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

Chapter 367 The Eldest Princess Delivers Herself to the Door and the Immortal Sect Walker!

Lin Moyin was very efficient. Before Su Mo could figure out the next plan, he heard from his servants that Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng had come to see him.

To Su Mo's surprise, Ling Yanyao, the owner of Xiaolantingfang, also came with Zhang and Cao.

To Su Mo's greatest surprise, Princess Jinling also came.

Su Mo had mild social anxiety in her previous life. She used to prefer staying at home all day playing games rather than going out for social activities.

Now, with four people at once, it's starting to feel a bit of a headache.

However, these are all part of his connections, which he will need in the future, so he has no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

The original plan was to have Lin Moyin entertain Ling Yanyao and Princess Jinling.

It turned out that Lin Moyin had disappeared; she was probably hiding to read the "Su Family Treasure Book".

There was no problem with Liu Siyun receiving Ling Yanyao, but it was somewhat inappropriate for her to go and greet Princess Jinling.

Xue Yishu comes from an official family, making her well-suited for these kinds of occasions.

The problem is that she's currently busy printing weekly newspapers at the paper mill and printing plant and can't find the time to leave.

Qin Bier and Chen Qianyu are also not suitable to appear in public.

Chen Qianyu, in particular, now hangs out with Chen Hu all day long. She's become a squad leader in the guard team, all that swords and guns she's used to. She's good at fighting and killing, but she doesn't know anything about hospitality.

After much deliberation, Su Mo simply called Yin Rou over.

"Yin Rou, please entertain Princess Jinling and Ling Yanyao for me first. I will meet with them after I have met with Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng."

Upon hearing Su Mo refer to himself, Yin Rou panicked slightly and hurriedly said, "Teacher, please don't say that..."

She stammered, "Also, how could I... how could I possibly be fit to entertain such a distinguished guest as the Princess on behalf of my teacher?"

"This disciple will go find Commander Qianhu immediately!"

Knowing that Yin Rou was gentle on the outside but strong on the inside, and that she held rather traditional views, Su Mo smiled and said, "There is no one else here, so why are you alarmed?"

"Besides, Mo'er already knows about what happened between us."

Upon hearing this, Yin Rou was immediately shocked and exclaimed, "Commander... Commander already knows?"

"What...what should we do?"

Su Mo waved his hand: "It's alright!"

"I can't speak for other things, but in this family, I'm the one who calls the shots!"

He'd already been with Xiao Lizhuang, so what was taking Yin Rou as a concubine?
Just as the Empress said, in the Dali Temple courtroom, under the watchful eyes of everyone, could Yin Rou marry anyone other than herself?

Su Mo thought for a moment and then said, "I'll make do with you for now, but I'll give you a proper title in the future."

Yin Rou blushed and gritted her teeth, whispering, "This disciple dares not ask for a title. As long as I can stay by your side and serve you, I will be satisfied."

She paused, her face slightly somber: "I am an unlucky person, how could I tarnish my teacher's reputation!"

Su Mo sighed, no longer dwelling on the matter, and said calmly, "Please invite Princess Jinling and Ling Yanyao to the west hall. I happen to have something to discuss with them."

This time, Yin Rou didn't refuse; she simply gave a soft reply and left.

Su Mo straightened his robes and went to the east hall to meet Zhang and Cao.

Upon arriving at the East Hall, before Su Mo could even sit down, Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng exchanged a glance, then asked in a low voice, "Lord Su, what's going on here?"

"Why did Your Majesty remove the official title from the gentleman's name?"

Su Mo was slightly surprised: "You guys knew?"

Zhang Xuzu scoffed, "What secrets could there be in a place as small as an egg like Shenjing!"

"Furthermore, Commander Wen of Shangzuo Office has already informed me that I will be in charge of Qinghefang Hundred-Household Office in his place..."

He paused, then smiled wryly and said, "Sir, could you please tell me what exactly happened?"

"The responsibilities of the Qinghefang Hundred Household Office are too great; I fear I cannot bear them!"

Cao Feng also looked worried and said in a low voice, "Now it is said everywhere that Your Excellency is acting lawlessly because of the commercial tax issue and has been impeached by countless court officials."

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty...I'm afraid you'll have to punish the official!"

This matter is closely related to the interests of both of them, so how could they not be worried?

If we can win over Su Mo now, can we win over them in the future?
Su Mo waved his hand and smiled, "It has nothing to do with this matter, you don't need to worry."

"Maintain the usual practice of commercial taxation, and keep sending silver to the Ministry of Revenue. His Majesty and Wang Hao will protect you. No one else can help you."

