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

Chapter 355 Incense Becomes Divine Book!
Seeing Su Mo's expression, Chi Wulei knew that Su Mo had not yet realized the seriousness of the matter.

"Lord Su's collection of commercial taxes from Qinghefang affects more than just the interests of Qinghefang merchants."

"The Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, the Ministers of the Six Ministries, and especially the Censorate, have received a large number of memorials impeaching Lord Su, including many from high-ranking officials of the court!"

Chi Wulei looked at Su Mo with a serious expression: "This is only half a day!"

"If we wait a few more days, the imperial court will resume its sessions, and local officials will also face their own set of problems. I'm afraid there will be an even greater mountain of memorials that will overwhelm Lord Su!"

As she spoke, she took a deep breath, her expression becoming even more solemn: "Since I entered officialdom, I have never seen such a situation! Lord Su, you must not be careless!"

"The Vice Minister Wang proposed that Lord Su be appointed as the Imperial Commissioner to oversee disaster relief efforts. This would also allow Lord Su to temporarily leave this vortex, leaving those officials who impeached him powerless to do so."

As a senior official in the Ministry of Personnel, Chi Wulei naturally had a clearer understanding of court affairs than Su Mo.

As the saying goes, one's strength is exhausted after three attempts.

Once the storm has passed and Su Mo returns to the capital, with the Empress's protection, the major incident can be minimized.

Upon hearing Chi Wulei's words, Su Mo realized that Wang Hao was indeed considering her best interests.

Is he really that kind-hearted?

Could it be that they're planning to kick this scourge out of the capital?

Or it would be best to die directly in Tiannandao.

Anyway, no matter what Wang Hao says, Su Mo will definitely not take it lightly.

He frowned: "Then why did His Majesty assign this task to you, sir?"

Upon hearing this, Chi Wulei's expression turned slightly bitter: "His Majesty said that Lord Su has more important matters to attend to."

She didn't actually know what Su Mo was doing that was more important than disaster relief, making the Empress willing to withstand the overwhelming onslaught from the court officials in order to keep Su Mo in the capital.

If the Empress intended to give up on Su Mo, that would make sense.

The Empress is now clearly determined to protect Su Mo.

Su Mo naturally understood what the Empress meant.

It's nothing more than eight million taels of silver.

The Empress doesn't have many capable people at the moment, so it makes sense for Chi Wulei to be the imperial envoy.

Even if the Empress wanted to cultivate Chi Wulei, she would have to see if Chi Wulei had the ability.

Tiannan Road thus became the best test.

Once that obstacle is overcome, Chi Wulei's path will be smooth sailing.

If we can't get through this, then all is lost.

Su Mo naturally wouldn't discuss this matter further with Chi Wulei: "Then what brings Lord Chi to see me?"

Chi Wulei hesitated for a moment, just about to speak.

Su Mo's eyes narrowed suddenly.

Suddenly, another orange exclamation mark appeared above Chi Wulei's head!
They've actually issued an orange-level mission?

He subconsciously clicked on the exclamation mark and then froze instantly.

[Chi Wulei]: Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel (33%)

[Mission]: Plague
[Requirement]: Ten days later, a plague outbreak will occur in Guhan County. In the following ten days, the number of deaths due to the plague shall not exceed one hundred.

[Note]: Artemisinin should have a certain inhibitory effect on plague.

[Hint]: You think that sending Xiao Lizhuang to the plague-stricken area with Chi Wulei would be quite effective in preventing and controlling the plague.

[Rewards]: Favorability +10; Incense offerings received monthly by Tiannandao +1000-10000; Incense Offering Divine Transformation Book (This book can deduce Golden Core and above methods into Divine Travel Methods)!

Upon seeing the orange-level quest that Chi Wulei had posted, Su Mo's eyes widened, and his expression instantly changed!
But before he could study the mission details carefully...

Chi Wulei then said in a deep voice, "A great disaster will surely be followed by a great plague!"

"I have heard His Majesty say that Lord Su is knowledgeable in epidemic prevention and that I must visit him before I arrive in Tiannan Province to ask for his guidance!"

Su Mo nodded slowly: "I see!"

He squinted and pondered.

Take a closer look at the task prompts!

Clearly, according to the system prompt, artemisinin can inhibit plague outbreaks.

Artemisia annua is actually Artemisia argyi.

Su Mo had some knowledge of the extraction method, which was similar to making perfume: soaking crushed Artemisia annua in alcohol.

