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

Gu Debai understood the coded message.

Could this be the new money-making project his daughter was talking about?!

His daughter wrote this letter to prevent the Control Yuan's informants from discovering that they were laundering money.

Gu Debai put the letter away with satisfaction and gave instructions to the steward with a pleased expression.

"Go to the warehouse and withdraw 200,000 taels of silver notes. As the letter said, send someone to deliver them to the mountain first thing tomorrow morning."

The butler was stunned.

"Sir? You really want it? Isn't this... kidnapping? Should we report it to the authorities?"

"Which official should I report to?"

Gu Debai waved his hand dismissively.

"It's just a kidnapping by bandits, why make such a fuss?"

His secret code with his daughter is something others don't understand.

at the same time.

The study of the Prince of Qi's residence.

Two homing pigeons landed on the windowsill one after the other.

Xiao Jue put down his brush and unfolded the first slip of paper.

It was written by Yi Shi.

Miss Gu and Young Master Gu went into the mountains to search for minerals. Miss Gu was lured up the mountain by bandits.

Xiao Jue's pupils contracted slightly.

Open the second sheet.

It was written by Yi Wu.

[The young lady seems to have taken a liking to the second-in-command of the bandits, and is using him as bait.]

Xiao Jue placed the two slips of paper side by side on the table, tapping them lightly with his fingertips as he fell into deep thought.

Is this a case of the Gu family colluding with bandits to launder money?

Or did the Gu siblings go to rob bandits?

Xiao Jue slowly leaned back in his chair, twirling the folding fan halfway through his palm.

"interesting."

He got up and walked to the window.

"Issue the order. Dispatch one hundred cavalrymen from the capital region and send them out of the city immediately to the Taihang Mountains to rescue people."

He paused.

"Furthermore, prepare the horses. I will go myself."

……

Black Cliff Mountain Village.

The banknotes have arrived.

Old Ma's hands trembled as he accepted the thick stack of silver notes, thick enough to be used as a pillow, his eyes red-rimmed.

"Brothers! We're rich now!"

The entire village was in an uproar.

A hundred or so people, young and old, crowded at the entrance of the council chamber, craning their necks to peek inside.

The women wiped away their tears, the children cheered and jumped for joy, and the strong men who had been starving for more than half a month beat each other's chests with red eyes.

Gu Mingyue glanced at the group of bandits who were so excited they were rambling incoherently, and silently opened the system panel.

[Ding! 20 taels of silver have been consumed from inventory.]

[Task Balance: 1 Silver]

[Task Time Limit: 60 days]

Very good!

Two hundred thousand taels of silver were spent!

She even wanted to look up to the sky and howl.

Gu Mingli walked over and handed her a bowl of spring water.

"What are you so happy about?"

"I'm so glad someone's finally willing to spend money on me." Gu Mingyue took the bowl and gulped it down.

Gu Mingli glanced at the bandits outside, who were happily distributing silver notes. Then he looked at his sister's face, which couldn't hide her joy.

"Wouldn't you be considered aiding the enemy?"

"What do you mean by aiding the enemy? This is called inclusive finance." Gu Mingyue said without changing her expression.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

Yi Wu strode in from outside. His face was stern, and his hand was on the hilt of his sword.

"Miss, someone has come down from the mountain."

"My father's men?"

"No." Yi Wu paused for a moment. "It was an army. About a hundred cavalry. They were flying... the banner of the Jingji Camp."

Gu Mingyue's hand holding the bowl froze.

Outside, the faint sound of orderly hooves could be heard in the distance, growing louder as they approached.

Dull, yet powerful.

Xiong Er (Zuo Shan Xiong) also heard the noise, and his face turned pale instantly.

"Soldiers?!"

Before he could even warm the silver notes in his hand, the other party arrived.

The bandits who had just received their share of the silver instantly erupted in chaos.

Some people shouted that they wanted to go up the mountain to hide, while others yelled that they should pick up their weapons and fight.

a mess.

Gu Mingyue put down her bowl and stood up abruptly.

