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

Chapter 125 Su Mo is audacious! He accepted a bribe of four thousand taels!
People who practice martial arts not only have good physiques and great flexibility, but also have super strong endurance!
That snake demon, so slender it could be grasped in one hand, was simply exquisite!
It can be picked up with one hand and arranged in countless ways!
Moreover, the maid was very sensible.

Afterwards, he even helped Su Mo clean her body before leaving on his own!
Time travel is wonderful!

……

Chu Jianghe, as a trial centurion, came from a collateral branch of the Chu family and grew up in Shenjing, so he could be considered a long-time resident of Shenjing.

Therefore, he still has some connections in Shenjing.

"One hundred taels of silver per bottle?"

He stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the tall, imposing Han general before him, clad in lacquered gold armor.

The burly general chuckled: "Don't you believe me? One hundred taels of silver is just the internal price for the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

"It's said that the Vice Commissioner doesn't have many, only a few bottles in total!"

"Many noble ladies and noblewomen have declared that they are willing to pay two hundred taels of silver to buy it!"

"Unfortunately, no matter how much money you have, you can't buy it."

The burly general lowered his voice: "I'm only telling you this, brother, don't go around telling everyone, or you'll lose your head!"

He leaned close to Chu Jianghe's ear and said, "Yesterday, when we were on duty guarding the palace gates, His Majesty happened to be passing by!"

"You can smell a faint fragrance of orchids on your body!"

"Ninety-nine percent of the time it's that perfume!"

The Han general took a deep breath: "Think about it, even His Majesty uses that perfume, so how could those noble ladies not use it?"

She paused, then couldn't help but curse again: "Those noblewomen, I really don't know what they're thinking!"

"If His Majesty can use it, then they can use it too?"

"Two hundred taels of silver!"

"We risk our lives all year round, and we still can't earn that kind of money!"

"That little bit of stuff is ten times more precious than gold!"

"Even more outrageous is that if you spray it on your body, your silver will disappear into thin air! Isn't that insane?!"

Chu Jianghe looked down at his money pouch.

Be silent!

The Han general suddenly stared intently at Chu Jianghe with envy: "Brother, you are the trial commander of Changping!"

"I heard that the perfume was made using a secret family recipe passed down through generations by a minor official in Changping County!"

"Brother, could you... help me get a couple of bottles? That way I can pull some strings and see if I can get a taste of officialdom?"

As he spoke, he thumped his chest loudly: "Of course, my brother will be generous with the money!"

The highest rank of the Han generals is that of soldiers.

If you are promoted, you will become a minor officer of the seventh rank!
All that's missing is a bottle of perfume to pull some strings.

Otherwise, why would he tell Chu Jianghe such a secret?

He was reluctant to part with the money that had vanished after spraying it on his body.

It's a different story when it's used for pulling strings and seeking promotions!

Two hundred taels of silver for a bottle is absolutely worth it!

Chu Jianghe's face turned bitter as he looked at the other person helplessly: "It's not that I don't want to help you, it's that I can't do it either!"

The Han general was taken aback: "Brother, you are a centurion, and that man is just a small flag officer. How dare he disobey your orders?"

Chu Jianghe smiled bitterly: "Although that person is a junior officer... he has a very close relationship with Commander Lin."

"How could I possibly fear a mere trial centurion like myself!"

The Great Han General was still not giving up: "That Su Qi official was summoned to the capital by imperial decree to report on his duties, and he is currently in the capital."

"Brother, could you please introduce me?"

"I will never forget my brother's kindness after this is done!"

Chu Jianghe could only nod: "I will go and find out what they think."

The Han general grunted in agreement: "Then I entrust my matter to you, elder brother!"

Chu Jianghe bid farewell to the Han general, his mind heavy with worries.

He finally understood.

Why did the Minister of Works' uncle say that the pillow talk was sharp?

Those noble ladies who were obsessed with perfume, if they could get their hands on it, wouldn't they desperately whisper sweet nothings in their husbands' ears?

Their men were either high-ranking officials in the court or nobles of the empire!
How difficult could it be to secure a position as a centurion for myself!

The deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard would not easily go against important officials, dukes, marquises, and earls of the court.

It would be more appropriate to replace him with a commander!
Oh shit!

Why were I so blind back then that I didn't offer incense to Su Mo!
Guo Jingyi and Ma Wei both sent generous gifts!

He secretly laughed at their foolishness.

Now I realize that I was the one who was foolish!

The centurion lowered himself to give a gift to the junior officer, accomplishing great things with little money. What a shrewd man!
If you are to give a gift to Lord Lin, you must not do as you would with yourself and give him five hundred taels.
These people who rose from the bottom of society are all shrewd and experienced, far more so than someone like me who was parachuted into Changping as a trial centurion!

