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

Chapter 98 Third Uncle! The Real Zhuge Liang (Begging for Subscriptions)

Chen Qian was so shocked that he stammered.

Su Mo laughed and said, "My nephew would never joke about something like this."

He simply took off the brass ivory plaque and handed it to Chen Qian: "Third Uncle, please look, this is the ivory plaque of the minor officer!"

Chen Qian swallowed hard, staring intently at the dominoes, looking like he wanted to play but didn't dare.

Only when Su Mo handed him the ivory token did he hurriedly wipe his hands on his clothes and accept the token as if he were receiving a mountain!
Holding his breath, he stroked the ivory token twice with a complicated expression, then handed it back to Su Mo: "Hurry up!"

"Put away your official badge!"

He paused, then reminded Su Mo, "Whatever you do, don't lose it!"

Regardless of how Su Mo was promoted.

But his own nephew is now a real seventh-rank minor official!
He had longed for this official position for countless years, a position he thought was just a pipe dream, but his nephew had gotten it!

Chen Qian was filled with mixed emotions!
Yesterday, I was promoted to a regular officer and was in high spirits. I was also thinking that at least I hadn't been left too far behind by my nephew.

My nephew told him that today.

He has already risen to the rank of a seventh-grade flag officer!
Su Mo fastened the ivory tag back to his waist, smiled, and said, "I won't lose it!"

"Even if it's lost, you have to return it if you find it. Impersonating a member of the Imperial Guard is a capital offense!"

Then, looking at Chen Qian with some anticipation, he asked, "Third Uncle, what do you think of my suggestion and plan just now?"

Chen Qian's expression turned serious, and he quickly calmed down from his shock.

After a moment's thought, he said, "The plan to use one tiger to devour another is feasible."

"However, the prerequisite is to find out the situation of the bandits in Xianyan Mountain!"

"At the same time, we must be careful not to give ourselves away!"

Su Mo's heart skipped a beat: "Could it be the one in front?"

Chen Qian shook his head: "It's not that it can't be done!"

"However, it lacked consideration!"

He took out his copper pipe, lit it, took two deep drags, and then said confidently, "That old fox Xue Shan will definitely not do as you say!"

Su Mo frowned and subconsciously asked, "Why is that?"

Chen Qian sneered: "The reason is simple."

"He dares not offend the grain merchants!"

"Anyone who can trade grain must have powerful connections!"

"If Xue Shan does that, he will offend more than just one or two grain merchants!"

"That would make them the enemy of all grain merchants in the world!"

"This is a massive corporation that even sages would be wary of!"

"If we stabilize grain prices and force grain sales, even if Xue Shan can resolve this crisis, there's a 99% chance he won't get promoted!"

"In the future, as long as grain merchants stop transporting grain to Changping County, or even worse, buy up the rice and grain from the people at high prices and transport it elsewhere, how will Xue Shan cope?"

As he spoke, a cold glint flashed in Chen Qian's old eyes: "The same is true in Changping County, and also in the capital!"

"Do you think Xue Shan would dare to offend them?"

Su Mo gasped!
I got a severe scolding from my third uncle again!
I was so naive.

Their thinking still couldn't be completely reversed from the worldview of later generations.

I thought that as mere merchants, with our side under two-pronged control, how could we dare to oppose the official forces!

Given this situation, Xue Shan had no choice but to take drastic measures and act according to the law.

Now that I hear what my third uncle said...

Only then did he realize that Chen Qianzhen could not possibly do such a thing!
That old fox!
They had previously vowed to give it their all!

Su Mo took a breath, looked at his third uncle who was puffing out smoke, and asked in a deep voice, "Third Uncle, what do you think is the best way to break this deadlock?"

Chen Qian took another puff of his pipe, tapped it on the table, and then stuffed another wad of tobacco into it.

He chuckled and said, "Breaking the deadlock is actually quite simple."

Su Mo was stunned once again.

