novelaction Chapter 140 89 Severing Brotherly Relationship (Part )
Chapter 140 89 Severing Brotherly Relationship (Part )
Chapter 140: The Bromance Severed in
Seeing Ninth Brother open the invitation and then reply at the desk, Tenth Prince Yin rushed to him and said, "You're not going to the banquet again, are you? Haven't you already seen through him? Do you still have hope for him?"
It was unrealistic for Yinzhen to say that he absolutely hadn't, but he did leave early for this banquet. "Tenth brother, calm down. I know what you mean. We've been brothers for so many years, and we can't just break up without saying anything. No matter what, we have to make it clear in person and break off the relationship completely. Otherwise, we'll be entangled every day in the future, which will be even more troublesome, right?"
Yin? knew what the Ninth Prince meant. After all, from the Ninth Prince's perspective, the Eighth Prince seemed to be really good to him. If he rashly said that, it would seem to outsiders that the Ninth Prince was betraying their brotherhood.
Yin Yu: "Okay, you go, but listen to my younger brother's advice and stay out of the affairs between the eldest and second brothers. We are just trying to gain the title and a stable future. There is no need to put your life and property at risk for such a small matter. You still have Concubine Yi behind you."
Yinzhen nodded, replied to the invitation, and planned to go to Longyuan Tower in the capital with the Eighth Prince that evening to get together. It was his own place, and it would be convenient for him to handle anything. It wasn't that he didn't trust the Eighth Prince, but after this period of time and what his Tenth Brother had said today, he now doubted whether he was going to the Hongmen Banquet that night.
After finishing the letter and having Li Dejin deliver it, Yinzhen said to Yinzhen apologetically: "It seems that I don't have time to visit the new mansion today. Let's wait for next time."
Yin nodded in understanding. "Ninth brother, just be careful and be prepared for what's going to happen tonight. Eighth brother must have asked you out because of the money he owes. In my opinion, the hundreds of thousands we guessed this morning will require your contribution."
Yinzhen didn't refute Yinyu's words. He had a premonition in his heart, so he planned to take 100,000 taels of silver notes with him when he left. If Eighth Brother didn't ask, the 100,000 taels would be his last act of help. If Eighth Brother asked, the 100,000 taels would be used to buy off their brotherly love.
Time passed quickly. After resting in the prince's residence for an afternoon, Yin'er arrived at the Longyuan Building box on time in the evening. When he arrived, the eighth prince Yinsi was already waiting there.
Yinzhen: "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I drank too much last night and had a headache all day. I rested for two hours in the afternoon and only just recovered. I'm so sorry for being late."
When Yinsi heard this, the smile on his face froze. He had originally thought of doing something tonight under the influence of alcohol, but the Ninth Prince refused to drink right from the start, so the plan had to be changed.
Yinsi's expression changed so quickly that Yin'er didn't even notice the change in his expression. Yinsi warmly stepped forward to greet Yin'er, hugged his shoulders and led him into the private room. "There's no need for such formalities between us brothers. Come and sit down. Longyuanlou is the most famous restaurant in the capital, and it's not easy to get a table here on weekdays."
After hearing this, Yinzhen quickly praised him, "Yes, I've heard that Longyuanlou is very popular. I've been here a few times before, but they happened to have no private rooms. However, the food here is good. I had the pleasure of eating there once at Guo Luomafa's house. It was quite special."
Yinsi thought that Longyuan Building was Yin'er's property, but he didn't expect that after testing it, Yin'er didn't move at all. Could it be that this place really wasn't opened by his ninth brother?
Thinking about the business model here and the still-unidentified behind-the-scenes boss, Yinsi continued to probe: "Ninth brother, aren't you envious of such a restaurant? Have you ever thought about opening one yourself?"
Actually, this restaurant didn't really belong to the Ninth Prince, because seven-tenths of it belonged to the current emperor, and only the remaining three-tenths were in Yin'er's name. So Yin'er was justified in saying, "I'm jealous too. Based on the customer flow and the price of the dishes, the daily turnover must be several hundred taels, and at least tens of thousands a month. But I'm just jealous of this restaurant, it really doesn't belong to me. I also wanted to find out the owner behind it and discuss cooperation with him, but after searching again and again, I still don't know who the boss is."
