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

Chapter 294 Lord Commander is back!
Zhong Li was known as a talented woman in her youth, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and songs. However, during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, she was ranked one level above the other as a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

Unfortunately, during the reign of Emperor Wu Taizu, women were unable to take the imperial examinations and ultimately married.

In recent years, Zhong Li has been a devout Buddhist and rarely goes out. Apart from managing household affairs and visiting Datong Temple to worship Buddha, she spends her time reading various books.

She believes that her knowledge and experience are now greater than when she was younger.

I really don't believe that a boy who hasn't even come of age can be that cunning!
After Zhong Lishi went behind the screen in the study, Zhong Yin then had the steward call Jiang Laoshi in.

Jiang Laoshi is tall and has thick eyebrows and big eyes; he has an excellent appearance.

However, when he met powerful and influential people, he always adopted a humble and obsequious attitude. This time, when he met Zhong Yin, he was no exception. He naturally lowered his head and said with a fawning smile, "This humble man, Jiang Laoshi, pays his respects to Minister!"

Zhong Yin looked Jiang Laoshi up and down, then said indifferently, "Your master has a letter for you to deliver to me?"

Jiang Laoshi quickly handed the envelope to Zhong Yin with both hands: "Reporting to my lord, this is a letter from our master."

He paused, then continued, "Master said it must be handed to you personally, sir."

Zhong Yin took the envelope and saw that it was sealed with wax, and the envelope was also written with the words "To be opened by Minister Zhong Yin of the Ministry of War".

Upon seeing the dog-paddle-like handwriting, Zhong Yin couldn't help but frown!
What utter rubbish is this handwriting!

He became increasingly skeptical that Romance of the Three Kingdoms was written by Su Mo!
How could someone who can't even write properly write a masterpiece like Romance of the Three Kingdoms?
Hearing Jiang Laoshi emphasize that this letter must be delivered to him personally, Zhong Yin subconsciously asked, "What if you can't see me?"

Jiang Laoshi immediately replied, "Master said to take the letter back."

Zhong Yin's heart skipped a beat.

Could there be some hidden secret in this letter?

He asked calmly, "Does your master have anything else to say?"

Jiang Laoshi thought for a moment and said, "Hmm!"

"Our master also said that the Qinghefang Bookstore will open for business at 9:00 AM the day after tomorrow. He hopes that Minister can take some time out of his busy schedule to go and cut the ribbon for the bookstore."

Zhong Yin's face instantly darkened.

Su Mo's bookstore sells cold Su paper, which is a direct challenge to the Wang family.

Which of the high-ranking officials in the imperial court was unaware of this matter?
When I cut the ribbon for him in the past, wasn't that clearly showing that I was supporting Su Mo?
This is different from the last time when someone was sent to the Dali Temple to make arrangements.

When Su Mo got into trouble, I inquired about it out of love for talent, or perhaps to win over a promising junior. Other big shots could understand; in fact, this was just standard practice for them.

The key point is that the Wang family didn't show up at the time, so I could pretend I didn't know anything, but He Heng had the Wang family's shadow behind him.

Now that Su Mo is openly fighting the Wang family, if I were to support him, I would truly be going against the Wang family.

Zhong Yin, with a dark face, asked Jiang Laoshi a few more questions, but seeing that he couldn't get anything out of him, he naturally sent him away.

Zhong Li emerged from behind the screen, looking at Zhong Yin with suspicion: "My lord, are you quite familiar with those Imperial Guards?"

Zhong Yin shook his head: "I wouldn't say we're close."

"However, this boy is quite capable, especially in military knowledge, which is extraordinary, so we gave him a little special treatment."

Zhong Li nodded: "Regardless of whether the Romance of the Three Kingdoms was written by this person, even if it wasn't, the master behind it would have imparted knowledge to him, so it's not surprising that he had insights into military affairs."

She paused slightly: "But what about that bookstore? How dare they invite you, sir, to come over?"

Zhong Yin explained, "The lady devotes herself to Buddhism and rarely leaves the house or interacts with outsiders, so she does not know the background of this child."

"This child has appeared out of nowhere within half a year, and his origins are extremely mysterious!"

