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

Chapter 286 The Empress bestows a treasure! Su Mo's first magical artifact!
Su Mo had a relatively frank conversation with the Empress.

Whether the Empress believed it or not, after Su Mo spoke, his mind was indeed much clearer, as if his Dao heart had been sublimated and his magical power flowed smoothly.

He smiled at the Empress: "Your Majesty, I have given Your Majesty such a treasure. May I receive the apprenticeship gift Your Majesty mentioned?"

Upon hearing Su Mo's question, the Empress's expression suddenly turned strange.

She had prepared a separate apprenticeship gift for Su Mo.

The problem is, it doesn't look very presentable right now!

Leng Liuxi never expected that this time, by becoming Su Mo's disciple, she would not only obtain the divine artifact of the nation, the sweet potato, from Su Mo, but also learn many secrets from him.

Although she wasn't sure if this seemingly absurd thing was something Su Mo had done on purpose to cover up the existence of Baiyujing and Kunlun Ruins.

But as long as you carefully consider this statement and conduct a targeted investigation, it's better than having no clue at all.

Furthermore, the pig-raising technique is also extremely useful to Da Wu!
He even needs Su Mo's help to raise pigs.

After hesitating for a while, the Empress glared at Su Mo with annoyance, lowered her head, and gently opened her mouth, spitting out a small and simple golden bell.

With her jade finger, she drew an incredibly complex rune in the air and sent it into the golden bell.

"I'll borrow Su Lang's blood!"

Su Mo was still stunned by the Empress's actions and hadn't reacted when he felt a sharp pain in his fingertip, as if he had been pricked by a needle.

A drop of bright red blood seeped from the fingertip.

Even the fully mastered Green Wood Technique was useless against the Empress!

With a flick of her hand, the empress sent the blood droplets flying into the air.

Intricate and complex runes were then infused into the blood bead, which was then placed onto the golden bell and quickly disappeared!
Su Mo suddenly felt a strange and profound technique appear in his mind.

The magical runes had formed the shape of a golden bell, which was quite bizarre.

Su Mo's eyes widened in shock as he stared intently at the ancient golden bell held atop the Empress's jade-like hand, exclaiming in disbelief, "A magic weapon?"

The Empress gave a soft snort and rolled her eyes at Su Mo: "You got off easy!"

"This is the Sea-Suppressing Golden Bell, a second-grade magic treasure, possessing extremely powerful protective capabilities."

"With Su Lang's current magical power, he should be able to unleash 20% of the bell's power, which should be enough to withstand a full-force attack from an ordinary Golden Core cultivator!"

“However…” Leng Liuxi changed the subject, “After all, Su Lang’s skills are still shallow.”

"Even if we only maintain the lowest power of this bell, it will probably only last for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. It should not be used unless absolutely necessary!"

Su Mo gasped!
Even at the early stage of the Divine Realm, this magic weapon was able to withstand the full force of a Golden Core expert.
That magical artifact is terrifying!
As expected of a treasure of a higher level, even a Golden Core cultivator would find it hard to obtain!
The Empress said that she could only maintain the power of the Golden Bell of Zhenhai for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, but don't forget, she has the power bank of the Vajra Pestle!

Fill the vajra with the power of incense and prayers, and it should be able to last for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

With the construction of the Gufeng Mountain fiefdom, as well as the development of the artisan barracks and textile factory, the Vajra Pestle absorbed more and more incense offerings and prayers!

Upon learning of the power of a magical artifact for the first time, Su Mo secretly swallowed.

The half-sword spirit sword embryo must be forged into a magic weapon!

At that time, there will be a Golden Bell for defense, a Sword Embryo for offense, plus a Demon-Subduing Pestle power bank.

Anyone who dares to underestimate me will suffer a great loss!
Su Mo originally thought that the Empress's gift for him to become an apprentice would be nothing more than pills to increase his magical power or a promotion to Jinyiwei officer.

Unexpectedly, the Empress is indeed the Empress, so domineering!
They'll give you a magic weapon right away!
Judging from her actions, this golden bell is probably used for self-defense, not to mention its preciousness!

