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

When the carriage stopped outside the palace gate, Gu Mingli's calves were still throbbing with a dull ache.

The pact of sharing life and death is not just for show; the pain is more than doubled.

A tiny feather duster, yet it produces the effect of being whipped.

When getting off the bus, Gu Mingli had to let Mingyue get off first so that his sister wouldn't notice anything amiss.

Then, holding onto the carriage shaft, he cautiously and tentatively stepped down.

No sooner had his foot touched the ground than a sharp pain shot through his leg, and his body stiffened.

"hiss--"

That old man is really ruthless.

Yi Shi quickly caught him, her gaze sweeping over the area beneath his wide robe.

"What is it, young master?"

Gu Mingli waved his hand, "My legs went numb from sitting in the car."

But then, without warning, a strange chill suddenly ran through his burning calves.

The spot that had just been hit hard by the feather duster felt like it had been covered with a chilled, damp cloth. The coolness seeped into the skin, followed by a slight, warming sensation that helped to improve blood circulation.

Gu Mingli was taken aback and looked up at the palace inside the palace walls.

Ruined.

This morning, he was so busy running around the yard trying to avoid his dad's stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork.

Wasn't Xiao Ye also caught in this undeserved disaster?!

I wonder how badly he was beaten.

In addition, there was a message sent by carrier pigeon last night, saying that someone was going to settle scores with him...

Gu Mingli sighed, his heart heavy as if he were visiting a grave, and led his sister into the palace.

Having agreed to discuss the implementation plan today, the brother and sister went straight to the Imperial Study.

As soon as the two crossed the threshold of the hall, Gu Mingli's eyelids began to twitch wildly.

Xiao Ye was casually leaning back on the rosewood couch, his right leg casually resting on a low stool, his black trousers rolled up high, all the way up to his knees.

Imperial Physician Xue, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, was holding a delicate little porcelain dish and a warm bamboo stick in his hand, applying a bright green ointment to His Majesty's muscular calves.

On those pale, firm legs, there were several thin, red, swollen welts, crisscrossing each other, as if they had been whipped.

All the eunuchs in the hall were trembling with fear, their heads bowed and not daring to speak.

They didn't know what happened. His Majesty was fine last night, but after breakfast this morning, he became like this, as if he had been whipped.

So everyone was silently filling in the blanks in their minds.

Various famous scenes such as "bearing humiliation and hardship", "deep hatred", and "anger that makes one's hair stand on end".

Liu An and Geng Zhi exchanged a glance.

Did His Majesty sneak out of bed after they left last night?

Lord Gu has really gone too far this time!

He angered His Majesty so much that he couldn't sleep at night and even slapped himself in the process!

Gu Mingli subconsciously touched his leg.

The location, force, and angle of the blow to Xiao Ye's leg were exactly the same as the spot where he had been slapped.

Seeing someone enter, Xiao Ye slowly raised his eyes, his gaze precisely locking onto the person standing stiffly at the door.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

"Ha...haha, good morning, Your Majesty."

Gu Mingli gave a guilty-sounding dry laugh and quickly bowed his head and clasped his hands in greeting.

"May Your Majesty enjoy good health, good fortune, boundless blessings, and longevity."

Xiao Ye's gaze followed his face down to his legs, which were hidden under his clothes.

"It seems that Prime Minister Gu is in good spirits this morning."

Gu Mingli's lips twitched.

Yes, how could he not be in good spirits? I chased him around the room three and a half times with a feather duster.

With her plump figure, she was incredibly agile when beating her son!

Suddenly, the sound of a folding fan closing came from the soft couch next to them.

King Xiao Jue of Qi leisurely observed the brother and sister who entered the room.

"Young Master Gu certainly has a refined taste. Last night, he even used a carrier pigeon to send a letter and play a riddle game with his elder brother."

"The noise was so loud that half of the people in Kyoto listened to it for half the night."

"As soon as the city gates opened this morning, many people went out of the city to search for the phoenix."

"Everyone in the streets and alleys is saying that last night was a 'hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix,' and that Kyoto is about to have an extremely auspicious event."

Gu Mingli gave an awkward laugh, "Your Highness is joking."

There's no good fortune here, but there is certainly an unlucky one.

The brother and sister stepped forward to formally pay their respects to His Majesty and Prince Qi, and then took their seats in the empty seats in front of the tea table.

After applying the last bit of ointment to the emperor, Physician Xue bowed respectfully and put away the medicine dish.

Xiao Ye calmly lowered his trouser leg, covering the several glaring red marks, and turned to Doctor Xue, indifferently instructing, "Leave a bottle of ointment to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, then you may leave."

"Your humble servant obeys the decree."

Physician Xue dared not ask any further questions.

He immediately took out a small, warm-textured jade medicine bottle from the bottom of his medical kit, held it with both hands, gently placed it on the table, and then backed away from the main hall.

