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

Chapter 339 How Terrifying is Su Mo's Power Now?

In Su Mo's opinion, Wen Yannian was almost certainly there to plead for him.

As a commander of the Imperial Guard in the capital, Wen Yannian couldn't possibly live off his salary alone, so it was normal for him to have connections with merchants in Qinghefang.

Su Mo caused such a huge commotion at Qianse Pavilion and by the river.

Even Zhang Guojiu, dressed in a python robe, knelt down before Su Mo in public.

As a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Wen Yannian naturally had already found out everything.

Anyone with eyes can see that Su Mo possesses a token equivalent to His Majesty's status.

Such tokens were only of two kinds during the Great Wu Dynasty.

Firstly, when imperial envoys inspect local areas and supervise major cases, the imperial sword bestowed by His Majesty grants them the authority to execute first and report later.

In addition, there is the legendary gold medal that is said to grant the emperor's personal presence!

Of course, neither of them is easily obtained.

Su Mo pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Indeed, as Lord Wen said."

"I am here by imperial decree to collect commercial taxes from Qinghefang for disaster relief purposes!"

Wen Yannian hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth: "May I ask, Lord Su, is this a special case or the norm?"

Su Mo squinted at Wen Yannian: "What about special cases? What about the regular ones?"

"Could it be that someone is using this matter to pressure Lord Wen?"

Wen Yannian gave a wry smile: "Lord Su is acting under the title of the Left Supervisor of the Imperial Household Department, and is in charge of the Qinghefang Hundred Household Department."

"I know the inside story, but others probably don't see it that way."

The implication was that he tacitly agreed with Su Mo's words.

Wen Yannian paused slightly, then said, "If it's an exception, I'll grit my teeth and stand up for it; if it's the norm..."

As he spoke, his expression grew increasingly bitter: "Under normal circumstances, I, as the commander of the Left Guard, am afraid I really wouldn't be able to withstand the pressure from all sides. This position of commander is not easy to hold!"

Su Mo has a royal treasure, but he doesn't!

Let alone a thousand-household commander subordinate to the Six Offices.

Even Lu Su, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, would be terrified by the matter of imposing a commercial tax!

Only someone as foolish and bold as Su Mo would dare to take it.

Su Mo pondered for a moment: "If I say this is the norm, how should Lord Wen handle it?"

Wen Yannian sighed and didn't hide anything from Su Mo: "I plan to resign from my position as commander of the Left Guard and recommend Lord Su for the position."

Su Mo frowned, then suddenly said, "This humble servant has something to say, but I don't know if I should."

Wen Yannian looked at Su Mo with a bitter expression: "At this point, is there anything that Lord Su should or should not say?"

He had finally managed to get the position of commander of the Left Guard, but Su Mo suddenly did this. It would be a lie to say he wasn't angry.

Su Mo's expression turned serious, and he said solemnly, "In my humble opinion, we Jinyiwei only care about the imperial affairs!"

“If we are on good terms with the court officials, scholars, and merchants, how can His Majesty trust us and give us important positions?”

He lowered his voice and asked, "Why does Your Majesty now place such importance on the Phoenix Cry Division?"

"Is it merely because the Commander is a high-ranking official promoted by the late Emperor?"

Wen Yannian's expression suddenly changed.

Although Lu Su seemed to have little connection with the court officials.

But in fact, he didn't offend the ministers to the point of death!

His Majesty is not easily fooled!

Su Mo then said in a deep voice, "As long as we remain loyal to the sacred cause, the Sage will take notice!"

"As long as the sage doesn't speak, who can touch us?"

As he spoke, he looked deeply at Wen Yannian and added earnestly, "Does Lord Wen really intend to give up the position of commander of a thousand households that he worked so hard to obtain?"

"Or perhaps, are you content to spend your entire life as a mere commander?"

"Remember, fortune and wealth are found in danger!"

Wen Yannian's expression changed repeatedly for a long time!
Finally, he took a deep breath: "Does Lord Su not want to take the position of Commander of the Left Guard?"

