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

Chapter 293 Su Mo Gains Two More Powerful Backers!

Ye Wenshan was practically driven mad by Su Mo.

The problem is that other people's knowledge of astronomy and astrology is indeed better than his own, which is what makes Ye Wenshan most frustrated!
After listening to Su Mo's words last time, he applied the idea that the earth is a sphere that revolves around the sun to his own observations of the four seasons and the stars, which actually solved many of the doubts that he had not been able to understand for many years!

Su Mo looked at Ye Wenshan with a calm expression: "Although Master Ye's astrological skills are slightly lacking, in my opinion, there are very few astrologists in the Great Martial Realm who can compare with Master Ye."

Ye Wenshan's expression softened slightly, but he still said stiffly, "Speak up if you have something to say, or shut up if you have something to say!"

"I hate people like you who are secretive and scheming the most!"

Su Mo smiled slightly: "Master Ye's knowledge of astrology is unmatched by many. It is only natural that he would rejoin the Imperial Observatory to monitor the fate of the Great Wu Kingdom."

"His Majesty intends to reinstate Master Ye to his original position. May I ask, senior, what are your thoughts?"

The last time the Empress told me, she appointed Ye Wenshan as the Deputy Director of the Imperial Observatory.

Su Mo didn't know if Ye Wenshan was just bragging to him or if the Empress had really told him to reinstate him. Of course, he wouldn't make any definitive statements.

Ye Wenshan snorted: "Even if His Majesty intends for me to regain control of the Imperial Observatory, how easy is that!"

"In officialdom, people are forgotten once they leave. Several years have passed, and it's hard to say how much face I still have left!"

"I have spoken frankly about the Empress's faults, and countless people regard me as a viper. If I were to return to the court, I would only make a fool of myself!"

As he spoke, a hint of melancholy appeared on his face: "It's better not to take this official position. It's perfect for discussing astrology and studying the arts of heaven and man with you, young man!"

Su Mo's heart skipped a beat.

Is this old guy serious?

The Empress released him, clearly intending to use him.

As the Empress's teacher, I have to consider her interests to some extent. How could I let Ye Wenshan get away so easily?

He frowned, then suddenly became serious: "Master Ye, you are mistaken!"

"As the saying goes, 'To err is human, to forgive divine,' a principle even a three-year-old understands!"

"The senior misinterpreted the celestial phenomena, resulting in the loss of his illustrious reputation. He should return to the Imperial Observatory and prove himself through concrete actions!"

Su Mo glanced at Ye Wenshan again, and seeing that he seemed interested, she said, "It is indeed difficult for you, senior, to take charge of the Imperial Observatory again, and it will be hard to convince the officials."

"However, in my opinion, there is absolutely no problem with you returning to the Imperial Observatory as the Deputy Director!"

Nangong Sheyue, standing to the side, watched Su Mo and Ye Wenshan chatting animatedly about their decision to move up to the position of Deputy Supervisor of the Second Rank, and felt incredibly conflicted.

It feels like just yesterday that I was responsible for reporting to Su Mo; how long has it been!
Now, Su Mo is actually able to truly influence important matters of the court!
Although this was based on the Empress's favor towards him.

Judging from the Empress's demeanor, this favor will likely last for a considerable period of time, perhaps even indefinitely!
"Deputy Director?"

Ye Wenshan murmured something, clearly somewhat tempted.

Having held power for decades, it's not something one can simply relinquish.

He suddenly squinted at Su Mo: "The one currently in charge of the Imperial Observatory is Yuan Xingdao. This man is deep in thought and his cultivation is extremely hidden. Even I cannot see through him!"

"You've suggested that I return to the Imperial Observatory? Aren't you afraid of offending this man?"

Upon hearing this, Nangong Sheyue's expression turned strange again.

Su Mo remained silent and handed Ye Wenshan a copy of the story weekly.

Ye Wenshan took the newspaper, somewhat bewildered, and glanced at it.

They were immediately dumbfounded!

"You...you've got some nerve!"

Ye Wenshan was speechless!
After a long pause, he said with a wry smile, "You dare to spread rumors about the Wang family head and still sit here unharmed. You really have some skill. I misjudged you!"

Su Mo said calmly, "I have thoroughly offended Vice Minister Wang Hao, and I believe I have offended Grand Secretary Cui as well!"

"Your Excellency, I suspect you don't have much affection for me!"

He chuckled and said, "Adding another Grand Secretary Yuan doesn't seem like such a big deal!"

Ip Man Mountain...

