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

Xiao Ye certainly wouldn't ignore the affairs of the Ministry of Works.

However, the Ministry of Works has a complex web of backing, and dealing with it requires a proper approach.

If the Gu siblings weren't assertive enough, they naturally wouldn't be able to compete with the scions of powerful families.

He picked up his teacup and suddenly asked a question, seemingly casually.

Where is your sister?

Gu Mingli was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting that this busy emperor would inquire about his own sister first.

"She's at the construction site."

Gu Mingli had come to avenge his sister, so he decided to report on how his sister had handled the situation.

"That girl is an impatient person. When she saw that the Ministry of Works was stuck with bricks, she simply spent her own money to hire thousands of workers and sent Qian Dajiang to buy up bricks at high prices from private kilns in the surrounding area."

"She has temporarily covered most of the material shortage with money."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ye paused slightly, raising an eyebrow.

A fleeting look of admiration flashed across his deep eyes.

The Gu siblings seem to share a common trait: they disregard rules and their moves are haphazard.

They didn't want to waste their breath arguing with those old hands in the Ministry of Works.

They bypassed the official system and took an unorthodox approach.

Not only decisive, but also bold.

Gu Mingli secretly observed the emperor's expression, fearing that the responsibility for breaking the rules would fall on his younger sister.

So he cleared his throat and quickly launched into his main act.

"Your Majesty, even so, there is still a 30% gap in the blue bricks."

"Furthermore, the production capacity of the surrounding private kilns has already reached its peak."

Gu Mingli's eyes flashed, and he lowered his voice.

"However, I have come up with an excellent alternative, so that we will no longer need those lousy bricks from the Ministry of Works."

"What should we use as a substitute?"

"Cement pouring".

Xiao Ye raised an eyebrow slightly.

Gu Mingli had previously explained the principles of cement to him using diagrams and paper.

"Cement...can be used to build city walls?"

"Of course! Its strength is several times greater than that of blue bricks; it is impervious to wind and rain!"

Gu Mingli seemed to have been triggered by a keyword.

He instantly switched into the confident mode of a university professor.

His eyes were full of excitement.

"But I need a large amount of iron. It will be used to make the internal framework, commonly known as reinforced concrete. Once I have a sample, I will definitely take you to see this miracle in person!"

Xiao Ye sat upright behind the imperial desk, not answering immediately, but just staring at him quietly for a long time.

His gaze was sharp, as if he could see through people's hearts.

"You rushed back tonight just for this?"

Gu Mingli blinked, his heart skipping a beat.

That's a good question.

Should I be thinking about something else?

In fact, he did have another ulterior motive.

It's not easy to state that purpose directly.

He wanted to use the emperor's authority to directly and brutally kill those bastards in the Ministry of Works who bullied his sister and held back the project.

But who is Xiao Ye?

The most cunning and ruthless emperor in the Great Yong Dynasty!

All my scheming and petty plots, my attempts to use someone else to do my dirty work, are as exposed as if I were naked in the street in front of them.

Gu Mingli gritted his teeth and decided to stop hiding it.

He's really going all out today, he's going to pretend to be a "tea master"!

If he's shameless, it's others who will be embarrassed!

Gu Ming cleared his throat, lowered his eyelashes slightly, and feigned extreme weakness and affectation.

"Your Majesty, I've only come to visit... I certainly won't cause you any trouble."

The people inside the hall: "..."

Xiao Ye: "..."

Seeing that the emperor remained silent, Gu Mingli could only continue:

"What I think and desire is all to share Your Majesty's burdens."

"Your Majesty is busy with countless affairs of state, working so hard every day for the sake of the Great Yong Empire. I feel sorry for you when I see this."

"I remember every word Your Majesty has said to me, and I will never be like others who outwardly comply but inwardly disobey."

"Furthermore, I would never obstruct someone else's materials because of personal grudges, thus delaying official business of the court."

As soon as he said this, his voice even carried a hint of grievance.