"His business acumen is exceptional, which is why he is deeply trusted by the Empress. He also possesses a secret papermaking technique, producing paper that far surpasses the paper of the Wang family. This is the paper that he is selling at the new shop!"

Zhong Li was greatly surprised: "Far superior to Wang's paper?"

"Would the Wang family allow him to open a bookstore?"

Zhong Yin nodded and said, "The Wang family is naturally unwilling."

"However, with His Majesty backing him up, the Wang family can't do anything about him. A few days ago, the Wang family fought with him but was defeated and suffered a great loss."

Zhong Yin recounted the events in detail.

In particular, the Empress's sudden and unexpected removal of Wang Yi and other officials from the royal family system during a court assembly!

When Zhong Li heard this, she was utterly dumbfounded!
With the Wang family, a powerful clan with a history spanning millennia, making a move that even hinted at the influence of the Cui family, the two powerful clans, working together, were unable to subdue this commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Your Majesty has such great courage that you fully support this person despite the opposition of officials and even scholars.

After her initial shock, Madam Zhong's expression changed drastically, and she quickly lowered her voice, saying, "You mean, His Majesty... isn't planning to take action against the powerful clans?"

Zhong Yin frowned slightly: "Hard to say!"

"Alas! The court has finally enjoyed two years of peace. If His Majesty were to take action against the powerful clans, it would likely lead to another bloodbath, perhaps even more devastating than when His Majesty ascended the throne!"

As Zhong Yin spoke, he couldn't help but sigh deeply: "I didn't want to see this happen either!"

A look of worry flashed across Zhong Li's eyes: "I'm afraid it will be difficult for my husband to stay out of this!"

Zhong Yin subconsciously glanced at the letter in his hand.

If Your Majesty were to truly clash with the powerful clans, not only would the Minister of War be unable to remain uninvolved, but among all the civil and military officials in the court, who would dare say they would be unaffected?
In terms of political maneuvering and scheming, the Empress was no match for the powerful clans.

What I fear most is that His Majesty will lose his temper and refuse to admit defeat. Without a doubt, the next step will be to use force to forcibly suppress the powerful clans!

Once it gets to that point, it won't just be a matter of a hundred or two hundred people dying.

It could be anywhere from 100,000 to hundreds of thousands!

It's even possible that the whole world will be thrown into chaos and turmoil!

Putting aside everything else, the Wang family alone has over a thousand direct and collateral relatives, as well as various clans, forces, and local lords who are subordinate to the Wang family!
In addition, the Wang family's servants, slaves, tenants, and other dependents numbered well over 100,000!
Are the other families, such as the Cui, Lu, Zheng, and Li, inferior to the Wang family?

For example, his wife was from a collateral branch of the Li family of Zhao County!

The Li family played a significant role in Zhong Yin's rise to the position of Minister of War and subsequent promotions.
If the Empress wants to deal with the Li family, how can Zhong Yin avoid being affected?
Zhong Yin sighed and his gaze fell on Su Mo's letter again.

It's said that Su Mo sent it, but it's hard to say whether it wasn't at the Empress's behest.

The struggle between the Empress and the aristocratic families has not even begun, yet I feel as if I am already involved. If a real war breaks out, it would be a pipe dream to try to stay out of it!
With mixed feelings, Zhong Yin opened the envelope under Zhong Li's watchful gaze.

The paper inside was the Cold Su Paper made by Su Mo. Zhong Yin and Zhong Li Shi could tell at a glance that the paper was much better than the Wang Family Paper.

Of course, it's much worse than Xuan paper.

However, when the two of them saw that there was only a large "微" (wei, meaning "micro") on the paper, their brows furrowed simultaneously.

It's still a unique dog-paddle style!
After a moment of silence, the two looked at each other and then spoke in unison, "Husband/Wife..."

Finally, Madam Zhong couldn't help but chuckle softly, "Husband, you go first!"

Zhong Yin subconsciously stroked his beard, his brows furrowed: "Does my wife have any idea what Su Mo meant by sending me this one word?"

Zhong Lishi also frowned and pondered: "Wei?"

"Seeing the big picture from small details? Profound meaning in concise words? Being overly cautious?"

As expected of a talented woman, upon seeing this character, dozens of related allusions instantly came to mind!
"Is he admonishing my husband?"

