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

That being said.

But Liu An still dutifully stepped forward, took out a silver needle from his sleeve, and carefully probed the soup bowl.

The noodle stall owner couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

Are these guests from an opera troupe?

They spend a few coins to eat noodles, and they're still putting on airs.

Xiao Ye lowered his eyes and quietly looked at the steaming bowl of noodles in front of him, a large bowl with a tiny crack on the rim.

Then, glancing sideways at Gu Mingli sitting opposite him, who had completely let loose and started loudly slurping his noodles, he realized that Gu Mingli was completely letting loose.

Does it smell that good?

Xiao Ye gave a disdainful snort.

Reluctantly, I took the chopsticks, picked up a small piece of pork chop with dignified movements, and hesitantly put it into my mouth.

The next moment, Xiao Ye paused slightly in his chewing, and his eyes brightened.

The broth is extremely rich and delicious, the pork chop is savory and slightly sweet, with a strong aroma of star anise and cinnamon.

The juices burst instantly in your mouth, requiring almost no chewing.

Just as Gu Mingli had said, the meat was tender and flavorful.

The parts connected to the tendons are especially soft, chewy, and springy.

Although the stall was made without any refinement and its appearance was rough.

But the rich, spicy flavor was surprisingly good.

It is infinitely better than the bland imperial cuisine in the palace that only focuses on nourishment.

"How is it? It tastes good, doesn't it? I didn't lie to you!"

Gu Mingli swallowed a big mouthful of noodles, eagerly smiling and asking for praise.

Xiao Ye did not look up.

He picked up another noodle covered in thick soup and put it in his mouth along with the meat.

His expression remained unchanged, and he simply replied indifferently:

"It's acceptable."

However, after half an incense stick's time...

Xiao Ye finished the bowl of noodles, which was twice the size of his usual portion.

Not even the last bit of bright green scallions floating on the soup were left.

Although his movements maintained the refined and noble demeanor of an emperor, the speed at which he ate was comparable to that of Gu Mingli.

After the two had eaten and drunk their fill, Gu Mingli let out a very soft burp of satisfaction, got up, took out a string of copper coins from his purse, and generously tossed them to the stall owner to pay the bill.

[Ding! Xiao Ye's favorability towards you has increased by 1.5. Current favorability is -450!]

Gu Mingli: ヾ(◍°∇°◍)ﾉﾞ

Look! That's the charm of dinner party culture!

There's nothing that can't be solved by eating out next time.

Immediately.

After dinner, Xiao Ye said he wanted to go shopping to digest his food, so Gu Mingli reluctantly accompanied him.

As the night grew deeper, the sound of the night watchman's clapper echoed from the depths of the alley.

It was getting late; it was almost time to lock the palace gates of the imperial city.

The group walked back to the carriage at the alley entrance.

Gu Mingli opened the door of the blue-curtained carriage.

He dutifully lifted the car curtain and made a "please" gesture.

"Your Majesty, it is getting late. I will escort you back to the palace."

As the night wind blew through the alleyway, Xiao Ye's eyes gradually darkened.

"Back to the palace?"

Gu Mingli was taken aback by his gaze, then nodded matter-of-factly: "Yes."

It's so late, what else do you want to do if you don't go back to the palace?

Want to go to West Street to visit the brothels?

That won't work!

A boss can be a tyrant, but not a lecherous one!

Xiao Ye stared at Gu Mingli's innocent yet composed expression for a moment.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he gritted his teeth and blurted out:

"Where is my surprise?"

The hustle and bustle of the night market quieted down at this moment.

Gu Mingli stood by the carriage, completely bewildered by the sudden question.

"what?"

What surprise?

Xiao Ye pursed his lips, his eyes growing colder and colder.

The boss is unhappy!

Gu Mingli's mind raced.

Yi Shi’s smiling face flashed through his memory.

He understood instantly.

It must be that silly child who sent some random, nonsensical letter back to the palace again.

But now the boss is going to give us a "surprise".

I can't exactly say I wasn't prepared, can I?

Gu Mingli looked up and saw Xiao Ye's face growing increasingly dark.

He swallowed hard.

"That...surprise...I've prepared it."

Xiao Ye looked at him, his expression still calm, but a glint of light had already appeared in his sinister eyes.

"real?"

"real."

Gu Mingli forced himself to make up a story.

"Give it to me." Xiao Ye held out a hand.

Palms up.

Gu Mingli: "..."

No, boss, are you a baby?

How old are you? Still reaching out for "surprises"?!

Gu Mingli took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"This...surprise...it can't be taken out right now. The item is kept at the manor."

He was talking nonsense while gesturing wildly, his eyes darting around.

"That thing... it's inconvenient to carry around."

"I will bring it to you when I enter the palace tomorrow."

Xiao Ye stared at him for a while, then the light in his eyes went out again.

Slowly withdraw your hand.

Gu Mingli just breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Xiao Ye's calm voice rang out.

"Since it's in the manor, I'll go with you to fetch it. We have nothing else to do right now anyway."

"What?!"

Gu Mingli froze.

Xiao Ye ignored his stunned expression.

He turned around and walked directly towards the carriage.

"Get in the carriage. To the Gu residence."

No! Why are you so stubborn?!

bad boy!

Gu Mingli wanted to cry but had no tears.

Liu An and Geng Zhi looked at him with sympathy.

"Let's go, Lord Gu."

Liu An smiled and gestured for him to proceed.

Gu Mingli had no choice but to resign himself to his fate and climb onto the carriage.

He gave the driver an instruction.

The carriage turned around and headed towards the Gu residence.

……

The horse-drawn carriage rolled across the bluestone streets in the night.

Gu Mingli huddled in the corner of the carriage, pursing his lips and deep in thought the whole way.

What would be a "surprise" to His Majesty?

If only his quirky little sister were here with him.

Never mind, I'll go back to the manor, find an excuse to appease the Emperor, and then sneak off to find Gu Mingyue to save the day!

Before they knew it, the carriage was about to arrive at the main gate of the Gu residence.

"Go through the back door."

Xiao Ye, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and spoke.

Gu Mingli's eyes widened slightly.

"back door?"

Will this work?

What emperor, when traveling incognito to a minister's home, would proactively request to use the back door?!

If this gets out, his father, this powerful minister, will be branded with the death penalty for "insulting the monarch."

Even if the emperor wanted to leave, he wouldn't dare agree!

"Your Majesty, isn't this inappropriate? How can we allow you to use the back door?"

Xiao Ye glanced at him sideways, his voice calm.

"Do you want the entire household to light lanterns right now, open the main gate wide, and kneel in the courtyard to welcome me?"

"Uh..." Gu Mingli was speechless and hesitated.

indeed.

His Majesty's sudden visit in the middle of the night will probably scare the whole household into a frenzy.

"Alright then, Your Majesty, I'll have to trouble you. We'll sneak into the residence without alerting anyone and go straight to my room."

"Um."

Xiao Ye responded indifferently.

The carriage silently circled the street corner and turned into the alley.

The back gate of the Gu residence was pushed open by the shadow guards.

The gatekeeper was so frightened that he immediately knelt down.

Gu Mingli gestured for him to be quiet, "Don't make a sound."

The servant covered his mouth in terror and nodded repeatedly.

The shadow guards once again disappeared into the night.

Gu Mingli then led the emperor and his entourage of three into his bedroom.