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

Outside the door, Yi Shi had already finished writing a note and took out a bamboo tube from his waist and stuffed it inside.

A moment later, another carrier pigeon took flight.

In the Imperial Study.

The shadow guard handed the newly delivered bamboo tube to the emperor's desk.

"Your Majesty, a secret report from Yi Shi."

Xiao Ye was busy reviewing documents when he took the paper without looking up. He unscrewed the bamboo tube lid and shook out the thin strip of paper.

Consort Liu, her eyes brimming with affection, praised the young man as handsome and reached out to touch his face. The young man asked about the consort's birthday and said he would host a birthday banquet for her. The consort was delighted and invited the young man and his daughter to the banquet.

There was a crisp "click" sound.

The emperor forcefully broke the vermilion-inked writing brush in half.

Everyone: "!!!"

The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

An invisible chill emanated from the direction of the dragon table, making people feel cold from the soles of their feet all the way to the top of their heads.

The eunuchs on duty in the hall all shuddered and lowered their heads to their chests.

Nobody knows what happened.

But His Majesty's dark expression clearly indicated that he was about to get angry.

Liu An and Geng Zhi exchanged a glance, their hearts pounding with anxiety.

After a long pause, Xiao Ye let out a cold laugh.

"That Gu Mingli! He even has time to celebrate Liu Liuliu's birthday."

Wow! Young Master Gu, you have quite the nerve!

Liu An listened from the side, his palms sweating as he gripped the whisk.

Young Master Gu is such a troublemaker. He's managed to get rid of two of His Majesty's concubines.

How could he be so kind as to celebrate Consort Liu's birthday?

There must be some misunderstanding here. Let's hurry up and send Lord Gu to the palace to explain.

Liu An's eyes darted around, and he came up with a plan.

While he was serving tea to His Majesty, he turned and went out, calling over a young eunuch and giving him an order.

"Quickly! Send someone out of the palace immediately to find Lord Gu. Tell him that His Majesty knows he was planning to celebrate Consort Liu's birthday and is now furious. Let him be prepared!"

The young eunuch nodded repeatedly, then dashed out of the imperial study, found the eunuch on duty at the palace gate, and breathlessly said:

"Quickly send someone to find Lord Gu! Tell him that His Majesty knows he's going to celebrate Consort Liu's birthday, and he's furious! The consequences will be unimaginable!"

The eunuch on duty at the palace gate gasped, covering his mouth in disbelief.

"Young Master Gu actually attempted suicide for Consort Liu? Enraging His Majesty beyond measure?"

This is an earth-shattering revelation! How dare you, Lord Gu, covet His Majesty's harem!

"Alright, alright, I'll send someone to deliver the message to Lord Gu right away."

He nodded repeatedly and hurried towards the palace gate.

Before long, they found the errand boy who was stationed outside the palace gate, pulled him over, and said in a low voice:

"Quickly go find Lord Gu and tell him that His Majesty already knows about his affair with Consort Liu, and is now furious over her! The Gu family... is in deep trouble!"

Deliveryman: "!!!"

One hour later.

The errand boy finally found Master Gu in the office of Pujitang Logistics Park.

"Young Master Gu, something terrible has happened!"

The errand boy rushed in, looking flustered, and stood in the hall shouting loudly.

"His Majesty has found out about your affair with Consort Liu! He is furious and may soon issue an order to arrest and punish you! You should go and beg for forgiveness immediately."

Gu Mingli: "???"

Holy crap!! What do you mean he had an affair with Consort Liu?!

Who the hell spread this rumor?!

He shoved the half-finished drawing onto his sister's desk and hurriedly walked out the door.

"I have to hurry to the palace. If I'm late, I'm afraid the Empress will throw a tantrum and tear down the Imperial Study."

Gu Mingyue: "..."

When Gu Mingli arrived at the palace gate on horseback, the sun was already setting.

He dismounted and tossed the reins to the guards waiting at the gate when he saw a young eunuch in a gray-blue robe peeking out from the shadows of the palace passageway.

Upon seeing Gu Mingli, the little eunuch darted over as if he had stepped on a spring.

"Oh my goodness! Young Master Gu! You've finally arrived!"

Gu Mingli raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?"

The young eunuch looked around to make sure no one was around before tiptoeing close to Gu Mingli's ear.

"Eunuch Liu told me to wait for you here. He said... His Majesty's face darkened after reading a letter sent by carrier pigeon today, and he didn't touch the tea in the Imperial Study even though it was changed three times. He even broke two of the vermilion pens he used to write memorials."

"Wow! It's that serious?"

Gu Mingli's temples throbbed twice.

The young eunuch nodded repeatedly.

"The eunuch also said that you, Lord Gu, should first figure out how to appease His Majesty before going in. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

The little eunuch swallowed.

"When His Majesty loses his temper, someone will suffer."

Gu Mingli took a deep breath and raised his hand to rub his face.

Okay, Yi Shi, you've lost all your snacks for the past month!

"Let's go take a look."

"Hey," the young eunuch quickly caught up with Lord Gu, glancing at him anxiously. "Lord Gu, have you thought about how to appease His Majesty?"

How can he possibly coax someone?

You can't exactly go in and say, "Your Majesty, you've misunderstood. I simply wanted to hold a birthday banquet for your Consort."

Listen to this, is it really that naive?

Isn't this blatantly planting a green meadow on the emperor's head?

Gu Mingli frowned and walked headlong into the palace alley.

As he approached the Imperial Study, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at the young eunuch.

"By the way! Do you have thorny vines in your palace?"

The young eunuch was stunned.

"Ah? Thorns? Oh, sir, you jest. What would the palace need those for?"

"..."

Gu Mingli stroked his chin and pondered for a while. If all else failed, he would find a cheaper alternative.

"Do you have any unchopped firewood? The thin sticks used for cooking and burning."

He gestured with his hand to indicate the length.

"Find me three pieces of cloth that are at least an arm's length long, and make sure they're the thinnest kind. Also, find me a hemp rope."

"Huh? What do you need that for?"

Gu Mingli patted the little eunuch on the shoulder.

"It's an emergency! Don't ask any more questions, just go!"

"Okay, sure!"

The young eunuch looked bewildered but dared not ask any more questions. He then ran towards the imperial kitchen.

Before long, the little eunuch came running back, panting, carrying three dry firewood sticks about the thickness of a thumb.

Gu Mingli took it and weighed it in his hand.

It's so light it probably wouldn't hurt if you hit someone with it.

He quickly tied the three firewood sticks together side by side with hemp rope.

Then he took off his outer robe, leaving only a thin inner garment, and placed the bundle of firewood horizontally behind him.

The rope was wrapped around his shoulders and tied in a knot in front of his chest.

The young eunuch stared wide-eyed at the entire scene, his mouth agape in astonishment.

"Young...Young Master Gu, what are you doing?"

Gu Mingli twisted his shoulders, feeling the hard texture on his back.

The sharp edges of the firewood sticks pressed against my back, which was very uncomfortable.

"This is called 'bearing thorns to apologize'."

"Why should I apologize?"

"In ancient times, when people made mistakes, they would carry thorny branches to apologize to others, signifying their willingness to accept punishment."

The young eunuch nodded as if he understood, looking at the three firewood sticks without thorns, feeling uneasy.

Will this thing work?

Gu Mingli himself wasn't sure either.

But right now, he couldn't think of a better way than this.

I can't just go in empty-handed and get yelled at, can I?

At least bring a prop; it shows sincerity.

He straightened his clothes, took a deep breath, and strode towards the Imperial Study.