novelraw Chapter 265
Chapter 265
Chapter 265 Teaching My Younger Sister
After leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Wei Yu did not go straight out of the palace but first went to see Noble Consort Rong’s Third Princess Jing’an.
After all, she was one of the few people who truly cared about him. The young girl had stayed inside the palace for years without going out. Wei Yu accompanied her for quite a while and talked a lot about Huzhou — the things he had seen and heard along the way. Unless something needed to be especially kept secret, he told Jing’an nearly everything.
Wei Yu did not treat Jing’an as a child just because she was young, nor did he shield her from the hardships of the world just because she was a princess.
So what if she was a girl?
Jing’an was his sister. He did not want to see her locked up in a family mansion in the future, addicted to petty domestic power struggles, only caring about her own small patch of land every day. He hoped Jing’an could see a broader sky.
“The people of Huzhou really are pitiful.”
The young lady, dressed in light purple silk brocade, sat upright on an embroidered stool. Her face was clear and beautiful. After hearing Wei Yu’s account of the disaster victims in Huzhou, her expression showed genuine pity.
She looked at Wei Yu seriously and said, “Ninth Brother, back when I was in the palace, I did not know much about many things, but now hearing about the people’s suffering, Jing’an, as a princess, cannot help but feel uneasy. Over these years, I have saved some silver coins. How about asking Ninth Brother to help me send them to Huzhou?”
Wei Yu felt quite comforted that the girl had such a heart, but as for the money, he decided to let it go. Living under someone else’s roof was tough. The monthly allowance for a princess was so little. If she really gave the money out to charity, he would feel bad!
It would seem like his visit was just to extort money…
Wei Yu reached out and gently tapped her forehead with a smile. “You—having a heart willing to do things for the people, Ninth Brother is already very gratified.”
“Ah, Ninth Brother!”
Although the tap wasn’t painful, Third Princess still covered her forehead, giving him a resentful glare.
Wei Yu withdrew his hand and his smile softened. “Jing’an, as members of the royal family, our current luxurious life depends entirely on the support of the people. As members of the royal family, whether prince or princess, it is our responsibility to serve the people. Do you understand?”
Third Princess nodded earnestly.
If she didn’t understand, she wouldn’t have offered her saved silver coins all these years.
Wei Yu took the education of his sister seriously.
After all, he himself could afford to be a slacker, but given Jing’an’s gender and identity, she could not afford to be lazy in this world.
His sister needed to be taught well, or else if she grew up being deceived by untrustworthy men, body, heart, and wealth all taken, that would be a disaster.
Wei Yu said, “Keep your money, Ninth Brother will not take it.”
“But…” Third Princess started to worry.
Wei Yu raised his hand to stop her. “Ninth Brother will not take your silver coins to donate to the people, but Ninth Brother will use his own silver coins to donate in your name!”
Third Princess was stunned.
Her eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up as she looked at Wei Yu with a choked voice: “Ninth Brother…”
Wei Yu smiled and stroked her head, “Don’t cry, I am your Ninth Brother. You don’t need to feel embarrassed about a little money. Would you want to be distant from your Ninth Brother because of that? I’m rich now, really, richer than your Eighth Brother! I’ll talk to Father Emperor and take you out of the palace to play, together with your Eighth Brother. How about we go have fun on the estate?”
Originally hesitant to shed tears, Third Princess suddenly burst into tears.
“Waa—boo hoo, Ninth Brother, you’re really so good…”
“Shh! Hey, don’t cry! Why is it getting worse?”
“Ninth Brother~ You’re really my own brother!”
“A-ah, yeah, yeah… don’t wipe your runny nose on my sleeve!!”
–
After confirming with Jing’an, Wei Yu left the palace.
He first returned to his residence to change clothes and then went to see his Fourth Brother.
He didn’t visit Fourth Prince for any other reason except purely to understand the business landscape developments over the past six months.
Wei Yu wanted to know Fourth Prince’s subsequent business plans, what exactly he and Deng Zhengde had discussed, and how far the Merchants' Alliance had progressed.
It could be said that Wei Yu chose the right person to ask. He found Fourth Prince at a club outside the city, where Fourth Prince frequently met with people for business. When Wei Yu arrived, Fourth Prince had just finished making a deal with merchants from out of town.
Seeing these cheerful people brushing past, Wei Yu hesitated as he stepped into the courtyard.
The servant who greeted Wei Yu quickly said, “Ninth Highness, this way please, our master is inside.”
Wei Yu stepped forward and casually asked, “Was that the person who just discussed business with your master?”
“Yes, he’s said to be from Yizhou.”
Yizhou, huh.
The mention of that place reminded Wei Yu of those families who once prospered off sugar.
Now that sugar prices had quietly dropped, they could no longer rely on sugar to make money. Wei Yu wondered how those families were doing now. They were probably following the Merchants’ Alliance to open markets in Great Liang.
Thinking of this, Wei Yu followed the servant into the courtyard.
Fourth Prince had just finished sealing the contract and was putting it away when he saw Wei Yu enter. He smiled and greeted him warmly.
“Hey! Ninth Brother! I heard you were back yesterday, and I was just thinking of finding you!”
There were no secrets in the capital. By the time Wei Yu returned yesterday, soon everyone in the city knew.
Many people, if they still remembered Ninth Wise King's character and weren’t otherwise occupied, would have shamelessly come over to visit already.
Wei Yu exchanged a few words of greeting with Fourth Brother.
They didn’t talk about Huzhou’s matters, since anything important from Huzhou had been reported to the Imperial Court and known by officials. Minor matters were not worth discussing, and busy people had little leisure.
“Will you return to Huzhou after this?” Fourth Prince asked.
Wei Yu shook his head. “Not going back. Third Brother is in Huzhou, and in about a month he’ll probably return. I’d rather rest more before Third Brother comes back.”
Fourth Prince chuckled. “Well, you’re lucky then—leaving Old Three to handle things alone while you slack off.”
Wei Yu waved him off, “As they say, the capable bear more burden. How could I compete with Third Brother for such merits? He’s still young.”
He didn’t know how many times he had used this excuse before Fourth Prince. Fourth Prince just looked at him with a half-smile but didn’t expose him.
Knowing Wei Yu wouldn’t come for no reason, Fourth Prince asked, “Spit it out, why did you really come?”
Wei Yu inquired about his business and what he had discussed with Deng Zhengde before.
Upon mentioning this, Fourth Prince seemed to become more energized.
He went over all the business plans he had discussed with Deng Zhengde during that time, even referencing a lot of contents from the business model plan Wei Yu had written for Deng Zhengde.
Wei Yu extracted the key points and learned that Fourth Brother and Deng Zhengde had agreed on this: Fourth Brother would manage business affairs in Great Wei, and Deng Zhengde would handle business outside Great Wei—one domestic, one foreign.
Wei Yu was very impressed.
These two were truly two big money-making machines. Their cooperation was tremendously powerful!