Su Mo smiled and said, "To be frank, if I were to wish for a promotion, His Majesty would surely not be stingy with the position of a commander of the Upper Central Army."

"Does Lord Wen think that I am only fit to be the Left Commander of the Thousand Households?"

Wen Yannian immediately replied awkwardly, "Of course!"

"Given His Majesty's trust in Lord Su, if Lord Su wants to be promoted, it's just a matter of His Majesty's word!"

The upper left is of a higher status than the upper right!

After a pause, Wen Yannian gritted his teeth, a resolute look on his face: "Lord Su's words have indeed awakened me from my dream!"

With that, he stood up and solemnly bowed to Su Mo: "From now on, I will obey Lord Su's orders!"

"Even if I have to risk my life, I will let the Sage and Lord Su know my determination!"

Su Mo quickly stood up and returned the greeting, saying, "Lord Wen, you flatter me!"

"We are both serving the sages; there is no distinction between high and low!"

"Speaking of which, Lord Wen is still my superior. How dare I order Lord Wen to do things!"

Wen Yannian was speechless.

Others might not know that Su Mo had been appointed as the Left Trial Commander, but how could he not know?

Qinghefang Hundred Household Office, independent of the Three Judicial Offices, is responsible for the protection of official seals.

Nominally under the name of the Left Guard, he, as the commander of the Left Guard, had no right to interfere or move him; only Commander Su was fully in charge!

In the eyes of the Jinyiwei who knew the inside story.

The young man before them, who had not yet reached adulthood, had become the third person under Commander Lu Su and Wei Qiu of the Northern Garrison Command!

Does Wen Yannian dare to be arrogant in front of Su Mo?
Ok……

There are people who dare to be arrogant in front of Su Mo.

Zhang Shouning is it!
Judging from Zhang Shouning's current situation, one can see the consequences of offending Su Mo.

Su Shi, a thousand-household commander, was vengeful and ruthless!

However, Su Mo's words were quite frank, clearly indicating that he had no intention of coveting the position of Commander of the Left Guard, which finally put Wen Yannian at ease.

The two sat down again, and Wen Yannian seemed much more reserved, completely embracing his role as a dagger under Su Mo's command.

He coughed twice: "To be honest, Lord Su..."

"My brother-in-law runs a pawnshop in Qinghefang..."

As he spoke, Wen Yannian's face showed embarrassment: "This pawnshop does have an income of about a thousand taels of silver every year, but the commercial tax... has never been paid."

"Lord Su, could you please advise me on how much commercial tax should be paid so that I can have the money prepared and avoid putting you in a difficult position?"

Su Mo pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "With such profits, the commercial tax must be over three hundred taels of silver."

"If you voluntarily pay commercial taxes at the Qinghefang Hundred Household Office, you will only be fined three times the amount of the tax."

Wen Yannian immediately nodded and said, "I will tell him to prepare the silver, and he will go to the Qinghefang Hundred Household Office to pay the fine tomorrow!"

Su Mo frowned, then suddenly said, "Lord Wen, please forgive me for speaking out of turn."

"We, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, must never give anyone cause for criticism when we do our work, otherwise we will definitely attract controversy when we are promoted in the future."

Wen Yannian's heart skipped a beat: "What does Lord Su mean?"

Su Mo pondered for a moment and said, "There's not much of a problem with pawnshops, as long as they operate in compliance with regulations and do not engage in illegal or criminal activities."

Wen Yannian said solemnly, "Thank you for your guidance, Lord Su!"

"If Lord Su has nothing else to attend to, I will not disturb you any further."

Su Mo smiled and said, "I just sent someone to fetch some food from Baiyulou. If you don't mind, Lord Wen, please stay for a meal at my residence before you leave."

Wen Yannian smiled wryly and said, "The food at Baiyujing is unparalleled in the world, how could I possibly find it unpalatable?"

"Unfortunately, some people won't let me eat in peace!" Su Mo thought for a moment, "In that case, I won't keep you any longer, sir."

