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

Chapter 296 The Empress personally supports Su Mo!
Today is the 27th day of the Lunar New Year, and the imperial court's annual holiday has finally arrived.

The morning court session ended rather quickly. After the Empress routinely inquired about the affairs of the court, she hastily announced its adjournment, appearing to be even more anxious than the officials themselves.

Zhong Yin, the Minister of War, would naturally return to his office at the Ministry of War after the morning court session.

The officials of the Ministry of War naturally wouldn't bother Zhong Yin on this last day.

In fact, most officials were not in the mood to go to work. They gathered in twos and threes to discuss the matter of receiving their salaries and winter gifts at noon, as well as the important matter of the court banquet for the officials tonight!
In previous years, the imperial court was in financial straits, and it was not easy to even pay the New Year's salary in full, let alone the winter solstice gifts!
But all the officials knew that despite the continuous disasters this year, for some inexplicable reason, the court's finances had actually improved considerably.

Not only were the salaries paid in full, but the Empress also generously used 100,000 taels of her own private treasury to purchase various supplies and distribute them as winter gifts to the officials.

Most officials, especially those in less prestigious departments like the Hanlin Academy, were quite excited.

The year-end is a difficult time, and countless officials have taken out foreign debts.

According to custom, debts are not held past the New Year.

With a full salary and a winter bonus of about three or four taels of silver, they were finally able to catch their breath and get through the year-end.

Zhong Yin was also unable to concentrate on his work, his mind filled with the words Zhong Li had spoken to him before the morning court session.

Zhong Yin didn't want to go to Su Mo's bookstore.

A Minister of War went to a bookstore run by a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to cut the ribbon.

If this gets out, we'll become a laughing stock!
But Lady Zhong asked him a question: "If His Majesty were to truly wage war against the powerful clans, who do you think would win and who would lose? His Majesty's giving you the Romance of the Three Kingdoms already makes his intentions quite clear."

Zhong Yin naturally leaned towards the Empress's answer to the question.

No matter how powerful the aristocratic families are, they are still fighting against the Empress within the rules. No matter how much they win, they can never pull the Empress off the throne.

The question is, what if the Empress doesn't follow the rules?
Once the Empress breaks the rules and fights with the aristocratic families, how much resistance will they have?
rebel?

Do not make jokes!
Rebellion only leads to death!
Military power is firmly in the hands of the Empress! Even the noble generals are loyal to her!
How dare these powerful clans challenge an empress?

Zhong Yin sighed, then gave the clerk a few instructions, changed into casual clothes, and left the Ministry of War.

……

Seeing that it was already past 9 AM and Princess Baicheng and Ye Wenshan were nowhere to be seen, Su Mo became depressed.

Especially Princess Baicheng!
It's normal that Ye Wenshan didn't come, but half of the profits from this clothing shop go to the expenses of the new army, and she doesn't seem to care at all. It's infuriating!

Even though it was agreed that the ribbon-cutting ceremony would take place at 9:00 AM, it would be more polite to do it a little earlier, right?

The local natives are so rude!

Just as Su Mo was feeling down, he was about to call Lin Moyin and the others to get off the car.

Suddenly, the crowd stirred, and everyone looked toward one end of the street!
Su Mo subconsciously followed the crowd's gaze and then stared in disbelief!

No wonder Princess Baicheng arrived so late!

A troop of elite soldiers, clad in armor and exuding a fierce aura, led the way.

From the murderous aura they exuded and the scars that were visible all over their bodies, it was clear at a glance that they were true veterans of countless battles!

The crowd quickly made way.

Then, a group of tall, beautiful women dressed in pure white wool dresses arrived together.

The experienced tailor designed this dress specially based on Su Mo's instructions. It particularly accentuates the figure and its style is slightly different from the ordinary dresses of the Great Wu Dynasty. It is a wool dress with a design similar to a horse-face skirt!

It's quite eye-catching.

In the weather of light snow falling.

The bleached, fitted wool skirts, draped with fine wool cloaks, made this group of pretty and spirited women look like fairies emerging from the snow!
The first three, in particular, were absolutely stunning!
Even Su Mo, a seasoned otaku with incredibly rich experience who has watched videos of beautiful women from all over the world, couldn't help but swallow hard!
Lin Moyin and the others also stared wide-eyed, their surprise and undisguised envy evident as they looked at the woman in white walking towards them.

