Daming talker

Chapter 646 The Eunuch Calling the Door

As a glorious old district with a tradition of civil uprisings, Lin Daguanren was not the only one who could organize civil uprisings in Suzhou City.

The Suzhou Weaving Association was also very powerful, as evidenced by the frequent weavers' riots in history.

In the past, Mr. Lin was very keen on organizing civil uprisings because he could use them to gain benefits.

But now Mr. Lin does not like civil unrest because it will harm his interests.

Although the Dongcheng weavers' uprising was not organized by Mr. Lin, and even had little direct relationship with him, it still indirectly affected him.

After all, in today's Suzhou City, especially in the social and economic fields, it seems that everything can be related to Mr. Lin.

Take the Dongcheng silk weaving industry, for example. It is still controlled by the Weaving Industry Office and is different from Mr. Lin’s Xujiang South Bank Industrial Park.

However, taxes and salary benefits are common and circulated. If the conditions in the industrial park are not as good as those in Dongcheng, those small machine owners and weavers may have to leave the industrial park and run back to the city.

So when he heard that the Dongcheng weavers were organizing a protest, Lin Tailai decided to send people to the scene to monitor and take countermeasures based on the specific situation.

At the same time, he said to everyone present: "Do you have any other suggestions? If not, let's adjourn this meeting first!"

But Zhou Daodeng suddenly reminded him, "With your prestige, you can divert the trouble by telling a lie."

"Lies?" Lin Tailai seemed to be thinking about something.

Gao Changjiang felt a huge threat and jumped out to scold Zhou Daodeng: "What lies? We only speak the truth!"

Lin Tailai came back to his senses and said, "That's right! What I said is the truth!"

Later, Mr. Lin changed his mind and led the team to observe the weavers' riot in Dongcheng.

After leaving home, Mr. Lin went directly to Xuanmiao Temple in the north of the city.

Everyone in the city who knows the business knows that weavers’ strikes, riots and other activities are usually organized and gathered here.

When Mr. Lin hurried over, he saw that there were already one or two thousand people gathered near Xuanmiao Temple.

There was a man in his thirties, standing on a high place, saying something passionately.

Lin Tailai smiled when he saw it, pointed at the man who was giving a speech, and said to his left and right: "Isn't this General Ge?"

It was Ge Cheng, the "God of Strike and Tax Resistance" and weaver leader who left several marks in history and was later commemorated by the people of Suzhou by building a temple.

Under the protection of more than 200 servants, Mr. Lin squeezed his way to the stage from the back of the crowd. His tall and strong figure and his large number of people made him very eye-catching.

When the weavers' leader Ge Cheng saw Mr. Lin coming over to join in the fun, his heart skipped a beat!
He recalled the strike three years ago and the experience of being teased by Mr. Lin.

This time the governor wants to increase taxes, and he organized the weaver brothers in Dongcheng to resist the taxes. It seems that it has nothing to do with you, Mr. Lin. Why are you coming here, Mr. Lin?
Do you want to sabotage this anti-tax strike and be criticized by your fellow villagers?

Lin Tailai jumped onto the platform with one big step, and Ge Cheng, with a shadow in his heart, subconsciously took two steps back.

"Don't be nervous!" Lin Tailai showed an approachable smile, "I am also a member of the textile industry, of course I am here to support you!"

"Does the great lord really support us?" Ge Cheng asked uncertainly.

Lin Tailai replied very confidently: "If I say I support you, I mean I support you. Suzhou people don't lie to Suzhou people."

Then he asked Ge Cheng: "I wonder what you are going to do next?"

There was nothing to hide. Ge Cheng said, "We will work together to petition the Procuratorate to withdraw the tax increase order."

Lin Tailai frowned and sighed deeply, "But don't you find it strange?

In the past, the levies and tax increases on the textile industry were usually done by the weaving eunuchs, and the governors-general were mostly concerned about their reputation and rarely got involved.

But this time the governor went straight to the scene. Don’t you find it strange?”

This question really stumped Ge Cheng. How could he know why?
Lin Tailai said with pity: "I really pity you common people. You are always ignorant of the inside story and the truth, and are always fooled by those powerful people!"

Ge Cheng: “.”

If someone else said this in front of one or two thousand people, he would easily get beaten, you know?
But Ge Cheng still tried to ask: "Is there something else going on?"

Lin Tailai replied: "As the saying goes, every wrong has its perpetrator, but I didn't expect you couldn't even find the perpetrator of the tax protest."

Ge Cheng then asked: "Sir, can you tell me who the real culprit is?"

Lin Tailai patted Ge Cheng on the shoulder and said, "I can't bear to see my fellow villagers being fooled by foreign officials!

