My Emperor Father Can Read Minds

After learning that they could ask the Gray Guards for help, Wei Yu and the Fourth Prince left excitedly.

As soon as they stepped out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Fourth Prince thanked Wei Yu.

“Ninth Brother, your Fourth Brother truly thanks you for giving this opportunity to me.”

The Fourth Prince smiled and sighed. “Your Fourth Brother has only had a few manors and shops over the years to cover the expenses of my household. I’m honestly quite poor.”

Wei Yu, who truly didn’t even have a single manor or shop, fell silent.

The Fourth Prince continued.

“Starting a shop and going into business—your Fourth Brother had this idea long ago. But such things are seen as improper, and Royal Father would never have allowed it. So, I’ve only ever thought about it and never acted on it.”

At this point, the Fourth Prince looked at Wei Yu with a probing gaze. “But I really didn’t expect Royal Father to be persuaded by you to let a prince go into business. How did you do it?”

What do you mean, “how”? The old man had clearly made up his mind long ago—he just added a word of encouragement at the right moment!

Wei Yu said shyly, “Ah, it’s embarrassing to say… I don’t really have any skills. Royal Father just happens to dote on me more, that’s all.” Fourth Prince: …

Forget the doting—let’s talk about something else.

The Fourth Prince brought up the topic he’d been discussing with the Emperor earlier.

“You were talking to Royal Father about glass, right? I heard you say the styles in the palace are nothing special, and that you wanted something novel. What counts as novel?”

Oh, “novel”…

There were way too many options!

Wei Yu wished he could just pull out some photos to show him the vibrant and beautiful modern glass products.

He thought for a moment, then described what he’d seen. “First of all, glass bottles, glass cups, glass tea sets—those can definitely be made. Just have the craftsmen design some elegant and innovative shapes. With enough rewards, someone will come up with something good. That’s just a little bonus, though.”

That’s a bonus?

The Fourth Prince frowned, then listened as Wei Yu went on.

“Fourth Brother can make glass marbles. These marbles are shaped like the pearls used in tributes, but they’re transparent, and you can add colorful glass patterns inside. The glass can be shaped into all kinds of designs—plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, chrysanthemums, cats, dogs, rabbits—a whole themed collection…”

“You can also make glass lampshades, glass sculptures, colored or clear, whatever the customer wants. If they pay enough, you can even offer custom pieces. Oh, and Fourth Brother, you can even build a glass house and fill it with glassware. Guests won’t even need to enter the shop to see everything clearly…”

The more Wei Yu spoke, the brighter the Fourth Prince’s eyes became.

That expression—it clearly said “I totally get it!”

“This glass house is brilliant! Just imagining a house made of glass—it feels so open and bright…”

The Fourth Prince suddenly clapped his hands, his eyes sparkling, as if he could already see the finished building. “If I could have such a house in the garden among the bamboo, I wouldn’t need to run from the rain, I could sip tea and enjoy the view from inside. At night, I wouldn’t need to worry about mosquitoes. I could admire the moon and chat with friends… It would be the perfect spot for scholars to gather and talk!”

Wei Yu was impressed.

Goodness, his Fourth Brother was trying to build a scholar-style ancient VIP club!

There’s money in this!

Wei Yu fully approved. “This is a great idea. Make the club big. Pick a spot outside the city and build a garden. Put in everything—flower gardens, bamboo groves, swimming pools, a library tower, dorms—build it all. Use glass for the decorations wherever you can. Invite only scholars for the first round, host a banquet to build fame, then later charge an entry fee for new guests…”

Wei Yu was thinking about how to monetize the club. But the Fourth Prince was thinking something else.

He pondered aloud, “A place like this would be a great way to attract scholars. It’s quite eye-catching. I may need to seek Royal Father’s permission first.”

Wei Yu choked.

He glanced at his Fourth Brother but didn’t have the heart to bring up something even more attention-grabbing.

Which was—glass could be used to make convex and concave lenses.

And what could those lenses be used for?

First: telescopes.

In modern times, telescopes are no big deal. But in ancient times—heh, they’d be incredibly useful for military purposes.

Second: eyeglass lenses.

Many people in ancient times were nearsighted, especially scholars. There were hardly any adults among them who weren’t nearsighted.

After all, reading was the only path to an official career, and the imperial exam system was far harsher than the modern college entrance exam.

Out of thousands of scholars, only a few hundred at most would become officials.

To make it, they studied day and night. Even when it got pitch-dark at night, they lit candles and kept reading.

Now, with such studying conditions, who wouldn’t end up nearsighted?

So nearsightedness was normal.

If craftsmen could make concave lenses for eyeglasses or telescopes, that would be a huge moneymaker.

Wei Yu thought it over but decided not to tell Fourth Brother yet.

He said, “Fourth Brother, think it over carefully when you get back. If you’re stuck, I’ll draw a few designs for you. You can just show them to the craftsmen directly.”

The Fourth Prince, now consumed with thoughts of his scholar’s club, nodded.

“Alright, I’ll think it through when I get back. I’ll be off, then.”

After parting ways with the Fourth Prince, Wei Yu finally returned to his own chambers.

By the time he got back, the food Xiao Anzi had prepared was already turning cold. Wei Yu didn’t mind—he just picked up the bowl and started eating.

Xiao Anzi poured him a cup of hot tea and said, “Your Highness, the Eighth Prince said when he got back to please explain to him later what ‘glass’ is.”

Wei Yu kept shoveling food into his mouth and mumbled a casual “mm-hmm” in reply.

Xiao Anzi noticed his indifferent attitude and quietly added, “The Eighth Prince took the storybook chest you hid under the bed.”

“What?!”

The hand holding the bowl and chopsticks froze instantly.

With his mouth full of food, Wei Yu stared at Xiao Anzi in shock. “When did that happen? Just now? You didn’t even try to stop him?!”

The domineering protagonists in the tablet novels all followed the same tired formula. After reading too many, he’d gotten bored, and started turning to storybooks written by ancient scholars instead…

Let’s not even talk about the content of those storybooks—the point was, he forgot to lock that chest the other day!

His Eighth Brother wouldn’t actually open it, read everything, and then burn his precious spiritual sustenance, would he?!

No, please—

Xiao Anzi, wearing a blank expression, replied quietly, “If the Eighth Prince wants to take it, how could I stop him? Besides, Your Highness, I didn’t even know you hid the storybook chest under the bed.”

Wei Yu clutched his chest with a pained expression.

What could he even say?

Should he admit that during class earlier today, when Eighth Brother asked if he’d been sneaking around again last night, he accidentally let it slip and mentioned secretly reading storybooks???

Staring at the food on the table, Wei Yu chewed the mouthful he had in, face utterly numb.

Forget it.

It’s probably been at least half an hour by now—his Eighth Brother has most likely finished reading everything in that chest already.