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

Chapter 257 Hidden Quest Completed! The Reward is a Supernatural Power!
Seeing his beloved being beaten like this, unable to even hold the manuscript, Su Mo was furious, his face dark as he stared intently at Yin Rou!

Xue Yishu couldn't help but ask anxiously, "Sister Yin, who beat you up like this?"

Yin Rou's eyes suddenly reddened, tears welling up in her eyes. She forced herself not to let the tears fall, gave Su Mo a slight bow, and said softly, "This disciple is feeling a little unwell, this disciple will take her leave."

After saying that, he turned and left in a hurry, without waiting for Su Mo to try to stop him.

Looking at Yin Rou's back, her waist appearing even more slender due to her thinness, Su Mo's expression grew increasingly grim!

Xue Yishu wanted to chase after her, but hesitated for a moment, then stopped and looked angrily at Su Mo: "My lord! Who is so heartless as to beat her like this!"

"Sister Yin is a junior officer of the Phoenix Cry Division, an official appointed by the imperial court!"

Su Mo snorted heavily: "Who else could it be!"

"Nine out of ten of her husband's family members, or even her husband himself!"

Xue Yishu paused for a moment, but still said indignantly, "Even though it's said that it's difficult for an honest official to settle family disputes, you can't beat someone like this!"

"They've already drawn blood; I'm afraid they might have broken the bones!"

She paused, then added, "My lord, please don't ignore this. Sister Yin is your disciple!"

Su Mo coldly replied, "If honest officials can't handle it, then the Fengming Division can!"

"I am not an honest official!"

After saying that, he strode towards the third courtyard!

Chen Zhong, Chen Qian, and other close relatives lived in the fourth courtyard, while the servants of the Su family lived in the third courtyard.

Su Mo found a nimble servant: "Follow Officer Yin and see where she went!"

……

While Su Mo had someone follow Yin Rou, Princess Leng Li of Baicheng was looking at the large wooden boxes in the courtyard of the house with a strange expression.

Inside the wooden box was, of course, the 20,000 taels of silver that Su Mo had sent through Chen Qian and Chen Zhong.

There were gleaming white silver gourds and ingots, as well as pieces of dark brown silver scraps.

Su Mo was reluctant to send over the thousand taels of gold.

This stuff is always a hard currency; if you really want to run away, it's naturally easier to run away with gold than with silver.

Such a huge amount of silver was so overwhelming that even Princess Baicheng felt a powerful sense of impact coming towards her.

The moment the Empress said that Su Mo was very rich, I instantly gained the most direct understanding!
This is 20,000 taels of silver!

This is equivalent to the salary of a first-rank official in the imperial court for twenty years!
These powerful families and wealthy merchants may have a potential wealth of millions of taels of silver, but most of it is in the form of land and real estate. There are probably very few families that can actually produce such a large amount of cash!
Even the prestigious Ningguo Duke's Mansion, which enjoyed the favor of three emperors, possessed a Five Elements Spirit Peach, generating substantial extra income each year.

But back then, Zhang Xuzu couldn't even come up with three thousand taels of silver!

Su Mo took it out without even blinking!

Looking at the boxes of gleaming white silver ingots and dark brown silver fragments, Princess Baicheng finally managed to tear her gaze away from the silver!

With this money, the morale of the new army was finally calmed down.

This new army of 10,000 was formed by recruiting good men from 500 veterans of the Northern Frontier Army as its backbone.

The magistrate of Baicheng County was strict in disciplining his troops. The veteran soldiers were fine, but the new recruits were trained to the point of being unrecognizable.

You have to be paid to risk your life!

If sufficient military pay is not distributed, even if Princess Renbaicheng has great abilities, she will not be able to suppress it.

Veterans receive a monthly salary of one tael and five hundred coins, while new soldiers receive eight hundred coins. In addition, the salaries of generals alone amount to ten thousand taels per month.