She had a very bad feeling.

Jingji Camp was the territory of the King of Qi.

The sound of horses' hooves grew closer, shattering the tranquility of the mountain afternoon.

Standing on the stockade wall and looking down the mountain, one can see more than a hundred riders lined up in a long row on a narrow mountain road, their armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

The flags fluttering in the wind are the dark green military flags of the Jingji Camp.

At the very front of the procession, a man on horseback was slightly ahead by half a horse's length.

Black horse, silver saddle, and dark brocade robe.

King Xiao Jue of Qi came in person.

Xiong Erdangjia clung to the village wall, his legs trembling.

"We're doomed! The imperial court is here! Brothers, run!"

"Where do you think you're going?! There's a cliff behind you!"

"Then jump!"

"You jump first!"

The bandits were in complete chaos, pushing and shoving each other.

He still clutched the silver notes tightly in his hand, refusing to let go no matter what.

Gu Mingyue stood at the entrance of the council hall, watching the military flag getting closer and closer down the mountain, her mind racing.

The King of Qi came in person.

Given Xiao Jue's shrewdness, he had most likely already guessed where the 200,000 taels of silver came from.

Gu Mingyue quickly grasped the situation.

She couldn't let the King of Qi think that she was transferring embezzled funds or destroying evidence.

Otherwise, he would report it directly to the emperor, and the entire Gu family would be in trouble.

She had to come up with a plausible explanation for the 200,000 taels of silver in front of the King of Qi.

The cavalrymen below the mountain have already begun their ascent.

Old Ma and his band of bandits huddled behind the stockade wall, their faces deathly pale.

"We're legitimate mountain bandits, we only steal money, we don't kill! We shouldn't be wiped out by law!"

With trembling hands, he stuffed the silver notes back into his bundle, then pushed the bundle towards Gu Mingyue.

"Young Miss! Here's your money back! Please leave now! Don't get involved with us!"

The tall, thin man next to him nodded in agreement.

"Yes, yes, yes! Second Brother is right! You wrote the kidnapping letter, and you taught us how to rob them. We were just implicated!"

The round-faced man was so anxious that he kept stamping his feet.

"Grandma! Please take the money and leave! We don't want it! Our lives are more important than money!"

Gu Mingyue felt a wave of dizziness as she looked at the stack of silver notes that had been pushed back at her.

These useless bastards!

The 200,000 taels she had painstakingly spent were returned just like that?

The numbers on the system panel did indeed flash once.

The 200,000 taels already spent have jumped back to the "to be spent" column.

[Current balance to be spent: 210000 taels.]

Gu Mingyue: "..."

"Don't rush to return it." Gu Mingyue reached out and pressed down on the bundle.

Old Ma panicked. "Young Miss! The soldiers are coming! We don't want to die!"

"You think you'll be spared if you return the silver?" Gu Mingyue retorted. "Do you think the soldiers are here for the silver?"

Old Ma was stunned.

"They don't want ransom money," Gu Mingyue said calmly. "They want me."

To be precise, they came to "see what she's up to."

The wooden door of the mountain stronghold was knocked on three times from the outside.

"Bang. Bang. Bang."

A voice came from outside the village gate.

"Open the door."

Xiong Er's legs went weak, and he plopped down on the ground.

The remaining bandits also dropped their weapons. Broadswords, spears, and all sorts of farm tools were scattered on the ground, and they raised their hands high above their heads.

Their surrender gestures were even more practiced than when Gu Mingyue taught them how to write kidnapping letters.

They clearly underwent standardized training.

The gate to the village was opened.

Xiao Jue stepped in.

He was followed by about a hundred armored soldiers who filed in and quickly lined up in the courtyard.

Xiao Jue's gaze swept over the bandits kneeling in the courtyard, then over the old weapons piled in the corner, and finally landed on the crooked council hall in the center.

He walked to the door and stopped.

The curtain was lifted by a corner by the wind.

Gu Mingyue sat behind the long table, with Taozhi and Gong Huo standing behind her.

That aura was just like that of a bandit leader.