"Once this matter is settled, I will hold a banquet in Baiyujing and drink with Lord Wen until we are both thoroughly drunk!"

As Wen Yannian left the Su residence, he began to ponder where to get a thousand taels of silver.

The pawnshop earned over a thousand taels of silver a year, which was not bad, but his expenses were also high. He had several wives and concubines, and more than a dozen servants, which amounted to tens of taels of silver every month.

Last time, I spent several thousand taels of silver to get the position of commander of a thousand households.

Asking him to produce over a thousand taels of silver was quite a headache.

However, since Su Mo wouldn't budge, he felt awkward asking Su Mo to show favoritism and not collect taxes from pawnshops.

Just as Wen Yannian was having a headache, he saw the steward of the Su family hurriedly chasing after him.

"Lord Wen, please wait a moment!"

Wen Yannian stared at Jiang Laoshi in astonishment: "Butler Jiang, is there something you need?"

Jiang Laoshi laughed and said, "Lord Wen just left something at Master's residence, and Master sent me to bring it to Lord Wen."

Wen Yannian looked completely bewildered.

What could I possibly have left in the Su family mansion?
But then Jiang Laoshi handed over a flying coin.

Wen Yannian took it and looked at it closely. It turned out to be a cash payment of one thousand taels of silver from Sihai Money Shop!

He quickly pushed the money back: "How can I do this..."

Jiang Laoshi lowered his voice: "Master said that the rules cannot be broken, but Master is also very moved by Lord Wen's support. How can we put Lord Wen in a difficult position!"

After saying that, he left in a flash!
Wen Yannian glanced at Jiang Laoshi's back, then at the flying money in his hand, and sighed.

Lord Su certainly knows how to conduct himself.

I am no match for it!

He even went to their door to test them, truly showing the petty mind of a villain judging a gentleman!

……

Outside Gufeng Mountain.

Two petite, hunched figures appeared among the trees beside a mountain road.

The two figures were none other than Chen Hai and Bai Susu, who were rushing from Tianmu Island to the heart of Dawu.

In just two days, the two had traveled thousands of miles and arrived outside the Lonely Peak Mountain.

There was also an old man with white hair, looking at Chen Hai and Bai Susu with awe.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, Holy Maiden!"

"This is the place the two gentlemen were investigating, called Lone Peak Mountain."

"Four months ago, the false Empress Wu bestowed this place upon Gufeng Mountain County as her fief."

Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Phoenix Cry Division carried out a sweeping purge of the Tianmu Cult members in and around the capital.

However, some members of the Celestial Mother Cult were not identified.

The old man was one of those who slipped through the net.

However, the followers of the Heavenly Mother Cult only maintained single-line contact. After being thoroughly wiped out, the survivors were like frightened birds, losing contact with other members and not daring to seek any way to contact them.

Chen Hai and Bai Susu were both taken aback upon hearing this.

A feudal lord at the foot of the capital?
Bai Susu looked at the old man in surprise and doubt: "The false emperor actually granted Lone Peak Mountain to the county magistrate as his fiefdom?"

"What is the background of that Gufengshan County?"

The old man quickly said, "That county magistrate of Gufeng Mountain is named Su Mo. It is said that he has an extremely mysterious background. He is not only the county magistrate of Gufeng Mountain, but also a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and is deeply trusted by the pseudo-emperor."

He paused slightly, then added, "Unfortunately, I am of lowly status and only know what I've heard secondhand, so I have no way of finding out more about this person."

Upon hearing this, Bai Susu's expression suddenly turned strange: "Su Mo?"

The old man nodded quickly: "That's the name. It seems to be from Changping County."

Chen Hai, who had been silent all along, suddenly turned to look at Bai Susu and asked with a forced smile, "Lord Bai seems to know this person?"

Bai Susu hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "I did have contact with this person."

"This man was originally a clerk in Changping County. He got the favor of a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and was thus transferred to the Shenjing Guard."

She paused, her suspicion deepening: "This man is very talented. I once thought of abducting him to Chuyunling and trying to recruit him for His Majesty's use."