The reward for the mission also shocked Su Mo.

Raising Chi Wulei's favorability rating, the fourth-ranked official in the Ministry of Personnel, will definitely bring great benefits.

Qin Huai, the current Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, is old and ailing. He has repeatedly petitioned to retire and return to his hometown, but the Empress has not yet approved his request.

Everyone knows that the Empress kept Qin Huai around to help Chi Wulei secure her position.

Previously, Chi Wulei was still lacking in qualifications and achievements to be promoted to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

If he can complete this imperial envoy mission, he will almost certainly be promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel upon his return.

The power of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is another matter.

A high-ranking official of the imperial court, holding the rank of third grade, nicknamed "Little Heavenly Official"!

The second reward is that the incense offerings and prayers will increase by one thousand to ten thousand each month, something Su Mo doesn't understand.

However, according to the system description, this happens every month.

Obviously, the more people you save, the more grateful the people in the epidemic area will be, and the more offerings and prayers will be made.

The book about incense becoming divine, especially the last one, really frightened him.

Although I don't know what kind of book this is or what level of magic weapon it is.

But a look at the explanation at the end reveals the extraordinary nature of this book.

It's incredible that a method that can only reach the Golden Core Realm can be deduced into a method for reaching the Divine Travel Realm!
A realm of divine travel!

The most advanced cultivation technique in the world today.

Su Mo didn't know if the Empress knew about the Divine Travel Technique, but so far, the only Divine Travel Realm immortal cultivator he had heard of was the Nine Dragons Daoist!

See the reward.

There's nothing to hesitate about!
We must help Chi Wulei complete her mission at all costs!
Su Mo pondered for a moment, then looked at Chi Wulei with a solemn expression: "I do know a little about epidemic prevention techniques. Since you need it, I will not hold back!"

Chi Wulei's face lit up with joy, and he was about to speak when Su Mo suddenly said, "However, before that, please wait a moment, my lord."

Chi Wulei was stunned for a moment, wondering why Su Mo had said that.

But then Su Mo rolled up his sleeve and gathered up a number of black and white chess pieces from a chessboard in the study.

This Go set was originally kept by Su Mo in his study as a way to appear cultured.

This is exactly when it comes in handy.

Under Chi Wulei's suspicious gaze, Su Mo flicked his sleeve, scattering more than a dozen chess pieces onto the table.

Immediately, Su Mo frowned as he looked at the scattered chess pieces, muttering to himself.

Finally, with an extremely solemn expression, he looked up at Chi Wulei.

"Master Chi!"

"According to my secret divination method, there will indeed be an outbreak of epidemic in Tiannan Road, and it will be the most terrible plague!"

Upon hearing this, Chi Wulei was immediately alarmed: "Is a plague outbreak going to occur in Tiannan Road?"

"Is Lord Su proficient in divination?"

Su Mo slowly said, "To be honest, Lord Chi, I do have some knowledge of divination."

"According to the divination, the plague will break out in Guhan County in ten days. Once you arrive in Tiannan Road, you must closely monitor the situation in Guhan County!"

Chi Wulei frowned.

The art of divination certainly exists, and many astrologers in the Imperial Observatory were proficient in it.

However, the results of divination are always very vague, and Chi Wulei even doubts whether divination is really accurate.

Now that Su Mo had spoken so clearly, even specifying the location, the type of disease, and the time of the outbreak, Chi Wulei was naturally extremely surprised.

However, now is not the time to doubt the truth of Su Mo's words.

If what Su Mo said is true, we will know the truth when we go to Guhan County in ten days.

She took a deep breath, her expression becoming serious: "If what Lord Su says is true, then how should we respond?"

There is no cure for the plague; people usually have to rely on their own bodies to fight it off. Various treatments only serve to boost the body's resistance.

Su Mo hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "I have a remedy that might be able to cure plague patients, but..."

Chi Wulei quickly said, "Please speak, my lord!"

Su Mo took a deep breath: "This formula can be used to extract medicine to treat the plague, and it can also be used to refine perfume!"

"However, the lives of the people are of utmost importance. As for mere perfume, once it's gone, it's gone."

Chi Wulei was filled with awe. She was well aware of the perfume's immense popularity!

Su's Department Store does sell perfume, but only ten bottles are available each day, and each bottle costs as much as one hundred taels.

Basically, as soon as they were put on display, they were snapped up by the wealthy ladies and maids who had lined up early.

