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

Chapter 345 The Qinghefang Hundred Household Office has launched a massacre!

At this moment, Su Mo publicly asked Yin Rou, his disciple who had no official title, for an official position, leaving the Empress both amused and exasperated.

However, Su Mo was both the Imperial Tutor and a Marquis.

He rarely asked for an official position before, but now that he's finally asking me for one, it wouldn't be good to refuse.

The Empress frowned and glanced at Yin Rou, who seemed somewhat at a loss and looked frightened.

He then paused for a moment before saying, "Yin Rou assisted Su Qing in managing the Gufeng Mountain Artisan Battalion, and indeed made great contributions and made many contributions to the court."

"Minister Su often tells me that merit should be rewarded and wrongdoing should be punished!"

"Yin Rou!"

"I hereby promote you to the rank of centurion of the Phoenix Cry Division and bestow upon you a qilin robe. I hope that you will continue to assist Minister Su in managing the artisan battalion of Lone Peak Mountain well, and not disappoint me! Otherwise, I will not spare you!"

Yin Rou was stunned.

Unexpectedly, his master was just joking, and His Majesty promoted him to the position of Hundred-Household Officer of the Phoenix Cry Division and bestowed upon him a Qilin robe!

Although the Qilin robe was only the lowest-ranking bestowed garment, it was still an unparalleled honor.

Even ordinary officials of the fourth or fifth rank might not have this honor!

Seeing Yin Rou standing there dumbfounded, Su Mo quickly gave her a look: "Officer Yin... no, Commander Yin, why don't you kowtow and thank the Emperor for his grace!"

Yin Rou then woke up with a start and hurriedly walked out from behind the crowd. Under the envious gazes of the women of the Su family, she knelt down on the ground.

After Yin Rou expressed her gratitude, the Empress waved her hand and said, "Get up!"

"From now on, just follow the Emperor's orders!"

He paused, snorted, and looked at Su Mo: "Su Qing, why aren't you going to roast sweet potatoes!"

Su Mo: "Your subject obeys!"

He then had Jiang Lan catch a few pheasants, gutted them, stuffed their bellies with spices and salt, and covered them with yellow mud, feathers and all.

The Empress watched Su Mo's actions from the side and became curious.

"Why is Su Qing's chicken wrapped in yellow mud, yet its feathers don't fall off?"

Xiao Yuan and the others also looked at Su Mo with curiosity.

Whether Su Mo's reputation is good or bad, there is one thing no one doubts.

His culinary skills are unparalleled!
Su Mo explained with a smile, "This is a dish from my hometown called Beggar's Chicken."

"Once the yellow clay is thoroughly baked, the hair can be peeled off, and the meat will be tender and delicious, with a unique flavor."

He paused, then continued, “You gentlemen have come in a hurry and must be hungry. I imagine that half a sweet potato is not enough to fill your stomachs, so I will offer it to you to satisfy your hunger, so that you will not feel that I have neglected you.”

The Empress chuckled lightly: "That sounds quite interesting."

"I'm just waiting to taste Minister Su's chicken!"

Su Mo dug a large pit, filled it with the beggar's chicken, and lit a bonfire on top of it.

"Your Majesty, how about we cook another pot of sweet potato soup so that the esteemed officials can learn about the many ways to enjoy sweet potatoes?"

Su Mo made a suggestion to the Empress with a grin.

Empress...

What else can she say.

However, after Su Mo set up the pot and started the fire, the Empress slowly said, "Su Qing, the 150 catties of sweet potatoes that I promised you can't withstand eating like this a few times!"

Su Mo looked blank at first, then her expression changed!
Seeing Jiang Lan pick up another large sweet potato to peel, he quickly shouted, "Stop! Put it down right now!"

Jiang Lan...

Seeing the sweet potatoes that already weighed three or four pounds, Su Mo looked indignant and gritted her teeth, saying, "That's enough! So many sweet potatoes are enough to make a big pot of sweet soup!"

Once the firewood had burned sufficiently, I figured the beggar's chicken was almost ready, and the sweet potato soup was also done.

Su Mo looked at the Empress with grief and indignation: "Your Majesty, whose responsibility is this roasted sweet potato?"

Xiao Yuan...

Zhong Yin...

A group of ministers...

The Empress gritted her teeth: "It's on me!"

Satisfied, Su Mo counted the heads and tossed about ten large sweet potatoes into the charcoal fire.

