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

Chapter 284 Master and Disciple Treat Each Other with Utmost Honesty! Sweet Potatoes Exposed!
An Wuning and the others, being well-informed, did not know what this was, and thought it was an auspicious item like celery and red dates.

But seeing Su Mo's unwilling look, one could tell there must be something strange about it.

Could it be some rare and precious medicinal herb?

Leng Liuxi looked suspiciously at the sweet potato vine in her hand, then at Su Mo, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Minister Su, what is this? You seem to value it very much?"

The Empress knew that Su Mo had planted this vine long ago, and it has been more than three months since then.

At first, she was also very curious and asked Nangong Sheyue to investigate the origin of this item, but they found nothing.

Some even suspected that this was Su Mo's way of creating a mystery.

Is there anything in the world that she can't uncover?

Upon hearing the Empress's question, everyone else looked at Su Mo with curiosity, including Liu Siyun and the others.

Su Mo kept the secret of the sweet potato a closely guarded secret.

Only Lin Moyin knew how high-yield a grain crop sweet potato was!

Su Mo rolled her eyes upon hearing this.

He originally intended to save the sweet potatoes to save his life.

However, now that I have the title of teacher, there's no need to worry too much about the Empress discarding me after I've served my purpose.

Killing her brother to seize the throne was bad enough, but adding the infamy of betraying her master and ancestors would probably be too much for the Empress to bear.

Most importantly, the sweet potatoes are about to be harvested, and it can't be kept secret any longer.

Su Mo would never dream that she could keep the news about the sweet potato a secret.

Since there wasn't anything suitable to give the Empress in return, they simply used sweet potatoes to make do, saving a lot of money.

He sighed: "Your Majesty, go back and plant it in the sand, keep it warm and sunny, and after three months you will naturally know what it is."

The Empress blinked: "You only find out the secret three months later? Humph! Minister Su loves to keep things to herself!"

Despite saying that, she still had the maid carefully put away the half-cut sweet potato vine, then suddenly smiled and poured Su Mo a cup of tea: "Teacher, please have some tea!"

Su Mo's forehead creased with annoyance: "Your Majesty!"

"I truly have nothing left!"

The Empress remained unmoved, then turned to Ning Jing and the others, and said calmly, "You may all step back!"

He then looked at Liu Siyun and the others and said, "You may all leave now!"

Everyone immediately left the main hall.

In the vast main hall, only Su Mo and the Empress remained.

The Empress smiled sweetly, and immediately changed her form of address: "This is the first time I have become Su Lang's disciple, and I have even prepared a special gift for you. Why have you only given me a vine?"

Su Mo was speechless: "This is your first time becoming my disciple? How many times do you want to become my disciple?"

He pointed to the red dates, red beans, and other items given as part of the six gifts for becoming an apprentice: "The gifts you mentioned that you specially prepared are these worthless things?"

"Hmph! It would be more practical to just give me a hundred taels of silver!"

The Empress covered her mouth and laughed, "Of course it's more than that!"

She also hid it, just like Su Mo: "I'll give it to Su Lang later!"

She paused, then continued, "But Su Lang is too stingy, only giving me a single vine! He wouldn't even give me a single book of knowledge from Baiyujing and Kunlunxu."

Upon hearing this, Su Mo was immediately taken aback and looked at the Empress with suspicion: "What Baiyujing? Kunlun Ruins?"

He knew Bai Yujing.

Just copy Li Bai's poems yourself.

But I have absolutely no recollection of Kunlun Ruins.

I do know about Kunlun Mountain.

But there is no Kunlun Mountain in this world, right?

Leng Liuxi sighed softly, her pretty face suddenly darkening, and said softly, "I have already become Su Lang's disciple, will Su Lang still hide this from me?"

"Could it be that Su Lang is not from Baiyujing? Kunlun Ruins?"

Su Mo's forehead creased with annoyance: "When did I ever say that I came from Baiyujing or Kunlun Ruins?"

"Bai Yujing's poems are just random ramblings, and he's never even heard of Kunlun Xu! Where would he get any secret manuals or classics from Kunlun Xu!"

The Empress slowly recited: "My toes lightly touch the dew on the pavilion, my sword tip knocks down the Big Dipper. The west wind sweeps across the land like a silver snake, I turn and cleave Kunlun Mountain in two!"

