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

Chapter 268 Accused of Adultery, Liu Siyun Imprisoned!

The capital city, the Su residence.

A dozen or so constables, carrying shackles, iron rulers, and arrest warrants, stormed into the Su residence with menacing air.

The Su family is no longer a place where just anyone can barge in.

Although most of the people from Changping County were settled in Gufeng Mountain fiefdom, many skilled individuals remained in their homes.

They were either rebels from Niujiazhai or salt smugglers from Chenjiazhai. Now they were eating the Su family's food, so even if it was government officials, they didn't hesitate to draw their long knives and fiercely block them.

The yamen runners who stormed into the Su residence were taken aback by the scene.

The yamen runners and clerks had sharp eyes; they could tell at a glance that these were ruthless characters, true outlaws, who definitely had people on their hands.

"Oh shit!"

"How come the Su family has so many ruthless characters hidden away! Is the Wannian County Government just sitting around doing nothing?!"

The head constable of the Dali Temple cursed under his breath and quickly signaled the other constables not to act rashly. Then, with a gloomy expression, he stared at the guards of the Su residence: "Dali Temple constables are ordered to arrest suspects Su Mo and Liu Siyun!"

"Do you intend to rebel? Get out of my way right now, or don't blame this constable for being merciless!"

Niu Er, who was in charge of the Su family's guards, was taken aback upon hearing this.

However, he showed no sign of moving aside, fiercely blocking the yamen runners, and gave a wink to a clansman next to him: "Go and inform the Third Madam!"

Xue Yishu was Su Mo's only concubine with a formal title, but she was never officially married into the family and has now returned to Tianchang County.

The de facto first wife, Lin Moyin, has not yet returned to the residence.

Now, the only one who can make decisions is Liu Siyun, who has just returned from her fiefdom at Gufeng Mountain.

In the inner courtyard, Liu Siyun, who was writing a letter, heard the guard's report and her expression darkened slightly.

Jiang Lan stood up in alarm.

"What...what exactly is going on?"

"Why would the yamen runners from the Dali Temple arrest you, sir and sister?"

Liu Siyun smiled and waved her hand, saying, "It's alright!"

He then sped up his writing, finished the letter, dried the wax seal, and handed it to Jiang Lan.

"Take this letter to Mr. Wang and ask him to wait outside the city. When your husband returns, I will personally hand the letter to him!"

"As for this letter, we managed to deliver it to Wei Zhengguang, the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

Jiang Lan nodded quickly: "This servant understands!"

Liu Siyun straightened her clothes and walked towards the central courtyard with a blank expression.

Upon reaching the central courtyard, Liu Siyun waved for Niu Er and the others to leave, then coldly looked at the head constable of the Dali Temple: "Our master is a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"May I ask, sir, what crime have you committed that warrants the arrest of a person by the Court of Judicial Review?"

The head constable of the Dali Temple snorted coldly: "This constable has no knowledge of any Jinyiwei centurion!"

"We are hereby ordered to arrest Su Mo, the clerk of Tianchang County, and Liu Siyun, the suspect who assaulted an official of the imperial court!"

As he spoke, he flicked the iron chain in his hand and sneered, "So you are Liu Siyun?"

"Should we take action ourselves, or should we obediently bring him back to the Dali Temple for trial?"

Niu Er roared angrily, took two steps forward, and drew his long knife: "Who dares!"

Seeing Niu Er's fierce aura, as if he were about to pounce on them with his knife at any moment, the yamen runners from the Dali Temple were immediately taken aback.

Fortunately, Liu Siyun said calmly, "Brother Niu, please step back for now."

"If the Dali Temple wants to arrest this woman, she will simply go with you officials."

Niu Er hurriedly said, "Third Madam, you can't go with them! How am I supposed to explain this to Master!"

"Anyone who dares to touch Madam, I'll make sure their blood is spilled on the spot!"

Liu Siyun waved her hand: "It's alright, I don't think they'll dare to do anything to me!"

"I'd like to trouble Brother Niu Er to keep an eye on the house."

"Our master is the magistrate of Gufeng Mountain County, a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and a captain of the Fengming Division, all bestowed by His Majesty!"

