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

Chapter 99 Taking Control of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Hundred-Household Office (Please Subscribe!)

Su Mo went to find Du Zhongbai in person.

On the way, they happened to run into Du Zhongbai, whose eyes were bloodshot and who looked extremely haggard. He was hurrying towards his house!

It turns out that he had just completed the reform plan for the East Market and came to have Su Mo review it.

Su Mo quickly invited Du Zhongbai back.

Du Zhongbai was shocked to hear that Su Mo had been promoted, and then he became uncontrollably excited!
After hearing Chen Qian and Su Mo's plan, they remained shocked.

After regaining his composure, he immediately brewed a pot of strong tea to perk himself up and began discussing matters with Su Mo and Chen Qian, demonstrating exceptional professionalism as a staff officer!

They discussed it for more than an hour.

With the addition of Eucommia ulmoides, the shortcomings have been identified and filled, resulting in significant improvements!

After all, he had followed Ma Yingshi for a long time, and his perspective on issues was somewhat different from Chen Qian's!
Su Mo cupped his hands in greeting and sighed, "Sir, you are truly a man of great talent; I am far inferior to you!"

"How fortunate I am to have your assistance, sir!"

Du Zhongbai quickly stood up and said with a serious expression, "You are mistaken, sir!"

"I am merely a little clever, and my expertise lies in these petty scheming and plotting ways."

He became even more serious: "The master's strength does not lie in this."

"Forming alliances, strategizing, and allocating resources—these are the strengths of our Master, and we are powerless to do so!"

"If the master is so thorough and has such a perfect plan, what use are we advisors?"

All that's said boils down to one point.

The advisor is all talk and no action.

Whether the plan can be truly implemented depends on Mr. Dong's connections and abilities!
Chen Qian nodded and said, "Mo'er is already very good!"

"The newly appointed county magistrate has seen quite a lot in the past ten years or so."

"To put it bluntly, most of those so-called officials in charge of the imperial examinations and those who passed the three imperial examinations are blockheads, people whose brains have been ruined by studying!"

"Without the help of the clerk, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to survive three days in this government office!"

He sighed: "Someone like Xue Shan is one in a hundred!"

"It's a pity that there's no one in the court who can help me. I can only stay in Changping. If I can get the support of a noble person one day, I'm afraid I will soar to great heights."

"Being on good terms with him could be a great help to Mo'er in the future!"

Both Chen Qian and Du Zhongbai said so.

Su Mo felt somewhat better.

What they said makes a lot of sense.

Whether or not future officials are corrupt, most of them have excellent insight and vision, and they still need the help of think tanks and advisory groups.

Human energy is limited, and it is impossible to do everything perfectly.

Since devising strategies isn't my forte, I'll do what I'm good at.

For example, going through the back door.

For example, building connections and currying favor with powerful figures!

Lin Moyin, her powerful backer, is no longer here.

Don't we still have the connections she left behind?

Ning Xiaoxiao, the junior sister of the centurion, and two probation centurions who had to give him gifts.

He also had some connections and relationships with two high-ranking military officials, Wei Jun and Ying Bing.

In addition, there was Xue Shan from the county government.

Su Mo really didn't believe that he couldn't control a few small grain merchants!

Time was of the essence, and Su Mo originally wanted Du Zhongbai to write the invitations by hand and then send them to Chen Qian and the garrison of the guards and soldiers respectively.

As a result, Chen Qian gave him another hint and asked him to write it by hand.

The reason left Su Mo both amused and exasperated.

It turned out that Su Mo's calligraphy was ugly, while He Xingguo, the commander of a thousand households, and Bai Shouren, the garrison commander, were both military officers who were not literate, which made it easier to get along with them!

Su Mo could only grit his teeth, pick up the large pen, and write two posts like a dog crawling on the ground.

He then handed over the deed to the five-courtyard mansion and the golden Buddha to Chen Qian and Du Zhongbai respectively.

