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

The logistics park deal is finalized.

Xiao Ye turned to look at Xiao Jue.

"Fourth brother, you cooperated fully during the construction of the logistics park. The rectification of the canal transport can be carried out at the same time."

Xiao Jue closed his fan and bowed in agreement.

It's late at night, and I have to return to Beijing early tomorrow morning.

The group hurried back to the inn to rest.

The following day, the carriages returning to the capital traveled along the official road for a whole day, and it was already dusk when they arrived at the south gate of the capital.

The setting sun painted the city walls a dark gold, and the evening breeze made the flags on the city walls flutter in the wind.

Gu Mingyue lifted the carriage curtain and saw a row of people standing at the city gate.

Leading the group was the steward of the Gu family, followed by a dozen or so servants, all of whom were standing on tiptoe and craning their necks to look out onto the official road.

The butler, Gu An, with his sharp eyes, spotted the Gu family's carriages and horses as soon as he spotted them. He immediately jogged over to greet them.

"Miss! Young Master! The Master has hosted a welcome banquet at the manor!"

Gu Mingyue lifted the carriage curtain and nodded to the old butler.

"Okay, you all go back first. We'll go to the capital first, and then return to our residence."

"Okay, sure!"

Gu An led his men away.

The carriage caravan arrived at the gate of the imperial city.

Gu Mingli and Gu Mingyue got out of the car and respectfully saw the emperor back to the palace.

Xiao Ye and his entourage entered the palace through the east gate, while the Gu siblings turned into the alleyway in the east of the city and returned to the Gu residence.

Red lanterns are hanging in front of the Gu residence again today.

The mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and even the two old locust trees at the entrance were tied with red ribbons.

Every time Gu Mingyue saw this scene, she had a bad feeling.

Gu Mingli, on the other hand, felt very happy and pulled his sister's arm to walk into the mansion.

Before the two even reached the main hall along the corridor, Gu Debai's laughter rang out, full of energy and clearly audible from halfway across the courtyard.

"Oh, they're back! Quickly, let them in!"

The main hall was brightly lit, with three large tables laden with food and drinks.

Steamed sea bass, braised pork knuckle, emerald shrimp, roast chicken, braised duck...

There were over thirty dishes laid out, their steam and aromas mingling and wafting towards people's faces.

Gu Debai wore a newly made pine-green brocade robe, sat in the main seat, his back straight, and his eyes smiled so much they were like narrow slits.

"My dear son! My dear daughter!"

Gu Debai jumped up from his chair and grabbed Gu Mingli's arm, looking him up and down.

From head to toe, and from toe to head.

Pinch your left arm and pat your right shoulder.

After confirming that all four limbs were intact, she turned around and pounced on Gu Mingyue, circling her daughter several times as if inspecting goods.

"Oh dear, my daughter has gotten so thin from exhaustion. Her face is so much thinner now."

Gu Mingyue: "..."

She had only been away for five days.

We were seated in a carriage, with plenty of food, and didn't suffer any hardship.

How much weight can you lose?

"Girl, your father has heard about it! Your business in Jiangzhou is doing very well!"

Gu Debai's eyes sparkled, his face beamed with joy, and his voice was both excited and proud.

He gestured with both hands, as if he wanted to tell the whole world.

"You've really shone in Jiangzhou! That Peach Blossom Spring, that water conservancy project! Great! Excellent!"

Gu Mingli sat down at the table, picked up his chopsticks, took a meatball, stuffed it into his mouth, and mumbled:

"Dad, you're very well-informed."

"Of course!"

Gu Debai slapped his knees loudly with both hands.

"Who in the entire court doesn't know that my Gu family's maid is the owner of Pujitang?"

"What an honor! When your dad walks down the street, the way my colleagues look at me is completely different!"

Gu Mingli and Gu Mingyue exchanged a smile.

That unspoken understanding of "my dad's at it again" lingered between the siblings for a moment.