Unfortunately, regret is useless.

We need to find a way to repair our relationship with Su Mo!
How do I fix the problem?

There were less than three hundred taels of silver left.

If you go to her door to buy perfume, Su Mo might not sell it to you!

They're not stupid; they know the effects of perfume.

Even if I could produce perfume in large quantities, I definitely wouldn't do that.

Things are rare.

The reason why perfumes are so sought after by wealthy women is precisely because of their scarcity.

When wealthy ladies gather, others wear sachets to enhance their appearance, while they themselves spray on perfume.

Doesn't that make the difference obvious?
What woman doesn't like to compare herself to others?
Chu Jianghe couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

In his house, he kept a pair of twin sisters who were of marriageable age.

He was carefully taught from a young age, becoming proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, in preparation for a crucial moment.

That Su Mo is greedy and lustful. Sending him a pair of twin flowers will surely have a miraculous effect.

Chu Jianghe wasn't reluctant to part with it.

From a sixth-rank trial centurion to a fifth-rank honorary centurion, he took two major steps in one go. If he didn't use his twin talents now, when would he?

problem……

There's a commander in between!

Chu Jianghe's head was getting more and more sore from thinking about it.

Forget it, let's find Su Mo first and sound him out.

Time is tight.

If we wait until we figure out a way before going to find Su Mo, it will be too late!

Think things through before you act.

Even eating shit can't keep up with the time when it's hot!
……

Early the next morning.

Jiang Lan arrived early again, bringing hot water, salt, and fresh willow twigs to help Su Mo get dressed and wash up.

Su Mo looked at the beautiful maids bustling around her and was in a very good mood.

Let me teach her another of her signature dishes today.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

The house wasn't big, but the knocking was clearly audible.

Su Mo frowned.

It's not even past dawn yet, and that guy is disturbing my peaceful sleep so early in the morning?

"Jiang Lan, go see who's knocking on the door!"

Jiang Lan quickly put down the towel and left as instructed.

He returned a moment later: "My lord, it is Tan Jin, a strongman from the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"He came to inform the young master that he should report to the Left Office before noon."

Su Mo was taken aback.

Lord Qianhu, you've managed to transfer your personnel file so quickly, moving your records from Changping County to Shenjing?
He looked at Jiang Lan: "Tan Jin left?"

Jiang Lan nodded and said, "They've already left. They said they need to go back to the garrison to go on duty."

Su Mo sighed: "From now on, I'll have to work from six to five."

"You've only had a few days of rest!"

"Twenty or thirty taels of silver a year? They're treating people like cattle!"

Jiang Lan blinked her pretty eyes and looked at Su Mo curiously: "My lord, what does 'six in the morning and five in the evening' mean?"

Su Mo waved his hand: "You wouldn't understand, you're just a working dog with no human rights!"

He paused, looked at Jiang Lan, and said, "It's still early, let me teach you later..."

Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Lan was horrified: "Again? This servant..."

Su Mo said irritably, "What are you thinking about!"

"I'm not teaching you posture!"

"I'll teach you a dish! Hmm... I'll teach you the technique tonight!"

Jiang Lan finally breathed a sigh of relief!

It's not that she doesn't want to serve her master, it's just that her husband is really outrageous!
How can it be half an hour at a time, and then come three times in one go!
It's simply fatal!
And the requirements are so numerous!
She talked herself hoarse before she finally convinced her husband to stop!
Su Mo was indeed going to teach Jiang Lan how to cook.

Su Mo could clearly distinguish between matters of money and momentary pleasure.

Restaurants are the best way to make money right now.

Chef Jiang Lan is the backbone of the restaurant.

Beautiful maids can be bought at any time, but beautiful maids with good cooking skills are hard to find and must be cherished.

Salt and pepper pork ribs.

Blanch the ingredients in water with cooking wine, ginger, and scallions to remove any gamey or fishy smell.

It's made with pepper powder and refined salt, resulting in a perfectly balanced salty flavor.

This is another delicious dish that will ignite the taste buds of even the most discerning locals in Beijing!
Finally, I'll teach you how to make salt-baked chicken, and that's it!
Three signboards are enough to establish the restaurant's initial structure.

Then, I transferred a few trusted men from Changping County to oversee the restaurant, so I didn't have to worry about anything.

Changping County is only a hundred miles from the sea, and Longmen Grottoes leads directly to the sea.

While we're at it, I'll have my third uncle buy a large quantity of seaweed to extract the MSG. With his experience, he'll surely handle things perfectly.

Jiang Lan is studying culinary arts.

Su Mo then ground the ink himself, spread out the paper, and began to write.

Although the handwriting was still messy and the sentences were not very fluent, the matter was explained clearly.

