If Ruolan Xie had not experienced rebirth, she would have thought along the lines of Zhao Zhen when encountering this matter. However, she remembered very clearly that after Yin Yun was deposed in her previous life, until her death, the Huo family did not suffer any misfortune. The only thing that happened was that the position of Taizi was passed down to Yu Ce Fei's son, Yin Yao, the eldest illegitimate son of the Crown Prince, and later Yin Yao indeed became the Crown Prince.

  So if it is said that the grandson of Huo Da was dismissed, then someone was plotting against the Huo family, but the evidence is actually not sufficient.

  It's been a while since Luo Zhen returned, and soon Shentian will go to the capital to take charge. Then there will be more news coming in. As for whether the abolition of Ta Sun will have an indirect impact on the grain transportation, we can just wait and see.

  Moreover, her boat was just one of the thousands, and she was just one of the tens of thousands of merchants, even if a reaction was to be made, it wouldn't be her turn as a small-time operator.

  So she decided to put this matter on hold for the time being.

  At this moment, Cheng Yuan obviously thought she was worried about this matter. This old man is still probing her depth until now.

  She smiled and asked: "I wonder how you see this matter, sir?"

  Cheng Yuan put one hand on his knee as he sat on the mat, and stroked his beard with the other. For a moment, he didn't speak, but a hint of satisfaction flashed between his eyebrows.

  "In my humble opinion, this young master's life will not be long."

  Xie Wan didn't expect him to spit out such a sentence, and he couldn't help but put down his tea bowl, focusing his attention on him, "What do you mean by this?"

  Cheng Yuan Dao said: "Miss has been living outside the capital for a long time and doesn't know much about court politics."

  "There's an old saying that when water is full, it overflows; when the moon is full, it wanes. The Ho family has been favored by the emperor for generations, but now they're on the decline. The emperor's health is fine, but the crown prince has been next in line for 20 years and is already middle-aged. Recently, he's often been ill, and to speak bluntly, I'm afraid he won't live long. Doesn't the emperor worry that after the crown prince ascends to the throne, imperial power will gradually fall into the hands of his in-laws?"

  Xie Wan nodded and said: "You mean that the Emperor still fears the Huo family, so he deposed the Crown Prince?"

  Cheng Yuandao said: "The crown prince's wife only has one son and two daughters, the only way to avoid this consequence is to abolish the crown prince and cut off the hope of the Huo family!"

  Xie Wan thought about it along with his words and found some reason. The emperor's favor towards his ministers is one thing, but handing over the country to someone else is another matter. The emperor can give the Ho family unparalleled honor and let their daughter become the empress who sets an example for the world, he can also posthumously confer titles on their ancestors, and let them take charge of the most lucrative government offices, but the person who will sit on the throne in the future cannot have the blood of the Ho family flowing through his veins.

  She thought back to the situation of the Huo family in her previous life, and it seemed that it was indeed as he had predicted. After the crown prince was deposed, even if the crown prince changed hands, the crown princess was still favored by the crown prince, and the Huo family remained prosperous. The Huo family remained loyal to the imperial family, even after several years when the Japanese pirates invaded again, Huo Da's eldest son personally led the troops to counterattack. Moreover, in this battle, Huo Da's eldest grandson, Huo Ying, also died in battle.

  That doesn't make sense.

  "Sir's views have their own reasons." Xie Wan hesitated and said, "But if it's like this, who will still be loyal to the Yin family?"

  Cheng Yuan gazed at her intently.

  She slowly opened her mouth and continued: "At the beginning of this dynasty, there were eight dukes, four marquises and six earls. What kind of glory did these noble families have at that time? Now, how many truly glorious families are left? Their fiefs have been taken away, their sons and younger brothers do not make progress, and most families only have empty shells left. The court even sometimes forgets to reward them for a year or two. They are all descendants of meritorious ministers and generals, why do they still support the imperial family like this?"

  Cheng Yuan's gaze at her gradually deepened.

  "What's your opinion, miss?"

  They uphold the imperial court and are naturally bound by the code of lord and vassal. But it's rare that there hasn't been a single complaint all these years.

  They didn't complain because among the eight kings, four marquises and six earls, at least one of the Huo family was treated with such importance by the Yin family. It's normal for the emperor's favor to fade with time, but as long as the Huo family's honor doesn't decline, it means that the Yin family hasn't forgotten their meritorious vassals. The Huo family has become synonymous with the most meritorious families in the world. As long as there is a Huo family, their spirit will not collapse and they won't lose hope.

  "The reason why the emperors of all generations have not reduced their favor and kindness to the Huo family is also because of this. They knew the consequences of weakening all the meritorious families, so instead of supporting all the families, it's better to rely solely on the most meritorious Huo family to show favor. Firstly, let others see the emperor's kindness, secondly, also use the Huo family's loyalty to win over the rest of the people. Therefore, in my opinion, the imperial family's favor and kindness to the Huo family is not fake."

  "According to the gentleman's words, if it is said that the Crown Prince was deposed because the Emperor feared the Huo family, then this logic is clear to both you and me. Can't others see it too? The meritorious families know that the Yin family will not even let the Huo family off, what will they think? What will the Huo family themselves think? It was the Huo family who drove away the eastern pirates, won't the Emperor be afraid of their discontent and collude with the pirates to force him to abdicate?"