"If any unauthorized persons come to disturb us without cause, we shall beat or kill them. When the master returns, he will surely take care of things for us!"

Seeing that Liu Siyun was taking the initiative to go back with him, the head constable of the Dali Temple's expression softened considerably: "Young lady of the Liu family, please!"

He imprisoned Liu Siyun in the Dali Temple prison and instructed the jailers to keep a close watch on her.

Constable Yang San'an took the arrest warrant to the yamen to report back.

As soon as he stepped out of the prison gate, his face darkened, and he called over Deputy Constable Zheng Kai: "You keep a close watch here. You absolutely cannot let Liu Siyun die in prison! Otherwise, our lives will be in danger!"

Zheng Kai was taken aback upon hearing this: "Brother Yang, you're not joking?"

"She was just an ordinary woman; she died, so what? Is there some other story behind it?"

Yang San'an spat fiercely: "An ordinary woman, can she be sued all the way to the Dali Temple?"

He paused, then said coldly, "You don't really think that Su Mo is just a minor clerk?"

Zheng Kai's expression suddenly changed, and he lowered his voice, saying, "That Liu Siyun said earlier that Master Su was a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, or even a captain of the Phoenix Cry Division? How is that possible? Isn't that just a rumor?"

Yang San'an sneered: "There's no smoke without fire!"

"Do you think Liu Siyun would dare to talk such nonsense?"

Zheng Kai stared in disbelief: "Is it really true?"

Seeing Yang San'an's bitter expression, Zheng Kai was stunned for a moment, then cursed again, "Damn it!"

"How did the affairs of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Phoenix Cry Division get involved with our Court of Judicial Review? Let them go and complain to the Commandery and the Phoenix Cry Division!"

Yang San'an snorted: "That Su Mo is not just a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but also the commander of the Phoenix Cry Division!"

He paused, then said irritably, "The He family is suing the clerk of Tianchang County and the commoner Liu Siyun, not the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

"If the magistrate doesn't take this case, wouldn't that tell everyone that he's afraid of the Embroidered Uniform Guard? How will he ever be able to face the court again!"

Zheng Kai had a thousand words to say, but in the end, they all boiled down to one sentence: "This is fucking bastard!"

……

The year-end banquet for civil and military officials is a major event of the imperial court, and naturally has its own set of rules that cannot be easily changed.

According to the rules of Dawu, the banquet is held on the 27th of the lunar year, and civil and military officials also begin their annual leave on this day, which lasts until the Lantern Festival on the 15th of the first lunar month.

Having been away from the capital for a long time, the Empress naturally traveled by carriage, rushing towards the capital without stopping.

Several exotic horses pulling the cart were incredibly fast and had amazing stamina. In just one day, they traveled from Wanghai County straight to Shenjing.

Su Mo didn't stand on ceremony with the Empress and simply took a nice nap in the carriage.

The Empress was so angry she was itching to bite.

I finally managed to fall asleep, but this guy slept soundly on the bumpy carriage, like a pig!
I am the Great Wu Empress!
He dared to be so presumptuous, which truly infuriated the Empress!
As the majestic city walls of the capital came into view, and seeing that Su Mo was still fast asleep, the Empress finally couldn't hold back any longer.

With a flick of his sleeve, a wisp of cold mist enveloped Su Mo.

Just as the cold mist was about to envelop Su Mo, the Empress suddenly remembered that this guy had only recently recovered from a cold, so she could only angrily withdraw it and pat Su Mo on the back of the head.

Su Mo opened his eyes groggily and was dumbfounded to find the Empress glaring at him with a dark expression!

"Still sleeping! We've arrived in Beijing! Get off the train right now!"

Upon hearing this, Su Mo was immediately taken aback: "You've arrived in the capital so quickly?"

He subconsciously lifted the black curtain and peered outside.

Sure enough, the carriage had arrived at the banks of the Xima River, the only way to enter the capital.

After all, the empress had to avoid suspicion.

Su Mo was about to bid farewell to the Empress and get out of the carriage to walk back to his residence.

Suddenly his eyes narrowed sharply, and he instinctively called out, "Old Wang?"

