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

Chapter 224 The Vajra Pestle and the Nine Dragons Immortal
Seeing that the Empress finally realized the importance of the armor and weapons, Su Mo felt a little smug.

Last time, Su Mo recommended the steel knife to the Empress, but she only cared about the Divine Arm Bow and the Eight-Ox Crossbow, which made Su Mo very frustrated.

However, Ding Bashi is now a treasure of the artisan camp.

If the Empress finds out about his abilities and snatches him away, it would be a huge loss for her.

Training another Ding Bashi is not impossible, but it will still take some effort, won't it?

Even if the Empress will eventually take it away, we still need to forge the complete set of equipment for the future Mo Dao Army of Lone Peak Mountain first.

Therefore, Su Mo smiled and said, "The artisan battalion has eighty soldiers. They accidentally forged a furnace of good iron, so I had them make a few precious swords."

The Empress nodded and chuckled, "That blacksmith is indeed a lucky man."

It's not surprising that a blacksmith might accidentally forge excellent iron; divine weapons are often forged through such serendipitous coincidences, and it's virtually impossible to reforge them again.

Otherwise, divine weapons wouldn't be so rare and worth hundreds of gold coins.

The Empress quickly shifted her attention from Ding Bashi to the second half of Su Mo's sentence.

She blinked her pretty eyes: "How many did you shoot?"

Su Mo honestly replied, "Three!"

The Empress blinked again: "Why did you only give me one sword? Where are the other two?"

Su Mo was speechless.

Upon seeing this, the Empress covered her mouth and smiled, saying, "I was just joking with my husband."

"I am already overjoyed that Mr. Su is willing to give me a precious sword."

She tilted her head and thought for a moment: "What reward does Su Lang want?"

Su Mo noticed that the Empress's favorability rating had increased!
It rose by a full 41%!

Sure enough, even the Empress was no different from other women; she also enjoyed being flattered and given gifts.

As long as the photographer makes her feel comfortable, her favorability rating will skyrocket.

Su Mo's eyes darted around, and she quickly smiled and said, "Forget about the reward."

"I have obtained something by chance, and it is quite strange. Your Excellency is at the Golden Core stage and has seen much, could you help me to see what this thing is all about?"

The Empress did not correct Su Mo's statement that she was in the Heavenly Infant Realm, not the Golden Core Realm.

She looked at Su Mo with some suspicion: "What are you talking about, Su Lang?"

"Is there really something in this world that you, sir, do not recognize?"

Su Mo was speechless: "This humble servant is not omniscient and omnipotent... There are many things in this world that I do not know."

The empress's pretty face actually showed a smile: "Then this concubine really wants to see what it is that can stump our... and our husband."

Without hesitation, Su Mo took the Vajra Pestle off his neck and handed it to the Empress: "Your Majesty, look, this is the Vajra Pestle I was referring to."

The Empress took the Vajra Pestle, examined it briefly, then frowned, her expression turning serious. She asked in a deep voice, "Where did you obtain this?"

Su Mo thought to herself that she really did know the origin of this item.

He didn't hide it from the Empress at that moment: "This Vajra Pestle was found in the statue of the Locust God Temple."

"Another one was discovered by chance in the Fu family mansion. The two vajras were strangely combined into one."

The Empress immediately asked, "Can this item transform cultivation techniques into runes, allowing one to instantly master immortal techniques and martial arts secrets?"

Su Mo was surprised that the Empress had even mentioned the power of the Vajra Pestle: "What you say is true, my lord! That is the matter at hand!"

The Empress hesitated slightly, but finally returned the Vajra Pestle to Su Mo, saying solemnly, "My lord, please keep this item carefully and do not easily reveal it to outsiders, otherwise you may face a fatal disaster."

Su Mo was taken aback: "May I ask, sir, what is the origin of this object?"

The Empress gently nodded her head: "This object is also called the Demon-Subduing Pestle. Legend has it that it was a magical treasure of an ancient land immortal, containing the secret to becoming a land immortal. It is a top-grade ninth-rank magical treasure."

Su Mo gasped sharply.

I thought the Vajra Pestle was powerful enough, but I never imagined it was even more powerful than I thought!
The Empress's next words shocked Su Mo even more.

"The Demon-Subduing Pestle once fell into the hands of the Nine Dragons Demon Path, who refined it into his natal magic weapon."

