"Ao'er, Ye Zhen is now the King of North Sea. Once someone reaches his position, it is hard to speak of any pure trust.
"At his station, one more step upward and he could, like those uncles, brothers, and cousins now campaigning against you, carve out his own territory and stand independent.
"Even if he himself has no such intention, the people around him may not feel the same."
"Imperial Father, does that mean Ye Zhen is unworthy of trust? Then what of our Imperial Clan's final guardian force?"
"No. Overall, Ye Zhen is still worthy of trust."
"Imperial Father, how so?"
"In my leisure, I thoroughly studied Ye Zhen's path of growth. I found that although he likes to hold military power and is extremely adept at maneuvering his way upward,
"he has never been careless in battle. Once this man begins fighting, he mixes in no other considerations and devotes himself wholly to the war.
"As I said before, although Ye Zhen is unwilling to relinquish power, thus far he has done nothing to harm Great Zhou's interests. Indeed, many times, he has turned the tide for Great Zhou!
"In that regard, Ye Zhen can still be trusted. And do not forget your younger sister. Ye Zhen is quite a sentimental man."
"Thank you for your guidance, Imperial Father."
"Besides, even if our Imperial Clan's final guardian force is placed under his command, he will merely command it.
"The moment he attempts anything detrimental, our Imperial Clan's final guardian force will instead become a sharp blade laid across his neck."
As the father and son spoke there, Ye Zhen felt as if he had been struck by lightning, seized by a profound sense that time and space had been thrown into disarray.
Fortunately, Ye Zhen had weathered