The Prodigal Son

Qin Mansion.

Qin Yu had worked up a sweat practicing martial arts and had just lain down in the bathtub when Nan Que'er rushed in.

Upon hearing the commotion, Qin Yu instinctively covered his crotch, but upon seeing that it was Nan Que'er, he released his hand.

Just as Qin Yu was about to start teasing her, Nan Que'er ran up and pulled him out of the bathtub, saying, "Your Majesty has arrived! Hurry up and get dressed!"

"What?"

Qin Yu's eyelids twitched suddenly. "What's she doing here?"

Didn't I just serve as a court attendant in the palace for a day yesterday?

Did she come to the Qin residence today?

What's wrong? Is she missing herself?

"Stop asking so many questions, hurry up and get dressed!"

Nan Que'er raised her hand and slapped him on the back.

Helpless, Qin Yu could only climb out of the bathtub and, with Nan Que'er's help, quickly put on his clothes.

When he followed Nan Que'er to the front hall, Qin Fumeng was sitting there chatting with Zhao Luan, and Luo Qingyi was standing next to him.

On the table, there was also a jar of wine.

The moment Qin Yu saw the wine, he understood.

Envious!

The female tyrant is definitely envious of Zunjiu's profits!

Next, it will probably be a combination of harsh measures and sweet promises.

"Your humble servant Qin Yu greets Your Majesty."

Qin Yu stepped forward and bowed.

Zhao Luan glanced at Qin Yu, pointed to the wine on the table, and asked, "Did you make this wine?"

"yes!"

Qin Yu readily admitted it.

"Tell me honestly, what is the approximate cost of this wine?"

Zhao Luan stared intently at Qin Yu.

She had already asked Qin Fumeng and Luo Qingyi, but both of them brushed her off by saying they didn't know.

"Three ounces!"

Qin Yu answered without hesitation.

Upon hearing Qin Yu's words, Luo Qingyi almost tripped and fell to the ground.

Three ounces?

You really dare to say that!

Zhao Luan frowned slightly.

Although the cost was relatively low compared to the selling price, her intuition told her that Qin Yu was definitely not telling the truth.

"I'm giving you a chance to rephrase your words!"

Zhao Luan deliberately put on a stern face, looking at Qin Yu with an unfriendly expression, "Think carefully before you answer! If you dare to deceive the emperor, see how I deal with you!"

really!

He knew that this female demon had no good intentions!

Qin Yu secretly curled his lip and replied, "What I said is the truth. The total cost, including all the expenses, is indeed three taels of silver, and possibly more!"

"You really dare to deceive the emperor to his face!"

Zhao Luan stared at Qin Yu with a half-smile, "I'm too lazy to investigate, not because I can't find out!"

"Your Majesty, is this really all you need?"

Qin Yu immediately began to calculate the costs for Zhao Luan, counting on his fingers: "I bought this brewing method from someone else, and that alone cost a full 500,000 taels of silver. In addition, we still need to build a brewing workshop later..."

"I didn't ask you to calculate these things!"

Zhao Luan interrupted Qin Yu in a fit of frustration.

"Excluding these, it's probably around one qian of silver!"

Qin Yu sighed, "However, the cost must include all the money I spent! We can't just calculate labor and materials..."

Qin Yu was still settling accounts with Zhao Luan.

But Zhao Luan had no interest in listening to his subsequent nonsense.

Shangguan Youyi and Yun Ying's breathing suddenly became rapid.

The cost is one qian of silver, but it is sold for ten taels of silver!

Exorbitant profits!

It's even more profitable than selling salt!

Thinking of this, Zhao Luan stared intently at Qin Yu, "The business you mentioned before that you wanted to partner with me on was selling alcohol?"

Zhao Luan's gaze towards Qin Yu clearly changed.

It felt like a hungry wolf eyeing a piece of fresh meat.

"right!"

Qin Yu nodded slightly and sighed, "But His Majesty is of noble character and does not wish to compete with the people for profit, so I have no choice but to do this myself."

puff!