"This is a poem that Su Lang composed while watching Gu Yunshu perform her sword dance on his ship. Has Su Lang forgotten it?"

Su Mo was both amused and exasperated.

The poems I wrote off the cuff, nobody remembers them.

Who would have thought the Empress actually believed she came from Kunlun Ruins!

Just how much did she secretly investigate about me?!
Su Mo looked at the Empress with a wry smile and said helplessly, "It's just a figment of my imagination. I didn't expect you to remember it!"

"How can poetry be trusted? If I were to say, 'I laugh as I brandish my sword at the heavens, my heart and soul remain loyal to the Kunlun Mountains, whether I live or die,' would that mean I am not afraid of death?"

The Empress's eyes lit up, and she blurted out, "What a wonderful poem!"

"How could Su Lang, who is so afraid of death, actually write such a poem?"

Su Mo's teeth itched so badly she wanted to punch someone!

The Empress covered her mouth and chuckled, then stared at Su Mo with wide, bright eyes: "Su Lang, are you really not from Baiyujing or Kunlun Ruins?"

"Please don't deceive me, Su Lang."

Su Mo wasn't fooled by her acting skills and shook her head without hesitation: "No!"

Leng Liuxi frowned slightly and looked at Su Mo very seriously: "May I ask where Su Lang comes from? And who is my teacher?"

She paused, then added, "I know that Changping County could never produce a man as outstanding as Su Lang!"

Su Mo fell silent.

He could tell that the Empress was not joking.

Leng Liuxi stared intently at Su Mo!

After a long while, Su Mo said calmly, "I am from Changping County, Dawu. Your Majesty need not doubt this, nor need to do anything futile to investigate my origins."

Just as Leng Liuxi was about to speak, Su Mo waved his hand to stop her, sighed, and said, "I do indeed have another hometown, but it is neither Baiyujing nor Kunlun Ruins."

"This hometown is too far away; I will never be able to go back in this lifetime."

Leng Liuxi was slightly taken aback: "Su Lang's other hometown is so far away?"

"Even with your abilities, young master, or even if you were to ascend to the realm of a terrestrial immortal in the future, would it still be impossible?"

Su Mo shook his head and said, "We can't go back!"

"That hometown is like a flower in a mirror, the moon in the water, or a scene in a dream... I don't even know if it really exists!"

He sighed self-deprecatingly: "Perhaps it's just my pipe dream, or Zhuangzi's butterfly dream, and doesn't exist in reality."

Leng Liuxi gave Su Mo a deep look, then suddenly smiled: "I believe that Su Lang's other hometown must truly exist."

Su Mo looked at the Empress curiously: "What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?"

Leng Liuxi smiled and said, "Su Lang's talent is rare in the world, how could it be obtained in a dream?"

"I have never heard of the dream of yellow millet or Zhuangzi's dream of a butterfly, as Su Langgang mentioned, but I imagine there must be some story behind them."

Su Mo nodded and smiled, "Anyway, there's no way we can go back, so there's no point in thinking about it!"

Then, changing the subject, she asked, "Didn't you just say you prepared a gift for me?"

Where is the proper etiquette?

This conversation with the Empress can be considered a candid exchange between master and disciple.

The distance suddenly decreased significantly.

The most obvious sign was that Su Mo noticed the Empress's favorability bar had increased by five points.

Not easy.

It's already at 58%!

I wonder if the system will give any extra rewards after reaching 60%!
When Su Mo asked where her gift was, Leng Liuxi's eyes darted around, and she chuckled, "Su Lang is too stingy! He only gave me a vine!"

"Give me another copy of the classic 'Hometown in My Dreams' series, otherwise I feel like I'm missing out!"

"Hmm... Ideally something like the Tao Te Ching... If that's not available, Sun Tzu's Art of War or the Thirty-Six Stratagems will do!"

"Am I stingy?"

Su Mo almost laughed out of anger, and glared at the Empress with annoyance: "Let me tell you, I have never been so generous in my life!"

"Don't be so greedy!" The Empress was immediately taken aback: "What do you mean by that, Su Lang?"

Su Mo snorted heavily: "For your status, these vines are ten thousand times more important than a thousand copies of the Tao Te Ching or Sun Tzu's Art of War!"