Zhang Xuzu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that Su Mo's words made sense, but he still couldn't help but ask, "Is it really unrelated to this matter?"

Su Mo nodded: "How could I joke about such a thing?"

"Also, I am no longer a probationary commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so please don't call me 'Sir' anymore, lest we give others something to talk about."

Zhang Xuzu's expression instantly turned serious: "What are you saying, sir!"

"If it weren't for your patronage, we wouldn't be where we are today! We and Commander Cao are not ungrateful bastards like Han Yu!"

Cao Feng also solemnly replied, "This humble servant thinks so too!"

Su Mo did not correct the two of them.

In fact, although he referred to himself as a commoner when he wrote to the Empress, it was merely an act of spite.

Even if the Marquis of Gufeng Mountain, a second-rank official, held no official position, he was completely unrelated to the common people.

Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng addressed him as "Sir," and there was absolutely nothing wrong with that.

He smiled and said, "It's quite a coincidence that I called you all here today, it just so happens to be related to that scoundrel Han Yu!"

Zhang Xuzu's eyes suddenly lit up, and he hurriedly said, "Could it be that Whale Oil has returned to the capital?"

Cao Feng couldn't help but get excited too!
They had experienced the profits from selling soap.

After being betrayed by Han Yu, production has basically ceased, let alone income.

The two hated Han Yu intensely, and that was the reason!

Twenty to thirty thousand taels of silver a month was spent just like that, making him no different from a father's killer!

Su Mo nodded and said, "The ship has arrived at the mouth of the Xima River. I just sent someone to pick it up. It should be able to be transported back to the capital by tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."

Zhang Xuzu hurriedly asked, "How much whale oil did you bring back?"

Su Mo smiled and said, "It was originally said to be more than 200,000 catties, but later another batch was refined, which is now about 300,000 catties."

Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng both gasped in surprise!
The current price of oil in Beijing is about 60 coins per catty. 300,000 catties of whale oil would cost 18,000 taels of silver.

How many days have passed since the warships went out to sea to hunt whales!

Less than two months!
The key point is that it takes quite a while to return by boat from Wanghai County!
All things considered, a warship could generate a profit of ten thousand taels of silver per month.

This doesn't even include income from seafood, whale meat, whale skin, and other sources!
After calculating the figures, Zhang Xuzu couldn't help but gape and exclaim, "The income from whaling is so astonishing?"

"Lord Su is absolutely right! This whale is made of real silver!"

Cao Feng also exclaimed with great emotion, "It seems that even without the soap trade, whaling revenue is still extremely high!"

Su Mo smiled and said, "That's not how it works."

"With oil prices soaring these days, a normal boat can only earn a maximum of seven or eight thousand taels a month!"

Cao Feng grinned and chuckled: "Still a lot!"

Zhang Xuzu was even more excited: "Lord Su, I think we should just not divide this income among ourselves! Let's hurry up and build ships to hunt whales!"

"When I return, I will ask my elder brother for help and send another thousand shipbuilders to Wanghai County!"

Cao Feng repeatedly expressed his agreement!

Warships are like hens that lay golden eggs; the more the better!
Su Mo nodded: "That is indeed the case, but whale skin is a strategic resource, and it must be sent to His Majesty according to the agreement!"

As he spoke, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and his voice turned cold: "I summoned you here today to discuss with you how to use this batch of whale oil to teach Han Yu and his buddies a lesson!"

Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng immediately gritted their teeth and said, "We should do as you say, sir!"

"If I don't teach that son of a bitch a lesson this time, I'll write this character upside down!"

"However, we don't understand business. Just tell us what to do, sir!"

Su Mo had considered it for a while beforehand, and then said, "I will write a letter to Meng Yuankai. After you go back, go find Meng Yuankai, deliver this letter to him, and burn it after reading it."

"Once he reports to His Majesty about the oil price issue, you can then get other court officials to agree. His Majesty will surely issue an edict banning the sale of soap!"

Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng were instantly shocked upon hearing this. What a ruthless scheme!
Han Yu's side purchased tens of thousands of shi of oil, fearing that he might buy oil from surrounding prefectures and counties, and even snatched up the oil from the surrounding areas.

These tens of thousands of petroleum greases are enough to feed the tens of millions of people in the capital and surrounding counties for more than two months!
Oils were naturally used to make soap immediately.

What will happen to the soap that Han Yu has stockpiled if His Majesty orders a ban on its sale?
What to do with the remaining grease?

Don't forget, your soap business has members from Fengming Division and His Majesty. Han Yu isn't just robbing his own money!
Given His Majesty's temperament, especially considering the current state of poverty, there's a 99% chance he'll issue this order and then have the Phoenix Cry Division conduct a thorough investigation...