Send them to find Bai Shouren and He Xingguo!
The gift was worth two hundred taels of silver, plus Lin Moyin's favor.

There shouldn't be any major problems with Bai Shouren and He Xingguo.

Su Mo himself went straight to the Hundred Household Office without stopping.

All subsequent calculations depended on the support of the Hundred Household Office.

The Hundred Household Office was also where Su Mo had his roots, and Su Mo knew clearly what was important and what was not.

……

Ma Wei, a scarred-faced and cunning officer, and Guo Jingyi, a kind-faced and benevolent old officer.

They looked at Su Mo with suspicion, who had suddenly invited them to meet.

The two of them naturally wouldn't give Su Mo a friendly look.

All that money was spent, but in the end, Lin Moyin took Chu Jianghe to the capital!
Everyone knows what this means.

However, Guo Jingyi still managed a forced smile: "I wonder what brings you here so urgently, Commander Su?"

Ma Wei, however, had a gloomy face and his gaze was fixed on Su Mo's face, without uttering a single word.

Su Mo gave a wry smile: "My lords, it's not that I don't want to help. I did speak well of Commander Lin, but..."

"But Chu Jianghe also sent a gift!"

He held out his palm and emphasized, "Five hundred taels were given!"

Speaking of this, Su Mo was still furious!
These five hundred taels should have been his!
Upon hearing this, Ma Wei and Guo Jingyi were immediately taken aback.

Ma Wei even cursed out directly: "Damn it! That guy surnamed Chu, what a ruthless move!"

Su Mo sighed: "Plus, the one surnamed Chu has a very powerful background, so you two gentlemen understand..."

Guo Jingyi was taken aback: "What is his background?"

This time it was Su Mo's turn to be surprised. He blinked and looked at the two of them: "My lords, you didn't know, did you?"

"The one surnamed Chu is a collateral branch of the Chu family of Shenjing..."

Ma Wei's eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "Holy crap! The Chu family has been hiding their secrets for so long!" As a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he naturally knew about the Chu family's situation.

I also know that the head of the Chu family held the official position of Minister of the Six Ministries!

That's a high-ranking official of the second rank in the imperial court, someone who could be considered a powerful figure!
With such a background, how can I compete with them for a gift of five hundred taels of silver?
Ma Wei and Guo Jingyi both looked crestfallen.

Su Mo sneered inwardly, then said, "My lords, please don't be discouraged."

"I have already told Commander Lin about the two gentlemen's affairs."

Ma Wei's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, "What is Lord Lin's opinion?"

Su Mo smiled and said, "Lord Lin will truthfully report the merits of the two in eradicating the cult!"

"but……"

Even the old man Guo Jingyi couldn't hold back any longer: "But what?"

"Please enlighten me, Su Xiaoqi!"

He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "If you still need money for bribes, Su Xiaoqi, please just say so!"

Su Mo sighed inwardly.

Even old folks in their fifties and sixties strive for advancement.

What reason do I have not to work hard?

He shook his head: "It's not about the money!"

"You two should know that although the merits of protecting the ancestral mausoleum and capturing the followers of the Heavenly Mother are great."

"But there are also many people who share the credit!"

"At the Thousand-Household Office, a considerable portion of the deceased Thousand-Household Commander's territory will be taken!"

"There are several centurions in the thousand-household garrison!"

"In addition, there are the garrison troops and battalions from various counties. On our side of the centurion's office, the Chu family will definitely take away a lot more..."

Su Mo sighed: "Even if Commander Lin is willing to help and ask for a position as a commander in his jurisdiction on behalf of the two lords, I'm afraid his merits are somewhat insufficient..."

Ma Wei hesitated: "Can't we think of another way to solve the money problem?"

As he spoke, he gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "I dare not say much, but we can certainly come up with three or five hundred taels. We are definitely no worse off than that man surnamed Chu!"

They have the money.

