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

Chapter 215 The Minister of War, who was shocked by a series of events!
Zhong Yin was completely bewildered, utterly failing to understand the Empress's meaning.

Furthermore, a mere artisan battalion of a garrison was actually... guarded by the Longxiang Guard, which was responsible for protecting the imperial palace.

What exactly happened?
Seeing the Empress heading towards the artisan camp, he quickly stepped forward and asked in a deep voice, "Your Majesty!"

"Please forgive my ignorance, Your Majesty!"

Leng Liuxi frowned, looked at the Minister of War who was so upright and somewhat rigid, and could only explain, "As I said, I am now a centurion of the Fengming Division!"

"I will take you to see someone later, and then you will know why!"

He paused, then reminded Zhong Yin once more: "You may be the Minister of War, but remember my current identity."

"If I let it slip..."

The Empress hesitated for a moment: "I... will not spare you!"

Zhong Yin, however, was not afraid of the Empress's threat at all. He glanced at Lonely Peak Mountain in the distance and suddenly realized: "Could it be that Your Majesty brought me to see Lonely Peak Mountain?"

The Empress nodded slightly, said no more, and continued walking towards the artisan camp.

Zhong Yin could only suppress his doubts and chase after them.

The closer one gets to the artisan camp, the more one sees that there are guards every three steps and sentries every five steps, with such strict security that it is comparable to the imperial palace's rear garden.

Zhong Yin was increasingly shocked!
The Dragon Guard soldiers didn't even bother to check the Empress when they saw her, which clearly showed that she frequently visited the artisan camp!
Zhong Yin frowned even more deeply!

He couldn't say anything if the Empress occasionally left the palace, but if she frequently left the palace, that would be unacceptable.

The affairs of the world, the lives of hundreds of millions of people, and the fate of the nation all rest on the shoulders of the Empress.

If a major event were to occur and the ministers requested an audience with His Majesty, but His Majesty was not in the palace, wouldn't things descend into chaos?

Zhong Yin's face was ashen. He was already thinking about how to write a memorial to the throne after he returned, to give the Empress a good scolding and make her understand the seriousness of the matter!
Upon entering the artisan barracks, Zhong Yin was suddenly taken aback.

They were surprised to see the entire artisan camp. The ground was flat, the drainage ditches were straight, and the square workshops were neatly arranged. The ground was so clean that not even a leaf could be seen.

Zhong Yin was dumbfounded.

I almost thought I'd come to the wrong place.

Is this the artisan barracks?
It looks even cleaner than the inner city of Shenjing!
Although he was the Minister of War, he had previously served in the Ministry of Works and had visited the artisan soldiers' camp many times.

Even the Ministry of Works' artisan battalion was in a mess, with all sorts of miscellaneous items piled up haphazardly in the barracks, and sewage flowing across the ground, emitting a foul stench.

The sight of artisans, their families, supervisors, the elderly, and children moving around and making noise is unpleasant.

Some people even kept chickens and ducks in the barracks!
Zhong Yin couldn't help but turn his head to look around.

The artisan barracks on Lonely Peak Mountain was clean, tidy, and orderly. Apart from the menacing soldiers, there were no other people around.

Did all the craftsmen leave the barracks and go out to do private work?

Zhong Yin subconsciously began to guess.

But he quickly dismissed his own guess!
With such a heavily guarded artisan barracks, how could the artisans not be there!
Could it be that they all work in that Fangzheng workshop?
Zhong Yin couldn't help but look at the Empress walking ahead.

Did I misunderstand His Majesty?
His Majesty did not leave the palace to fool around; he was here on official business.

Leng Liuxi listened intently for a moment, then turned to Zhong Yin and said, "Lord Zhong, come with me!"

Zhong Yin was immediately startled. His Majesty addressed him as Lord Zhong?

He instinctively said, "Your Majesty..."

But as soon as he spoke, he suddenly noticed the Empress raise her eyebrows, and realized what he was doing. He quickly changed his words, saying, "Um... I'll trouble Commander Leng to lead the way!"

Leng Liuxi nodded in satisfaction and then walked towards the white pavilion in the direction of the square.

Zhong Yin followed closely behind the Empress.

Just past a barracks, we saw a sunshade standing in an open square.

A large group of people were sitting densely packed outside the pergola.

Zhong Yin was immediately taken aback.

All the geomancers from the Bureau of Ceremonies who were transferred away by An Wu are actually here!
To his surprise and dismay, these geomancers were all holding pens and scrolls, staring intently at the direction of the pergola!

Zhong Yin looked in the direction of their gaze.

A tall, slender young man, dressed in a blue robe and incredibly young, stood in the shade.

Behind the boy was a whiteboard covered with words.

The boy, holding a wooden stick, looked seriously at the geomancers from the Bureau of Geography: "I have already given you a general overview of the theory."

