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

Chapter 348 Mission Completed, Reward Shocks Su Mo!
Su Mo really gave the Empress a huge surprise this time!

I thought that if the Qinghefang Hundred Household Office could collect 500,000 taels of silver, it would be a pleasant surprise.

As a result, in just half a day, they collected a total of 730,000 taels of silver!

The imperial court's two million taels of disaster relief funds, plus the Ministry of Revenue's funds and the imperial treasury, thus solved half of the problem.
The other elders stared at the Empress in shock, as if they thought they had misheard.

Seven hundred and thirty thousand taels of silver was an absolutely unbelievable figure in the eyes of these high-ranking officials in the imperial court.

Xiao Yuan, who had just suggested initiating a fundraising campaign among wealthy businessmen, was completely dumbfounded.

He felt that getting those wealthy merchants and powerful families to donate 100,000 taels of silver was already an extremely difficult task, and he would have to rely on his status as the Grand Secretary to use both soft and hard tactics to achieve it.

As a result, the Imperial Guards of Qinghefang easily obtained the goods by killing thirty or fifty people.
Even more astonishing figures, several times or ten times?

He hesitated for a moment, then took two steps forward and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, what exactly is going on?"

"The Qinghefang Hundred Household Office actually collected 730,000 taels of commercial tax?"

In Xiao Yuan's opinion, this was probably only 70,000 taels of silver. The Empress had simply misread it due to her excitement!

The Empress nodded and smiled, "That's true."

"The commercial taxes and fines levied on the ships alone on the Xima River amounted to 310,000 taels! The highest amount paid was a whopping 23,000 taels!"

"Many other wealthy merchants voluntarily went to the garrison to accept their fines, each amounting to several thousand taels of silver!"

"However, the details are not clearly stated in the secret report. We need to summon the people from Qinghefang Garrison to inquire about the specifics."

Xiao Yuan immediately fell silent.

It wasn't 70,000 taels, it really was 720,000 taels!

Those merchants were actually willing to take out such a huge sum of money!

It seems that the Embroidered Uniform Guard was not only capable of suppressing court officials, but could actually play a significant role!
The Empress gave the group of Grand Secretaries a deep look: "My beloved ministers often tell me that the government should not compete with the common people for profit, and I wholeheartedly agree."

"But these merchants, who make tens of thousands of taels of profit every year, refuse to pay even a little bit of commercial tax. I don't think they are also commoners!"

She paused, then her tone suddenly turned cold: "On the contrary!"

"I believe they are the superior people, the most superior people, and the most greedy of all!"

Xiao Yuan and the others were at a loss for words.

Is this really only referring to merchants?

They were not fools; each family had members who were merchants and knew the immense profits from commercial taxes.

However, behind the merchants is an extremely large group, or even the ruling class of the entire Great Wu Dynasty. The greater the profits from commercial taxes, the more difficult it is to collect them.

Now that Su Mo has blatantly laid out the profits from commercial taxes right in front of the Empress, it's no wonder she can't resist!
Next, I'm afraid the entire Great Wu will descend into chaos.

As important officials of the court, Xiao Yuan and others naturally did not want to see the court and even the world in turmoil.

They have reached the limit of their advancement.

A withdrawal is not certain.

Instability easily leads to change.

Changes can rewrite the power structure!

The Empress definitely won't go down.

Who went down?

The Empress glanced at everyone, finally settling on Wang Hao: "Vice Minister Wang, the Qinghefang Hundred Household Office, collected over 700,000 taels of commercial tax in just half a day!"

"That centurion of the garrison, though reckless, has rendered great service to the court. Therefore, I will neither reward nor punish him, but..."

The empress's voice suddenly paused.

Wang Hao's heart skipped a beat.

Any such turning point is unlikely to be a good thing!
Sure enough, the Empress then said, "I believe that the two million taels of silver allocated by the court for disaster relief can be collected from those unscrupulous merchants in Qinghefang and used for the benefit of the people!"

"After Wang Qing takes over this matter, he must not be soft-hearted. You must know that the lives of millions of disaster victims in Tiannan Road are all in Wang Qing's hands!"

Wang Hao replied without hesitation, "Your Majesty! In my opinion, the methods used by the Qinghefang centurion were not inappropriate!"

"Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures; we cannot be bound by rigid rules."

"Since Marquis Su was able to collect the commercial tax in half a day, even if I am shameless, I know I cannot take away his credit."

