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

Chapter 335 The Empress Openly Watches Su Mo Take a Bath

Upon hearing Gu Yunshu's words, Ling Yanyao's eyes revealed a hint of disapproval.

She spoke lightly, rarely getting involved in worldly affairs.

But if they don't get involved in these things, where will the ancient immortal sects get their money?
She has painstakingly built Xiaolanting to its current scale over more than a decade; it is not something she can simply give up.

Both of them were quite accomplished in their time.

But while the name of the ancient immortal sects sounds impressive, in reality they are nothing more than immortal cultivation sects with profound foundations that hide themselves and do not easily come into contact with the world.

People in the immortal sects are not truly immortals who do not eat or drink.

Money was also extremely important to the ancient immortal sects.

Despite Gu Yunshu being of a higher generation than her, Ling Yanyao still calls her "senior sister".

However, Ling Yanyao was born and walked the world a full ten years earlier than Gu Yunshu, and had a deeper understanding of worldly affairs and was more aware of the importance of money.

Of course, Ling Yanyao didn't need to argue with Gu Yunshu about this issue.

She casually removed her veil, revealing a cascade of black hair, delicate eyebrows, eyes like autumn water, and a straight, elegant nose. Her appearance was in no way inferior to Gu Yunshu's.

However, compared to Gu Yunshu's otherworldly and refined demeanor, Ling Yanyao possessed a more down-to-earth and earthy quality, making her seem like a peerless beauty.

She frowned, stopped talking about the matter, and suddenly asked, "Senior Sister Gu, do you think Su Mo might also be a disciple of the immortal sect in this era?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yunshu was slightly taken aback.

He frowned and pondered for a moment, then looked up at Ling Yanyao: "Why does Fairy Ling ask this question?"

Ling Yanyao explained, "This person is truly too mysterious!"

"In such a short time, he went from a menial servant in the government office to the tutor of the Great Wu Empress. It's truly unbelievable!"

"He also produced secret items such as perfume, soap, and bicycles, and his behavior was different from that of people of his time."

"Senior Sister Gu, don't you think this person is quite similar to those of us from the immortal sects today?"

Hearing this, Gu Yunshu couldn't help but nod slightly: "After hearing what Fairy Ling said, Yunshu also finds this person quite suspicious."

"Even among the ancient immortal sects, there was very little contact."

Yun Shu only knows about the immortal sect of Fairy Ling, but has never heard of any other contemporary immortals who have left the mountain.

Ling Yanyao frowned, a hint of suspicion appearing on her pretty face: "Yanyao has not heard of any others traveling at that time."

"But as far as Yan Yao knows, the ancient immortal sects have a tacit understanding that even if they send disciples out of the mountains to travel in the world, they should only act as observers and should never interfere in the affairs of the court, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble and bring disaster to the immortal sect."

She paused slightly, then continued, "Such a person is also a member of the immortal sect in this world, and should know the rules. If he breaks the rules, this matter will be known to you and me, and we cannot ignore it!"

Gu Yunshu's expression changed slightly: "You mean, Su Mo might be able to exchange the secrets of the ancient immortal sect for a government official position?"

Ling Yanyao nodded gently: "I do have this concern, but it's too early to say anything now."

"Although our immortal sects rarely contact each other, we know quite a bit about each other's situations."

"If this person was also on the journey at that time, and revealed all the secrets of the immortal sect to the Great Wu Empress, it would definitely bring great trouble to the ancient immortal sect!"

Gu Yunshu frowned: "What does Fairy Ling mean?"

Ling Yanyao added, "Yanyao's identity is special, so it's not advisable to have contact with this person."

"Senior Sister Gu, could you personally go and test Su Mo?"

Gu Yunshu didn't think much of it and nodded immediately: "Okay!"

After saying that, he stepped towards the screen, and suddenly saw ripples appear on the screen. In the blink of an eye, his figure disappeared into the screen!
……

Su Mo led Ning Xiaoxiao and the others back to Qinghefang Hundred Household Office.

But Zhang Xuzu, Cao Feng, and the other centurions had already returned to their garrison.