"Come on, come on, don't just stand there, let's have a drink together, the three of us."

As he spoke, Gu Debai poured rice wine for his daughter and son, then filled his own glass and held it high.

"Girl, drink less. Your brother drinks more."

The three raised their wine cups and clinked them together, the porcelain cups making a crisp, light sound as they touched.

Gu Debai tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and quickly refilled Gu Mingli's cup.

"Son, do a good job. Look at you now, how much His Majesty appreciates you! He takes you with him everywhere he goes."

"Still serving in the Emperor's presence. This is a blessing that many people would kill for."

"The imperial court is a place where people fawn over the powerful and bully the weak. If you're in an official career, you have to adapt to it as soon as possible."

"We must maintain a good relationship with the emperor."

"Give the emperor what he likes. Do what he wants to do. Never go against his wishes or offer unsolicited advice. These are the ways of being an official."

Gu Mingli laughed heartily, finished chewing the meatball in his mouth, and then drank a glass of wine with his father.

"Father, His Majesty is actually quite easy to get along with."

Gu Debai was even happier when he heard this.

Patting his son on the shoulder, he exclaimed sincerely, "Oh, that's good! That's good! Even if we can't be capable ministers, we can at least be favored ministers!"

Gu Mingli paused, his chopsticks still.

It seemed as if a silent crow flew by before my eyes.

What does it mean to be unable to be a capable minister?

Dad, please at least be polite.

He's a professor with a PhD in science and engineering who transmigrated here, so why can't he rely on his abilities to speak for himself?

Professor Gu's academic pride was severely damaged.

He opened his mouth to refute, but felt that he couldn't explain it to his father, who only wanted to be a sycophant.

He could only silently vent his anger by picking up a piece of braised pork knuckle.

Gu Mingyue ate her food while glancing at her father.

She took a couple of bites of food and then put down her chopsticks.

"Father, you said there's great news. What is it?"

Gu Debai was waiting for this very sentence.

His smile deepened, his mouth almost reaching his ears, and he deliberately put on airs as he slowly stood up.

"Guess?"

Gu Mingyue: "..."

I have a bad feeling about this.

Gu Debai walked a couple of steps with his hands behind his back and went to the door.

He first glanced back at his children, his eyes like those of an old father about to perform magic.

I'm about to go on stage, so you'd better watch carefully.

He clapped his hands twice towards the outside.

"Bring it in!"

Four servants, bending over, carried in two large wooden crates in pairs.

The box was extremely heavy; the servants carrying it had bulging veins on their necks and swayed with every step.

When it was placed in the middle of the hall, it made a dull thud on the floor tiles, and the wine cups on the table wobbled.

Looking at the two large boxes, Gu Mingyue suddenly had a very bad premonition.

Gu Debai walked up to the box and solemnly cleared his throat.

"Ahem, watch carefully."

I personally opened the first box lid.

Silver ingots.

The silver ingots were piled up neatly, stacked in three layers.

The silver light shone so brightly under the lamp that it hurt the eyes, making Gu Debai's brocade robe appear white.

With a smug look on his face, he reached out and lifted the lid of the second box.

Silver notes.

Stacks of silver notes tied with red rope, each stack containing one thousand taels.

The tickets were brand new, without even a crease.

"A full three hundred thousand taels."

Gu Debai's voice trembled as his fingers slowly traced the edge of the box, like caressing a newborn's face.

The tenderness and affection in his eyes were even greater than when he looked at his own son.

"The Marquis of Chengen's mansion was raided recently, leaving the Marquis's shady businesses leaderless. Someone went through several layers of connections to ask Father to take over."

A knowing smile, the kind that comes from years of experience in officialdom, appeared on his face.

"This is money for your filial piety. Your father is keeping it for you to use in your business."

Gu Mingli stopped eating.

Gu Mingyue's chopsticks also stopped in mid-air.

The hall fell silent instantly.