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

Chapter 255 Third Uncle Offers a Plan: Breaking the Overt Scheme Couldn't Be Easier

After listening to Su Mo's account of the Su Nu Palace, Chen Zhong's expression turned serious, but Chen Qian actually smiled.

Su Mo and Chen Zhong couldn't help but look at Chen Qian with suspicion.

"Third Uncle, is there a problem with this?" Su Mo asked, frowning.

Chen Qian calmly took out his copper pipe, stuffed it with tobacco, lit it over the copper brazier, took a deep drag, and then laughed, "I think, Mo'er, you've gone down a dead end!"

Su Mo was still puzzled: "What do you mean by that, Third Uncle?"

Chen Qian said unhurriedly, "According to you, this is because Prince Rong is worried that you will interfere in the soap business, so he has set a trap to hinder you."

"Let's set aside any other motives, as long as Mo'er doesn't get involved, that's fine."

Before Su Mo could speak, Chen Qian immediately added, "Since the other party wants to hold you back, they naturally won't easily kill the people from Su Nu Palace. On the contrary, the longer they drag it out, the better."

“If you focus solely on selling soap and ignore the fate of the Su Nu Palace disciples, their attention will naturally shift away from Su Nu Palace, and this plan will fail on its own.”

As he spoke, a sharp glint flashed in Chen Qian's eyes, and he said coldly, "If Mo'er doesn't get involved, it's pointless for Prince Rong to continue pursuing this matter."

"Don't forget, the Su Nu Palace has a Palace Master at the Golden Core Realm!"

"It's a losing proposition, and it will only create a huge enmity with Golden Core cultivators and even the entire Su Nu Palace. If you were King Rong, would you do such a losing business?"

Su Mo was speechless.

In his eyes, the scheme, which was almost an open conspiracy, was so easily resolved by his third uncle.
Chen Zhong was also dumbfounded.

He was involved in all sorts of open and covert struggles within the palace, and lived for several decades, so his abilities were certainly not lacking.

But being confined to the palace, in terms of interpersonal skills, knowledge, and experience, he really wouldn't dare say he surpasses Chen Qian, a seasoned official.

After Chen Qian finished speaking, he suddenly sighed, "Mo'er has actually managed to get the Prince of Rong to go to such lengths to scheme against her. It's truly... truly unimaginable for your uncle!"

"That's Prince Rong! The grandson of Emperor Wu Taizu!"

Su Mo frowned and said, "Third Uncle is absolutely right, but... what if Mo'er comes back..."

Chen Qian's face suddenly darkened, and he was about to reprimand Su Mo, but when he thought of his nephew's current status, his expression softened, and he said in a deep voice, "Those who achieve great things cannot be bound by personal feelings!"

He paused slightly, then couldn't help but add, "Mo'er, it's also written in your Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

"The world is divided into three kingdoms. Cao Cao is ruthless and cunning, yet he occupies the largest territory. Liu Bei is benevolent, but he can only retreat to Sichuan!"

"When necessary, both righteousness and personal feelings can be abandoned!"

"Furthermore, Commander Lin is not a fool. She can naturally understand the pros and cons. In my opinion, she may not put pressure on you."

"even!"

Chen Qian took a drag on his cigarette: "She probably won't show up until this is over!"

Su Mo was speechless once again.

He was only thinking that after Lin Moyin found out about this, she would be in a dilemma because of the pressure from her master and fellow disciples, and he was also worried that he would get caught up in it.

I never imagined that Lin Moyin would simply disappear into the shadows!
Su Mo remained silent for a moment, then stood up and solemnly bowed to Chen Qian!

"Your nephew is foolish!"

"Luckily, my third uncle was there to give me some pointers, otherwise I would have definitely fallen into that villain's trap!"

Chen Qian's expression turned serious, and he said solemnly, "Mo'er, don't underestimate yourself!"

"Third Uncle only has these petty tricks that are beneath him; Mo'er is on the right path!"

Su Mo's brows relaxed, and he smiled broadly: "Okay!"

"No matter how many routes my nephew comes from, I'll only go to one of them!"

"That King Rong wants to use the Su Nu Palace to hold me back. I really want to see how much skill he has in this business!"

