After hearing Fan Xian's analysis, Haitang felt reassured. As long as he was sure of this point and had the secret indulgence of the Qing Emperor—combined with their thorough and detailed plan, and arrangements for secrecy—then the collapse of the Ming family was only a matter of time. No matter how tyrannical the other party, or deep-rooted the local grand family, they were still the weak egg next to the rock faced with the powerful machine of the state.