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

Early morning, Higashi City, Kyoto.

Steam rose from the steamer, fried dough sticks tumbled in the pan, and the aroma of soy milk mingled with the smell of scallion pancakes, wafting across half the street.

Gu Mingyue sat in the carriage, not paying attention to any of this.

She stared at the line of red text on the system panel.

[Remaining time for the mission: 2 days and 14 hours]

[Spent: 45000 taels]

[Remaining amount to be spent: 57000 taels]

The carriage swayed through the East Market and stopped in front of an old wooden plaque.

"Lu Ji Construction Firm".

The largest artisan guild in Kyoto.

They employ hundreds of craftsmen who handle everything from repairing bridges and building houses to replacing door frames and installing window frames.

Gu Mingyue jumped out of the car and stepped over the threshold.

The front hall was small, with a long table, chairs, and a few old pictures on the wall.

Before the shop assistant could even announce it, Master Lu jogged out from the backyard, his hands still covered in sawdust.

He glanced at it.

A young woman in a blue cloth skirt, with a guard and a maid carrying an expensive teapot behind her.

Master Lu gave a practiced smile.

There was no head maid, and no pomp and circumstance of a wealthy family.

These kinds of customers are easy to rip off.

"Young lady, what kind of repairs do you need? Repairing the door frame or replacing the window?"

Gu Mingyue didn't sit down, but stood in front of the table and spoke directly.

"Sign up three hundred craftsmen. One hundred carpenters, eighty bricklayers, sixty blacksmiths, and sixty lacquerers."

"The construction period is ten days."

Master Lu paused for a moment.

He's been in this business for decades. The younger the customer, the easier they are to fool; the less knowledgeable they are, the easier it is to muddy the waters.

Master Lu quickly calculated.

Then he looked up and tentatively quoted an extra thousand.

"The labor costs alone amount to four thousand taels of silver."

"Alright, here's four thousand taels."

Gu Mingyue didn't even lift her eyelids.

He took out a stack of silver notes from his sleeve, unfolded them, and placed them on the table.

"I'll give each of you an extra fifty coins a day for your hard work, but you must guarantee the schedule and quality."

"If they cut corners and use inferior materials, they should compensate me double."

Master Lu stared wide-eyed in disbelief, his mouth agape, but he couldn't utter a word.

He stared at the stack of silver notes on the table, his hands beginning to tremble.

He spent his entire life in the construction industry.

He has built houses for high-ranking officials and renovated the main halls of temples.

I've never seen someone who doesn't haggle.

However, their requirements are indeed high.

He dared not casually agree to complete the project in such a short time.

Master Lu thought for a moment, "If we want to guarantee the construction period, we may not have enough people. I will have to join forces with other craftsmen."

Gu Mingyue nodded, "Okay, but when I sign the contract with you, I'll only ask you about the quality. As for which company you're partnering with, I won't interfere."

Master Lu chuckled and rubbed his hands together. "Master, then the number of people will probably have to double. Six or seven hundred people, estimated... eight thousand taels."

Without saying a word, Gu Mingyue added another four thousand taels.

"Remember, guarantee both the construction period and the quality."

He grabbed the paper and pen with both hands and feet, and began to draft the contract while lying on the table.

"No problem! Don't worry, boss! We're all about repeat customers, so we absolutely guarantee quality and on-time delivery!"

Master Lu quickly wrote down the contract.

He immediately pressed his fingerprint on the document, fearing that the customer might change his mind.

Several men from the backyard had somehow peeked out from behind the door frame, staring at each other in disbelief.

Someone muttered quietly, "Whose family does this girl belong to?"

The person next to him shook his head, "Who cares whose family it is? The owner's face is beaming with joy; he's struck it rich today."

Without saying a word, Gu Mingyue put away the contract and turned to leave.

Reaching the door, they boarded the carriage, and the curtain fell.

She opened the system panel.

[Spent: 53000 taels]

[Remaining: 49000 taels]

wrong.

Gu Mingyue frowned and took out a small purse from her waist.

There were two thousand taels of silver notes inside.

There was a note underneath the banknote with four characters:

"My daughter has worked hard."

Gu Mingyue stared at the note and remained silent for three seconds.

The base number has increased again.

Her father, that corrupt official, will ruin her sooner or later.

"Peach Blossom Branch, west of the city."

"Okay, miss!"

The carriage bumped along for nearly half an hour before entering the western part of the city.

Gu Mingyue lifted the carriage curtain and glanced outside.

stunned.

Yesterday it was a barren, muddy slope, but today it has been completely transformed.

The large open space was cleared and leveled, and dozens of shacks were built from branches and thatch. They were crude but neat, with a passageway left in the middle for people to walk through.

Some people were digging drainage ditches on the slope, while others were carrying wooden stakes to reinforce the shed.

Several women were squatting by the stream washing clothes, while children ran around them, occasionally letting out a laugh.

It's a completely different place compared to the deathly atmosphere of the disaster camp yesterday.

Before the carriage even stopped, several disaster victims recognized her and bowed to her from a distance.

"The boss is here!"

Gu Mingyue jumped out of the car and nodded to them.

"Who directed its construction?"

The group all pointed upwards on the hillside.

"It's the head manager."

Gu Mingyue raised an eyebrow.

Surprisingly, Shi Buji's organizational and coordination skills were quite good.

Before the words were even finished, a figure had already sprinted down the hillside.

Shi Buji was out of breath from running, his face was flushed from the sun, and his forehead was covered in sweat.

He held something high in his hand, as if he were holding some rare treasure.

"Boss! Boss, look! Look what this is!"

Gu Mingyue took the things from his hands.

A piece of semi-dried fruit peel.

It has an orange peel shape, is three times thicker than a regular orange peel, and is covered with tiny oil glands on the surface. It is dark brown in color and has slightly curled edges.

She raised her hand to her nose and sniffed.

It has a sweet aftertaste, a mellow flavor, and a medicinal aroma that has almost been hidden by time.

Gu Mingyue's fingers, which were holding the fruit peel, slowly tightened.

Shi Buji, panting heavily, pulled out a tattered booklet from his pocket. The cover was crookedly covered with the words "Herbal Essentials".

"Master, I knew you didn't buy this barren mountain casually!"

He turned the book to the page with the folded corner, pointed to a line of small print, and lowered his voice as if he were telling a secret.

"To help the guys get used to the workshop, I explored the entire surrounding area this morning."

"Then I discovered this."

He paused for a moment.

"The hillsides are covered with bitter pomelo trees."

The eyes of the men behind him lit up immediately.

Shi Buji brought the book closer, pointed to the small print, and read it aloud carefully, word by word:

"This medicine can resolve phlegm, stop cough, regulate qi and strengthen the spleen. It is produced in the deep mountains of the south and is extremely rare. It was once listed as a rare tribute item in the previous dynasty. Later, the production area was abandoned and it was almost lost."

He suddenly looked up and stared intently at Gu Mingyue.

"Master."

"This thing is called... it's called..."

"Orange-red".

Gu Mingyue spoke calmly a step ahead of him.

Shi Buji opened his mouth, then stood there stunned.

Gu Mingyue looked down at the piece of fruit peel in her hand.

However, it is a rare medicinal herb.

In the world she came from, this thing was called "Southern Ginseng".

Authentic medicinal herbs from Huazhou, Guangdong, are renowned for their ability to stop coughs and clear phlegm. Aged varieties are sold by the gram and are more valuable than gold.

What happened to the promised compensation?!