The 20,000 taels of silver sent by Su Mo can last for two months if we don't purchase weapons and armor for the time being.

Princess Baicheng breathed a sigh of relief.

The Empress really didn't lie to herself this time!
I had planned to get five thousand taels of silver from His Majesty no matter what, but now that the amount has quadrupled, I suddenly have plenty of money.

They sent someone to escort the silver to the military camp.

Princess Baicheng summoned Cheng Yan, the captain of her personal guards, with a blank expression: "Find out for me what has happened to Su Mo recently!"

"Furthermore, all actions of the powerful families in the capital, especially the Wang family, related to Su Mo!"

……

"Reporting to Master, after leaving your residence, Lord Yin went straight out of the city and headed straight for the artisan camp on Lone Peak Mountain."

"I followed him all the way to the checkpoint and witnessed Lord Yin enter the artisan camp with my own eyes."

Su Mo's face darkened further upon hearing the servant's report.

Clearly, she, as a nominal disciple and capable assistant, suffered great injustice in her husband's family!
No wonder he always stayed in the artisan barracks and never asked for leave to go home!
Ultimately, it's because they lack their own direct subordinates!
People from Changping County are fine for fighting and killing, but don't even think about using them to gather intelligence.

Su Moyue urgently realized the necessity of establishing the Qinghefang Hundred-Household Office!
Yin Rou returned to Lonely Peak Mountain, figuring that her husband's family wouldn't dare to cause trouble on her territory.

However, just in case, Su Mo still wrote a letter to Liu Siyun, asking her to keep an eye on Yin Rou's situation.

I'll have to outwit the grain merchants again tomorrow morning.

Suppressing his anger, Su Mo told Xue Yishu about the upcoming chapters of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, intending to rest early and recharge.

An Wu suddenly came to visit.

The Empress wants to see me!

When summoned by a sage, no one dares to refuse; no matter how important the matter, it is not greater than a sacred event.

Su Mo obediently went to the palace with An Wu!
As usual, when the two arrived at Linhu Palace, Anwu personally stood guard outside to prevent any foolish palace maids or eunuchs from getting close to the palace.

Su Mo then stepped into the hall.

Then, to everyone's surprise, they found that there were two candles and several lanterns lit in the hall, but it was empty, and the Empress was nowhere to be seen.

"Didn't An Wu say that the Empress was waiting for him in the palace? Hasn't she arrived yet?"

Su Mo looked suspiciously toward the back hall, frowned slightly, and walked toward it!

Turning past the screen, the bed curtains were lifted, and the brocade quilt was half-covered. The Empress was wearing a green gauze dress, her eyes were closed, and her chest was rising and falling gently. Although her breathing was long and barely audible, it was clear that the Empress was asleep.

Her exceptionally fair hands were folded and placed on her chest and abdomen, with an open scroll of Romance of the Three Kingdoms lying beneath them.

Su Mo was dumbfounded.

The Empress is actually asleep?
Isn't she suffering from insomnia and needs someone to keep her company to fall asleep?

Judging from her appearance, with her eyes tightly closed and her long eyelashes motionless, she must be sleeping very peacefully!
Does reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms help you sleep?
That shouldn't be the case! It's not like math or physics!
Isn't reading vernacular novels supposed to get more and more exciting?

Seeing the Empress's long hair hanging down the edge of the bed, and the rest of her hair casually scattered on the beautiful pillow, especially since the brocade quilt only covered her lower abdomen and one delicate jade foot was still exposed outside the quilt, it was particularly incongruous!

Su Mo couldn't resist the urge to tidy the Empress's messy long hair and cover her with the blanket. Just as he reached out his hand, about to touch the Empress's hair, a pale golden exclamation mark suddenly appeared above the Empress's head!
Su Mo was taken aback and immediately stopped what she was doing.

A pale gold exclamation mark? What the heck is that?

