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

Xiao Ye instructed someone to bring over a large table and spread out a whole sheet of thick paper.

The brushes, ink, rulers, and compasses are all laid out.

Gu Mingli walked over and reached out to touch the paper.

The paper quality is okay.

He picked up the charcoal pencil, but instead of writing immediately, he rolled up his sleeves twice to reveal his muscular forearms.

This posture doesn't look like drawing; it looks more like cooking.

Several officials from the Ministry of Works exchanged glances.

Let's see what tricks you can come up with.

The first person to complain, Vice Minister Zhou Qiao, crossed his arms, looking like he was waiting to see the joke.

Gu Mingli looked at Xiao Ye.

"Your Majesty, are you fair in rewarding and punishing?"

Xiao Ye nodded. "Of course."

"That's good."

Gu Mingli's gaze swept over the people from the Ministry of Works.

He lowered his head and began to write.

The first line is as straight as a ruler, frighteningly stable.

He first drew the general outline of the logistics park.

The port's throughput layout.

Where should the unloading berths be built, where should the storage yards be set up, how should the vehicle and horse passages and drainage ditches be arranged, and what weight of cargo ships can the embankment withstand at its load-bearing angle?

He muttered numbers under his breath while his hands worked tirelessly, marking precise dimensions on every part.

Next, draw the sorting area.

The warehouses are divided into zones based on the type of goods: grain, cloth, general merchandise, and valuables. Each warehouse is separated by passageways, which serves both fire prevention and convenient loading and unloading.

The core of the transfer is the "three in and three out" flow.

After the cargo is unloaded from the arriving ship, it is inspected, recorded, sorted, and then distributed to ships waiting to be transported in different directions, without going back the way it came.

The entire map, from the dock to the warehouse area to the School of Information Science and Technology, is connected by a single main line, with a clear structure.

The knowledgeable Ministry of Works officials had been standing ramrod straight, a hint of dissatisfaction in their eyes.

After a moment, two people's eyes froze, and they subconsciously took a small step forward.

Several people forgot their identities and gathered around the table, craning their necks.

The young eunuch was being bossed around by him, running around handing him a ruler one minute and different colors of ink the next, sweating profusely as he went.

Xiao Ye sat behind the imperial desk, watching him fuss over his work.

The tea in the teacup had gone cold, so Liu An went forward to replace it, but he didn't drink it.

My gaze remained fixed on the person who had their head down and was focused on something.

Half an hour later.

Gu Mingli placed the brush on the brush washer and shook his slightly sore wrist.

"Okay, that's all for now."

No one answered from inside the hall.

Gu Mingli looked up and glanced at the stunned Ministry of Works staff.

"What's wrong?"

Zhou Qiao's face had turned ashen, and his fingertips trembled slightly.

Their Ministry of Works' supposedly proud dock plans, placed next to Gu Mingli's drawings, were simply not on the same level.

Gu Mingli watched their expressions change.

I put my hands on my hips and stretched my stiff shoulders and neck.

"What? Still going to sue?"

No one said a word.

Zhou Qiao turned his head away, not daring to look at him.

Xiao Ye's lips curled slightly, but his voice turned cold.

"Is the only copy from the Ministry of Works still lost?"

The officials from the Ministry of Works trembled and knelt down with a thud.

"Perhaps...perhaps there's a mistake. We'll go back and check the borrowing records again..."

Zhou Qiao's voice trembled.

The incense in the imperial study burned halfway, and the ashes fell into the burner silently.

Xiao Ye didn't let the people from the Ministry of Works get up, but he also didn't bother to look at them again.

He picked up the blueprints that Gu Mingli had just drawn and looked at them carefully, his fingertips occasionally lingering on a particular ingenious structure for a moment.

Only after finishing reading did he give Zhou Qiao a cold glance.

"You receive salaries from the imperial court and guard historical records, but you haven't preserved anything; instead, you've preserved a rotten, musty smell."

"In the past ten years or so, the Ministry of Works has not produced a single project worthy of being passed down through generations."

His tone was calm, yet every word was as cold as ice.

"Now that there's someone capable of doing things, you're all thinking of framing him for stealing books to save your own pathetic dignity?"

"Your Majesty, I know my crime! We were foolish! Please forgive us!"