"I'd like to open one myself, but opening a restaurant requires not only capital but also uniqueness. I don't have the skills to replicate the specialties of this restaurant. Without uniqueness, a restaurant will just be like everyone else. How much money can it make? It's even worse than the essential oils I make!"
After hearing Yin'er's analysis, Yinsi thought about it and realized that with his ninth brother's business acumen, if he thought it was worth it, he would definitely do it. If he didn't open a business, it meant he couldn't compete and would easily lose money. As for his ninth brother's statement that he hadn't found the boss behind the scenes, he believed it.
There was no other reason. He had also checked, but there was no news for such a long time. It was as if the backer of Longyuan Tower appeared and disappeared out of thin air. He had previously used his eldest brother's men to trip up Longyuan Tower, but he didn't expect that he would be discovered by the other party as soon as he made the plan.
He was just glad that he was not directly involved in the incident. Even if the other party investigated, they could only trace it back to his eldest brother. Otherwise, with the mysterious background of Longyuan Building, he might not end up well if he confronted them directly.
While the two were talking, the waiter began to serve the dishes one after another. In between servings, Yinsi took advantage of Yin'er's inattention to give the waiter a wink. The waiter winked knowingly and quickly went out to make arrangements.
The dishes were already served, and Yinsi invited Yin'er to eat quickly: "You say that Ninth Brother is busy, and we brothers haven't gathered together for a long time. If it weren't for Eighth Brother inviting you today, who knows when we would be able to get together for a meal. Since Ninth Brother can't drink alcohol today, I will use tea instead. I offer you a glass of tea and thank you for coming to the banquet."
Yinzhen also quickly picked up the wine glass and said, "Eighth brother, you are too kind. We are all brothers, so it's a bit unethical to say such things. It was quite busy recently. Eighth brother knows that although you are good at making money, you still have to calculate every single item when checking the accounts. In order to deliver a good job, you have been busy for several days."
When Yinsi heard Yin'er take the initiative to mention the account audit some time ago, he felt a little embarrassed. That incident happened a few days ago, so why did the ninth brother bring it up again?
"Ninth brother, I'm sorry for this, but I'm in a difficult situation. Mother lives in Hui's palace, and I've been following Big Brother since I was a child. I have to follow Big Brother's instructions, right? Ninth brother, can you understand?"
When Yin'er heard Yinsi crying again, he just wanted to yell in his heart: I don't know, and I don't want to know. Even if you suffer, you can't take away the credit of my hard work for several days, right?
However, Yinzhen only gave a bitter smile and said, "Eighth brother, don't say anymore. I know your difficulties. Let's just forget about this matter and don't mention it anymore."
Yinsi was delighted. It seemed that his ninth brother still had a soft spot for him. This way, today's matter would be easier to handle.
Yinsi picked up another cup of tea and said, "I am sorry for what happened to you. I would like to offer you a cup of tea. Thank you for your understanding, Ninth Brother."
Although Yinzhen was still angry, he felt a little guilty when he thought about their brotherhood over the years and that he would no longer play with him but with the crown prince and fourth brother instead. He picked up the water cup and drank the tea in one gulp.
Before eating, the two drank two full glasses of water. Yinzhen felt that his stomach, which had not eaten lunch, was now protesting: "My dear brother, please sit down. Let's not drink so much water. I'm already hungry, so it's a good opportunity to try the new dishes at Longyuan Restaurant."
The Eighth Prince also sat down, and the two began to eat.
Yinzhen: "Don't say it, my dear brother, this dish tastes really good. I don't know if it will change the taste when I take it back after dinner. It tastes delicious. I thought I would bring some for mother to try. The palace has always had the same thing, and I'm tired of it."
Then he called Li Dejin who was waiting outside, "Li Dejin, go to the lobby and tell the shopkeeper to pack up some of these fresh dishes for me to take away when I leave."
Yinsi wanted to stop him, but Yin'er had already finished what he wanted to say.
Yinsi: "Ninth brother, are you going back to the palace soon? Why don't you stay outside for a while? Today is the fifteenth day of the lunar month, when the moon is at its brightest. I was thinking of inviting you to watch the moon later."
Yinzhen was embarrassed: "Hey, my dear brother, look at my brother's mouth. He speaks too fast. But by now, that servant Li Dejin has probably given the order. Besides, before I came here this afternoon, I promised my mother that I would bring her some special dishes from Longyuanlou in the evening. Now, you see..."
