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

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Cui Yuan then personally entered the palace to demonstrate his "sincerity."

He then immediately sent someone with the imperial pardon to the Dali Temple prison to bail out his second brother, Cui Ming.

When Cui Ming was secretly brought back to the Cui family's villa, no one in the entire Cui family dared to utter a sound.

The two brothers talked for a long time behind closed doors in the study of the other courtyard.

The servants outside, trembling with fear, could hear the crisp sounds of teacups and porcelain being smashed wildly inside, along with Cui Ming's furious roar of resentment.

"Why should we?! That's the foundation of the Cui family! We'll just rebel!!"

Much later.

The study door creaked open.

Cui Yuan walked out with his hands behind his back.

He had changed back into casual clothes, his expression calm.

"Have someone handle the handover."

He gave instructions to the butler who was standing at the bottom of the steps.

"All the craftsmen and workers from the six docks and two ironworks must be removed. The handover must be completed cleanly within three days, leaving no room for doubt."

Cui Yuan didn't look back at his younger brother even once, but only gave him a stern warning:

"This matter is settled; don't argue about it anymore!"

"Xiao Ye is not the former emperor who only knew how to be obsessed with elixirs."

"This young man is cunning and ruthless. We are currently in the open while he is in the shadows, making him extremely difficult to deal with."

"Besides, our Cui family also owns the largest grain business in Dayong. For now, we can only cut our losses and survive while we devise other plans!"

At this point, Cui Yuan paused, seemingly lost in thought.

"As for that... Pujitang that ruined our plans..."

"And then there's that eldest son of the Gu family, who uses his looks to please men..."

Cui Yuan slowly raised his head, looked at the ever-changing clouds above the capital, and snorted coldly.

"Do they really think that relying on the emperor's shady favoritism will guarantee their businesses long-term support?"

"This severe drought in the north is a foregone conclusion. Faced with natural disasters, even imperial power must yield!"

"This time, I'm going to teach these greenhorns a lesson and show them who the true patriarch of the Great Yong business world is!"

Cui Yuan flicked his sleeves, his eyes turning fierce.

"Hoarding and speculating will cut off their food supply! Then the fields will be littered with corpses of the starving."

"If the young emperor wants to quell public anger..."

"If he doesn't use the heads of the entire Gu family as a sacrifice, and doesn't personally kneel and beg the Cui family to open their granaries, then the world is just waiting to descend into complete chaos!"

……

On the opening day of the competition.

Early in the morning, before dawn, the open space outside the stadium was already crowded with people.

Horse-drawn carriages poured in from all directions, and the parking attendants at Pujitang guided them in an orderly manner.

The rickshaw drivers drove their rickshaws to watch the spectacle, while the street vendors squeezed into the gaps to sell melon seeds and plum juice.

Everywhere was bustling with people, lively and noisy.

Gu Mingli was standing in the locker room at the back of the field, changing his jersey.

It's called a sports uniform, but it's actually a set of narrow-sleeved short-sleeved shirt and tapered trousers that he designed himself.

The color chosen was indigo, with the Pujitang logo embroidered on the front and a number one cloth tag hanging on the back.

He raised his hand and tugged at his collar.

This fabric was specially made by him and the weaving workshop; it's a cotton-linen blend that's breathable and absorbent.

It is much lighter than ordinary brocade.

Pei Yu peeked half her head out from behind the curtain.

"Brother Gu, are you dressed yet?"

"alright."

Pei Yu suddenly lifted the curtain and came in.

He was also wearing the same standard indigo jersey today, with the number two tag hanging on his back.

Her hair was tied up high with a cloth strip, making her look neat and capable.

"Brother Gu, there are so many people outside! The stands are all full."

Pei Yu rubbed his palms together, clearly a little nervous.

"I just glanced at it, there must be at least twenty or thirty thousand people."

Gu Mingli fastened the wristband, flexed his wrist a couple of times, and raised an eyebrow with a smile.

"nervous?"

Pei Yu scratched his head and chuckled.

He didn't want to back down.

Gu Mingli raised his hand and patted his shoulder, his tone relaxed.

"Relax. Just treat it like you're playing casually on the field."

Pei Yu took a deep breath and nodded.

Hurried footsteps came from outside the curtain.

Lin Xi ran over and shouted, "Brother Gu! The arena tunnel is open, it's time to line up and enter!"

Gu Mingli adjusted his wristband and beckoned to the others.

"Go on stage!"

Today's competition is different from usual.

They usually come to train as a team, and the surrounding stands are always empty.

But the stands were already packed with people.

The noise of conversation was mixed with the occasional whistling.

Gu Mingli led the Pujitang team in single file through the west passage.

The moment he appeared in front of the stands, a huge uproar erupted from all directions.

"Look! It's the Pujitang team! I've bet on Pujitang to win this match!"

"I bet on the opposing Xiangzhou Shenjia team to win!"

As the Cuju team walked through the passageway in front of the stands.

Flower branches were tossed down from the audience, red, green, and pink.

Most of them are exquisite floral designs made of layers of silk and fabric.

These are support items provided by Jinhuafang for the match.

After one round of tossing, there are workers responsible for picking them up and tossing them again for the next round.

It's both environmentally friendly and economical.

The team will then tour the stadium to thank the audience.

Gu Mingli was used to this kind of scene and was not nervous at all.

Pei Yu followed behind him, her neck stiff and her head held high, looking very proud.

His ears and neck were just red.

As he passed a bleacher stand, a sachet was thrown at him.

Pei Yu instinctively reached out and caught it.

He tilted his head and saw that it was thrown by his grandfather, Pei Chongyue.

A group of people sat beside his grandfather... the entire Pei family had come to cheer him on!

The other young men in the team are no less impressive.

They were originally troublesome spoiled brats in their family, but they became the focus of their household after participating in this grand official Cuju (ancient Chinese football) tournament.

We received many sachets and flower branches along the way.

The main grandstand is located directly north of the stadium, where there is a separate, semi-open attic-style building.

Bright yellow tasseled banners hung from the eaves, and imperial guards in bright armor stood on both sides.

In the very center of the pavilion, Emperor Xiao Ye was already seated.

He was wearing a dark black casual suit today, with a dark gold leather belt around his waist.

He leaned back in the wide chair, looking relaxed.

But the imposing aura emanating from him, even from across half the arena, inspired awe.

Gu Mingyue sat to Xiao Ye's lower right.

Today she was wearing a moon-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), holding a plain-colored round fan in her hand, and was whispering something to the Prince of Qi beside her.

Today, Prince Qi, Xiao Jue, was dressed in a dark purple brocade robe, with his signature slight smile on his lips.

I haven't worked overtime in a long time, I'm so happy.

Xiao Ye's gaze followed the indigo-blue team slowly across the field.

Sunlight shone on someone's dashing and confident face.

The noble ladies in the front row of the stands each held two or three fabric flowers in their hands.

They just wait for their favorite team to pass by and then throw it down.

The young men in the back rows were not to be outdone, throwing sachets down one after another.

Xiao Ye looked down at the table in front of him.

A teacup, a fruit platter, and a plate of snacks.

Nothing else.

He tilted his head slightly.

"Why is there nothing to throw away before me?"

Eunuch Liu, who was waiting beside him, was speechless.

Geng Zhi, who was guarding the rear: "..."

The two of them turned to look at the two pots of jasmine flowers next to them.