The Empress frowned slightly: "What does Minister Wang mean?"

Wang Hao resolutely said, "I believe it is best to continue entrusting this matter to Marquis Su and Commander Zhang!"

A dead Taoist friend is not a poor Taoist!
The Empress had given herself a way out, so Wang Hao certainly wasn't going to jump into the fire pit!

How many merchants in Qinghefang die is none of my business!

The Wang family's shop hasn't closed; it's open as usual.

It's just that the fine wasn't paid on time!

As for the Zheng family?

Husbands and wives are birds of the same forest, and when disaster strikes, they fly separately.

If even a married couple is like this, then what about Wang and Zheng, who don't even share the same surname!

Upon hearing this, the Empress frowned even more deeply: "Su Qing is a person who hates evil as if it were her enemy, and she is young and impetuous, and her methods are not tactful enough."

"I am worried that Minister Su will cause something out of control, putting me in a difficult position!"

Wang Hao said loudly, "Lord Su is working for the imperial court and speaking out for the disaster victims! Even if his methods are a little excessive, it is understandable."

He looked at the other Grand Secretaries: "I suppose you all think the same way I do."

"With His Majesty and the other officials watching over Marquis Su, it's nothing more than pursuing tax evasion by unscrupulous merchants. I believe it won't get out of control."

Cui Xian cursed under his breath, calling him an old fox.

This is going to drag all of them down with it!

However, Cui Xian also knew that if he spoke up now, that old fox Wang Hao would definitely burst out laughing.

The empress would not hesitate to put the task of collecting taxes on her own shoulders.

The other cabinet ministers weren't stupid either!

Therefore, all the elders had no choice but to grit their teeth and accept it, becoming Su Mo's backer!
However, the elders were also secretly on guard.

The Empress's political maneuvering is completely different from before.

It's almost certainly Su Mo who taught them!
Unexpectedly, Su Mo, at such a young age, possesses such unfathomable skills. With just a few pointers to the Empress, he has the Inner Cabinet firmly under his control.

From now on, he will definitely be a regular at the small court assemblies!

Do not……

That’s not all!

This is a plan that kills four birds with one stone!
Manipulating the cabinet is just one aspect!

Sending Zhang Xuzu to serve as the centurion of the Qinghefang Centurion Office was a stroke of genius.

Even though the Duke of Ningguo's mansion knew this was an open conspiracy, it was impossible for them to refuse!

In this situation, what else could Duke Ningguo Zhang Lie do but wholeheartedly support the Empress?

This is the second point.

Thirdly, we must severely crack down on powerful and aristocratic families!

For a concrete example, see Zheng Fang, who is still kneeling on the ground!
Fourthly, it solved the enormous problem of disaster relief funds for the imperial court.

The cabinet knew perfectly well that Su Mo had tricked them, but they still had to swallow their pride and endorse him, praising him for speaking up for the disaster victims!

Impressive!

That's truly remarkable!
When the Grand Secretaries finally understood this, they couldn't help but sigh in admiration!
This monster is truly something else!

Unfortunately, this young man is so closely connected to the Empress that there is no gap between them, and when they join forces, they are extremely difficult to deal with!
The Empress saw that all the cabinet ministers remained silent.

His gaze returned to Zheng Fang, and his tone suddenly turned cold and sharp. He said coldly, "Zheng Fang is the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Imperial Court. He receives a salary from the court, yet he does not care about the affairs of the court. He is truly hateful!"

"Knowing full well that the merchants' strike is a disgrace to the country and its people, and a move that forces the court to act, they do not reflect on their actions, but instead punish those who are loyal to the country. Furthermore, they evade commercial taxes and disregard the law. This is truly hateful!"

Two truly hateful things in a row made Zheng Fang's face turn even paler, and he was drenched in sweat, his body trembling!
They were as arrogant as they were before, and now they are just as terrified!

A murderous glint flashed in the Empress's eyes as she said mercilessly, "Such a selfish person who puts personal interests above national interests has no face to remain in the position of Left Vice Censor-in-Chief!"

"Somebody come!"

"Remove his official hat and robes, dismiss him from his post as Left Vice Censor-in-Chief, demote him to a commoner, and never allow him to be employed again!"

Wang Hao and the others' expressions changed drastically.

Although Zheng Fang was not the head of the Zheng family, he was still a pillar of the Zheng family in the imperial court.

Left Vice Censor-in-Chief, a high-ranking official of the third rank, was dismissed by the Empress Dowager without hesitation and would never be reinstated, leaving Zheng Fang with no chance of recovery.