The problem is, having money doesn't necessarily mean you can find ways to give money away.

Just like Lin Moyin, if it weren't for Su Mo's guidance, she probably would have worshipped the wrong god!
Su Mo knew perfectly well that the man surnamed Chu had the backing of six ministers, such a secret matter.

Ma Wei and Guo Jingyi were completely impressed by Su Mo's abilities!
These Imperial Guards, far removed from the capital, dared not claim to know everything about the officials in the capital.

That's a matter for the high-ranking members of the Imperial Guard in the capital!

A local official in a remote town wants to access the records of officials in the capital.
what are you thinking about?

Are you trying to rebel?

Not to mention Ma Wei and Guo Jingyi, even Lin Moyin, a centurion, wouldn't dare!

In particular, Chu Jianghe himself was a probationary commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Concealing his background and achieving victory through surprise was not difficult for him.

Seeing their anxious expressions, Su Mo shook his head and said, "As I said, this is not about money!"

"With such a great achievement, everyone wants to put it into practice as quickly as possible!"

"It's too late to find a way to send money now."

After a pause, Su Mo changed the subject: "However, now there just happens to be an opportunity!"

"If the two of you perform further merits, in addition to your previous achievements, you will also be promoted to Commander Lin..."

"No, Lord Centurion, you should be promoted to Commander of a Thousand Households!"

"With the help of the Commander of a Thousand, I guarantee that the two of you will be promoted to the rank of Centurion. In fact, you might even be granted the honor of wearing a flying fish robe, bringing glory to your family!"

Ma Wei and Guo Jingyi swallowed hard.

Finally couldn't bear it anymore.

Ma Wei lowered his voice: "Is Su Xiaoqi talking about the rioters in Tieshan County?"

Su Mo shook his head: "Lord Ma, you are mistaken!"

"Those aren't rioters!"

"Clearly traitors!"

"We, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, are the eyes and ears, the hounds of the Emperor, monitoring the world on behalf of the Sage, and shouldering the responsibility of suppressing rebellions!"

"Wouldn't it be a great achievement to capture the rebels of Tieshan?"

Guo Jingyi slapped his thigh, his beard and hair standing on end: "Su Xiaoqi is right!"

"Rebels have appeared in Tieshan County. Although we are not from Tieshan Guard, we must share the Emperor's burdens and quell the rebels. It is our duty!"

He looked at Su Mo with a serious expression: "Please tell me in detail what to do next, Su Xiaoqi!"

Su Mo smiled and said, "Of course, we must first ensure that there are no problems in Changping County."

"Then, capture the rebels who fled to Changping."

"I have already sent men to the garrison and camp to persuade Commander He and Garrison Commander Bai to send troops to help!"

……

With the guidance of Chen Qian and Du Zhongbai, Su Mo easily persuaded two ambitious garrison commanders to become trial centurions!
However, to get the hundreds of Jinyiwei guards in the Hundred Household Office to fully cooperate with his plan, he needed to achieve this.

There is one more crucial point that is most difficult to conquer!
Garrison Commander!

Ning Xiaoxiao!
Because of her special relationship with Lin Moyin, Ning Xiaoxiao, though a captain, wielded real power no less than that of the three probationary centurions.

Guo Jingyi and Ma Wei specifically pointed out that Su Mo needed to find Ning Xiaoxiao and ask for her cooperation!
Su Mo couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

He only saw her two or three times, and each time he was expressionless, just like a carbon copy of Lin Moyin.

Convincing Ning Xiaoxiao would be extremely difficult.

Even Chen Qian, Du Zhongbai, Ma Wei, and Guo Jingyi didn't offer much valuable advice.

Fortunately, Su Mo still had Lin Moyin as a trump card.

I wonder if the Commander-in-Chief can handle the identity of this immortal sorcerer!

But the plan has already progressed to this point.

Su Mo had no choice but to bite the bullet and go find Ning Xiaoxiao!
(End of this chapter)