His expression suddenly turned serious: "This is the fate of the Great Wu!"

Upon hearing Su Mo's words, Leng Liuxi's body trembled suddenly.

A cold glint flashed in her eyes, and her pretty face instantly turned serious!
Su Mo said calmly, "With this item, as long as the future Emperor of Great Wu is not too incompetent and tyrannical, incurring the wrath of Heaven and the resentment of the people, this item can at least increase the national fortune of Great Wu by a thousand years!"

Leng Liuxi was stunned for a moment, and looked at Su Mo in disbelief.

To my utter surprise, Su Mo spoke with such harsh words!
The change of dynasties is an eternal phenomenon. It seems that the emperors of each dynasty are cursed, and no one, no matter how high their level of cultivation, has ever lived for more than five hundred years!
The longest dynasty lasted only three thousand years!

Su Mo actually dared to say that he would increase the national fortune of the Great Wu by a thousand years?
If anyone else said this, the Empress would only think that he was arrogant and spouting nonsense.

However, Su Mo was always the type to only say three-tenths of what he meant. The Empress even felt that, judging from Su Mo's tone, there was still room for maneuver in the next thousand years of national fortune!

After a long silence, the Empress stood up and solemnly bowed to Su Mo: "Please enlighten this disciple, teacher!"

Su Mo waved his hand: "I wouldn't presume to offer guidance."

"This thing is called sweet potato. It is a high-yield crop. The taste is not very good, and it cannot be used as a staple food for a long time, but it can relieve famine."

The Empress took a deep breath, her expression extremely solemn: "May I ask, teacher, what is the yield per acre of this plant?"

Su Mo thought for a moment: "If I say the yield is one hundred shi per mu, you definitely won't believe me, so let's say fifty shi."

The Empress's delicate body trembled suddenly, her pretty face showing utter shock, and her voice trembled: "What?"

"One hundred shi per mu?"

The Empress's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Su Mo, exclaiming, "Teacher, are you sure it's not ten shi per mu?"

"Ten shi? You call that high yield?" Su Mo said disdainfully, "In... that world, what is a hundred dan? It can even produce more than a hundred shi of staple food!"

The Empress was so shocked she couldn't speak!

This was completely beyond her comprehension!

How could one mu of land possibly produce 10,000 jin of grain?
In particular, she knew how these sweet potatoes were grown and how hard they were to cultivate!
If such production were truly possible, wouldn't the vast territory of the Great Wu be more than enough to support a million people?
The Great Wu, with its 400 million people, is plagued by various problems and severe internal strife, which has terrified neighboring countries, who fear that the Great Wu might launch an attack at any time.

How powerful could the Great Wu Dynasty, with a population of one million, be?
The Empress couldn't even imagine it!

Seeing the Empress's bewildered expression, Su Mo secretly found it amusing.

So what if she's an empress?

So what if you're in the Heavenly Infant Realm?

That's a scientific crushing victory that's on a completely different level.

An empress who can shake a warship weighing hundreds of tons is already considered the pinnacle of military power in this world.

It's likely that the Nine Dragons Taoist isn't much stronger than the Empress.

This level of force was insignificant compared to that world!
Even if the Empress is incredibly powerful, can she fly directly to the moon? Can she be more powerful than a nuclear bomb?
He said calmly, "You certainly don't believe me now, and I'm too lazy to waste my breath explaining."

"Anyway, the sweet potatoes under Shenma Rock will be ready for harvest in a few days, and then you'll know how amazing they are."

The Empress remained silent for a long time, then suddenly shouted, "Nangong Sheyue! Zhang Zong, come see me!"

Su Mo was immediately taken aback.

Before he could speak, Nangong Sheyue and Zhang Zong had already strode into the main hall.

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects!"

The Empress's voice deepened: "Zhang Zong, obey my command..."

Su Mo frowned and said in a deep voice, "Wait!"

The Empress was taken aback.

Zhang Zong and Nangong Sheyue looked at Su Mo in utter shock.

The Empress was clearly about to issue an imperial decree, and judging from her expression, the situation was extremely serious.

How dare Su Mo disobey His Majesty?

The Empress looked at Su Mo suspiciously: "Minister Su, do you have something to say?"