"Don't interfere in his struggle with the Wang family?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she shook her head, denying her own idea: "No!"

"If that's the case, why would he invite you to his bookstore!"

After thinking for a long time, Zhong Li looked at Zhong Yin with a bitter expression: "I really can't figure out what the hidden meaning of this word is!"

"I suppose I've been so devoted to Buddhism all these years that I'm unaware of the changes in the court... Hmm, it seems I should get together with my old friends!"

Zhong Yin racked his brains for a long time, and finally could only smile bitterly and say, "Even I can't figure it out!"

As he spoke, his brows furrowed deeply: "But this boy specifically instructed the steward to personally deliver this letter to me, there must be some hidden meaning in it!"

Madam Zhong smiled bitterly: "It seems this boy is indeed as you said, cunning as a fox, with a deep and scheming mind!"

"They probably did this because they were worried that the contents of this letter would be discovered by outsiders..."

Zhong Yin grumbled irritably, "The problem is, even I don't know what this kid means!" Zhong Li blinked, "Perhaps, husband, you should think about it again?"

"For example, what were the words spoken to this person, or what did His Majesty say? Are they related to this word?"

She paused slightly: "Perhaps my husband is too busy and has overlooked something?"

Zhong Yin snorted: "That's the only way!"

His gaze suddenly fell on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms on the table.

"Hmm... Madam said, could this be related to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms?"

Zhong Li's eyes lit up immediately: "I think it's very likely!"

"His Majesty has just bestowed upon you the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and this man has already sent you a secret letter. He is also one of His Majesty's trusted confidants..."

As she spoke, Madam Zhong's voice became somewhat excited: "Yes, I will stay up all night tonight to read Romance of the Three Kingdoms with my husband!"

Zhong Yin...

What do you mean by "accompanying you to watch"? It means the lady herself wanted to watch it, right?
However, if I don't figure out the meaning of this "微" (wei), I probably won't be able to sleep tonight. I might as well go read Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

……

Su Mo didn't know whether Zhong Yin could sleep or not.

Anyway, after a series of physical activities tonight, he slept very well.

On the contrary, Qin Bier and Chen Qianyu both had broken backs, experiencing both pain and pleasure!

The next day, when the sun was high in the sky, Su Mo woke up groggily and subconsciously touched the side of the spring bed, only to find it empty.

Seeing that the sunlight was already shining through the window lattice onto the edge of the bed, Su Mo stretched and was about to call someone to bring her toiletries so she could get up and wash up.

Suddenly, Liu Siyun's surprised voice came from outside the door.

"My lord! My sister has returned home!"

Upon hearing this, Su Mo immediately perked up: "Come in!"

Liu Siyun pushed open the door and entered, and Su Mo immediately asked, "Mo'er is back?"

Liu Siyun nodded emphatically: "Yes! My sister just returned to the house!"

Su Mo was in a great mood, but still snorted softly, "She finally decided to come back! I thought she wouldn't even come back to the house for the New Year!"

"Where are the people now?"

Liu Siyun quickly replied, "My sister is in the side hall of the central courtyard."

"Yes, my sister returned with her junior sister from the Su Nu Palace. She is greeting her junior sister in the side hall."

Su Mo was slightly stunned.

Junior sister?

Has Lin Moyin already paid her respects to Xiao Lizhuang?
But why did you bring your junior sister back as well?
Without Su Mo's instruction, Liu Siyun brought warm water and helped Su Mo wash his face and put on his robe.

Su Mo then went to a side hall of the central courtyard.

Lin Moyin's familiar, aloof, and pretty face appeared in Su Mo's line of sight.

As always, she wore a red cape and a white horse-face skirt, looking dashing and heroic!

Su Mo's gaze swept over the petite woman next to the commander, and he was immediately surprised: "Ning Xiaoxiao?"

"Are you here too?"

Ning Xiaoxiao was curiously looking at the furnishings in the hall when she saw Su Mo. For some reason, she suddenly showed a look of fear and subconsciously tried to hide behind Lin Moyin!
Su Mo was both amused and exasperated!