This imperial decree will absolutely be met with unanimous approval from the people of the capital and surrounding areas!

That's killing two birds with one stone!
Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng looked at Su Mo in shock!

Shocked, he thought to himself that he must never offend Lord Su again!

Fortunately, after learning that Su Mo had been dismissed, I felt no disrespect whatsoever!

Marquis Su is just having a minor disagreement with His Majesty; they'll be sleeping together again sooner or later!

Next, Su Mo told Zhang Cao about the follow-up plan and then told them to leave and act according to the plan.

Afterwards, he composed himself and went straight to the West Hall to see Princess Jinling and the owner of Xiaolanting Workshop.

In fact, Su Mo could roughly guess Princess Jinling's purpose in coming.

It was simply because they were afraid that the Empress would use them as a pawn, thus affecting the wool trade.

It seems Cao Feng was right; there aren't many secrets in Beijing. The news of his dismissal has probably already reached the ears of many people.

As for Ling Yanyao, Su Mo found her somewhat strange.

Logically, since she pays commercial taxes, the Qinghefang Hundred Household Office will protect her business, which has little to do with whether she has power or not.

Why is she coming to see me?

As Su Mo was thinking, he walked to the west hall and saw Princess Jinling talking to Yin Rou, who looked somewhat unnatural.

A little further away sat a woman in her thirties, tall and stunningly beautiful, wearing an elegant light purple dress.

This woman had a slightly worldly air about her, with a curvaceous figure and an extremely charming appearance. However, her hair was styled in a loose, parted bun, suggesting that she was an unmarried young woman.

This is naturally Ling Yanyao, the owner of the Little Orchid Pavilion.

She sat solemnly in her chair, her lips slightly pursed, seemingly lost in thought.

Su Mo was slightly surprised to see Ling Yanyao.

He could clearly sense the faint magical aura emanating from her, which was actually at the Guiqiao Realm, perhaps even higher than his own wife's!
This magical aura was extremely subtle and unpredictable; if Su Mo hadn't achieved the Yellow Springs Outer Core, he probably wouldn't have been able to tell.

When Princess Jinling saw Su Mo enter, she stopped talking to Yin Rou and nodded slightly to Su Mo: "I apologize for my presumptuous visit, Marquis Su."

As she spoke, she frowned slightly and glanced at Ling Yanyao.

Princess Jinling was naturally somewhat displeased that Su Mo had only just appeared after she had been there for quite some time, and that she was being asked to share a hall with this woman of the night.

Su Mo smiled and said, "How could I not welcome Your Highness the Princess to my humble abode?"

"I had some matters to attend to and apologized for keeping Your Highness waiting."

He glanced at Ling Yanyao. Given his status, he naturally had no need to care about her feelings. He then introduced her to Princess Jinling, saying, "This is Ling Yanyao, the owner of the Little Orchid Pavilion Ship."

"Your Highness, could you please wait a moment while I speak with her about something, and then we can discuss it in detail?"

Princess Jinling nodded: "Of course."

Su Mo then said to Ling Yanyao in a low voice, "If I am not mistaken, Lady Ling should be a contemporary disciple of an ancient immortal sect?"

Ling Yanyao was also secretly observing Su Mo. Seeing that Su Mo was indeed as young as the legends said, she was shocked and also had doubts.

She couldn't sense Su Mo's aura at all!

Wasn't it said that this kid was a sorcerer at the Divine Transformation Realm?

Just as Ling Yanyao was filled with doubt and surprise, she suddenly heard Su Mo's words and was immediately startled, but she calmly said, "This humble woman, Ling Yanyao, greets Marquis Su."

"But what does Lord Su mean by 'ancient immortal sects that walk in the present world'? Please forgive my ignorance, I don't understand."

Upon hearing this, Princess Jinling frowned and squinted at Ling Yanyao.

No wonder Su Mo arranged for himself to be with her!
As a boat owner, he was not qualified to share a room with her, especially since the princess's husband, Guo Liang, frequently frequented brothels. Although Princess Jinling did not say anything, she was naturally displeased.

However, if Ling Yanyao were a contemporary figure from an ancient immortal sect, then he would be qualified to speak with her.

Of course, it was just a casual conversation.

Seeing that Ling Yanyao was pretending not to understand, Su Mo smiled and said, "Why do you need to be like this, Madam Ling?"

"If Lady Ling thinks that I, the Marquis, cannot even find this out, then I am underestimating the Imperial Guards and the Phoenix Cry Division of the court."

"Lady Ling should know that before I was dismissed, I was a probationary commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and a centurion of the Phoenix Cry Division!"