There are only six people working in the cabinet, and this guy has offended half of them!
This includes the Grand Secretary and the Second Grand Secretary!
At the height of his power, he was no different from Yuan Xingdao now. No wonder he showed no fear at all when he knew who he came from!
Last time in prison, Su Mo said he had offended the Wang family, but he was released safely in the end. Ye Wenshan thought that he was exaggerating and that he probably just had some conflict with the Wang family.

Moreover, it was just a minor conflict between younger generations that couldn't be brought to the table.

Upon seeing this newspaper, Ip Man Shan was utterly speechless!
This is no small conflict!
This is an irreconcilable feud!
The Wang family is powerful and has stood for thousands of years. Even if he had fallen to the Golden Core realm now, or even if he had been at the Heavenly Infant realm, no one would have dared to underestimate the Wang family, let alone humiliate them!

He considered himself quite bold, daring to imply that the Empress's ascension to the throne was illegitimate, but this kid's audacity was in no way inferior to his own!
If you offend the Empress, she will have to find an excuse to punish others to avoid dissatisfaction among the officials.

If you seriously offend a powerful family, they have a hundred ways to make you disappear without a trace!
Seeing Ye Wenshan's dumbfounded expression, Su Mo calmly said, "I only know how to be loyal to His Majesty, and I know nothing about the Wang family or the Cui family!"

"As a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, one must draw a clear line between oneself and the court officials. Even if one offends all six ministers of the cabinet, so what!"

Ip Man Mountain...

No wonder the Empress dotes on this boy!
Look at that attitude!

If it were me, I would also trust a confidant who had offended every court official!

In fact, Ye Wenshan had just been released from prison and came specifically to visit Su Mo.

Besides being shocked by Su Mo's knowledge of astrology, I was also puzzled as to why the Empress would specifically mention this person when she summoned me!

Ye Wenshan put down his newspaper, his expression finally turning serious. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly said, "Do you really think I can return to the Imperial Observatory?"

Su Mo smiled and said, "It's not what I think, it's what His Majesty thinks!"

"His Majesty still has great faith in the senior and places high hopes on him!"

"Even though the senior committed such a grave offense, His Majesty only imprisoned him in the Dali Temple Prison!"

Ye Wenshan waved his hand: "Let's not talk about this for now!"

"Last night, I stayed up all night, pondering the ways of the stars."

"Upon careful consideration, what you said is indeed reasonable."

"Is it because I agreed to be that..."

As he spoke, his gaze unconsciously drifted to the Story Weekly, and he couldn't help but snort, "This old man is nothing more than a nobody in the astronomy and geography section of the Story Weekly..."

Ye Wenshan momentarily forgot what Su Mo had said last time.

Su Mo thoughtfully reminded him, "Column Editor!"

Ye Wenshan snorted angrily again: "Since I'm the editor-in-chief of this bastard's business, you'll tell me all the astrological knowledge you know?"

If Ip Man Shan hadn't seen that rumor, he wouldn't have been so furious.

This kid has clearly dug a hole for himself to fall into!

Wang Jiading hated the Story Weekly to the core, so he took over the astronomy and geography column himself. In the eyes of the Wang family, they were naturally there to support this kid.

Having offended such a prestigious and ancient clan for no reason, how could Ye Wenshan not be furious!
Few officials dared to offend the Wang family, let alone a heavyweight like Ye Wenshan. Su Mo no longer hesitated and said straightforwardly, "Whatever you ask, Master, I will answer to the best of my knowledge!"

He paused, then changed the subject: "The day after tomorrow, I will be opening a bookstore that mainly sells paper, but I can't think of a suitable name for it."

"I have long heard that you, Master, are not only highly accomplished in Taoism, but also a great scholar who is well-versed in the doctrines of various scriptures. May I ask you, Master, to name my shop?"

Ye Wenshan was indeed a decisive person. He glanced coldly at Su Mo, clearly having seen through Su Mo's little scheme, but still said coldly, "Bring me paper and pen!"

Su Mo immediately brought Ye Wenshan paper and pen.

When Ye Wenshan saw the cold, fine paper, his eyes lit up slightly, and he blurted out, "Good paper!"

"No wonder the Wang family is willing to offend His Majesty to make things difficult for you, kid!"

He then wielded his brush with great skill.

In the blink of an eye, three large, elegant characters appeared on the paper.

Su Mo gave a thumbs up: "Great handwriting!"

Ip Man Shan smiled proudly.

He was always extremely proud of his calligraphy!
Su Mo then humbly asked, "Master, what are these three characters?"

Ye Wenshan's proud expression froze instantly.

His face turned visibly darker!
Nangong Sheyue frowned and quickly said, "This is Kunshan Pavilion."

Ye Wenshan, his face dark, snorted heavily: "What an ignorant and incompetent fool!"

"I've named the shop for you! Let's see if you dare to use it!"