Although Xiao Yuan, Ye Wenshan, and the others felt sorry for the sweet potato, they knew that they had to taste it themselves to know whether it could be considered a food before they could confidently promote its cultivation in all prefectures and counties across the country.

However, regardless of whether it could be used as food, the sweet aroma emanating from the large bronze cauldron had already made everyone involuntarily swallow their saliva.

They watched with their own eyes how much sugar Su Mo put in, but the sweet aroma of the sweet potato soup clearly did not match the amount of sugar!
Especially when the enticing aroma of roasted sweet potatoes is released.

Suddenly, Xiao Yuan, the chief minister, felt a gurgling sound coming from his stomach!

Su Mo tactfully pulled two sweet potatoes out of the charcoal fire.

He used his magic to cool the sweet potato down, and it had cooled considerably. He then handed one to the Empress, saying, "Your Majesty, please eat first!"

The other one broke it in two and handed one half to Xiao Yuan: "Lord Xiao, please try this roasted sweet potato."

After speaking, he looked at Wang Hao, the second prime minister, who was next to Xiao Yuan.

Wang Hao hesitated for a moment before extending his hand.

As a result, Su Mo strode up to Ye Wenshan and said with a grin, "Lord Ye, please have a taste!"

Ip Man Mountain...

I don't know whether I should accept the offer or not.

Su Mo: "Lord Ye, hurry up! Roasted sweet potatoes are delicious!"

Ye Wenshan silently accepted the sweet potato!

Xiao Yuan subconsciously glanced at Wang Hao beside him.

Sure enough, Wang Hao had a strange expression on his face, as if he had swallowed a dead rat.

Zhong Yin and other senior officials barely managed to hold back their laughter!

Su Mo, what a petty and vindictive person!

Su Mo gave the sweet potato to Ye Wenshan, and then called to Lin Moyin and the others: "Mo'er, you should also distribute the sweet soup to the adults, so that they can have a taste!"

Then, Su Mo picked out two more sweet potatoes.

"Minister Zhong, Minister Chu, and Lord Zhang, please!"

Zhong Yin, Chu Cheng, and Zhang Yu accepted the half-sweet potato with a wry smile.

Su Mo looked at the remaining half and realized that there weren't many ministers he knew well, so he simply ate it himself!

Xiao Yuan was at a loss for words!
However, he couldn't really get angry.

They are clear about their grudges and act according to their own nature. A true villain is always easier to get along with than a hypocrite.

Seeing that the Empress and Su Mo had already started eating without any politeness.

Lin Moyin also sent sweet potato soup to the other ministers.

The aroma of roasted sweet potatoes made Xiao Yuan feel even hungrier. Just as he was about to start eating, he suddenly noticed Wang Hao standing beside him with empty hands and nothing in his pockets. After hesitating for a moment, he handed the sweet potato to Wang Hao: "Lord Wang, would you like to try some?"

Wang Hao waved his hand, both amused and exasperated, "Your Excellency, there's no need to be so polite."

"So-and-so went and obtained it himself..."

He was just about to go and get a roasted sweet potato himself to see what this exceptionally high-yielding crop tasted like.

Suddenly, a beautifully sculpted little girl appeared out of nowhere, tilting her head and blinking at him.

Wang Hao was stunned for a moment.

Immediately, the little girl asked in her childish voice, "Grandpa, why don't you have any roasted sweet potatoes to eat?"

"Dian Dian will treat you to a roasted sweet potato!"

"Roasted sweet potatoes are so delicious!"

After saying that, she stretched out her pink and tender little hand and handed the sweet potato in her hand to Wang Hao.

Wang Hao...

He hesitated for a moment, then took the sweet potato from Dian Dian, broke off half of it, and handed it back to her, saying, "Thank you, kid."

"Half of this is enough for me!"

Dian Dian blinked, looking at Wang Hao in shock: "Grandpa, why are you eating so little!"

"My mother says I won't grow up if I don't eat more!"

Wang Hao was both amused and exasperated.

Just as he was about to speak, a gentle-looking woman with a slightly panicked expression ran over: "Dian Dian! Why are you running around like this!"

He then hurriedly dragged Dian Dian back!

Wang Hao withdrew his gaze and looked at Xiao Yuan beside him: "Does Chief Minister Xiao know who this little girl is?"

Xiao Yuan smiled and said, "It should be the daughter of that widow Qin Bi'er." "I heard that Marquis Su dotes on this girl very much. I didn't expect him to bring her to such an occasion. The rumors are probably true."

Wang Hao chuckled softly, "That little kid is indeed very lovable."

