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

"It's nothing! I just prepared a gift myself."

Gu Mingyue read the task description over and over again.

"The task was not specifically defined, nor was it said that the emperor had to provide emotional feedback after receiving it."

"So you can just make something and deliver it, and that's considered done."

After hearing this, Gu Mingli's tense expression relaxed.

"Alright, let's set off for Jiangzhou tomorrow."

In the evening, a sumptuous meal was laid out on the dining table in the main hall.

Gu Debai sat in the main seat, holding a bowl in his hand, but he didn't touch his chopsticks for a long time.

He glanced at Gu Mingli, and finally couldn't help but ask earnestly:

"Li'er, are you really going to Jiangzhou to manage the floods?"

Gu Mingli didn't notice his father's expression and nodded as he ate.

"That's right, we've already accepted the imperial decree, how can we not go?"

Gu Debai hummed in agreement, picked up a piece of meat, put it in his mouth, and chewed slowly.

He chewed for a long time, but didn't swallow it.

His gaze kept drifting towards his son.

"Li'er, you've never even touched flood control before."

Gu Mingli paused for a moment while picking up food with his chopsticks, then made up a random excuse.

"Hey, Father, I've read quite a few water conservancy documents."

"Oh, what's the point of reading academic papers?"

Gu Debai wasn't worried about anything else; the key issue was that half of the money for flood control had gone into his own pocket.

And now he's given that money to his daughter to invest.

Now that my son has taken on this flood control job, isn't he just jumping into a fire pit himself?

He put his chopsticks on the table.

"Flood control requires experience. Those old fogies in the Ministry of Works have been trying to control the floods for decades, but they haven't managed to do it well."

"How were the dikes repaired? How were the river channels dredged? Did you even supervise a single day of the work?"

The table fell silent for a few moments.

Gu Debai picked up his chopsticks again, his tone softening.

"My son, it's not that I'm saying you're incapable, it's just that..."

He frowned, clicked his tongue in worry, and clutched his purse.

"I just feel... this happened too fast."

Gu Mingyue silently ate her rice, her dark eyes scanning her father and brother.

But he didn't interrupt.

Gu Debai sighed again and looked at his son for a long while.

His eyes held a complex expression, it was hard to tell whether it was relief or worry.

His son used to only know how to study.

He doesn't even dare to lift his head when he sees people, and he stutters when he speaks.

How did he suddenly catch the emperor's eye and start worrying about national affairs?

Could it be...

Is the emperor trying to use his son to control him?

Gu Debai hissed and gasped.

But regardless, it's good that his son is making a name for himself in officialdom. After all, his son will have a long career ahead of him when he retires and returns to his hometown.

"Never mind, never mind." Gu Debai waved his hand. "Go if you want."

"If you encounter difficulties, write a letter to your father."

"The officialdom in Jiangzhou is treacherous; don't try to handle it all alone."

"Also, your sister insists on coming with you, so please take good care of her."

Gu Mingli put down his chopsticks and responded earnestly.

"Understood, Father."

Gu Debai buried his head and ate a few more bites.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he put down the bowl and took out a stack of silver notes from his sleeve.

He counted them and pushed them in front of Gu Mingli.

"Here is twenty thousand taels. Take it with you for emergencies."

Gu Mingli was stunned for a moment, exchanged a glance with his sister, and did not dare to reach out.

If he takes this money, will his sister's workload increase again?

"father……"

"Sigh, fine, take it!"

Gu Debai glared at him.

"When you're traveling, if you don't have money, you can't get anywhere."

Gu Mingli looked at the stack of silver notes and his Adam's apple bobbed.

This corrupt official father is kind of heartwarming.

"Thank you, Dad."

Gu Mingli reached out and put the silver note into his pocket.

Gu Mingyue rolled her eyes silently across from her.

The numbers in her mind had already been automatically updated.

One hundred thousand plus twenty thousand, totaling one hundred and twenty thousand taels.

[System Task: Spend 120,000 taels of silver within 22 days.]

She lowered her head and shoveled some rice into her mouth, but the food didn't taste as good as before.

