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

"Master, there's something else I need to tell you."

The waiter looked around and lowered his voice even further.

"Things haven't been peaceful around the Canal Gang lately. The Green Dragon Hall sends people to patrol every few days."

Gu Mingyue's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Canal gangs?

In the past decade or so, the canal gangs have colluded with powerful families.

They acted arrogantly and domineeringly on the canal, blocking the river to extort money, staging accidents to extort money, robbing merchant ships, and seizing docks.

The government couldn't do anything about them.

The Green Dragon Hall was the largest canal gang force that occupied the Jiangzhou area.

The waiter continued, "Last time, the Green Dragon Hall sent seventy or eighty people. The leader, a hall master surnamed Qian, said that the waterways in this area were under their control and that we had to hand over the docks."

Gu Mingyue's eyes lit up.

Then pay it!

Let them take it!

Even if the project was snatched away, the system cannot accuse her of deliberately wasting money.

It also saves her the trouble of running the business.

The waiter moved forward half a step, his voice almost touching her ear.

"But don't worry, boss, we easily beat them up and sent them away, just as you instructed."

Gu Mingyue was taken aback.

"What did I say?"

The guy chuckled, a knowing look on his face.

"Didn't you say we were under His Highness Prince Qi's protection, and that anyone who caused trouble should use his name?"

Gu Mingyue: "..."

The King of Qi, who had been happily eavesdropping from the corner while fanning himself, was speechless.

Xiao Jue: Who? Me?

How could he be involved in something that has absolutely nothing to do with us?

The worker was still excitedly chattering away: "The boss's trick is really effective!"

"When the members of the canal gang heard of the fierce and menacing name of the Prince of Qi, they immediately became more subdued."

"However, I heard that the King of Qi recently led his army to crack down on the canal transport. The canal guilds have been out of the public eye for a long time now, to avoid trouble."

"They can't make money, and all the branches are struggling to make ends meet. The Green Dragon Hall has its eye on our dock, and it seems like they're planning to do some business with us."

Before Gu Mingyue could reply, a crisp sound of a folding fan closing rang out behind her.

She turned around and saw Xiao Jue standing three steps away, a fan held against his palm, his expression subtle.

"Protected by the King of Qi? I had no idea the King of Qi owned this business."

Upon hearing this, the guy immediately protested, raising his chin arrogantly.

"It's normal that you haven't seen or heard of the Prince of Qi. Where would you find out about royal affairs?"

"The guards surrounding our master were all sent by the King of Qi!"

Gu Mingyue laughed ingratiatingly and quickly waved her hand, telling the waiter to shut up.

Xiao Jue narrowed his eyes and stared at Gu Mingyue with a meaningful look.

"Master Gu, you are truly thoughtful."

Gu Mingyue gave an awkward laugh. "Rumors, they're all rumors."

On the other side, Xiao Ye slowly walked around the berth.

"This dock is not of the usual standard."

He spoke in a flat tone, glancing casually at Gu Mingli.

"Did you build it?"

Gu Mingli had already switched to "academic mode," patting his chest proudly, his voice filled with undisguised smugness.

"I designed it. What do you think? Isn't it pretty impressive?"

Gu Mingli led Xiao Ye toward the berth.

"Look at this card slot structure, I also improved it."

He got more and more excited as he talked, and then pointed to the shed in the distance.

"And over there. I specifically had the foundation raised three feet, so even if the floodwaters rise to the warning level during the rainy season, the goods in the shed won't get soaked."

Xiao Ye listened quietly to each introduction without interrupting Gu Mingli from beginning to end.

Then, he chuckled.

"Gu Mingli".

Gu Mingli turned around. "Hmm?"

"Taking official duties while doing personal work."

"How dare you!"

Xiao Ye's tone was not exactly a reprimand.

But everyone on the dock stopped instantly and straightened their backs.

Gu Mingli was taken aback.

My mind slowly switched from the academic channel back to the reality channel.

That's an emperor!

How could I say just anything?

A layer of cold sweat seeped out on Gu Mingli's back.

I lost interest in continuing the conversation.

He suppressed his smile and sighed softly.

Xiao Ye is right.

He was on a government assignment, but he used his spare time to design a private dock for his younger sister.

To put it mildly, this is called blurring the lines between public and private matters.

To put it bluntly, it's called using public office for private gain.

According to the law, this is enough to warrant confiscation of their property.

But there was no other way at the time.

It's all because his father embezzled money, and the project funds weren't enough.

His sister gave him tens of thousands of taels of silver.

But his sister also has system tasks, so he can't just give away the money for nothing.