There are too many system colors!
Yellow, green, and orange have all been here, and now there's a gold one. It looks like a green exclamation mark, like a notification that a task has been completed!
Has the Empress completed her mission?

The Empress has only one unfinished mission: a hidden mission about an unspeakable secret—coldness?!
Su Mo originally thought that he would have to create a legend about the Zhenguan era and use Li Er's deeds to inspire the Empress in order to cure her heart disease!

To my utter surprise, the medicine the system mentioned was actually for myself!
He slept with the Empress a few times and cured her insomnia.

Of course, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms might have played a part, but in any case, the hidden mission is finally complete!
Su Mo took a deep breath and excitedly clicked the pale gold exclamation mark!
The reward for the mission is yet to be determined, but anyone who has played online games knows that the rewards for hidden missions are much better than those for regular missions!

The system notification appeared as expected.

[The Unspeakable Secret of Coldness (Completed)]

[You have gained supernatural powers: the ability to summon wind and rain!]

[You have obtained the Dao Heart: Yang Soul!]

A mysterious Daoist aura containing ancient secrets surged into Su Mo's mind without warning, and then disappeared into every piece of Su Mo's flesh and blood, every bone and muscle!
At the same time, an indescribable strange fire emerged from his body, just like the legendary Samadhi Fire, and in a fraction of a second, it tempered his entire body from head to toe!
Su Mo was instantly dumbfounded!
Rewards include supernatural powers and a strong Daoist heart?

What does this mean?
Just as he was about to circulate his magic power and observe the changes within himself, the system suddenly issued another notification.

[Summoning Wind and Rain: This supernatural power can summon wind and rain! The stronger the host's magical power, the longer the duration! The greater the force of the wind and rain! The wider the area covered!]

[Yang Soul: This Dao Heart can make the host's soul incomparably resilient, impervious to demonic influence! The effects of cultivating and wielding pure Yang divine abilities and techniques will be doubled!]

After reading the system introduction, Su Mo was instantly dumbfounded!
Even though I guessed the hidden quest reward was excellent, wasn't it a bit too good?

The supernatural power of summoning wind and rain sounds quite ordinary. In ancient legends like Journey to the West, it's just a basic skill. You can summon any dragon or the Wind Goddess and have it rain or wind.

The problem is, this is a low-level immortal world!
Su Mo had some understanding of the immortal cultivation situation in this world.

Even a powerful sorcerer like Nangong Sheyue, who is at the Guiqiao Realm, can only use his own magical power to attack enemies by employing spells or driving magical artifacts.

This supernatural power of mine uses my own magical power as a guide and borrows the power of heaven and earth, just like how four ounces can move a thousand pounds in martial arts!
This is fundamentally different from other sorcerers who can only use their own magical power!

Of course, Su Mo did not know whether those at the Golden Core Realm, or even higher realms such as Heavenly Infant, Divine Travel, and Land Immortal, could achieve this.

Regardless, this supernatural power is absolutely formidable!
I'm about to set sail to collect the warship rewards. When I do, will using my Wind-Calling Divine Power greatly increase the warship's speed?
The Great Wu region is frequently plagued by drought. If I were to use my rain-summoning powers to bring forth heavy rain, would the common people worship me as a god?
They've even come out as powerful as the wind and rain!

Will we see another cloud-riding adventure in the future?

Su Mo subconsciously swallowed!
With such formidable supernatural powers, the rewards for cultivating one's Dao heart are naturally comparable!
Yang Po makes one's spirit and soul resilient, fearless of evil spirits, and also doubles the effectiveness of cultivating pure Yang techniques, as well as doubles the power of pure Yang spells!
Is this an inappropriate speed hack?
My Five Thunder Technique seems to be a pure Yang type of technique?

Try it and see!

Su Mo activated his magic power without hesitation.

Instantly, crackling lightning erupted from his five fingers, and bolts as thick as a child's arm gathered in his palm!
Increase your magical power and see the current limits of the Five Thunder Technique.

