Everyone feels uneasy—it’s perfectly normal.
Guo Yajun’s unease stemmed from how harsh the world was toward women.
Wei Yu wasn’t going to tell Guo Yajun about gender equality or say anything like “women are inferior to men.” If inspirational words worked, there wouldn’t be so many people deceiving themselves in this world.
All he would do was lay the options in front of her—go or stay, seek poison or honey—let her decide for herself.
That day, Wei Yu wasn’t sure if Guo Yajun understood what he meant, but judging from her later actions and demeanor, he believed she probably did.
Because she became more meticulous in her work.
She was likely inspired by him and wanted to be a good child who followed her heart and served the court. Wonderful.
—
After getting in contact with Tian Hu, the Eighth Prince didn’t send the message himself but had someone else deliver it that same day.
He intended to remain in Ziyang County for now, worried about what trouble Wei Yu might stir up—just in case.And sure enough, once the Eighth Prince learned everything Wei Yu had done in Ziyang County, he not only felt he had made the right choice but also felt that old urge to sever ties rising again.
“You really take the cake! This whole white salt affair, and you didn’t discuss it with me or Second Brother at all?!”
Watching Wei Yu pace casually in front of him, the Eighth Prince was fuming. Wei Yu, lying on a couch with his arms crossed over his stomach, looked extremely relaxed and calmly persuaded, “Eighth Brother, it’s nothing big. Don’t be mad, don’t rush—we can sit down and talk this through.”
“Talk, my ass!”
The Eighth Prince stopped, turned to glare at him, and demanded, “Tell me the truth. All these things you’ve been doing—have you told Father about everything? Not just one or two matters, I mean all of it!”
Huh?
“What do you mean, everything?”
Wei Yu looked totally lost.
He’d done a lot—what did “everything” mean exactly? Did that include sneaking around at night watching Crayon Shin-chan?
“The Oxhead Army, Guo Yajun, the people clearing land outside the city, the public notices looking for people, the white salt…”
The Eighth Prince counted on his fingers. With each one, Wei Yu’s brow furrowed a little deeper.
Whoa—he’d done that much already?
No wonder he always felt like he didn’t have enough time to rest…
“I asked Ding Facai earlier—he said you already sent a letter to the capital. Well, that’s one thing you did right, at least you reported to Father. But doing all this without approval, even if Father doesn’t scold you, he’s probably fuming inside…”
Thinking Wei Yu had confessed everything, the Eighth Prince nodded and calmly analyzed the Emperor’s likely reaction.
The more he talked, the more Wei Yu started to feel guilty.
Because honestly, he had been too focused on making money and had really forgotten to mention anything else.
Wei Yu blinked and quietly rolled over.
What could he say? It wasn’t totally his fault.
After all, if his relationship with Emperor Wei was the same as any regular prince and father, he wouldn’t even be here in Jiaozhou, let alone running things. Heck, he probably wouldn’t have been granted a princely residence yet!
It was precisely because he and his father shared a rare level of communication and trust that Wei Yu had developed this shameless attitude—not because he was lazy, but because he knew the Emperor had his back.
He wasn’t rebelling. His father already knew all his cards. No matter what he did, the old man would cover for him.
So what was there to worry about?
What the Eighth Prince saw as risky defiance of imperial authority, Wei Yu saw as nothing at all.
—So long as it benefited Great Wei, even if he acted first and reported later, his father would probably be all smiles.
Sprawled lazily on the couch, Wei Yu grew even more content as he listened to his brother’s lecture, already thinking about sending Ding Facai back with the next letter once Yi Shisan returned.
Confidence was one thing, but the Eighth Prince did make a good point.
He was getting a little spoiled from his father’s favor.
That couldn’t continue—people like that always ended up dead early in TV dramas. He’d need to put more thought into how he phrased his next letter, make himself sound more refined and pitiable so the old man would feel moved. What a headache…
After talking for ages, the Eighth Prince looked up and saw that Wei Yu had turned his back and was spacing out.
He instantly exploded.
“Wei Yu!”
“Ah?”
Wei Yu snapped to attention. “Eighth Brother, you need something?”
The Eighth Prince: “…Did you even hear what I just said?”
“Of course I did!”
Wei Yu sat up straight and said solemnly, “Don’t worry about Father. If there’s punishment, I’ll take it. I won’t let you fall like a flower in the wind. Now let’s talk about recruiting people.”
The Eighth Prince, who was just called a delicate flower: …
Illiterate fool!
The Eighth Prince was too exhausted to even complain about Wei Yu’s nonsense anymore. He sighed, “Forget it. I don’t know what you and Father talk about in private, but since you insist, fine—if there’s punishment, you take it. Now tell me—what recruiting?”
Wei Yu looked wounded. “Eighth Brother, you’ve changed. You used to say we’d face hardships together!”
The Eighth Prince snorted. “Be grateful I haven’t cut ties with you.”
Not wanting to keep arguing, he motioned for Wei Yu to explain.
“I heard from the people under you that you posted notices around Ziyang looking for recruits. It’s been over ten days with no reply. Who exactly are you looking for?”
Wei Yu was juggling so many projects in Ziyang—aside from secretly having Guo Yajun handle county affairs, the biggest were the white salt business and the land reclamation.
As far as the Eighth Prince could see, he had no clue what else required public recruitment.
“Sigh.”
Just hearing the question made Wei Yu sigh. “Naturally, I’m looking for people of talent.”
That was vague, but he couldn’t exactly say “math, physics, and chemistry”… wait a minute.
Wei Yu suddenly perked up.
He turned abruptly and fixed his eyes on the Eighth Prince, gaze blazing. “Eighth Brother! I’ve got some books here—full of novel knowledge. Father knows about them too. Mastering what’s in them can help you build a great career, rise in rank, get rich, stay safe, and bring prosperity to Great Wei! Want to see?”
The Eighth Prince: …
He froze.
Alarms blared in his mind. Not only did he ignore the rosy future Wei Yu was selling, he immediately wanted to turn and flee.
He knew Wei Yu too well. That sneaky tone, that scheming look—he’d seen it at least eight hundred times if not a thousand.
This guy used to set traps for others. Now he was finally coming for him?!
The Eighth Prince straightened his face and refused with righteous indignation.
“No. I am a man of integrity. I do not accept vague ‘goodwill’ from questionable sources. Give it to someone else. I’m out.”
He radiated moral strength… while speed-walking away.
Wei Yu chased after him in anguish.
“Eighth Brother, don’t go! Would I ever harm you? Come on, hand on your heart—have I ever hurt you? I’m doing this for your own good!”