"This pestle can transform from one into a thousand, from a thousand into ten thousand, and into countless millions, flying all over the sky as a flying pestle to attack enemies. It is controlled by the spellcaster, and the pestle is as fast as the wind, with extremely astonishing power!"

Su Mo exclaimed in shock: "This pestle is actually the Nine Dragons Demon Cult's natal magic weapon?"

The Empress nodded and gave a soft "hmm": "The Nine Dragons Demon Path once used this to fight against the Grand Ancestor and the Nine Heavenly Infant True Persons."

"Although the treasure was eventually shattered into six pieces, and the Nine Dragons Demon Path was also seriously injured and fled, the nine Heavenly Infant True Persons were also seriously injured, and five of them even perished!"

"As for why you were able to obtain two demon-subduing pestles at the Locust God Temple and the Fu family mansion, I have no idea."

Su Mo subconsciously swallowed: "This treasure has such a great background!"

"Does Your Excellency know what kind of secret of a terrestrial deity is contained within the Demon-Subduing Pestle?"

The Empress shook her head and laughed, "It's just a rumor."

"If there truly were a secret method to becoming an immortal, it would have been figured out by Daoist Jiulong long ago. How could he have stopped at the half-step terrestrial immortal realm?"

"The reason for such rumors is simply that the Demon-Subduing Pestle can evolve into cultivation techniques, enabling people to quickly master cultivation methods."

"But such opportunism is ultimately not the right path and will not lead to enlightenment."

She paused, looking at Su Mo with a half-smile: "I was wondering why you, my lord, could cultivate magic so easily. It turns out you have the help of the Demon-Subduing Pestle."

Su Mo's heart stirred slightly: "Does Your Excellency know if the Demon-Subduing Pestle has other supernatural powers?"

The Empress shook her head and said, "Besides cultivation methods, there is only one offensive magic weapon."

"It's a pity that the Demon-Subduing Pestle has been broken and its precious essence has been scattered. Even if it is put back together, its power will be greatly reduced."

"However, if you can gather all six demon-subduing pestles and refine them with your own efforts, even ordinary Golden Core cultivators would probably be no match for you."

Su Mo couldn't help but be surprised.

The Vajra Pestle clearly has the effect of gathering the power of incense and prayers, so why does the Empress seem completely unaware of this?
Could it be that even the Nine Dragons Taoist didn't know that the Demon-Subduing Pestle possessed such supernatural powers?
But if that's the case.

How could the Nine Dragons Taoist have hidden it inside the Locust God statue?
Is it not to absorb the power of incense offerings, but simply to serve as a magic tool for the array's core, to sacrifice a dried corpse in order to summon the Demon Locust Mother?

The secret to the demon-subduing pestle truly becoming a terrestrial deity lies in the power of incense offerings and prayers.
Can incense become sacred?

He happened to own a fiefdom called Gufeng Mountain.

Or, we could treat the villagers a little better and see if we can attract more incense offerings and prayers.

Su Mo pondered for a moment before hanging the Vajra Pestle back up.

The Empress reminded Su Mo again: "Although the treasure's essence has been scattered and its power greatly reduced, it is hard to say that the Nine Dragons Demon Path still has it in mind. My lord, you must be very careful."

Su Mo quickly replied, "Thank you for your guidance, sir."

"This humble servant is afraid of death and will certainly not reveal this treasure easily."

The Empress was both amused and exasperated.

However, this is enough to show that Su Mo really took his words to heart.

She blinked: "I have answered Su Lang's questions. Now it is my turn to help you."

Su Mo was taken aback: "Isn't this the reward for this humble servant presenting the precious sword to you, sir?"

The Empress looked at Su Mo with a strange expression: "My husband just said he didn't want any rewards."

Su Mo...

Finally, he could only smile wryly and say, "This humble servant doesn't know how I can help you, sir?"

The Empress's pretty face suddenly flushed slightly, but she dared not look at Su Mo. She said softly with a hint of shyness, "I haven't been sleeping well lately, but last night I slept peacefully with Su Lang..."

Su Mo's forehead creased with annoyance.

Just as I expected, I'm here to be a male companion for sleeping with someone!

He smiled wryly and said, "My lord, please don't joke. This humble servant can't possibly... sleep with you, can he?"

The Empress covered her mouth and chuckled softly, "I only wished to hold my husband's hand as we fell asleep..."