Just as I was about to seal it with wax and write "To Chen Qiansan, my third uncle" on it.

Su Mo suddenly remembered something else.

My third uncle can't read!
Su Mo's forehead creased with annoyance.

Fortunately, he still had a well-educated, cultured, and talented literary concubine!
I could only write another note.

The envelope was addressed to Xue Yishu.

He is already engaged to Xue Yishu and will be marrying her on a chosen date; he is trustworthy.

Tell her to pass on the message to Chen Qian.

We arrived at the Upper Left Office.

This letter was entrusted to the commander of the thousand households, who then used the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) to quickly deliver it to Changping.

Jiang Lan carried a plate of salt and pepper pork ribs into the living room.

Su Mo had finished writing the letter, dried the ink, sealed it with wax, and affixed his seal.

Jiang Lan looked at the envelope with surprise and suspicion.

I never imagined my owner could even read!
My lord is truly amazing!

Su Mo put away the letter and smiled, "Is the salt and pepper pork ribs ready?"

"Hmm, not bad, it smells quite nice, it has both color and aroma, but I don't know how it tastes."

Jiang Lan quickly replied, "This servant doesn't know how well it's done; please, sir, give it a try."

Su Mo nodded and just picked up her chopsticks.

There was another knock on the door!

Su Mo frowned.

The most annoying thing for a homebody is having guests come to his door.

What's even more annoying is that guests keep coming and going!
Jiang Lan went out to take a look, and Su Mo was stunned.

Is it Chu Jianghe that's coming?

Is that guy crazy?

Why would they come to me instead of using connections at this point?
He's such a grown man, he can't be so naive as to think that just because someone doesn't usually help others, he'll suddenly come to him for help.

Despite Chu Jianghe having already written in Su Mo's little notebook.

However, Su Mo still personally went out to greet the guests.

"It is an honor for me to have Lord Chu grace us with his presence."

Su Mo cupped his hands in greeting to Chu Jianghe from afar, then said, "Hmm, may I ask what brings you here, sir?"

Chu Jianghe smiled and said, "I learned that Officer Su was ordered to report on his duties. I happened to have nothing to do today, so I came to catch up with Officer Su."

He smiled at Su Mo: "Surely Officer Su won't be unwelcome?"

Su Mo laughed and said, "Lord Chu, what are you saying! I'm more than happy to welcome you!"

"Sir, please come in!"

Chu Jianghe smiled and said, "Commander Su, you're too kind!"

Su Mo led Chu Jianghe into the small hall: "The house is small and the hall is cramped, please don't mind the simplicity, sir!"

Then, he turned to Jiang Lan and instructed, "Quickly serve tea to Lord Chu!"

"Yes, this is Yanshan tea that I brought from Changping!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Jianghe was speechless.

Su Mo is truly a despicable person!
This was clearly a reminder to himself that he hadn't given him any gifts when he was in Changping County!

Looking at Jiang Lan's graceful and slender figure.

Chu Jianghe sighed again.

That guy is really a lecher!

If it weren't for fear of Lord Qianhu, I could have taken a few bottles of perfume by presenting those twin flowers!
He couldn't help but admire Su Mo.

How dare they keep beautiful maids right under Lin Moyin's nose!
That kind of courage, what man wouldn't admire it!

Chu Jianghe had come up with many excuses when he arrived.

But Su Mo's attitude of keeping people at arm's length was obvious from the moment she arrived.

I don't know how to start.

Just then, I smelled a strong salty aroma. Looking in that direction, I saw a plate of strangely browned bone segments on the table, which made me suspicious.

These days, fatty meat is considered the best, while bones and similar cuts are cheap and have little fat content.

Su Mo is a master at accumulating wealth. He probably wouldn't eat this meat if he didn't have a fortune of over a thousand taels of silver.

But it looks delicious!

It smelled as if it had been deep-fried in vegetable oil, just like the smell of hot oil poured on prisoners' hands and feet in the Imperial Guard prison!
Chu Jianghe sighed again!
Using precious oil to fry cheap meat and bones, is this how the rich behave?

He cooks it himself and doesn't use much oil!
This unusual dish is a perfect way to start a conversation.

Chu Jianghe pointed at the salt and pepper ribs and asked with feigned curiosity, "Officer Su, what kind of dish is this? I've never seen it before."

Su Mo explained, "This is called salt and pepper ribs, made by my newly acquired maid."

"Your Excellency may wish to give it a try and see if his cooking skills are up to par."

Let's take a look at the effects of this salt and pepper pork ribs on the locals.

Chu Jianghe nodded and smiled, "I just like that, so I won't stand on ceremony with Officer Su!"

As he spoke, he picked up a piece of imported food with his chopsticks.