If you're going to give me a clock, then give me a clock. I'm not superstitious!

The Empress took one last, reluctant look at the golden bell in her palm, and finally, with a determined bite, handed it to Su Mo: "Su Lang, put it away!"

He paused, then warned with an extremely serious expression: "Remember!"

"Do not display this clock unless absolutely necessary!"

"If others find out that you possess a magical treasure, it could actually bring Su Lang to his death!"

Su Mo opened his mouth and inhaled, drawing the golden bell into his stomach. Then he said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will use it with caution!"

The Empress nodded, then suddenly remembered something: "You mustn't give the Great Heaven-Mending Pill that Ye Wenshan gave you yesterday to your Commander!"

"This pill is rare! I'll need it when my cultivation stabilizes and I break through to the mid-stage of the Divine Realm!"

Su Mo...

He did indeed have this plan, but since the Empress had said so, he could only nod in agreement.

The Empress frowned slightly, then suddenly remembered something: "Now that I have taken Su Lang as my teacher, the court officials will not let it go. My lord, you must be prepared."

Su Mo was immediately taken aback: "What mental preparation?"

"A court official has impeached me?"

The Empress shook her head: "No!"

“He will not allow his son to continue working in the Embroidered Uniform Guard or the Phoenix Cry Division.”

Su Mo's expression suddenly turned strange.

The empress never gave up her desire to become a courtier.

I don’t even know how long it’s been since I last went to Tianchang County, but the position of registrar has still been reserved for me.

Perhaps this move by the court officials is more in line with the Empress's wishes. As long as the court officials propose to strip them of their status as lackeys, the Empress will certainly not object.

It seems I really won't be able to become a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard or a captain of the Phoenix Cry Division.

But Su Mo had no choice.

Between the imperial tutor and the court's henchmen, anyone would know which to choose.

However, it's fine not to be a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard or the Phoenix Cry Guard.

In any case, both intelligence agencies have their own people, so you can still use their power to do things for yourself!
Thinking of this, Su Mo frowned slightly: "What about the Qinghe Hundred Household Office?"

The Empress said in a deep voice, "The Qinghe Hundred-Household Office must be established."

Her face suddenly darkened: "The people are suffering, yet they only know how to enjoy themselves and live extravagantly. Those merchants don't even pay one-thirtieth of their commercial tax to the court!"

"If that's the case, I'd rather thoroughly clean Qinghefang from top to bottom than let such parasites continue to exist!"

She gave a heavy snort, then looked at Su Mo: "I intend to hand over the Qinghefang Hundred Household Office to Zhang Xuzu. What do you think, Su Lang?"

Su Mo pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Zhang Xuzu is a reliable person, and he has the courage to do things. The key is that he has the support of the Duke of Ningguo's mansion, so he should be able to collect the commercial taxes from Qinghefang."

The Empress nodded: "Then it's settled!"

“However, even if you lose your identity as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you still have to take on some of Zhang Xuzu’s responsibilities.”

She frowned and said, "I'm afraid he lacks decisiveness and is easily swayed by others. I really don't know whether I should deal with him then!"

Compared to Su Mo's courage to go against the Wang family, the Empress naturally trusted Su Mo more!

Su Mo: "I know."

The Empress added, "Also, the wool sweaters need to be released as soon as possible."

"Princess Baicheng is asking me for military funds again. I'm so annoyed. When you have time, Su Lang, go and see Princess Baicheng to discuss this matter."

"In addition, Su Lang must personally visit Zhong Yin to express his gratitude."

“This time, Zhong Yin specially sent someone to the Dali Temple to do a lot of favors. In particular, Zhong Yin is upright and honest, and even I don’t know why he treats Su Lang differently.”

As the empress spoke, she didn't realize that she was nagging her husband like a woman about to leave home: "The paper also needs to be sold as soon as possible!"

"I will teach the Wang family a lesson tomorrow. In the next few days, Wang Hao will be too busy to attend to anything else!"

"The development of the telescope must also be accelerated. If you need anything, you can tell Nangong Sheyue directly. I have already instructed her to fulfill all of your requests!"

