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

Yitang.

In ancient times, this was a public relief center.

They provided porridge, medicine, and sheltered the elderly and children without support.

Kyoto is not as good as Jiangzhou.

Under the emperor's nose, the six ministries and government offices were clustered together, and the mansions of princes and nobles stood side by side, making land prices incredibly high.

The rent for any random street-front shop is enough to cover half a street in Jiangzhou in a month.

But precisely because of this, Kyoto's slums are even more hidden.

The splendor is for the powerful; the real problems lie beneath the city walls.

Broken Tile Lane, West Riverbank, and Old Firewood Market in the south of the city.

Those places were filled with porters who did manual labor, homeless beggars, old servants who had been driven out of their homes, and widows with children struggling to make a living.

Most of these people were not registered in the household registration system and were not on the list of those receiving relief from the imperial court.

The government's soup kitchen was set up in the north of the city, and people from the south of the outer city might not be able to catch it even after walking for two hours.

When the epidemic struck, they were the first to be affected.

Without doctors, medicine, or clean water, people huddled in drafty shacks; if one person got sick, the whole alley would collapse.

Gu Mingyue mentally reviewed the timeline two months from now.

Xue Ren's "Three Theories on Epidemic Prevention and Control" is a framework proposed from a medical perspective. However, implementing this framework requires manpower, resources, and a pre-established network.

No matter how quickly the imperial court acts, there is at least a seven- to ten-day gap between the discovery of the epidemic and the allocation of disaster relief supplies.

In the past seven to ten days, those who died were all from the lower classes.

The Kaiyi Hall, under the guise of providing relief, was actually a recruitment drive to prepare for the epidemic.

Gu Mingyue's pen moved quickly across the paper, writing down a complete framework.

Rent a shop.

At least three rooms were connected together, forming two courtyards.

Hire a doctor.

I don't need famous doctors; a resident doctor who can diagnose symptoms, prescribe medicine, and knows basic pharmacology is enough.

Prepare medicinal materials.

Scutellaria baicalensis, Isatis indigotica, Atractylodes lancea, Angelica dahurica, and Pogostemon cablin are commonly used base medicines for epidemic diseases. They are cheap to buy now.

Once the pandemic hits, the price of medicinal herbs will increase fivefold or more.

Looking to hire general laborers.

Recruit strong, obedient young adults and train them in basic epidemic prevention procedures in advance.

How to move patients, how to isolate them, and how to dispose of waste.

We also need to stockpile grain, cloth, and lime.

Lime is used for disinfection.

During epidemics, spreading lime powder in passageways and drainage ditches can significantly reduce the transmission rate.

This was something she found in the system's database.

The remaining task is to produce face masks, which have already begun large-scale production at the Pujitang Jiangzhou Textile Workshop.

These supplies were purchased in advance, all with real cash expenditures.

Gu Mingyue made a rough estimate on the paper.

Shop purchase, 300 taels.

The first batch of medicinal herbs purchased cost six thousand taels.

Three thousand catties of lime, four hundred taels.

Two thousand taels of grain were stockpiled.

The employee's estimated monthly wage is 1,500 taels.

Miscellaneous expenses, one thousand taels.

That's just over ten thousand.

The remaining nearly 40,000 taels of silver will need to be invested in subsequent material reserves and personnel expansion.

Fifty thousand taels sounds like a lot, but when you spread it out, it's actually quite tight.

But there is a problem.

Unlike other projects of Pujitang in Jiangzhou, Yitang was different.

Peach Blossom Spring, textile workshops, poultry workshops, bus fleets—each project has a clearly visible business logic.

What about Yitang?

To put it bluntly, it's just throwing money around.

The Control Yuan is everywhere in Kyoto, with more informants than stray cats in alleyways.

She flaunted her wealth ostentatiously right under the emperor's nose, drawing stares that could pierce through anyone.

The Gu family has always been a target of controversy due to its large size.

My father is the current prime minister, and my elder brother has just made a contribution to the emperor.

At times like these, any unusual financial transaction involving the Gu family will be seized upon by those with ulterior motives.

If the person in charge is in a bad mood one day, the Gu family will be a ready-made target.

Therefore, the charitable organization cannot be purely for public benefit.

Gu Mingyue put down her pen and stared at the paper for a while.

"There has to be some income," she muttered to herself. "Even if it's a loss, there has to be a line of revenue on the books that looks like a business."

She picked up her pen again and added a few more words to the paper.

Pujitang Juhong Pharmacy.

They sell medicine in the front room and provide relief in the back.

The medicine is positioned as a high-end, expensive product, with no advertising or hype.

One tael of gold equals one pound.

The main selling point is "take it or leave it."

Of course, not many people would be foolish enough to buy such expensive and unheard-of medicinal herbs.

But in this way, the shop's accounts show a steady flow of money, with inflows and outflows, making it look like a legitimate business.

All relief expenditures in the back hall were recorded under the names of "Citrus peel research and development" and "Citrus peel aging".

When outsiders push open the door, they see a small shop selling inexpensive medicinal cuisine. Steam rises from the stove, and the waiter runs around carrying bowls.

As for whether or not you lose money, there are plenty of businesses in Kyoto that lose money.

It's not surprising that eight out of ten sons of noble families who open shops lose money.

Gu Mingyue nodded in satisfaction.

Blow away the ink, fold the paper into a square, and tuck it into your sleeve.

Let's get started tomorrow.

……

Late at night.

The lights were on in the main hall of the Gu residence.

Gu Debai sat in the armchair in the main hall, holding a cup of cold tea in his hand, but did not drink it.

Gu Mingyue stood by, holding a medical book in her hand, pretending to flip through it for a long time.

She knew that her adoptive father was worried about her brother's safety.

It's better to say something than to say it.

Her father is a good father.

Neither the father nor the daughter spoke, but both strained to listen to the sounds outside the door.

Finally, a sound came from the main gate, and footsteps grew closer.

Gu Debai suddenly stood up and quickly went to the door to greet him.

Upon seeing her son return, a smile immediately spread across her chubby cheeks.

There was no indication that he had been worried just moments before.

"Li'er, how are you? His Majesty didn't blame you, did he?"

"No, we just chatted for a bit."

Gu Mingli smiled and helped his father back to the armchair, then nodded gently to his sister.

Gu Mingyue's eyes lit up; she knew Xue Ren had been saved.

Next, all I need to do is make contact with Xue Ren.

Ostensibly, it was an invitation for Xue Ren to teach medicine at Pujitang, but in reality, it was to coordinate with the epidemic prevention preparations in advance.

two months.

Xue Ren had the medical framework, and she had the resources and manpower.

The plan has been set; all that remains is to execute it.

Tomorrow she will go out to choose a location and build the shop.

We also need to find a shrewd accounting team.

The accounts must be kept clean.

……

The next day, just as dawn broke.

When Gu Mingyue stepped out of the mansion gate, she saw Yi Wu already standing at the bottom of the steps.

With his hands behind his back and his back ramrod straight, he had been standing there for who knows how long.

There was another person next to him.

A middle-aged man in his forties.

He had a long goat beard, a kind face, and wore a gray-blue fine cloth long gown that was washed clean and had neatly folded cuffs.

He had a cloth bag slung across his shoulder, clearly indicating that he carried paper and pens with him.

Yi Wu turned his head, his face expressionless.

"Miss, this is the advisor assigned to you by your master. His surname is Lu, and his given name is Qinghe."

"From now on, he'll keep track of your spending."

Gu Mingyue: "..."

Good heavens, she hasn't even started using the dual ledger yet.

The group's audit team is here!