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

Chapter 124 Buy a beautiful maid!

After the dual cultivation, Lord Qianhu's complexion became noticeably rosier.

Su Mo touched her and found that her body was no longer as cold as before.

His own primordial yang energy was having an increasingly noticeable effect on her.

Once the vital energy is infused into her body in the future to nourish her womb, her infertility will surely be cured.

Unfortunately, despite Su Mo's best efforts, Lord Qianhu's favorability remained unchanged!
It seems that 90% is the limit.

To get promoted further, you need to take on tasks.

The problem is, the long, thin light bulb above Master Qianhu's head hasn't been lit for a long time!
Same as yesterday.

After taking advantage of Su Mo, Lord Qianhu ruthlessly drove him away!

Su Mo returned to the house on the other side of the river, feeling dejected.

The Vajra Pestle's effect on strengthening his right fist was obvious; even with Lord Qianhu's Xuan Yu Finger at half its strength, it could only knock him back three steps.

Su Mo naturally planned to strengthen the other parts as well.

Unfortunately, the Vajra Pestle failed to work.

Previously, the duration of training with Qianhu had increased considerably, but the power of the Demon-Subduing Pestle had been depleted.

Su Mo felt as if he had discovered a secret about the Vajra Pestle!
The charging time is getting shorter and shorter, while the energy storage capacity is getting higher and higher.

He had already reached the Body Observation Realm, and was becoming increasingly sensitive to magical energy.

As the Vajra Pestle released its warm current, Su Mo vaguely sensed that a strange energy was coming from the south and flowing into the Vajra Pestle!

To the south lies Changping County.

The reduction in charging time began with Su Mo's reorganization of the East and West markets.

Some small vendors offered Su Mo a longevity tablet!

"The Vajra Pestle has been hidden inside the statue of the Locust God Temple for a very long time!"

"That locust god temple seems to have been built during the locust plague thirty years ago..."

"Could it be that the person who hid the Vajra Pestle in the Locust God Temple wanted to use the power of incense offerings to temper the Vajra Pestle?"

"But the incense at the Locust God Temple is no longer being burned. Why didn't that person take the Vajra Pestle away?"

"Could it be that he was out of luck and died?"

In his previous life, Su Mo read a lot of cultivation novels.

The book contains quite a few instances of characters becoming gods through the power of incense offerings and vows!

The strange occurrences surrounding the Vajra Pestle made Su Mo wonder if that was the cause of his thoughts.

"Could the strange energy absorbed by the Vajra Pestle be the incense energy from the longevity tablets offered by the people of Changping County?"

After thinking it over, Su Mo felt that this was the only explanation.

However, since I can't figure it out, I'll stop thinking about it for now.

A shorter charging time for the Vajra Pestle, and the more energy it provides, is definitely a good thing.

Unfortunately, it's useful, though.

The biggest problem is that it's not sustainable.

If it can provide mana continuously, that would be truly amazing.

Taoist sorcerers possess astonishingly powerful spells, but their weakness lies in their inability to sustain them.

Even a great sorcerer at the Divine Transcending Realm like Lord Qianhu would have his magical power almost completely exhausted in the battle at Longmen Cave in about half an hour!

A sheer numbers of people could definitely wear down the sorcerer to death if the sorcerer couldn't escape.

The Vajra Pestle is not working.

Su Mo was too lazy to improve his magical power through hard work.

Let's talk about it while we sleep.

I'll find out where to find the White Demoness tomorrow and try to increase her favorability.

However, it seems that you don't need to find it yourself.

That white witch has been eyeing me for a long time; she'll come knocking on my door sooner or later.

That night.

Su Mo dreamt that he was a living Buddha in ten thousand families, and that his Vajra Pestle devoured the incense and prayers of countless people.

Help yourself advance to the Golden Core Realm!

A group of close female friends sparred with him one after another!
First it was the Commander of a Thousand Households, then the young widow, then Lady Chen, and then, not his beloved concubine Xue Yishu, but rather, the petite and exquisite Commander Ning, who perfectly matched Su Mo's aesthetic...

They took turns going into battle.

Su Mo fought back with all his might.

