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

Chapter 275 Su Mo takes direct action in court!
The Empress secretly thought so too.

Su Mo, that bastard, is very cautious. Since he took Yin Rou's virginity and knew that Yin Rou had never shared a room with He Heng, it's normal for him to have anticipated that Yin Rou's husband's family would sue him. It's also normal for him to have prepared a countermeasure in advance.

She snorted heavily and turned to look at An Wu: "After a while, you will go and kill that Yin Rou!"

He paused, then added, "Remember, don't let Su Mo know about this!"

An Wu said in a deep voice, "This old servant obeys!"

He naturally understood the Empress's meaning.

Regardless of the outcome of this case, as long as Yin Rou lives, it will affect Su Mo's reputation.

The Empress would absolutely not allow Su Mo's reputation to be tarnished!

The reason will not be mentioned!

In fact, the Embroidered Uniform Guards are all dirty workers, but Su Mo, a centurion, has never been assigned any proper Embroidered Uniform Guard tasks, which shows the Emperor's intentions.

Just as An Wu had agreed.

Su Mo's voice came from behind the hall again: "My lords, in order to prove my innocence, I also agree to examine Officer Yin Qi to see if he is still a virgin!"

"but!"

Su Mo's voice suddenly turned cold and sharp: "Let me make this clear from the start!"

"Although I am a lowly official with little influence, I will not tolerate being bullied at will!"

As he spoke, the murderous intent in his voice was revealed without any attempt to conceal it. He coldly said, "You should know that even the rage of a common man can cause blood to spill three feet!"

"If my innocence is proven and He Heng has falsely accused me, then you three gentlemen must not bend the law for personal gain. Otherwise, I will take this matter to the Taiji Hall and demand an explanation!"

Upon hearing this, the Empress was immediately taken aback and subconsciously looked at An Wu.

An Wu was equally astonished.

Judging from Su Mo's words, it seems that he and Yin Rou are truly innocent?
how can that be!

That scoundrel is greedy and lustful. He has never married, yet he already has several women in his house.

Let's not go into the relationship between Su Mo and Lin Moyin.

The Empress had personally eavesdropped!
A while ago, Qin Bier, the young widow, and Chen Qianyu, the daughter of a salt smuggler, also came from Changping County!

What is this if not lust?
Yin Rou clearly harbored feelings for Su Mo.

Last month, Su Mo stayed on Lonely Peak Mountain for the entire month and met with Yin Rou countless times. Faced with delicate flowers that could be picked at will and meat delivered to his door, could he resist?
……

Not far from Dali Temple is Yueman Pavilion, a very famous restaurant in the inner city.

Although the food was not as good as Baiyujing and Yanyulou in the outer city, it had the advantage of being located in a good place. Not everyone would go to the trouble of walking several miles to dine at Baiyujing or Yanyulou.

After the Tianyilou restaurant's signboard was smashed by An Wu's men, its business plummeted. Yuemange naturally replaced Tianyilou and became the most popular restaurant among the inner city's powerful and wealthy.

From the private rooms on the second floor, one can see the situation outside the Dali Temple government office through the windows.

Wang Yao, whose cheeks were slightly red and swollen, was looking in the direction of Dali Temple with a dark expression.

Sitting opposite Wang Yao was an elderly man in a coarse cloth robe, with a lean and refined appearance, exuding an air of otherworldly elegance, who should be a Taoist immortal.

The old man in the hemp robe looked at Wang Yao with a hint of curiosity, his gaze sweeping over the other man's slightly swollen cheek, as if he had been slapped hard.

He certainly wouldn't ask who dared to slap Wang Yao.

In fact, he knew without being told.

There is only one person who dares to treat Wang Yao like this—Wang Hao, the true head of the Wang family and the second-in-command of the cabinet!
He frowned and said in a deep voice, "How does Brother Wang know that Su Mo is having an affair with the Yin family?"

"If He Heng's accusation is proven false, Su Mo is a narrow-minded and vindictive person who will not let this go easily."

He paused, then revealed a slight look of apprehension: "I never imagined that this person would achieve such a feat in just half a year since arriving in the capital. He's truly remarkable!"

"As far as I know."

"Not only the Duke of Ningguo's mansion and Princess Baicheng personally went to the Dali Temple to support this person, but even Minister Zhong sent someone to inquire about the matter!"

