After listening to Qi Da's words, Pi Gan could only smile bitterly. Of course, he knew that what Qi Da said was the truth. His injuries were very serious. He had been slashed several times. If the wound got infected, it would take his life.
Qi Da glanced at the subordinate who was stitching up Pi Gan and asked, "Did you think of anyone who wanted to harm you?"
Pi Gan shook his head and smiled wryly. "We have too many enemies. Who knows who did it?"
When the inner factory was first established, they had fought with many people in various places. Hoodlums, bandits, bandits, and fighting to gather intelligence were common occurrences.
Who knew if someone had recognized him and specifically came to find trouble with him?
Qi Da shook his head. "I don't think so. These people are very professional, but not very professional."
They were professional because they specialized in killing. They were dedicated suicide warriors. Even after so many people had died, they didn't retreat and even had the courage to commit suicide. This kind of person was hard to find.
They weren't professional because they weren't professional when it came to assassinations.
If the inner factory had done this, it definitely wouldn't have ended up like this.
"Sir, what do you mean?" Pi Gan looked at Qi Da and asked with some hesitation.
"These people seem more like suicide warriors raised by large families. This blade is not bad."
Qi Da flicked the blade and smiled. "These people should be people you offended after you became the tax bureau, but it's hard to say who did it."
Pi Gan thought for a moment and said, "Jinan's aristocrats, could it be the Chai family?"
Of all the officials and aristocrats in Jinan, the Chai family was the most suspicious. He had given them the highest fine.
If they were death warriors raised by large families, then the Chai family was the most likely.
One had to know that raising death warriors was the most costly. Death warriors were not something that could be easily tricked.
You had to pay them enough. Including the resettlement and death compensation, it was all a lot of money.
"Doesn't look like it!"
Qi Da shook his head again. "Although the Chai family suffered heavy losses this time and was fined a hundred thousand taels, for a large family like the Chai family, it's not a serious injury. At most, it's just a superficial wound."
"There are many people in the Chai family who are officials outside. The eldest one is even a political commissioner."
"Killing an official of the imperial court for money is something a fugitive would do. It's definitely not something a family like the Chai family would do.
Even if I wanted to kill you, I don't think I would use such a method. "Qi Da suddenly laughed.
"Forget it, this has nothing to do with us. We came here to save your life."
"Someone will definitely take care of your assassination, but don't worry, I'll send someone to investigate in secret."
Pi Gan still wanted to say something, but suddenly there were people shouting and horses neighing outside. Following that, many people came over.
The one in the lead was the Deputy Wang Yongji of the Tax Department. At this moment, Wang Yongji's good mood had been completely swept away, and his entire person was filled with a murderous aura.
Daming an official was a person of high status. Assassinating an official in the middle of the street was absolutely not allowed.
Once such a thing happened, it would definitely be resisted by all the officials. Otherwise, if they killed him today, who knew if it would be their turn tomorrow?
Fighting to the death in the officialdom would eventually lead to a dismissal, never to return home. That was the limit.
The current Daming officialdom still had a bottom line. Only after the Donglin faction and the eunuch faction did this bottom line vanish.
Of course, at that time, it wouldn't be a simple civil official fight either. Even when there was no bottom line, it was still a matter of the officialdom. Impeachment was the mainstream method, not assassination.
The matter in Jinan made Wang Yongji very happy. He could finally relax these past two days. Who would've thought something like this would happen at this time?
Wang Yongji walked up to Pi Gan and lowered his body. "Do you know who did it?"
Pi Gan shook his head with a wry smile. "Milord, this lowly official has no clue at the moment."
Gently nodding his head, Wang Yongji extended his hand and patted Pi Gan. In a deep voice, he said, "Don't worry, I will definitely give you an explanation for this matter!" As he spoke, he stood up and looked at Qi Da.
"The steward of the Shandong Internal Works greets Milord Wang!" Qi Da saw Wang Yongji looking at him and hurriedly cupped his fists.
Wang Yongji nodded and said, "Steward Qi, can you tell me what's going on?"
Qi Da nodded. He explained the ins and outs of the matter, then said, "Milord Wang, we're only here to rescue someone. I'll leave the rest to you. If there's anything you can use the Internal Works for, please don't hesitate to ask."
Nodding, Wang Yongji didn't argue. He didn't know if he'd need to use the Internal Works in the future, so he said, "Alright, I'll remember it."
Just as Qi Da was about to turn and leave, Pi Gan suddenly called out to him. "Milord, did you see any archers outside when you arrived?"
Qi Da shook his head. "No, they probably ran when they saw the situation wasn't good."
Hearing this, Xing Shangzhi was instantly excited. He looked at Wang Yongji and said, "Milord Wang, I'll lead some people to chase after them!"
In reality, among the people who'd come to Shandong, the one who was the most depressed was Xing Shangzhi.