Su Mo couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself.

Zhong Yin guessed that it was because of things like the Divine Arm Bow, the Eight-Ox Crossbow, and the Sand Table that he stood up for him.

The Minister of War is doing a competent job. Things are piling up, and nothing is easy for him.

My second uncle stayed in Wanghai County, and now he has very few people under his command who are truly capable of doing things.

This second-grade magic weapon, the Sea-Suppressing Golden Bell, is not easy to obtain!
Seeing the Empress staring intently at him, Su Mo could only nod and say, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will certainly not disappoint you!"

The Empress gave Su Mo some instructions, and finally reminded him to take good care of the sweet potatoes before returning to the palace!
With the Empress gone, the Su residence instantly became lively.

After congratulating Su Mo, Wang Xiuzhi, Ding Yu, Du Zhongbai, and others tactfully left.

A group of beautiful women, close female friends.

They surrounded Su Mo completely.

Liu Siyun smiled and gave Su Mo a slight curtsy: "This humble servant greets the Imperial Tutor!"

Jiang Lan also came over with a smile to join in the fun: "This humble servant has also greeted the Imperial Tutor!"

Qin Bier and Chen Qianyu were the same, but they were not as uninhibited as Liu and Jiang, after all, they had not spent much time with Su Mo and had not seen him for a long time.

Yin Rou also blushed and came over to congratulate Su Mo.

It was quite lively for a while.

Suddenly, Liu Siyun said softly, "When Sister Ruolin and Sister Xue return and learn that my husband has become the Imperial Tutor, they will surely be overjoyed."

Su Mo smiled and said, "Mo'er should be back before the New Year."

The matter at Su Nu Palace has been resolved, and Lin Moyin no longer has a reason to avoid the emperor. The empress has also summoned her back to the capital.

Liu Siyun was overjoyed to hear this: "It's good that my sister is back!"

As she spoke, her pretty face showed a slight hint of resentment: "I've been so busy lately."

"Once my sister returns, I can hand the matter back to her and rest for a few days."

"And..." She glanced at Qin Bier and Chen Qianyu, then smiled at Su Mo, "My two younger sisters shouldn't be idle either. My husband has a lot of affairs to attend to, and I really can't manage it all by myself!"

Su Mo laughed and said, "I'm afraid you won't even have time to rest!"

"Bi'er, Qianyu, you two should learn more from Siyun, so that you can become my right and left arms in the future!"

Qin Bier and Chen Qianyu blushed instantly.

Su Mo then looked at Jiang Lan: "Baiyujing is currently closed, so you can show them around the area."

"Hmm... prepare another house for Officer Yin."

"Officer Yin, please stay here in peace. If anyone from the He family dares to come, just tell me, and I'll make sure they pay!"

Yin Rou nodded quickly: "Thank you, Master."

Su Mo thought for a moment and then said, "Do you have any personal belongings at the He family's residence that you need to retrieve? I can send someone to get them for you."

Yin Rou hesitated for a moment: "This disciple has no items that need to be retrieved."

Su Mo nodded: "It's fine if you don't take it. If you need anything, you can just buy it again. If you don't have enough money, you can ask Si Yun for some."

After giving some instructions to everyone, Su Mo turned to Liu Siyun and said, "Come with me to the study."

Liu Siyun's pretty face immediately turned red.

Her first time with Su Mo was in the study, and she even said that Su Mo wanted to review what he had learned and learn something new.

However, he still obediently followed Su Mo to the study and closed the door behind him.

As a result, Su Mo sat down at the desk, took out a pencil and paper, and frowned in deep thought.

There was no need to grind the pencil into ink. Liu Siyun stepped forward and considerately massaged Su Mo's shoulders.

As Su Mo thought about it, she began to sketch on the paper.

He carefully reviewed all the matters on the paper, including wool sweaters, cold-pressed paper, binoculars, sweet potatoes, tax collection in Qinghefang, construction of Gufeng Mountain, whaling in Wanghai County, and the construction of a private army.

When I wrote about forming a private army, the image of that dashing female salt smuggler who looked remarkably like Zhou Ye came to mind again.