Then, his expression changed drastically.

I couldn't resist picking up another piece and chewing it slowly.

Finally, he exclaimed in amazement, "What delicious salt and pepper ribs!"

"Crispy and flavorful with an intensely rich meaty aroma!"

"The aroma of meat, salt, and pepper is just right, making it an unforgettable experience!"

Chu Jianghe sighed, "I've been to Tianyilou before, but the stir-fried dishes there, which are famous throughout the capital, are far inferior to your salt and pepper ribs, Su Xiaoqi!"

Then he added, "Su Xiaoqi's newly acquired maid has such culinary skills. If she were to open a restaurant, even Tianyi Restaurant would be hard to compare with her!"

Su Mo was surprised that Chu Jianghe gave such high praise and couldn't help but ask, "Is what you say true, sir?"

Chu Jianghe's expression was serious: "When it comes to food, I never speak recklessly!"

Su Mo smiled and said, "To be honest, sir, that is exactly what I was thinking."

"Living in the capital is not easy, so I plan to open a restaurant to help support my family!"

The Great Wu Law forbids officials from engaging in business.

But where there's a policy, there's a countermeasure.

That big merchant isn't backed by an official appointed by the imperial court?
Hearing Su Mo's words.

Chu Jianghe's heart stirred.

"With such skill, the maid of the Su Banner official will surely be flocking to the restaurant!"

"Can you choose a good store location?"

"I will definitely be there to support you on the opening day!"

Su Mo shook his head: "The location of the store has not yet been chosen."

"Once the location is finalized and the restaurant opens, we'll inform you first, sir!"

Chu Jianghe thought for a moment and said, "It's quite a coincidence."

“There was a shop that the owner was not doing well and was losing money for months. In addition, he was short of money and planned to sell it to someone else.”

"The shop is not big, about 20 zhang square, with two floors, a shop in the front and a residence in the back. Its advantage is its good location, on the banks of the Liushui River, in Chang Le Fang."

"Why don't you do me a favor and help me acquire that shop, Su Xiaoqi?"

Su Mo was stunned upon hearing this.

A two-story shop of 3,600 square meters, located in Chang Le Fang?
I go!

This Chu Jianghe actually has such a wealth?
Su Mo had witnessed the high volume of people at Chang Le Fang.

It's even more awesome than the two cities in Changping County!
Such a shop might be poorly managed, suffer losses month after month, and eventually be sold to someone else.
If anyone's going to be replaced, it should be the manager!
Is this a gift being given to me?

Su Mo smiled and said, "This humble official is short of funds and I'm afraid I can't afford to buy all the shops in Chang Le Fang!"

Chu Jianghe immediately replied, "Only two thousand taels of silver!"

"If Officer Su is short of funds for the time being, he can pay later when the restaurant is profitable!"

Su Mo gasped in shock!
Chu Jianghe has really gone all out!
A two-story shop of more than 3,000 square meters would cost more than 1,000 taels of silver even in Changping County.

In the capital, one must not rush to spend six thousand taels!
Is this a bribe of four thousand taels of silver?

Back then, when Lord Qianhu wanted to become a fifth-rank Qianhu, his budget was only three thousand taels!

Su Mo replied without hesitation, "In that case, I will not stand on ceremony with you, sir!"

"I guarantee that this two thousand taels of silver will be delivered to you, sir, within the year, not a single tael less!"

Chu Jianghe cursed inwardly, but smiled and said, "I should be thanking Su Xiaoqi for taking on this losing shop!"

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Hmm... I heard that Officer Su once gifted... perfume to the imperial eunuchs and others?"

"My wife is obsessed with this perfume; she's mentioned it to me countless times..."

Su Mo was immediately put in a difficult position: "To be honest, sir, that perfume was indeed made by me!"

"However, they are extremely difficult to manufacture, and I don't have many of them myself, and..."

"And they were all taken by Lord Commander!"

After pausing, Su Mo continued, "If you really need it, I will shamelessly go to the commander and ask for three or five bottles."

Su Mo has professional ethics.

They take money and do things!

Otherwise, who will come to give gifts in the future!

Moreover, he suddenly realized that Chu Jianghe was actually a good person.

By becoming a household head in Changping County, one can also protect one's own business.

No?
It's definitely better than that unfamiliar centurion who was parachuted into Changping County with the powerful backing of the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

I wrote 5,000 words today, but someone in the group looked down on me, saying I can't write 10,000 words a day. They bet I can write 10,000 words tomorrow, with a stake of 20 silver dollars! Brothers, do you think I can earn that money? Also, in the second to last chapter, there was a bonus scene that looks a lot like Lord Qianhu's. If you're interested, you can go back and take a look.

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(End of this chapter)