The Ming Dynasty's Spokesperson

Governor Zhao had no intention of continuing his private visit incognito. He was so angry that he returned to the temporary residence of Snake King Temple and became bedridden immediately.

However, Governor Zhao still insisted on calling his staff and attachés to the bedside to discuss the situation together.

Everyone knows very well that real big trouble is coming.

After the governor took office, he hurriedly increased taxes and paid taxes. The main motive was actually to win the appreciation of the emperor. After all, the emperor would definitely support all ministers who had the courage to collect taxes.

At the same time, he provoked and intensified the contradiction between the imperial power and the Suzhou local government, forcing Lin Tailai to stand on the opposite side of the imperial power.

As long as this core idea can be implemented, everything else is a trivial matter, even if it is humiliated repeatedly, it will not hurt the foundation.

But now, even in a tea shop at a remote suburban intersection, there are storytellers using the "Blocking of Snake Gate" incident to talk about the Yue governor's hatred of Suzhou, so how could there not be other places?

You don’t need to think about it to know that this public opinion must have spread throughout the city by now! People in Suzhou have always liked to complain about the heavy local taxes, so this kind of conspiracy theory is very popular.

Then the governor's motivation for increasing taxes and making up taxes became a regional conflict and a fight for tax exemptions and reductions for his hometown in Zhejiang.

Damn it if the Emperor could support such a motive!

One of the attachés said angrily: "Lin Tailai is so wantonly inciting regional sentiments and using this method to fight against the imperial envoys. In the long run, he will definitely play with fire and suffer the consequences instead!"

Governor Zhao scolded: "Don't talk about the long-term! What happens in the future has nothing to do with me! Just talk about now! For now!"

After staring at each other for a while, Master Jiang suggested: "This time we are encountering a problem of public opinion, and we can only fight back from the perspective of public opinion.

I have two thoughts in mind. One is to reopen the snake door to avoid being accused by malicious associations; the other is that as the saying goes, justice comes from schools, Dong Weng might as well visit schools in various prefectures and counties to defend himself. "

No one else could come up with any more ideas. Governor Zhao waved his hand and said, "Let's arrange it this way! No one will go to the academy to besiege our academy."

Master Jiang sighed. Although the idea was his, he was not optimistic about it.

In ordinary places, the radius of the county town is only two or three miles, and public opinion can indeed come from the school.

However, in a metropolis like Suzhou, with its large population and prosperous private economy and culture, it is difficult to say how much influence the school can exert on public opinion.

But when faced with the governor's predicament, someone had to stand up and come up with an idea. As an aide, he could only try his best to say something.

Originally, Master Jiang was worried that when the governor visited various prefectures and counties to study, he would be besieged and questioned by the scholars - Suzhou scholars could definitely do such a thing.

But in the end, nothing happened at all. The governor explained and defended himself in three schools. No matter whether he said the tax increase was because of the national treasury deficit or that the snake gate was blocked for safety, no one refuted it.

It was like a formality, no one argued or questioned, it was simply not like the style of Suzhou scholars.

The uneasy Master Jiang went out on his own again and sat in a teahouse with a storyteller for half a day. Sure enough, he heard the storyteller talking about "current affairs" again.

The storyteller sitting on the stage was frothing at the mouth and said: "Reopening the Snake Gate just shows that some people are guilty!

If they really have a clear conscience, how can some people in high positions overturn their original behavior regardless of their face because of a little comment?

Therefore, the act of reopening the Snake Gate is just a subconscious whitewashing action by some people after their malicious intentions are revealed! It can be said that it is trying to hide something!

Also, no matter how hypocritical some people are, they still want us to increase taxes and make up taxes! "

The more Mr. Jiang listened, the more depressed he became. The biggest problem now was not actually being "rumored", but that the way of public opinion was completely in the hands of the other party.

No matter how one side tries to clear its name, the other side can distort and attack at will.

If you block the Snake Gate, you will say that you are imitating Gou Jian's malicious intentions; if you open the Snake Gate, you will say that it is a concealment of a guilty conscience, so how can you fight back?

Returning to the temporary residence of the governor at the Snake King Temple, Master Jiang helplessly advised Governor Zhao: "Don Weng might as well cut off his strength and stop all tax increases and tax repayments."

Governor Zhao questioned: "Such a major matter can be stopped at any time. In the eyes of others, wouldn't the governor's decree become child's play?

Then what’s the point of being entrusted by our colleagues to be the governor? "

Other attendants nearby also said: "Even if we stop now, will Lin Tailai be able to forget the past?"

Master Jiang was speechless in answering these doubts, but how could there be a perfect solution now?

At this moment, another attaché rushed in and reported to Governor Zhao: "Sun Long, the weaving eunuch, has ordered that the allocation of Hangzhou's weaving industry be halved!"

Governor Zhao said in shock: "Is he crazy?"

The full name of Sun Long, the weaving eunuch, is actually the weaving eunuch of Suzhou and Hangzhou, which covers not only Suzhou but also Hangzhou.

But under normal circumstances, weaving eunuchs like Sun Long were based in Suzhou because the weaving industry was more developed here.

The basic amount that needs to be turned over to the palace every year, except for a small part that relies on the Weaving Bureau's own hundreds of looms that have been in disrepair, the rest has to be apportioned to the weaving industry.

Anyone with any brains can imagine that Eunuch Sun is in charge of Suzhou and Hangzhou. If the apportionment of the Hangzhou textile industry is halved, then the shortfall will have to be allocated from Suzhou!

