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

She returned to her room.

Gu Mingyue casually bolted the door and slumped heavily onto the soft canopy bed when that familiar mechanical voice echoed in her mind. The system panel then popped up, glowing with a faint blue light.

[Ding! New task has been issued.]

[Mission Objective: Spend 21 taels of silver within 2 months.]

[Details: 200000 taels of contaminated silver + 10000 taels of profit silver (5 taels have already been given to my father).]

Gu Mingyue stared at the number "two hundred and one thousand taels" on the panel and sighed wearily.

Next month will be the point at which the epidemic fully breaks out in Kyoto.

She not only had to protect her family's lives when the capital was in chaos.

We must find a way to stop her father and absolutely not let him embezzle that 100,000 taels of anti-epidemic silver!

At this critical juncture, how could she possibly have the time to go out and look for money-burning projects?!

What drove her crazy was that she was desperately trying to figure out how to spend the money.

Her capable henchmen, who were like "hidden dragons and phoenixes" around her, were desperately trying to make money back.

And the speed at which they make money is comparable to a money printing machine!

Were people in ancient times already this fussy?!

Gu Mingyue grabbed a soft pillow and covered her head with it.

Please!

Stop trying!

……

The next day.

The mornings in Powa Lane wake up earlier than any other street in Kyoto.

The sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

Aunt Zhang, who sells wontons at the alley entrance, set up her stove.

Steam rose from the pot, carrying the aroma of scallions and lard, drifting along the whitewashed walls into the depths of the alley.

A shirtless man carrying water strode over from the direction of the public toilet, greeting everyone he saw with a cheerful smile.

Several neighbors were squatting by the drainage ditch, brushing their teeth and chatting idly about the night before.

On the bluestone steps at the entrance of the charitable hall, several children were holding twigs and writing the names of medicinal herbs that Fang Henian had just taught them to recognize yesterday.

Today, Powa Lane is no longer the stinking slum it was a month ago, a place even stray dogs wouldn't set foot in.

The only thing that made Gu Mingyue feel suffocated was the long queue of patients waiting at the entrance of the charitable institution.

It's more than ten times longer than it was a month ago.

As soon as Gu Mingyue's carriage turned into the main street in the south of the city, it came to a sudden stop, as the road ahead was completely blocked.

Peach branch lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and saw a long queue on the street, orderly turning into Powa Lane.

Among the people queuing, there were not only ordinary people dressed in coarse cloth and short tunics, but also many nobles in fine clothes.

A middle-aged man who looked like a manager led his maid to reserve a seat for his master.

An elderly woman, sitting in a sedan chair, peeked inside through a crack in the curtain.

A strong sense of foreboding immediately rose in Gu Mingyue's heart.

When she put on the veil and squeezed her way into the courtyard of the charitable hall, she was almost completely stunned by the sight of the scene inside.

Xue Ren actually came.

The original agreement with Gu Mingyue was that he would "come and give guidance on studies every three days".

As a result, after several visits, they could only watch helplessly as their precious apprentice, Fang Henian, worked tirelessly day and night.

They were so busy from morning till dusk that they didn't even have time to drink water, and the people kept calling them "living bodhisattvas" to express their gratitude.

The atmosphere also stirred up the physician's original aspirations.

These past two days, whenever he wasn't on duty at the palace, he would come to the Yitang Hall of Pujitang.

He placed his mahogany medicine box heavily next to Fang Henian's consultation table.

He had a table brought out, laid out a pulse pillow specially used by the Imperial Medical Academy, rolled up his sleeves, sat down, and began to personally examine patients.

This made Fang Henian very nervous.

"Master, how could I trouble you..."

"Shut up! I'm not so old that I can't move."

Without even looking up, Xue Ren announced in a booming voice, "Next!"

Despite his advanced age, Physician Xue was 20% faster at writing prescriptions than Fang Henian!

Once the news broke, it caused an uproar in Beijing's elite circles.

Xue Ren, the second-in-command of the Imperial Medical Academy and a renowned physician!

Free medical consultations are being offered in such a remote and impoverished place as Powa Lane in the south of the city?!

That's good now.

Yitang was originally just an ordinary account, but Xue Ren suddenly elevated it to a "limited edition expert account".

You should know that normally, if high-ranking officials and nobles wanted to invite Xue Ren to their homes for a consultation, the consultation fee alone would start at fifty taels of silver, and they would have to send a visiting card and ask for favors half a month in advance.

Now? As long as you're willing to swallow your pride and wait in line in Powa Alley, you can get a free consultation with Doctor Xue?!

Who could possibly resist this?

So the families of prominent clans rushed in, scrambling to make the newly paved cobblestone road in Powa Lane smooth.

As a result, the neighboring Juhong Pharmacy also experienced an unprecedented buying frenzy.

Seeing that there weren't enough accountants, Lu Qinghe brought in five more.

The accountants' hands were practically smoking from using the abacus every day; the reservations in the register were already booked until next year's Mid-Autumn Festival!

Gu Mingyue stood forlornly in the shadows of the corner of the courtyard.

Looking at the bustling scene before me, a sea of ​​people making a fortune every day.

In despair, she secretly touched the corner of her reddened eyes.

I feel so wronged! I want to cry!

"Boss!"

Gong Huo ran in from outside the door.

"A letter arrived from the city gate, saying that the young master's carriage has entered the west gate of the city!"

Gu Mingyue's spirits lifted.

Her brother is back!

Judging by the time, her brother's task deadline is approaching.

This mission was crucial to the future of the major epidemic in Kyoto and the lives of 100,000 people.

There must be absolutely no mistakes.

……

That evening, in Gu Mingli's room in the backyard of the Gu residence.

The doors and windows were tightly shut.

Two oil lamps were lit on the table.

Gu Mingyue scrutinized her older brother across from her. Gu Mingli had clearly lost a lot of weight from his trip to Jiangzhou to manage the floods.

His once fair complexion had darkened several shades.

But his handsome eyes were bright and full of energy, revealing the unique spirit of someone who has done real work.

Gu Mingli was very happy to be able to do the work that he was good at and that benefited the people.

However, they now face a more pressing problem.

There are only three days left until the "Palace Intrigue" mission milestone.

Gu Mingyue lowered her voice and leaned forward to get closer to her brother.

"As indicated by 'Future Headlines,' three days later, on that evening, Consort Mei will personally prepare a plate of pastries and deliver it to the Imperial Study to comfort the Emperor."

"If the emperor eats that plate of dessert, he will be infected with the latent plague."

"Once the Lesser Fullness of Grain solar term passes, the epidemic in Kyoto will completely get out of control and cause a major outbreak."

Gu Mingli nodded.

"So the palace intrigue system's mission for me is: that night, before Consort Mei serves the snacks to the Emperor, do everything in my power to prevent him from eating anything else!"

"What kind of food can I prepare that tastes even better than Consort Mei's and will please the Emperor?"

Gu Mingyue patted her brother on the shoulder and said earnestly:

"Brother, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. This time, the food you prepare not only needs to be innovative, but it also has to taste delicious!"

"This time you're seriously going to 'steal' the Emperor from those vying concubines in the harem!"

"We're in the prime of our lives, we have to prove ourselves!"

Gu Mingli: "..."

He didn't want to argue.