If you believe me, you should go to the Textile Bureau to protest against taxation, not the heavily guarded Provincial Inspection Office!"

Ge Cheng kept thinking carefully in his heart, what does Mr. Lin mean by this?
At the same time, Ge Cheng looked at his fellow workers around him and hesitated for a moment.

Changing the original plan requires great determination and is not an easy decision.

But considering Mr. Lin's prestige and status, he wouldn't come here specifically to trick a small person like him, right?

Lin Tailai waited for a while, then added: "If you are still worried, I will go to the Weaving Bureau and petition for you!"

Ge Cheng called dozens of key relatives and friends aside to discuss the matter. Someone said, "I heard that the governor's office has a strong army and many personal soldiers. I'm afraid there may be danger.

It is safer to go to the weaving bureau with Mr. Lin. After all, Mr. Lin is a native of our town and will not harm us."

Seeing the attitude of his relatives and friends, Ge Cheng had nothing to say, so he stood on the stage again and called on his fellow workers to go to the Weaving Bureau to petition again.

Today the weavers gathered to cause trouble, and all the government offices in the city knew the news, but most of them were just on guard and wanted to watch the fun, because most of the government offices were not responsible.

Only the Governor's Office was on high alert, with all 1,000 soldiers and officers on duty, and another 1,000 men were drawn from the local garrison camp to guard the outer streets.

Although we don't expect these local government troops to play a big role, they can serve as a buffer.

The weaving eunuch Sun Long was sitting in the weaving bureau office, drinking tea and chatting with his attendants.

"If I wasn't afraid of being implicated, I would really like to go and watch the fun." Eunuch Sun said unwillingly.

As a traditional villain in Suzhou's weaving industry, he was always the one who watched the weavers make trouble. Today, it was finally his turn to watch others make trouble.

Sometimes, Eunuch Sun couldn't understand why adding five cents of tax silver per loom a year was too much? They still wanted to protest against the tax! His attendants tried to persuade them. Whenever weavers protested against the tax, the eunuchs could usually run away, but their lackeys were a high-risk group with a high casualty rate!

It's not easy for someone else to take the brunt of the textile industry's tax this year, so we should just keep quiet here!

Before he had finished his cup of tea, a long-servant came crawling in and shouted to Eunuch Sun, "That great official Lin is coming to the weaving bureau with two thousand weavers!"

Eunuch Sun: “???”

What the hell is this plot? It was the governor who raised taxes, why is it targeting me?
The attendants on both sides jumped up immediately and shouted, "Close the door! Close the door! All officers, gather! Gather! Only block the door! Do not attack Mr. Lin!"

Someone else shouted, "Go and invite Third Master Lin! We have a good relationship with Third Master Lin!"

The Weaving Bureau was unprepared and in a hurry, there was chaos and confusion.

Looking at the tightly closed door of the weaving bureau, Lin Tailai said to Ge Cheng: "I will go in and petition the eunuch in charge of weaving first. If that doesn't work, how about making trouble?"

Then the door of the weaving bureau was half opened, and Mr. Lin strode in with a dozen servants.

Eunuch Sun was standing in the front hall. When he saw Lin Tailai, he said angrily, "We have always been on good terms. Why did you bring these rebellious weavers to me today?"

Lin Tailai sighed and said lovingly, "This is for your own good."

Eunuch Sun: "."

Should I believe your lies or not?
Lin Tailai continued to explain: "Your main responsibility in Suzhou is actually to collect wealth for the emperor.

If the weavers do not come to you for trouble this year but go to the governor instead, doesn't this mean that your work intensity is far inferior to that of the governor?
What would the emperor think if this got to his ears?

A eunuch who was appointed to collect money, but whose attitude towards his job is not as good as that of a civil official, will the emperor think that you are derelict in your duty?"

Eunuch Sun was a little frightened. What he said was not without reason. As the saying goes, the power of heaven is unpredictable. No matter who you bet with, you can never bet with the emperor on mentality.

But he still sneered and said, "It seems that I really misunderstood your kindness. It turns out that you led the weavers to the weaving bureau to cause trouble. Should I thank you?
Then tell me, what should we do in the face of your kindness? "

Lin Tailai replied: "It's very simple. The situation is so urgent. Please quickly climb over the wall and escape!"

"Get out!" Eunuch Sun refused politely.

Do you really think that villains like to escape by climbing over the wall? The big villains also have the dignity of big villains!
The weaving eunuch is no small character. Among the eunuchs sent out, he is second only to the eunuchs in charge of garrison in Nanjing, Tianshou Mountain, Fengyang and other places!