Gu Mingli himself got goosebumps.

Wow! Excellent tea!

The finest Longjing green tea!

From then on, Gu Mingli was the "Ming Niu Gulu Li" of the Great Yong Dynasty!

The air inside the hall seemed to freeze instantly.

It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The head eunuch Liu An slowly turned his neck like a rusty gear, his eyes wide open, and his whisk almost fell onto his boot.

Geng Zhi stood behind the pillar, gasped, and nearly dropped his jaw in shock.

This Gu Dadan has thrown away all shame in his attempt to file a complaint?!

It truly proved the saying:

Without morals, anything is possible!

Xiao Ye looked at Gu Mingli quietly, his dark pupils revealing no emotion.

The two of them stared at each other for three seconds.

In the end, Gu Mingli was the first to be defeated.

Unable to withstand the intensely oppressive gaze, he turned his eyes away and coughed lightly.

However, to everyone's surprise,

Xiao Ye not only didn't get angry, but instead gave a slight smile.

The imperial court is full of hypocrites and cunning old foxes.

Gu Mingli's naivety, which led him to openly display his scheming, and his straightforward and protective nature, ironically made him find him incredibly agreeable.

Moreover, he had long wanted to get rid of those corrupt officials in the Ministry of Works.

Gu Mingli has handed over the knife at just the right time.

Xiao Ye picked up the vermilion brush from the white jade brush holder.

"Regarding the iron, there's no need to seek out blacksmiths in the countryside. Tomorrow, I will have the Imperial Household Department directly allocate a batch of the finest iron from the Arsenal to you."

Gu Mingli suddenly looked up, his spirits lifted, his eyes shining with the light of a great victory.

Green tea is awesome!

Huang Jiaojiao actually approved the iron materials from the Military Equipment Bureau for him!

That's a top-quality weapon, a hundred times better than what's sold in stores!

"Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your great favor in undertaking the infrastructure construction for the Great Yong Dynasty!"

"As for the Ministry of Works..."

Xiao Ye dipped his brush in cinnabar and casually wrote on a blank imperial edict with a flourish.

His tone was casual, yet it conveyed the imperial power of life and death.

"Zhou Qiao must be tired of sitting in the position of Vice Minister all these years."

"Just stay home and rest for now. The position of Vice Minister of Works should naturally be given to someone who is less demanding and capable of getting things done."

Gu Mingli was overjoyed.

Without hesitation, she raised her hand and gave Xiao Ye a big thumbs up.

"Your Majesty is wise and mighty, your glory will last for ten thousand generations!"

Xiao Ye scoffed lightly, his face revealing no hidden pleasure.

After he finished writing the imperial edict, he threw down the vermilion pen.

Her gaze swept past Gu Mingli's haphazardly rolled-up sleeves and landed on the red mark on his forearm that had been accidentally scratched.

"Go apply some medicine."

"Ah? This little injury is nothing, I'm quite rough, no need..."

"go."

Gu Mingli swallowed his subsequent refusal and wisely shut his mouth.

Liu An was an extremely shrewd and astute person.

He had already come over with a beaming smile, carrying the top-quality medicine bestowed by the emperor.

Nobody knew where he pulled it from; his movements were as fast as magic.

This is the professional quality of the top eunuch of the Great Yong Dynasty!

Gu Mingli took the medicine bottle and casually rubbed it on the wound a couple of times.

Just as I put the medicine bottle down, my stomach suddenly rumbled loudly, completely out of cooperation.

The sound was incredibly loud in the quiet imperial study.

I'm hungry.

After a long day of running around, he was completely exhausted.

Xiao Ye looked up at the sound, glanced at him, and said calmly, "Serve the meal."

Gu Mingli's eyes lit up, and he cheered inwardly:

Time to go home!

It's time to go home and have lunch!

"Then I shall take my leave, so as not to disturb Your Majesty any longer..."

"Stay and dine with me."

"ha?"