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

Chen Sandao felt a little guilty.

The ducklings are given away for free, but I still have to pay an extra tael of silver first.

What if the ducks die?

What if the disaster victims take the money and run away?

Even a three-year-old could figure out that this business is a sure loss!

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Gu Mingyue, "Boss, are you serious? You want me to lead everyone in raising ducks? You'd better be prepared to lose money."

Gu Mingyue's eyes were firm, and her tone was serious.

"Old Chen! I admire your dedication and diligence in the business. So, I only have one request of you: continue with your original duck-raising methods!"

Chen Sandao was thrilled, his long-lost youthful spirit rekindled.

There was a time when everyone was denying his duck-raising skills!

Everyone is questioning the quality of his duck farming!

But this young boss is different.

She understands him!

Maxima often has it, but Bole does not often have it.

Chen Sandao's ambition was ignited.

He bowed to Gu Mingyue.

"Don't worry, boss! I will definitely make Pujitang Poultry Division a success!"

Gu Mingyue nodded seriously, "Okay! I believe in you!"

The news that money would be given out to raise ducks spread very quickly.

In just half a day, villagers from surrounding towns and counties came to the city.

Gu Mingli breathed a sigh of relief as he watched his younger sister spending money like crazy.

Only in this way can they stabilize the people of Jiangzhou and prevent the disaster victims from all fleeing to the capital.

Gu Mingyue sat at the octagonal table.

Contracts were signed one by one, and silver coins were distributed one tael at a time.

The system notification sounds in my mind kept ringing.

Gu Mingyue was so happy she couldn't stop smiling.

These charitable agricultural subsidy programs are the most expensive!

If we can sign another 30,000 households.

The remaining silver coins can be completely wiped out!

Even if the emperor investigates and finds out, it will still be a great thing for the country and its people.

The disaster situation in Jiangzhou was stabilized, and agricultural production was restored.

Not only was he without fault, but he was actually meritorious!

Next, the brother and sister divided the work.

A local resident in the city was responsible for registering people to join the Pujitang duck-raising community.

One of them rushed to the river embankment to conduct an on-site investigation.

The news that joining Pujitang would allow one to receive silver for raising ducks spread quickly.

The once lifeless streets of Jiangzhou City are now bustling with activity thanks to the makeshift team temporarily formed by Pujitang.

The disaster victims who received a tael of silver immediately went to knock on the door of the "Harvest Grain Shop".

When the guards at the grain store saw that there was real gold and silver, they immediately went inside to report it.

Before long, the thick wooden bars that had been blocking the gate were removed.

Grain trading, which had been suspended for half a month, has finally resumed.

Gu Mingyue forcefully pried open the economic gears of Jiangzhou City with silver.

Before all 10,000 slots were registered, it got dark.

Gu Mingyue and her brother checked into one of the best inns in the city.

Registration continued the following morning.

People from towns and counties surrounding Jiangzhou City also rushed over upon hearing the news.

They all rushed to join Pujitang.

Registration continues.

As the sun began to set, Chen Sandao held a thick stack of contracts, his hands trembling.

"The East... the East family... more than 30,000 households!"

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have completed your first extravagant spending mission: spend 100,000 taels of dirty silver within four days.]

[Reward: 1 chance to view "Future Headlines"]

Gu Mingyue smiled with satisfaction.

In the distance, the window of a private room on the second floor of a restaurant on a street corner was half open.

A bodyguard dressed in plain clothes, disguised as a merchant, was writing furiously down every word Gu Mingyue said on paper.

After he finished writing, he rolled up the letter and stuffed it into a bamboo tube on the leg of a carrier pigeon.

The guard raised his hand and released the carrier pigeon.

The white doves soared into the sky and flew towards Kyoto.

Gu Mingli has to go to the palace to work tomorrow.

So the brother and sister decided to return to Kyoto that day.

The carriage swayed and rattled as it made its way onto the official road back to the capital.

The carriage was unlit, and twilight seeped in through the curtains, casting a half-light, half-shadow on their faces.

Gu Mingli leaned against the car wall, his arms crossed, his eyelids drooping.

After running around Jiangzhou all day, his frail scholarly physique had reached its limit.

Gu Mingyue, however, felt no sleepiness whatsoever.

She leaned against the cushion and raised her hand to make a gesture in front of her eyes.

The eerie blue screen of the "Extravagant System" popped up and hovered in the dimly lit carriage, emitting a faint, cold light.

[First task completed. Reward unlocked: 1 access to "Future Headlines". Use now?]

"Yes."

The screen flickered and began loading.

Gu Mingli, who had been keeping his eyes closed, opened them a crack at some point.

Upon seeing the screen, he sprang up as if propelled by a spring, his head almost touching Gu Mingyue's shoulder.

"What reward? Let me see."

Gu Mingli shifted two inches to the side, but stretched his neck even longer, staring intently at the dark blue virtual screen.

The screen flickered twice.

Loading complete.

A yellowed virtual newspaper slowly unfolds, its layout resembling the front page of a modern newspaper.

At the very top, a bolded title appears.

In the summer of the second year of the Dayong reign, an unknown respiratory infectious disease broke out in the capital. The Imperial Medical Academy was helpless, and countless people died or were injured in the city, which resembled a living hell!

The carriage was silent for a moment.

Gu Mingli's smile was still on his face, but his lips had frozen.

"...A respiratory infectious disease?"

Gu Mingyue didn't respond to him, and quickly slid her finger down.

The main text appears line by line.

In mid-June of the second year of the Dayong reign (1563), an unexplained illness first appeared in the southern part of the capital. Patients initially presented with persistent high fever, followed by severe coughing and wheezing, with blood in their sputum. The illness was rapidly progressing, and death could occur within three days. The Imperial Medical Academy initially diagnosed it as a seasonal cold and treated it with conventional herbal decoctions, but with little effect.

In late June, the epidemic spread rapidly throughout the city via droplets. Large numbers of people were infected, with hundreds dying daily. The city gates were sealed off, and businesses ceased operations. Corpses, unable to be buried in time, piled up for miles outside the city.

Gu Mingyue stopped.

She did not continue reading.

But Gu Mingli had already finished reading that section.

His face, illuminated by the blue light, appeared eerily pale.

"This is not a cold."

His voice suddenly became very serious, as if he were explaining a potentially fatal experimental statistic to his students in class.

"High fever, severe cough and wheezing, blood in sputum, droplet transmission, and death within three days—this is a highly pathogenic variant of influenza."

He paused for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"In ancient times, without any protective measures, the mortality rate was..."

He didn't say the number.

But Gu Mingyue noticed that his fingers, which were gripping his knees, were turning white at the knuckles.

She wasn't much better off herself.

In ancient times, disease outbreaks were a major problem!

Gu Mingyue's fingers hovered above the screen, trembling slightly. But she gritted her teeth and continued scrolling down.

The layout style changes abruptly in the second half of the text.

It is no longer a description of the epidemic, but a report on accountability.

The wording was icy, each word piercing to the heart.

During the height of the epidemic, Right Chancellor Gu Debai embezzled a huge sum of money earmarked for medicinal herbs, leaving many people without medicine and dying in the streets. The Emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation. The Gu family was stripped of their official titles and ranks, and in the autumn...

[The entire family was executed.]

The carriage ran over a protruding rock, and the carriage jolted violently.

The two of them spoke at the same time.

Holy crap!!!