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

The brother and sister returned to the guesthouse in the afternoon as the sun set.

As soon as I stepped through the moon gate in the front yard, before I could even brush off the dust from my clothes, the guards on duty rushed to greet me.

"Young Master Gu, Master, His Majesty has been waiting for you two in the main hall for quite some time, and he looks rather serious."

"What happened?"

Gu Mingli frowned slightly and subconsciously quickened his pace toward the main hall.

The guard shook his head and lowered his voice, saying, "I don't know, but a fast horse with an urgent mileage of 800 li has just arrived in the capital."

Gu Mingli and Gu Mingyue exchanged a glance, seemingly sensing something between them.

Most of the changes were caused by the disaster relief efforts in Jizhou.

The two immediately composed themselves and quickly walked towards the main hall.

The atmosphere in the main hall was somber.

Xiao Ye sat upright in the main seat, holding a gold-embossed memorial that had just been sent from the capital.

Eunuch Liu stood by and served, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"His Majesty."

Gu Mingyue and Gu Mingli walked in quickly and greeted each other.

"I heard there's been some trouble in the capital, but what went wrong with the follow-up arrangements for disaster relief?"

Xiao Ye raised his head upon hearing the sound, his deep eyes fixed on the two of them, and his tense expression relaxed slightly.

"You're back?"

He responded in a deep voice, then pushed the folding paper in his hand toward the edge of the table.

"Look, it's the Cui family that's causing this commotion."

Gu Mingli raised an eyebrow, strode to the desk, and picked up the memorial.

Gu Mingyue naturally moved closer, her gaze quickly sweeping over the tiny characters on the paper.

This memorial was actually written by their father, Gu Debai, who was far away in the capital.

The words above were sharp and incisive, revealing a clear and unyielding honesty.

Grain prices in Jiangnan have recently surged without warning, leading to shortages for grain merchants and panic among the people. The Ministry of Revenue's treasury is severely strained, and it is impossible to buy even a single shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain at the market at a reasonable price.

[Grain prices in Kyoto are also starting to rise, and many nobles are hoarding grain. Some in the court have suggested purchasing grain from Jiangnan at high prices to stabilize public sentiment. I find this absurd and have forcibly suppressed the matter.]

However, this was by no means accidental; the disaster situation in the North had just stabilized when someone undermined the situation from the rear.

[Your Majesty, shall we continue to yield? Or shall we negotiate with the Cui family to share the court equally?]

The brother and sister read it quickly, then exchanged a glance.

No wonder they have such an audacious father!

This memorial is written so that every word is aimed directly at the emperor's lungs.

If you didn't know better, you'd think this was some strict imperial tutor!

They dared to use such an unvarnished, almost interrogative tone to directly expose the barriers between powerful families and privileged individuals.

Gu Mingyue closed the folding book, raised her eyes and looked directly at the emperor at the head of the table, her eyes clear and bright.

"Your Majesty, everything is going according to plan. Some people are getting restless and have started to monopolize the grain supply."

"That's right. I've been holding back the matter in Ji Province because I'm waiting for the Cui family of Lingbo to make their move. Once they do, I'll have a reason to deal with them."

Xiao Ye sneered, raised his hand, and gestured for the two to sit down and talk.

Gu Mingyue settled into the armchair on the left and analyzed the situation carefully:

"The Cui family's ability to manipulate grain prices in Kyoto and Jiangnan on such a large scale this time shows they have enormous ambitions."

"They not only wanted to control the vital grain supply routes in the south and north, but also wanted to seize control of the Ministry of Revenue and further gain influence in the court."

Xiao Ye leaned back slightly in his chair, his expression calm.

"This is a game of business warfare combined with political maneuvering."

"Mr. Gu, you're an expert in business. What do you think should be done about this?"

Gu Mingyue raised her head and met the emperor's gaze directly.

"That depends on how big His Majesty's appetite is. Is he trying to intimidate us, or...?"

Xiao Ye's eyes turned completely cold, and a murderous intent flickered within them.

"If possible, I want to eliminate the Cui family this time in one fell swoop, to prevent future troubles!"

Upon hearing this, the brother and sister exchanged another glance.

Gu Mingyue nodded solemnly.

For a century, powerful clans have been draining the people's wealth. The Cui family, this rotten tumor, is indeed ready to be removed.

"The locust plague in the north has now been basically resolved. The people of Jizhou have received potato and sweet potato seeds distributed by our Pujitang, which has bought them at least one or two months, and there will be no famine in the short term."

Gu Mingyue's thinking was clear and her analysis was meticulous.

"As long as the north remains peaceful, the Cui family's leverage in threatening the imperial court with grain prices will not be as strong."

"Next..."

Gu Mingyue's red lips curved slightly, her confidence radiating excitement.

"Let's return to Beijing immediately and have a grain speculation war with the Cui family of Lingbo."

"From the moment the logistics hub was established, I knew that you and Mingli had already begun making plans."

A strong sense of interest flashed in Xiao Ye's eyes, and he leaned forward involuntarily.

Tell me in detail.

Gu Mingyue simply got up, walked to the table, picked up a wolf-hair brush dipped in thick ink, and quickly drew a simple diagram of grain price trends on the rice paper.

"The prerequisite for the Cui family to dominate the grain market is to go on a buying spree and hoard large quantities of grain in order to monopolize grain prices."

"The more they hoard, the more they can control grain prices. At the same time, the more real money they need to invest."

"What we need to do is find a way to get the Cui family to bet all their cash reserves."

Gu Mingyue's eyes were cunning as she quickly drew on the paper with her pen.

"I will handle the entire grain speculation matter."

"But how to cast the bait at the most opportune moment, and how to make the insatiable fish, the Cui family, take the bait tightly, depends on Your Majesty's ability to put on a show in court."

This is not a simple business battle, but a hunting game that perfectly blends power struggles and capital operations!

Xiao Ye listened quietly, looking at the still-wet ink on the blueprint in front of him, and already had a plan in mind.

They will use the court's feigned weakness as bait, and then use the strangulation tactics of the business world to close the net.

"Okay! Let's do it that way!"

Xiao Ye slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

"We're setting off back to Beijing tomorrow!"

……

That afternoon, the decisive Xiao Ye issued two imperial edicts, which resounded like thunder over Jizhou City.

The first imperial edict: Immediately dismiss Jia Zhengjing from his post as governor of Jizhou.

Because he was suspected of massive embezzlement and bribery and disregard for the lives of ordinary people, he was stripped of his official robes on the spot, detained and taken back to Beijing, and handed over to the Dali Temple for a full investigation.

At the same time, Lei Ting seized all of the Cui family's manors and banks in Jizhou because they colluded with the Northern Barbarians and betrayed their country to the enemy.

The person in charge, Cui Zhe, was directly detained pending trial and executed in the autumn.

The second imperial edict: Zhao Pucheng, the magistrate of Anyang County, was promoted to temporarily serve as the governor of Jizhou, in charge of the post-disaster reconstruction and all government affairs of Jizhou.

After the disaster has completely subsided, rewards and formal appointments will be made based on merit.

The two imperial edicts immediately stirred up the previously lifeless city of Jizhou.

Countless people spread the news, and cheers and applause filled the streets and alleys. Some were even so excited that they burst into tears in the streets.

Corrupt officials are brought to justice, unscrupulous businessmen have their homes confiscated, and honest officials are promoted!

Justice will prevail, and retribution will be swift.

Today's Great Yong is no longer the Great Yong where powerful clans and aristocratic families held sway!

The current emperor has finally declared war on the powerful Cui family, and a tough battle is about to begin.