"You are all experienced geomancers from the Bureau of Geography, with profound knowledge of map-drawing techniques. I believe you can understand what I mean."

"If you still have any questions, you can go back and review your notes, or ask your colleagues!"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Yin was dumbfounded.

This…this blond kid is lecturing the geomancers from the Bureau of Ceremonies?!
Is he older than the geomancer's son?
What baffled Zhong Yin the most was...

The geomancers were all completely focused, their eyes glued to the boy, who was as obedient as a child listening to a teacher in a private school!
Just as the Minister of War was shocked, a geomancer suddenly raised his hand.

Zhong Yin narrowed his eyes and looked at the geomancer who had raised his hand; he recognized the man.

Xu Yanxing was an old clerk in the Cartography Department under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Military Affairs.

He traveled extensively in his youth and was quite capable.

Because of his superb map-drawing skills, he had worked in the Cartography Department for many years and was highly senior and respected in the department.

According to the official in charge of official documents, this person is very arrogant, but also quite capable, which gives the head of the official documents a lot of headaches.

Zhong Yin was puzzled as to why Xu Yanxing suddenly raised his hand, but the young man smiled and asked Xu Yanxing, "What's your question?"

Xu Yanxing stood up, his expression serious: "If there is anything you don't understand, may I ask Lord Su?"

Su Mo nodded: "I wouldn't call it asking for advice, but discussing things with each other is no problem."

"Of course, that is, provided that I am free!"

Xu Yanxing quickly replied, "Of course! I have no other questions."

Zhong Yin couldn't help but look at the Empress with surprise and doubt: "Commander Leng, this boy... is he the young master of Lone Peak Mountain?"

The Empress was gazing at the words on the whiteboard from afar when Zhong Yin asked her a question. She casually nodded and replied, "Exactly!"

As he spoke, his expression suddenly changed slightly, and he said regretfully, "Oh dear, I'm too late!"

Zhong Yin quickly looked towards the direction of the pavilion.

But then they saw that Gufeng Shanzi picked up a rag and wiped off the carbon letters on the white paint board.

Zhong Yin was immediately taken aback, instinctively wanting to scold the boy for erasing the lecture content.

The next second, the boy took a charcoal pencil and quickly drew many irregular circles on the whiteboard, one inside the other, which looked very strange.

Between the circles, many strange runes were written.

"This is what I meant by contour lines..."

"The denser the vegetation, the more precipitous the terrain... while wider areas indicate a more gradual change in altitude..."

As Su Mo spoke, he picked up the stick and pointed to the ground: "This is the sand table I was referring to."

"This was made in haste and was not painted in time. It is also rather rough, as it is based on the terrain near the artisan camp."

"The contour map on the whiteboard is the terrain map of the sand table."

“Take a close look.”

Su Mo paused for a moment: "I am also a little tired of eating, so I will go back and have some tea."

"You all discuss and study this among yourselves!"

"Finally, I'm giving you an assignment: within three days, complete the sand table of the area of ​​Gufeng Mountain, which spans more than ten miles, and draw a map at a scale of 1:1."

"A reward of three hundred taels of silver will be given upon completion!"

Upon hearing this, the geomancers were immediately astonished.

Mapmaking was their livelihood, a closely guarded secret to be passed down to future generations.

Many people complained that being transferred out meant they would have to do hard work.

I never imagined they came here to learn mapmaking techniques!
Of course, they were not convinced.

Those who can enter the Bureau of Mapping are all true map experts.

But they were quickly impressed by Su Mo's advanced concept of three-dimensional maps!

As geomancers, they understand the value of this new concept better than anyone else.

Under normal circumstances, even if they spent a fortune, no one would ever be willing to teach their secret techniques to another!
They no longer dared to look down on Su Mo, and immediately began to study with utmost seriousness.

They never expected that Lord Su would not only teach them the secrets of mapmaking, but also pay them to do the work.

Three hundred taels of silver, each person can get three taels!

A whole month's income!
The geomancers gasped in surprise. Then, Xu Yanxing stood up and respectfully bowed to Su Mo, saying, "Please rest assured, Lord Su, we will do our utmost to draw a good map of Lone Peak Mountain!"

"Please take back these three hundred taels of silver, sir!"

As he spoke, he glanced at the others and said, "Lord Su has passed on his secret techniques to us."

"It is already impolite of us not to offer tuition fees, how can we possibly ask for a reward from you, sir!"

"Am I right?"

Most of the geomancers nodded in approval, while a few hesitated but remained silent.

Su Mo smiled and waved his hand: "It is an age-old principle to pay someone for doing something."

"If you feel unworthy of this, then just work hard to draw this map and complete the sand table."

