My Emperor Father Can Read Minds
Chapter 41

Why wouldn’t he dare ask for money?

A profit share is a profit share—he invested with his glass recipe technique, and left all the business matters to Fourth Brother. He was just there to collect dividends. Now that they needed to use his design blueprints, why shouldn’t he get paid?!

Ever heard of intellectual property?

Wei Yu was full of righteous indignation.

He was promoting the technical legacy of Chinese civilization on behalf of his ancestors—it was only fair for him to earn a little hardship fee. Yep, totally reasonable!

The Fourth Prince loved money, but Wei Yu was even stingier and trickier.

The two of them argued over the blueprint fee, from the inner city all the way to the imperial city, and didn’t stop until they reached the palace gates.

“Fourth Brother, in business, the worst thing is discord between partners. We’re running this business together now—what’s yours is mine, what’s mine is yours, why draw lines between us?”

But emotional appeals were the one thing that never worked on Wei Yu.

He rejected it with absolute righteousness, “Nope, business is business. What’s mine is mine. Even between real brothers, accounts must be clear. I don’t know a thing about doing business. I’m just like Royal Father—happy to sit back and collect my cut.”

When it comes to money, forget blood brothers—even if his own dad showed up, it wouldn’t work.

The Fourth Prince had a headache.

Doesn’t know how to do business? He sure seems to know how to talk his way through it!

He even pulled out “clear accounts between brothers”—and he still claims he doesn’t get it?

He just won’t back down on that damn design fee!!!

They argued until their throats were dry, and Wei Yu stubbornly refused to give even a little ground. The Fourth Prince was mentally drained, and made one last attempt.

“Fine, then you name your price. But just so you know, your Fourth Brother really doesn’t have much money.”

And was he guilty saying that?

Son of the Noble Consort, the prince with the highest-ranking mother in the palace after the Empress—and he’s got no money?

Wei Yu gave him a meaningful look, then immediately put on a cheerful smile. “Not much, not much. I’m not greedy. Just give me an estate on the outskirts of the city, any size is fine!”

He thought he was going to ask for real silver and gold. Hearing it was just an estate, the Fourth Prince immediately relaxed.

“You should’ve said so earlier. Alright, when we get back, I’ll have them send you the deed and all that.”

People with lots of land sure do speak with confidence. The Fourth Prince sounded downright dashing when he said it.

Wei Yu was so pleased he nearly drooled from the eyes.

“Fourth Brother, you’re such a good person. We’re real brothers—no need to be so polite…”

The Eighth Prince, who’d been invisible the entire time, silently turned to look at him.

Now he remembers they’re brothers? Just a moment ago it was all “clear accounts between brothers.”

The Eighth Prince had thought Wei Yu had a change of heart and might say a few polite words, but in the next second, he heard Wei Yu say:

“Fourth Brother, when will you send someone with the deed? Would that be too much trouble? If you’re too busy, I can just tell Royal Father and go pick it up myself…”

The Eighth Prince stared blankly.

Yeah, he’s still not shameless enough.

—

The Fourth Prince was a man of his word.

He promised Wei Yu the estate, and delivered not just the deed, but also the contracts for the tenant farmers.

Hugging the box of deed papers the Fourth Prince gave him, Wei Yu lay back in a rocking chair, eyes squinting with joy.

“Ah, I’m rich now—two hundred mu of land! Once I leave the palace, I can start a farm: chickens, ducks, geese, fish—an ecological cycle, fully self-sufficient… Hmm… should I raise pigs too?”

That’s just how his thoughts jumped around—from one thing to the next.

Xiao Anzi had recently been so exasperated with the unmotivated Wei Yu that he stopped hanging around him.

Only Hong Zhong and Bai Ban were in the courtyard, one sweeping, the other wiping windows.

After mumbling to himself for a while with no answer, Wei Yu noticed the sunflower seeds on the table were gone, and called out.

“Hong Zhong, get your master some more seeds.”

Black-faced Hong Zhong, broom in hand, turned around and looked at Wei Yu blankly. “Your Highness, we’re out of seeds.”

“Huh? Out?”

Wei Yu said distractedly, “Then use some silver and buy more from the kitchen.”

“Your Highness, we’re out of seeds,” Hong Zhong repeated.

His tone stayed perfectly flat and even, nothing strange about it—but still a little unsettling.

Wei Yu was clearly used to it though, and hadn’t even realized the seriousness of the situation. He lazily clutched his box of land deeds and muttered, “There’s no way the palace is out of seeds. Go ask Eunuch Wang Xi in the kitchen, he’ll get some for sure…”

As they say, good words aren’t said a third time. Seeing that His Highness still hadn’t caught on, Hong Zhong turned to look at Bai Ban with a stiff face.

The pale, emotionless eunuch came down the corridor with a rag in hand. As he passed Wei Yu, he casually tossed a line:

“Your silver is being held by Xiao Anzi. He said you’ve been too irritable lately, and you’re not allowed to eat any more sunflower seeds.”

Wei Yu: …

That shut him up.

He shot upright. “Where’s Xiao Anzi?!”

That silly boy was rebelling now?!

Teasing him was one thing—but now he wouldn’t even let him eat seeds?!

That’s just outrageous.

Bai Ban replied calmly, “Chief Eunuch Li Cheng took him in as a godson. He’s now learning how to work from his godfather.”

Wei Yu: …?

His jaw dropped and then snapped shut again. He silently lay back down.

Well then.

This was serious.

The little dummy was learning how to gain power behind his back—and impressing people, no less.

He couldn’t deny it—Wei Yu was genuinely impressed.

Blinking rapidly, he thought for a long while and still didn’t understand, so he turned and asked the two in the courtyard, “How did Xiao Anzi end up becoming Li Cheng’s godson?”

The Chief Eunuch who even ministers had to curry favor with—what did he see in that little dummy?!

Was Xiao Anzi secretly some kind of treasure?

Had Wei Yu just been blind all this time??

Hong Zhong: “Chief Eunuch Li said Xiao Anzi was clever and honest.”

Bai Ban: “On the night of the Qixi Festival, Xiao Anzi said he helped Chief Eunuch Li with something.”

Hong Zhong: “Chief Eunuch Li gave Xiao Anzi a lot of gifts.”

Bai Ban: “Xiao Anzi didn’t take them. Said he didn’t earn them. Said Your Highness taught him not to expect rewards for doing good.”

Hong Zhong: “Chief Eunuch Li praised him for being upright and dependable.”

Bai Ban: “Then he made Xiao Anzi his godson.”

The two of them took turns, sentence by sentence, and quickly explained everything that had happened.

Wei Yu stood there, mouth agape, completely stunned.

What kind of wild plot development was this?!

Something that happened on Qixi… that was only three days ago!

So much had gone down in just three days—and he hadn’t known a single thing? Was this a joke?

“Tsk.”

Wei Yu took a deep breath and smiled. “Why is it that both of you knew and I didn’t? Got secrets now? Don’t see me as your master anymore? Planning to go independent and leave the family, is that it?!”

He turned full drama king, trembling lips and clutched heart, collapsing back onto the rocking chair with a look of betrayal—like he had some kind of terminal illness.

Hong Zhong and Bai Ban stared at him in silence for two seconds, then turned their heads away in perfect sync.

His Highness was at it again.

And to avoid getting scammed into paying another “emotional damage fee,” they decided to go back to being the silent wooden men they always were.