After saying that, he raised his sleeve to cover his mouth and put the sweet potato in his mouth.

Then, her expression suddenly changed, and she looked at Xiao Yuan in shock, exclaiming, "This sweet potato... is so sweet?"

Xiao Yuan was taken aback, and then put the sweet potato into his mouth as well.

Then his expression changed: "This...this grain is actually so delicious?"

He had assumed that sweet potatoes were easy to grow and had an unbelievably high yield, and that even if they smelled very fragrant, they probably wouldn't taste very good.

The result, however, greatly surprised Xiao Yuan.

The chief minister and the second chief minister looked at each other in bewilderment.

This is completely contrary to common sense!
How can there be such a high-yield and delicious grain in the world!
If there were no other drawbacks, who in the world would still grow rice and wheat!
The word "sweet" is basically an adjective exclusively used by nobles and the wealthy!
Ordinary families rarely have the opportunity to taste sweets!

If you said this was celestial food from the Jade Capital in heaven, probably no one would doubt it!
Once sweet potatoes are widely adopted, you can imagine how crazy the farmers will get!

The other Grand Secretaries and Ministers were equally astonished by the taste of the sweet potato!

Everyone stopped eating and turned their gazes to the Empress and Su Mo, their questions clearly in their eyes!

Su Mo smiled and said, "Although sweet potatoes are sweet and delicious, they also have drawbacks and should not be eaten in large quantities."

Xiao Yuan quickly asked in a deep voice, "What are the drawbacks?"

Su Mo explained, "If you eat too much, you are prone to bloating and acid reflux."

"However, grinding it into potato flour and making it into French fries can reduce the weight somewhat."

Xiao Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled, "What kind of drawback is that!"

"As long as the yield is high and it doesn't kill people, it's good grain!"

Su Mo didn't know what to say.

The requirements for the current chief minister are really low.

"Sweet potatoes shouldn't be eaten in large quantities, but the beggar's chicken should be ready by now!"

"Hmm...it's not much, really. His Majesty is too stingy..."

The Empress, who was not far away, said quietly, "What did Su Qing just say? I didn't hear you clearly. Could you repeat it?"

Su Mo declared righteously, "Your Majesty is wise and mighty, unparalleled in the world! It's time to eat chicken!"

Empress: "Get out!"

……

Half a roasted sweet potato and a bowl of sweet potato syrup completely impressed the high-ranking officials of the imperial court.

Beggar's chicken is also delicious.

However, in the eyes of these bigwigs in the imperial court, they are not even worth half a sweet potato leaf!

Xiao Yuan even picked half a sweet potato leaf, put it in his mouth and chewed it to test whether it was edible!

However, this potato variety was not one of those specifically cultivated for eating the vines and leaves in Su Mo's previous life. The vines and leaves were very fibrous, suitable for feeding livestock, but indeed difficult for humans to digest.

After the meal, Su Mo, the master, had nothing more to do.

The Empress was very particular and weighed out 197 jin of sweet potatoes for Su Mo.

However, he was quite generous and gave Su Mo another fifty catties of sweet potato vines, then ruthlessly drove Su Mo away, leaving Su Mo heartbroken.

A full three pounds of sweet potatoes are missing!
No wonder I'm heartbroken!
Next, Shenma Rock was taken over by the Longxiang Guard.

The dug-up sweet potatoes and vines were escorted back to the capital by soldiers under tight security!
Xiao Yuan and the others were also worried, so they left with the army!
Whether they would argue with the Empress for the potato seeds after returning to the city was none of Su Mo's concern.

……

Several miles away from Lonely Peak Mountain, Chen Hai and Bai Susu couldn't help but show shock on their faces!

"What exactly is going on?"

Chen Hai looked at Bai Susu with a gloomy expression: "How come the fake emperor and the important officials of the fake dynasty have all come to this Lonely Peak Mountain?"

"We can even sense the hidden aura of a Celestial Infant True Person!"

Bai Susu frowned and shook her head: "I don't know why either!"

"How could the false emperor and his important officials of the false dynasty have gathered at Lonely Peak Mountain, with thousands of elite soldiers protecting them?"

She paused slightly, then frowned and asked, "What were those elite soldiers escorting back to the capital for?"

Chen Hai stared intently at Bai Susu for a long time, his eyes half-closed.

But he couldn't detect anything amiss in her expression.

Don't be fooled by the seemingly harmonious relationship between Empress Danyang and the Nine Dragons Imperial Preceptor.