Su Mo automatically filtered out the first half of Ye Wenshan's sentence, then asked with suspicion, "Why wouldn't I dare to use it?"

Nangong Sheyue explained with a wry smile, "Kunshan is a legendary immortal mountain. It is said that there is a library in the mountain that contains all the classic works in the world."

Su Mo understood as soon as he heard it.

It's just that naming it that way is too ambitious, and I'm afraid I can't handle it. He smiled wryly and said, "Kunshan Pavilion has too much influence, and I'm afraid I can't bear it."

"Senior, could you please write down a shop name for me? Something simple and easy to understand."

"Hmm..." Su Mo pondered for a moment, "I think Su's Department Store is quite good."

Ye Wenshan was slightly taken aback: "Su's Department Store?"

Su Mo nodded emphatically: "Yes!"

"The shop I've taken over is quite large, but there aren't many books to sell yet. In the future, I'll just throw in some random things to sell, and I might as well call it Su's Department Store."

Ye Wenshan snorted irritably, "This name is unbearably vulgar!"

Su Mo smiled and said, "What I want is something that's easy to understand! And I'm doing business with a wide range of people!"

"Furthermore, if you have any classic books in your collection, or any famous works written by you, could you lend them to me for three to five days to study? I promise to return them on time!"

Ip Man Shan: "Get lost!"

Then, with a dark expression, he wrote the shop name for Su Mo again.

As a learned scholar, it is truly shameful that I would write such a vulgar shop name!
But there was no other way in pursuit of knowledge!

This time, Su Mo could finally make out what the characters were. It was Su's Department Store. He immediately gave a thumbs up and exclaimed, "Great characters!"

Ip Man Shan's face darkened even more!

……

The Great Wu Dynasty had clear regulations regarding residences and courtyards, and the rules were very strict.

Houses, mansions, and mansions cannot be used indiscriminately.

According to the regulations of the Great Wu Dynasty, the residences of princes, officials of the third rank and above, or those of high status may be named with the character "府" (fu, meaning mansion).
Zhong Yin, a second-rank official, naturally resided in the Zhong Mansion.

When he returned from his duty at the Ministry of War, his concubine removed his official robes and took out a scroll from her sleeve, placing it on the table.

Zhong Yin glanced at his elegantly dressed wife, Zhong Li, who had brought him strong tea, then took a sip and his gaze fell on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

After a moment's thought, he said, "Madam, take this book to the back room and enshrine it!"

Zhong Li was slightly taken aback: "This book is actually to be enshrined?"

As she spoke, she couldn't help but glance at the scroll: "Romance of the Three Kingdoms? What book is this? I've never heard of it before."

Born into a prestigious family, she was intelligent from a young age and her talent was evident. In terms of literary attainments alone, she was probably no less accomplished than Zhong Yin.

Zhong Yin gave a wry smile: "It's just a storybook."

Seeing the lady's suspicious expression, he explained, "But this was copied by His Majesty himself, so it cannot be neglected."

Lady Zhong was even more astonished: "His Majesty personally copied this storybook? What kind of storybook could make His Majesty personally copy it?"

Zhong Yin shook his head: "I haven't seen this yet."

Madam Zhong's expression changed slightly. She waved for her concubine to leave, then said solemnly, "How can my husband refuse the storybook bestowed by His Majesty? What will he say if His Majesty asks about it?"

Zhong Yin frowned.

As the Minister of War, he was extremely busy with state affairs and naturally had no time to waste on such vernacular novels.

However, what his wife said made sense. If His Majesty suddenly asked about the contents of the book, and he answered that he had not had time to read it, it might really displease His Majesty.

Zhong Yin nodded: "My wife is right to reprimand me. I was indeed careless."

The two had been married for over thirty years. Even though Zhong Yin had taken a concubine, a maid, and five other wives, he always treated his principal wife, Zhong Li, with the utmost respect.

At that moment, Zhong Yin picked up Romance of the Three Kingdoms, turned to the first page, and his expression instantly turned to astonishment.

Seeing this, Zhong Li couldn't help but lean over to take a look, and was equally surprised.

"The mighty Yangtze flows eastward, its waves washing away the heroes of the past. Right and wrong, success and failure, all vanish in the blink of an eye. The green hills remain, witnessing countless sunsets."

Zhong Li took a deep breath and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "What an exquisite Linjiangxian! I have never heard of it before!"

She couldn't help but look at Zhong Yin, whose face, though slightly aged, was remarkably well-preserved, and a look of suspicion appeared on it: "My lord, is this a storybook?"

Zhong Yin was also stunned, and murmured, "His Majesty said this is a storybook!"

"It was written by a young boy who had not yet reached adulthood!"