After speaking, Su Mo was about to call Yin Rou, who was listening in the front row, to go back to the government office and have some tea to moisten her throat.

I've been talking for most of the day, and my mouth is dry.

Being a teacher is definitely not a good job!

As soon as she looked up, she saw Leng Xi walking gracefully toward her.

Behind him followed a tall, stern-faced man in his fifties or sixties.

Su Mo smiled wryly at Leng Xixi: "Why is Lord Leng here again?" Then, his gaze fell on the stern old man: "And who is this old gentleman?"

Zhong Yin ignored Su Mo and stared intently at the half-finished sand table on the ground!

Leng Liuxi smiled sweetly: "Let me come and see how Su Lang teaches the geomancers of the Bureau of Ceremonies."

Her gaze also fell on the sand table, a strange light flashing in her eyes. She then asked with great curiosity, "Is this the sand table that Su Lang once mentioned?"

"Uh... the terrain around the artisan camp?"

The Empress couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh: "But it was done... quite ugly."

Su Mo said irritably, "This subordinate isn't in this field."

"It was rushed out in a hurry to make it convenient for lecturing, so it's already quite good!"

The Empress blinked her beautiful eyes: "Professional?"

Su Mo frowned, and could only explain again, "It means specializing in one industry."

The Empress hummed in agreement and nodded, then casually asked, "And what kind of industry is Su Lang's major?"

Upon hearing this, Su Mo's face instantly darkened, and he replied curtly, "I won't say! Don't ask!"

The Empress was immediately taken aback.

Why does Su Mo look like she deeply hates her major?

Hmm... Do people from Kunlun Ruins and Baiyujing all need to study a profession?
But how come Su Mo seems to know everything?
Is it...

A bizarre thought suddenly popped into the Empress's mind.

Could it be that his frequent claim of "knowing a little" is really just a vague understanding, or is it not just modesty?
Military strategy, business management, arithmetic, governance, and even the modern art of mapmaking—these are all things I only have a superficial understanding of.

How terrifying would truly specialized academic work be?
The Empress swallowed unconsciously, staring blankly at Su Mo.

At this moment, Zhong Yin finally came to his senses and struggled to shift his gaze from the sand table, glancing at the Empress almost imperceptibly.

Then, with an extremely serious expression, he looked at Su Mo and asked, "What is this? A sand table?"

Su Mo smiled and said, "Yes!"

"How should I address you, sir?"

Zhong Yin said in a deep voice, "I am Zhong Yin, the Minister of War!"

Upon hearing this, Su Mo was immediately startled!
He was actually mentally prepared.

Anyone who could be brought into the heavily guarded artisan camp with a cold demeanor must not be an ordinary person.

But to everyone's surprise, it was the Minister of War, one of the six ministries of the imperial court!
Yin Rou and the other geomancers looked at Zhong Yin in shock!

Although geomancers were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War, in reality they were just low-level officials under the Ministry of War's Department of Military Affairs.

Naturally, there was little chance of meeting a true high-ranking official like Zhong Yin!
without any exaggeration.

In the Great Wu Dynasty, below the Six Grand Secretaries were the Six Ministers of the Ministry of Personnel.

In fact, the rank of a cabinet minister, not counting the honorary titles bestowed upon him, is not necessarily higher than that of Zhong Yin, the Minister of War!

For example, Yang Ji, a Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall and Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, held the official rank of the third grade!
Cui Xuan, a Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was also a third-rank official!

Su Mo took a deep breath and looked at Leng Xixi: "Lord Leng..."

Leng Xixi chuckled, "Lord Zhong is right. Lord Zhong is indeed the Minister of War, and he is very curious about the Gufeng Mountain Artisan Battalion, so he came to see for himself."

Su Mo quickly bowed respectfully to Zhong Yin and said, "This humble official greets Your Excellency, Minister!"

Zhong Yin waved his hand: "Su..."

For a moment, he didn't know how to address Su Mo.

This kid has quite a few titles. He's not only a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and a captain of the Phoenix Cry Division, but also a marquis and the clerk of Tianchang County.

In the end, he could only say indifferently, "Su Shanzi, there's no need for such formalities."

As he spoke, he pointed to the sand table on the ground, his expression growing increasingly solemn: "How was this sand table made?"

The Minister of War was in charge of all military affairs in the country, managing both military and political matters as well as strategy; he was certainly not someone to be wasted.

Zhong Yin immediately recognized the sand table as extremely useful for large-scale military operations!

It would be a lie to say that Su Mo wasn't nervous when he met such an important court official for the first time.

This is one of the few people in the decision-making body of the Great Wu Empire, and can be described as second only to the emperor.

He quickly explained, "The sand table is made of clay, wood, stone, gravel, etc., to simulate mountains, lakes and rivers. It is built in a miniature scale according to the actual terrain."

