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

Gu Mingli is on duty before the Emperor today.

He didn't even have time to change out of his official robes after leaving the palace.

He hastily rolled up his cumbersome wide sleeves to his elbows, clutching a newly drawn blueprint tightly in his hand.

He had just jumped off the carriage and strode towards the workers' shed.

"Bright moon!"

Hearing that familiar yet lively voice, Gu Mingyue looked up from the pile of documents and her eyes lit up.

"Brother? Aren't you on duty in the Imperial Study today? Why are you out here now?"

Gu Mingli casually picked up the teapot on the table, took a sip, and grinned.

"Sigh, Jiaojiao is grading papers, and nobody's talking. I'm so bored."

"Besides, how can I trust you to deal with those old foxes from the Ministry of Works all by yourself outside the city?"

"I made up an excuse to ask His Majesty for a short leave and sneaked out of the palace early to check on your progress."

Gu Mingli turned around, put his hands behind his back, and surveyed the magnificent construction site.

Piles of materials and supplies, thousands of workers working efficiently, and a clear, unobstructed passageway for oxcarts to enter and exit.

He nodded unconsciously, feeling proud of himself.

No wonder it's a construction site managed by his own sister!

This execution and efficiency are exactly the same as her management style when she was the CEO of a multinational corporation in modern times.

Gu Mingli rubbed his hands together.

"How much money has been spent in these three days?"

Gu Mingyue was a little happy.

"Three hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver were lost from the accounts."

"Wow, these are the kinds of massive infrastructure projects! Watching them burn through money is just so satisfying!"

Gu Mingli burst into laughter.

Gu Mingyue nodded in agreement.

"Once the mission is complete, we'll spend the money from our father's account."

"By the way, bro, there's a technical problem here."

Gu Mingyue took out a charcoal pencil and pointed to the missing piece on the last materials list on the table.

"Qian Dajiang bought up all the loose materials on the market."

"But the main warehouse complex of the logistics park is designed to be too large."

"If all load-bearing walls are built with blue bricks, even if all the production of private kilns around the capital is bought up for the next two months, there will still be a 30% shortage of blue bricks."

"The Ministry of Works has blocked the official kilns, so we can't produce that many bricks for the time being."

Gu Mingli took the list, his brows furrowing slightly as he carefully examined the glaring numbers.

A moment later, he spread the drawings out on the table with a "whoosh".

He made a detailed comparison with his sister's existing list.

A few breaths later, Gu Mingli's eyes revealed the absolute confidence of a science and engineering student.

"Those old Denkas, our blue bricks? That's laughable."

Gu Mingli slammed his index finger heavily on the load-bearing column on the blueprint, making a resounding thud.

"Since we don't have enough bricks, let's skip the traditional brick walls and go straight for high-tech reinforced concrete!"

"Reinforced concrete?"

Gu Mingyue smiled slightly and nodded in tacit agreement.

"Yes! Anyway, we already have a cement workshop now."

Gu Mingli nodded.

"The disinfection staff at Weihuzhai have been reduced and all of them have been transferred to the cement workshop."

"Cement is used in road and bridge construction now. So the output of cement is enormous."

The more he spoke, the brighter his eyes became.

"This thing, when paired with iron reinforcement, allows for integral casting using a wooden mold! Not only does it form extremely quickly, but it also boasts exceptional structural strength after curing."

"It's more than ten times taller than the blue brick walls that his Ministry of Works is so proud of!"

"Waterproof, moisture-proof, earthquake-resistant, and pressure-resistant. Once it's built, our logistics park will be an indestructible shield!"

Gu Mingyue looked at her brother and her mood instantly brightened.

"Wow, my brother is amazing!"

She gave her brother a big thumbs up.

With her brother, an all-around professor in science and engineering, there's no project that Da Yong can't handle.

Gu Mingli puffed out his chest proudly as he listened to his sister's praise.

