Because of Tang Huan.

Because his purpose in coming to Qihuai County this time was to bring Tang Huan to the capital by imperial decree.

That's why the people of Qihuai County showed hostility.

Li Lianying couldn't help but recall the scene at the government office not long ago, where so many people knelt in the courtyard, begging Tang Huan not to leave.

The hostile expressions of the people also came to mind.

Li Lianying found this unbelievable.

"Even the Grand Tutor, who was respected by many back then, didn't reach this level. How did he manage to do it?"

The Grand Tutor was a benevolent and kind man. He was compassionate and helped countless poor people, earning him countless adorations.

Even so, when news of the Grand Tutor's corruption and abuse of power came to light, only a handful of people stood up to speak for him.

In the end, the Empress, mindful of the Grand Tutor's contributions, only demoted him and spared his life.

"These people from Qihuai County are defying the imperial decree. Aren't they worried about losing their lives for Tang Huan?"

Li Lianying could not understand.

There are many things he cannot understand.

The next day, when Li Lianying went to visit Qihuai County, he once again faced hostility from the people. In the end, he had no choice but to give up visiting the county and spent most of his time in his room.

He even suspected that if he continued to stay in Qihuai County, some impulsive people would come to Tianyi Palace.

They're a bunch of lunatics.

They don't care about your status at all. Even if you are a favorite of the emperor, you are still just an ordinary person in Qihuai County.

If it weren't for Li Daikui constantly protecting him, Li Lianying would probably have been terrified long ago.

Even so, after lunch the next day, Li Lianying rushed to the government office, wanting to urge Tang Huan to come to the capital with him.

The longer it dragged on, the more he felt things would get worse.

But the situation before him left him dumbfounded.

Outside the government office, the long street was packed with people.

Adults, children, and even many elderly people.

People occupied every corner of the street, crowding around it completely.

"That eunuch has arrived!"

Someone spotted Li Lianying and shouted, which immediately caused a stir among the crowd.

Li Lianying noticed the anger on everyone's faces, and he couldn't help but feel afraid, not daring to take another step forward.

If you get caught in the crowd, you might not have a chance to get out.

The government office was right across the street, but he couldn't get there at all.

"What do we do now?" Li Lianying asked Li Daikui helplessly.

Li Daikui scratched his head. "It's a bit difficult now. There are too many people. Even if I personally go out, it won't work. They simply won't let you see the adults."

"You just don't want me to take Lord Tang away?"

"It should be..."

Li Lianying was speechless.

He had never imagined this scene before coming to Qihuai County, not even yesterday.

It wasn't until he witnessed this scene firsthand today that he realized just how influential Tang Huan was in Qihuai County.

"Eunuch Li!"

A shout rang out.

Li Lianying looked around after hearing the shouts, but could not find the target.

Under Li Daikui's instructions, Li Lianying discovered that a person was sitting on the wall of the government office ahead.

Tang Huan climbed directly onto the wall.

"Lord Tang!"

Countless people shouted, and Li Lianying, who was in the middle of it, felt that it was deafening.

Tang Huan spoke loudly to the people for a few minutes before turning to look at Li Lianying.

"Eunuch Li, you have seen the situation. It's not that I'm unwilling to go to the capital, but everyone is reluctant to let me leave. I can only trouble you to report to His Majesty. If she punishes me in any way, I am willing to bear it all myself!"

Hearing Tang Huan's words and seeing the surging crowd, Li Lianying could no longer utter a word of dissent.

In the end, he had no choice but to ask Li Daikui to escort him out of the city.

The two exchanged a few words at the city gate. Li Daikui watched the carriage leave, and as soon as he turned his head, the smile on his face turned into a shadow.

Li Daikui cursed, "What is that damned eunuch doing in Qihuai County? He's made me lose a lot of money!"

Today was Tang Liu's turn to guard the city. He leaned against Li Daikui and asked, "Lord Li, you've been accompanying that eunuch these past two days. Have you noticed anything different about him compared to the others?"

Li Daikui subconsciously touched his nose, "He smells like urine all over his body, it's really awful."

He didn't say much to Tang Liu, and went back to the city on his own, muttering, "No, I have to get reimbursed by Lord Tang. This is dozens of taels of silver; I can't let that eunuch spend it all..."

At the city gate, a rare crowd had gathered.

Li Daikui glanced around and shouted, "That old eunuch is gone, everyone go back now. You've all had a hard time these past two days."

The crowd immediately dispersed, chatting and laughing.

When Li Daikui returned to the government office, it had returned to its usual deserted state.

With almost no cases, the government office was naturally deserted.

In the backyard, Tang Huan was still sitting there drinking tea by herself.

The maid, Qin Yu, sat beside him, fanning herself with a mournful expression.

Li Daikui strode over and sat down opposite Qin Yu. He glanced at Qin Yu and asked, "What's wrong?"

He picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.

Tang Huan pushed the cup towards Li Daikui with some disdain and took a new cup for herself.

"What else can I do? They're just annoyed that I'm indirectly driving Li Lianying away and not taking her to the capital. I don't know what's so great about that place. It's nowhere near as good as our Qihuai County."

Qin Yu said angrily, "The capital has an empress, but does Qihuai County have one?"

"So what if she's an empress? Maybe one day I'll become an empress for fun," Tang Huan said casually.

If such outrageous words were spoken outside, others would have been terrified.

But Li Daikui was not surprised at this time, but was somewhat disappointed. "Sir, you don't need to say such things. I haven't heard you say that you want to be the emperor in the past few years, but in the end you are still stuck in Qihuai County as a small county magistrate. Now you refuse to be summoned by the emperor. Aren't you afraid that the empress will cut off your head in a fit of anger?"

"I believe the Empress won't kill me. Even if she did have that thought, I think Boss Wu would help me."

He had wasted hundreds of thousands of taels of silver for nothing, all for a moment like this.

If the Empress were to punish him for disobeying the imperial decree, Tang Huan would find a way to contact Boss Wu and spread the word about the disaster relief efforts, making the Empress lose face.

Could the Empress really execute a meritorious official who solved Daqing's urgent crisis?

If he were such a foolish person, then Daqing would probably have no reason to exist. Tang Huan wouldn't mind rising up in rebellion and becoming a Chen Sheng or Wu Guang.

After saying that, Tang Huan rubbed her nose and looked at Li Daikui with disdain.

"Go take a shower quickly, you smell bad, you've picked up the smell from spending too much time with Eunuch Li."

Li Daikui was both amused and exasperated. "Sir, this isn't my fault. You should have recommended the diapers to him."

Tang Huan waved casually, and Li Daikui left happily.