He looked at them chatting happily and was also very happy. He stood up and said, "I'll go and prepare lunch. Sister-in-law will stay here today. Later, I'll send someone to inform Mr. Xie and ask him to come over for dinner!"

  Xie Wan smiled and thanked him.

  After He Lao walked away, Xie Wan looked at Jing Yong and said: "This time, the niece came to Beijing without telling anyone in the Xie Mansion."

  Jing Yong stopped with his cup of tea halfway to his lips, his eyes narrowing for a moment before he turned his head: "What's going on?"

  Xie Wan looked down and pondered for a moment before saying, "Uncle, do you still remember that copy of the Analects that you personally copied and gave to my father all those years ago?"

  When she said this, her expression was solemn but not stiff, making her eyes reveal a depth beyond her age, yet the whole person did not have any sense of discord. Jing Yong looked at this girl and suddenly remembered what Zhao Zhen said about her a few days ago, "cannot be described in words", which was exactly how Zhao Zhen described her.

  "Remember." He put down his tea bowl and looked at her, "How?"

  "That book was treasured by Father, and now that he's gone, Brother has taken over the task of keeping it safe." Xie Wan looked ahead, her tone very low. But as she spoke, she suddenly changed the subject: "What does Uncle think - how far will my Third Uncle go in his official career?"

  Jing Yong was taken aback by her words, he really hadn't expected her to suddenly bring up the matter of his career path, and it still involved Xie Rong.

  Even if he had an interpretation of Xie Rong in his heart, it would be boring and absurd to discuss these with a little girl, especially a girl who should be locked in the boudoir embroidering flowers.

  Perhaps others would be greatly astonished by her questions, but to him, they were just the shallow musings of a slightly worldly child.

  "He smiled and said: 'With your uncle's talent, his future is naturally boundless.'"

  Xie Wan also smiled and took a sip of tea. She said softly, "If San Shu is successful in the Hanlin Academy, according to normal circumstances, within three to five years, he will definitely have an opportunity for promotion. After being promoted, if things go smoothly again, he will have another chance to be appointed to an external position, and then there's a chance to enter one of the six ministries. If everything goes smoothly from then on, his future prospects will truly be limitless. That would be a wonderful thing for the Xie family!"

  She tilted her head and gave a bright, charming smile.

  Jing Yongshun followed her words and suddenly saw her smile, and a cold sweat suddenly broke out on his back!

  The water is deep in the imperial court. No one dares to guarantee that they can go through their whole life without asking for help or suffering from bad luck, so establishing alliances has become a top priority in officialdom, and who will be this ally is even more crucial.

  Xie Rong is not a short-sighted person, he knows, and he knows even more that with his talent, he will definitely not be a mediocre person in the future.

  When Xie Rong found him, he immediately understood what it was about.

  Emotionally, he felt suffocated for the deceased Xie Teng, but rationally, Xie Rong shouldered the responsibility of revitalizing the family and carried the burden of glorifying the family name. Among those who came to ask him, there were no shortage of talented scholars. Xie Rong was not the most outstanding, but he was the one who knew them best.

  He knew the greed of Wang's mother and son, and also knew Xie Qigong's fame-seeking. Although Xie Rong was several times stronger than his parents, his ambition for officialdom was no different from Wang's greed for wealth. It's just that one valued power and the other valued money.

  He likes to touch others deeply and can grasp their feelings.

  Xie Rong thus became one of the most promising candidates to be his ally.

  In front of the livelihoods of over a hundred people in the Jia family, he is still entangled in the private grievances of the previous generation and affects his official career, which cannot be considered as what a great man would do.

  The friendship between Xie Ting and Jia's family is now secondary in the face of the future of the Jia family.

  At first glance, Xie Wan's words seemed childish, but in fact, they revealed that things could still develop in another direction.

  If Xie Rong's career path goes smoothly, he may exceed his control. For the time being, three to five years are not a problem, but what about after that? Without entering the Hanlin Academy, he cannot enter the Grand Council. His early entry into officialdom has already made the imperial family look at him with favor several times. As long as he does not make mistakes, he will be transferred to the Six Ministries and then sent out to serve as a provincial governor for a few years. At that time, the Grand Council's elders will also be around the time of their term change. At that time, Xie Rong will have the power to contend for this position.

  At that time, he might have already fallen behind his pace, and it was also possible to compete with him for this cabinet quota. In any case, Xie Rong would not be able to become his ally at that time.

  What made him sweat was not that Xie Wan told him this, but that at Xie Wan's age and experience, she could also think of this!

  As for Xie Rong's affairs, she didn't ask anything, but this brief conversation was enough to make her understand all the underlying connections.

  How can such a girl not make him sweat?

  "You've come all this way, it's not just to see me, is it?"

  Since she has said so much, he doesn't need to avoid it either.

  "It's just to meet my uncle." Xie Wan poured the tea and said warmly: "When I was young, I often heard my father mention Aunt Jing and Uncle's goodness, and I have always kept it in mind. When Mr. Zhao said he would come to Beijing to report for duty some days ago, I asked him to bring a letter for me. Unexpectedly, Mr. Zhao didn't deliver the letter well, so I had to come with my uncle personally."