"Hmm... If you're sleepy, it's fine to sleep together."

Su Mo coughed lightly: "This humble servant should hold your hand, sir!"

He wanted to sleep with the Empress.

But something felt off, as if I had become the Empress's gigolo, the kind who was summoned!
Su can't accept this!
Most importantly, once he becomes the Empress's lover, what will happen to Lin Moyin and Xue Yishu in the future when the Empress reveals her true identity?

How could Her Majesty the Empress, the ruler of the Great Wu Dynasty, share a husband with another woman?
I am not the emperor!

She is!
She agreed, but the ministers disagreed!

The empress clearly hadn't thought that much about it. Even with the help of calming incense, she had never been able to get a good night's sleep, a problem that had persisted for several years.

Even powerful beings at the Heavenly Infant Realm need rest.

She pursed her lips at Su Mo, blinked her pretty eyes, and then turned and walked gracefully behind the screen at the back of the hall.

Su Mo...

He had already examined the layout of the Linhu Palace.

Behind the screen, there was another curtain. Behind the curtain was the dragon bed!
Su Mo felt like he was going to the execution ground. Finally, he gritted his teeth and thought, "So be it, I'll die. I don't believe the Empress can eat me!"
He strode towards the back of the screen!

After passing through the screen, Su Mo discovered that the layout had been changed.

The dragon bed was changed to a more ordinary style, but it was still a very exquisite bed.

A necklace and thick curtains hung down from above, completely obscuring the bed and making it impossible to see the empress's sleeping posture.

A pale, almost transparent jade hand, with faint blue veins visible through it, stretched out from behind the curtain.

The Empress even thoughtfully placed a brocade stool outside the bed!
But what angered Su Mo the most was...

On the bed, where the tassels hung down, was a spring bed covered in deerskin!
The spring bed that Ding Bashi had meticulously crafted for me, I didn't get to sleep on with Lord Qianhu, but the Empress did!
Su Mo snorted in annoyance, and finally sat down on the brocade stool, reaching out his large hand to grasp the Empress's soft hand.

As soon as I touched it, I felt the Empress's hand tremble slightly.

Unable to contain his anger, Su Mo couldn't help but increase his grip on the Empress's hand!

And then... nothing happened.

Su Mo...

The romantic storyline that was originally expected did not unfold.

Su Mo held the Empress's hand for almost half an hour. Seeing that the other party did not move at all, and his own arm was getting a little sore and numb, he wanted to pull his hand away and change his position.

As soon as she moved her hand, the Empress seemed to subconsciously exert force, gripping Su Mo tightly and making it impossible for her to pull away!

Su Mo was speechless: "My lord... my lord..."

I called out twice, but Leng Liuxi remained silent, only her soft, even breathing could be heard.

Frustrated and bored, Su Mo decided to summon the system.

The hidden quest has been discovered but nothing has happened.

It seems that fulfilling the Empress's unspeakable secret will be a long and arduous task!
After closing the task panel, Su Mo turned around and looked around. Finally, bored, he lay down on the edge of the spring bed and fell asleep without realizing it.

……

A ray of sunlight pierced through the latticework and fell into the hall.

Rarely good weather.

When Su Mo woke up, she found herself sleeping on the spring bed she had been longing for!
She was covered with a thick, soft silk quilt.

The Empress has disappeared without a trace.

The silk quilt must have been filled with degreased wool; it's very warm.

The quilt cover wasn't embroidered with the five-clawed dragon or phoenix pattern that Su Mo had imagined. She didn't know if it was because the Empress was deliberately concealing her identity, or if it was meant to be this way.

A delicate fragrance wafted into my nostrils.

Clearly, the Empress had been sleeping under this silk quilt!
Su Mo lifted the blanket and took a look.

The robes were worn neatly, so nothing indescribable should have happened.

He smiled wryly and noticed that a copper basin, a brocade towel, and salt had been placed beside the bed at some point.

The water in the copper basin was still warm.

After washing up, Su Mo straightened his robes and walked out of the Linhu Palace, where he saw An Wu and a four-wheeled carriage waiting outside the palace.

An Wu smiled and said, "Lord Su is awake?"

"Lord Leng instructed me to escort him back."

Su Mo frowned immediately: "Thank you for your kindness, Uncle An, but I can go back on my own."