Finally, Lord Qianhu and the others realized that they were no match for Su Mo, who had advanced to the Golden Core realm, in a one-on-one fight.

They actually disregarded all martial ethics and joined forces to besiege Su Mo!

Fortunately, Su Mo had already reached the Golden Core stage and was not at a disadvantage!
The next morning.

Su Mo stared at the battle in his dream, the battle record left on the bed sheet, and remained silent for a long time!
I wonder how the young widow and Lady Chen are doing in Changping County!

I need to make money as soon as possible, buy a mansion in Shenjing, and bring them to the big city so I can enjoy the company of everyone... cough cough, enjoy a life of leisure!

Looking at the three sets of clothes I had changed out of, and the messy bed sheets.

Su Mo sighed.

Lord Qianhu is unlikely to wash himself.

I have no choice but to do it myself.

While it's still early, I'd better hurry up and wash the clothes to avoid embarrassment if too many people see them.

The great hero secretly robbed the rich to help the poor; the landlord had no surplus grain; and the emperor didn't need a golden spoon to eat.

The chief flag officer of the Fengming Division was required to wash his own clothes.

This is what life was really like in ancient times, far less glamorous and wonderful than what later generations imagined.

Su Mo carried a large basin of dirty clothes and sheets out the door.

Just opened the door.

Then they saw Jiang Lan standing guard outside the door, meticulous in her work.

Su Mo was taken aback.

They arrived early enough.

Jiang Lan was stunned when she saw Su Mo come out carrying a wooden basin full of clothes. Then she reacted quickly and snatched the basin away!

"These rough jobs, sir, you can leave them to me!"

Su Mo stared in disbelief as Jiang Lan ran off to the stone steps by the river...

It's fine to let her wash my clothes.

But the bed sheets have an amazing track record!
Forget it.

It's not like it's anything shameful.

Having come to this ancient world, one must adapt to it.

It is normal for servants and slaves to wash clothes for their masters.

I don't know when my official rank will be transferred to Shenjing, and the commander hasn't given me any definite answer either.

I'm taking a break and going back to my room for a nap.

I slept comfortably during my second nap, but was eventually woken up by the aroma of food.

Su Mo followed the fragrance.

It came from the kitchen.

Jiang Lan actually started working in the kitchen.

They have a very strong sense of initiative!
Upon seeing Su Mo appear, Jiang Lan blushed slightly and quickly explained, "I was worried that you might be hungry after you got up, so I went to the market to buy some food ingredients..."

"Sir, don't blame the slave family."

Su Mo waved his hand and stepped forward to take a look.

The mutton was being cooked in an earthenware pot, with some bay leaves, dried tangerine peel, and water chestnuts added.

These spices can remove the muttony smell.

In addition, a bowl of fish soup was cooked and garnished with chopped green onions, which looked very appetizing.

Surprisingly, Jiang Lan has some cooking skills.

Su Mo scooped up a piece of mutton, which had been stewed until tender and tasted good.

I tried the fish soup again, and it was just as passable.

Su Mo looked at Jiang Lan, whose pretty face showed some anticipation, and nodded with a smile, "It's alright, you can tell she put her heart into it."

He paused, then asked, "Can you cook?"

Jiang Lan quickly replied, "Your Excellency, cooking is a closely guarded secret of Tianyi Tower, and I have no idea about it."

Su Mo asked again, "Have you had any stir-fried dishes?"

Jiang Lan was speechless, but could only honestly reply, "This concubine has never eaten it."

"It is said that only the head chef of Tianyilou knows the secrets of stir-frying."

"And there are a maximum of ten tables a day. Only those of high status can make a reservation to enjoy the meal. The minimum price is one tael of silver per dish."

Su Mo was genuinely surprised.

Scarcity marketing?

It seems that there were indeed people skilled in business in ancient times; no wonder Tianyilou became the number one restaurant in the capital.

However, Su Mo had no intention of competing with Tianyilou for these high-end clients.

He plans to focus on volume.

Anyway, cooking isn't a high-level skill.

A thin iron wok, high oven temperature, and generous use of oil can basically outperform 90% of the dishes from the Great Wu Dynasty!