Ling Yanyao looked at Su Mo with suspicion and shook her head: "I am just a merchant's wife, I really don't understand what you mean by this, Lord Su."

Su Mo sneered: "A female merchant at the Returning to the Aperture Realm is truly extremely rare!"

Originally, Song Xi, the commander of Fengming Division, said that Ling Yanyao was very likely a contemporary figure from an ancient immortal sect, but Su Mo was still somewhat unsure.

Ling Yanyao's current performance has only confirmed this.

He refused to believe that a cultivator at the Returning to the Origin Realm would be unaware of the ancient immortal sects!
This woman's origins are particularly mysterious; there is no information about her lineage or teacher among the Embroidered Uniform Guard!
It would be strange if there wasn't something odd about this!
Su Mo's expression suddenly darkened: "Since Madam Ling doesn't admit to being the current Sword Master, then Madam Ling also doesn't know about Sword Maiden Gu Yunshu?"

"How dare this person possess a talisman and break into my residence at night? Does he think that the laws of the imperial court are useless to the ancient immortal sects?"

Ling Yanyao was truly taken aback this time!
Her expression shifted between light and dark. After a long silence, she let out a long breath, looked up at Su Mo with clear eyes, and the smoky aura around her suddenly disappeared.

"Lord Su, could you tell me how you came to know that I and Senior Sister Gu are practitioners of the immortal sects in this world?"

"Senior Sister Gu's visit to Marquis Su's residence at night had other reasons and no ill intentions. Yan Yao apologizes to Marquis Su on behalf of Senior Sister Gu and asks for his forgiveness."

As she spoke, Ling Yanyao stood up and gave Su Mo a slight bow, though her gesture was slightly different from that of other women.

Su Mo gave a soft hum: "Please sit down!"

"A woman of unknown origin has managed to create such a situation on the Xima River, yet she has no powerful family or government official backing her. Don't you find that strange, Madam Ling? Not to mention that Madam Ling is a cultivator at the Guiqiao Realm!"

Su Mo paused slightly, then snorted again: "Also, that person used an ancient immortal sect secret technique to possess a spirit talisman and infiltrate my residence. A wisp of his divine sense was destroyed, and yet Gu Yunshu suddenly disappeared without a trace!"

He sneered at Ling Yanyao: "If I couldn't even guess this, why would Lady Ling need to come and pay her respects to me today!"

Ling Yanyao felt a chill run down her spine.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Phoenix Cry Division of the Great Wu Dynasty are far more powerful than I thought!

They were just too lazy to check themselves before.

Gu Yunshu offended Su Mo, and once Su Mo investigated, she was immediately exposed!

Ling Yanyao hesitated for a moment, then stood up and gave Su Mo a traditional bow: "My secret and Senior Sister Gu's concealment of our identities is an order of our sect that cannot be disobeyed. Please do not blame us, Lord Su."

While saying this, he secretly thought that Su Mo still showed no unusual expression, so he must really not recognize the origin of this ancient ritual. He and Gu Yunshu were probably wrong. Su Mo had no connection with the ancient immortal sect.

But she was even stranger.

If Su Mo had not been carefully nurtured by the ancient immortal sects, where would he have acquired such astonishing knowledge?

Su Mo sat upright in the grand chair, accepting Ling Yanyao's bow expressionlessly, then sneered, "Trespassing on my official residence, how can you say you won't punish me? Unless..."

Ling Yanyao sighed helplessly: "Unless there is something else, please speak frankly, Lord Su. As long as it is within my power, I will not refuse."

Given Su Mo's status, he could have any woman he wanted; it's unlikely she was coveting his beauty.

Of course, if she really coveted it, Ling Yanyao thought to herself that she probably wouldn't refuse.

Lintian Pavilion has no abstinence rules, nor any rule prohibiting marriage with ordinary people.

Such a dragon among men, when she is a suitable match, she can also use his power to break through to the Golden Core realm.

Even if Su Mo coveted her body, she wouldn't say it in front of the current princess, would she?
The problem is, aside from her own body, Ling Yanyao really can't think of anything else Su Mo wants her to do.
I've already paid my own business tax, so it shouldn't be because of this.

Could it be that he has some secret technique of the ancient immortal sect?

Many thoughts raced through Ling Yanyao's mind in an instant, and she became somewhat uneasy.

But Su Mo didn't continue speaking to her. He turned to Yin Rou and instructed, "Commander Yin, take Lady Ling to the side hall to wait!"

After the two left, only Su Mo and Princess Jinling remained in the hall.

Su Mo's gaze fell on Princess Jinling, his expression darkening slightly. He actually began to interrogate her: "Was the late Prince Consort Guo's action instigated by Your Highness?"

(End of this chapter)