"This allows for a more intuitive view of the overall situation."

"The sand table of the artisan camp made by the subordinate is 500 to 1."

A sharp glint flashed in Zhong Yin's eyes, and he looked at the sand table, which was about three feet in diameter, again: "Enlarge the sand table by five hundred feet, and that will be its true size?"

Su Mo nodded: "That's exactly right."

"If simulating a larger area, the scale can be set according to the actual situation."

Zhong Yin nodded, then pointed to the circles drawn on the white lacquered wooden board: "If you learn this method of drawing circles, you can create a sand table?"

Su Mo thought for a moment: "It's pretty much correct."

"The key to the sand table is these contour lines."

"Of course, even if you don't understand contour lines, you can still roughly draw one based on practical experience. However, it's not easy to grasp the height of mountains and the depth of rivers. You need to be relatively familiar with the actual situation."

Zhong Yin took a deep breath: "These geomancers have learned this contour line technique from Su Shanzi. Will they be able to create sand tables in the future?"

Su Mo smiled and said, "Theoretically, that's how it is."

"I require them to be able to create a sand table model of the corresponding terrain from scratch based on a contour map."

"However... I cannot guarantee whether they can truly understand it."

Zhong Yin nodded, looked at the shocked craftsmen, and said coldly, "You all heard what Su Shanzi said!"

"You all must listen carefully to Su Shanzi's teachings!"

"Anyone who can create a sand table can be promoted to the first rank!"

The group of geomancers were stunned for a moment, then overjoyed!
They immediately knelt down in unison: "Thank you, Minister!"

Feng shui masters are not craftsmen; most of them are government officials with official positions, albeit minor ones!

If you were to rise one rank, you would become a ninth-grade official!

Their statuses are completely different.

Zhong Yin thought for a moment, then turned to Leng Liuxi and said, "Commander Leng, I'd like to take a walk around, please excuse me!"

After saying that, he strode away as if he really thought the Empress was a centurion.

Su Mo stared dumbfounded at Zhong Yin's retreating figure, then turned to Leng Xixi: "My lord... Minister..."

Leng Liuxi smiled and said, "Don't worry about him!"

"He's such a boring guy."

Su Mo's forehead creased with annoyance: "What I mean is, Lord Zhong is probably..."

He wanted to say that he was afraid he wouldn't be able to get into those workshops.

But then I thought, the Dragon Guard probably wouldn't dare to stop the Six Ministers, so I simply kept quiet.

……

Zhong Yin indeed strode towards the workshop.

He could tell that the secret of this artisan camp was almost entirely hidden within the workshops.

the reason is simple.

Outside the artisan camp, apart from the guards, including the Dragon Guard and Su Mo, there wasn't even a dog to be seen, let alone any artisans!

Zhong Yin randomly chose the workshop closest to him and was about to step inside.

Two fully armored Longxiang Guard soldiers stepped forward and blocked their way.

One of the soldiers looked at Zhong Yin expressionlessly and said in a deep voice, "This is a restricted area of ​​the factory. Stop here!"

"Please show your pass!"

Zhong Yin was slightly taken aback, but did not make things difficult for the two soldiers: "I am the Minister of War!"

Upon hearing this, the two soldiers were immediately startled and hurriedly said, "We greet Your Excellency, Minister!"

Zhong Yin nodded slightly.

Just as he stepped out with his left foot, ready to enter the workshop, the two soldiers hesitated for a moment, then stopped him again, asking hesitantly, "Your Excellency, where is your pass?"

Zhong Yin was so angry that his beard stood on end. His face darkened, and he took out his ivory token from his waist, coldly saying, "This is my ivory token, Minister! Take a good look!"

One of the soldiers, who looked more mature, explained, "Your Excellency, it's not this!"

"These are passes issued by Lord Su and Lord Yin!"

Zhong Yin was taken aback, frowned, and said in a deep voice, "What pass?"

"Does this mean that without the pass, I, the Minister, cannot enter this workshop?"

The experienced soldier hesitated for a moment: "Please forgive me, Your Excellency. I was only following orders. Please do not make things difficult for me."

The younger soldiers quickly added, "Our Lord Xiahou of the Longxiang Guard is not allowed to enter the factory without a pass."

"Could you please ask Lord Su for a pass?"

Zhong Yin was instantly filled with a thousand "MMPs" in his mind!

He could enter the Taiji Hall and the Lizheng Hall, but he couldn't even enter the small workshop of the artisan barracks.

But he's a very rule-abiding person, so he really can't lose his temper with two soldiers!

At the same time, Zhong Yin couldn't help but feel surprised and suspicious!

Who exactly is Su Shanzi, and how is he able to govern his troops so strictly?
He doesn't look like the treacherous minister in the rumors!
(End of this chapter)