Chi Wulei, being a young and beautiful woman, naturally loved perfume, but unfortunately, she was too poor to afford it!
This perfume alone brings Su Mo an income of 30,000 taels of silver every month.

He actually dared to tell me the secret formula for the perfume!

Chi Wulei looked at Su Mo with a solemn expression and said in a deep voice, "But please rest assured, Lord Su, I will keep this a secret and will never let the secret formula for the perfume leak out!"

Su Mo smiled and said, "Just keep it a secret as much as possible. If it does leak out, I won't blame you, sir."

"This formula is artemisinin. You can crush Artemisia annua and soak it in high-purity alcohol for a day."

"After filtering out the clear liquid, it can be evaporated into a paste. Patients can take it orally, and it should be effective. However, the dosage still needs to be verified."

Chi Wulei said in a deep voice, "Does Your Excellency have paper and pen? I need to write this down!"

She knew about alcohol and Artemisia annua.

They also knew that the imperial court had sent a lot of alcohol to the northern frontier army, and that they could get the alcohol by simply requesting an audience with the Empress.

But human life is at stake, so we can't be careless. It's safest to write it down.

Su Mo handed Chi Wulei paper and pen, and then took out the epidemic prevention manual she had just written.

"This manual was compiled by me, and it contains methods for epidemic prevention. Lord Chi can take it to Tiannan Road and implement it according to the law. It should be effective."

Su Mo was really going all out to complete this task.

After Chi Wulei solemnly accepted the booklet with both hands, he said in a deep voice, "This booklet was just written by me, and there may be errors or omissions in it."

"In my fiefdom, there is a renowned physician, Xiao Lizhuang, the Palace Mistress of Su Nu Palace!"

"The journey to Tiannan Road is fraught with danger. Palace Master Xiao is a Golden Core cultivator and can ensure your safety. I would like to request that Palace Master Xiao accompany you to Tiannan Road!"

Upon hearing this, Chi Wulei's favorability bar jumped up, increasing by 5%!

Chi Wulei took a deep breath and looked at Su Mo: "I will remember Lord Su's help this time and repay it in the future!"

She paused slightly, then said, "I also intend to invite the imperial physicians to accompany me, so that Princess Xiao can accompany me under the name of the imperial physician."

[System notification: The rank of eighth-grade official appointment has been issued.]

Su Mo was speechless, never expecting the rewards for the last mission to be distributed in this way.

The one who was relieved of the treatment was Xiao Lizhuang, and the official appointment also fell to Xiao Lizhuang.

It seems quite reasonable.

Clearly, Chi Wulei also knew the dangers of this trip, so he gave Xiao Lizhuang a title to hide her identity as the Palace Mistress of Su Nu and avoid attracting attention.

Sure enough, none of the women who become officials these days are simple.

The epidemic will break out in ten days.

Su Mo didn't know how long it would take Chi Wulei to get to Tiannan Road, so he knew that there was no time to lose.

"I will immediately send a message to Palace Master Xiao, requesting that he enter the city!"

Chi Wulei nodded: "Thank you for your trouble, Lord Su."

"I will wait here for Palace Master Xiao, and I will also take this opportunity to copy down Lord Su's epidemic prevention manual."

It's best if she copies it herself.

Su Mo originally planned to take this booklet back to Gufeng Mountain and have the craftsmen print it into a book along with the weekly newspaper.

He glanced at the sky; it was still early.

Xiao Lizhuang should be able to return to the capital before the city gates close.

He then took out a paper talisman and used the paper crane method to send a message to Lin Moyin on Lonely Peak Mountain.

Chi Wulei opened the epidemic prevention manual and took a look.

Suddenly stunned.

As everyone knows, Su Shi's calligraphy is famous.

That unique dog-paddle style became the key point for some people to mock Su Mo.

After all, apart from his dog-paddle posture, Su Mo didn't seem to have any embarrassing history that they could mock.

Upon seeing the words in the book, Chi Wulei couldn't help but sigh.

The rumors are indeed unreliable.

The characters on the book, written with an unknown brush and ink, are unusually thin, yet the strokes are powerful, like iron hooks and silver strokes, forming a unique style that is completely different from other calligraphy!
Although the brushwork is somewhat immature, the fact that he has created a style of calligraphy on his own shows that he must have an exceptionally profound level of conventional calligraphy skills to achieve this!

