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

After arranging things for the two of them, Gu Mingyue took out a few more silver notes and handed them to Shi Buji.

"Here are six hundred taels. Go to the kiln and order twenty thousand bamboo tube cups to hold the Tangerine Peel Cough Relief Powder."

Shi Buji took the silver note, turned it over and over to look at the denomination, his eyes full of confusion.

"Is the owner preparing to brew and sell the medicine?"

"Hmm." Gu Mingyue's expression remained unchanged. "We'll decoct the medicine according to our own recipe, pour it into bamboo cups, one cup per serving, so you can drink it as soon as you get it."

Shi Buji carefully folded the banknotes and put them in his pocket.

"I'll take care of it right away."

The six hundred taels have been spent.

The system panel popped up in Gu Mingyue's field of vision.

[This task is complete.]

The 50,000 taels of silver (within 10 days) have been cleared.

[Rewards being distributed...]

[One copy of "Future Headlines" has been saved.]

The ice-blue scroll icon flashed twice in the upper right corner of the panel before quietly settling into the rewards section.

Gu Mingyue's expression remained unchanged, and she nodded to Lu Qinghe.

"Let's go. Back to the city."

into the night.

The back courtyard of the Gu residence.

The brother and sister sat facing each other at the table, with the doors and windows tightly closed.

Yiwu and Yishi stood guard on the roof.

Gong Huo and Tao Zhi were waiting outside the door.

The oil lamp on the table was dimmed to its lowest setting, casting a faint glow over both faces.

Occasionally, a tiny spark would burst from the wick, producing a very faint crackling sound that was exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

Gu Mingli rubbed his hands together, then rubbed them again, like a lottery player waiting for the draw in winter.

"Here, open the message."

Gu Mingyue raised her hand and made a sweeping motion on the table, revealing an ice-blue system panel.

Future Headlines.

The first line of text slowly unfolds.

[Just after the Lesser Fullness of Grain (Xiaoman), a mass coughing outbreak occurred in the capital city. Three days later, the body of a Miao Jiang Gu Master was carried out of a large mansion.]

Gu Mingli frowned: "A Gu master from Miao territory? The old man who provided the love potion for Consort Mei at the last birthday banquet?"

Gu Mingyue nodded slightly, said nothing, and continued reading.

Seven days later, the cough spread rapidly throughout the city, but it failed to attract the attention of the authorities.

[Mei Fei's maternal uncles hoarded medicine during the epidemic. Within two weeks, the prices of three key medicinal herbs quadrupled.]

Within a month, Kyoto saw over 10,000 infections. Drug prices skyrocketed, leaving the poor without access to medication. The daily death toll exceeded 100.

"Daily average exceeding 100..."

Gu Mingli repeated those four words in a low voice.

This is a period of rapid transmission!

Gu Mingyue didn't stop; her finger continued to slide down.

[While making pastries in the Hanfang Palace, Consort Mei was unaware that she had contracted a cough. The pathogen was transmitted to her through food contact.]

Three days later, the emperor's cough worsened, his high fever persisted, and he was bedridden.

[The King of Qi seized power and launched a swift purge. But the epidemic was already out of control.]

The brother and sister were silent for a moment.

When the last two floated up, the air seemed to freeze.

To cover up the truth about the Miao witchcraft masters and their monopoly on medicinal herbs, the Marquis of Cheng'en's mansion shifted the blame to Prime Minister Gu.

[Right Chancellor Gu Debai's embezzlement was exposed, inciting public resentment, and he was sentenced to have his entire family executed.]

The room was so quiet you couldn't even hear a breath.

The flames on the candlesticks were all carefully flickering, not daring to waver.

Gu Mingyue turned her head and exchanged a glance with her brother.

The two remained calm.

got used to.

We've become immune to news of "extermination of the entire family."

"The source of the disease is most likely that old man from Miao territory."

Gu Mingyue summarized in a low voice.

"That person was brought to the capital from the southern border by Consort Mei's maternal family."

Gu Mingli frowned. "The Marquis of Chengen hoarded medicine, raised prices, and shifted the blame."

"They didn't just kill our family."

Rather, it refers to all the people of Kyoto.

"One hundred thousand people."

Gu Mingyue's voice was as steady as ever.

"That old man from Miao territory, from Consort Mei's maternal family, must be dealt with as soon as possible. But we have no way to go directly to the Marquis of Chengen's residence to find him."

"We need to borrow a knife," Gu Mingli said.

"Whose knife should I borrow?" he asked again.