He didn't know why Ning Xiaoxiao always had a terrified expression whenever she saw him, as if he were a man-eating beast!
It was the same in Changping County before, and it's the same now that I'm in the capital!
He sighed in frustration, then smiled at Lin Moyin: "Why are you only coming back now, my wife? I've missed you so much!"

The cold expression on Lin Moyin's pretty face vanished, and she smiled and nodded gently: "Your concubine is back!"

She paused, then added, "I was ordered by the Emperor to leave the capital for a period of time, and now I can finally rest properly."

He then pulled Ning Xiaoxiao, who was hiding behind him, out and glared at her: "Why are you hiding!"

Ning Xiaoxiao glanced at Su Mo cautiously and timidly.

Lin Moyin explained, "I just went to pay my respects to my master, and I didn't expect this girl to be here as well."

"They said they received a transfer order to return to Beijing to report on their work and that a new position would be arranged for them."

"Junior Sister, is your return to the capital due to the Qinghefang Hundred Household Office?"

During their last late-night conversation, the two discussed matters concerning the Hundred Household Office, including the plan to transfer Ning Xiaoxiao back.

However, after Su Mo sent the list to the Empress, Lin Moyin did not inquire further, and she did not know whether the Empress had agreed.

Upon hearing Lin Moyin's words, Su Mo nodded and said, "That should be so."

"However, something unexpected happened in Qinghefang."

Upon hearing this, Lin Moyin was immediately startled and set up a soundproof array. With a serious expression, she asked in a deep voice, "What kind of incident has occurred?"

She naturally knew how powerful the Qinghefang Hundred Household Office was!
As long as Su Mo controls the Qinghefang Hundred Household Office, his power will be greater than hers as the Right Thousand Household Office Commander.

Su Mo saw that Lin Moyin set up the magic array with ease, much more so than before, which clearly indicated that her Returning to the Aperture Realm had stabilized.

He smiled and said, "Don't worry, it's not a bad thing."

"Hmm... Mo'er, do you know what has happened to your husband recently?"

Lin Moyin's pretty face grew even more serious: "Is what my husband is referring to, the struggle with the Wang family?"

"besides……"

Her expression suddenly turned strange: "His Majesty's matter of taking the Prime Minister as your teacher?"

Clearly, even though she wasn't in the capital, she still had ways of knowing what was happening there.

Ning Xiaoxiao, standing beside him, was so shocked by these words that she stood like a statue.

It was as if they were seeing Su Mo for the first time. They stared at Su Mo with their mouths agape, completely dumbfounded, unable to close them for a long time!

Su Mo nodded: "His Majesty has made me his disciple, and the court officials are planning to find a way to remove my identities as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Phoenix Cry Division."

"However, after being reminded by Minister of War Zhong Yin, His Majesty changed his mind."

Lin Moyin frowned: "Zhong Yin?"

"How did you get involved with Zhong Yin, my lord?"

She sighed: "My husband is now at odds with the Wang family, so he really shouldn't be serving in the imperial court!"

"In the imperial court and in the local areas, the five clans and seven powerful families have deep-rooted influence. Only the Fengming Division, plus half of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, are not deeply involved with the powerful clans!"

Su Mo nodded and smiled, "So His Majesty intends to send me to the Upper Left Office to serve as a trial commander of a thousand households."

"Furthermore, I will take charge of the Qinghefang Hundred Household Office and the personnel of the Fengming Division within the office!"

Even the composed Lin Moyin was instantly dumbfounded upon hearing this!
Seeing Lin Moyin's shocked expression, Su Mo chuckled to himself.

The Empress's plan to bestow upon him the title of Marquis should be kept quiet for now, lest it frighten his wife!
One should be humble in both conduct and actions!
I am a low-key person who doesn't like to show off!
Of course, Su Mo had no need to show off to his wife. He smiled and said, "The position of Trial Commander is only a fifth-rank official. My wife, you need to work hard and get promoted quickly, otherwise I will catch up with the Commander!"

Lin Moyin...

Su Mo made a small joke with Lord Qianhu, then changed the subject: "When Mo'er visited Master earlier, did Palace Master Xiao have anything to say?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Moyin's expression suddenly turned strange.

Then he looked at Ning Xiaoxiao with an even stranger expression!

Ning Xiaoxiao's pretty face instantly turned bright red!

(End of this chapter)