Who spread the rumor that Lord Su's writing is like a dog digging?
They are probably just jealous of Lord Su's talent and ability, and are trying to slander him and ruin his reputation!

Chi Wulei sighed inwardly.

After reading the contents, I found that it was indeed profound and unfathomable after only reading the first few pages. It is clear that what Lord Su said about having a slight understanding was definitely a humble statement.

Lord Su is truly a humble gentleman!

What a pity, he actually became a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!
Otherwise, in the future, Lord Su will surely have a place in the imperial court and the cabinet.

Chi Wulei sighed even more, but dared not waste any time, and immediately sat down at his desk and wrote furiously.

Su Mo was naturally embarrassed to ask Chi Wulei to go out and copy the text.

However, there were many secrets in the study, and Su Mo could not leave, so he left Chi Wulei alone in the study.

I simply brewed a pot of strong tea for Chi Wulei to refresh him.

Then, out of boredom, he watched Chi Wulei copy books.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that Chi Wulei was actually quite handsome, but he always wore a cold expression, exuding an aloof and unapproachable aura.

Especially when she was copying carefully, her focused expression vaguely resembled that of the Empress when she was reviewing memorials, adding to her professional beauty.

A high-ranking female official in the imperial court, working diligently, is truly beautiful!
……

On Gufeng Mountain, Xiao Lizhuang learned from Lin Moyin that Su Mo urgently invited her to the Su residence in the capital to ask for his help, which surprised her somewhat.

In the past few days, she has been studying the Tao Te Ching and has made great progress, showing signs of breaking through to the middle stage of the Golden Core realm.

Xiao Lizhuang certainly didn't want to leave Lonely Peak Mountain.

However, she received a great favor from Su Mo.

Now that Su Mo had a favor to ask, how could she refuse? In the end, she could only rush to the capital.

Upon arriving at the Su residence, Xiao Lizhuang was surprised to see Su Mo and Chi Wulei, who was writing furiously at their desks, in the study.

"Palace Master Xiao, you've arrived!"

Su Mo greeted Xiao Lizhuang with a smile, and then said, "Let me introduce you to Palace Master Xiao. This is Lord Chi Wulei, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel!"

Xiao Lizhuang was immediately startled and stared intently at Chi Wulei.

He was actually a senior official in the Ministry of Personnel!

Lord Su's connections are terrifying!

Chi Wulei put down his pen and greeted Xiao Lizhuang with a smile and a nod: "Palace Master Xiao!"

Xiao Lizhuang dared not be presumptuous, as the other party's status was far higher than hers as the palace master of a cultivation sect. She quickly returned the greeting and then looked at Su Mo suspiciously: "Lord Su, why did you urgently summon Lizhuang here?"

Su Mo said solemnly, "That's how it is!"

"Lord Chi is an imperial envoy and must travel to Tiannan Circuit..."

"..."

"I have calculated that a plague outbreak is about to occur in Tiannan Road. Therefore, I would like to ask Palace Master Xiao to accompany Lord Chi on this trip and to protect Lord Chi's safety."

He briefly explained what had happened to Xiao Lizhuang.

Xiao Lizhuang was stunned. Su Mo actually knew the art of divination?

Her gaze involuntarily fell on the epidemic prevention booklet compiled by Su Mo.

"This book was written by Su Hou? May I borrow it to read?"

Xiao Lizhuang knew that Su Mo's medical skills were very strange, quite different from traditional medical skills, and could be considered as a school of its own.

She was naturally curious about Su Mo's insights into treating the epidemic.

Su Mo smiled and said, "I was already planning to ask Palace Master Xiao to help correct the errors and omissions. Palace Master Xiao can certainly take a look!"

Xiao Lizhuang picked up the booklet, glanced at it for only a moment, and her expression changed drastically. Then she looked at Su Mo in utter shock!
"This...this was really written by Lord Su?"

Su Mo laughed and said, "It's not some profound knowledge, I wouldn't lie to Palace Master Xiao!"

Xiao Lizhuang was speechless.

Isn't this considered advanced knowledge?
As a renowned medical expert, she is far from being a half-baked practitioner like Chi Wulei.

How could she not see how much substance this book contains?
In particular, many of the novel medical viewpoints, which seem absurd, are actually quite reasonable upon closer examination!
Anyone who can read will be able to treat diseases directly based on the medical instructions after reading this book!

For physicians, this is a sacred text!

(End of this chapter)