Chen Qian nodded emphatically: "Exactly!"

He then reminded Su Mo, "Mo'er, at your current level, you must be cautious at every step. You must not be careless. The slightest mistake could lead to your death and the extermination of your clan!"

Su Mo nodded: "I will always remember this!"

As he spoke, he suddenly turned to Chen Zhong and said, "Second Uncle, I have a favor to ask of you!"

Chen Zhong was slightly taken aback, then pointed to himself and said, "Me?"

He gave a bitter smile: "My second uncle is disabled. In terms of strategy and tactics, he is not as good as my third brother. What can he possibly do to help you?"

Su Mo laughed and said, "It really is!"

"I had planned to send a gift to Princess Baicheng to curry favor, but I have other important matters to attend to and cannot spare the time!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Qian looked bewildered, while Chen Zhong's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "Princess Baicheng?"

Su Mo nodded: "Not bad!"

"Princess Baicheng is training ten thousand new soldiers, and the expenses for this new army are falling on my nephew's shoulders..."

Chen Qian and Chen Zhong were speechless.

The cost of the 10,000 new troops was actually borne by his own nephew!
Previously, I was worried that my nephew wouldn't be able to support the eight hundred private soldiers of Gufeng Mountain.
Su Mo said with a serious expression, "If the more than 30,000 catties of woolen robes that my nephew brought back this time are sold successfully, the first phase of military expenses will definitely be more than enough."

"But it will take time, so my nephew plans to send the money to Princess Baicheng first to help her with her urgent needs."

"In this way, Princess Baicheng will truly protect her nephew from harm."

Chen Qian hesitated for a moment: "Is it appropriate for Mo'er to use her own money to subsidize military expenses?"

He lowered his voice: "What if it arouses His Majesty's suspicion?"

Su Mo waved his hand: "Second Uncle, don't worry, I know what I'm doing!"

“After all, Prince Rong is a prince with immense power, and he is also involved with Princess Jinling and Zhang Shouning. The royal family is also eyeing him covetously.”

"If I don't offer her some incentive, how can I expect Princess Baicheng to put in the effort?"

Chen Qian and Chen Zhong were unaware that Su Mo could monitor the Empress's favorability in real time, and were naturally worried.

Su Mo was not too worried that this would arouse the Empress's suspicion.

Chen Qianhe and Zhong remained silent for a moment, then asked, "How much silver do you plan to send to Princess Baicheng?"

Su Mo thought for a moment: "Give them twenty thousand taels of silver!"

"Keep 10,000 taels to buy grain, and also keep some silver in case of emergencies!"

Chen Qian brought a thousand taels of gold and eight thousand taels of silver, which indeed made Su Mo much more financially secure!
Chen Qian remained silent for a while, then suddenly said, "Third Uncle, accompany Second Brother on this trip."

Su Mo nodded: "That's fine."

"Let Niu Da and the others escort the silver cart to prevent any trouble from arising."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Once my two uncles return, I'll get ready. I might have to go out with my nephew in the next day or two."

I had planned to claim the warship reward after the spring, but since Rong Wang is pressing me so hard, I might as well get the warship first.

This is a good opportunity to train sailors, familiarize them with warship operation, and go out to sea to hunt whales.

When spring comes next year, the river will thaw.

This would allow oil, whale meat, and other materials to be transported directly back to Shenjing!

Chen Qian has been buying seafood in Taihe County for a long time and is more familiar with the situation at sea than I am. Taking him along would make things much easier, and we could even let Chen Qian stay in Wanghai County to oversee things.

Chen Zhong and Chen Qian knew the importance of the matter.

Without delay, they immediately summoned men to load the gold and silver onto oxcarts and even brought out a large silver melon weighing three hundred catties from the cellar!
Su Mo watched the convoy depart with a complicated expression.

Hopefully, Lin Moyin will understand her predicament and not return to the capital for the time being.

Just as he was about to turn around and go back to his residence to see how Xue Yishu was entertaining Yin Rou, and to urge her to finish writing the second volume of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

The system said that reading the second volume of Romance of the Three Kingdoms could very likely help Nangong Sheyue break through to the late stage of the Returning Aperture Realm!
But before Su Mo could enter the house...

Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng, who had just visited yesterday, have returned in a menacing manner.

Zhang Xuzu's first words to Su Mo were: "Lord Su, what do you mean by this?"

"I have always treated you with sincerity, so why would you want to harm me!"

Cao Feng also said indignantly, "Brother Zhang and I are working hard to acquire fat and grease, to compete with Rong... and Han Li. How could Lord Su send us to Qinghefang as trial centurions?"

He snorted heavily: "Qinghefang Hundred Household Office?"

"When did Qinghefang have such a centurion office? How come I didn't know?" One of them was the third son of the Duke's family, and the other was the third son of the Marquis of Hanping. Even if they didn't have official positions, they wouldn't look down on a mere trial centurion!

Su Mo pointed to herself: "I didn't have it before, but I do now!"

Just as Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng were about to speak, Su Mo's expression turned serious and he said, "Please come inside with me to talk!"

Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng exchanged a glance.

Let's see what kind of explanation Su Mo can come up with!

Su Mo led the two directly to the study, glanced at them expressionlessly, and slowly said, "The Qinghefang Hundred Household Office will be established under my supervision. Matters concerning official seals and documents should be reported directly to the emperor without going through my guards!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng gasped in shock, staring at Su Mo in disbelief.

After a long silence, Zhang Xuzu couldn't help but ask, "An independent Three Judicial Offices?"

Su Mo's face darkened instantly, and she glared at Zhang Xuzu with annoyance: "What are you thinking!"

"If the three judicial departments are established independently, wouldn't it also require setting up a separate imperial prison?"

"Do you think this is the Northern Garrison Command?"

Cao Feng took a deep breath: "That's still quite impressive!"

"Send a report directly to the authorities without going through this guard, and also include the official seal!"

"Doesn't that mean we can arrest whomever we want, and arrest whomever we want?"

Su Mo nodded: "You could say that!"

"Of course, if we need to take action against important court officials, we must still report to His Majesty!"

Zhang Xuzu swallowed hard, looking at Su Mo with a bewildered expression: "How could His Majesty allow... Lord Su to establish such a centurion office?"

"With such power so soon after its establishment, won't it become another Northern Garrison Command, or even..."

He lowered his voice considerably: "Even the Phoenix Cry Division?"

Su Mo didn't answer his question directly, but only looked at Zhang and Cao with a cold smile: "Tell me, have I harmed you?"

Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng stammered, unsure of what to say.

A centurion with such great power is certainly different from an ordinary centurion!
As sons of noble families, how could the two not want to make achievements and establish a career?
Unfortunately, the family's titles, property, land, and so on were all inherited by the eldest son, and had nothing to do with them!
However, if one were to become a trial centurion of Qinghefang...

Zhang Xuzu hesitated for a moment, then suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Does Your Majesty intend to collect commercial taxes from Qinghefang?"

Su Mo looked at Zhang Xuzu with slight surprise.

Unexpectedly, he guessed the Empress's intentions immediately. It seems that hiring him as the trial centurion was indeed the right choice.

He nodded slightly and said with a serious expression, "That's right!"

Su Mo certainly wouldn't tell them at this time that once the Empress takes control of the court and trains the new army, she could launch a major victory against the Northern Di and then seize the opportunity to unleash the decree of grace.

It's hard to say for sure, but Cao Feng is definitely a candidate to inherit the family's title, property, and territory!

Su Mo gave Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng a deep look: "I know that you two have lofty ambitions and are engaged in commerce out of necessity!"

"This is a rare opportunity. If we work together to accomplish this, our future will be limitless!"

"Even though you two cannot inherit the family's title, don't you have the confidence to earn one yourself?"

Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng exchanged a glance, both seeing the urge in each other's eyes!
Zhang Xuzu, in particular, knew about the relationship between the Empress and Su Mo!
Su Mo will leave the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Phoenix Cry Division sooner or later. The entire court will never allow a lackey to become the Empress's husband or a prince!

Will I be in charge of the Qinghefang Hundred Household Office from now on?
Zhang Xuzu hesitated for a moment: "But collecting taxes from Qinghefang is not easy!"

Su Mo sneered: "Of course it's not easy."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have recommended you two for this position, and His Majesty wouldn't have given the Qinghefang Hundred Household Office such great power!"