He deliberately waited for Zhang Shouning to appear, which delayed him considerably.

Upon seeing Su Mo, Zhang Xuzu couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "Lord Su is truly remarkable!"

"They actually managed to make Zhang Shouning kneel down in the street!"

He lowered his voice and said, "Lord Su...you don't necessarily have...?"

He didn't know what to say.

Cao Feng and the others looked at Su Mo with shock and awe.

Su Mo smiled and said, "There's no need to say more about this. As long as you obey the imperial decree and collect the commercial taxes from Qinghefang, I will bear all the pressure!"

"Uh... have you all completed your missions?"

Zhang Xuzu nodded quickly and then said, "The tax office's ledgers have been brought back, and there are no tax payment records for Qianse Pavilion or Fuyu Tower at all."

"Furthermore, most other types of ships, such as multi-span ships, also lack..."

"Well... anyway, the Tax Bureau's ledgers shouldn't be of much use."

Su Mo smiled and said, "Commander Zhang, you are mistaken."

"It's easier to operate without accounts! This is irrefutable evidence of merchants evading commercial taxes!"

As he spoke, he looked at Cao Feng and Ma Wei, whose expression was strange: "How is the situation with the Han family?"

Cao Feng hurriedly said, "This subordinate has confiscated the account books of the Han family's brothel, money exchange, and gambling den."

"It appears that most of the accounts are fake."

He paused for a moment, then snorted again, "The people at the gambling den, relying on the protection of the Han family, actually tried to rebel. I had to kill quite a few of them to suppress them."

Su Mo was slightly surprised, not expecting Cao Feng to have such courage, and immediately asked, "How many did you kill?"

Cao Feng...

"Ahem! This subordinate only wounded seven or eight people, but did not kill anyone!"

Su Mo: "You should have killed a few, otherwise you wouldn't be able to keep the other merchants in check..."

"But it's not too late to kill him next time."

“Those merchants are not afraid unless they are facing death, and they will not easily give in.”

Cao Feng...

Ma Wei...

Zhang Xuzu suddenly asked, "The ledgers have been copied back, but there is no accounting office in the office."

"Does Your Excellency think it would be better to borrow some accounting documents from the Ministry of Revenue, or to find some accountants outside to audit the accounts?"

Su Mo waved his hand with a smile: "What accounts are you checking!"

"Commander Cao said that the accounts that were confiscated were all fake."

"Instead of wasting time on that, we should raid a few more shops to scare them!"

Zhang Xuzu was taken aback: "Without checking the accounts, how can we know the amount of commercial taxes they evaded?"

Su Mo laughed and said, "Just fill in any number!"

He paused, thought for a moment, and then said, "However, we still need to study the exact amount."

"In any case, the total amount cannot be less than 500,000 taels of silver."

According to the records of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, there were at least five hundred shops of all sizes in Qinghefang that met the standards for paying commercial taxes.

Five hundred thousand taels of silver, divided equally among each shop, means each shop has to pay one thousand taels of silver!

Merchants are all greedy, and those behind them are even more so.

This could really kill them.

Su Mo was prepared for bloodshed; killing a hundred or eighty in the end wouldn't surprise him!

Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken the initiative to ask the Empress for the right to kill!

Hearing Su Mo's words, Zhang Xuzu and the others were speechless.

However, when the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigates cases, achieving their objective is the primary goal; the process and evidence are not important.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard is not the Court of Judicial Review or the Ministry of Justice!
My sole responsibility is to complete all the tasks assigned by the Empress!

Zhang Xuzu suddenly remembered something, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I heard that after you left, Zhang Shouning rushed towards the palace."

"That Zhang Shouning is greedy as a man, he's definitely not willing to pay the commercial tax fine. Could it be that he went to... to the Empress Dowager?"

Cao Feng scoffed, "Is that even a question? He's probably going to the Empress Dowager to complain! He's even worse than us noble sons!"

There were many disputes among the nobles.

Violent fights, resulting in broken arms and legs, were commonplace.

However, all the sons of noble families consciously abided by one rule.