Wang Yao sneered: "Ms. Yin is beautiful, but Su Mo is greedy and lustful. How could he possibly tolerate her!"

"Furthermore, even if there was truly no adultery between him and the Yin family, it was He Heng who made a false accusation. What does it have to do with us?"

He looked at the old man in the coarse robe with a dark expression: "Brother Cui, don't forget."

"The paper this man makes is of far superior quality to ordinary paper. Given time, who can guarantee that he won't also be able to make Xuan paper!"

The old man in the coarse robe immediately straightened up.

From Wang Yao's words, it was clear that the old man in the coarse robe was a member of the Cui family, one of the five prominent families and seven noble clans.

Within the Cui family, the one qualified to sit on equal footing with Wang Yao, the head of the family, is none other than Cui Zhang, the head of the Cui family.

Wang Yao glanced at Cui Zhang expressionlessly, then said, "Even if Su Mo manages to escape this time, his reputation will be utterly ruined."

"It would be even better if they convicted him outright!"

"Of course, this person is young but extremely cunning, and may have a backup plan."

Wang Yao squinted at Cui Zhang: "The aftermath of this case may not be handled well by our Wang family alone. It would be best if the Cui family did not stand idly by."

Cui Zhang took a deep breath, his expression turning serious.

Even though the Wang family used tricks to ruin Su Mo's reputation, the Empress had no choice but to give up on Su Mo.

But how could the Empress not be angry?
The wrath of the emperor is something even the five noble families and seven powerful clans cannot withstand.

This is the reason why Wang Yao had no choice but to seek help from the Cui family!
After a moment's thought, Cui Zhang did not directly respond to Wang Yao's words, but waved his hand and said with a smile, "It is too early to talk about this now. Let's see how Su Mo responds!"

Wang Yao snorted coldly: "I said, no matter what, it will definitely not affect our two families. How could I do things without considering the consequences!"

"If this plan fails, we'll have to think of another one!"

"How can a mere brat with no background, who only enjoys temporary glory because of the emperor's favor, possibly be an enemy of our prestigious family?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a trusted aide reported, "Second Master, He Heng has confessed that he and Madam Yin have not yet consummated their marriage, but..."

The newcomer paused slightly: "But Su Mo, who seemed confident, also suggested calling a midwife to check if Madam Yin was a virgin."

Wang Yao and Cui Zhang were immediately taken aback.

Wang Yao frowned as he looked at the newcomer: "That man surnamed Su, does he really show no fear whatsoever?"

The confidant replied without hesitation, "I've been keeping a close eye on Su Mo. I'm confident I can't be wrong; he certainly doesn't show any sign of panic."

Wang Yao's face darkened: "Keep an eye on it!"

After Wang Yao's confidant left, Cui Zhang frowned: "Could it be that Su Mo really has no connection with the Yin family?"

Wang Yao sneered, "So what? Does he think he can trace it back to my Wang family...?"

He hadn't finished saying the word "success".

Suddenly, another person rushed in with a terrified look on their face: "Second Master, something terrible has happened!"

Wang Yao's expression changed drastically. He was about to reprimand the person who came when he suddenly froze, and his expression became strange.

The person who arrived was none other than Wang Wensheng, the Wang family's steward and head manager of the bookstore.

Wang Hao, the true head of the family, entrusted the entire papermaking business of Su Mo to Wang Wensheng.

Wang Yao secretly took action against Su Mo without informing his elder brother Wang Hao or the person in charge Wang Wensheng.

That's how I got the slap mark on my face!

When Wang Hao learned of this, he immediately called him over, slapped him across the face, and without saying a word, chased him away with a dark expression!
Wang Yao took a deep breath and looked coldly at Wang Wensheng: "Manager Wang, why are you shouting like this? It's unbecoming!"

Wang Wensheng sighed and handed the story weekly to Wang Yao: "I don't know how to explain it either, Second Master, you can read it yourself!"

Wang Yao took the weekly report with suspicion and read it.

There was a stack of papers, which Wang Wensheng had folded, and on the top was a headline that read "Gossip in the Streets".

"Gossip from the streets?" Wang Yao frowned slightly and looked down.

Before he could even look at You Zike, he felt a surge of blood rush to his head, and he was so angry that his vision went black and he almost collapsed to the ground!
"This...this brat! How dare he insult me ​​like this...I'm furious!"

Wang Yao was so angry that his hair stood on end and his face turned red. He then angrily tore the weekly report in his hand to shreds and, ignoring Cui Zhang, stormed out!

