Then someone suggested, "Your Majesty, since that illegitimate son has a grudge against Miss Chen, then let one of the sons be adopted from a collateral branch and placed under Miss Chen's mother's name."

Yinzhen continued, "Miss Chen's father was originally from a poor family. He lived a good life thanks to his wife, but he did not help his poor relatives. In other words, even if the Chen family's collateral branches adopted a child, they would not be able to maintain the Chen family's vast fortune."

Yinzhen's words had practically blocked all avenues of communication, leaving his subordinates with nothing more to say.

At this moment, the person arranged by Yinzhen spoke up: "Your Majesty, this servant has an idea."

"Tell me about it."

"Since the illegitimate son might have ulterior motives and the collateral branches are incompetent, it would be better to let Miss Chen manage the family business herself. Although Miss Chen is a young lady from a respectable family, nowadays every young lady learns how to manage a household and shops. Miss Chen's mother must have trained her in these skills, so Miss Chen should be able to manage the family business."

As soon as he said that, some people immediately objected.

“How can this be? How can a woman manage the family business? Inheriting the family business is a man’s job. A woman should stay at home, support her husband and raise her children, be filial to her parents-in-law, and manage the household chores.”

"That's right, women shouldn't show their faces in public. It goes against the virtues and precepts for women! They must never do such a thing."

"Why not? There's no rule about women's virtues and precepts against inheriting family property. Besides, the Chen family is just a merchant family, and their property consists of shops and money. If Miss Chen inherits the family business, she doesn't need to show her face in public, and it doesn't violate the rules of women's virtues and precepts."

“This is improper. How can a woman inherit a family business? At worst, let the illegitimate son manage the business for him. Just let people keep an eye on it. If Miss Chen is wronged, we can report it to the authorities.”

“The world is harsh on women. If the family business falls into the hands of a son born out of wedlock, wealth will tempt him. Women in the inner quarters have many ways to make them suffer in silence. It is really not right to let the son of a son inherit the family business.”

The person arranged by Yinzhen was named Jian Chengfeng, a member of the Guarjia clan, but not closely related to Aobai. He belonged to the lowest level of the Manchu people and had passed the imperial examinations on his own. Yinzhen thought he had good judgment and promoted him.

Chengfeng naturally understood the Emperor's meaning. He was originally a shill, and the Emperor had also sent someone to instruct him on how to speak, so he was able to debate with the scholars all by himself.