You have to get back the lost ground yourself.

Going to one's parents when one can't win a fight is something that all noble children despise. Anyone who does this is cutting themselves out of the circle of noble children and will never be able to hold their head up high again!
Cao Feng really looks down on Zhang Shouning's actions!

Su Mo frowned slightly.

It was rather troublesome for Zhang Shouning to go to Empress Dowager Zhang.

However, this is inevitable.

The Great Wu Kingdom governs with filial piety in mind. Once Empress Dowager Zhang speaks, not only Su Mo, but even the Empress herself would have a hard time dealing with it. However, this is not something Su Mo can control.

We can only wait and see if the Empress can withstand the pressure.

If we can't afford it, then we might as well not collect this tax!

Su Mo is not a blindly loyal person!
Just as he was thinking this, An Wu suddenly walked into the lobby from outside with a smile.

The Empress instructed An Wu to protect Su Mo closely during this period, and he was indeed protecting Su Mo, but whether he was truly protecting her closely was another matter.

Anyway, Su Mo, being a great sorcerer at the Divine Realm, had no idea where An Wu was hiding.

Zhang Xuzu, Cao Feng, and the others stared in astonishment at An Wu, who had suddenly barged in.

Ma Wei, the trial centurion, was surprised and suspicious.

One look at An Wu and you know he is a palace eunuch.

How did a eunuch end up at Qinghefang Garrison?

Su Mo smiled at An Wu: "Eunuch An, what brings you here?"

An Wu smiled and said, "His Majesty just sent word, summoning Lord Su to the palace!"

Su Mo was slightly surprised: "His Majesty wants to see me?"

"That fellow Zhang Shouning has come to His Majesty's side?"

An Wu shook his head: "That's not it. Lord Su will know when he sees His Majesty."

Su Mo nodded, then instructed Zhang Xuzu: "I'm going to the palace. You all have nothing to do, you can drink tea and read the newspaper, or you can go and raid a few more shops."

"If anyone comes to cause trouble, no matter who it is, throw them out!"

Zhang Xuzu quickly replied solemnly, "This subordinate understands!"

Ma Wei was completely at a loss for words at this point.

No wonder Su Mo was so arrogant.

Saints can be met at will.

If it were any other member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, let alone a trial commander, even a deputy commander or assistant commander would probably not receive such favor!

Su Mo followed An Wu out of the garrison, and An Wu then explained, "His Majesty summoned Lord Su to the underworld."

Su Mo was taken aback: "Is the Nine Spirits Return to One Soup ready?"

An Wu smiled and said, "His Majesty places Lord Su in the highest regard. Fearing that any delay would damage Lord Su's foundation, he immediately ordered the Imperial Hospital to prepare the spiritual soup."

Su Mo was immediately moved.

Well, even if the Empress can't withstand the pressure, I'll find a way to help her collect commercial taxes!
As expected, once they left the fiefdom, the efficiency of the demon-subduing pestle in absorbing incense offerings and prayers decreased significantly.

Right now, we're mostly relying on inventory to stay afloat.

However, the Demon-Subduing Pestle has a much larger capacity, and Su Mo figured it should be able to support it for three to five days without much trouble.

That being said, Huang Quan Yin is ultimately a ticking time bomb.

The sooner the better.

I've already mastered the Yellow Springs Secret Technique given to me by Xiao Lizhuang, so let's see if it's really as effective as she says.

If one can refine the Yellow Springs outer elixir.

He was still at the Divine Realm level, yet he possessed supernatural abilities and techniques like a Golden Core cultivator.

If I encounter an assassin again, I'll definitely make sure they take a good tumble!
Upon arriving at the palace with An Wu, Su Mo was surprised to find that An Wu led him directly to the inner palace.

"Cough cough!"

"Has Eunuch An come to the wrong place? Shouldn't we be going to the Imperial Hospital?"

The Imperial Medical Academy was not located within the inner palace.

An Wu explained with a smile, "His Majesty is worried that something might go wrong if Lord Su soaks in the medicinal soup, so he needs to personally supervise Lord Su's detoxification process. He has already ordered the imperial physician to send the medicinal soup to the Ziwei Palace."