Not to mention the onlookers.

Gasps of breath could be heard coming from the crowd!

The reason why Princess Baicheng was late was naturally because she was walking at the front of the procession, a woman with a slightly pale face and a slightly plump figure, wearing a white veil!
Despite Leng Liuxi's face being covered by white sand, she walked side by side with Princess Baicheng and Nangong Sheyue.

Su Mo recognized him at a glance!
She hasn't even taken her annual leave yet, so how come the Empress has time to come here?
Judging from this, did he just come over after the morning court session?
Su Mo took a deep breath, quickly gave Lin Moyin and the others a look, and then quickly got off the carriage and went to greet the Empress and her entourage!

"This humble official greets Lord Leng! Princess! Lord Nangong!" Su Mo bowed and greeted the three men with a serious expression.
Lin Moyin and the others naturally followed suit and greeted the Empress and the others.

Leng Liuxi first gave Lin Moyin a deep look, then her gaze fell on Su Mo, and she chuckled, "Today I've come personally to support you, my lord. I hope you won't disappoint me!"

As she spoke, she turned to look at the shop and saw a red cloth hanging on the signboard. She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Is this the bookstore and clothing store that my husband owns?"

"It looks quite ordinary."

Su Mo smiled and said, "Time is tight, so this is the only way. Anyway, good wine needs no bush."

He then looked at Princess Baicheng with a wry smile and said, "Of course, this is also because I am too poor and do not have the money to do so many fancy things."

Leng Liuxi smiled sweetly: "Good wine needs no bush!"

"If that's the case, why would General Leng need to summon all of his most handsome guards?"

Princess Baicheng said expressionlessly, "I've brought the person over to you. You can decide what to do with them!"

He then added, "Could you arrange for us to rest at the shop until the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Mr. Su?"

She was incredibly tall, standing at a full 1.9 meters, with terrifyingly long legs. Even Su Mo, who was 1.8 meters tall, looked shorter than her.

It's easy to imagine how eye-catching such a stunningly beautiful woman would be when she appears on the street!
Princess Baicheng was quite unaccustomed to such a scene.

Especially since he appeared in full view of everyone without wearing that hideous bronze mask.

If the Empress hadn't come in person, why would she have shown up here!

Su Mo nodded: "Mo'er, you take the three adults inside to rest, I'll wait outside!"

Leng Liuxi was slightly taken aback upon hearing this: "Someone else is coming?"

"People from the Duke of Ningguo's mansion?"

She was naturally aware of Su Mo's network of connections.

Almost everyone who could come did, and the only ones with whom they had a slightly better relationship were Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng.

However, they are currently busy preparing for the establishment of the Qinghefang Hundred Household Office, and probably won't have time to come over.

On the Embroidered Uniform Guard side, You Li and Wei Zhengguang, who also had a fairly good relationship, naturally wouldn't appear at this time.

Upon hearing the Empress's question, Su Mo looked at Nangong Sheyue with slight surprise.

Did she not tell the Empress about Ye Wenshan?

However, Ip Man Shan did not explicitly state whether he would come or not the night before.

He then explained, "Perhaps Master Ye will come and support me."

"In addition, I also sent someone to speak with Lord Zhong, but I don't know if Lord Zhong has the time."

Leng Liuxi was speechless.

Princess Baicheng looked at Su Mo with slight suspicion.

When Su Mo mentioned inviting Zhong Yin to cut the ribbon last time, Princess Baicheng thought he was joking or boasting.

Judging from Su Mo's current demeanor, it seems he really went to invite Zhong Yin?
The Empress couldn't help but laugh and said, "I advise my husband not to wait any longer."

“Lord Zhong is the Minister of War, one of the Nine Ministers of the Imperial Court. How could he possibly give face to a mere Embroidered Uniform Guard like you?”

"Furthermore, Ye Wenshan has a stubborn and unyielding temper. Even I... I can't easily get him to do anything. How could you expect him to come just because you call him!"

In the Empress's eyes, Ye Wenshan and Zhong Yin were known for their uprightness.

