Zhen Mi did not hesitate in the slightest. She rejected Zhen Yi's request on the spot, saying coldly, "Brother, do you think His Majesty is so easily fooled?"
"Besides, since you've asked me to intervene, you must have already approached the Imperial Envoy, and he must have rejected every gesture of goodwill from our Zhen Clan."
"In other words, this Imperial Envoy is determined to audit the accounts. His future official career may even hinge directly on whether this audit succeeds."
"Would he betray His Majesty's trust for a favor from our Zhen Clan?"
"My pleading would be useless. Instead, it would let His Majesty know that I wanted to shield the Zhen Clan, and then he would come to despise both me and the clan."
"How can you fail to understand that, Brother?"
Although love sometimes went to Zhen Mi's head, she was extremely calm and rational most of the time.
Especially now that she was pregnant and had a child, she had to think more about herself and the future of the child in her womb.
Her clan was no longer her everything.
Unwilling to accept this, Zhen Yi said, "All of that is merely your own speculation, Little Sister. Are you really going to stand by and watch disaster befall our clan?"
"If it is proven that our Zhen Clan resold Disaster Relief Supplies, the other great families certainly won't miss this chance to drop stones on us after we've fallen down the well. Everything our clan has worked so hard to build will vanish like bubbles!"
"Without the clan's support, how will you continue to enjoy imperial favor? How will you compete for the Empress's Position?"
"I have never asked you for anything before, but this time, for the sake of the clan, you must help!"