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

Gu Mingli frowned and thought for a moment.

"Rescue someone from the Hanlin Academy?"

"no."

Gu Mingyue shook her head.

"Of those people in the Hanlin Academy, eight out of ten were pushed up by powerful clans. The remaining two are opportunists. Using them is like showing the Cui family our hand."

"What about...the academy?"

"Academies are even worse. The major academies in the capital are full of scions of aristocratic families."

Gu Mingli stroked his chin, lost in thought.

"So what we need are... scholars from humble backgrounds who have no connection with powerful families."

"right."

Gu Mingyue put down her pen, her eyes lighting up.

"And ideally, they should be talented but unsuccessful. Such people naturally harbor resentment towards powerful families and will naturally be on our side."

At this point, Gu Mingyue suddenly remembered something.

"Brother, do you still remember what Zhou Peiyuan, the magistrate of Qingshui County, said in Peach Blossom Spring, Jiangzhou?"

Gu Mingli blinked and quickly realized what was happening.

"You mean... Father used to sponsor poor scholars?"

"right."

Gu Mingyue stood up and paced around the room a couple of times.

"At that time, the magistrate of Qingshui County said that he was also our father's student. Our father secretly sponsored the education of many children from poor families. Those people were extremely grateful to our father."

Gu Mingli slapped his thigh.

"Isn't this a readily available resource? After we get back to Beijing, let's ask Dad if he has any spare people under him."

Gu Mingyue nodded.

"And what about journalists? They need to be able to dig up news and dare to expose it without fear of being held accountable..."

At this point, she seemed to remember something and turned to look at Yi Wu and Yi Shi, who were on duty outside the door.

"I think the secret agents of the Control Yuan and the shadow guards of the Shadow Guard Camp are very capable, and they are very good at reporting on others."

Gu Mingyue looked at Gu Mingli with a smile.

"So, could you please ask my two powerful brothers if they could help me sort this out?"

Gu Mingli: "..."

Sending the Shadow Guards and top imperial bodyguards from the Censorate to be paparazzi?!

How could he possibly bring this up with Xiao Ye?

……

The convoy resumed its journey the following morning.

Gu Mingli started preparing his words while eating breakfast, but once he got into the carriage, he was scratching his head in frustration.

Xiao Ye was resting with his eyes closed on the soft cushion when he heard the noise and slowly opened them.

"What's wrong? Is there something you need to say?"

Gu Mingli moved to the side and sat down, then coughed lightly.

"Your Majesty, I have an idea."

Tell me about it.

"That's right... our grain speculation war is about to begin. The Cui family is incredibly adept at spreading rumors. We have to be on guard."

Xiao Ye nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

Gu Mingli straightened his back, trying his best to look like a proper subject reporting his work.

"Therefore, I discussed a plan with Mingyue: to start a newspaper for all the people of the world."

"Use Pujitang's channels to spread the truth. Cover all the prefectures of Dayong first."

Xiao Ye's phoenix eyes lit up slightly.

"newspaper?"

"Yes. It means printing all the imperial edicts, news about people's livelihoods, and local news on paper and distributing them in bulk."

When Gu Mingli got excited, he started gesturing with his hands.

"I can lead people to make papermaking equipment and printing presses, and we can start production as soon as we return to the capital."

Xiao Ye found the idea intriguing and nodded in agreement.

"Good idea. But how should the content be designed?"

That's a great question!

Gu Mingli rubbed his hands together and whispered:

"Your Majesty wishes to borrow Your Majesty's secret agents or shadow guards."

The carriage was silent for two seconds.

Xiao Ye stared intently at Gu Mingli.

"You want my imperial guards... to dig up gossip from the streets for you?"

Gu Mingli quickly waved his hand.

"Not all of them! Just a small portion! Those guys are incredibly skilled at stalking and surveillance, and their intelligence gathering abilities are top-notch. Aren't they born journalists?"

Xiao Ye: "..."

Seeing that the emperor did not refuse on the spot, Gu Mingli immediately seized the opportunity and took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it over.

The above is a staffing plan for the newspaper, written by Gu Mingyue overnight.

"Your Majesty, you see, the Censorate only needs to send ten people. They will be responsible for collecting information from various places and verifying its authenticity. They don't need to do the writing work; Mingyue will find someone else for that."

Xiao Ye took the paper, glanced at it, and then looked at Gu Mingli sideways.

"Gu Mingli".

"Um?"

"You really know how to take advantage of people."

Gu Mingli grinned and chuckled.

"It's about making the best use of everyone's talents."

A moment later, Gu Mingli slipped into Gu Mingyue's carriage in the back.

"Bright moon!"

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Gu Mingli climbed in, slamming a black iron token in front of Gu Mingyue.

"Look what this is!"

Gu Mingyue was making a trading plan with a pen and paper when she was suddenly startled by her brother.

"This is……"

She looked down and recognized the seal script on the token.

The ledger in his hand slammed shut.

"This is... a transfer order from the Control Yuan?!"

Gu Mingyue picked it up and examined the coiled dragon pattern on the back, her pupils dilating slightly.

The Censorate was a unit directly under the Emperor's administration, and previously only Prince Qi had been able to obtain the Censorate's token.

Now, the emperor has given her brother a piece so easily?

Gu Mingli crossed his legs smugly.

"Employees of 30 or fewer can be transferred voluntarily."

Gu Mingyue couldn't suppress the smile on her lips, and she leaned back in her chair, her eyes crinkling with joy.

"With this, the newspaper's operations will save at least three months of adjustment period. The Control Yuan already has an intelligence network, which can be directly integrated into the newspaper's distribution channels, making things much more efficient."

Gu Mingyue happily stuffed the token into her brother's hand.

"Brother, after we get back to Beijing, I need to figure out how to deal with the grain speculators. I'll leave the newspaper to you."

Gu Mingli patted his chest.

"Don't worry, your second brother and I have already discussed it. This time, we'll publish the newspaper in the name of the imperial court to avoid any trouble from powerful clans."

"When I get back, I will take the Ministry of Works to select sites and build paper mills, printing plants, and newspaper offices."

"The blueprints are ready. If we find a reliable carpenter or blacksmith to work with, we can produce the first prototype in as little as seven days."

Gu Mingyue silently calculated in her mind.

"I'm handling the process on my end, and the announcement will be released in ten days."

"By the way, what's the newspaper's name? It needs to be catchy."

Gu Mingli had already thought it through and blurted it out.

"Let's call it the 'Da Yong Min Bao' (Da Yong People's Daily)."

It's simple, straightforward, and clearly made for ordinary people.

Gu Mingli clicked his tongue, thinking that although the name didn't have any fancy gimmicks, it was down-to-earth.

The storyteller in the teahouse reads his tales without making people feel superior.

"Okay, it's settled then."

……

The group arrived in the capital the following evening.

The black-armored cavalry of the Dragon Scale Guard dispersed outside the city gate, and the imperial carriage entered the palace through the Donghua Gate.

The Gu siblings' carriage then turned onto the long bluestone street leading to the Prime Minister's residence.

As dusk settled over the rooftops of Kyoto, wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys of every house.

Gu Mingyue lifted the carriage curtain and glanced outside.

The two large red lanterns at the entrance of the Prime Minister's residence were already lit, their dim yellow light reflecting off the vermilion gate.

There was a person standing at the door.

With a round, plump figure, wearing a dark blue casual brocade robe, he stood with his hands behind his back, craning his neck to look towards the street corner.

It was their father, Gu Debai.

The brother and sister exchanged a glance.

They returned from their trip with many questions, and they wanted to ask their father to answer them one by one.