novelraw Chapter 161
Chapter 161
It was indeed because he had been doing bandit work outside for a long time that extortion was something Wei Yu handled with ease.
He hugged Chang Ning and went to an eyeglasses store. With the guards clearing the way, he casually browsed through all three floors.
There were quite a few people, many getting glasses fitted, most dressed in gold and silver, clearly wealthy people. Just by looking, the store was booming with business!
Wei Yu was very satisfied.
He didn’t care about the store’s decoration; he only cared if there were many people and if business was good.
As long as it made money, that was fine!
After checking out the store, Wei Yu had Chang Ning pick out a pair of glasses for his “close friend” Liu Huaiyuan.
The stated reason was to celebrate.
Whether Chang Ning was willing or not, his resentful expression was obvious, but Wei Yu pretended not to see it, and Liu Huaiyuan did the same.
The two of them were partners in crime; once they caught a sucker, they naturally wouldn’t let him go. But they didn’t go overboard—the glasses frame was made of sandalwood and cost only about thirty-five taels of silver.
By the time the three of them left the store, Chang Ning could no longer bear their coercion and was forced to sneak away.
“Don’t be too much, okay? I’m telling you, even if I have money, I can’t just act recklessly. Be careful, if my mother finds out, she’ll come to your house to demand repayment!”
Chang Ning clutched his purse and moved aside as he spoke.
Wei Yu smiled at this little fat lamb, as if not noticing his intention at all.
“Wow, so Brother Chang is really generous, even inviting me to visit your mansion?”
Chang Ning: ?!
“No, I…”
Wei Yu waved his hand, “It’s nothing, it’s nothing, Brother Chang, I understand your meaning. Seeing your anxious look, don’t worry, I know your mother is kind. When Liu Huaiyuan and I have time, we will definitely come visit your home properly!”
Chang Ning said nothing more and immediately covered his purse and ran off.
His expression was grim, furious at how this attempt to steal the chicken ended up losing the rice—it made him grind his teeth.
Sure enough, those who could get along with Liu Huaiyuan were never good people!
Liu Huaiyuan didn’t speak human language; this one was simply incomprehensible!
After the person ran off, the remaining conversation was easier.
Wei Yu looked at Liu Huaiyuan, “Why is Yuanhua out at this hour?”
If he remembered correctly, this time should be when the two kids had classes, right?
Speaking of which, Liu Huaiyuan recalled his debate with Zhang Qingsheng about literature and science, and the smile on his face inevitably faded.
He sighed and said softly, “Your Highness, please understand, it’s not that I’m lazy, but my heart is willing while my strength is insufficient.”
Wei Yu blinked, “What happened?”
Liu Huaiyuan smiled at him, “The students prefer mathematics and can’t stop thinking about it in all their actions, but I am only a scholar; how can I compare to Teacher Zhang?”
Wei Yu: …
He was silenced all at once.
Listen to this little report from the language teacher—there was quite some grievance.
Wei Yu rubbed his nose, glanced at him, and chuckled, “Brother Yuanhua, you’ve really worked hard. The students are young and hard to teach. They don’t understand the world’s rules, nor your painstaking efforts, and only do what they love. If they sometimes misbehave, please forgive them.”
These were the kids he had found himself; Wei Yu knew very well what kind of personalities they had.
Both were geniuses, one with outstanding talent in mathematics, the other precocious and observant, suitable for physics.
Both were science students and disliked literature—well, that was quite normal!
Wei Yu himself didn’t like it either.
“Your Highness, you are too kind. Teaching disciples is my duty, and they are obedient and sensible, not the kind of naughty kids.”
Liu Huaiyuan paused and looked at Wei Yu helplessly, “The one who argues with me is actually Teacher Zhang.”
Wei Yu stopped, his eyes understanding.
Got it.
The math teacher and the language teacher were having a dispute!
It was definitely because the two kids were weak in different subjects, causing conflict!
Teacher issues were just that minor.
Wei Yu could calculate with his fingers and knew.
He nodded, “No problem, this is a small matter. I know you and Teacher Zhang are broad-minded and won’t quarrel over small things. Brother Yuanhua, rest assured, I have a way to deal with the students’ subject preferences, just be patient a few days.”
The prince has a solution?
Liu Huaiyuan smiled thoughtfully, “If so, I won’t ask more, and I’ll wait quietly for your Highness’ good news.”
“Gladly.”
There really was no way to force kids who disliked certain subjects; if they didn’t want to learn and had no talent for it, how could Wei Yu force them?
Even modern school teachers couldn’t solve students' weaknesses in certain subjects.
Wei Yu could only say that in such cases, implementing an exam system was the fairest.
Weekly tests, monthly tests, final exams—various big and small exams were all set up, so no need to check individually how students were learning; just look at their test results.
Whether the results were good or bad, whether students felt ashamed or compared with each other and worked hard—Wei Yu knew well from his own hard student days how feelings worked.
Anyway, having suffered and been imprisoned before, even if in another era, he wanted others to experience some of it!
Ah, maybe this was the feeling of tearing someone else’s umbrella.
Having experienced in the rain himself before, Wei Yu felt his decision is pretty good—even though this umbrella hadn’t yet been torn.
—
Traveling was hard work. After Wei Yu returned, he rested at the mansion for one night. The next afternoon, he went with the Eighth Prince to the palace to report back to Emperor Wei.
The three had not met for over half a year. In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, each wore a colder expression than the next.
Wei Yu didn’t say much; no lazybones liked going to work.
As soon as he stepped into the palace, he looked as if he were going to a funeral. As a lazybones, whenever he thought of going to work again, it felt like the sky was falling.
His expression was full of grief.
It was funny, like he didn’t care about his father’s well-being.
The Eighth Prince was simply afraid Emperor Wei would blame him.
After all, the kid was honest. It was agreed that they would stay six months, but he and Ninth Brother had stayed one more month in Ji Prefecture. That was breaking their word, disobeying the Emperor’s order.
Especially during that extra month, Wei Yu, afraid of the Emperor’s letters urging him on and mocking him for being careless, barely replied to the old man’s letters…
As for Emperor Wei sitting behind the desk—
Heh.
The old man didn’t need to ask much. With mind-reading skills, what could he not know?!
Wei Yu tried to be clever and hide his little schemes from his father, but the Eighth Prince was completely unaware.
Whatever they did in Ji Prefecture, Emperor Wei heard it all through the Eighth Prince’s thoughts.
He sat behind the desk, smiling at his two sons.
How to put it—
It was a feeling of “these rotten kids are really mine.”
Posing as bandits, building armies, appointing female officers… why didn’t the unfilial son write more details in his letters before?
Heh.