What's wrong with me, a powerful minister, supporting a few female officials?

Chapter 236 Su Mo was tricked by the Empress again!
Anwu drove the carriage towards the palace.

After passing through Xuanwu Gate and entering the inner palace, they did not stop at Linhu Palace, where Su Mo slept with the Empress.

Instead, the carriage continued westward until it stopped in front of a small, secluded palace on the shore of the West Sea, surrounded by swaying bamboo groves and half of which was situated above a pond.

Outside the palace, there were no palace maids or eunuchs, a stark contrast to the rest of the inner palace.

An Wu let Su Mo get off the carriage, then smiled and said, "Lord Su, please wait here for a moment. I'll go and inform Lord Leng first."

Su Mo nodded.

My suspicions grew stronger.

In the past, when I came to see the Empress, I would either go straight inside or the Empress would come to see me on her own initiative.

Why does this seem so much more formal?
Is the Empress about to confront me?
After thinking about it for a while, I realized that wasn't right.

When the Empress appeared, she was naturally surrounded by eunuchs and palace maids, and protected by imperial guards with spears.

Now that the eunuchs and palace maids have been specifically removed, it's clear that she doesn't intend to let her know her true identity yet.

Su Mo didn't have to wait long before An Wu came out of the hall.

"Lord Leng invites Lord Su to enter the hall!"

Su Mo nodded to An Wu, then stepped up the stairs.

A gust of cold wind swept by, and the chill from the frozen lake made Su Mo shiver involuntarily, a sense of foreboding creeping into her heart.

I'm at the peak of the Soul-Stabilizing Realm. While I wouldn't say I'm immune to heat or cold, I'm not particularly afraid of the cold either. So why did I suddenly shiver?
The Empress's meal seems a bit tough; it might not taste very good.

Upon entering the hall, one sees that candles have been lit inside, the kind of thick red candles that are as thick as a child's arm, and many large lanterns have also been hung, illuminating the hall brightly.

A long table was placed in the center of the main hall.

The empress, dressed in a green dress, sat solemnly on a brocade stool behind her desk.

But after seeing so many things, Empress Su Mo found them uninteresting, and her gaze unconsciously fell on the left side of the desk.

As expected, the Empress was not hosting a banquet for just herself.

But he was not the empress's male favorite that Su Mo had imagined.

Because, sitting below the Empress was a beautiful woman dressed in a full suit of gleaming silver armor, exuding a chilling killing intent that made it hard for people to breathe.

The woman was very beautiful.

With his well-defined features and straight nose, he exudes an even more striking and heroic aura.

The ponytail hairstyle made it easy to wear a helmet, and the flowing long hair, combined with the cold and ruthless aura, perfectly matched Su Mo's fantasies about ancient female generals.

Lin Moyin and Nangong Sheyue are probably even more beautiful than this female general.

However, the woman's heroic aura and chilling killing intent were qualities that Lin Moyin and Nangong Sheyue could not possess, making one feel at a glance that she was a true general who had killed on the battlefield!

However, the beautiful and valiant female general was not Su Mo's type.

It's not that the killing intent is too strong.

Simply because she's so tall!
Despite being influenced by two powerful officials.

Su Mo's aesthetic standards have changed from only liking the petite and delicate Qin Bier type to accepting either petite and delicate, or tall, voluptuous, with a slim waist and ample bosom.

However, Su Mo still found it hard to accept the woman who was even taller than herself.

Even though she was sitting on a brocade stool, the female general was still over 1.3 meters tall, a full head taller than the Empress.

Beneath the lotus-patterned battle skirt draped over her waist and hips, two incredibly long legs that seemed to have nowhere to go left Su Mo breathless.

If anyone's legs are less than 1.2 meters long, Su Mo would dare to cut off his own head!
A female general who is 1.9 meters tall stands out from the crowd in Dawu, which is quite rare.

On the table in front of the female general was a silver battle helmet, the visor of which was a hideous, fanged demon face.

Even when placed on a desk, it exudes a chilling murderous aura!
Su Mo gasped!
What does the Empress mean by this?
What exactly is the identity of this fierce-looking female general?
Why did the Empress invite her to dinner?