Su Mo looked at Jiang Lan with a serious expression: "Are you willing to sign a contract of servitude?"

Jiang Lan was stunned for a moment, her pretty face instantly turning bright red. She lowered her head, not daring to look at Su Mo at all, and her voice became so soft that it was like a mosquito's buzz: "My lord...my lord wants me...to sell myself into slavery?"

She knew that servants had to attend to their masters' daily needs and needs.

If you're lucky, you might become a second wife's maid, or even gain the status of a concubine.

Those who are unlucky will often be betrothed to other servants after they grow old and lose their beauty.

Su Mo waved his hand and said calmly, "I want to open a restaurant and I plan to teach you how to cook."

"But fearing that this skill might be exposed, a contract of servitude must be signed."

"If you are willing to sell yourself to me, the restaurant can be managed by you; if not, I will not force you!"

"This indenture is for ten years, with a monthly allowance of three taels of silver, and performance bonuses will be calculated separately."

"After ten years, you are free to stay or leave, and you can take your cooking skills with you to pass down to your family!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lan realized she had misunderstood, but her face turned even redder!

Doesn't that sound like a shopkeeper?

It's a monthly occurrence!
Even in a high-cost place like Shenjing, one can support a whole family.

Moreover, there were performance bonuses that she couldn't understand!

The most important thing is.

He actually promised that he could take his cooking skills with him and pass them down to his family!
Let's not talk about this now.

Even if a thousand years pass, once you learn a skill, you'll be able to travel the world without fear!
Skills should not be easily passed on.

Master, Master, the teacher who teaches you skills, you should really treat him like a father!

Betraying one's teacher and the Way will be condemned by the world and isolated by the entire society!

Su Mo would only need a ten-year indenture to teach a skill. If the skill were passed on, the line of people seeking his instruction would stretch from Mingde Gate to Guanghua Gate!

Jiang Lan had no reason to hesitate.

He immediately knelt down and respectfully kowtowed nine times to Su Mo!

Su Mo waited until she finished kowtowing before saying, "Get up!"

"I'll go to the brokerage this afternoon and find someone to sign the contract."

You can't just sign a contract of servitude.

Only after obtaining approval from intermediaries, witnesses, and government officials can the case be finalized. Jiang Lan nodded, blushing.

She signed a contract of servitude, meaning that for ten years she would be Su Mo's person and would have to obey his orders, including serving him in bed.

In those days, slaves had very few human rights.

Beatings and scoldings were commonplace.

Even if someone beats or kills a servant, violating the Great Law of Martial Arts, it is only considered a minor offense, and a fine of silver can be paid to reduce the punishment.

As Su Mo ate, Jiang Lan's servants, already aware of the situation, stood respectfully to the side to serve him.

After Su Mo finished eating, Jiang Lan put away the leftovers and moved to the kitchen to eat.

Jiang Lan, who came from a lowly background, was not young and associated with ordinary people, servants of aristocratic families, and so on.

Having been exposed to it from a young age, they naturally understood the rules for servants.

Su Mo didn't say much.

There still have to be rules.

I, a servant, certainly cannot be treated the same as Qin Bi'er and the others.

Otherwise, it will be difficult to manage the servants in the future.

Next, they went to the brokerage firm to complete the indenture procedures.

The cunning broker, seeing Su Mo dressed as a wealthy young man from out of town, immediately asked for three taels of silver as a brokerage fee.

Su Mo had no choice but to raise the small flag and official's token.

Then, in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the indenture bearing the official seal of the Wannian County Government was obtained.

You don't even need to make a trip to the government office.

It cost a total of three hundred dollars!

One has to marvel at the extent of the connections within the brokerage industry!
Changzhi County and Wannian County are separated by Zhuque Avenue. They are two counties under the jurisdiction of Shenjing, and are each assigned a county official of the sixth rank.

It is extremely difficult for ordinary people to establish connections with government officials.

Su Mo was reluctant to pay a large intermediary fee, but he was generous with the money he was selling himself to, giving Jiang Lan fifty taels of silver directly!