He'd originally come with the mentality of performing a meritorious deed. A few days ago, when the Shandong gentry had caused a ruckus, he'd been quite excited. But who knew that he'd be terrified after a few days?
Xing Shangzhi's originally good mood instantly soured. He sighed in his heart.
But now that something like this had happened, Xing Shangzhi was instantly excited. Assassinating an official of the imperial court in the middle of the street, and at such a crucial time to assassinate someone from the Tax Department, this was openly opposing the imperial court!
Xing Shangzhi felt that his chance had come. He looked at Wang Yongji with anticipation.
Wang Yongji shook his head. He didn't really want to let Xing Shangzhi go at this time.
In order to perform a meritorious deed, Xing Shangzhi would definitely lock down the entire city.
He and the gentry had just gotten into an argument over collecting taxes. If this happened in the entire city, it would definitely cause a lot of people to panic.
The Imperial Bodyguard acted unscrupulously. If someone seized the opportunity to sow discord, then the good situation in Jinan Prefecture would disappear.
Glancing at the excited Xing Shangzhi, Wang Yongji said directly, "Milord Xing, you can take them to arrest them, but you're not allowed to disturb the people. You're not allowed to directly rush into the homes of the people. If you find anything, you have to report to me immediately."
"Milord Wang, just watch!" Xing Shangzhi laughed and said, "Children, it's time to work!"
This time, Xing Shangzhi naturally brought a lot of Imperial Bodyguard experts with him. There were experienced coroners, experts who were good at finding traces, and even a few experts who were proficient in solving cases. Following Xing Shangzhi's words, the Imperial Bodyguard quickly moved into action.
There were autopsies, checking the murder weapon, and checking traces in an orderly manner.
Xing Shangzhi led the Imperial Bodyguard in a certain direction under the lead of the people who were looking for traces.
Such a big incident in Jinan Prefecture naturally couldn't be kept under wraps. For a moment, the entire Jinan Prefecture was in a state of panic.
The gentry's heads were spinning, especially the gentry who had been urged to pay the fine by Pi Gan. At this time, they were even more suspicious!
The Chai family was in chaos. Chai?
Not daring to hesitate in the slightest, he urged his men to quickly gather the fine silver and sent it to the Tax Department that very morning.
The other gentry's actions were also very fast. Before noon, they had all paid up.
The people from the Shandong Governor's Office and Jinan Prefecture's Office were also shocked. If they had been trembling with fear before, then now they were really scared to death.
Inside the Governor's Office, the Shandong Governor's Office, the Shandong Disciplinary Commissioner, the Jinan Prefect, and all the other officials were gathered together.
Even Wang Zongmu, who was pretending to be sick, came out.
If he pretended to be sick at this time, then he would really be pretending to be an idiot.
Wang Zongmu hadn't been afraid before, but now he couldn't.
In Shandong, which was under his rule, in the provincial capital, such a vicious assassination of a court official had actually happened. This was much more serious than a normal murder case.
It was obvious that he didn't manage his subordinates well. At this critical time, it was really fatal.
Especially the Jinan Prefect, You Yi. His face was as pale as a sheet, and he looked panicked.
As the provincial capital's magistrate, You Yi naturally knew that he was the best scapegoat. This kind of thing had happened in Jinan Prefecture, so he was definitely the first person to take responsibility.
If this matter wasn't resolved well, then it would be very troublesome.
Seeing that everyone was seated, Wang Zongmu said directly, "Everyone has heard about this matter, right?"
Seeing that everyone had nodded in agreement, Wang Zongmu continued, "Then I won't repeat it. What I want to say is that this is definitely a big matter, a matter that has shamed Shandong. If this matter isn't handled well, everyone here, including me, will suffer this time.
"Therefore, my fellow colleagues, now is the time for us to cross the river together.
"Prefect You, have your people search the entire city. The people from the Governor's office will also cooperate with you. No matter what, you must find the person, even if you have to dig three feet into the ground.
I don't need to explain the importance of this matter. Prefect You should understand. "
You Yi hurriedly stood and said, "Don't worry, Governor. I understand. After I return, I will immediately arrange for people to start investigating."
This was a responsibility that You Yi couldn't avoid. If they could find the person, then everything would be fine. If they couldn't, then You Yi would probably be held responsible.
There was no way You Yi wouldn't go all out. Assassinating an official of the court was a traitor, a rebel!
"Everyone else, keep to your duties. You must ensure that Jinan Prefecture does not fall into chaos and that the market is stable.
"Anyone who dares to hoard and start rumors will be severely punished!"
"In a moment, I will be going to the imperial envoy's residence to visit Deputy Pi. You all come with me and listen to what the imperial envoy has to say."
Wang Zongmu swept his solemn gaze over everyone and said in a low voice, "If you cause any trouble at this time, I definitely won't be polite."
Everyone hurriedly stood and said, "We will obey the Lord's orders!"
Wang Zongmu nodded and said in a low voice, "Alright, go back to your work!"