In the end, Du Ruhai left the room with his men.

Yuan Lang's heart was still pounding, a subconscious shock and fear after learning that Tang Huan had returned.

Although that man was young, he not only left a shadow on the people of Qihuai County, but even I, who was far away in Baofeng County, had heard many stories about him.

There was another knock on the door, and someone outside asked, "Yuen Long, what's going on?"

Yuen Long slumped in his chair and said to the outside, "Come in and talk."

Four or five people immediately squeezed into the room, and Yuan Lang told them about Du Ruhai's late-night visit.

A tall, thin man immediately sneered, "You think Du Ruhai is all it takes to make us give up? We should bring back Tang Huan first, or at the very least, Li Daikui. This insignificant nobody has really started to think he's someone important just because he's been following Tang Huan for so long."

Another short, somewhat overweight man, looking uneasy, reminded him, "Didn't someone say that Tang Huan's trip to the capital this time was due to an imperial decree? And there's news that he's now being called the Poet Immortal in the capital, enjoying great prestige."

Yuan Lang sneered, "That's true. He did indeed become famous in the capital with just a few poems."

Upon hearing this, the tall, thin man's eyes widened immediately. "Yuan Lang, are you lying to us? Didn't you say that Tang Huan was about to be finished, and that's why the magistrate agreed to cooperate with Baofeng County to deal with Qihuai County? And now you're saying that Tang Huan is doing even better in the capital? I'm withdrawing!"

Yuan Lang rolled his eyes at the man. "He has indeed become much more successful, but I have received news that he has offended the Minister of Personnel, Lei Ding, in the capital, and has even angered the Prime Minister. Do you think he can have a good time under these circumstances?"

The short, stout man pondered, "He has offended Cui Renshi. Unless the emperor protects him, he has no chance of returning."

Would the emperor protect a mere county magistrate?

Nobody believed that such a thing could actually happen.

Someone suggested, "Since Tang Huan can't come back, why should we keep dragging things out with Qihuai County? Wouldn't it be better to seize Qihuai County's industries during this time? Xie Wu is missing now, and Tang Huan has offended a high-ranking official in the capital. This is our best opportunity."

This idea immediately gained the support of many people.

Yuan Lang said, "Du Ruhai just said that Tang Huan has returned."

"What?" The short, fat man's expression changed.

The crowd immediately began to discuss among themselves, clearly indicating that Tang Huan posed a considerable threat to them.

Seeing the top scholar's angry shout, "What are you afraid of?"

He looked around and said, "Without Xie Wu, Tang Huan is just a minor county magistrate. Is he any better than you gentlemen? Without anyone to back him up, we can crush him like an ant if we join forces."

"Didn't you say that a high-ranking official went to Baofeng County some time ago? What exactly happened? Aren't you going to tell us the truth now?" the skinny man asked, staring at Yuan Lang.

Yuan Lang laughed and said, "There is indeed a distinguished guest in Baofeng County. It was that gentleman who suggested dealing with Qihuai County. He was also the one who told us about Tang Huan's affairs in the capital. Otherwise, the county magistrate would not have suddenly taken action against Qihuai County."

"Who is it?" someone asked curiously.

Yuan Lang did not answer. "You are not qualified to know his identity yet. If this matter is successful, he will naturally meet with you. You only need to know that his identity is no less than that of Xie Wu back then, and may even be more important."

Is this really true?

"Why would I lie to you? Do you think I'd be crazy to go against Qihuai County without such a powerful backer? Even if you look down on Tang Huan, you can't ignore those mysterious mercenaries in Qihuai County."

This incident gave the group a lot of confidence, and their earlier unease about Tang Huan's return completely dissipated.

Now Tang Huan's backer has vanished without a trace, but instead, a mysterious figure has come to support their side.

It's fair to say the advantage lies with me!

Yuan Lang looked at everyone and said, "If Tang Huan really comes back, he will definitely come to Zuixianju to see us tomorrow. At that time, you don't need to give him any nice looks. Just ridicule and criticize him as much as possible. This time, the advantage is in our hands, and Tang Huan is not worth mentioning."

The crowd looked resolute, as if the outcome was already decided.

Tang Huan knew nothing about any of this, because he had a good night's sleep.

Tang Huan struggled to get out of bed in the morning, took the basin of hot water from Qin Yuyang, and washed her face thoroughly.

After washing up, he sat under the eaves and drank a bowl of porridge that had been sent from the kitchen.

Gongyang Tingbai sat down beside Tang Huan at some point, patiently waiting until Tang Huan put down the empty bowl in her hand before asking, "I noticed something last night. Even though there was no stove in the room, it wasn't cold at all all night. How did you manage that?"

Because of this incident, Gongyang Tingbai could say he didn't sleep well all night.

If this method could be learned and brought to the northern regions, the people there would no longer have to suffer from the severe cold, and many problems could be easily solved.

"Did you try to find out where that heat was coming from?" Tang Huan asked with a smile.

"Hot air was coming out of a pipe, which should contain hot water. It was even quite hot in the first half of the night, but it was mild when I woke up in the morning."

After hearing Bai recount everything she had seen, Gongyang guessed that the heated tubes were the key.

"It's alright to tell you. When we rebuilt Qihuai County, I had a sewer system installed, and the heating system was also set up at the same time. Those iron pipes do indeed contain hot water; we can only keep warm by using them."

"But why is it hot all night?" Gongyang Tingbai asked curiously.

"The reason it can stay hot all night is naturally because someone is constantly boiling water. In Qihuai County, there are people specifically in charge of this. They heat the water and let it flow through the heating systems of thousands of households, thus bringing warmth to everyone."

"How did you do that?" Gongyang Tingbai asked earnestly.

Tang Huan shook his head. "Telling you won't help. It's not something that can be done in the Northern Region in a short time. It's quite troublesome to do. Back then, Qihuai County also put in a lot of effort."

“Alright.” Gongyang Tingbai sighed, but didn’t seem to have given up on the matter.

The two sat together under the eaves. After a moment of silence, Gongyang Tingbai asked, "How did things go last night?"

"I don't know. You should ask Du Ruhai. Didn't he handle it?"

Gongyang Tingbai said helplessly, "Are you really just going to abandon this?"

"Of course not. If those people don't give Du Ruhai any face at all, then it will confirm my guess that someone is definitely instructing them to do this behind the scenes. That will be the time for me to make my move."

If this hadn't happened, Du Ruhai could have handled everything by using the name of Qihuai County, without Tang Huan needing to intervene personally.

As the two were chatting, Du Ruhai walked over with a troubled expression.

Seeing this, Tang Huan didn't ask any questions. He simply got up, patted his bottom, and said to Gongyang Tingbai, "Looks like I'll have to take charge myself. Time to get to work!"

As she spoke, Tang Huan stretched vigorously.