Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

By the time I left Pujitang, it was completely dark.

A few lanterns were sparsely lit on the street.

The light was dim and yellowish, and it couldn't shine very far.

The nights in Jiangzhou were much quieter than in Kyoto. Shops closed early, and only the occasional bark of a dog could be heard in the distance.

Liu An jogged up to Xiao Ye's side, bent over, and lowered his voice to a whisper.

"Second Master, it's getting late. Shouldn't we find a place to stay?"

Xiao Ye hummed in response, but did not stop walking.

The group walked east along the main street. Liu An ordered his men to inquire around ahead and then led the emperor into the first inn.

Upon entering the lobby, a damp, musty smell hits you.

The innkeeper eagerly led us inside, pushing open the door to an upper room.

There was a wooden bed in the room, and the bedding was neatly folded, but there was a faint yellow watermark on the corner of the quilt that couldn't be washed off no matter how hard you washed it.

The white cloth covering the pillow had an indescribable gray tinge.

Xiao Ye stood at the door, his gaze sweeping around.

Turned around and left.

Liu An quickly followed, smiling obsequiously as he walked, "Second Master, shall we take another look?"

The second house had a patch of green moss growing in the corner.

The third bed had half a brick under the legs, and before anyone could sit down, the bed creaked and wobbled twice.

Xiao Ye stood on the threshold of the third inn, staring expressionlessly at the rickety wooden bed, and remained silent for a moment.

He turned around and left.

The crowd followed behind, watching the emperor's increasingly hurried pace in a fit of pique, and they all broke out in a cold sweat.

His Majesty is on the verge of losing his temper.

Liu An's eyes darted around, and he turned around and grabbed Gu Mingli's sleeve.

"Lord Gu~"

Gu Mingli slowed his pace, leaned slightly to the side and listened to what Eunuch Liu was about to say.

Liu An pointed awkwardly at the emperor's back.

"My lord, His Majesty seems to be in a bad mood. Could you please go and comfort him?"

Gu Mingli: "..."

Whom should he appease?

The emperor?

Gu Mingli hissed in bewilderment.

"Why does Eunuch Liu think I can fool His Majesty?"

"Hey!" Liu An rubbed his hands together and said politely with a smile, "Aren't you very knowledgeable? His Majesty likes to hear what you say."

"Oh~"

Gu Mingli understood.

It seems that although the emperor didn't say it openly, he must have admired him quite a bit behind the scenes.

The sense of pride among university professors is rising again.

"Okay, I'll go and coax Huang Jiaojiao."

Liu An: "..."

At the front of the procession, the emperor was still walking angrily, his brows furrowed.

Geng Zhi and his group of shadow guards followed behind, not daring to utter a sound.

Gu Mingli nodded to him, and Geng Zhi tactfully stepped back, making way for the emperor.

Gu Mingli stepped forward and nudged the emperor's arm with his elbow.

"Second Master?"

The emperor glanced at him sideways. "What is it?"

Gu Mingli lowered his voice and chuckled, "Have you ever heard of 'going deep into the grassroots and experiencing people's lives firsthand'?"

Xiao Ye stopped and turned around. "What do you mean?"

Gu Ming cleared his throat and explained.

"You're here incognito, so you can't be too demanding about the environment."

"Jiangzhou was never as prosperous as the capital, and it had just suffered from floods. The fact that it has these conditions means that things have already improved."

Xiao Ye stared at Gu Mingli for a moment, his tone indifferent, then turned and continued walking.

"Those shops smell. I can't sleep."

Gu Mingli rolled his eyes.

Delicate and spoiled.

But he didn't try to persuade him further.

After all, he was the emperor, someone accustomed to sleeping on the imperial bed and in brocade quilts.

Making him sleep on a musty-smelling bed is indeed a bit of a hassle.

The innkeeper of the fourth inn was a shrewd middle-aged man with a round face, a mustache, and darting eyes.

The emperor inspected the guest rooms but was still not satisfied.

Gu Mingli simply asked the innkeeper.

"Are there any nice places to go around here? It doesn't have to be an inn. Distance isn't a concern."

Without even thinking, the innkeeper clapped his hands and said.

"You know what?! There really is such a place!"