This naturally shocked the cabinet ministers.

This was undoubtedly another heavy blow to the powerful clans, far more severe than the Empress's previous dismissal of Wang Yi and several other court officials from the Wang family! But how could they dare to provoke the Empress's wrath at this time!

The two Grand Secretaries from powerful families, Wang Hao and Cui Xuan, could only watch helplessly as the Imperial Guards stepped forward, removed Zheng Fang's official hat and robes, and dragged him out of the Lizheng Hall like a dead dog!

I have mixed feelings!

……

At Gufeng Mountain, Su Mo enjoyed a relaxing hot spring medicinal bath.

It must be said that Leng Liuxi was poor.

But after all, he was the Emperor of the Great Wu Dynasty, and his treasury contained a great many good things. Selling them would definitely bring in a huge sum of money!
This Nine Spirits Return to One Soup is something that other immortal cultivators, even a True Immortal of the Heavenly Infant Realm, might not be able to prepare in its entirety, let alone brew it for themselves twice in such a short period of time!
The Yellow Spring Elixir, which had been feeling unbearably hungry, was finally full.

Furthermore, being in the fiefdom greatly amplified the power of the Demon-Subduing Pestle, and Su Mo felt his entire body brimming with strength.

Even the fourth and a half grade sword embryo within his body seemed to be about to be upgraded!

Unfortunately, it still fell short of the goal.

It is estimated that after soaking it again and feeding the Yellow Spring Void Pill, it will be able to nurture the sword embryo into a true fifth-grade magic weapon with abundant spiritual power!
After taking a bath, Su Mo intended to get up and scare Nangong Sheyue, who was staring straight at him.

But to his surprise, the other person had already turned away with a soft hum.

Su Mo smiled complacently.

She won't even look at the good things I offer her.

Let's see if she dares to say she took advantage of her again!
After putting on her robes again, she returned to the bedroom from the bathroom, only to find that Nangong Sheyue was no longer there.

After Su Mo left the bedroom, she saw Nangong Sheyue and Lin Moyin waiting together in the corridor outside the bedroom.

Lin Moyin first looked Su Mo up and down, her pretty face showing surprise and doubt: "My lord's magic power has improved again?"

Nangong Sheyue, however, did not have the cold face she had in the bathroom. She chuckled and said, "The Nine Spirits Return to One Soup with ten percent of its medicinal power is enough for a Soul Stabilizing Realm cultivator to advance to the Divine Departure Realm."

"In just half an hour, Lord Su absorbed it all, and his magical power naturally improved considerably."

Su Mo nodded and smiled modestly, "I'd say I've made some progress."

"However, we are still far behind you."

Lin Moyin was both amused and exasperated: "My lord has only been cultivating for half a year, while Lord Nangong and I have been cultivating for over ten or twenty years. If my lord were to surpass me so easily, I would rather find a pillar and kill myself!"

Nangong Sheyue looked somewhat annoyed and frustrated, and said, "I don't think it will take long!"

"Lord Su's cultivation speed is simply unbelievable!"

"I truly cannot imagine who in the world can compare to Marquis Su!"

Su Mo smiled smugly!

Then, looking at Lin Moyin with a smug expression, he asked, "Mo'er, why are you here too?"

Lin Moyin then said seriously, "A lot of news just came from the capital, but I don't want to disturb you, my lord."

Her tone was slightly grave: "Zhang Xuzu has already killed many people in Qinghefang, with the salt shop owned by Dong Bao, the deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Zheng family's cloth shop being the first to be targeted!"

"The Zheng family's official in the Ministry of Works was also killed by Zhang Xuzu!"

“However…” Lin Moyin changed the subject, “Zhang Xuzu’s use of Dong Bao and the Zheng family’s shop as targets was truly ingenious!”

"He doesn't even give face to the Imperial Guards and powerful families, so how can other merchants not be afraid? Many merchants have already voluntarily paid their fines and stopped their strike..."

Su Mo waved her hand: "Never mind!"

"Naturally, I'll leave the matter to him. His Majesty forbids me from leaving Lonely Peak Mountain, so let him cause some trouble!"

He paused, then suddenly sneered, "Those merchants are truly lawless!"

"They think they have powerful backers, so they don't even respect the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

Su Mo gritted her teeth, looking on with resentment: "Even with His Majesty and the two officials as my backers, I'm not as arrogant as them!"