Zhao Luan felt as if Qin Yu had stabbed her in the heart.

For a fleeting moment, Zhao Luan even considered jumping up and kicking Qin Yu away.

It was intentional!

That bastard definitely did it on purpose!

He was clearly laughing at himself!

"You can't blame His Majesty for this."

Shangguan Youyi quickly spoke up to help Zhao Luan out of the predicament: "How could His Majesty have known that selling wine could be so profitable? Moreover, you only said that you wanted to partner with His Majesty in business, without even mentioning what kind of business it was! It would be a miracle if His Majesty agreed."

At this moment, Shangguan Youyi was at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

She was present when Qin Yu mentioned this matter to Zhao Luan.

Qin Yu had already delivered the silver to His Majesty, but His Majesty forcibly returned it.

Now, Qin Yu has directly shut her up with her words of refusal.

"Lord Shangguan, I swear to God!"

Qin Yu looked at Song Zhuo with feigned anguish: "You were there at the time, and you know that as soon as I opened my mouth, His Majesty said things like, 'She is the ruler of a country!' His Majesty is so noble and virtuous, how could I possibly implicate him in something unjust?"

"..."

Shangguan Youyi was speechless and could only become a bystander.

Qin Yu has already made his move.

Now it's up to His Majesty to counter this move.

Zhao Luan's cold and beautiful face twitched slightly. The urge to beat Qin Yu up again arose in her heart, and she turned her gaze to Qin Fumeng.

Qin Fumeng seemed not to understand Zhao Luan's meaning. He pretended to touch his face and looked at Zhao Luan with a puzzled expression: "Your Majesty, is this old minister's face not clean?"

Zhao Luan's face twitched violently, and she glared angrily at Qin Fumeng.

Could you be any more obvious about it?

Seeing that Qin Fumeng was no longer a viable option, Zhao Luan steeled herself and stared at Qin Yu, saying, "I regret it now! Tell me, how do you intend to partner with me in this business?"

Zhao Luan's words surprised the others.

They didn't expect that Zhao Luan would actually be so shameless.

Qin Yu snapped out of his daze, his face immediately showing difficulty. He sighed and said, "If Your Majesty had brought this up a few days earlier, I would have been so happy I'd do a few backflips on the spot! But right now, I'm really in a bit of a dilemma!"

"What's so difficult about it?"

Zhao Luan asked calmly.

Qin Yu sighed, "After Your Majesty refused, I have already partnered with someone else, exchanging 20% ​​of my shares in the Zunjiu business for approximately 1.5 million taels of silver. If Your Majesty does not believe me, I can show you the contract..."

Qin Yu did not say anything more after that.

But Zhao Luan and the others understood Qin Yu's meaning.

One-tenth of a share is worth 750,000 taels of silver!

Qin Yu was not happy about giving her shares for free.

If you ask her to invest real money, she definitely won't be willing!

Zhao Luan lowered her head, her anger rising again.

At that moment, she seemed to hear Qin Yu laughing at her in her ear: "I offered to partner with you before, but you weren't willing. Now you know you regret it, right?"

She has a hundred ways to force Qin Yu to give her shares voluntarily.

But as the ruler of a country, she still had to save face.

What's the difference between doing this and outright robbery?

After suppressing the urge to beat Qin Yu up, Zhao Luan slowly stood up. "Qin Yu, accompany me for a walk in the back garden of the manor!"

As Zhao Luan walked past Qin Yu, she stomped hard on Qin Yu's instep again.

That bastard!

He feels uneasy if he doesn't get beaten up every day!

I haven't settled the score with him yet for causing me to suffer a few days ago!

"hiss……"

Qin Yu gasped dramatically, then followed Zhao Luan, still feeling indignant.

Shangguan Youyi was used to Zhao Luan's actions, but Qin Fumeng was completely taken aback.

But soon, the look of astonishment on Qin Fumeng's face disappeared, replaced by a barely perceptible smile.

What may seem like a breach of etiquette is actually a form of intimacy.