A second bolt of lightning appeared!
The third one! The fourth one! The fifth one!
Su Mo took a deep breath and combined the five thunderbolts into one!

Suddenly, lightning flashed in the surrounding void, and crisscrossing bolts of lightning formed a net that completely enveloped Su Mo.

Each bolt of lightning seemed to contain the immense divine power to destroy all living beings!

"No way?"

"The Five Thunder Technique is so powerful? Why didn't Old Man Wang mention it to me?"

A thought flashed through Su Mo's mind like lightning.

The next second, the lightning net rapidly contracted, binding him like a dumpling, rendering him unable to move.

All his magical power was also completely imprisoned by the lightning.

Su Mo...

The Dragon-Binding Rope didn't start binding anyone; instead, it got bound by someone else!
The empress's long eyelashes suddenly trembled, and then she opened her eyes with lightning speed, a sharp glint flashing in them!
Then, looking at Su Mo who was wrapped up like a rice dumpling, he was slightly stunned. He pointed at Su Mo with one finger, covered his mouth with the other, and laughed so hard that his body trembled!

"Su Lang... I'm dying of laughter... Haha... How did Su Mo get bound by the lightning net?"

The Empress burst into laughter, but quickly looked surprised: "Huh?"

"Su Lang was actually able to activate the Earth Binding Lightning Lock Array?"

Su Mo never expected that the Empress would set up a magic array on the bed!
He had been so happy, thinking the lightning net was caused by the Five Thunder Technique.

He smiled wryly at the Empress: "I had just gained some insight, but seeing that Your Majesty was fast asleep, I did not dare to disturb you. So I tried out the Five Thunder Technique that I had just comprehended, but I did not expect to be bound by the Thunder Net."

"Fortunately, the lightning net only trapped me..."

The Empress casually chuckled, "Luckily, you only activated..."

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, and asked with a hint of surprise, "What magical insights has Su Lang actually gained?"

"He actually managed to activate the Earth Binding Lightning Lock Array with the power of the Soul Stabilizing Realm?"

Su Mo hesitated for a moment: "This humble servant doesn't know what I've comprehended... I just feel that my Dao heart has suddenly become clear, my understanding of the Pure Yang Method has deepened, and the power of the Pure Yang Technique seems to have increased considerably."

The Empress sat up, waved her hand, and the lightning net binding Su Mo instantly loosened and disappeared.

"Su Lang, perform the Five Thunder Technique once more."

Su Mo nodded.

He then channeled his magic power, and lightning once again appeared in his palm.

One... two...

Until the fifth bolt of lightning appeared! Finally, the five bolts merged into one!

The lightning net that bound Su Mo like a dumpling did not reappear!
The Empress frowned slightly, staring intently at the lightning in Su Mo's palm, and said suspiciously, "It is indeed the Five Thunder Technique!"

"The combined power of the Five Thunders is sixteen times greater. But Su Lang, how come your Five Thunder Technique is so much stronger than the ordinary Five Thunder Technique?"

"Could it be that my lord is born with a pure yang body, making his pure yang magic even more powerful?"

Su Mo was slightly taken aback: "Pure Yang Body?"

He naturally knew the reason.

This is due to the Yang Soul rewarded by the system.

Could this Yang Soul be called the Pure Yang Body in the eyes of cultivators in this world?
Leng Liuxi explained, "The legendary Pure Yang Body has a great enhancement effect when cultivating Pure Yang techniques. I estimate that Su Lang has this rare physique."

She hesitated slightly before continuing, "For example, your Lin Moyin has a Yin Sha physique and cultivates pure Yin techniques. Her progress is nearly half that of ordinary cultivators. It took her more than ten years to advance to the Returning Aperture Realm."

"only……"

The Empress paused abruptly, her delicate eyebrows furrowing even deeper!

(End of this chapter)