Tang Huan knelt on the ground and unhesitatingly pulled Li Daikui out as a shield.

Is Boss Wu an empress?

The undeniable facts were right before Tang Huan's eyes, leaving her no choice but to believe them.

Only then did he have time to reflect and realize that Wu Lanxi's visits to Qihuai County were indeed unusual, especially the first time she fled there in a sorry state.

This so-called businesswoman is hiding too many secrets.

"When they first arrived in Qihuai County, they were robbed, but there were no bandits nearby. How could they have encountered such a thing? Now that I think about it, it's probably because their hidden identities were discovered."

"As for the people who came to Qihuai County to welcome them to the capital, they were also extraordinary. Those people were clearly military personnel. I noticed this at the time, but unfortunately I didn't investigate further..."

Furthermore, Xie Wu also showed obvious fear when facing this businesswoman, and he subtly reminded himself several times.

There are too many similar cases. Once Wu Lanxi's identity is discovered, looking back and deducing from the results, one can find too many clues.

At this moment, Tang Huan's feelings were complicated.

"I thought I had plenty of time to prepare, but I've encountered the Empress so early, and now the situation is somewhat passive for me..."

This is truly unbelievable.

Who would have thought that Boss Wu was actually the Empress!

Wu Lanxi was unaware of Tang Huan's thoughts at that moment. She was relaxed and looked at Tang Huan kneeling on the ground with great interest.

Watching him nervously offer an explanation, I realized this was a different Tang Huan than I had known before.

Does he seem like a cowardly person who's afraid of death, or is he just putting on an act?

Without giving it much thought, Wu Lanxi said in a deep voice, "Get up."

"I dare not." Tang Huan remained kneeling there obediently. "Your Majesty is guilty of a crime. If Your Majesty does not forgive my sins..."

"Are you referring to all the crimes you committed in Qihuai County?"

"Exactly." That is Tang Huan's biggest hidden danger right now.

If this matter isn't resolved, people could use it as an excuse to cause trouble for you at any time.

Wu Lanxi said softly, "Although you have indeed done many things behind my back, I can forgive you for what you have done to change Qihuai County and help many people in distress over the years."

"Really?" Tang Huan was somewhat incredulous. He was exonerated just like that?

That's a bit too simple.

He had considered using his contributions to clear his name, and even went so far as to provide disaster relief in order to increase his chances of acquitting the charges, but he never expected it to be so simple.

Do you think I would lie?

Tang Huan immediately put on a smiling face, appearing much more obsequious.

"How could I doubt Your Majesty? You are the Emperor, and your word is as good as gold..."

As she spoke, Tang Huan lightly stood up.

Wu Lanxi witnessed all of this. She had just said she dared not, but as soon as she was pardoned, she took the initiative. Tang Huan's thinking really cannot be judged by ordinary standards.

After Tang Huan stood up, he looked Wu Lanxi up and down with curiosity.

The Wu Lanxi in the Imperial Study still had many similarities to the Wu Lanxi in Qihuai County, but her temperament was completely different.

At this moment, Wu Lanxi gave people the feeling of being high above and untouchable, and her noble temperament made people dare not approach her easily.

I had seen emperors many times on TV and in movies before, but I didn't think much of it at the time.

But it wasn't until he met the emperor in person that he realized the emperor's aura was indeed not to be underestimated.

Tang Huan felt waves of pressure.

"I remember you refused Li Lianying's summons, didn't you? Why have you suddenly come to the palace?"

Upon hearing this question, Tang Huan's smile widened.

Before Wu Lanxi could speak, he pulled up a chair and sat down.

"I refused Eunuch Li at the time because the people of Qihuai County were giving me too much resistance. They were worried that I would not return once I entered the capital, so they did not want me to leave."

"But you have already sent the imperial edict to Qihuai County, how could I remain indifferent? That's why I took advantage of the people's inattention at night to sneak out of the city and then rushed to the capital overnight."

"Since Your Majesty appreciates my talent, I naturally cannot let Your Majesty down."

Wu Lanxi nodded in satisfaction.

Wu Lanxi was somewhat angry when she learned that Tang Huan had refused to come to the capital.

While I wouldn't be so angry as to execute the guy, I was indeed annoyed by his outright refusal.

Now that I know the reason, I can easily let it go.

On the contrary, they felt that Tang Huan's approach was not problematic; the emperor was important, but the people were equally important.

"By the way, since you are His Majesty, then Boss Wang who went to Qihuai County before must also be one of your people, right?"

Tang Huan couldn't help but think of the middle-aged man who had visited Qihuai County some time ago.

"That's right. Wang Tianze is the Minister of Revenue in the current court, and he is also Wang Jingze's father. You just met Wang Jingze this morning, so you shouldn't have forgotten him, right?"

Tang Huan grinned and said, "How could I forget? They helped me a lot."

At this point, Wu Lanxi asked, "What exactly happened this morning? How did you suddenly get into a conflict with someone? And why were you confronting the son of the Minister of Personnel in the street?"

"The matter is quite simple. This morning, after arriving in the capital, I went to the Ya Zi organization..."

After recounting the events of the morning in detail, Wu Lanxi frowned.

"You mean this Jia Yu bullies men and women, and acts with impunity, so you deliberately went looking for trouble?"

"Yes, Your Majesty would not tolerate such a person, so I went to deal with him on Your Majesty's behalf. But I did not expect that he was actually a man of the Minister of Personnel. After suffering a loss, he immediately sought out Lei Yan."

Wu Lanxi was furious that someone would do such a thing right under her nose.

Moreover, her ministers also acted as a protector for the other side.

Thinking of the current complex situation in the court, Wu Lanxi shook her head helplessly, knowing that she couldn't touch these people for the time being.

So he turned and asked, "If you had known Jia Yu's identity beforehand, would you still have done this?"

Without hesitation, Tang Huan replied decisively, "Yes."

Wu Lanxi asked in surprise, "Aren't you worried that Redding will cause you trouble?"

"Worrying is bad, but if you do nothing because of fear, then nothing will be accomplished."

This is in line with Tang Huan's character; otherwise, he wouldn't have secretly developed Qihuai County in the first place.

Since they dare to do something like this, there's no reason for them to be afraid of offending a high-ranking official.

"Besides, since Reading is supporting Jia Yu behind the scenes, I suspect he's also involved in quite a few things. We should test him and try to catch him making a mistake..."

Seeing Tang Huan's eager expression, Wu Lanxi said solemnly, "Don't try this again. I may need you to do it later, but not now."

"Your subject understands." Tang Huan nodded obediently.

"I heard from Lord Wang that Li Daikui, who is by your side, is a capable ruler? Is that true?"

Tang Huan scratched his head and said with a wry smile, "This is a misunderstanding. Lord Wang has misunderstood. Li Daikui is illiterate and doesn't know anything about such things. He only knows how to fight and kill."

"So that was at your behest?" Wu Lanxi asked expectantly.