"What's he doing here?" Wang Xiuzhi stood at the crossroads leading to the capital, his brows furrowed and his hands behind his back, looking around anxiously.

However, he only glanced at the carriage before quickly looking away.

Su Mo frowned, then turned to the Empress and said, "My lady, I'll get off here!"

The Empress snorted and ordered An Wu to stop the carriage: "Get out!"

Su Mo felt completely baffled.

The Empress was perfectly fine when she got into the carriage, and even before she lay down to sleep on the table.

Why did my expression suddenly change when I woke up?

As expected, the emperor's heart is unfathomable.

"This humble servant takes his leave!" Su Mo greeted the Empress with a sullen expression.

After getting off the carriage, he greeted Nangong Sheyue, who was riding a horse behind him, and An Wu, who was driving the carriage.

After the Empress's carriage had driven away quickly, Su Mo walked towards Wang Xiuzhi.

When Wang Xiuzhi saw Su Mo suddenly appear, he also quickly went to greet him.

"Uncle, what are you doing here?" Su Mo looked at Wang Xiuzhi suspiciously.

Wang Xiuzhi looked wary and said in a low voice, "There are too many people around here, come with me!"

Leading Su Mo to a secluded spot, Wang Xiuzhi said with a grave expression, "Something has happened at home!"

Su Mo was immediately startled: "What happened?"

Wang Xiuzhi handed a letter to Su Mo: "Liu Siyun, and your disciple Yin Rou, have both been captured by the Dali Temple!"

"Furthermore, the Dali Temple has issued an arrest warrant to bring you to trial!"

Su Mo's expression suddenly darkened.

However, having served as an official for a long time, regardless of whether he has developed official authority, his temperament has indeed become much more composed.

Before asking Wang Xiuzhi what had happened, he opened the letter first.

Immediately, his face turned even more gloomy, almost dripping with water, and he spat out two words through gritted teeth: "You're asking for death!"

……

Nangong Sheyue entered the capital with the Empress's carriage.

Suddenly, a red light rushed towards her, and it was none other than the blood eagle she had raised!
Nangong Sheyue's pretty face stiffened slightly. She removed the copper tube from the Blood Eagle's foot, took out the small piece of paper, and her pretty face immediately darkened.

"Your Majesty!"

Since it concerned Su Mo, Nangong Sheyue naturally reported to His Majesty immediately: "Something has happened to Su Mo!"

Upon hearing this, the Empress was immediately taken aback. She ordered An Wu to stop the carriage and frowned as she asked, "What happened to Su Mo?"

Nangong Sheyue said in a deep voice, “A few days ago, rumors suddenly spread in the city that Su Xianzi was having an affair with Yin Rou and was hiding Yin Rou in his fiefdom, forbidding her from returning home!”

"Yin Roufu's family led their servants to Gufeng Mountain to demand the return of their loved ones, which resulted in a conflict with the people of Gufeng Mountain, and several of their servants were seriously injured."

"Yin Rou's husband, He Heng, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, went to the Dali Temple to accuse Su Mo, the clerk of Tianchang County, of seducing his wife Yin Rou and committing adultery with her. He also accused a woman named Liu Siyun of instructing her servants to beat up an official of the imperial court!"

"The Dali Temple has arrested Liu Siyun and Yin Rou and issued a warrant for their arrest to apprehend the suspect Su Mo!"

The Empress's expression suddenly changed!
Adultery is a serious crime!

According to the Great Law, those who commit adultery shall be punished with ninety strokes of the cane!
If a husband's family catches an adulterer in bed, they can even beat the adulterer to death without bearing any legal responsibility!
The Empress took a deep breath, her face dark as she stared intently at Nangong Sheyue: "Did Su Mo commit adultery with Yin Rou?"

Upon hearing this, Nangong Sheyue hesitated for a moment: "Your Majesty, I do not know!"

The Empress coldly uttered two words: "Investigate!"

Nangong Sheyue naturally accepted the order.

Just as she was about to leave, the Empress added coldly, "Also, find out who's behind this!"

Nangong Sheyue hurriedly said in a deep voice, "Your subject obeys! Your subject requests to take his leave!"