……

The next morning.

As dawn broke, the brother and sister, along with Gong Huo and Tao Zhi, traveled lightly out of the city gate.

Gu Mingli opened the smart navigation map and avoided the congested Chengnan Ferry in advance.

They detoured to the West Bridge to cross the river, and the carriage traveled south along the official road.

The journey of over 100 li (approximately 50 kilometers) usually takes a whole day, but this time it was much faster than the last time.

It was dusk when we arrived in Jiangzhou.

Gu Mingli didn't rush to the construction site; instead, he went to the Jiangzhou government office first.

He carried the imperial edict and the Ministry of Works' transfer order in his arms, and wore a brand-new supervisor's badge at his waist.

When he entered the government office, he straightened his back three inches more than usual.

After all, they were acting on imperial orders, so they were very powerful.

Gu Mingyue did not follow them inside.

She sat in the carriage flipping through the account books, waiting for her brother to come out.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

The side gate of the government office creaked open.

Gu Mingli walked out dejectedly.

He looked like a wilted eggplant after being hit by frost.

He got into the carriage and plopped down on his backside.

"elder brother?"

Gu Mingyue looked up at him.

"What's wrong?"

Gu Mingli took out a document from his pocket that bore the official seal and handed it to his sister.

Gu Mingyue took it and glanced at it.

"...Eighty thousand taels?"

"right."

Gu Mingli's voice was muffled, as if it were coming from a jar, carrying a dull and suffocating feeling.

"The imperial court allocated 300,000 taels of silver."

"Our father embezzled 100,000 first."

"The remaining 200,000 went through the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, and then to the Jiangzhou Prefectural Government."

Gu Mingli sighed speechlessly and counted on his fingers to calculate the accounts for his sister.

"The Ministry of Revenue withheld 30,000, saying it was for losses during the allocation process."

"The Ministry of Works withheld 40,000, saying it was an advance payment for equipment depreciation."

"The prefect of Jiangzhou is the most ruthless."

"They directly withheld 50,000 yuan, claiming it was a local administrative coordination fee."

Gu Mingyue stared at the number on the document.

Of the 300,000 taels, I received 80,000 taels.

The loss rate exceeded 75%.

The money passed through three hands, and each person slipped a handful into their own pocket.

After they've filled it in, they'll even stamp it with an official seal, making it sound reasonable and well-founded.

Gu Mingli leaned against the car wall, looking up at the roof.

"Eighty thousand taels... barely enough to start the project."

"But the later stages are definitely not enough."

"Materials, labor, transportation—any one of these stages could cause a problem."

"The entire project will have to be halted."

He paused for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"And I made a solemn pledge."

"If he cannot be cured within six months, I will present my head to His Majesty."

"Not enough money, the project fell through, and in the end, I was the only one who had to take the blame."

The carriage fell silent.

The faint sounds of vendors hawking their wares drifted in through the window.

Gu Mingyue folded the document, put it in her sleeve, and turned her head away.

"Brother, you go to the construction site to survey and select a location first."

"Has the craftsman arrived yet?"

"One hundred and twenty have arrived, and the rest are still on their way."

"Then you lead this group and get to work."

Gu Mingyue's tone was very steady.

"I'll figure out the money."

Gu Mingli turned his head to look at her.

"What can you do?"

Gu Mingyue did not answer.

She lifted the carriage curtain and called out to the outside.

"Gong Huo, let's find an inn to stay in first."

"Then go buy paper, ink, brushes, and inkstones."

Gong Huo responded from outside and turned his horse around.

Gu Mingli stared at her suspiciously.

"What do you want to write?"

"Letters from Home".

Gu Mingyue lowered the carriage curtain, her expression perfectly calm.

"Write a letter to our father. He's definitely not just a figurehead as prime minister. He's well-versed in connections and the checks and balances of the officialdom."

"Most importantly, if the emperor could find out that our father embezzled money, wouldn't he know about others?"

Gu Mingli didn't understand. "So what?"

Gu Mingyue smiled, "Of course, we'll have Dad make the money!"