Zhong Li gave a soft snort: "Husband, don't try to deceive me!"

"Such timeless poems, which so fully express the pursuit of fame and fortune and see through the vicissitudes of life, could not possibly be written by a young man!"

Zhong Yin smiled bitterly and remained silent.

Follow the gaze downwards.

Following the grand and majestic poem "Linjiang Xian," the main text begins in the same manner.

The world, after a long period of division, tends to unite; after a long period of unity, tends to divide...

Once they started looking, neither of them could stop, and they continued until the candle was about to burn out, just as Zhong Li was about to get up and light a new candle.

Suddenly, the steward came to report, handing over a name card with both hands: "Reporting to Master and Madam, a man claiming to be the steward of the Su family has arrived outside the mansion, requesting an audience with you, Master, and has a letter that he must personally deliver to you."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Yin frowned immediately.

Upon receiving the post, it was indeed from Su Mo.

When Zhong Li saw the name on the post, she was immediately taken aback.

"A commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard? A magistrate of Gufeng Mountain?"

She couldn't help but look at Zhong Yin with a hint of worry: "Why are Imperial Guards here looking for you, my lord?"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was notorious, and Lady Zhong Li had experienced its most arrogant and domineering period, so she naturally had little affection for it.

Anyway, it's never a good thing if the Imperial Guards come to your door!
Zhong Yin smiled and said, "Madam, don't worry. This Su Mo is quite an interesting person. He probably didn't mean any harm by sending someone here."

Madam Zhong frowned and said, "Master, you should avoid associating with the Embroidered Uniform Guards."

"He's just a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and a county magistrate of the imperial court, yet he dares to call himself the Su family. It shows how arrogant he is!"

Zhong Yin's lips twitched slightly, and he finally said with a wry smile, "Madam, you may not know this, but although this man is a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he is also... but he is also the Imperial Tutor! His name deserves the title of 'Prefectural Governor'."

Madam Zhong was taken aback and stared blankly at Zhong Yin: "What? Imperial Tutor?"

Zhong Yin nodded with a sullen expression: "He is indeed the Imperial Tutor, but not a lecturer like the Hanlin Academy's lecturer!"

He exhaled twice: "It was His Majesty who presented six gifts and personally acknowledged him as his teacher!"

Zhong Li was speechless, unable to utter a single word!
The Empress of the Great Wu Dynasty actually became a disciple of a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

What kind of situation is this?
Didn't the court officials have any objections? Or was the Empress simply acting unilaterally?
Even if Ren Zhongli was intelligent, she couldn't figure out the reason!

Seeing his wife's shocked expression, Zhong Yin sighed, pointed to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and said, "It is said that this Romance of the Three Kingdoms was written by him."

Upon hearing this, Madam Zhong was taken aback again: "Didn't you say that this book was written by a young man who had not yet reached adulthood?"

She was even more suspicious: "Why did you say that it was supposedly written by him? Does your husband think that this young man is incapable of writing such... such a remarkable book?"

Zhong Yin smiled wryly and said, "Before reading this book, I really thought that this story was written by him!"

"But now, Madam, do you think that someone of such a young age could write such a remarkable book containing all sorts of strategies, military tactics, and even the ways of rulers and ministers, and emperors?"

Zhong Li shook her head resolutely: "That's absolutely impossible!"

Zhong Yin smiled bitterly, "But His Majesty told me personally that this book was written by Su Mo!"

Zhong Lishi...

What else could she say?
We can't very well say that His Majesty is spouting lies and deceiving his subjects.
Regardless of whether Su Mo wrote this book or not, it must have been written by Su Mo!
Since the Imperial Tutor had sent someone to see her husband, Madam Zhong was about to take her leave.

After a moment's hesitation, Zhong Yin suddenly said, "Madam, you may not leave in a hurry. You can watch from behind the screen!"

He paused, his old face showing frustration, and continued, "Although this person is young, he is as cunning as a fox, making him truly difficult to guard against."

"It's best to have my wife watching over things, lest I inadvertently fall into that brat's trap!"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Li became even more curious.

What makes that Imperial Guard and tutor named Su Mo so formidable? Even though he's just a steward from the manor, his master is so wary of him.

Zhong Lishi really didn't believe that a young man who hadn't even reached adulthood could be so cunning!
To become the Imperial Tutor, one must rely not on scholarship, but on other skills!

I want to see for myself what this little fox, whom my husband has been talking about, is all about!

In addition, we need to find out the true author of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and bring over the second volume as well!

This book contains profound knowledge.

My husband is upright and honest, so he has offended many people. If he reads the whole book and understands some of the political maneuvering and worldly wisdom within, he won't have to worry about it every day.

(End of this chapter)