After Nangong Sheyue rode away quickly, the Empress, with a dark expression, said to An Wu, "Return to the palace!"

"Summon the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review to the palace to see me!"

Wei Residence.

Wei Zhengguang looked at his trusted aide who had reported back: "So Jiang Lan left?"

The confidant quickly replied, "Reporting to my lord, I have already sent her away."

After dismissing his trusted confidants, Wei Zhengguang, with a sinister expression, directed Tongzhi You Li, his brows slightly furrowed, as he slowly emerged from behind the screen.

"Have the Wang family members lost their minds? Are they going to completely turn against Su Mo and fight to the death?"

You Li looked at Wei Zhengguang with suspicion.

Wei Zhengguang snorted: "Su Mo is digging up the Wang family's roots!"

"That guy Su Mo actually has a secret papermaking technique. It's said that the quality of his paper far surpasses that of the Wang family's paper. How could the Wang family remain indifferent!"

"Last time, Su Mo was smart enough not to get caught up in the Su Nu Palace incident, but this time, it might be harder to avoid it."

He paused, then said coldly, "Although He Heng is only a Hanlin scholar, his status is quite delicate. Those guys in the Hanlin Academy are not to be trifled with, and the Wang family is backing him... Heh heh..."

You Li nodded: "The Wang family's move is indeed ruthless!"

"The news that Su Mo seduced the wife of a Hanlin scholar has spread throughout the capital, arousing the indignation of countless scholars. Those scholars even plan to gather at the Meridian Gate to protest."

"The matter of cheating in the imperial examination has not yet been investigated, and the spring imperial examination will be held next year, with candidates from all over the country gathering in the capital!"

"Even if His Majesty favors Su Mo, he probably has no choice but to throw him out to quell public anger!"

Wei Zhengguang couldn't help but curse, "Our Embroidered Uniform Guard has also been implicated!"

"Yesterday, the commander was so angry that his face turned blue, and he gave me a severe scolding!"

The He family sued the clerk of Tianchang County.

Rumors circulating in the city are that a henchman of the imperial court, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, used his power to seduce the wife of a Hanlin scholar!
The Embroidered Uniform Guard was already infamous, and its reputation among scholars was extremely bad.

The scholars didn't care whether it was a rumor or not; they just wanted to vent their anger.

Ideally, we could use this incident to bring down a few high-ranking members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so that those henchmen of the court would know the power of scholars!
Wei Zhengguang cursed fiercely, then looked at You Li with half-closed eyes: "Lord You, what do you think should be done about this matter?"

You Li tapped the table rhythmically for a full cup of tea's time before asking, "And what is Lord Wei's opinion?"

Wei Zhengguang frowned and said, "In other people's eyes, Su Mo is one of our people..."

A sharp glint flashed in You Li's eyes, and a look of surprise crossed his face but disappeared in an instant: "You're going to make a move?"

Wei Zhengguang gave a wry smile: "How dare this humble official take action!"

"Don't underestimate those scholars just because they may not amount to much. If they unite, they can be quite formidable!"

He paused, then said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty is determined to abandon Su Mo."

“Even if you and I join forces, we absolutely cannot protect Su Mo, however…”

He paused slightly: "I still want to protect the other people in the Su family, including Liu Siyun."

"And so that others won't think that we, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, are toothless tigers that can be bullied by anyone!"

You Li suddenly laughed: "Everyone says that Lord Wei only cares about money and has no sense of morality. I now realize that the rumors are wrong!"

"In that case, let's give Su Mo a hand."

He paused, then continued, "The Su family's assets are coveted by the Wang family, the Cui family, and Zhang Guojiu, among others. They certainly won't be able to protect them."

"Once things have calmed down, we'll try to leave them ten thousand taels of silver and send them back to Changping County."

He sighed softly, "The capital is not a place where outsiders can easily get involved."

Just as the two were talking, suddenly, Wei Zhengguang's confidant came to report!
"grown ups!"

"I just received news that Su Mo has returned to the capital, wearing the imperial tiger robe, and is heading towards the Dali Temple!"

(End of this chapter)