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

When the carriage arrived at the Prime Minister's residence, it was nearly dusk.

Gu Mingyue jumped out of the car and walked straight to the east courtyard.

The lights were on in Gu Mingli's study.

She pushed open the door and went in, and saw her brother slumped over his desk, with more than a dozen sheets of paper of different sizes spread out in front of him.

Some were only half-finished, some had their corners smeared with ink, and some were simply crumpled up and thrown aside.

Gu Mingli heard the door open and looked up.

There was an ink mark on his left cheek, obviously from when he was lying down.

"Brother," Gu Mingyue pulled up a chair and sat down opposite him, "how's the spinning wheel blueprint coming along?"

"The basic framework is out."

Gu Mingli rubbed his neck and pulled out the top piece of paper, handing it to her.

"The three-spindle foot-operated spinning wheel has a transmission ratio that I've recalculated; its efficiency is at least three times that of existing spinning wheels. It's mainly used for spinning cotton yarn."

Gu Mingyue took it and looked at it.

She couldn't understand the mechanical parameters marked on the drawings, but the structure on the drawings was clear and concise, and each part was marked with its dimensions and material.

"Can it be made?"

"The blueprints are fine. Find a skilled carpenter, and a prototype can be produced in three to five days."

Gu Mingli stretched, his joints cracking.

"This thing isn't expensive. The cost of a spinning wheel is at most two taels of silver."

Gu Mingyue put the blueprints back on the table.

"I'll have someone take it to a craftsman to order tomorrow."

She took a folded piece of paper from her sleeve, unfolded it, and laid it between the two of them.

The text was densely covered with writing, divided into several sections separated by ink lines.

"Brother, come to the meeting."

Gu Mingli glanced at the paper and sat up straight as if by reflex.

The brother and sister have bumped heads at this desk far too many times.

Every time the moonlight shines and says "meeting," it means that you can't move for at least half an hour.

Gu Mingyue tapped the table, her expression solemn, exuding the aura of a female CEO.

"The second working meeting of the management team is now beginning."

"Let me first tell you about my progress."

"The Orange Peel Business Unit has officially started operations. The eight process groups completed the first round of procedures today, and the grassroots leadership team has been appointed. Shi Buji is a meticulous, perfectionist, and highly responsible person, so he will be in charge of the overall management."

"With the accounting in place and the management framework in place, there shouldn't be any major problems with the team remaining stable during the early stages of production."

She looked up at Gu Mingli, "What about you?"

Gu Ming cleared his throat, unusually serious for once.

"The matter with the Ministry of Works has been settled. Three hundred craftsmen have been allocated and are now ready to depart tomorrow."

Gu Mingyue nodded and made a note on the paper.

"Alright. As for the funding, I've already received the 100,000 taels from Father. How much is needed for the flood control in Jiangzhou?"

"The document states a total allocation of 300,000 taels of silver, of which 100,000 was embezzled by our father. There should still be 200,000 left... right?"

Gu Mingyue tapped her fingertips on the table thoughtfully, "Brother, you're asking me to redo the budget for this flood control project. How much silver do you estimate it will cost?"

Gu Mingli counted on his fingers, "The cost of craftsmen's wages, material purchases, transportation losses, and on-site meals... I conservatively estimate it to be between 150,000 and 200,000."

"Then I'll set aside 30,000 for you as a reserve. I'll use that money once your project is confirmed to be without problems."

Gu Mingyue was decisive and efficient.

"I'll use the remaining 70,000 to start cotton spinning and mask workshops, plus resettlement for disaster victims, and raising ducks will be enough to sustain me for a while."

Gu Mingli nodded.

After the two finished checking the accounts, Gu Mingyue reached out and swiped on the system panel.

"By the way, did you claim your reward for dancing?"

Gu Mingli slapped his forehead.

"I almost forgot."

He raised his hand and made a gesture, and a pink light screen popped up in front of him.

The brother and sister huddled together to watch.

[Congratulations, host, on completing the "Talent Showcase" mission! Please choose one of the following three options to redeem:]

[A. "A Glance Back with Affection: A Beginner's Guide to Eye Contact"]

[B. "The Guide to Blending Aromatherapy for Bedtime Use: Soothing and Sleep-Aiding Section"]

[C. Intelligent Navigation Map]

Gu Mingli stared at the first two options, his expression blank.

He glanced at Gu Mingyue.

"Do you think this system was specifically created to humiliate me?"

Gu Mingyue glanced back and forth between A and B twice, then covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"A tender glance back... Beginner level..."

Gu Mingli pointed to C with a blank expression.

[Redeem successful! You have received: Smart Navigation Map]

The screen flickered, the pink hue faded, and a three-dimensional map unfolded in its place.

The two of them were stunned at the same time.

The map floated in mid-air, covering an area of ​​300 li around Kyoto.

Mountains, rivers, official roads, and narrow paths are all clearly marked with fine lines.

Gu Mingyue reached out and tried to push it south.

The map slid in response, and the terrain of Jiangzhou slowly unfolded.

The course of the river, the distribution of its tributaries, the location of the lakes, and even the depth of the water are all marked with different colors.

Light blue indicates shallow water areas, dark blue indicates deep water areas, and brown indicates severely silted river sections.

Gu Mingli's eyes lit up instantly.

He leaned closer to the map, hovering his finger over the bend in the road near Jiangzhou, gesturing back and forth.

"Hey! This map is great!"

"There are even geological layer markings here? Clay layer, gravel layer, bedrock... Good heavens, they even have soil moisture content markings?"

"It's immediately clear which section of the river embankment has sufficient bearing capacity and which section is prone to leakage."

Gu Mingyue also noticed several small icons in the upper right corner of the map.

She pointed to the cloud-shaped one.

A line of text appeared: [Weather forecast for the next three days: Sunny turning partly cloudy, southeast wind at level 2, no precipitation.]

Then click the carriage icon next to it.

[Kyoto to Jiangzhou official road: Smooth. Estimated journey time: 1.5 days. South city ferry crossing: Congested, detour recommended.]

"Are there any traffic congestion issues?" Gu Mingyue raised an eyebrow.

The brother and sister exchanged a glance, their faces filled with surprise and delight.

Continue browsing the map.

The amount of information is astonishing, including mineral deposit distribution, vegetation coverage, and recommendations for suitable crops in various regions.

Gu Mingli turned off the map, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Alright, keep the good stuff for now. This will make flood control much easier."

As soon as he finished speaking, the system screen in front of him flashed again.

Pink bubbles burst across the screen again, accompanied by a cheerful notification sound.

[Ding! New mission issued!]

[Mission Objective: Present the Emperor with a personally prepared birthday gift in one month for his birthday.]

[Task Reward: Affection +10]

[Completion Deadline: 30 days]

[Failure Penalty: -500 Affection Points]

Gu Mingyue craned her neck to read the mission description, her expression surprisingly calm.

"Congratulations, bro, you don't need to be castrated this time!"

Her brother rolled his eyes speechlessly and pointed to a tiny line of notes at the very bottom.

[When the favorability rating reaches -1000, the character will be beaten to death.]

Gu Mingyue turned her head to look at her brother, "Do you still have -570?"

Gu Mingli nodded, "So if the mission fails, another 500 will be deducted, making it -1070."

"He will be beaten to death."

"..."