The workers from the Ministry of Works all knelt on the ground, their foreheads pressed tightly against the cold floor tiles, drenched in cold sweat.

In the imperial court, a higher rank can be incredibly oppressive.

Moreover, they were all fifth-rank officials, and Lord Zhou was a direct descendant of a fourth-rank aristocratic family.

Even the late emperor had to give some face to the powerful clans.

Some things can be overlooked by turning a blind eye and favoring the powerful families.

But they never expected that His Majesty would be so forceful in favor of a seventh-rank editor today.

Xiao Ye is indeed powerful.

The late emperor never severely punished the sons of aristocratic families.

But he's different.

"Since you know your crime, accept the punishment. Each person shall be fined one year's salary and receive ten strokes of the cane."

"From this day forward, all blueprints and construction shall be carried out in accordance with Gu Mingli's standards. The Ministry of Works shall fully cooperate and shall not shirk its responsibilities or obstruct any further action. Any recurrence of such actions will result in dismissal and investigation."

"His Majesty?!"

The officials of the Ministry of Works were incredulous and looked up at the emperor.

"Your Majesty, please forgive us! We know we were wrong!"

Xiao Ye looked at them coldly.

"Fifteen strokes of the cane."

"!!!"

No one dared to utter another word of begging for mercy.

"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty! We obey your decree!"

The Ministry of Works members were both shocked and frightened. After kowtowing, they retreated in a disheveled state.

The hall was finally quiet.

Gu Mingli glanced sideways at the Ministry of Works members as they left, and curled his lip in disdain.

My stomach growled.

He was pulled out of bed; he hadn't eaten yet!

Xiao Ye looked up and pointed to the snacks on the couch table.

Liu An reacted quickly, immediately bringing over the plate of snacks and saying with a smile:

"Lord Gu, you've worked hard. Please have something to eat first."

Gu Mingli stopped being coy, took a piece of osmanthus cake, and took a small bite.

He picked up the warm teacup again, took a big gulp, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Xiao Ye looked at him calmly, then suddenly said, "Issue the decree."

Liu An immediately bowed and listened to the proclamation.

"Gu Mingli, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, is capable of handling affairs and has specialized skills, especially in the field of engineering and construction."

"Effective immediately, he is promoted to the rank of Gentleman Attendant at the Palace Gate, a fifth-rank official. He will continue to serve in the Emperor's presence and concurrently oversee all construction matters related to the 'Shunfeng Yuantong Logistics Park,' and is permitted to act expediently."

"ha?"

Gu Mingli hurriedly swallowed the pastry in his mouth and stared at Xiao Ye with wide eyes.

"Your Majesty, is this a promotion that skips ranks? From seventh rank directly to fifth rank?"

Xiao Ye looked up at him, his tone unreadable: "What, do you think my official rank is too high?"

"No, no, absolutely not."

Gu Mingli quickly waved his hand, saying that a higher official rank would make things easier.

He chuckled dryly twice. "It's just... a bit sudden."

Xiao Ye stopped looking at him and turned his gaze back to the note that Yi Shi had passed to him on the dragon table.

"You're on your day off at home, are you bored?"

"It's not boring at all."

Gu Mingli paused in his chewing motion, looked up and glared at her, his cheeks still puffed out.

If he hadn't been summoned to the palace, he would have been happily catching up on his sleep at home!

The Imperial Study was quiet for a moment.

Gu Mingli swallowed the cake, his gaze drifting wistfully towards the person behind the imperial desk who was pretending to review memorials.

"Your Majesty, I will take a rest today."

Hey! Handsome Deng, I'm being forced to work overtime!

Xiao Ye picked up his pen and wrote a red mark, his tone calm but confident.

"I think you're bored at home, so I'll grant your request and allow you to come to the palace for your rest from now on."

Gu Mingli took a deep breath and almost choked on the osmanthus cake in his hand.

Listen to this! Is this even human language?

That tyrant!

Depriving employees of their legal leave!

Outrageous! Utterly outrageous!

[Ding! Xiao Ye's favorability towards you has increased by 3, current favorability is -505]

Gu Mingli: "???"

This can actually increase favorability?!

"Okay."

He slumped his shoulders resignedly, his tone revealing a compromise with the capitalists.

"From now on, when I have time off, I will come to the palace to keep you company."