Upon hearing my third uncle's words, I thought it was a dead end.

How can you say it's very simple?
Chen Qian slowly said, "The plan to seal off the city is actually correct!" "Merchants are driven by profit, and grain prices in Tieshan County have skyrocketed. If grain prices in Changping County don't rise, grain merchants will definitely transfer their rice and grain to Tieshan!"

"With no food in the city and the instigation of the Heavenly Mother Cult, chaos is inevitable!"

"If we allow grain prices to skyrocket and foreign grain cannot arrive in time, there will be just as much chaos!"

He paused, then changed the subject: "However, if we're going to seal the city gates, let's seal them completely, allowing entry but not exit."

"The rice and grain simply cannot be transported out!"

"At the same time, the city lockdown must be based on the pretext of arresting cult members, and grain merchants must not be implicated!"

"This leaves the grain merchants speechless, forcing them to swallow this loss in silence!"

"In addition, spread the word that there is an extreme shortage of rice in the city and that the price of grain has soared tenfold, inducing grain merchants from other places to transport grain here!"

Su Mo had no choice but to admit his admiration to his third uncle!
Such shrewdness and cunning are indeed beyond the reach of a mere youth like myself!
However, Su Mo was still puzzled: "If the grain merchants bring the grain and find that they have fallen into Xue Shan's trap, wouldn't Xue Shan have offended the grain merchants?"

Chen Qian burst out laughing: "Who told you this was Xue Shan's scheme?"

"They themselves believed the rumors, what does that have to do with Xue Shan?"

Su Mo was speechless once again.

Chen Qian then added, "Of course, even so, that old fox Xue Shan still won't take the risk!"

"He will definitely try to get you to come forward and negotiate with the grain merchant."

"If it succeeds, it's his credit; if it fails, he won't get any credit."

Su Mo was taken aback: "Does that mean if he asks his nephew to do something, the nephew has to listen to him?"

"What he can't do, his nephew can?"

I also have ambitions for promotion.

Since grain merchants are so powerful, only a fool would provoke them!

I traveled here to enjoy myself, not to seek benefits for the people!

To his surprise, Chen Qian smiled and said, "Just because he can't do it doesn't mean you can't!"

“He is a civil official, and you…”

Chen Qian picked up his bronze pipe and pointed at Su Mo's waist: "You're a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard! The emperor's henchman!"

"We are already at odds with all the officials in the land. Whether we are promoted or not depends entirely on the Emperor's will. What harm is there in having one more grain merchant?"

"certainly……"

The old clerk frowned: "It would be best if we could avoid offending the grain merchants to the point of no return."

"Let your uncle think about it some more for you!"

"Also, it depends on how much benefit that old fox Xue Shan is willing to offer to get you to make a move!"

Su Mo said solemnly, "Please teach me, Third Uncle!"

Chen Qian glared at him: "I'm practically on my deathbed, who else can I teach if not you!"

He thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "I heard that Du Zhongbai has already become your disciple?"

Su Mo nodded: "That's right!"

"Otherwise, my nephew wouldn't have let Ma Yingshi leave Changping!"

Chen Qian nodded and said, "That was the right thing to do!"

"Du Zhongbai comes from a poor family but has the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations). He is quite knowledgeable about local affairs and is not overly pedantic. If he is given more experience, he may be no less capable than Dong Yangrong."

"Go and invite him over personally now to discuss this matter together. This will be the perfect way to show your sincerity and completely win him over!"

Su Mo readily accepted good advice.

"I'll be right there!"

Chen Qian stroked his two rat whiskers: "Go! Go!"

"Although this is a crisis, it is also an opportunity. If we do it well, it will be a great achievement, and we can also take over Xianyan Mountain along the way."

"At that time, we will have achieved our goals, made our money, and also benefited from the support of Commander Lin behind the scenes."

"You, a mere flag officer, are probably not fit to sit in the position of a full-fledged flag officer!"

(End of this chapter)