Su Mo sized up the other party, and the female general also suspiciously looked at Su Mo, making no attempt to hide her gaze as she scanned Su Mo from head to toe.

Under the sharp, beautiful gaze, a sense of oppression washed over me.

Su Mo felt extremely uncomfortable, as if she were being pricked by needles, with a stinging sensation all over her body!

The Empress finally spoke.

She smiled gently, and the tense atmosphere in the hall suddenly vanished completely: "Please take a seat, my lord!"

Su Mo saw a brocade stool placed on the right side of the desk, opposite the female general.

He naturally sat on that brocade stool.

In this world, there are no eight-immortal tables or grand master chairs; people mostly sit on small tables, brocade stools, or even cross-legged on the floor.

Let alone a female general who is 1.9 meters tall, even Su Mo, who is just over 1.8 meters tall, feels quite awkward sitting down.

He shifted to a slightly more comfortable position, his legs slightly apart, and looked at the Empress, unable to resist asking curiously, "Why did Lord Leng suddenly invite me to a banquet at the palace today?"

The Empress did not answer Su Mo's question directly, but smiled and said, "Let me introduce you two."

She looked at the female general: "General Leng, this is Su Mo from Gufeng Mountain. He is a man of great learning and profound knowledge. He is well-versed in everything from the small skills of making a living as a merchant to the great principles of governing the country. He is deeply trusted by His Majesty!"

Then he looked at Su Mo: "General Leng is the Marquis of Dawu Zhenbei, with the title of Shangzhuguo, the deputy commander of the 100,000-strong army in the northern frontier, and the Princess of Baicheng of the Qi Prince's Mansion."

Upon hearing this, Su Mo was immediately taken aback and subconsciously looked towards Princess Baicheng!

He had heard Lin Moyin mention this Princess Baicheng.

Princess Baicheng is one of the most untouchable people on Lin Moyin's list, ranking on par with the Imperial Uncle Zhang Shouning!
Prince Qi, the late emperor's cousin, and the current empress's uncle!

The first Prince Qi, along with Emperor Wu Taizu, conquered the world and made countless meritorious contributions.

Although Prince Qi may seem mediocre in talent and learning, he has keen insight and decisively stood on the side of the Empress during the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

After the empress ascended the throne, she rewarded those who had contributed to her cause.

Princess Baicheng, known as the number one female war goddess of the Great Wu.

Not only is her martial prowess unfathomable, but she is also deeply trusted by the Empress. She leads tens of thousands of troops and, together with Duke Ningguo Zhang Lie, guards the northern frontier. Countless Northern Di have died at the hands of Princess Baicheng. She is one of the pillars of the Great Wu!

There are even rumors that either Princess Baicheng or Princess Ning'an, the eldest daughter of the late emperor, is the incredibly mysterious commander of the Phoenix Cry Division, which was personally established by the empress!
Su Mo never expected that she would meet the Princess of Baicheng, the Pillar of State who should be stationed in the northern frontier and was known as the Empress Goddess of War, in this palace!

Why did she suddenly return to Shenjing?
Just as Su Mo was shocked and suspicious.

The Empress's expression turned serious, and she slowly said, "Young Master Su already knows that His Majesty intends to form a new army!"

"Therefore, General Leng was specially transferred back from the northern frontier to serve as the commander of the new army!"

"Once the new army is trained, we will lead it north to intimidate the northern barbarians."

Su Mo then suddenly realized what was going on.

No wonder Princess Baicheng suddenly returned to Shenjing; it turns out she was in charge of training the new army.

Su Mo knew, of course, how much hope the Empress placed on the new army!
I never expected that the Empress would entrust the new army to this Princess Baicheng.

Rumors from the outside world that Princess Baicheng was deeply trusted by the Empress were indeed not unfounded!

He quickly cupped his hands to Princess Baicheng and said solemnly, "So it is General Leng, the Pillar of State. This humble official greets Lord Leng!"

Princess Baicheng narrowed her pretty eyes slightly, noticing that Su Mo only showed surprise but not much fear, which made her feel a little strange.

Ordinary court officials, upon seeing her, were filled with terror, as if they had seen a ghost.

Su Mo took the initiative to greet her, and Princess Baicheng nodded slightly, but remained sitting upright with a solemn expression and impeccable posture, like a statue, without uttering a word.

