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

As night fell, a cool breeze blew.

Inside the main hall of the Gu residence, however, a lively atmosphere prevailed.

When Gu Mingyue dragged her tired body back to the mansion, she found her father, Gu Debai, waiting at the door.

They gazed longingly at the gate.

Her eyes were squeezed into slits from laughing.

Standing nearby was the accountant from the Gu family, who was holding a thick ledger and reporting something.

"Oh, my dear daughter is back!"

As soon as Gu Debai saw his daughter step across the threshold, his chubby face was instantly filled with love and pride.

"Father heard from the accountant today that your Orange Blossom Pharmacy, which has only been open for half a month, has already made a net profit of nearly 100,000 taels of silver?!"

"My goodness! My Yue'er is so amazing!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Mingyue's mind raced, and she immediately disregarded her fatigue, smiling as she followed her father's lead.

"Dad, I told you, keeping your money with me is not only safe, but it also makes money grow. Do you believe me now? Is my earnings enough to support you in your old age?"

"Oh my, that's enough! My daughter is really capable."

Gu Debai clapped his hands excitedly.

"When I was your age, I was just a lowly official in the government. Do you know how little my monthly salary was back then?"

"Six taels of silver! The whole family can't even afford a decent bowl of mutton soup!"

He pulled Gu Mingyue to sit down, poured her some wine, and they drank it with relish.

"My daughter is a business genius! Absolutely incredible!"

The time that follows.

Gu Debai entered a three-click loop of praise: "My daughter is amazing," "My daughter is a genius," and "No one is good enough for my daughter."

In the end, Gu Mingyue was almost convinced by his praise that he was a wealth-bringing maiden under the God of Wealth.

The father and daughter enjoyed their dinner together happily.

Gu Debai took a couple of sips of wine, his cheeks flushing.

Gu Mingyue seized the opportunity, got up, walked to the door, and gave Taozhi a few instructions.

Before long, Taozhi brought over a mahogany tray.

Five stacks of silver notes were neatly stacked on the tray.

Gu Mingyue took the tray with both hands and placed it respectfully in front of her father.

"Father, this is the first large sum of money your daughter has given you as a token of filial piety. Fifty thousand taels of silver."

She looked at her father with sincere eyes.

"Here, spend it however you like."

The wine glass in Gu Debai's hand stopped in mid-air.

He looked down at the banknotes on the tray.

She looked up at her daughter's face again.

Gu Debai put down his wine cup, picked up the silver note with trembling hands, and looked at it over and over again.

Her eyes welled up with tears.

"Moon...you...you're giving Dad money to spend?"

He served as an official for over twenty years and embezzled countless amounts of silver.

But when I took that money, I was terrified, and when I spent it, I was even more careful.

This is the first time someone has handed him money and told him it was earned cleanly.

It was his daughter who earned it.

Gu Debai felt a lump in his throat, and tears streamed down his face.

"My Yue'er... has become successful! She's now taking care of her old father!"

He stroked the banknotes, feeling a warm glow in his heart.

"Dad's life... was worthwhile!"

Gu Mingyue maintained a filial smile on her face.

He rubbed his hands together.

Fifty thousand taels of silver were invested.

Next comes the time to close the net.

She waited until Gu Debai wiped away his tears, then personally poured her father a cup of tea.

"Father, there's something else I'd like to discuss with you."

"Tell me, tell me! What is it!" Gu Debai wiped his eyes and readily agreed.

Gu Mingyue put down the teapot and slowly sat back down in her chair.

"Dad, your daughter has discovered a new project. Once we get involved, we can just sit back and wait to make money."

"Take this Orange Red project, for example. It was once a barren mountain that no one wanted, but now it's become a gold mine, hasn't it?"

Gu Debai, holding his teacup, listened and nodded frequently.

"Yue'er has good judgment and a business mind."

Gu Mingyue sighed.

"It's a pity that all of my daughter's working capital is tied up in Juhong Pharmacy and Jiangzhou."

"This project requires an initial investment of at least 200,000 taels of silver to be able to be rolled out."

Her gaze fell on her father's face.

"father--"

Gu Debai's smile froze.

He slowly put down his teacup.

"Moon...do you want to ask your father...for money?"

Gu Mingyue sat up straight, her expression serious.

"Father, I have something to say to you from the bottom of my heart."

"Our Gu family started from humble beginnings. How did you rise from a minor county magistrate to the Right Chancellor? It was because you had no powerful connections or a prestigious family to back you up, which is why the Emperor trusted you with his services."

Gu Debai frowned slightly.

"But Father, look at those centuries-old aristocratic families in the court now. The Marquis of Cheng'en's Mansion, the Earl of Dingyuan's Mansion, the lineage of the Grand Tutor—which one of them doesn't have deep roots and a powerful clan behind it?"

"Our family's foundation is weak. The silver you've accumulated... is sitting in the treasury, not circulating, not generating profit. If one day it gains prominence and attracts attention, then..."

She made a "knife" gesture around her neck.

Gu Debai remained calm on the surface, but a hint of smugness shone in his eyes when he looked at his daughter.

He is not unaware of this principle.

On the contrary, he has been busy with something lately.

The emperor suddenly assigned him a task: to investigate the accounts of last year's autumn tribute.

This matter points directly to the Chengen Marquis's mansion, the maternal family of Consort Mei.

The emperor wants to take action against the Marquis of Cheng'en, but he doesn't want to do it himself.

Gu Debai knew exactly what kind of people those were.

The Marquis of Chengen's household extended its reach even further than he did, forming cliques, engaging in corruption, and colluding with merchants.

The key point is that she also has a powerful backer who is a favored concubine in the palace.

If the investigation reaches them, a complete falling out is only a matter of time.

The affairs of the imperial court are unpredictable and treacherous; no one knows what schemes are hidden behind the other's mask.

But all of that is nothing compared to his daughter's interests.

Gu Debai exaggeratedly raised his hand and touched the back of his neck.

"Hiss~ It's chilly."

"Moon, what you're saying... Father knows it all too well."

He lowered his voice and looked around.

"But can this money really make a profit?"

Gu Mingyue nodded firmly.

"Father, you have to believe in your daughter. Although that project takes longer, the profit is higher than that of Juhong."

"You'll break even in a year, double your money in two years, and in three years... Dad, you can withdraw the money anytime you need it. As much as you want."

"Think about it."

Gu Debai picked up his wine cup and took another sip.

Two hundred thousand taels is no small sum.

"Father." Gu Mingyue noticed his hesitation and added the final push.

"Dead money invites disaster, living money saves life."

"Would you rather let that filthy silver lie in the cellar waiting to be dug up, or have your daughter clean it up and turn it into capital for legitimate business?"

The room was quiet for a while.

The flame of the oil lamp flickered twice.

Gu Debai finally stood up.

"Come with Dad."

He led Gu Mingyue through the main hall, around the artificial hill in the back garden, and into a narrow passageway.

At the end of the passageway was an iron gate.

There were three large locks on the door, and the keys were all in the brocade pouch at Gu Debai's waist.

The three locks opened one by one.

The iron gate creaked open.

It was pitch black inside.

Gu Debai lit a lantern and held it above his head.

The moment the light shone in, Gu Mingyue's pupils contracted sharply.

A basement.

It's about half the size of a courtyard.

The wooden crates were piled up from the ground to the ceiling.

Gu Debai's voice echoed in the cellar, very low.

"Take the 200,000 taels yourself. This is only a portion of the silver I've hidden. I have more than twenty other treasuries of this size."

Gu Mingyue: "..."