"Gentlemen, if you don't mind the distance, you can visit Peach Blossom Spring."

"Peach Blossom Spring?" Gu Mingli tilted his head.

"It's in the neighboring county town, over by the Su-Huai River!"

The boss rubbed his hands together, getting more and more excited as he spoke.

"It'll only take an hour by horse-drawn carriage along the newly paved cobblestone road. All the inns over there are newly built, clean and bright, and..."

He lowered his voice and mysteriously craned his neck forward.

"That place is incredible. The whole street is filled with singing and dancing; scholars, poets, and nobles all love to go there! At night, it's brightly lit, ten times more lively than our Jiangzhou City! Even the night view of the capital isn't as beautiful!"

Gu Mingyue was standing at the back of the crowd when she heard the words "Peach Blossom Spring" and her right eyelid twitched twice.

Isn't that the Suhuai River Commercial Street that she had Wen Yanzhi manage?

Her initial plan was to first invest money to stabilize the disaster victims, ensuring their survival and preventing them from causing trouble in Kyoto.

Judging from the boss's tone now...

Something feels off about how things are going?

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jue leaned close to the emperor's ear and whispered, "This is also the property of the Gu family girl."

Xiao Ye raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Then let's go to Peach Blossom Spring."

"No... Second Master... that's just a remote, impoverished place..."

Gu Mingyue wanted to say something to stop her.

But more than thirty people had already mounted their horses, and the carriages began to leave the city.

Gu Mingyue wanted to cry but had no tears.

She could only shut up and get in the car.

Inside the emperor's carriage.

Xiao Ye leaned against the car wall, resting with his eyes closed.

Gu Mingli was bored and fidgeted with the tassels on the carriage curtain.

Xiao Jue leaned against the window with one hand, watching the night and remaining vigilant.

The wheels rolled over the gravel road, making a steady "clunk-clunk" sound.

"What's the story behind your sister's 'Peach Blossom Spring'?"

Xiao Ye didn't open his eyes, and his voice was lazy, as if he were asking a casual question.

Gu Mingli's hands didn't stop moving.

"Hey, it's just an ordinary commercial street. During the post-disaster reconstruction, my sister thought the land was cheap, so she bought it."

He thought for a moment, then added another sentence.

"Later, she discovered that the people were struggling after the disaster, so she hired them to work, which helped them find a way to make a living. Then she planned out the banks of the Suhuai River and built some shops."

"planning?"

Xiao Ye opened his eyes and turned to look at him.

Gu Mingli nodded.

When he talks about his professional field, his whole demeanor changes.

"Yes, that means... a unified design for the street layout, shop types, and public facilities. To create a complete commercial ecosystem for the entire street."

Xiao Ye remained silent for a while.

The only sounds in the carriage were the wheels rolling on the road and the occasional crackling of the oil lamp wick.

"What kind of things are going on in your heads, you siblings?"

Gu Mingli grinned.

"Knowledge changes destiny."

Xiao Ye's brow twitched slightly.

"Knowledge?"

He exchanged a glance with Xiao Jue.

They had never heard of this word before.

Xiao Jue also looked at Gu Mingli, "Where is this phrase from?"

Gu Mingli's smile froze for a moment.

He looked down at his fingers, then raised them again, continuing to fiddle with the tassels of the carriage curtain as if nothing had happened.

"Uh... it just means... knowledge. It's just a different way of saying it."

Xiao Ye and Xiao Jue were still looking at him, clearly not believing him.

Gu Mingli glanced at the two menacing figures out of the corner of his eye, coughed lightly, and added:

"Immortals are knowledgeable and experienced."

Xiao Ye took a breath, closed his eyes, and didn't ask any more questions.

The carriage continued forward.

The cobblestones crunched softly under the wheels, and the night breeze slipped in through the gaps in the carriage curtains, carrying the scent of grass and earth from the fields.

About an hour later, faint light began to shine through in the distance.

It wasn't just a few scattered spots, but an entire area.

It's as if someone has laid out a glowing river across a dark field.

"Grandpa! Look!" Liu An, sitting in front of the car, was the first to see this scene and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

Gu Mingli lifted the car curtain, and the three people inside looked out together.

The banks of the Suhuai River ahead were brightly lit.