Lin Moyin...

Nangong Shoots the Moon...

Su Mo then changed the subject: "Let's not talk about that for now."

"I took a bath, and now my stomach is growling again."

"Quickly tell Jiang Lan to prepare a proper table to entertain Lord Nangong!"

Lin Moyin laughed out loud: "It's because my lord wants to eat it, why are you pushing it onto Lord Nangong again?"

Nangong Sheyue blinked her pretty eyes: "Ahem! Actually, I'm hungry too."

Su Mo...

He stared in disbelief as Lin Moyin and Nangong Sheyue walked away hand in hand, like close best friends.

It seems rather unbelievable that the Right Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Left Commander of the Phoenix Cry Division have such a good relationship.

However, this is even better.

The backyard of the Su residence should be harmonious in the future.

Otherwise, Su Mo didn't even dare to imagine what the situation would be like if the top leaders of the two major military intelligence agencies started fighting in their own backyards!
Anyway, filming dozens of episodes of a spy drama is definitely not a problem.

This year, Su Mo was busy with various matters and couldn't spend New Year's Eve in Fengyi.

Now everyone's here.

Moreover, the thing that worried Su Mo the most seemed to be perfectly resolved, which put Su Mo in a great mood.

In a moment of inspiration, he actually asked Jiang Lan to help him cook and show off his culinary skills.

Liu Siyun, Yin Rou, and others also came over to help, such as tidying up the ingredients.

And there's Qin Bier, Chen Qianyu, Xue Yishu, Ning Xiaoxiao...

Finally, even Lin Moyin and Nangong Sheyue squeezed into the kitchen, along with their little girl Diandian, who was helping to wash the vegetables. It was quite lively with more than a dozen people—luckily, the kitchen was big enough.

Finally, the whole family gathered around the large eight-immortal table and enjoyed a lively and harmonious reunion dinner.

Su Mo took out the prepared red envelopes and distributed them to the women!

Nangong Sheyue was also involved!
The wealthy and extravagant Marquis Su told them in a very generous manner that they could buy whatever they liked!
Nangong Sheyue hesitated for a moment, but finally accepted it. Then she secretly peeked inside the red paper and found a 1,000-tael flying coin!
Lin Moyin and the others were naturally pleased.

They also distributed red envelopes to the servants and maids in their respective households.

They were not stingy, each contributing at least one or two taels of silver, which greatly excited the servants of the Su household.

Even the female disciples of Su Nu Palace who moved to Gufeng Mountain with Xiao Lizhuang benefited greatly.

Everyone's pockets were bulging!

During this period, messages kept coming from Qinghefang.

Everything progressed as Su Mo had predicted.

Just as Su Mo was about to take a short nap, the system suddenly popped up again.

[Mission: One Million in Disaster Relief Funds (Completed)]

Congratulations! You have completed the special red mission! You will receive the following rewards...

Upon seeing the system notification, Su Mo was immediately taken aback.

According to the message I just received, the Qinghefang Hundred Household Office only collected 300,000 taels of silver.

The task is to provide millions in disaster relief funds.

Besides the 300,000 taels from the Ministry of Revenue and the 200,000 taels from the Empress's private treasury, there is still a shortfall of 500,000 taels.

Could it be that Zhang Xuzu has managed to acquire another 200,000 taels of silver in just this short time?

The system doesn't lie!
Zhang Xuzu is actually quite capable.

No wonder the Empress told me not to underestimate the power of established noble families like the Duke of Ningguo's mansion and the Marquis of Hanping!
Su Mo suppressed his surprise and quickly continued to check the system prompts.

The reward for the mission involving millions in disaster relief funds is currently unknown!
However, the difficulty of this task is unprecedented.

This would offend not only the entire court of officials, but also powerful families and merchants, and it was also the first time such a "red" mission had ever appeared!

Su Mo took a deep breath and looked down at the mission rewards.

Then his eyes suddenly widened.

That incredibly handsome face, the kind that seemed born to be a kept man, instantly revealed an expression of disbelief, a shock that could be described as something he never even dared to dream of!

Su Mo never dared to dream that the rewards for this mission would be so generous!

[Congratulations! You have obtained 1 Substitute Immortal Talisman!]

Congratulations! You have gained ten years of cultivation!

[Congratulations! Your Yellow Spring Void Core grade has increased by 1!]

Congratulations... on your mastery of the Heavenly Manifestation and Earthly Manifestation abilities...

……

(End of this chapter)