No sooner had Li Daikui left than Tang Huan said to Qin Yu, "Tell the people in the government office to prepare that I am ill for the next few days."

Are you sick?

Qin Yu looked Tang Huan over carefully but couldn't find anything wrong with her.

Judging from his energetic appearance, he would probably be the only one to fall ill even if everyone in Qihuai County, young and old, got sick.

"You're not sick, why are you lying to people?"

Qin Yu was somewhat displeased.

Tang Huan turned her head. "Don't you plan to go to the capital? I was even planning to take you there. Since you're unwilling, then forget it. I'll take Xue'e instead..."

There was a hint of helplessness in his tone.

Entering Beijing?

Qin Yu keenly grasped the key point in Tang Huan's words. She was a smart person and immediately guessed what he was going to do based on what Tang Huan said.

"You're going to feign illness and then sneak into the capital when no one's looking?"

"Not bad, your reaction time isn't that slow."

Why pretend to be sick?

"Do you think you can leave without pretending to be sick? Everyone in Qihuai County would probably grab my legs and not let me go. If you want to go to the capital, you'd better start preparing now."

"When do we set off?" Qin Yu asked expectantly.

"tonight!"

Qin Yu was so excited that she couldn't speak. She walked out quickly, appearing suddenly full of energy.

Behind her, Xue'e walked over, placed a hand on Tang Huan's shoulder, and smiled broadly.

Tang Huan turned to look at her, "Will you be angry if I don't take you?"

Xue'e gently shook her head.

"Why? You've been with me the longest, yet I brought a woman who's only been with me for less than a month. Don't you feel resentful?"

"I wouldn't, because I know that you're not going to the capital for leisure this time. You must have something very important to do, so Xue'e won't cause you any trouble."

Tang Huan affectionately pinched Xue'e's nose.

Yes, going to Beijing is not a good thing.

Especially since he hadn't done anything, and yet suddenly received an imperial edict summoning him to the capital, it seemed too strange.

The biggest problem is not knowing whether it's good or bad.

Under these circumstances, Tang Huan couldn't pretend nothing had happened, and he also planned to take this opportunity to probe the situation in the capital.

"Who is that empress? What about the prime minister? What about the ministers of the six ministries? We must figure out the personalities and stances of each of those ministers so that we can better protect ourselves."

Thinking about the situation she would face after arriving in Beijing, Tang Huan felt a little worried.

He could only lament that his position was not high enough; a mere county magistrate was far too weak compared to those people.

The capital city.

Li Lianying returned overnight and went to the palace to deliver the news to Wu Lanxi.

"You mean, the people of Qihuai County won't let him leave?"

Li Lianying finally found an opportunity to cry and plead, saying in a mournful voice, "Yes, Your Majesty, you must do justice for me! The people of Qihuai County know that I am taking Tang Huan to the capital, and they all treat me like their father's killer. If I don't leave immediately, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave..."

Li Lianying described in detail the people's attitude towards him and the scenes he witnessed outside the government office.

Even now, thinking back on it still terrifies me.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been in such a hurry to come back. After all, he had saved up a lot of money over the years and discovered many small businesses that could be done in Qihuai County.

Ultimately, time was of the essence, which prevented him from having the opportunity to do so.

"I understand."

Wu Lanxi remained calm.

Li Lianying was somewhat puzzled. Disobeying an imperial edict was an extremely rare occurrence, but it seemed that His Majesty did not intend to pursue the matter.

But he couldn't swallow this insult, so he tentatively said, "Your Majesty, the people of Qihuai County are all unruly, and the magistrate Tang Huan is even more indulgent. Moreover, this servant has discovered that Qihuai County has been doing many things behind the back of the court..."

"Enough!"

Wu Lanxi coldly rebuked him, and Li Lianying immediately turned pale with fear and knelt on the ground.

"You'd better keep the matter of Qihuai County to yourself. If you dare to utter a single word about it, you should know what will happen to you."

"Yes!" Li Lianying knelt on the ground, pressing his head firmly against the ground.

He didn't understand why His Majesty would suddenly be so angry, just because he had brought up the matter of Qihuai County.

Moreover, that was clearly a treasonous act, but His Majesty seemed unwilling to let others know.

Li Lianying dared not speculate further and lay there trembling.

Only after Wu Lanxi gave the signal did Li Lianying dare to get up and leave.

Inside the imperial study, Wu Lanxi tapped her fingers incessantly on the table.

"It's one thing for the common people to be ignorant, but are you also so arrogant and audacious?"

Thinking of the mysterious and powerful mercenaries of Qihuai County, and the impregnable city walls, Wu Lanxi's expression gradually turned cold and gloomy.

"Have you already taken my abilities for granted and disregarded me and the Great Qing Dynasty?"

After having this inexplicable association, Wu Lanxi immediately shook her head vigorously to get the thought out of her mind.

To find out the specifics, we'll probably have to meet Tang Huan in person.

Wu Lanxi began to ponder whether she should send Wang Tianze to Qihuai County again, or go on a private visit herself.

Considering that it had been a while since her last visit to Qihuai County, Wu Lanxi made a plan in her mind.

Three hours after Li Lianying met the Empress, at one o'clock in the morning, Tang Huan and the others also arrived outside the capital.

The three men looked at each other, bewildered, as they stared at the tightly closed city gate.

"Sir, what should we do now?" Li Daikui scratched his head awkwardly.

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