At night, Zhen Yu, preoccupied with her own thoughts, called Zhen Yi to her study.

"Yi'er, do you think I offended Attendant Zhao in any way today?"

Recalling Zhao Zhong's cold attitude today, Zhen Yu couldn't help but feel a little flustered.

Zhen Yi frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "It must be that Father said something wrong today."

"Oh? Yi'er, are you referring to the Zhen family's surplus?"

Zhen Yi nodded. "It should be."

"What should we do then? We can't just tell him the truth about the Zhen family's income, can we?"

You know, a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime. The Zhen family has such a large fortune; if their wealth were revealed, it's hard to guarantee that someone with malicious intent wouldn't try to take advantage of them.

Looking at his father's expression, Zhen Yi couldn't help but sigh: "Ever since Father donated those three hundred million coins and grain, the wealth of our Zhen family has become apparent. Why should Father hide it now and only displease Zhao Changshi?"

"this....."

Zhen Yu was speechless for a moment.

"Moreover, I think there is another layer of meaning in what Zhao Changshi said."

What does it mean?

Zhen Yi thought for a moment and said, "Our Zhen family's business is indeed too big; our shops are spread throughout almost the entire Jizhou."

"Does Yi'er mean that our Zhen family has aroused suspicion or vigilance from the higher-ups?"

Zhen Yu suddenly realized that from the perspective of those in power, their Zhen family had almost controlled the economic lifeline of the entire Ji Province, a situation that most people in power were unwilling to see.

Zhen Yi nodded, "That should be the case. With the Emperor so powerful now, our Zhen family is indeed attracting a lot of attention!"

"Then what should we do?"

"Father should appropriately loosen the suppression of other merchants and promote a competitive environment as soon as possible. He should also cut off trade with the North as soon as possible."

"Yi'er is right, one dominant force is definitely not a good thing...!"

Zhen Yu thought about it and realized that this was indeed a good solution, especially the trade with the northern grasslands. If it were to be exploited by someone with ulterior motives, it could lead to the extermination of their entire clan.

next day

In an open space belonging to the Zhen family, about a dozen members of the Zhen family, dressed in short-sleeved clothing, began a fistfight.

Zhen Yi's performance was indeed outstanding. He quickly defeated his opponent, and his archery skills were also excellent, which made Zhao Zhong nod in approval.

Then Zhao Zhong took out the same questions that Liu Hong had used to test the students and used them to examine Zhen Yi and several other members of the Zhen family.

As expected, Zhen Yi's answer was the most outstanding.

Zhao Zhong was quite satisfied with Zhen Yi, who was skilled in both literature and martial arts, and then announced in public that Zhen Yi would be incorporated into the Imperial Guard.

Looking at Zhen Yi who came to express his gratitude, Zhao Zhong chuckled softly, "You are much better than your father. You should understand what we said before, right?"

"I understand, and I have already entrusted this to my father."

Zhao Zhong raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhen Yi, "That's good. When you get to the Imperial Guard, do your best! As long as you succeed, your Zhen family will be fine."

"Thank you for your guidance, Attendant Zhao."