This money could even buy a mediocre female slave in the slave market!
Even maids have a few basic human rights.

But female slaves truly had no human rights whatsoever.

In the eyes of the vast majority of Wu Dynasty people, they were no different from livestock.

Since its founding, the Great Wu Kingdom has never ceased its wars of conquest against foreign powers.

Prisoners of war, etc., are naturally a type of spoils of war.

The foreign female slaves in the human market are very cheap.

After settling the matter of the indenture, Su Mo took the newly sold maid to a blacksmith's shop and ordered three thin iron pots of different sizes to be made.

It cost a full ten taels of silver!
It is more than twice the size of the iron pots in Changping County.

If my third uncle finds out, he'll definitely scold Su Mo for being a spendthrift!

However, once the finished product was ready, Su Mo felt it was worth the price.

The blacksmith's skill was truly extraordinary; he forged three thin iron pots that were incredibly thin, probably only two millimeters thick!

Anyone else would have accused the blacksmith of cutting corners.

The reason why iron woks are expensive is because of their weight!
Most people are reluctant to use ironware and usually cook in earthenware pots or clay pots!
Su Mo gave a thumbs up!

It may be lightweight, but the technology is priceless!
For frying, cast iron is the best choice.

However, the casting technology of that era was not up to par, and the molten iron contained many impurities. Even if it were successfully cast, it probably wouldn't have lasted long.

They had no choice but to use refined iron as a second-best option.

Seeing that the blacksmith was quite skilled, Su Mo simply ordered some more distillation equipment.

By modifying the equipment at home, the efficiency of distilling cloudy liquor can be greatly improved. Since it's not a complete set of equipment, there's no need to worry about leaks.

Of course, Su Mo didn't forget to remind the blacksmith.

These iron tools must not be passed on to outsiders.

If he doesn't listen to advice, Wei Zhengguang, a fourth-rank commander, will teach him a lesson.

The lion's share of the distilled spirits was in the hands of the clerk!
Compared to iron pots, these delicate and complex iron utensils take much longer to make and can only be picked up the day after tomorrow.

On his way back, Su Mo stopped by the market and did a quick sweep of it.

Purchase a variety of ingredients and spices.

The price of spices was so high that even Su Mo, a wealthy man, felt a little distressed.

Price compared to gold!

Especially the pepper powder, a lump the size of an egg, cost Su Mo a tael of silver!
In total, the spices weighed less than two catties and cost seven taels of silver, averaging a little over three taels of silver per catty!
This shows just how monotonous people's meals are these days.

Su Mo felt more and more that the restaurant had potential.

Having a capable and beautiful maid makes things so much easier.

Jiang Lan walked behind, carrying several heavy iron pots and large and small bags of ingredients.

Her waist and hips swayed even more dramatically.

Su Mo was really worried that she would break her back.

Of course, for a second-rate martial artist, this worry is unnecessary.

Even if it's a long walk back to the house.

The beautiful maid still looked like she was about to break at the waist, but her fair neck was completely free of any sweat.

The beautiful maid I bought for fifty taels of silver was truly worth every penny, an absolute steal!
When they got back to the house, it was already dark again.

Su Mo didn't bother Lord Qianhu. Instead, he took advantage of the time to teach the maid how to cook.

If the restaurant opens but the head chef isn't there, people will laugh at us.

We can't very well summon Ms. Chen from Changping County in an emergency.

Besides, she might not agree to be the cook.

That guy never forgot his original aspiration. Even though he's now a county yamen runner, he still dreams of becoming a chivalrous hero!

Jiang Lan comes from the lowest social class.

Compared to Ms. Chen, who only dabbled in cooking, she took learning to cook much more seriously.

Her culinary skills are indeed quite good.

The first time it was charred, the second time it was half-cooked, but the third time it was cooked perfectly!
Su Mo also sighed.

Jiang Lan is a natural-born chef; her talent is astonishing.

Once I've learned how to cook, I'll pass on the recipes I remember to her.

You don't need to worry about the restaurant much.

Jiang Lan watched nervously as Su Mo tasted the stir-fried dish for the third time, not daring to make a sound!