This female salt smuggler must be brought into our possession.

Once I completely subdue her, I can basically be a hands-off manager when it comes to military construction.

After reviewing his thoughts, Su Mo said to Liu Siyun, "Among my husband's subordinates, only you are good at management. You still need to work harder."

"You should take on more responsibility for the sale of wool sweaters and cold-pressed paper."

"Settle the shop as soon as possible, and we'll open for business in three days."

Su Mo didn't know what methods the Empress was going to use against the Wang family, but since she said that Wang Haoteng wouldn't be able to make a move during this period, she should be trustworthy.

After all, the Empress has a natural advantage, and no matter how strong the Wang family is, they are just a powerful clan!

Upon hearing this, Liu Siyun was immediately startled: "You're making me responsible for the sale of wool sweaters and cold paper?"

She hesitated for a moment: "I'm afraid I'm not capable enough and might ruin your important plans..."

Su Mo pointed to the list on the table and smiled, "Actually, it's not difficult at all. The price of the wool sweater and the price of the cold-pressed paper have already been set. We can just sell them at those prices."

"We can also hold some promotional activities, such as buy three get one free, you can decide what to do."

When Liu Siyun saw Su Mo's list earlier, she was slightly surprised and asked, "Young master, even the cheapest wool sweater costs three taels of silver, and the more expensive wool cloaks and robes can cost ten or even a hundred times more!"

She took a deep breath: "A fine cashmere cloak costing three hundred taels of silver a set, would anyone really buy it?"

Su Mo smiled and said, "Three hundred taels is naturally very high, but I didn't expect to be able to sell it. The main purpose is to enhance the prestige of the sweater and increase the brand value."

"What we're really selling are these thermal undergarments that cost three to five taels of silver each. Maybe we can also sell some woolen overcoats that cost thirty or forty taels."

Seeing that Liu Siyun still looked worried, Su Mo added, "I will inform the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Phoenix Cry Division and ask them to keep an eye on things."

After thinking for a moment, she added, "Tomorrow you will accompany me to visit Princess Baicheng."

Upon hearing this, Liu Siyun was immediately startled, staring wide-eyed at Su Mo in disbelief, her voice trembling slightly: "My lord is going to take me to pay my respects to... Princess Baicheng?"

Su Mo was speechless: "It's just visiting Princess Baicheng, what's there to be afraid of!"

"His Majesty just arrived at our residence, and you didn't seem particularly afraid!"

Liu Siyun paused for a moment, then said softly, "Actually, I was terrified just now..."

Su Mo...

He coughed and said, "Don't refer to yourself as 'this humble servant' anymore."

"You are now my woman, I am worthy to be your concubine!"

Liu Siyun looked at Su Mo with a complicated expression.

Previously, I was nothing more than a servant of the Fu family.

Now, she is the woman of the Imperial Tutor, and can even accompany her husband to visit Princess Baicheng, the most powerful and influential noble in the Great Wu!
The Fu family, which she once considered as important as the sky, has vanished into thin air.

On charges of colluding with the Heavenly Mother Cult, all the men of the Fu family were executed, and the women were all enslaved. The Fu family was completely removed from Yong'an Prefecture!
Sometimes, the circumstances people encounter are truly unimaginable.

We must learn from the Fu family's experience and take good care of the Su residence for my husband in the future!
Su Mo noticed that Liu Siyun was suddenly staring at her blankly, her pretty eyes reddened, and tears welled up in her eyes.

He was slightly taken aback, reached out to wipe away her tears, and frowned as he asked, "What's wrong?"

Liu Siyun forced a smile through gritted teeth: "I'm fine."

She bit her lip: "My lord... you are so good to me."

"I never know how I can repay my husband in this lifetime!"

Looking at her rosy and alluring lips, and her slender yet still slightly plump waist, Su Mo swallowed hard: "Actually, you could repay me with your life!"

"Today, I, your husband, will risk my life to accompany my beauty!"

As he spoke, he grabbed Liu Siyun's beautiful head with his large hand and pressed it down forcefully.

(End of this chapter)