"Unexpectedly, this person has become the magistrate of the puppet regime in just a few months, and even received the fief of Lone Peak Mountain!"

After hearing this, Chen Hai remained silent for a moment, then swung his palm.

The white-haired old man fell to the ground without uttering a sound.

Chen Hai unleashed a golden light from his palm, which landed on the old man.

In an instant, white mist rose from the old man's corpse, and soon it turned into a puddle of clear water!
Bai Susu frowned.

Chen Hai's expression remained unchanged as he calmly said, "According to the Imperial Preceptor, the parts of the Demon-Subduing Pestle are located in this Lonely Peak Mountain, but this mountain is quite strange!"

"There are Dragon Guards guarding the outside of the mountain, and there are sorcerers lurking in the mountains..."

Bai Susu thought for a moment: "With Eunuch Chen's supernatural abilities, it shouldn't be difficult for him to sneak into the mountains and retrieve the parts."

"His Majesty and the Imperial Preceptor instructed that once the demon-subduing pestle was retrieved and the wielder killed, they should return immediately to avoid causing any trouble..."

She thought for a moment, then said, "I think we should act quickly, and it would be best not to disturb the people in the mountains..."

"Especially Su Mo, since he enjoys the favor of the false emperor, if we alarm him, the consequences could be dire."

Chen Hai smiled sinisterly: "Lord Bai, are you afraid that I'll kill that county magistrate of Gufeng Mountain too?"

Bai Susu's pretty face suddenly darkened: "What do you mean by that, Eunuch Chen?"

Chen Hai shook his head: "Lord Bai, please don't misunderstand, we didn't mean anything by it."

As he spoke, he raised his two sparse eyebrows, and suddenly changed the subject: "Lord Bai, do you know what our family has relied on to survive until now?"

Bai Susu was slightly taken aback: "What do you mean by that, Eunuch Chen?"

Chen Hai's expression turned serious: "Our family relies on the word 'caution'!"

"Who can guarantee that this isn't a conspiracy by that false emperor, an attempt to lure the Grand Preceptor here in order to eliminate this major threat?"

Bai Susu frowned slightly: "Then what does Eunuch Chen mean?"

Chen Hai thought for a moment before saying, "Although the Imperial Preceptor said that the Demon-Subduing Pestle is located in Lonely Peak Mountain, our family is not in the mountain and has not sensed the aura of the Demon-Subduing Pestle."

Bai Susu's heart skipped a beat.

It seems that Daoist Jiulong has taught Chen Hai another method to sense the aura of the Demon-Subduing Pestle.

Chen Hai then said in a deep voice, "There are only three possibilities in this situation."

"Firstly, the Heavenly Infant True Person intervened and isolated the aura of the Demon-Subduing Pestle, so our family was unable to sense it."

"Secondly, the parts of the Demon-Subduing Pestle are not in the mountain!"

"Three..."

His brows suddenly furrowed, and then he said in a deep voice, "Thirdly, the person who possessed the core component of the Demon-Subduing Pestle has already refined it and stored it in his dantian!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Susu's expression immediately changed: "The Demon-Subduing Pestle is a top-grade ninth-rank magic weapon. Even if it is broken and its grade drops, how can it be easily refined?"

"If it is refined by someone, how can they obtain it unless that person uses the Demon-Subduing Pestle?"

As a cultivator herself, she naturally knew that once a magical treasure was refined and stored outside the body, it would be extremely difficult for outsiders to seize it.

Even if you kill it, the magic weapon will disappear into thin air; it cannot be retrieved simply by cutting open its belly.

Chen Hai nodded and slowly exhaled: "We also believe that the second scenario is the most likely."

"If it's the first scenario, it must be a conspiracy orchestrated by a fake Wu. We must not fall for it easily, or our lives will be in danger!"

Bai Susu's heart sank immediately.

This old eunuch, a True Person of the Heavenly Infant Realm, is still so cautious!

Getting rid of this person is extremely difficult!

(End of this chapter)