Yinsi was unhappy, but he couldn't directly blame Yin'er at this moment. He could only hold his breath and force a smile: "Ninth brother is also filial. Of course, eighth brother will not object. The matter of Concubine Yi is also a big deal. It's what should be done."
When he lowered his head and picked up the water glass, his eyes instantly became gloomy. He didn't know if his ninth brother had noticed anything tonight. Why were there so many coincidences? He couldn't drink and had to go back early. All the signs seemed to be trying to distance himself from him.
Looking up, Yinsi was smiling gently like a good brother again. "Ninth brother, you are also aware that eighth brother has been collecting debts recently. It is really not easy to do this. Those who owe money are all princes, nobles, and ministers in the court. It is not easy to be rude or serious. Eighth brother has worn out his lips these days, but he has not been able to get back more than ten thousand taels. The emperor also asked big brother and eighth brother to collect the debts this morning, but those people have no money in their treasury. Eighth brother is really in a difficult situation now!"
Yin'er understood what Yinsi meant, put down his chopsticks, and asked directly: "What does my brother mean? What does he want my brother to do?"
Yinsi waved his hands repeatedly. "Eighth Brother has no intention of asking Ninth Brother to do anything. This has nothing to do with you. You are not the one who borrowed the money. I just want to complain to you about how stressed I am recently. Also, if I can't pay back the money, could you please be generous and lend me a few million to tide me over this difficult time?"
"Huh" Yinzhen took a breath of cold air "Millions?!!!!!!" Yinzhen felt that he seemed to be joking. Not to mention that he didn't have millions now, even if he did, he couldn't just take out millions of taels of silver and give it to others with just a few words, right?
That's millions, not just a few hundred taels!!!
"Myna, are you really kidding? It's millions, not hundreds of taels?"
Yinsi smiled guiltily: "Ninth brother, you are joking. I can still come up with a few hundred taels."
Yinzhen was now certain that Eighth Brother was taking advantage of him. "Eighth Brother, I treat you as a brother, and I'm telling you the truth. I've made quite a bit of money in the past few years, but I can only spend a few hundred thousand. If I could get a million, I'd have to sell my land and shops. All that money was accumulated bit by bit over the years, and you can't bear to see me squander it all in one go?"
As he spoke, he pulled out a stack of banknotes from his sleeve and said, "Eighth brother, don't say I don't help you. Here are 100,000 taels of banknotes. Consider it a gift from me to celebrate your upcoming wedding. You don't have to return the favor later. I really can't afford the extra. As for the rest, I'll use it to buy some things for my wedding next year. Oh, and I'll also help out my tenth brother a little bit. I really can't afford it."
The Eighth Prince held the stack of banknotes in his hand, feeling unhappy. He was of course happy that his Ninth Brother had given him so much money to celebrate his wedding, but what he needed more than a few million to fill the national treasury was a few million, not a mere 100,000 taels. Besides, with his Ninth Brother's intelligence, he didn't believe he had only earned a few hundred thousand taels in these years. It must be an excuse that his Ninth Brother didn't want to borrow money. Thinking of this, Yinsi hardened his heart.
He picked up the teacup again and said, "I want to thank you for your support, Ninth Brother. I will remember your kindness."
At this moment, there were several crisp knocks on the door. The Ninth Prince was puzzled when he saw the Eighth Prince go to open the door. Standing outside the door were two pretty princesses. One of them was Jiayan, and the other had a handkerchief covering her face, so the other's appearance could not be seen clearly for a moment.
Jiayan Gege: "Okay? Shall we go out?"
Yinsi: "Well, okay, let's not delay Ninth Brother."
It was already the evening of Xu, and the door was open, but no noise from outside could be heard. Instead, Yinzhen could hear clearly the conversation between Jiayan Gege and the Eighth Prince at the door.
The Ninth Prince had a bad feeling in his heart: "Eighth Brother, where are you going? I have finished my meal. It's getting late, and I have to go back too." After saying that, Yinzhen wanted to stand up. At this moment, he found that his arms, which were originally supporting him to stand up, had no strength at all. Even his legs were a little weak. As he fell back to his seat, he knocked over the teapot beside him.
The Eighth Prince heard the movement behind him and turned around, still with that gentle face: "Ninth brother, there is no need to get up. The bed has been prepared behind the screen. Ninth brother, you can have a good rest here tonight."
After saying that, he took Jiayan Gege's hand, pushed the other woman into the room and closed the door.