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

Write your letter home.

Gong Huo spurred his horse and rushed back to the capital overnight.

The next morning.

Before dawn, the lanterns in the Prime Minister's residence were already lit.

When the housekeeper dragged Gu Debai out of bed, his eyes were barely open.

The butler held the letter with trembling hands, his voice shaking.

"Master, it's an urgent letter from Miss in Jiangzhou. Gong Huo said... Miss wrote it while crying."

Gu Debai sat up abruptly and snatched the envelope.

turn on.

The handkerchief fell out first.

He picked it up and saw two blobs of water on it, with faint ink marks spreading out.

My heart is clenched in agony.

Read the letter again.

The first paragraph was alright.

[My daughter and brother are both well.]

The second paragraph started to go wrong.

The imperial court allocated 300,000 taels of silver, but after layers of embezzlement by officials at various levels, only 80,000 taels reached my brother's hands.

Gu Debai's pupils contracted slightly.

He took 100,000 of the 300,000 taels. The remaining 200,000 should have been enough.

And these bastards managed to steal another 120,000?!

80,000 in hand?

His son took 80,000 taels of silver to repair a river that had flooded five counties.

Keep reading.

My elder brother is so worried that he can't sleep at night...

Gu Debai could no longer sit still.

He put down the letter, his chest heaving violently a few times.

"good."

"OK."

"Each of you who dares to eat looks worse than me!"

Gu Debai tucked the letter into his sleeve, then abruptly threw off the covers and got out of bed.

The housekeeper was startled.

"Master, it's not dawn yet..."

"Change your clothes."

Gu Debai gritted his teeth.

"Put on your court robes. Enter the palace."

The butler opened his mouth, but didn't dare to ask any more questions, and hurriedly went to fetch the clothes.

Gu Debai stood in front of the bronze mirror, gritting his teeth as he fastened his belt.

He was corrupt for twenty years.

They know everything about it.

He could draw a complete network of corruption relationships with his eyes closed, knowing whose hands were clean and whose were dirty, and which government office was rife with corruption.

In the past, everyone ate their own food and kept to themselves.

But now, someone's taking advantage of his son.

That's a completely different matter; this is an attack on Gu Debai's very foundation! It's a disregard for him, the dignified Right Chancellor!

He has to give them a talking-to about this!

……

As dusk fell, the sky above Jiangzhou City turned a thick, orange-red.

Gu Mingli had already led his men to set up camp in Suzhen, five miles from the river, and rented a three-courtyard house in a nearby town to live in.

At this moment, Taozhi and Gong Huo were leading people to clean the side rooms and arrange the luggage.

Gu Mingli squatted in the yard, washing his face with a basin of cold water.

He had just returned from a river survey point, and his trousers were covered in mud.

He divided the three hundred craftsmen from the Ministry of Works into four groups, and had them drive a measuring stake every half mile along the bend of the river.

We spent a whole day measuring the cross-section of the riverbed, and only one-third of the survey was completed.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

"Lord Gu! Is Lord Gu here?"

The voice was unfamiliar, with a local Jiangzhou accent, and the tone was rising, revealing a sense of urgency.

Taozhi peeked out of the side room and glanced towards the door.

Who is it?

"I am He Yuanlang, Prefect of Jiangzhou, and I have come to pay my respects to Supervisor Gu!"

Gu Mingli lifted his head from the basin, water droplets trickling down his chin and into his collar.

He blinked twice, thinking he had misheard.

Prefect of Jiangzhou.

The Jiangzhou prefect who claimed to be out on business yesterday but failed to show up, yet still managed to intercept 50,000 taels of "local administrative coordination fees"?

Why are you coming to my door in person now?

Gu Mingli wiped his face and winked at Taozhi.

Taozhi understood and ran to the next room to call Gu Mingyue.

The courtyard gate opened.

He Yuanlang was in his early forties, with a fair complexion and long beard, and wore a slightly worn blue official robe.