"It belongs to the King of Qi." Gu Mingyue pointed to the roof.

She cleared her throat, suddenly raising her voice by a factor of two, deliberately speaking very loudly.

"I heard that a mysterious Miao Gu master has recently appeared in Kyoto. The old man not only carries Gu worms, but also a virus."

"I'm really curious, someone who keeps snakes and scorpions for so long should be easy to find, right? I wonder where he is? I hope I can find him."

These words, once uttered, are like a pebble dropped into still water.

The sound of tiles clattering came from the roof.

It was as if someone who was squatting very steadily moved slightly after hearing those words.

The brother and sister exchanged a glance.

It seems the information about "the Gu Master hiding in Kyoto" has been successfully passed on to Yi Wu and Yi Shi.

Suddenly, Gu Mingli's system beeped.

[Ding! A new palace intrigue mission has been issued.]

A Barbie pink system panel pops up.

Gu Mingli's eyebrows twitched reflexively as soon as he saw that color.

[To prevent His Majesty from contracting the plague from consuming the pastries made by Consort Mei, please prepare meals for His Majesty yourself to win his favor and prevent him from wanting to eat Consort Mei's pastries.]

[Xiao Ye's current favorability rating towards you: -569]

[You will gain +4 favorability points upon completion of the task]

[Task Deadline: 1 month]

[Failure Penalty: Baldness and Mediterranean Hair]

Gu Mingli: "..."

Gu Mingyue curiously leaned over to take a look at the new task, suppressing the twitching at the corner of her mouth.

"Brother, can you make desserts?"

Gu Mingli straightened his sleeves and said in a strong voice, "I can do it in my mind."

Gu Mingyue: "..."

Gu Mingli: o((⊙_⊙))o

Gu Mingyue sighed.

"There are standards for this mission. You need to prepare a special dish so that His Majesty will lose his appetite for Consort Mei's desserts."

Gu Mingli took a deep breath, his gaze resolute.

"If she's making desserts, then I'll make a main dish!"

"I can learn to cook anything in a month. Sichuan cuisine, Shandong cuisine, Huaiyang cuisine! I've been eating takeout for over ten years, what kind of food haven't I seen?"

"Tomato and egg stir-fry is the easiest thing to make."

The more Gu Mingli talked, the more capable he felt.

"Tomato and egg stir-fry, ready in three minutes, a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate..."

"elder brother."

"Um?"

Gu Mingyue's lips twitched.

"Da Yong doesn't have tomatoes now."

Gu Mingli's smile froze for a moment.

"...Then make candied sweet potatoes."

"There are no sweet potatoes."

Braised pork ribs!

"No soy sauce."

"...Boiled fish!"

"No chili peppers."

Gu Mingli opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He discovered that his more than 20 years of "takeout experience" was practically worthless in this era.

The room remained quiet for a while.

The flame of the oil lamp flickered, casting two long shadows on the wall.

Gu Mingli suddenly raised his head.

"So what exactly is this era?"

"There are noodles, vinegar, salt, mutton, tofu, sesame seeds, honey, ginger..."

Gu Mingyue counted on her fingers, "These are about all the commonly used ones."

"this one?"

"That's it."

Gu Mingli buried his face in his hands.

He should have realized long ago that palace intrigue missions wouldn't be so easy!

Outside the window, Yi Wu and Yi Shi squatted on the roof ridge, listening intently for a long time.

A night breeze caressed the roof tiles, and the moonlight was pale.

Two bodyguards crouched on the roof like two black cats.

He tilted his head, stuck out his buttocks, and lay on the roof tiles listening to the conversation inside the house.

Yi Shi spoke first, his voice barely audible, like a mosquito's hum.

"Is Editor Gu preparing a meal for His Majesty himself?"

Yi Wu snorted coldly, "You have ulterior motives."

Yi Shi thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"It was done with care. In any case, making the soup by hand shows sincerity. I must report this to the Prince."

So, Yi Shi took out the small piece of paper hidden in the waistband and, by the moonlight, wrote it down stroke by stroke with a charcoal pencil.

[Editor Gu couldn't sleep at night, wanting to personally cook soup for His Majesty. He put his heart into it.]

After he finished writing, he checked it again, rolled it up with satisfaction, and stuffed it into the mailbox.

Beside him, Yi Wu also took out his own little note.

He wrote down with an exceptionally serious expression:

The young lady has taken a liking to an old man from Miao territory who is as venomous as a snake, and she desires to possess him.

Two carrier pigeons took flight one after the other from the rooftop and disappeared into the Kyoto night.