Wang Wensheng sighed inwardly and bowed to Cui Zhang: "Mr. Cui, my apologies!"

After saying that, he hurriedly chased after Wang Yao.

The Cui family immediately became suspicious. Looking out the window, they saw Wang Yao heading angrily towards the Dali Temple!

He summoned his personal attendants... and soon a weekly story report arrived in Cui Zhang's hands.

Upon seeing this, Cui Zhang, the head of the family of five prominent clans and seven prestigious families, was also dumbfounded.

What a vicious brat!

No wonder Wang Yao left in such a rage!

Wang Yaogang also said that Su Mo was powerless against the Wang family.

Five surnames and seven prominent families, what are these prominent families?

Wang refers to reputation, which is the most valued thing by the five surnames and seven clans. As long as the reputation is still there, even if it declines, there will be a day when it rises again!
During the reign of Emperor Bao Qian, the imperial court adopted the Nine-Rank System, which allowed anyone with a good reputation to directly enter the court as an official, demonstrating the importance of reputation!
Cui Zhang looked towards the Dali Temple with extreme apprehension!
That scoundrel Su Mo actually attacked the Wang family directly; he was truly ruthless and showed no mercy.

It seems they're determined to fight the Wang family to the death!
Cui Zhang hesitated immediately!

Is it really appropriate for the Cui family to get involved in this life-or-death battle between the Wang family and Su Mo?

Cui Zhang would never have hesitated before; his previous stance was merely a ploy to gain more benefits from the Wang family!

But now they know Su Mo's ruthlessness, as well as the support from the imperial family, nobles, and even His Majesty behind him.

Cui Zhang had no choice but to reconsider this issue carefully!

Perhaps we should go back and have a serious discussion with the elders to clearly distinguish the pros and cons before proceeding!
He is not Wang Yao.

In fact, Cui Zhang never took Wang Yao seriously.

If Wang Hao hadn't been the second-in-command, unsuitable to directly manage the Wang family, and if Wang Yao hadn't been so fortunate to be the second legitimate son of the Wang family, sharing the same father and mother as Wang Hao, how could he have become the head of the Wang family!

It would be better if Wang Hao personally approached the Cui family.

There's only one Wang Yao...

snort!
……

On the Dali Temple side, everyone looked at Su Mo with strange expressions.

Seeing Su Mo's confidence and his cold smile as he looked at He Heng, everyone naturally became suspicious.

Could it be that Su Mo really has no affair with the Yin family?
how can that be!

The three judges, Zhang Yu and Zhang Yu, exchanged a secret glance!
The original plan was to secretly reveal that Su Mo had an affair with the Yin family, but the case was closed due to lack of evidence.

It now seems to have fallen outside the scope of the three's plan.

Although this method seems to avoid offending either side, it actually pleases neither side.

But this is the only option available.

As long as they maintain a proper facade of official conduct and work together, no one will dare to do anything to them. At worst, they might sabotage them in secret, but there are plenty of instances of sabotage in official circles.

As long as it's not a mortal feud, they can fight to the death!
After all, Zhang Yu was a high-ranking official of the third rank in the imperial court, and naturally he had his own faction and power behind him.

I've given you face, so don't go too far.

If you offend one side to the bitter end, they will definitely retaliate with all their might, and the consequences will be even more serious!

Although the Wang family can be considered a prominent family, that's in comparison to ordinary families; in this context, they seem rather insignificant.

Since Su Mo also said that Yin Rou could be examined, Zhang Yu naturally didn't say anything more and immediately had someone take Yin Rou away to find an experienced midwife to check whether she was still a virgin.

Not long after, the blushing Yin Rou and two women, both in their early thirties, returned to the courtroom.

The two women immediately reported the results of their investigation: "Reporting to you gentlemen."

“The women have examined Ms. Yin’s body and found that she is still a virgin and has never had sexual intercourse.”

Upon hearing this, everyone was instantly stunned.

Princess Baicheng was a little better, but Nangong Sheyue's pretty eyes widened noticeably as she looked at Su Mo with some disbelief.

Zhang Zong also clearly showed surprise.

According to his third brother, Su Mo was greedy and lustful, but loyal and righteous.

Looking at it now, it's hard to call him lustful.

Rumors are indeed unreliable!
Zhang Yu frowned and looked at Su Mo.