However, he wasn't one to just take a beating without fighting back.

Those who can endure humiliation are living bodhisattvas.

But he couldn't tolerate even a little bit.

Gu Mingli patted the dust off his hands.

"Moon, first dig trenches for the site using concrete molds."

"Your brother has to go back to the palace now."

Gu Mingyue raised an eyebrow in surprise and looked up at the sky.

"Brother, it's already dusk, why are you going to the palace at this hour?"

A sly glint flashed in Gu Mingli's eyes.

"Some things can't be delayed. Some people in the Ministry of Works always think they're invincible!"

"Let your brother see what it means to be favored by the emperor!"

Gu Mingyue: "..."

Her brother has a bit of a Daji vibe about him.

That evening, as the city lights began to twinkle, Gu Mingli, filled with grievances and a prepared complaint, strode into the palace.

The candles in the Imperial Study have already been replaced.

Just as Xiao Ye closed the last memorial, he heard footsteps outside the hall.

Liu An peeked out first, then immediately returned to report.

"Your Majesty, Lord Gu has returned."

Xiao Ye placed his pen on the pen holder, his brow twitching slightly.

He didn't speak, but his gaze had already shifted towards the direction of the palace gate.

When Gu Mingli stepped into the Imperial Study, he still carried the smell of yellow earth from the construction site.

The sleeves of his official robe were rolled up and not let down, revealing a red scratch on his forearm from a splinter of wood.

He looked travel-worn and disheveled.

Xiao Ye's gaze lingered for a moment on the red mark on his forearm.

"Didn't I grant you a half-day off? Why are you back again?"

Gu Mingli stood in front of the imperial desk and first gave a proper bow.

Then he raised his head, his brows furrowed, looking like an angry pufferfish.

Xiao Ye's fingers paused on the armrest for a moment.

"What happened?"

Gu Mingli took a deep breath, pursed his lips, and looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Liu An stood to the side, secretly glancing up to observe.

Every time Lord Gu showed this expression in front of His Majesty, it was always followed by a remark that His Majesty had no choice but to respond to.

Sure enough, Lord Gu spoke up.

"So annoying."

Gu Mingli's voice was low and tinged with grievance.

Liu An took a deep breath and then exhaled softly.

He had gradually become accustomed to Lord Gu's extraordinary pronouncements.

Xiao Ye frowned slightly.

"Who upset you?"

"I went to the construction site this afternoon."

"Um."

"There are only eleven people left on the construction site."

Gu Mingli just kept complaining and didn't even look at Xiao Ye's expression.

"The Ministry of Works has blocked the supply of bricks from the kilns. They say the schedule for repairing the palace walls is full."

"The logging order for the Gyeonggi Forest Farm was rejected by the Construction Bureau. They said there was too much rain and logging was not allowed."

"Two-thirds of the craftsmen who were conscripted have been withdrawn. It is said that the drainage canals of the imperial mausoleum are in dire need of repair."

He turned his head and snorted angrily.

"My logistics park, an 800-acre construction site, hasn't even had a single outhouse built yet."

Xiao Ye's face darkened.

The atmosphere in the imperial study became subtle.

Liu An subconsciously lowered his head and bowed his back, his gaze shifting back and forth between Gu Mingli and the emperor.

Xiao Ye did not speak immediately.

His thumb slowly rubbed against the armrest of the dragon throne.

Gu Mingli stood there, not urging him on.

He knew what Xiao Ye was thinking.

Zhou Qiao, the Minister of Works, came from the Zhou family.

Although the Zhou family was not a top-tier aristocratic family, they had been entrenched in the capital region for three generations and had marital ties with several other prominent families.

The Dongzhou Bridge represents the prestige of the Dong family.

Without moving Zhouqiao, the logistics park project would be a joke, a case of "imperial power being inferior to that of aristocratic families."

Gu Mingli felt that given Xiao Ye's temperament, he wouldn't let this matter go unresolved.