That's why the brother and sister decided to build the dock.

Gu Mingyue was about to speak up for her brother.

Xiao Ye glanced at her indifferently.

The meaning is very clear.

The question wasn't directed at you.

Gu Mingyue swallowed the words she was about to say and quickly gave her brother a meaningful look.

Explain!

Gu Mingli pursed his lips.

The professor's unyielding spirit, which he believed "cannot be subdued by force," suddenly emerged at this moment.

The emperor didn't even listen to his introduction of the engineering masterpiece; he was only thinking about how Gu family members were embezzling money!

Judge a petty person by the standards of a virtuous person!

Gu Mingli turned his head to look at the surging river.

Ugh, so annoying! I just want some peace and quiet.

Xiao Ye looked at him calmly, neither pleased nor angry.

He remained silent.

After a while, he kicked Gu Mingli's ankle with his foot.

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

Professor Gu was too lazy to explain.

"Second Master, I'm on a mission for the imperial court, and I haven't missed a single day of work on the construction site."

"I drew the blueprints in my tent at night. I bought the candles myself, and I brought my own brush and ink. I didn't spend a single penny of the imperial court's money."

"The dockworkers and the people from the Ministry of Works of the Imperial Court are not on the same construction site at all."

"My sister also purchased the materials herself. If you don't believe me, Second Master, the account books and the workers' roster are available for inspection at any time."

"If Second Master says I'm doing private work, then I'm truly innocent."

After saying that, he secretly glanced at Xiao Ye again.

Xiao Ye's expression didn't change much; he simply raised his chin, signaling him to continue.

Gu Mingli had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue.

"Building a dock here is also a long-term consideration that benefits the country and its people."

"Oh?" Xiao Ye said, "Tell me. How is it beneficial to the country and its people?"

"This dock..."

Gu Mingli had no idea!

His sister said a lot of things at the time, but all he remembered was that they could make money together with the government.

How does he know exactly how it was done?

Gu Mingli glanced at his sister.

Gu Mingyue immediately caught that look.

Her initial goal was to turn this place into a money-devouring pit.

Getting the dock up and running requires a bottomless pit of initial investment.

Hiring ship workers costs money, repairing warehouses costs money, laying freight routes costs money, and bribing chambers of commerce in various places also costs money.

If she could bring the imperial court into the fold, she would not only be able to spend her money legitimately, but she could also give the docks an official label.

Any money earned in the future will go directly to the national treasury and not into her pocket.

This path is feasible.

Gu Mingyue stepped forward, her voice neither hurried nor slow.

"Second Master, once this dock is built, it won't just be Pujitang that benefits."

Xiao Ye narrowed his eyes slightly.

Gu Mingyue gestured with her chin to the surroundings.

"Look at this location. It connects to the main channel of the Su-Huai River upstream and the main canal for grain transport downstream. There is no other decent place to stop within a radius of fifty miles."

"Once it's operational, every transaction involving merchant ships docking and transshipment will translate into real money. Tax revenue, employment, and convenient transport—which of these doesn't the imperial court need?"

Xiao Ye neither responded nor interrupted.

Gu Mingyue knew the emperor was interested.

"Pujitang has already established its reputation in this area. The docks operate under the Pujitang sign, which the people trust and merchants are willing to use. The imperial court sends people to collect commercial taxes and manage the canal transport, so it has both prestige and practical benefits."

She paused for a moment, then spoke calmly.

"However, the initial operating costs of the dock are considerable, and Pujitang alone cannot sustain it. If the imperial court is willing to cooperate, we can draft a profit-sharing plan."

"Pujitang provides the land and initial construction, while the imperial court provides the canal transport permit and management personnel. The profits are split 30/70, with the imperial court receiving 70% and Pujitang receiving 30%."

Xiao Ye raised an eyebrow.

"You're quite generous."

Gu Mingyue smiled.

Generous my foot! She'd love to stuff all the money back into the national treasury.

But she couldn't say those words aloud; she just lowered her eyes and put on a sincere expression.

"My father and brothers are both serving the court. Although I will not enter officialdom, I am willing to do my part."

Xiao Ye didn't reply immediately.

He stood on the edge of the dock, looking at the empty berths and the calm river surface in the distance.

The wind blew across the water, carrying a slightly damp, muddy smell.

He remained silent for a long while before speaking.

"Have Mingli draft a memorial and submit it."

Gu Mingli and Gu Mingyue both breathed a sigh of relief.

A system notification sounded in Gu Mingli's mind.

[Ding~ Xiao Ye's favorability towards you +3, current favorability -510]

Gu Mingli couldn't help but smile.