Su Mo...

I don't know what to say.

In my past life, when I watched TV dramas, I always felt that some ancient people were extremely foolish.

There's a saying that a scholar will die for one who understands him.

What could be more important than one's own life?

But it would be a lie to say I wasn't moved by the Empress's treatment of me!

He silently followed Anwu to the Ziwei Palace.

An Wu stayed outside the hall to guard the entrance, allowing Su Mo to enter the Ziwei Hall alone.

Upon entering, Su Mo caught a faint scent of medicinal herbs.

There was not a single palace maid or eunuch in the hall.

Su Mo could only follow the scent of the medicine.

Finally, they moved to the bathhouse... which, simply put, is where the Empress bathed.

Inside the waist-high wooden barrel, steam rose and a strange fragrance filled the air.

The Empress, dressed in a light green gauze robe and with her hair simply tied up in a bun, sat on a brocade stool to the side, quietly reading the book in her hands.

Seeing Su Mo enter, Leng Liuxi put down her book and smiled at Su Mo, saying, "My dear Su, you've come at just the right time."

"The herbal medicine has been prepared and the temperature is just right. Su Lang, you may now soak the medicine in it."

Su Mo hesitated for a moment: "Just like that?"

Leng Liuxi nodded and smiled, "That will do."

She paused and then said, "I have checked the medicine and there is nothing wrong with it. If you feel any discomfort while soaking it, please let me know."

Su Mo took off his deerskin official boots, only to see the Empress looking at him with a smile, and immediately his forehead creased with annoyance.

"Lord Leng...shouldn't you excuse yourself?"

Leng Liuxi blinked her pretty eyes: "I must watch over my husband as he is being treated for the poison, in case anything goes wrong!"

Su Mo was speechless.

There was nothing more to say; he was about to step into the barrel.

He then noticed Leng Liuxi looking at him with surprise and suddenly asked, "Su Lang, is this how you soak the medicinal soup?"

Su Mo was taken aback: "What do you mean, sir?"

Leng Liuxi covered her mouth and chuckled: "We need to take off our robes!"

"There are no clothes for my lord to change into in the Ziwei Palace."

Su Mo...

No wonder they sent the medicine to the Ziwei Palace, dismissed the palace maids and eunuchs, and ordered Anwu to guard outside!

He really is just craving his own body!

The real purpose is revealed!

Seeing Su Mo standing there motionless, Leng Liuxi blinked her pretty eyes and chuckled, "I'm not a man-eating worm, Su Lang, are you afraid I'll eat you up?"

She waved the book in her hand: "I only read books, I don't watch you prepare medicine."

Su Mo was speechless.

What on earth happened today that made the Empress so audacious!

They made no attempt to hide it at all.

However, the empress wasn't afraid, and he was a grown man, so why should he be afraid of her?

No matter what happens next, I won't be the one who suffers!

He gritted his teeth and took off his outer robe.

Seeing that the Empress was indeed not looking at him and had gone down to read her book, he realized that she was indeed not looking at him.

Su Mo gritted her teeth and took off her inner garment and trousers at the same time.

At last……

Ahem, forget about the boxer shorts that Xue Yishu specially sewed.

If anyone wants to take their clothes off, let the Empress do it!
Seeing the Empress looking down at a book, Su Mo stepped into the wooden tub with lightning speed!

A warm aura instantly enveloped Su Mo's entire body.

The Nine Spirits Return to One Soup, worth 100,000 taels of silver, truly lives up to its price!
They're all in the same price range as the Great Heaven-Mending Pill!
Su Mo felt an incredibly rich spiritual energy seeping into every pore of his body, a sensation so wonderful and comfortable that he couldn't help but let out a soft moan!
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Empress, who had just been so certain about reading, seemingly glancing at her furtively!
Su Mo...

The ancients were right: women and petty men cannot be trusted!
Just watch it!

Su Mo has given up!
With a focused mind, the Yellow Springs Secret Technique was activated!

(End of this chapter)