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

Just as Gu Mingli was filled with questions, he saw Yi Shi suddenly jump up from his chair.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

The five shadow guards stood up in unison and knelt on one knee.

The five ducks in their arms were startled by the sudden movement and ran around the yard quacking loudly.

Gu Mingli suddenly turned his head.

Xiao Ye stood there with his hands behind his back beneath the moon gate.

He wore dark casual clothes, his black hair was slightly disheveled, and his phoenix eyes held a faint smile.

Behind him stood Liu An, Geng Zhi, and two eunuchs carrying food boxes.

I don't know how long I've been standing here.

When an emperor travels at night, his surroundings are always heavily guarded.

Gu Mingli slowly turned his head and saw that many dark figures had appeared on the roof at some point, staring at him with wide eyes.

Wow, there are so many spectators!

They... all heard him sing.

Gu Mingli: "..."

However, I think I sang pretty well.

Otherwise, we wouldn't have contributed all our [worship points] to him.

As for whether the audience admired him for his "good singing voice" or for "lecturing the ducks," he decided to strategically ignore it.

Gu Mingli forced himself to calm down for two seconds, then quickly stepped forward, clutching the oddly shaped guitar in his arms.

"Why is Your Majesty leaving the palace so late?"

Xiao Ye glanced at the strangely shaped stringed instrument in his hand and smiled slightly.

"I heard you've been working late into the night, so I came to check on you."

Liu An, who was following behind, was very perceptive. He quickly waved to the two eunuchs, who then quietly carried the food box into the room to serve the meal.

Xiao Ye entered the room and sat down at the table.

"What kind of novel musical instrument is this?"

"Your Majesty, this is called a guitar."

Gu Mingli followed Xiao Ye in and, seeing that Xiao Ye seemed quite interested in the thing, handed it to him.

"Give it a try?"

Xiao Ye took the guitar with a hint of curiosity.

Those long, slender fingers, usually used for holding pens and reviewing memorials, stretched out and, with a touch of unfamiliarity, gently plucked the thickest string on the instrument.

"Buzz—"

A deep, metallic timbre resonated instantly in the quiet room.

The lingering sound was completely different from the ordinary sounds of string and wind instruments.

A strong sense of interest flashed quickly in Xiao Ye's eyes, and he couldn't help but pluck the thin string next to him with his fingertips.

"How do you play it?" He looked up, staring at Gu Mingli with curiosity.

"You want to learn to play the guitar?" Gu Mingli was slightly taken aback.

This is unprecedented!

This emperor, who always prioritized the well-being of the nation, was like an emotionless government machine in his daily life.

Why would I be interested in entertainment and leisure activities outside of government affairs today?

"OK."

Gu Mingli smiled and took the guitar.

"I'll teach you."

As he spoke, his fingertips swept across the strings, and the clear sound of the instrument filled the room.

Which piece of music would you like me to teach you?

Xiao Ye smiled slightly, "Let's go with the song you just sang."

Gu Mingli stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Counting ducks?"

Xiao Ye: "..."

A moment later, the melodious sound of the piano filled the air.

Gu Mingli sang softly while showing off his skills.

He taught Xiao Ye the basics of holding the violin, strumming, and plucking the strings step by step.

Before we knew it, the candles had burned down to almost half their original length.

A system notification panel popped up in front of Gu Mingli's eyes.

[Host, the item collection period is about to end. Please collect your items as soon as possible. The system is taking back the guitar!]

Is it time already?

Gu Mingli slightly raised his eyes to look at Xiao Ye.

The man was holding a guitar and sitting upright.

One hand rests lightly on the neck of the guitar, while the other hand practices plucking the strings.

His expression was focused yet cautious.

He was like a child who had received a new and exciting toy, clearly very fond of this new musical instrument.

Gu Mingli rubbed his hands together, unsure how to get the guitar back.

Xiao Ye seemed to sense the complex gaze directed at him from the other side, and his phoenix eyes narrowed slightly.

"Mingli, may I have this zither?"

Gu Mingli: "..."

No! This instrument is about to be taken back by the system!

Xiao Ye tilted his head slightly.

"Can't I?"

Gu Mingli: "..."

But this was the first time in his life that Xiao Ye had ever asked him for something!

Gu Mingli quickly summoned the system in his mind.

"System, I need to discuss something. Can we keep this guitar?"

[Yes, you can. To permanently retain this item, you need to exchange it for 10 points of the host's favorability.]

Holy crap! It's 10 o'clock again!

Today he spent ten favor points just to exchange for Thunder Mercury. He's worked so hard to accumulate this "savings" over so long, how can he afford to spend it like this?!

but……

Gu Mingli looked up at Xiao Ye.

The man was still looking at him with expectant eyes, how could he possibly say "no"?

Gu Mingli took a deep breath and steeled his resolve.

"System! Redeem a guitar for me!"

