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

The next morning.

Before dawn, a wide-body carriage with curtains on all four sides was already parked next to the stone lions outside the Gu family mansion gate.

The carriage was covered with three layers of thick mattresses, and the curtains were completely drawn to block out the light.

Twelve fully armed Imperial Guards stood in two rows at the entrance.

Gu Mingli was yawning as his father dragged him out of the gate.

His face had a resentful look of not having slept well, and his eyelids were still sticking together.

He was wearing a newly issued fourth-rank official robe, with his belt tied crookedly.

"Father, aren't you riding in the same carriage as me?"

Gu Debai smiled and waved his hand.

"No, I won't sit. Father has his own carriage. Now that you've taken over the Ministry of Works, it's perfect for you to play. Don't overwork yourself, just have fun."

Gu Mingli groggily hummed in agreement and crawled into the carriage.

The person lay down on the mattress and closed their eyes the instant the curtain fell.

Yi Shi swiftly sat on the carriage shaft.

At the command of the Imperial Guard captain, the sound of horses' hooves thundered.

The procession headed towards the palace.

5:00 AM (卯时).

Civil and military officials lined up on both sides of the Golden Palace.

Gu Mingli stood in the third row of the civil officials' queue, a fourth-rank position.

He was preceded by the Vice Minister of Revenue and the Vice Minister of Rites, and followed by several censors.

The content of the morning court session was incredibly boring.

The Ministry of Rites is discussing the sacrificial procedures for the Autumn Sacrifice.

The Ministry of Revenue reported on the tax revenue collection from various northern prefectures.

The Censorate repeatedly impeached a local magistrate for disregarding the imperial order.

Gu Mingli stood there, his eyelids tingling. He secretly pinched himself in his sleeve to keep from dozing off.

The court session finally adjourned.

Gu Mingli was about to sneak back to the Ministry of Works when he was stopped by a young eunuch.

"Lord Gu, His Majesty requests your presence in the Imperial Study."

Gu Mingli sighed.

Inside the Imperial Study.

Xiao Ye was flipping through a book of memorials.

Gu Mingli entered the room, bowed, and then walked straight to his sandalwood desk.

"Does the Ministry of Works have enough manpower?" Xiao Ye asked.

Gu Mingli sat down casually.

"Not enough. Fifty-five of the sixty-seven chairs are empty. I wish I could split myself into eight pieces to use them all."

Xiao Ye didn't look up.

"I have already asked Pei Chongyue, the Minister of Personnel, to draft a list of candidates. Take a look and see if there are any suitable candidates."

Liu An handed over a folded paper.

Gu Mingli took it and glanced at it.

The list contains more than thirty people, most of whom are local officials recommended by prefectural and state governments.

His sister once said that the Pei family is now dependent on the Gu family.

Therefore, the list provided by the Pei family should be fine.

He looked through the resumes one by one and circled seven of the names with charcoal.

"Keep these few with a craftsman's background. We'll decide about the others after I've finished my assessment."

Xiao Ye hummed in agreement, offering no objection.

"How's your sister's competition preparation going?"

Gu Mingli casually flipped through the documents on the table.

"Today we're releasing the GG business recruitment rankings."

Xiao Ye paused slightly, put down his pen, and looked up.

What is GG?

Meanwhile, in the logistics park's office building.

Gu Mingyue sat behind the desk.

A large sheet of paper was spread out in front of them, covered with dense numbers and categories.

Wen Yanzhi stood opposite her and accepted a stack of silver notes with both hands.

Thirty-three thousand taels.

Used for settling accommodation expenses during the entire competition period.

The operating funds for the imperial palace and the Orange Red Manor are three thousand taels.

"Manager Wen, please exchange all this money for small change today for easy settlement."

"Yes, boss."

Wen Yanzhi carefully put away the silver notes, turned around, and quickly left the house.

Gu Mingyue watched his figure disappear through the door, then glanced down at the investment promotion plan she had prepared long ago.

The document lists three sponsorship tiers:

Title Sponsor: 1 slot, 20 taels, 1-year term. Title sponsorship of the competition, including a prime location in the logistics park and the central area of ​​the competition venue.

Exclusive to merchants: 30 slots, 3 taels each. Exclusive operating rights within the venue for: beverages, snacks, souvenirs, medicinal herbs, silks, competition commemorative items, etc.