  Cheng Yuan seemed to have forgotten even how to breathe as he stared at Xie Wan, who was speaking fluently, as if he had just met him.

  Xie Wan gave him a faint glance and then lowered her head to sip her tea again.

  From the day Chen Yuan came, she had seen that he was not convinced, but only hinted at it and did not expose him. Now he actually used this kind of court matter to test her, if she didn't take this opportunity to show a few points of depth, I'm afraid he would really think that staying here as an accountant was beneath him. Whether she could really subdue him or not, not only did she need to know, but Chen Yuan also needed to know.

  Cheng Yuanshu held her breath for a while, and only when she heard the light clinking of her cup did she slowly come back to herself.

  He knew that these three girls had some wisdom, so he would use language to probe them. He had been in the officialdom for many years and had his own channels of information.

  Just now, such speculation is not just one or two people thinking this way in the capital. Even Zhao Zhen thinks so. He brought up these words to see if she was a mediocre person or a good person, whether she was worthy of the words Zhao Zhen said to persuade him at that time. Now listening to her, she is not only not as he guessed, a superficial person, but also has thoughts that are intricate and difficult to reach!

  A girl in her early teens can actually analyze state affairs so incisively, what a vast world she must have in her heart?

  He suddenly felt his ears burning and looked down to hide his embarrassment, saying: "Miss, you are absolutely right, I am in awe of your words."

  At this point, from being old and worn out to becoming humble and lowly, it has become so willingly and gladly.

  Xie Wan still faintly raised her lips, "It's just some superficial principles, but anyone who understands a bit about the imperial court will understand."

  Cheng Yuan's face grew even hotter. Having no choice, he could only use tea to dissolve the awkwardness.

  "Ti Kuan Yin requires two or three infusions before its flavor is released; at this time, drinking it again will indeed leave a lingering fragrance between the teeth."

  Xie Wan saw that he was already drunk and knew that Huo Hou had had enough, so she smiled and said: "If you're not used to drinking, I have Pu'er tea here, it won't affect your sleep."

  Cheng Yuan also smiled and said: "To have the honor of drinking tea and talking with you, Miss, is a rare pleasure. What's one night's sleep compared to that?"

  Xie Wan smiled and stopped persuading.

  Cheng Yuan rolled up his sleeves and held the jug to refill her cup. Putting down the jug, he said: "Miss, you have a clever mind and are truly a person of great elegance. Although I've only been following you for a short time, I've already been thoroughly charmed by your demeanor. If Miss doesn't mind my boldness, may I say a few words to her face?"

  Xie Wan heard this and knew that he had surrendered. He immediately assumed a serious expression: "I respect you as my teacher and friend, sir. Whatever you have to say, please speak freely!"

  Cheng Yuan slightly nodded and said: "Miss treats me with sincerity, so I'll speak bluntly. Although I only manage the affairs of Miss's shop, but these days seeing Miss's actions, daring to guess, Miss should have a grand plan. And the goal of this plan, combined with Miss's background, is likely related to the Xie Mansion or even Master Xie San."

  Xie Wan raised an eyebrow and looked at him, "Sir, please continue."

  Cheng Yuan nodded and continued: "These days, I haven't been idle. I've inquired about some things related to Xie San Ye. I just want to say that the path you've chosen, Miss, isn't an easy one to walk. However, although this road is long and arduous, with your great wisdom, it's not a hopeless journey either."

  Xie Wan nodded and smiled: "What good advice does the gentleman have?"

  Cheng Yuan Dao: "Let's not talk about the distant future for now, let's just discuss what's in front of us. Recently, there are two noble guests staying at our manor, and the young ladies of the manor have all reached the age of marriage. I'll take a chance to ask you, Miss, do you have any plans regarding your own marriage?"

  Xie Wan hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'm not considering it for now. When the nest is overturned, no egg will remain intact. If Third Uncle continues to grow in power, even if I were to marry well, my brother would eventually be suppressed by him. The conflict between the two factions of the Xie family's second house and the Wang mother and son is absolutely irreconcilable; we know it, and Third Uncle knows it too - the current harmony is just a temporary measure.

  "In the future when my brother enters officialdom, Third Uncle will already be in a position of power and won't give us the opportunity to threaten him. And as for me, if I were to marry, I would no longer have the time and freedom to help my brother or restore our family's honor without regard to blood ties. In short, eliminating the Wang clan and supporting the rise of our branch is my top priority, getting married is secondary."

  Cheng Yuan's eyes showed a hint of admiration as he said, "Miss is indeed as I guessed, a person with a resolute heart."

  "I also know that when the girl first entered the mansion, Uncle Qi and Master had agreed on three articles of agreement, which stipulated that neither party would interfere with the marriage between the girl and Second Young Master. However, rules are dead, people are alive, if the person who kidnapped the girl in Li Zi Alley last time was after the girl herself, how should she respond?"

  Xie Wan heard this and couldn't help but pause for a moment.

  Yes, if the kidnappers' goal was to find out about her dowry, wouldn't it have been enough to just rape her?

  Even if the person behind the scenes is Wang, no matter how she hides, Wang will definitely make things known to everyone, and either force her into a dead end or force her to marry the man who defiled her! In that case, the half of the second house's property that belongs to her will also go with her.

  PS: Thanks to the free cloud of fantasy, occasional stroll, night return, mezhaojingj, no fire without wood, Qian Yufengshao's pink votes, thank you all~~~~