So, for the first time in his life, Xiao Ye asked for something he was truly interested in.

For the first time in his life, Gu Mingli felt like a domineering CEO who spent lavishly, and generously offered up his "generous" favor points.

Go ahead and swipe, exchange as much as you want, I've got plenty of money!

That evening, the emperor, who was usually unsmiling, actually happily carried the guitar back to the palace.

Gu Mingli was then safely escorted back to his residence by the shadow guards.

Upon entering the bedroom, he slumped into the armchair, staring at his dismal favorability rating on the system panel.

Feeling miserable, he gulped down two large cups of cold tea.

Impulsive purchases only leave you with heartache.

Just as he was feeling so heartbroken he couldn't breathe, a clear notification sound suddenly appeared in his mind:

[Ding! Xiao Ye's extremely pleasant mood has been detected. His favorability towards the host has increased by 30! Current favorability balance: -351]

"puff--"

Gu Mingli spat out a mouthful of herbal tea, then his eyes lit up with ecstatic joy.

What did Xiao Ye do after returning to the palace?

Thirty points of favorability! A huge profit!

✧*。٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و✧*。

Xiao Ye is truly a good friend!

……

Meanwhile, Pujitang's grain collection in Jiangnan is progressing smoothly.

After all, there was a group of association members whom Pei Yu had given advance notice to back them up, and Pujitang always paid much higher prices for grain than the Cui family.

Grain merchants naturally preferred to hide their grain and secretly sell it to Pujitang.

When Pujitang received the grain, it did not transport it back to Beijing, but instead stored it in the logistics warehouse awaiting orders from its employer.

In the office building of Pujitang Logistics Park on the outskirts of Beijing.

Gu Mingyue looked at the daily reports of grain stockpiles from various places and felt satisfied.

Now, Pujitang is in a position to move forward or backward at will; it can take the grain to the north for disaster relief or continue to feed the Cui family.

Pei Yu strode in from outside, carrying two account books in his hands.

"Master, the Jiangnan business district has already made it public. As long as there is grain, Puji Hall will buy it all at eighty cash per dou."

Gu Mingyue nodded in satisfaction.

"The news needs to spread quickly."

Pei Yu patted his chest triumphantly.

"Don't worry, sir. My noble brothers are all very loyal. The Cui family has come to inquire about their grain reserves several times, and they all say they have no grain left."

"They were actually sold to our Pujitang in secret."

"Now that they hear we're offering eighty coins, they're all overjoyed. They all say that Pujitang is a righteous place and that we're helping them get rich."

"In the past few days, our various stations have been collecting a lot of loose grain."

Gu Mingyue smiled.

That's how it is in business; only win-win situations can last.

"Keep accepting. We'll accept everything that's delivered."

In less than ten days.

Grain prices in the cities of the three prefectures south of the Yangtze River soared like oil on a hot fire.

It directly broke the barrier of 100 coins per dou.

However, with soaring food prices, many households have begun to run out of food.

Cui Yuan was secretly pleased.

The time has finally come for the Cui family to monopolize the grain market and control grain prices.

Outside Lingzhou City.

The stewards of the several estates under the Cui family's name had long ago set up sheds outside the towns and cities of various prefectures and counties.

They wait for impoverished people to come to their door to sell their land or even their bodies in exchange for grain.

But after sitting under the shed all morning, not a single poor person came forward to sign the document.

The manager couldn't sit still any longer and sent his men out to inquire.

I only found out after asking around.

A long queue formed in front of the Pujitang Logistics Transfer Station outside Lingzhou City.

The air was filled with the enticing aroma of large white steamed buns mixed with meat broth.

Several young, dissolute men, dressed in the fine robes of the Pujitang stationmaster, stood on the stone steps outside the gate, maintaining order during the registration process.

These were all illegitimate sons from various noble families.

Now that they have joined Pujitang, they not only have their own legitimate business, but they have also gained the right to a share of the family property.

Their status rose accordingly, and no one dared to look down on this group of former spoiled brats anymore.

A stationmaster, banging a gong, shouted loudly:

"Everyone, please don't push! Line up and register one by one!"

A dark-skinned, thin old man walked up to the table.

"Boss, do we really get meals just for working?"

The stationmaster pointed to a large iron pot, about half a person's height, next to him. Inside, a milky white bone broth was bubbling and boiling, with a thick layer of oil and chopped scallions floating on top of the soup.

"See? As long as you're willing to work hard to help Pujitang carry bags and transport goods, or participate in road repairs, you'll be provided with three full meals a day. Every meal will include meat soup and big white steamed buns."

"Of course, if you have a wife, children, and elderly parents at home, you can exchange it for a family meal to take back with you."

This is the rule stipulated by their employer.

It is said that if wages are paid during a period of soaring food prices, it will cause inflation and make money worthless.

Although they didn't know what "inflation" was, they believed that whatever their boss said must be true!

You can make money by working for your employer!