"Let the others see my value, I’m still willing to choose a family."

"But if one lacks the strength and wit, it’s best not to covet what doesn’t belong to us, otherwise I fear you might have the life to take but not the life to spend."

Zheng Yun’s words immediately brought everyone back to their senses.

They quickly nodded in agreement, "Indeed, if it weren’t for Third Master, we wouldn’t have the prospects we have now."

"Let alone trying to outsmart these old foxes."

"Besides, our current life is quite good. One must be content."

Third Master Zhou remained silent, sipping his tea calmly while the others argued. After they finished speaking, he put down the teacup, "The reason I don’t let you mingle with these officials is because I suspect the Emperor inviting us to the capital has plans, and if it’s discovered we’ve been interacting with these officials privately, it might not leave a good impression."

"If it’s truly about buying maritime information from us, it can wait until after we meet the Emperor."

"Third Master, I knew you had it all figured out, there’s no way this trip would be for nothing," Zheng Yun immediately laughed, flattering Third Master Zhou.

The others naturally dared not say much more, offering flattery one after another. Even He San felt a bit relieved, thinking he didn’t get so dazzled by promises that he regretted his actions later.

Once Third Master Zhou and his group arrived in the capital,

other maritime merchants arrived shortly after.

Soon, officials from the Department of Commerce and Construction approached these merchants.

"Is this Master Zhou? I am the Left Vice Minister of the Department of Commerce and Construction, ordered to come. You are required to document your maritime experiences and sales situations this time. If there are any rare items, you may also present them; the Emperor will reward according to merit."

"Thank you, sir, for personally making the trip." Third Master Zhou bowed, seemingly not a simple man.

Before leaving, the Left Vice Minister stopped him and said with a smile, "I heard Master Zhou set sail with Young Master Chu this time, surely there are many rare items. Master Zhou should think carefully, best not to make any mistakes, for one rare item could earn you a title like Young Master Chu."

"You should know, Young Master Chu presented quite a number of items this time."

"Thank you for the reminder, sir, I will write the document immediately." Third Master Zhou instructed his servants to attend to the Left Vice Minister well.

He then returned to his study, personally grinding ink, pondering over the words just spoken by the Left Vice Minister.

He didn’t think the other party’s words were meaningless, and it couldn’t be purely for his own reminder.

Having no dealings with the other, why would they offer him advice for no reason?

It’s known that the official circles are not simpler than the business world, a single word could affect a family.

And the Left Vice Minister’s deliberate mention of Chu Jin made him feel that the other party might want to see him angry, after all, it was well known that Chu Jin was now the most rewarded among all the maritime merchants, causing much jealousy.

Surely all the maritime merchants would rack their brains, trying to see how they can profit the most from this.

Many more are jealous of the benefits Chu Jin received.

From an outsider’s perspective, he shouldn’t be surprised either.

In this situation, the Left Vice Minister’s deliberate mention of Chu Jin made his intentions obvious.

The other party also encouraged him to write more.

Especially about the rare goods.

He did have quite a substantial supply, after all, he commanded the most ships this journey, while the other maritime merchants were just dabbling in small ventures. Yet no one knew he was the real owner behind several other ships.