In fact, both Chen Hai and Bai Susu knew that the Empress and the Imperial Advisor were mutually wary of each other!
If it weren't for the common enemy of the fake Wu, the two would have fallen out long ago.

"This shouldn't be a conspiracy set up by Danyang to eliminate our family! Could it be a trap laid by the false emperor of the Wu Dynasty?"

Chen Hai couldn't help but ponder.

He was naturally suspicious, and he especially sensed that there was a powerful Heavenly Infant True Person hidden on Lonely Peak Mountain, whose aura seemed even stronger than his own!
Although he had already sensed the core component of the Demon-Slaying Pestle through the parts he had brought with him, it had now appeared on Lonely Peak Mountain.

But given this situation, how could he dare to take action!
If it really is a trap set by the other party for the people of Jiulong Town, even though I am a Heavenly Infant True Person, if I fall into it, I will definitely die!
Chen Hai couldn't see any suspicion from Bai Susu, so he could only say in a deep voice, "In my opinion, we shouldn't act rashly. We need to investigate thoroughly before making a decision."

"What is Lord Bai's opinion?"

Bai Susu pondered for a moment, then nodded: "What Eunuch Chen said is absolutely right, so we will do as you say!"

……

Although the Empress and a group of important court officials had already left.

But Su Mo, the newly appointed Marquis, was far from idle.

Lin Moyin dragged him along and started working on the important matter of sweet potato propagation!
Su Mo was helpless but had no other choice.

Bronchitis!

As the population of Gufeng Mountain fiefdom increased, the food shortage naturally grew larger.

Last time, we offended many grain merchants and only managed to buy 30,000 dan of rice with the help of Xue Shan, but that won't last long.

Next time, if grain merchants are prepared, it may not be so easy to buy grain.

Su Mo is now considering whether to have his third uncle purchase grain in Wanghai County, and then transport it back to the capital by sea once the ship is built!
Although the imperial court had banned maritime trade, their own shipyard had obtained a business license, so shipping by sea was not a major problem.

Of course, the most crucial thing is to be self-sufficient. Only by having grain in hand can one have the confidence to deal with grain merchants.

If two hundred kilograms of sweet potatoes are carefully processed, the vines are separated and then transplanted, and this process is repeated several times, then after half a year, it is possible to grow 100,000 kilograms of sweet potatoes.

By the time Su Mo directed the old farmer to process the sweet potatoes and bury them in the sand to sprout, it was already midnight.

However, he didn't get to sleep for more than a few hours.

A blood eagle flew straight towards the villa on Lonely Peak Mountain like lightning.

Upon seeing the information on the Blood Eagle, Su Mo felt a chill run down his spine, and all sleepiness vanished!

Finally started!

Merchants strike!

Whether it was the Fengming Division, the Qinghe Guard, or the Qinghefang Hundred Household Office, warning merchants not to close their shops had little effect.

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, a full 40% of the shops in Qinghefang were closed!

Forty percent may not seem like much, but they are all key shops related to people's livelihoods!

Even street vendors, carrying their wares and setting up stalls, are threatened and forced to leave by some unknown individuals!
However, those merchants and their backers were probably afraid of provoking a strong backlash from the imperial court, so the strike was limited to the Qinghefang area!
Zhang Xuzu sent a message to Su Mo, which included more than just the matter of the market strike.

Instead, the Qinghefang Hundred Household Office has already started killing people!

After reading the letter on the cloth, Su Mo's face immediately darkened, and a murderous glint flashed in his eyes!
He had just been granted the title of marquis, and those merchants were already pulling this stunt.
Is this a way of giving himself a hard time?

He didn't think those merchants were unaware that he was already a marquis!

Those merchants may seem to have a lowly status, but they are absolutely resourceful and well-informed.

Take the Wang family's shops for example; behind them is Wang Hao, the second-ranking official in the imperial court.

How could Wangjiapu not know that he had been promoted to marquis?

However, the letter stated that killings had begun in Qinghefang, but provided no further details.

Su Mo hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided that he had to go back to Qinghefang to take charge.

It's not that he didn't want Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng to take the blame.

However, this concerns his system task, and he's really worried that Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng won't be able to handle it!
They're clearly trying to intimidate me. If I don't respond, wouldn't that be saying I'm scared?

Hit a punch, lest a hundred punches come!

If we scare them all away once, it'll save us a lot of trouble later!

Su Mo was about to instruct Liu Siyun to prepare robes for him when Lin Moyin suddenly entered: "My lord! Nangong Sheyue has come to the mountain and says he wants to see you!"

(End of this chapter)