He was followed by two clerks and four bailiffs carrying wooden boxes.

The wooden box was covered with a coarse cloth, making it bulge.

As soon as He Yuanlang entered the courtyard, he saw the young man covered in mud and with his hair dripping wet.

He was stunned for a moment, probably not expecting the supervisor sent by the imperial court to look like this.

But he was only stunned for a moment.

The next moment, a smile more radiant than the sunset bloomed on He Yuanlang's face.

"Lord Gu!"

He quickly walked a few steps to meet him, his cupped hands forming a large arc as if he were about to fold them.

"Oh dear, I'm late! Official duties have been so numerous that I couldn't arrive promptly to greet you. My apologies!"

Gu Mingli held the towel he was using to wipe his face, looking at the smiling face, and was momentarily speechless.

He Yuanlang paid no attention to his reaction and turned to wave to the constables behind him.

"Come on, bring the things in."

The constables quickly stepped forward, placed the wooden box on the stone table in the courtyard, and lifted the coarse cloth.

He Yuanlang personally opened the top box, inside which were stacks of neatly bundled silver notes.

"Lord Gu, the amount of the special funds allocated for flood control earlier is not quite right because of some errors in the handover of the yamen's accounts."

He smiled warmly and spoke sincerely, as if he were meeting a family member.

"I have already settled the accounts today. I have also advanced the difference between the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works."

"One hundred and twenty thousand taels, not a single coin missing. Please have Lord Gu count them."

The handkerchief in Gu Mingli's hand stopped in mid-air.

He looked down at the twelve wooden boxes.

"...Master He."

"Yes, yes, yes."

"Yesterday I went to the yamen, and your clerk said that local administrative coordination fees are a fixed rule and are not refundable."

He Yuanlang bowed and scraped, his attitude as humble as a grandson.

"Oh dear, look at this, the flood has really washed away the Dragon King Temple."

"That's because the subordinates are ignorant! I've already reprimanded them. Lord Gu is acting on imperial orders to manage the floods; how could I allow you to be troubled by financial matters?"

He took half a step forward and lowered his voice.

"Furthermore, the Right Chancellor sent me a letter this morning."

These words were spoken very softly, but Gu Mingli heard them clearly.

He raised an eyebrow and casually draped the handkerchief back over the edge of the basin.

"What did my dad write?"

He Yuanlang swallowed hard, then smiled and waved his hand.

"Your Excellency the Right Chancellor is concerned about the young master and has instructed me to take good care of him."

At this point, the smile on his face finally faded slightly, revealing a hint of sincerity.

"Lord Gu, let me speak from the bottom of my heart. In Jiangzhou, there are floods every year, and the people suffer greatly."

"I have been in office for three years and I also wish to control this flood."

"Even though the Ministry of Works has been repairing it every year, the dike still keeps collapsing."

"However, now that Lord Gu is here, I will certainly cooperate fully with you."

Gu Mingli stared at him for two seconds.

This statement contains both truth and falsehood.

The difficulties are real, and the cooperation may also be real.

But there was only one reason for returning the money, and that was his father's actions.

Gu Mingli didn't know exactly what his father had done.

But judging from Ho Yuen-long's bitter smile, it probably wasn't some kind of gentle persuasion.

Since that was the case, Gu Mingli no longer held back.

He cupped his hands in thanks. "Thank you, Lord He. There will indeed be times when the government will need your assistance."

The two checked the banknotes in person and confirmed the amount.

He Yuanlang felt relieved. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he took his leave with his entourage.

The courtyard gate was closed.

Gu Mingyue's voice came from behind.

"Wow, Dad's got some action in hand. Looks like the First-Rank Right Chancellor is quite capable!"

But then again, their adoptive father is not only a money-grubber, but also has such powerful methods.

Why would that cunning emperor keep his family alive to continue being parasites on the national treasury?

Gu Mingyue glanced at the boxes of silver notes and suddenly understood something.