He rarely had personal relationships with the ministers who served in the same court, so why would he personally come to support Su Mo, a mere centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?
Su Mo casually smiled and said, "Anyway, it's scheduled for 9:00 AM, so there's still a little time to wait outside. It's alright for me to wait a bit."

The Empress smiled and said, "It is already extremely rare that Ye Wenshan would agree to inscribe the name of your bookstore!"

"He is a recognized master calligrapher. It is said that many people outside are seeking his calligraphy, and even if they are offered a hundred taels of silver per character, they still cannot get it!"

At this point, the Empress couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle: "If you have the chance, my lord, you should definitely learn from his magic!"

"Young master's handwriting is truly... unbearable to look at!"

Su Mo's forehead creased with annoyance. The Empress chuckled lightly, then walked straight towards the clothing shop.

Clearly, as a woman, and seeing the clothes that Su Mo had specially designed for Princess Baicheng's personal guards, the Empress was quite curious about the ready-made clothes sold in the clothing store.

Of course, more importantly, she owns half of the ready-to-wear market.

Su's Department Store is truly Su Mo's own; the Empress can't take advantage of Su Mo!
Upon entering the clothing shop, the Empress's eyes lit up slightly.

There were at least thirty or forty female staff members in the shop, ranging in age from their teens to their thirties or forties.

They had decent looks and were all wearing the same style of wool sweater. The style was a bit strange, unlike ordinary dresses which had wide sleeves, but it looked much more convenient for movement.

Even the shopkeeper was a composed woman who looked to be around forty years old.

Upon seeing Liu Siyun and the others enter, the shopkeeper and the female shop assistants quickly stepped forward to greet them.

However, he looked somewhat uneasy and anxious.

The small shop was filled with numerous shelves, on which hung all sorts of robes and undergarments.

On the walls, there were also various robes, along with matching inner and outer garments, and even boots and socks.

What surprised the Empress the most was that there were also many lifelike wooden figures in the shop.

These wooden figures are all tall and robust, dressed in full woolen clothes, hats, boots, and so on, looking just like real people!
Princess Baicheng and Nangong Sheyue both looked at the wooden figure in surprise!
This was the first time they had ever seen clothes sold like this!

The Empress frowned: "Why are there only women in this shop?"

Upon hearing the Empress's question, Lin Moyin naturally looked towards Liu Siyun.

Liu Siyun has always been in charge of business dealings.

Liu Siyun quickly explained, "Your Majesty..."

The Empress interrupted her: "I am cold and aloof!"

Liu Siyun: "Reporting to Lord Leng, the young master said that selling goods requires meticulous attention, especially clothing and accessories. Therefore, he selected these women from Lonely Peak Mountain to be in charge of selling wool sweaters!"

She paused, then added, "The store will arrange additional security guards in the future to ensure they are not harassed by customers."

"In addition, the clothes in the clothing store have fixed prices, and there are wooden signs on them. No bargaining is allowed. There will only be a uniform discount, so we don't need so many shop assistants."

"It's just that there were too many applicants, and the young master was kind-hearted, so he took them in so that they could earn money to support their families and would be useful when they opened their own shops in the future."

Upon closer inspection, everyone noticed that each garment had a wooden sign hanging beneath it, displaying the price of the item.

However, the price made even the Empress gasp slightly.

It's too cruel.

For example, a complete set of robes hanging on the wall, only slightly more attractive in style and made of thicker material, is priced at thirty taels of silver!

After her initial surprise, the Empress pointed to the wooden figure and asked, "Was this also Su Langjun's idea?"

Liu Siyun immediately replied, "Yes!"

"My husband said this allows guests to more directly experience the effect of wearing a wool robe."

"If the results are good, we will make more children's models in the future."

"Hmm... My husband says that money from women and children is the easiest to earn."

The Empress remained silent.

I really don't know how my husband's brain is formed!

There are so many strange and wonderful ideas!

This is no longer just a way to make a living; it even hides the art of slaying dragons!
Such mastery of human nature is truly exceptional; one could say they have people completely under their control!

If the Empress hadn't known that Su Mo was utterly loyal to her, she might have actually become wary of him!
The Empress was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Since Young Master Su said that women and children's money is the easiest to earn, why are all the clothes in the shop men's clothing?"