The Empress then said solemnly, "I have already told General Leng about the tactic of the sheep eating people that my husband suggested, and General Leng agrees with it."

"But General Leng also believes that the tactic of 'sheep eating people' alone is not enough to destroy the Northern Di's fighting spirit; they need to be deterred by both swords and spears!"

Su Mo nodded: "The Grand General is absolutely right."

"Only by inflicting pain and fear on the Northern Di will they obediently lay down their weapons and let their sheep and horses graze."

The Empress nodded slightly: "In the court, the ministers have agreed to Your Majesty's plan to form a new army."

"However, the imperial court was in financial distress, and the cost of building a new army also had to be covered by the imperial treasury."

"His Majesty's treasury has not much silver left, so I hope that you, my lord, can lend His Majesty and General Leng a helping hand..." Before she could finish speaking, Su Mo was shocked and quickly interrupted her: "Wait!"

Upon hearing the word "wait," Princess Baicheng looked at Su Mo in astonishment.

This Su Mo, how dare he interrupt His Majesty?

The Empress blinked: "Does my lord have something to say?"

Su Mo smiled wryly and said, "The imperial court is building a new army, which is extremely expensive. Where would I get the money to supply the army's needs?"

My premonition was right.

The Empress had set up a trap for herself; she had no good intentions!

I knew this meal wouldn't be good.

Leng Liuxi blinked her pretty eyes again and chuckled, "My lord is joking! How could my lord be without money?"

"Baiyujing and Yanyulou bring in a fortune every day. The dividends from soap sales are also in the tens of thousands. There are also profits from bicycles, not to mention the previous private salt trade."

"If I'm not mistaken, my lord probably has as much as sixty or seventy thousand taels of silver!"

Su Mo's face instantly darkened.

Damn it, I actually have over 70,000 taels of silver in cash.

The silver used to melt down the silver melon alone amounted to more than 60,000 taels.

In addition, it is estimated that about 10,000 taels were also deposited in Changping County.

The problem is, he earned all of this through hard work! Every penny he earned was stained with blood and sweat!
How could they possibly support a new army for the imperial court?

The historical legend of Shen Wansan rewarding his troops with money, whether true or not, is enough to illustrate the seriousness of the matter!
Furthermore, the Empress truly trusts this Princess Baicheng.

Such a thing as smuggling salt, enough to send the entire clan to the Meridian Gate, was said to her face!
Su Mo took a deep breath and complained to the Empress with a bitter face: "Lord Leng, you don't know this."

"I have made a little money, but I also have many expenses."

"There's a huge family to support in this house, and the fiefdom keeps pouring money into it. I don't know when it will ever end!"

"Besides, don't I need to save money to build a shipyard?"

The Empress rolled her eyes at him: "My lord, don't complain to me."

"The court is borrowing money from you, young master, not refusing to repay it. His Majesty will repay you when the imperial treasury is full."

Su Mo said bitterly, "It's not that I don't want to lend it, it's that I really don't have the money!"

No matter what she says, she's not going to get a big sum of money out of me!
Su Mo thought for a moment and then said, "Although the imperial court needs hundreds of thousands of taels of silver to build a new army, it doesn't have to invest it all at once."

The Empress is shrewd, and Su Mo is no fool either.

He patiently explained to the Empress, "Doesn't Your Majesty also receive dividends from Baiyujing and Yanyulou?"

"In addition, the merchants of the five counties of Tianchang can continuously send silver to His Majesty's treasury."

"In addition to the above, once Lord Leng's passenger transport business is up and running, it will be able to make a fortune every day."

At this point, Su Mo hesitated slightly, then added, "Didn't His Majesty also take back the salt affairs in Changping County? The profits from salt alone should be enough to meet the needs of the new army."

The Empress's pretty face darkened, and she snorted irritably, "Don't even mention it!"

"The passenger transport company didn't make a profit; instead, it lost several thousand taels of silver, most of which went to the young master's artisan battalion!"

"The salt in Changping County, for some reason, only yields five or six thousand taels of profit per month. It must be that the eunuch in charge of this matter is lining his own pocket. I was just about to hand this matter back to Chen Bao to take charge!"