  Jing Yong listened to her mention Zhao Zhen, and suddenly remembered the resume written in the envelope. He immediately understood her intention. With a stern face, he said: "As a woman of the boudoir, virtue, etiquette, and appearance are important. Don't get involved in adult affairs!"

  These words are already quite heavy for a first meeting with relatives.

  But since he figured out the reason why Jing Yong helped Xie Rong, in Xie Wan's eyes, Jing Yong's identity as her uncle faded away, replaced by his identity as a government official.

  So, she didn't feel embarrassed at all, but calmly said: "Cousin is wrong, what I'm involved in isn't adults' business, it's about me and my brother. Cousin helping Third Uncle into the Hanlin Academy is beyond reproach, but did Cousin forget the fraternal bond with Father just because he's friends with Third Uncle?"

  Jing Yonglu's expression changed slightly as he said, "What business do you have with Zhao Zhen?"

  "Zhao Zhen's eldest son married a woman from the Qi family, a woman named Wang. This Zhao Wang had no family and because she was extremely close to me, she treated my brother and me as if we were her own family. When the Zhao family got married, Zhao Wang was actually married off from our home in Huangshi Town. If Uncle doesn't believe it, he can just send someone to ask around."

  "Third Uncle's promotion delights me, but the Wang family is ambitious and we siblings are without support. As Third Uncle's official position grows bigger, our insecurity will only increase. But if we have more relatives working in the capital who frequently come and go, at least the Wang family will be somewhat intimidated. Eldest Uncle, am I wrong to seek multiple guarantees for myself?"

  Xie Wan opened her eyes wide and stared at Jing Yong, her eyes full of helplessness and innocence.

  This made Jing Yong somewhat stunned, unable to distinguish whether the her who seemed to see through everything earlier was her true self, or if this her in front of him now, with a hint of childishness and narrow vision, was her true self.

  He withdrew his gaze and said after a while: "With me protecting you, what can the Wang family do?"

  Xie Wan looked at him for a moment and lowered her eyes: "Wang Shi is the birth mother of Third Uncle."

  Jing Yong's body shook, and he was stunned speechless.

  Wang Shi was Xie Rong's birth mother, of course he knew. Wang Shi had been eyeing the second house's property for a long time, so when Xie Rong stood firm in court, she would become even more ruthless. And as Xie Rong's ally, what balance could he hold?

  From the day he reached an agreement with Xie Rong, he no longer had the qualifications to speak for Xie Liang and his sister.

  "What do you think Zhao Zhen can help you with?" Thinking of this, he couldn't help but raise the corner of his mouth. "He has been an official for over twenty years and is still struggling in a remote area. Now, in order to get promoted, he has to come to me, a junior, with humility. Even if he lacks opportunities, the fact that he hasn't established any reliable connections after more than twenty years shows that he's just a mediocre person."

  For a person with mediocre qualifications to act as a matchmaker will also affect his reputation.

  Having said that, he stroked his whiskers and regained his usual calm composure.

  "His uncle was well-versed in the ways of being an official and had a keen eye for talent."

  Xie Wan stood up and suddenly smiled, saying: "What if I say that Zhao Zhen is well-versed in the way of farming?"

  The edict of planting trees issued in the fourth year of Qingping was just a matter of next February. It has been only two months since then. She didn't believe that such a big thing would not have any movement in the court, and besides, as the six departments that reviewed the edict, Jing Yong wouldn't know the emperor's mind in advance.

  The expansion of the forest must necessarily reduce the good fields, and Xie Wan is determined to open a rice shop for this opportunity. As for the imperial court, the reduction of good fields will inevitably lead to a significant reduction in grain production every year, resulting in reduced tax collection. Such a big thing cannot be decided by three or two words, nor can it be done without taking any preventive measures.

  The reduction of good fields can only be achieved by opening up barren land or increasing production, and thus the talents who are familiar with farming are indispensable. What Zhao Zhen despised most about Jing Yong was that he had been in office for more than 20 years but still lingered in the position of county magistrate. Precisely because he stayed in the position closest to the people's livelihood for so long, he became an indispensable person to solve this difficult problem.

  Now the imperial edict has not been officially issued, and whether it will be issued is naturally counted by Jing Yong. If someone else thinks of this layer when they are unprepared, he leaves Zhao Zhen in charge, which is also beneficial to his career. Who doesn't like a subordinate who is prepared for everything? Even the emperor is no exception.

  He recommended Zhao Zhen to Xie Rong, which did not cause any conflict. Although there were many people who were good at farming, but in a situation where they had rich experience and qualifications, and also because of their relationship with Xie Teng, why didn't he give face to Xie Zhu?

  After all, Xie Lang's academic achievements are not bad, and he will eventually enter the imperial examination hall. Now, giving personal favors to them is equivalent to giving himself more ways out in the future, isn't it?

  Jing Yong thought of this and looked at Xie Wan again, his gaze was already very different.