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

Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, Gu Debai jogged over, his eyes crinkling into slits with a broad smile.

"Oh, you're back! My darling daughter and son must have had a long journey!"

Gu Mingli jumped out of the car first and greeted them with a smile.

"father!"

"Hey, I heard you did a good job on the job."

Gu Debai patted his son on the shoulder with great pride.

Gu Mingyue stepped down onto a stool, but before she could stand still, her father put his arm around her shoulder.

"Oh, Yue'er, are you tired from the journey? Have you lost weight? Let Daddy see."

Gu Debai pulled his daughter over and over to look at it.

"You've gotten so tanned! You've gotten so tanned! The sun is scorching in Jizhou, your father told you to bring sun hats."

Gu Mingyue was pulled around several times by him, which was both heartwarming and funny.

"Dad, we're not going on a spring outing, we're here for disaster relief."

"Even when providing disaster relief, you have to take care of your own health."

Gu Debai muttered to himself as he led his two children toward the mansion without stopping.

The table in the main hall was already laden with dishes.

Braised pork knuckle, steamed sea bass, sweet and sour pork ribs, crab meat lion's head meatballs, and a pot of old duck soup.

(The author was lazy and didn't look for new recipes, so they dug out Gu's home-style recipes and continued to use ๑乛◡乛๑)

Gu Mingyue sat down, smelled the aroma of the old duck soup, and her stomach rumbled in response.

Gu Debai diligently picked up a soup ladle and first served a bowl to his daughter. Then he served a bowl to his son.

"Have some soup to fill your stomach first."

Gu Mingli picked up the bowl, took a sip, and squinted his eyes.

This soup is simmered in an earthenware pot. The broth is thick and rich, and when you drink it, a warm sensation slides from your throat to your stomach.

It tasted much better than the food at the roadside inns.

The three people sat around a round table.

There were no outsiders, and no servants to wait on them.

Gu Debai smiled and served food to his children himself, repeatedly saying, "Come on, eat more."

Gu Mingyue ate a few bites of fish, put down her chopsticks, and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.

"Father, I want to tell you about what happened in Jizhou this time."

Gu Debai took a sip of wine and nodded vaguely.

"Okay, go ahead and say it."

"The two hundred thousand taels of silver you gave me have all been spent."

Gu Debai was not surprised; a glint of light flashed in his phoenix eyes.

"Oh? What were they used for?"

Gu Mingyue gave a detailed report.

"I opened the Pujitang trading company in Jizhou and hired the owners of the Longmen Inn outside the pass, a husband and wife, to be the branch managers. I built a granary, a brewery, and a pesticide workshop."

"In addition, we also got to know the Cold Abyss Alliance. We discussed cooperation with the Cold Abyss Alliance and recruited talents to join Puji Hall."

At this point, Gu Mingyue turned her head and looked at her father with innocent eyes.

"Father, do you know anyone from the Cold Abyss Alliance? I've heard that many of their members are craftsmen from the previous dynasty."

Gu Debai stopped picking up food and stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"What! You actually know the artisans of the Great Qi?!"

Gu Mingyue and Gu Mingli exchanged a glance at their father's surprised expression.

Judging from his father's reaction, either he really didn't know the Cold Abyss Alliance, or his acting skills were too superb.

Gu Mingli tentatively asked, "Father, with your extensive network, don't you know anyone from the Cold Abyss Alliance?"

Gu Debai shook his head with a frank expression.

"My father is an official in the imperial court, while the Cold Abyss Alliance is a martial arts force. They have absolutely no connection."

"but……"

At this point, Gu Debai poured himself another glass of wine and drank it by himself.

"Now that my daughter has partnered with them, I need to find out more about them as soon as possible! I can't let my daughter suffer any losses."

The brother and sister exchanged a secret glance.

They watched their father's every frown and smile, seeing the genuine concern a father should have for his children.

There was no attempt to conceal anything, which only made it harder to tell what was real and what was fake.

Seeing this, Gu Mingyue knew she couldn't get any information out of him, so she simply changed the subject.

"father."

"Um?"

"We've visited the old house in Anyang."

Gu Debai's hand holding the wine glass trembled slightly, then he smiled bitterly, tilted his head back and drank the wine in the glass.

She raised an eyebrow and looked up at her daughter.

"Hmm. Do you see the pomegranate tree?"

Gu Mingyue nodded.

"I see it. It has a lot of fruit."

Gu Debai looked at the night outside the door and sighed softly.

"Your mother loved that tree the most. She said pomegranates bring many children and good fortune."

There was a moment of silence at the dinner table.

Gu Mingyue knew it was difficult to ask this question, but she had to.

She put down her chopsticks and said gently:

"Father, who is our maternal grandfather?"

Gu Debai was slightly taken aback and looked up at his two children.

Both children were looking at him expectantly, clearly waiting for an answer.

Gu Debai remained calm and poured himself another glass of wine.

"Your mother is an orphan."

"She had no parents. When Dad met her, she was all alone."

That was a perfectly watertight statement.

But Gu Mingyue understood the implied meaning.

If she were truly an ordinary orphan, why would the old man say that her mother "looked like she was raised in a wealthy family"?

Their father doesn't want to talk about it, so it seems she and her brother will have to find out for themselves in the future.

Gu Mingyue did not press further about her maternal grandfather.

"Father, why did you suddenly rush back to the capital that year?"

Gu Debai leaned back in his chair, looking at the wine glass in his hand.

Those eyes, which were usually always smiling, now held a faint gloom.

"Something happened to my mentor."

"My mentor's surname was Ji, and he was a former official of the Great Qi Dynasty. After the establishment of the Great Yong Dynasty, he went into seclusion in the city and opened an ordinary academy."

"Back then, I was just a poor scholar. My current knowledge and shrewdness are all thanks to my mentor."

"Later, the late emperor found out where he lived and visited him three times in person, inviting his mentor back to the court to serve as the emperor's tutor."

The chirping of insects came from outside the hall, a soft, fragmented sound.

Gu Debai picked up his wine glass, took another sip, and smacked his lips.

"Who would have thought that the former emperor of the Great Yong Dynasty was just like the powerful clans? His concern for talent was a pretense; his real intention was to gain some of the benefits of the previous dynasty."

"Later, the powerful clans led by the Cui family impeached my mentor on trumped-up charges."

"It is said that he secretly colluded with enemy countries in the Western Regions and plotted to betray the country."

"The late emperor couldn't get any useful information out of his tutor during those years, so he went along with it and issued an edict."

"The Ji family is sentenced to be executed along with their entire clan."

When Gu Debai uttered these words, he was completely calm, without sadness or hatred.

He continued, "After receiving the news, I rushed back to the capital. I thought I would find a few influential senior officials to jointly submit a petition, hoping to at least save my mentor's life."

"But when I came back, they were gone. My mentor's entire family of thirty-seven—not a single one was left."

Gu Mingyue and Gu Mingli exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking, and their fingers tightened slightly.

Although there were many suspicious points in what my father told me, it was clear that true and false information were mixed together.

They listened quietly.

Gu Debai narrowed his eyes, a dark light flickering within them.

"But my mentor sent me a message before he passed away."

He said the four major clans had sent people to Anyang to investigate, suspecting that he had accomplices hiding outside. He told me to quickly take my wife and children and leave.

"I rode back to Anyang overnight."

Gu Debai's voice became hoarse as he spoke.

"When we got back, Yue'er was born, and your mother... had already passed away."