The palace doors were carefully closed from the outside by the eunuchs, and there was no one else inside.

Xiao Ye didn't say anything, but simply beckoned to Gu Mingli with a finger.

Gu Mingli's heart tightened, and he quickly stepped forward.

I'm coming!

Huang Jiaojiao wants to demand an explanation for what happened last night.

And then there's this beating... how am I supposed to explain this?

Suddenly, someone grabbed my wrist.

Gu Mingli was slightly taken aback, and slowly raised his eyes.

To everyone's surprise, Xiao Ye neither scolded him nor gave him a hard time.

He simply reached out and picked up the jade medicine bottle on the table, then put the medicine into his palm.

The two looked at each other again, but neither spoke.

Gu Mingli silently stuffed the medicine bottle into his sleeve pocket, slipped back to the tea table, and sat down obediently.

The four sat down around the tea table to discuss and determine the next course of action.

Gu Mingyue pulled a booklet from her wide sleeve and unfolded it, placing it in the center of the tea table.

It was six pages filled with dense writing.

Unlike the common writing style of the Dayong Dynasty, each page features a clear flowchart.

This is an "execution plan task list" that can be described as a game-changer in this era.

Xiao Ye glanced down at the booklet, somewhat surprised.

This was the first time in his life he had ever seen an article outlined with such strange "frames".

Simple and straightforward, it makes it easy for anyone to understand at a glance: what each step is about, who will do it, and how long it will take to complete.

Gu Mingyue extended her slender finger and tapped the largest square drawn at the top of the first page of the booklet.

"We can't let the powerful families know right now that we have 700 million in our hands."

"Furthermore, silver cannot flow into the people all at once. Otherwise, prices will skyrocket in a short period of time, leading to inflation. At that time, silver will become worthless. In the end, the copper coins in the hands of ordinary people may not even be enough to buy a pancake."

Upon hearing these new words, Xiao Jue couldn't help but start learning them seriously.

He closed his folding fan, tapped his palm, and stared at the square frame.

"Inflation? What a novel term."

"Master Gu's idea is to first establish a central bank, and then channel the silver through the bank's accounts. Then gradually extend the funds outwards?"

Gu Mingyue nodded.

"This money exchange is not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue, nor any other government office. It reports directly to His Majesty. We can call this money the Central Reserve Fund."

She picked up the calligraphy brush on the table, dipped it in ink, and added a few small circles below the square. Each circle had a different purpose written inside.

"This reserve fund is divided into several parts proportionally. One part will be used for the next land reform, one part for infrastructure construction, and one part will be reserved for national welfare and emergency reserves."

"Every transaction of silver must be accounted for. Who approved it, how much was approved, and where it was spent must all be recorded. At the end of the year, the tax authorities and the Ministry of Revenue will conduct a joint audit."

Gu Mingli sat down next to her and peeked into his sister's booklet.

The term "inflation" is something that most modern people are somewhat familiar with.

When I was studying basic economics in college, the professor used an example from Pabwe for two whole classes.

That country printed too much money, over-issued currency, and sold banknotes by the pound.

A banknote with a face value of one hundred trillion cannot even buy a loaf of bread.

If the sudden influx of 700 million taels of silver from the Great Yong Dynasty into the market is not controlled, soaring prices and currency devaluation are inevitable.

"This method is good."

Gu Mingli nodded to Xiao Ye and explained earnestly.

"The Central Bank is like a main sluice gate."

"The reservoir is full of water, and it has to be released downstream little by little. If it's released too quickly, the dam will burst."

After hearing the analogy, Xiao Ye slightly raised his eyelids and glanced at him.

"You know about this too?"

"I know a little."

Gu Mingli rubbed his nose and shamelessly added, "It's the same principle as flood control; once you understand one thing, you understand everything."

"Hmph, you know a little bit..."

Xiao Ye snorted and then turned to look at Gu Mingyue.

"How exactly do money shops operate? Several powerful noble families are already running money shops; are there any operational conflicts?"

"There won't be any conflict." Gu Mingyue turned to the second page of the booklet. "The Central Bank is not open to the general public. Its main function is to manage the supply of national currency, stabilize prices, and maintain the stability of the financial system."

"Next, we need to produce a batch of land certificates with anti-counterfeiting features for use in land reform."

"So the money exchange might need someone to develop it..."

After saying that, the three people at the table all looked at Gu Mingli.

Gu Mingli was drinking tea when he heard this and almost choked again.

Indeed, of the four people present, he was the only one capable of developing anti-counterfeiting coupons.

Xiao Ye frowned slightly and spoke before anyone else could.

"It's safer to keep such confidential research in the palace. Anyway, Minister Gu has a dedicated research facility in the palace, so there's no need to worry about anyone punishing you."

Gu Mingyue: "..."

Gu Mingli: "..."