We wasted ingredients twice in a row.

She was worried that Su Mo wouldn't want her, this stupid maid!

Su Mo tasted it twice, nodded and smiled, "Not bad, the cooking is just right, it's a bit too salty."

“You’re using well salt, which is saltier than coarse salt. If you can’t control the saltiness when cooking, you can taste it to determine the correct flavor.”

After pausing, Su Mo continued, "However, relying solely on stir-frying dishes won't be enough to sustain the restaurant's business if others discover the secret of the iron wok."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lan said urgently, "Don't worry, my lord!"

"This servant will strictly adhere to the rules, and no outsiders are allowed to watch or peek into the secrets of cooking while I am cooking!"

In her view, such skills must be kept strictly confidential, and no outsiders should be present in the kitchen when cooking.

Like the chef at Tianyilou who ladles a spoon.

How could it have been leaked!

Is the young master worried that he might not keep a secret?

Su Mo waved his hand: "The restaurant relies on volume, so you can't be the only one cooking. Otherwise, how will you manage?"

"This secret will be exposed sooner or later."

"What really needs to be kept secret is the menu."

"Let me teach you something simple first: braised lion's head meatballs!"

……

After working in the kitchen for a long time, using up a lot of ingredients and seasonings, Jiang Lan finally mastered the recipe for braised lion's head meatballs, even when she felt the pinch.

Jiang Lan wouldn't feel sorry for him.

Lean meat, mushrooms, pepper, eggs, star anise, cinnamon...

These are all extremely expensive ingredients!
Don't be fooled by how simple it is to make.

If Su Mo hadn't mentioned it, the simple act of thickening the broth with cornstarch would have been something that chefs of this era couldn't have come up with even if they racked their brains!

Jiang Lan looked at the braised lion's head meatballs that Su Mo had cooked, and then looked at the ones she had made.

The difference is too big!
She looked at Su Mo with increasing awe and curiosity.

A high-ranking official of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

How could they know such unheard-of and profound culinary skills?

Su Mo didn't notice the maid's gaze.

I tried a bite of what Jiang Lan made.

It's somewhat different from what I used to eat.

But the difference isn't significant.

The technology used in later dishes is so advanced, and the ingredients are so abundant.

This world wins because the ingredients are better!
If we could extract the MSG, it would be even simpler!

That's a magical ingredient for enhancing flavor; once you get your hands on it, you can beat any restaurant in the world.

Extracting MSG is simple; it's just a matter of boiling kelp, something Su Mo knows how to do.

Unfortunately, Shenjing is not near the sea, so you have to make a special trip to get there.

Before MSG is available, chicken bouillon can be made as a flavoring substitute.

Su Mo felt that everything was ready except for the final push.

We're just waiting for one floor!
Lord Qianhu has patted the granary as a guarantee to build himself a large building, but who knows when we'll hear from him.

After the lesson, Jiang Lan enjoyed a delicious meal!
She ate everything Su Mo left behind, even licking up all the soup!

Such deliciousness would have been a huge test for the palates of the ancients!

Furthermore.

Jiang Lan couldn't bear to waste it!
The cost of ingredients and seasonings for just one braised lion's head meatball is over ten thousand yuan!

If you don't eat clean food, you'll be punished by heaven!
Su Mo didn't think anything of it.

In fact, if he hadn't been eating too much boiled food lately, he would rather eat fast food from later generations than these stir-fries and lion's head meatballs!

Regardless of whether fast food is healthy or not.

Anything that costs more than twenty dollars, you have to admit, tastes really good!
After eating, it was time to go to bed.

Life in ancient times was simple and unpretentious.

There might be some activity to do before going to bed.

With Jiang Lan's help, Su Mo washed his feet and went to bed.

Just as I was getting sleepy, I heard a noise outside the door.

A petite woman pushed open the door and entered the bedroom.

Then, she quickly removed her clothes and slipped into Su Mo's bed.

That waist that could be grasped in one hand.

Then it became clear that the one who had crawled into bed was the beautiful maid who had just been bought.

A beautiful maidservant, more valuable than any other, has come to serve me in bed.

have nothing to say.