Thinking...
The smile on Elder Master Xiao's face did not change, but inwardly, he agreed to some extent.
The Xiao Family had been rooted in Shuzhou for many years. Not only did they command heavy troops, but their connections ran deep.
Moreover, besides those who entered the Dingyuan Army, many descendants of the family had become civil officials.
Such as Xiao Dongchen in the Provincial Administration and Xiao Ziqi in the Supervision Court.
Added to that was the marriage alliance between the Xiao Family's Second Branch and the Zhang Family of Guangyue Prefecture, the Duke of Gan's household. Together, they presented the imposing might of a force occupying the entire south of the Wei Dynasty.
In outsiders' eyes, calling the Xiao Family the local emperor of Shuzhou would not have been an exaggeration.
If the Xiao Family had remained strong, if Xiao Fengchun and the others had not died, the Aristocratic Families of Shuzhou and neighboring prefectures such as Jingzhou would never have dared to emerge.
But the reality was that the Xiao Family had already entered a decline and was at its weakest. It was not difficult to understand why a great family like the Liu Family of Jingzhou would eye them covetously.
Elder Master Xiao understood all this. That was why, over the past few years, he had walked every step with caution.
As if treading on thin ice.
What Elder Master Xiao had not expected was that Chen Yi had seen through these matters and said such things to Xiao Wuge.
After pondering briefly, he glanced at Xiao Wan'er and asked,
"Wuge, why did your brother-in-law tell you all this?"
"I asked him."
Without giving it much thought, Xiao Wuge said directly,
"That day, brother-in-law and I were fishing. I mentioned that the family seemed to be