Only the eunuchs who are closest to the emperor but difficult to arrange into the Imperial Household Department are qualified to be the Suzhou and Hangzhou weaving eunuchs!
Lin Tailai then took out a piece of paper, showed it to Eunuch Sun and said, "Look at what this is. Do you want to cooperate?"

Unable to hold back his curiosity, Eunuch Sun took a look and it seemed to be an official document from the Ministry of War?

Looking more closely, Eunuch Sun's pupils shrank sharply! This is the approval document that allows 20 ships from Jiangnan to go out to sea every year!
Eunuch Sun, whose main job is to make money, certainly knows what it means for a cargo ship to go out to sea.

Eunuch Sun subconsciously reached out to grab the approval document, but it was taken back by Lin Tailai.

Then Mr. Lin pointed at the wall and said, "Climb!"

"Okay, okay!" Eunuch Sun turned around and asked his followers to move the ladder. After all, it was not the first time he had to climb over the wall.

Outside the weaving bureau, on the street, the weavers were still waiting when they suddenly heard the roar of Mr. Lin from inside the gate: "Eunuch Sun has run away!"

The crowd suddenly became agitated, and the experienced Ge Cheng quickly led his men around the wall of the weaving bureau and ran to the back.

Sure enough, I saw a ladder on the wall behind me, and a man in a red robe was riding a horse at the entrance of the alley.

Eunuch Sun had been the textile eunuch for several years. Many people immediately recognized that the man who disappeared from the alley on horseback was Eunuch Sun, and they all shouted, "He escaped this way!"

Immediately, a large number of people who were unwilling to give in also shouted, "Chase! Chase together!"

Then he took the lead and chased after him. Riding a horse in a busy city might not be very fast, so it was entirely possible to catch up!

Ge Cheng was a little confused. The people who were actively shouting and leading the chase all looked quite unfamiliar? When did they sneak in?
People have a herd mentality. When they see a large group of people taking the lead in chasing, others will follow suit. Anyway, they are here to cause trouble, so they are not afraid of numbers.

Immediately, a street chase scene broke out on the streets of Suzhou City. The weaving eunuch and several followers rode their horses, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, with one or two thousand people chasing them relentlessly.

In the only highly guarded government office in Suzhou City today, Governor Zhao listened to the scout's report with a confused look on his face.

"What? Lin Tailai dragged the gathered weavers to the manufacturing bureau to cause trouble?"

I have deployed two thousand troops. If the weavers do not riot, wouldn’t it be in vain?

If you endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens, aren't you just waiting for conflicts to occur and escalate further, and then seek profit?
Governor Zhao tried to understand Lin Tailai's behavior from various angles, but he still couldn't fully understand it.

Could it be that Lin Tailai did not want to profit from the conflict, but did not dare to openly stop the weavers from resisting taxes, so he took the rioting weavers elsewhere?
But this cannot fundamentally resolve the contradiction. Can it be relieved temporarily or forever?

After thinking for a while, Governor Zhao ordered the standard bearers again: "Stay alert and beware of sneak attacks!"

Judging from past experience, luring the tiger away from the mountain and then launching a surprise attack is Lin Tailai's forte, so it is better to be cautious.

No matter what happens outside, as long as I stay in the yamen and don't go out, nothing serious will happen!

Soon, a military officer who was patrolling outside rushed over and reported, "Eunuch Sun, the weaving supervisor, has been driven out of the government office by the weavers. He is knocking on the door and asking the military officer for protection!"

Holy shit! Since Governor Zhao was sent to Suzhou by the organization, he must be smart enough to react immediately!
I can't accept him! If I take in Eunuch Sun, some things will become unclear. I'm afraid that public opinion will think that I colluded with the eunuchs to increase taxes on the textile industry!

Being a cruel official who levies heavy taxes is one thing, but it can also be whitewashed and portrayed as a capable official!
But colluding with eunuchs to extort the people is another matter. Even if there are clean forces behind him to provide public opinion support, it is difficult to completely clear himself!

The eunuchs in the imperial court quickly reminded him, "But if we sit back and do nothing and allow the eunuchs to fall into the hands of the mob, the consequences will be serious! How will we explain this to the emperor?"

If you have no desires, you will naturally be strong. If Governor Zhao has no other ideas, he will just let it go.

However, Governor Zhao was planning to take advantage of the emperor's intention to encourage his ministers to accumulate wealth and use the "imperial power" to deal with Lin Tailai.

If I sit idly by and watch something happen to the weaving eunuch, how can I let the emperor "appreciate" me?
"Lin Tailai is a bastard!" Governor Zhao, who was caught in a dilemma, cursed him harshly.

It’s so difficult to do something in Suzhou city!

Damn it! I have endured humiliation several times in a row and paid the price of my dignity, can't I just relax for once?

(End of this chapter)