He paused, then continued, "I not only have His Majesty's full support!"

"Furthermore, the Left Commander of the Fengming Division will also provide me with tremendous assistance!"

Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng were even more intrigued.

Su Mo added, "There's more!"

"I have a very close relationship with Princess Baicheng! Princess Baicheng has promised to give me her full support in return!"

Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng were dumbfounded!

In their eyes, Princess Baicheng was more intimidating than His Majesty!
The reason is simple: His Majesty has too many things to consider and needs to balance the interests of all parties. In many cases, things don't just go as the Empress says.

But Princess Baicheng is different!
Who is she?

The Great Valkyrie!
A true god of death!
She doesn't care what your background or connections are, or what huge entanglements you're involved in. If she doesn't like you, she'll really kill you!

However, Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng are not stupid.

Knowing full well the complexities of Qinghefang, she wouldn't believe everything Su Mo said.

"Lord Su, you said that Princess Baicheng has a close relationship with you and is fully supporting the Qinghefang Hundred Household Office."

Zhang Xuzu swallowed hard: "But based on my understanding of Princess Baicheng, I'm afraid she wouldn't do it because of your personal relationship with the lord..."

Su Mo interrupted him: "Princess Baicheng is training a new army. Once the army is trained, it will march north to suppress the Di barbarians!"

He pointed to himself and said, "I promise Princess Baicheng that I will cover all the expenses of the new army!"

Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng were dumbfounded.

Su Mo immediately delivered another heavy blow: "I just sent 20,000 taels of silver to Princess Baicheng!"

"If this matter is handled well, and if the two of you are unwilling to serve as officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the future, I can ask Princess Baicheng for a favor so that you can accompany the army north, make meritorious contributions, and personally earn your own titles and fiefs!"

Having said all that, Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng knew that if they didn't say anything, it would be a blatant slap in Su Mo's face.

Cao Feng nodded and said in a deep voice, "In that case, I will follow your lead from now on!"

Zhang Xuzu sneered, "No matter how deep the waters are in Qinghefang, I'm determined to collect this tax!"

He paused, then frowned: "But we can't abandon the soap business either."

Su Mo nodded: "Of course."

"Since Marquis Heyuan is so unethical, we must teach him a lesson. Otherwise, what face will the Duke of Ning's Mansion and the Marquis of Hanping's Mansion have left!"

Zhang Xuzu hesitated for a moment: "How can I give you a powerful method?"

Su Mo sneered: "You have people pushing up the price of oils and buying up oils at full speed!"

"However, we can just do the formalities; there's no need for a real acquisition."

"Once they produce their soap, we'll lower the price below their cost price. We'll wage a price war against them, making them lose money on every sale they make."

Zhang Xuzu frowned and asked, "If he buys all the oil, how can we compete with him?"

Cao Feng nodded and said, "Han Yu is not a good guy to deal with."

"If I were Han Yu, we could lower the price of the soap and buy it all. Once we've run out of stock, wouldn't he be able to set the price at will?"

"Even if we build ships to catch the Kun now, it will probably be too late."

Large ships for sailing the seas cannot be built on a whim.

Not to mention that skilled craftsmen for large ships are hard to find, even if you do find them, the materials for shipbuilding need to be air-dried for several years before they can be used.

If we wait until the ship is built, it will probably take five or six years, and by then it will be too late.

Su Mo looked at the two of them with a half-smile: "What if I had a large ship right now?"

Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng looked at each other in bewilderment.

The imperial court had imposed a maritime ban for many years, and at its strictest, not even a single sail was allowed to go to sea.

Nowadays, local authorities turn a blind eye when fishermen go out to sea to fish.

But if a large ship were to actually set sail, the local government would have no choice but to turn a blind eye!

The Empress has now allowed Su Mo to build ocean-going ships. Theoretically, it is not illegal for Su Mo to own large ocean-going ships, but where did Su Mo get these large ocean-going ships?

Seeing the two looking at him suspiciously, Su Mo said calmly, "When has this official ever lied to you?"

"If you two don't believe me, come with me out of the capital in two days, and you'll see!"

(End of this chapter)