Su Mo frowned: "Your Majesty wishes to mobilize the troops of the Fengming Division and the Vanguard Commandery?"

The Empress nodded solemnly: "Exactly!"

"This matter is of utmost importance!"

"I must not only mobilize the Fengming Division and the Vanguard Commandery, but also the Golden Guard Vanguard and Rear Guard, and the Feathered Forest Left and Right Guards, to ensure a safe passage!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zong and Nangong Sheyue involuntarily gasped.

Their faces all showed shock!
The Jinwu and Yulin Four Guards, belonging to the Upper Twelve Guards, are the last and most elite troops protecting the Imperial City!

There's only one possibility for deploying these four guards.

That means the Great Wu is in dire straits, and the imperial city is about to be breached by the enemy!

What exactly happened?

The Empress actually wants to mobilize the Imperial Guards and the Four Feathered Guards?
Upon hearing this, Su Mo frowned even more deeply: "Your Majesty, could you please have Lord Nangong and Lord Zhang leave first? I have something to say!"

Such a large-scale operation, with tens of thousands of troops arriving at Gufeng Mountain.

Is his own Lone Peak Mountain still functioning normally?

The Empress hesitated for a moment, but still dismissed Zhang Zong and Nangong Sheyue, then looked at Su Mo with a puzzled expression.

Why is Su Lang trying to stop me?

"As Su Lang said, the sweet potatoes must not have any accidents!"

Su Mo smiled wryly and said, "What could possibly go wrong? It's been growing well for three months now."

"I've also asked someone to take good care of her."

"Such a large-scale operation will only attract the attention of others."

He paused, then said, "Besides, don't I have quite a few planted in my yard?"

The Empress took a deep breath and hurriedly said, "Su Lang, let's go take a look!"

Su Mo laughed and said, "The sweet potatoes are planted there, they can't run away, what's so interesting about them?"

"It's still a bit late; it hasn't fully grown yet."

The Empress forced herself to calm down: "Yes! We must wait until the sweet potatoes are fully grown!"

Then, he suddenly hesitated and asked, "Su Lang, how many more days will the sweet potatoes need to grow before they can be harvested?"

Su Mo thought for a moment: "Seven or eight days is fine, five or six days is fine too? What's wrong?"

The Empress swallowed hard, suppressing her excitement: "At the beginning of the year, I intended to use sweet potatoes to offer sacrifices to Heaven at the Temple of Heaven and to our ancestors at the Imperial Ancestral Temple!"

Such a high-yield grain, which can be described as miraculous, has appeared.

This is the most auspicious omen of all! The Empress's reputation and prestige will undoubtedly be greatly enhanced!
Its political significance is immeasurable!
Then who would dare say that the Empress's ascension to the throne was illegitimate? If it was illegitimate, why did divine objects descend from the heavens?

Su Mo's expression turned serious: "It shouldn't be a problem to finalize it at the beginning of the year."

Before leaving Gufeng Mountain, he had rummaged through the sweet potatoes; they were already quite ripe.

Several more days have passed now, and maybe we can harvest it now!
The Empress nodded emphatically: "Yes!"

He then solemnly instructed Su Mo, "Su Lang, you must keep a close eye on things and make sure nothing happens to the sweet potato!"

"Also, be sure to inform me when it's time to harvest the sweet potatoes!"

Su Mo nodded and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured! There's no problem!"

The Empress never expected that she would become a disciple of such a divine object as sweet potato. She was overjoyed and her eyes suddenly lit up: "Su Lang's abilities far exceed what I expected."

"Su Lang seems to be omnipotent in all matters under heaven. His knowledge of poetry and prose is enough to make even the most learned scholars feel ashamed, and his knowledge of astrology is so profound that Ye Wenshan humbly seeks his guidance!"

The Empress took a deep breath and looked at Su Mo very seriously: "This concubine is truly curious!"

"May I ask you, Master, what path do you truly master?"

"May I follow my teacher to study this knowledge?"

Upon hearing this, Su Mo's handsome face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot!
"Don't ask!" he said curtly.

The Empress was immediately taken aback: "You can't talk about Su Lang?"

"Didn't you say you would teach me everything without reservation? Are you deceiving me?"

"Or perhaps, Su Lang's knowledge is beyond my ability to learn?"

(End of this chapter)