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

into the night.

The imperial study was brightly lit by candlelight, and a stack of memorials half a person high was piled on the desk.

After Xiao Ye finished grading the last book, he put down his vermilion pen and pinched the bridge of his nose.

The eunuch Liu An, who was behind him, waited for a long time with ginseng soup, but did not dare to step forward.

"Your Majesty, the Hanlin scholar on duty tonight is... that one..."

"Let him in."

Xiao Ye spoke up before Liu An could even say his name.

His tone was flat, as if he were saying something that was taken for granted.

Liu An responded with a "Yes," and went to inform the others.

Only after stepping outside the threshold did he allow the flesh on his face to twitch.

Liu An had a deep memory of Gu Mingli.

That's a man who dared to climb directly into the emperor's bed!

……

Gu Mingli stood outside the Imperial Study, clutching his sleeves, his palms sweaty.

The system panel flashed before my eyes.

[Current Task: Talent Showcase - Perform a dance for the Emperor]

[Mission Requirement: Amaze the Emperor]

[Remaining time: 6 days and 14 hours]

Six days. That's enough time.

But the problem is he has to jump now.

Because after the dance, while the emperor was "amazed" by his performance and praising it highly.

He could then submit a memorial requesting permission to go to Jiangzhou to manage the floods.

His sister said that people are most likely to agree to things when they are most confused.

Gu Mingli took a deep breath.

He looked down at himself, in his blue official robe as a seventh-rank Hanlin compiler, and the Hanlin Academy badge hanging at his waist.

He was a standard, honest, and upright scholar.

Gu Mingli closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

It's okay! Between a brain and a face, a brain is more important!

When he opened his eyes again, his face was full of determination.

Eunuch Liu, who served the emperor, strode out the door.

"Please come in, sir."

Liu An gestured for him to enter from the doorway.

Gu Mingli bowed in thanks and stepped into the Imperial Study.

Xiao Ye was taking a sip of ginseng soup when he looked up at him.

His gaze was indifferent, devoid of any emotion.

But compared to the murderous intent of "drag him out and beat him to death" when they first met, it was much milder.

At least... I know him now.

"Your subject, Gu Mingli, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Gu Mingli bowed deeply.

Xiao Ye put down the ginseng soup, leaned back in his chair, looked up at him, and spoke casually.

"What secret manual has been prepared tonight? The Ling Canal? Or a sequel to the Zheng Guo Canal?"

This clearly shows that they took his previous theories as mere folk tales.

Gu Mingli stood still, instead of walking directly to the desk and sitting down as usual.

His hands clenched and unclenched inside his sleeves.

"Your Majesty, I will not reveal any secrets tonight."

Xiao Ye paused for a moment while holding the soup bowl.

"Oh?"

"Your Majesty, I have something I wish to present to you."

Xiao Ye raised his eyebrows slightly. "Bring it here."

Liu An quickly stepped forward, preparing to take the memorial from Gu Mingli's hands.

However, Gu Mingli did not take out the memorial.

He took a deep breath.

Then, I rolled up my sleeves two inches.

Xiao Ye's gaze fell on his action, and his brows furrowed slightly.

The Imperial Study was very quiet.

Four eunuchs on night duty stood in the corner, eyes downcast. Even Geng Zhi, the shadow guard commander hidden in the shadows, couldn't help but feel a throbbing in his brow upon seeing the newcomer.

He silently raised his hand and placed it on the hilt of his sword, his gaze fixed on Gu Mingli.

next moment.

Gu Mingli made a move.

He straightened his official robes and walked to the open space in the center of the imperial study.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Let your arms hang naturally at your sides.

Then he spoke.

"Like a seaweed, seaweed, seaweed, swaying with the waves, swaying, swaying, swaying."

The sound wasn't loud.

But the intonation was very accurate, and every word was pronounced exceptionally clearly, as if reciting an important academic paper abstract.

At the same time, his arms began to swing from side to side.

The movements are small in amplitude and extremely stable in frequency.

From the waist up, the whole person is like a reed bent by the wind, moving left, right, left, right.

Mechanical, rigid, and devoid of any aesthetic appeal.

But... its strength lies in its diligence.

Gu Mingli's expression was unusually serious.

His brows were slightly furrowed and his lips were tightly pressed together, as if he were performing a highly difficult and precise experimental operation.

With each swing of his arm, he would slightly adjust the angle, striving to achieve the optimal arc.

Liu An was so shocked that his mouth dropped open, and the whisk in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter".

The four eunuchs on night duty were all petrified.

Geng Zhi frowned in disbelief, his hand on the sword hilt loosened, then tightened, then loosened again.

He wavered back and forth between "should I draw my sword and kill him?" and "should I leave him with a whole corpse?"

Xiao Ye watched quietly, the ginseng soup bowl in his hand suspended in mid-air, motionless.

The rising steam blurred his vision.

But his eyes were fixed on the seventh-rank Hanlin compiler in the very center of the Imperial Study, who was swaying back and forth.

Gu Mingli continued singing.

"Seaweed, seaweed, dancing in the waves,"

Seeing the emperor's serious appreciation, he was most likely satisfied with the dance.

Therefore, the swing amplitude was increased.

He raised his arms from his sides to shoulder height, his fingers slightly spread, like two pieces of seaweed swaying with the current.

At the same time, he began to twist his waist.

The range of motion is small, and the rhythm is completely out of sync with the arm movements.

When your upper body leans to the left, your waist leans to the right.

When the upper body leans to the right, the waist... also leans to the right.

The whole person is like a machine with misaligned gears; every part is moving, but none of them are on the same frequency.

Yet, his face still held that scholarly focus and seriousness.

The Imperial Study was completely silent.

Everyone's brains shut down simultaneously.

Xiao Ye finally put down the bowl of ginseng soup.

The bottom of the bowl tapped softly on the table.

The expression on his face was indescribable.

Gu Mingli's swing amplitude immediately decreased by 30%, but did not stop.

Because the system task completion progress bar is not yet full.

[Current task completion rate: 80%...90%...]

Gu Mingli could only continue swaying, secretly observing the emperor's expression as he did so.

"Seaweed, seaweed,"

[Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing this palace intrigue mission: Perform a stunning dance for the emperor.]

[Affection level change: +5]

Current favorability rating: -570

[Reward Received: 1 Secret Manual]

"stop."

Xiao Ye's voice came coldly.

Gu Mingli's arm froze in mid-air, still in a rightward swing position, and the movement came to an abrupt halt.

Xiao Ye stared at him for a moment.

Then, she raised her hand and pinched her brow.

"Gu, you'd better have received guidance from an immortal."

The voice was cold.

It exudes a somber weariness, and a sense of vicissitude, as if asking, "What sins have I committed in this life?"

Gu Mingli slowly lowered his arm, his expression returning to its normal restraint.

"Your Majesty, it was indeed guidance from an immortal."

Xiao Ye's temple throbbed.

"The immortal allowed you to sway back and forth in my imperial study?"

"Return to Your Majesty,"

Gu Mingli pulled out a folded paper that he had prepared in advance from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.

"The immortal said, 'Let me first demonstrate to Your Majesty the movement of seaweed in the water. This will lead to the principle of water management: we must follow the natural flow and not forcefully resist it.'"

He paused for a moment, and after confirming that the emperor had not shouted "drag him out and beat him to death," he immediately pressed his advantage.

"I request to lead the Ministry of Works to Jiangzhou to address the flooding on-site."