The more she spoke, the angrier she seemed to become: "The silver allocated to the five counties was snatched back by that untrustworthy Grand Secretary, and it probably went to the Ministry of Revenue."

"His Majesty has finally managed to accumulate some silver in the Imperial Treasury."

"When the disaster victims arrived in the capital, Wang Hao, the Minister of Revenue, forced His Majesty to take another 200,000 taels of silver!"

As the empress spoke, her pretty face turned resentful, and she looked pitifully at Su Mo: "His Majesty has ordered me to take charge of the formation of the new army."

"But even a skilled cook can't cook without rice, and I had no other choice but to ask my lord for help."

"Can't you, my lord, help me?"

Su Mo remained unmoved and said firmly, "This subordinate has no money!"

The Empress snorted: "Really not going to lend it?"

Su Mo: "This subordinate has no money!"

The Empress's eyes lit up: "I'll lend you thirty thousand taels!"

Su Mo was more decisive and concise: "No money!"

Empress: "You stingy wretch! You're such a miser!"

Su Mo: "No hair... no, I mean no money!"

……

Seeing the scene of the Empress and Su Mo bargaining.

The Valkyrie on the left was completely dumbfounded.

He stared wide-eyed at the Empress, then at Su Mo, completely bewildered by the situation!
The Empress didn't care what the Valkyrie thought. She glared at Su Mo and snorted, "Fine, I won't lend it to you then. Do you think I won't return it to you?"

As she spoke, her eyes darted around, "I won't lend you the money, but I have a favor to ask of you, my lord..."

Su Mo looked at the Empress warily: "What is it?"

Judging from the Empress's expression, this is not a good thing!
The Empress explained, "That's how it is."

"When General Leng heard about the tactic of sheep eating people, he transported 300,000 catties of wool back from the northern frontier this time..."

Upon hearing this, Su Mo gasped again and subconsciously looked at Princess Baicheng.

300,000 catties of wool!

This is completely beyond Su Mo's comprehension!

Indeed, no matter how hard an individual tries, they cannot compare to the efforts of a nation.

In ancient times, sheep were raised in various ways, including sheep and goats. However, even sheep had a much lower wool yield than improved breeds in later generations.

If each sheep produces 10 jin of wool, then there must be 30,000 sheep.

How many sweaters can you knit?

Just as Su Mo was calculating, the Empress frowned and said, "However, even if we process the wool according to the secret method offered by my lord, this wool can only be used inside the bedding. I don't know how to..."

Seeing that the Empress couldn't answer for a moment, Su Mo couldn't help but add, "How to maximize the benefits!"

"Yes!" The Empress nodded and quickly said, "The tactic of 'sheep eating people' was suggested by my lord, and the secret method of wool is also a secret recipe passed down from my lord's ancestors."

"My lord, could you please advise me on how to maximize the profits from this wool?"

After the Empress finished speaking, Princess Baicheng immediately turned her gaze to Su Mo.

Before Su Mo arrived, the Empress had already revealed everything to her.

The imperial court doesn't have much money right now, so whether the new army can be successfully formed depends on whether Su Mo is willing to put in the effort!

Princess Baicheng had seen the Eight-Ox Crossbow, the Divine Arm Bow, and the Flat-Box Cart, and was utterly amazed.

As a seasoned general who had fought countless battles against the Northern Barbarians, he naturally knew how terrifying these weapons were when used on the battlefield!
They were naturally full of anticipation for the new army that was about to be formed!
The problem is, the imperial court has no money!
However, Princess Baicheng was puzzled as to why the Empress would say that the key to the establishment of the new army lay with Su Mo.

Just who is this Su Mo?
How could it possibly influence the imperial court's national strategy?
Seeing that both the Empress and Princess Baicheng were looking at him, Su Mo breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as they don't borrow money from me, everything is fine.

He casually replied, "That's easy."

"You can spin wool into yarn and weave it into sweaters or carpets, etc."

The Empress frowned deeply: "I have already instructed skilled women to spin wool yarn."

"Unfortunately, this wool yarn is really difficult to spin. How many years and months will it take to make a sweater from 300,000 catties of wool?"

(End of this chapter)