Xie Wu's pleasant mood of enjoying hot pot didn't last long.

When the people in front turned around, his smiling face froze.

The two female merchants beside Tang Huan, despite their elaborate attire, still exuded a strong sense of familiarity.

Especially since he had just met one of them a few days ago and had even knelt down in front of him to kowtow and apologize, which scared him half to death.

"Why has Your Majesty come!"

Xie Wu's hands trembled involuntarily, and he felt as if his head on his neck was becoming loose and might fall off at any moment.

I was lucky to have returned alive from the capital. Not long ago, I was wondering why the emperor had only demoted me and not punished me in any other way.

That would be a crime of deceiving the emperor.

"Oh no! I told His Majesty that I was coerced by Tang Huan and had no choice but to cooperate and conceal the truth, but His Majesty isn't stupid. He can tell at a glance that my relationship with Tang Huan isn't what I said..."

This kid, it's only been a short time since we last met, why does he look like he's seen a ghost?

Tang Huan noticed Xie Wu's unusual expression and wondered what was wrong with his godfather. He walked straight to Xie Wu's side and patted him hard on the shoulder.

"What's wrong with you, kid? You're acting all mysterious, are you seeing a ghost?"

Given their relationship as god-sisters, Tang Huan's connection with Xie Wu, the former prefect, goes without saying.

Everyone in Qihuai County knows that these two are practically inseparable; they are practically inseparable.

What belongs to Xie Wu, belongs to Tang Huan.

It belongs to Tang Huan, so it still belongs to Tang Huan.

Not far away, Lin Wan'er looked at the man whose eyes were darting around, a look of doubt appearing on her face, which then turned into anger.

"Isn't that Xie Wu?"

As the Empress's personal attendant, Lin Wan'er had seen every minister, let alone Xie Wu, who had just come to the capital to meet the Empress not long ago.

"Didn't he say he was forced to do it by Tang Huan? But now it doesn't seem like that at all..."

Lin Wan'er wasn't stupid; she immediately guessed that Xie Wu was lying.

Beneath one lie lies another.

She immediately turned her head angrily to look at Wu Lanxi.

"Your Majesty, Xie Wu has repeatedly deceived the emperor and concealed the truth. According to the law, he should have been beheaded several times over!"

Wu Lanxi, of course, saw all of this, and her face also showed a hint of anger.

However, as an emperor, her temperament was much better than Lin Wan'er's.

Even if they are angry inside, they will not show it on their face.

Wu Lanxi vaguely felt that this might be an opportunity.

This would allow him to better seize Tang Huan's opportunity.

At the same time, Xie Wu would occasionally steal glances at Empress Wu Lanxi, further confirming that the two female merchants Tang Huan was going to host were indeed Her Majesty.

A thought struck him, and he deliberately shouted loudly, "You, Tang Huan! I was coerced by you and had no choice but to do some wrong things. I am loyal to His Majesty, and Heaven and Earth can bear witness..."

Tang Huan looked at Xie Wu with a puzzled expression, wondering if the sun had risen in the west.

He raised his hand with a smile, but Xie Wu dodged it without leaving a trace.

What's wrong with this kid?

Tang Huan felt increasingly uneasy. Xie Wu was usually eager to get close to her, like a persistent leech.

The prosperity and development of Qihuai County also greatly benefited Xie Wu, the prefect.

Although he outwardly concealed the truth, Xie Wu secretly received a lot of benefits from Qihuai County.

Qihuai County has paid a lot of taxes, and with Tang Huan's efforts in developing various aspects over the years, this amount of money is also a huge sum.

Last year alone, Qihuai County actually generated more revenue than all the other counties in Yingzhou combined.

In other words, for Qihuai County, there wasn't a single capable fighter in the entire Yingzhou.

That's why Xie Wu didn't want to see Tang Huan get into any trouble.

Firstly, the other party had given him a lot of benefits, and secondly, Tang Huan was his elder brother; they were all on the same side.

So, while pretending to express his loyalty to the Empress, Xie Wu subtly gave Tang Huan a few meaningful glances.

To everyone's surprise, Tang Huan didn't notice Xie Wu's expression at all, and instead mocked, "What's wrong, is your eyelid twitching?"

Seeing that Tang Huan didn't understand his hint, Xie Wu secretly glanced at the Empress, then steeled himself and moved closer to Tang Huan, saying, "Do you know the identities of those two women who are with you?"

"Of course, they are now VIPs of Qihuai County, our partners. We have already established an excellent cooperative relationship, and we will be carrying out various projects in the future..."

While saying things against his conscience, Tang Huan whispered to Xie Wu, "Those two rich and powerful sheep sent a lot of money to Qihuai County..."

Seeing that Tang Huan was about to say something, Xie Wu immediately shut him up.

Even if you speak in a low voice, saying such treasonous things behind His Majesty's back will cost you your head!

But just as Xie Wu was about to tell Tang Huan, he glanced over and suddenly realized that Wu Lanxi was staring intently at him.

His eyes were deep and sinister, carrying a threatening aura.

Xie Wu couldn't help but shudder. It would have been better if he hadn't said anything; if he had, he feared he might really lose his life.

Seeing the threat, Xie Wu could only deliberately raise his voice and say, "This is Boss Wu, a wealthy businesswoman from the capital. Although she is a woman, she is very famous in the business world. The Wu family's business covers all aspects. It is an honor for Qihuai County to cooperate with them."

It's not just about every aspect; the entire world belongs to the Wu family.

These two women have this kind of identity?

Tang Huan muttered to himself, and began to scrutinize Wu Lanxi more closely.

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