Zhuang Gaoxian's words were half-truths, half-lies. The death of the Yong Emperor was indeed not without its doubts, and the Crown Prince's death was certainly a conspiracy. As for who murdered the Crown Prince, whether it was his brothers or his uncle Han Yin, that was hard to determine.
But at least one thing was clear: when the Yong Emperor died in battle, Zhuang Chenggan was defending his own lands and could not possibly have received any last orders. Moreover, Han Yin truly pulled Yong Country back from the brink of disaster; against Jingguo's onslaught, he managed to preserve the nation's territory without yielding. There was no such thing as using a huge fortune to buy Jingguo's retreat. Jingguo would not have given up the chance to annex Yong Country for any amount of wealth or resources.
In the years since, Yong Country's power indeed waned, but this was primarily due to Jingguo's all-round suppression, not Han Yin's incompetence.