An Wu was immediately taken aback: "Sir, you're going back on your own?"

Su Mo emphasized, "Yes! I can walk back myself!"

Although An Wu was puzzled, he still smiled and said, "In that case, we won't see you off, sir!"

Little did he know, this was Su Mo's last act of defiance!

Coming on your own and being brought here are two completely different concepts!
Su Mo hung the Phoenix Cry Division's secret order on his waist, bowed to An Wu, and said, "Farewell, Uncle An!"

An Wu smiled and said, "Please take care, Lord Su!"

The Imperial Garden after a snowfall, covered in white snow, wasn't really anything special.

Even the South China Sea has frozen over.

However, many plum blossoms bloom proudly in the snow, their fragrance filling the air.

Su Mo wanted to compose a poem, but after racking his brains, he realized he wasn't cut out for it, but he couldn't give up.

He was one of the men who had slept in the harem.

This is something to remember.

I never thought poetry or lyrics would work!

"The scenery of the Northland is magnificent, with thousands of miles of ice and snow."

"Looking beyond the Great Wall, all that remains is vast expanse; the Yellow River, both upstream and downstream, has lost its mighty flow!"

However, Su Mo dared not continue singing the next part of the poem.

I couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

Outside the Linhu Palace, there were few eunuchs, palace maids, and guards on duty.

Su Mo wandered around for a while, unknowingly taking a longer route.

When the Imperial Guards on duty saw Su Mo, they were somewhat surprised, but when their eyes fell on the Phoenix Cry Division secret order at Su Mo's waist, none of them dared to stop Su Mo.

Just as Su Mo was searching for directions and preparing to leave the back garden.

Suddenly a commotion broke out.

Then, a huge snowball came crashing down on Su Mo, head and shoulders.

Su Mo quickly dodged the snowball and turned his head to look.

To his astonishment, he saw a woman who still possessed a certain charm but was slightly thin, and a little girl with delicate features, both holding snowballs in their hands, staring at him in disbelief.

"Snowball fight?"

Su Mo couldn't help but become suspicious.

Palace maids could have snowball fights?

There's also a little girl?

Further away, a hunched figure ran over quickly, shouting at Su Mo, "How dare you! Trespassing... It's... it's you?"

Su Mo was also surprised to see the eunuch running over.

It was clearly his second uncle, Chen Zhong!

However, Li Zhong is no longer the down-and-out man he once was; he now wears a brand-new purple robe with embroidered patches.

Li Zhong stared at Su Mo in shock.

Last time Su Mo was clearly dressed as a eunuch, so why is he dressed in a blue robe now?
But how could officials easily enter the inner palace?

His gaze unconsciously swept over the ivory plaque hanging on Su Mo's head. After a moment of surprise, he said in a low voice, "This humble servant greets Your Excellency!"

Su Mo's lips twitched slightly, and in the end, he could only smile wryly and say, "No need for formalities!"

How have you been lately?

Li Zhong hurriedly replied respectfully, "Replying to your question, sir, it is all thanks to your and Eunuch An's care that I have now entered the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs to work."

At this moment, the woman had already quickly left with the little girl.

Su Mo glanced at the two figures as they walked away, then looked at Chen Jin and asked, "Who are they?"

Li Zhong hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "Consort Li was our former mistress."

He paused for a moment, then quickly explained, "It's rare for the weather to clear up, so I accompanied Consort Li and the young master out for a bit of fun. I never expected to offend you, sir. Please forgive me."

Su Mo nodded, then began to ponder.

Looking at my second uncle, he seems to be a sentimental person.

This way, you can use it with peace of mind.

If we leave him in the palace, he'll just be a director of the Directorate of Ceremonial, which won't be of much use.

Thinking of this, Su Mo looked at Li Zhong and suddenly said, "Do you want to leave the palace?"

Li Zhong was taken aback and hesitated before saying, "I don't understand what you mean, sir."

Su Mo smiled and said, "My name is Su Mo, my father is Su Han, and my maternal uncle is Chen Qian!"

Li Zhong's expression suddenly changed drastically, and he stared at Su Mo in disbelief.

Su Mo then added calmly, "I also have two maternal uncles, my eldest uncle Chen Jin and my second uncle Chen Zhong!"

As he spoke, he gave Li Zhong a deep look: "Should I call you Second Uncle, or Li Zhong?"

(End of this chapter)