Ordinary businesses operating on construction fences: 100 slots, 1 taels each. The business name will be displayed on the fences surrounding the competition venue. Valid for one year.

She reviewed the plan one last time and confirmed that it was correct.

Then he got up and walked to the window.

Sure enough, Yi Wu was squatting in the corner by the window again.

"One Five".

"Um?"

Yi Wu looked up at her.

Gu Mingyue handed over a piece of paper with the requirements written on it.

"Ten slogans for investment promotion."

Yi Wu: (╥╯﹏╰╥)ง

After a cup of tea, I handed in my assignment.

Gu Mingyue unfolded the document and saw that Yi Wu's performance was still stable.

The success of your shop depends on how many people know about you!

[A stadium with 30,000 people! All you need is a sign!]

With so many businesses in the capital, whoever steps up first will reap the rewards!

The auction will be held in three days! Limited spots available! Hesitation means loss!

Want to expand your business to both southern and northern China? Don't miss this opportunity!

Only twenty exclusive seats left for in-person guests! Hurry up and you'll miss out!

I heard the tea shops in the east of the city are already raising funds. Are you still hesitating?

[There's only one naming rights available! Whoever gets it will have the most prestigious brand in the entire Great Yong Dynasty!]

Your rival has already registered behind your back; their business is about to expand beyond Kyoto and become famous worldwide!

After reading it, Gu Mingyue couldn't help but click her tongue in admiration, completely satisfied.

That afternoon.

Investment notices were posted all over Beijing.

From Zhuque Street to the entrance of Dongshifang, from the teahouse in the south city to the cloth shop in the north city.

Wherever there are shops, a notice with white background and black lettering will appear on the wall.

At the entrance of the logistics park, a wooden board about half a person's height has been erected. It reads:

[Open Bidding for the First Cuju Tournament of the Dayong Dynasty]

[Two days from now, at Chenshi (7-9 AM), the highest bidder wins the Cuju (ancient Chinese football) match!]

Merchants and shopkeepers passing by stopped to watch.

The news spread like wildfire, reaching every business district in Beijing within an afternoon.

evening.

In a restaurant on South Street in Kyoto, there is a sign that reads "Juxianlou".

A dozen or so people sat around a black lacquered octagonal table.

There were a dozen or so cold dishes and a pot of warm wine on the table, but no one touched their chopsticks.

Among those present were Qian Fugui, the owner of "Jinhualou," the largest silk shop in the east of the city; Sun Maocai, the owner of "Cuifenghao," a long-established tea shop in the south of the city; and Zhou Fuhai, the manager of "Renhetang," the largest pharmacy in the north of the city.

There are also the owners of several restaurants, cloth shops, and porcelain shops.

They were all well-known and prestigious businesses in the capital.

They were all allies who had done business with the Cui family over the years.

Qian Fugui was the oldest, in his early fifties, with a pair of shrewd, narrow eyes.

He spoke first.

"You have all probably seen the notice."

Everyone nodded.

Mr. Liu, the owner of "Ruifeng Grain Store" next door, frowned as he spoke.

"What is a 'GG space'? It's just hanging a sign on their Pujitang's premises."

"That's not how you say it."

Sun Maocai, the owner of the "Cuifenghao" tea shop, shook his head slightly.

"I sent someone to check out the logistics park. The daily foot traffic has indeed exceeded 10,000. In addition, with the start of the Cuju tournament, people from all over the country will flock in."

"Those are the powerful and influential figures from all the prefectures and counties of the Great Yong Dynasty. If we could do business with them..."

Everyone knew perfectly well that their businesses would double in profits.

Qian Fugui certainly knew this was a good opportunity.

It was precisely because he knew this that he found it troublesome.

He looked around at the business owners present.

"We've followed the Cui family for so many years. Even though Second Master Cui is now in jail, the Cui family hasn't fallen."

Qian Fugui stroked the goatee on his chin.

"News from Lingzhou indicates that Duke Cui is already on his way. The Cui family is a century-old clan with deep roots."

Their methods were also quite ruthless.

The people at the table exchanged glances.

Qian Fugui said, "What I mean is, let's keep a straight line. We're not going to this auction."

"Pujitang is just a small, insignificant family. How could it possibly compete with the Cui family? It's impossible for them to cause any trouble."