Situ Yan returned quickly, only to find that they had already finished three rounds of tea.
He suppressed the surging jealousy in his heart without a trace, and only said gently to Lu Nianfu, "The imperial physician said pregnant women should drink less tea, why are you still so ignorant?"
Lu Nianfu said, "I'm drinking flower tea."
"This commoner greets His Royal Highness Prince Rui, may His Highness live a thousand, thousand, thousand years." Cheng Beizheng stood up, using the act of paying his respects to conceal the smile in his eyes. It seemed that Little Fu had a good handle on his man, judging by this possessiveness.
And he even made a point of flaunting her pregnancy.
Hmph, he already knew about this.
Cheng Beizheng was so polite that Situ Yan felt a little embarrassed. He waved his hand and said, "We're family, why bother with such formalities? Sit down and talk, what's the situation with the mine?"
"The Crown Prince is instigating various mine owners in Shanxi to offer copper and mines. Since he knows the mine is yours, he's likely to make trouble. Your Highness should take precautions."
"It's too late. The memorial he sent last night has already arrived in the capital, ordering me to prioritize the imperial court. As a prince, I should take the initiative to offer the mine to the imperial court as an example for the major mine owners in Shanxi." It was a good thing he had the nerve to write it, asking for other people's things to pave the way for his own political achievements.
Cheng Beizheng secretly thought it was not good; he didn't expect the Crown Prince to be so fast.
Lu Nianfu asked, "Then did you agree?"
Situ Yan snorted, and the hidden ruffian aura within him surged forth. "I've always been the one to snatch things from others. The person who can snatch my things is still in your belly."
Lu Nianfu's pretty face couldn't help but blush. "We're talking about serious matters. What did you say then?"
"I said it's my wife's dowry. A man who is generous with a woman's possessions, will he still have any face in the future? If the Crown Prince thinks this is a good idea, why doesn't he let the Crown Princess set an example and donate a gold mine first, and then have the other sisters-in-law follow suit? Tsk, you should have seen Old Thief Fu's expression then, it was almost as black as ink."
Cheng Beizheng took a moment to realize that the Old Thief Fu he was referring to was the Empress's father, the Crown Prince's maternal grandfather, Duke Xie, Fu Lingyun.
Lu Nianfu was speechless. "Aren't you afraid of completely offending the Crown Prince's faction?"
Situ Yan was dismissive. "He's openly trying to snatch something from me, should I still yield to him? I used to think he was a good person, but now it seems he's no better than Situ Jue."
All selfish people who only cared about their own benefit.
Cheng Beizheng pondered for a long time. "So, is that the end of the matter?"
"Old Thief Fu has invited me for tea. He probably plans to offer something to trade for the mine." He turned to Cheng Beizheng. "If we forcefully keep this mine, it might tarnish Nianfu's reputation. But this mine is ultimately yours. Think about what you want, and I'll help you negotiate with Old Thief Fu."
"We agreed on a four-six split, so it's four-six. You can discuss the price with Old Thief... Duke Fu. I'm fine with anything."
"Third Young Master is indeed straightforward. You continue chatting with Nianfu, I'll go find Old Thief Fu."
Lu Nianfu was a little flustered. "You're not going to make Duke Xie wait indefinitely, are you?"
"They are the ones who need something from us, so what's wrong with waiting a while? Besides, didn't we agree to meet with Third Young Master Cheng first?"
"Alright, alright, hurry up and go. This empire might belong to the Crown Prince in the future. Be careful what you say, don't offend him too much." Her impression of the Crown Prince's faction wasn't very good either, but him ascending the throne was better than Situ Jue ascending the throne, wasn't it?
Situ Yan actually didn't want to leave.
Cheng Beizheng had grown up with his wife. They were childhood sweethearts, so it was naturally unpleasant to think about.
But they had always been like this, and he couldn't appear too ungracious, so he could only leave reluctantly, cursing Old Thief Fu in his heart countless times. When he arrived at the agreed-upon restaurant, he was even more angered to find that it wasn't Fu Lingyun who was there, but the second son, Fu Yu.
"Your Highness, my grandfather suddenly felt a headache, so I had to entertain you. I hope you don't mind?" Fu Yu smiled cordially, and his words were reasonable, but no matter what, it couldn't hide the fact that Fu Lingyun was using a junior to fob him off.
Situ Yan returned his smile, but said, "Why wouldn't I? What's there to talk about with a young brat like you? Since Duke Xie isn't feeling well today, we'll reschedule for another day."
He wasn't the one in a hurry anyway.
With that, he turned to leave. Damn it, they still dared to put on airs with him.
Lu Nianfu and Cheng Beizheng were discussing where to have lunch when they saw Situ Yan return so quickly, both of them were stunned. "Did you finish so quickly?"
"Heh, they're putting on airs with me. Said he had a headache and sent Fu Yu instead."