Doesn't this approach completely fit in with the rumors of "Suzhou increasing taxes and Zhejiang reducing taxes"?

In other words, it confirms the governor's governance ideas from the side?

There was silence in the room, only Master Jiang murmured to himself: "It's over! Everything is over!"

Except for these few people in the Procuratorate, from the garrison department to the weaving eunuchs, all the forces seemed to be secretly listening to Lin Tailai. What a joke!

At this time, Lin Tailai, who was on the western inspection tour, had already inspected the Taihu boathouses, Mudu branch, and the industrial park, and was inspecting Hengtang Town.

After walking around Hengtang College, he asked Gao Changjiang, the executive vice president: "Where is Mr. Li Zhuowu?"

Li Zhi, who was brought back from Hubei, has been officially placed at Hengtang College.

Gao Changjiang replied: "It seems that he went fishing by the river."

Lin Daguan then said: "He is also a well-known scholar after all. I will go and see him."

A group of people strolled to the bank of Xujiang River, and saw Li Zhi with his hands in his sleeves, looking at something.

Lin Tailai stood next to Li Zhi and took a look. Wasn't there an old man fishing in front of him?

Then he asked strangely: "What is there to see?"

Li Zhi raised his hand, gestured and said, "Does the picture in front of me look like a picture of fishing alone on the Autumn River?

In this late autumn, this old fisherman exudes such a lonely and lonely temperament, which can resonate with me even dozens of steps away.

Suzhou is worthy of being the hometown of prosperous humanities, and poetry and painting can be seen everywhere. "

Lin Tailai couldn't help but fell into philosophical thinking. In daily life, is literary youth a disease?

Gao Changjiang greeted the old fishing man, but the old fishing man turned his head to look this way, then turned back indifferently and ignored him.

Li Zhi sighed: "To be able to ignore the powerful is really the style of a master and a hermit!"

Gao Changjiang couldn't help but said: "Mr. Zhuo Wu! That old fishing man is the supreme leader of the largest society in the south of the Yangtze River, the leader of the New Wu Alliance and the leader of the Anle Hall!"

Li Zhi was surprised again: "Sure enough, he is not an ordinary person!"

Lin Tailai and Gao Changjiang: "."

That night we had dinner together at the Lin Family Courtyard in Hengtang Town. During the dinner, Li Zhi talked about the latest situation and said:

"Jiu Yuanjun inflames regional sentiments and incites and intensifies local people's dissatisfaction with taxes. He will easily burn himself in the future."

Lin Tailai asked knowingly: "What do you mean?"

Li Zhi added: "As an extreme example, if the north suffers a large-scale disaster or is invaded by enemy invaders in the future, Jiangnan will need strong support.

And what should we do if the gentry and common people in Jiangnan are unwilling to contribute money, effort and food after years of instigation? "

Lin Tailai said with a sarcastic sneer: "It seems as if those wealthy locals would be willing to contribute money and effort without me."

Li Zhi was surprised: "So you can see this?"

Lin Tailai replied: "That's why I try my best to concentrate Jiangnan's wealth and industry in my own hands. If anything happens, as long as I can make the most correct decision."

Li Zhi almost asked, what if you don't want to be right? However, some questions have no answers, and asking them is in vain.

Lin Tailai felt this and sighed for the second time in his life: "It is only in the Spring and Autumn Period that you know that I have sinned against you."

Gao Changjiang asked: "The first phase of public opinion work has been carried out smoothly. Can we launch a grain resistance campaign next?"

Lin Tailai took out the map, considered it for a moment, pointed to the east and said: "The article about Suzhou must start from Songjiang!"

Then he added: "Launching a grain resistance in Suzhou will easily make sensitive Suzhou people like me and the first assistant passive, so let's let the Songjiang Prefecture take action!

It is estimated that the life of the chief minister has been difficult recently and he will step down if things go wrong, so don't cause him any more trouble. "

Although Li Zhi had extreme ideas and views, he was not a hermit who was indifferent to worldly affairs and was very interested in all kinds of political gossip.

Hearing this, he quickly asked curiously: "What's wrong with Shen Wumen, the first assistant? Why is it so difficult?"

"Because of His Majesty's promise to establish a crown prince during the Winter Solstice! And now it's only half a month until the Winter Solstice!" Lin Tailai said.

Indeed, as Lin Tailai expected, since Lin left Beijing, the court, which had been quiet for two months, began to be turbulent again.

Originally, under the warnings from Henan and Huguang, the Qingliu Party members wanted to recuperate.

But the winter solstice is getting closer and closer. If the Qingliu Party members don't show any expression at all about the East Palace issue, then the "political persona" they have established will completely collapse.

Therefore, the Qingliu Party had no choice but to take action. On the one hand, they sent several death squads to serve as cannon fodder, and wrote a letter to express their remonstrance and request the appointment of a governor.

On the other hand, there was a strong push against Luo Wanhua, the Minister of Rites, who had just taken office for two months, forcing Luo Wanhua to take the lead in taking a stand against the reserve issue.

However, Luo Wanhua himself was not a smooth character. After being shunned by public opinion, he immediately formally submitted a letter as the Minister of Rites, explicitly requesting the emperor to appoint the emperor's eldest son as the East Palace.

Emperor Wanli was furious after seeing the memorial and ordered the dismissal of Luo Wanhua, the Minister of Rites. The decree was first sent to the cabinet.

At this time, the first assistant Shen Shixing took leave to recuperate at home due to poor health. The daily work of the cabinet was presided over by the second assistant Wang Xijue, a wise man.