Liu Siyun quickly explained, "That's how it is."

"The young master said that men and women are different after all, so he separated the shops. This side sells men's clothing, and the back side sells women's clothing. They are not connected to each other to ensure the privacy of female customers. They need to enter through a small back door."

With the mindset of someone from a later era, Su Mo naturally understood the immense purchasing power of women.

Women, in particular, are impulsive consumers, so a women's clothing department was specially set up, separate from the men's clothing department in front.

The Empress sighed softly, "Su Lang is indeed very thoughtful; no wonder he's made so much money in his business dealings!"

Princess Baicheng's expression also turned strange.

They thought that wool was warm and would sell well once it was made into clothing.

I now realize there's a lot to learn about buying and selling!

There's more to it than just military strategy!

No wonder Su Mo said frankly that the profit margin for wool sweaters was huge, yet he wasn't afraid of abandoning him and monopolizing the business!
Maybe that guy would love for me to do that!
If I were to truly become his competitor, I fear I would be utterly defeated!
If this applies to clothing stores, what about bookstores?
Princess Baicheng actually started to feel a bit expectant.

The Wang family opened a bookstore across the street to compete with Su Mo. I wonder if Su Mo can withstand it!

Although Su Mo is skilled in making a living, Wang Jiasheng has abundant capital and has been deeply involved in the paper industry for many years. This battle will probably not be easy!
Next, the Empress naturally went to the women's clothing store.

When everyone entered the women's clothing store through the back door, they were shocked again!
Compared to the somewhat plain menswear department, the womenswear department is incredibly colorful and vibrant!
The wool sweater was dyed in seven or eight different colors, making it look incredibly elegant!
Many dresses also feature various exquisite little decorations, such as delicate silver and gold ornaments!
There were even colorful plush toys hanging there, including little human plush toys, cat plush toys, deer plush toys, and so on!

Despite their odd appearance, such as their enormous eyes, these dolls have a surprisingly cute and endearing quality.

The key point is that at a glance, there are dozens of styles of these women's dresses!
From common women's skirts to half-moon skirts worn by the imperial guards, to styles that looked incredibly novel and that even the Empress had never seen before, the Empress was simply dazzled!

Princess Baicheng was also dumbfounded.

Looking at the dazzling array of women's clothing, he couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Did Su Xianzi come up with all of this?"

Liu Siyun smiled and said, "Most of the ideas came from my husband, and then the tailors from Lonely Peak Mountain were responsible for manufacturing them."

"I do not know where you obtained this style of dress, my lord."

Princess Baicheng was completely at a loss for words.

This Su Mo is simply inhuman!

They even have such a deep understanding of women's clothing!

He also makes those cute and adorable plush dolls!

Could it be that those strangely styled robes are the attire of the people from Baiyujing and Kunlunxu?

Although it looks a bit strange, it seems like it should be quite comfortable to wear?

However, the women's clothing here is even more outrageously priced than the men's clothing!

Princess Baicheng even saw a set of bright red clothes on a wooden figure, which looked very novel and beautiful. Adorned with gold ornaments and with excellent needlework, the price was as high as three hundred taels of silver!

Everyone loves beauty, and even the Empress couldn't take her eyes off such a wide variety of women's clothing.

I finally made it to the very back of the women's clothing section.

The Empress's gaze suddenly froze.

He frowned as he looked at the oddly shaped, minimally made, and unidentifiable small items on the shelf.

This little item is not made of pure wool fabric; it also uses silk and brocade.

However, the price is quite high.

This thing, no bigger than the palm of your hand, is priced at ten taels of silver, which is equivalent to a thick woolen robe. It's outrageous!

"What are these?" The Empress pointed at these strangely shaped little objects and frowned as she looked at Liu Siyun.

Upon hearing this, Liu Siyun's pretty face suddenly turned crimson!

Jiang Lan, Yin Rou, Qin Bier, Chen Qianyu, and others are all like this.

Only Lin Moyin and Xue Yishu looked puzzled.

Seeing this, Princess Baicheng and Nangong Sheyue couldn't help but become curious. They stared intently at the small items on the shelf, secretly wondering what these little things were for. Could they be like those dolls, used to decorate the body?

(End of this chapter)