao. Four or five ordinary people could not get close to Liu Mu and Liu Dadao at all. If the assassination of more than ten people is excluded, it would be a small battle. This is within the sphere of influence of the capital. With such a big commotion under the feet of the emperor, it will definitely be discovered even if it is concealed carefully.
"Haha, what if he's poisoned? Zhu Ping'an is the reincarnation of a glutton. Last time, he almost licked the plate of stewed chicken. Man is made of iron and rice is made of steel. Zhu Ping'an can't possibly not eat. With his appearance of a starving pig reincarnated, if you cook him a few delicious dishes with some ingredients, he'll definitely die."
An official from Taicang who was on good terms with Doctor Zhao suggested poisoning Zhu Ping'an.
"Stop it. The food we sent from Taicang poisoned Zhu Ping'an. How can we escape responsibility? No, no..."
After hearing this, everyone in Taicang shook their heads, thinking that this man's suggestion was even less reliable than Doctor Zhao's.
"Of course I thought of this, but what if the one who poisoned Zhu Ping'an was a chef in Taicang who had an old grudge against Zhu Ping'an. The first meal Zhu Ping'an had when he came to Taicang was the one cooked by this chef. Zhu Ping'an disliked the food and called the chef to curse him, which made the chef hate Zhu Ping'an very much. In addition, the most crucial point is that Zhu Ping'an took advantage of his power to bully others and robbed the chef's concubine, so the chef didn't stop and poisoned Zhu Ping'an to death. Haha, the motive, witnesses and material evidence are all complete. This is a personal grudge between Zhu Ping'an and the chef. What does it have to do with us in Taicang?"
The official who had just made the suggestion curled his lips slightly, a confident smile spread across his face, and he continued with his suggestion without haste.
"Really? When did Zhu Ping'an have such a big conflict with our cook? How come I didn't know about it? Didn't he say the food was delicious last time?" someone asked in surprise.
"Haha, I don't know either, but that's not the point. The point is that after Zhu Ping'an is poisoned, whatever the cook says will be the truth. There will be no evidence after death, haha..." The official who made the suggestion smiled confidently.
As long as they can afford enough money, they can find not only one cook but even ten cooks as a substitute.
"Well, I think so."
"Although it's a bit unfair, he didn't take the road to heaven, but walked into hell. If you want to blame someone, blame him for getting involved in this mess. He took this step himself."
"Don't let my friends die..."
Many people expressed their agreement with the official's proposal just now.
But the next second, Liu Siku's words made everyone give up this idea.
"It won't work." Siku Liu looked at the official who made the suggestion and shook his head.
"Why?" the official asked.
"In the morning, Lord Zhang asked me to keep an eye on Zhu Ping'an. I was lying on the back window of a room not far opposite Zhu Ping'an and watched him. Zhu Ping'an was very cautious. He didn't touch anything we sent to Taicang, including tea, snacks, food, etc. He didn't touch a single bite. It seemed like he had been on guard against us for a long time." Siku Liu shook his head and said.
After Secretary Liu finished speaking, Lord Zhang, who had proposed poisoning Zhu Ping'an, sighed and gave up.
"If you ask me, this kind of fighting and killing is the worst option. Whether Zhu Ping'an can find out the problem is another matter, but killing an official appointed by the imperial court is undoubtedly a serious crime, and it will definitely be investigated. Even if there is evidence and can prove that it has nothing to do with us in Taicang, we will still be the first one to be suspected!"
"I think so too. Zhu Ping'an went through so much trouble just to seek wealth and promotion. He is a poor country man. If we can get a little bit of money from him, it will be a huge fortune for him. By then, we will have the leverage over him, and he will become a dog we keep..."
"Yeah, that makes sense..."
The discussion among the people in Taicang gradually changed from eliminating dissidents to inducing assimilation, and then gradually gained a consensus.