Seeing everyone's expressions, especially Nangong Sheyue's suspicious and disbelieving look, Su Mo was at a loss for words.

I never expected that even Lord Nangong would think of me this way!

Do they think it's abnormal for him not to have something happen with Yin Rou?
He rolled his eyes at Nangong Sheyue, then looked at Zhang Yu: "My lords, the facts are already quite clear!"

"Official Yin is still innocent and blameless; how can there be any talk of adultery!"

"Please, my esteemed officials, restore my innocence!"

He Heng looked at Su Mo with disbelief, then at Yin Rou, and after a moment of stunned silence, he suddenly shouted frantically, "Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

"This slut must be unfaithful and commit adultery!"

"Your humble servant..." He Heng suddenly realized something and hurriedly added, "It must be Su Mo who bribed the midwife to say such a thing!"

"This humble official requests that someone else examine this vile woman again!"

Yin Rou stared blankly at He Heng, who seemed to have gone mad, for a moment, then suddenly felt incredibly wronged, and her eyes involuntarily reddened.

Su Mo's face instantly darkened as he stared intently at He Heng, who was still courting death!
If anyone could see Su Mo's anger level, they would know that his anger level was constantly accumulating!
Seeing that the three presiding judges were frowning and not responding to his words, He Heng sensed something was wrong and quickly pointed at Liu Siyun and said sternly, "Even if that slut didn't commit adultery with Su Mo!"

"I also want to accuse this Liu of instigating thugs to beat me! Many people witnessed it, and she cannot deny it!"

"Your Excellency can send someone to examine me..."

Before He Heng could finish speaking, he suddenly saw a dark shadow flash past him. He subconsciously looked up and was shocked to see Su Mo standing in front of him, staring at him with a gloomy gaze.

He Heng was startled, then felt a sharp pain in his chest and abdomen. He was suddenly thrown into the air and crashed heavily into the wall of the yamen with a bang before falling to the ground. He coughed up blood, his body twitched a couple of times, and he was unable to move.

This unexpected turn of events left everyone in the hall bewildered once again.

The onlookers outside were equally stunned and remained completely silent!

What kind of vicious person is this? How dare he lay a hand on an official in front of so many high-ranking court officials? Is there no law left?
Su Mo withdrew her foot and looked at Zhang Yu expressionlessly.

Zhang Yu took a deep breath and said coldly, "Su Mo, what do you mean by this!"

"How dare you assault the plaintiff in court! Do you have any respect for the laws of the court?"

Su Mo snorted: "My maid, Liu, did not order anyone to beat He Heng. Even if He Heng was injured, it was I who did it!"

He paused, his face darkening as he looked at He Heng, who was spitting blood and barely alive: "This man has repeatedly insulted officials of the imperial court!"

"If the three lords don't care, I will!"

“Official Yin is my subordinate. Even if he makes a mistake, it is I who should discipline him. When did it become the place for outsiders to insult him!”

Zhang Yu......

Only then did he realize that Yin Rou really was an official appointed by the imperial court!
A seventh-rank minor officer in the Phoenix Cry Division!
Zhang Yu never expected Su Mo to be so protective of his own, kicking He Heng so hard that he was seriously injured, probably breaking several of his ribs!

In his thirty years in the industry, he had never seen anything like it!
Win over Su Mo?
They're wearing tiger costumes!

The only option is to take He Heng away to treat his injuries, and then... report to His Majesty.

The matter is too big for me, a mere third-rank official in the Court of Judicial Review. I'm too weak to handle it. Let someone who can truly keep this ruthless person in check take charge.

The saint is listening from behind the hall!
Just as Zhang Yu was about to speak, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the hall. A middle-aged man in fine clothes angrily pushed aside the onlookers and strode toward the courtroom in a fit of rage!

Upon seeing the newcomer, Zhang Yu and the other two judges were once again dumbfounded.

It was Wang Yao from the Wang family!
Could it be that Wang Yao, seeing that He Heng couldn't handle Su Mo, actually chose to take matters into his own hands?

What the hell!

What is this?

Zhang Yu felt as if a million alpacas were galloping through his mind!
No matter how tactful he is or how much he doesn't want to offend anyone, he can't help but feel angry at this moment!

No matter what, he was one of the Nine Ministers, an important official of the court.

Is the Wang family completely disregarding my dignity?

　I'm running naked in the freezing cold, begging for monthly votes!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)