The woman was slender with long legs. Although she wore no expensive gold jewelry, her youthful beauty was undeniable.
She looks a few years younger than Wan'er...
Wu Lanxi kept looking at the newcomer and had to admit that the other person was quite attractive. Although she was not as good-looking as herself, she was no less attractive than Wan'er.
You should know that Lin Wan'er is already one in a million beauties in the capital.
"And this is...?"
Wu Lanxi looked at Xie Wu and gestured to him.
Xie Wu said, "This is Xue'e."
He then said to Xue'e, "These two are wealthy merchants from the capital. They are your business partners and have come here to discuss important matters."
Xue'e smiled and said, "Lord Xie, you know what kind of temper he has. He goes to bed early and gets up early every day, and even at noon he takes an hour to rest. This is an unshakeable routine that no one can change."
"Let alone business, even if someone were to commit murder and arson in Qihuai County, disturbing the magistrate at this time would only invite his wrath. So please don't make things difficult for me."
Lin Wan'er said in surprise, "Tang Huan doesn't seem like someone with such a bad temper!"
Although the man seemed unreliable and quite cunning, his interactions with him over the years gave the impression that he was more shrewd and tactful than Xue'e had described.
"The adults said that he has a very bad temper when he wakes up."
"Morning grumpiness?" Wu Lanxi turned her gaze to Xue'e.
"The general idea is that when people are disturbed while they are resting, they become very irritable. Most people would be like this, and it has nothing to do with a person's usual character or temperament."
With this explanation, Wu Lanxi understood.
Thinking about it, I sometimes feel the same way – I'm grumpy when I wake up. Upon reflection, that's quite a apt description.
"If the matter is urgent, please wait in the side room for a moment. I will go and inform you as soon as you wake up. I will not keep you waiting for long."
Xue'e led the group to a side room, and soon brought over the tea that was usually served to guests.
A delicate fragrance filled the air.
It smells even stronger than the tea in restaurants.
"This tea..."
Xue'e poured tea for everyone, saying, "This tea was personally brewed by the adults. It's so rare that you can't find much of it in the entire Qihuai County. People usually can't even get a taste of it."
"Tang Huan has this kind of skill?" Wu Lanxi felt more and more that Tang Huan was a talented person.
"That's right. Nowadays, all the tea fryers in Qihuai County learned their skills from adults. The adults often complain that they haven't mastered the craft and haven't grasped the essence of it."
"Did Tang Huan teach you how to stir-fry tea?" Wu Lanxi asked, even more surprised.
Xue'e nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling.
"It can be said that the current state of Qihuai County is all thanks to the adults. From top to bottom, inside and out, none of this would exist without him. You can see the adults' shadow in everything."
When Tang Huan was mentioned, Xue'e's eyes revealed admiration.
This made Wu Lanxi speculate about the relationship between Xue'e and Tang Huan.
The two lived together in the backyard of the county government office. Compared to Li Daikui, Xue'e had a higher status. Could she be the mistress of the house?
Xue'e is beautiful and has a great figure; she can be considered a beauty.
"Are you Tang Huan's wife?"
Unable to contain her curiosity, Lin Wan'er asked the question before Wu Lanxi could.
This saved Wu Lanxi some trouble; if she were to speak up herself, it would seem too gossipy.
She looked at Xue'e with great curiosity, wanting to get an answer.
Xue'e smiled faintly and said, "Serving you, my lord, is something I do willingly, even without a title."
No official status?
Before Wu Lanxi could ponder for too long, Xue'e continued:
"Looking across Qihuai County, countless women admire you, sir. There are many more who are more beautiful than me. Many have even mustered up the courage to come and propose marriage, but you have rejected them all."
Given Tang Huan's contributions to Qihuai County, he would indeed attract the admiration of many women.
Even he, as an emperor, thought this person was outstanding. How would the people of Qihuai County feel? They would probably already be completely devoted to that man.
Lin Wan'er pressed further, "Tang Huan isn't married?"
Xue'e shook her head and said helplessly, "My lord once said that there are thousands of beautiful women in this world, but none of them have entered his heart. He is still waiting for the one who can truly understand him."
"What if we can't wait?" Wu Lanxi asked.
"If I can't wait, then I'll keep waiting," Xue'e replied with absolute certainty.
For a moment, Wu Lanxi felt a mix of emotions.
Tang Huan made a fortune through all sorts of unusual businesses, and even transformed Qihuai County into what it is today. Tang Huan's wealth is probably unimaginable.
If this were in the capital, someone with such assets and status would already have three wives and four concubines, and countless children running around at his feet.
Unfortunately, Tang Huan is not married and is waiting for someone special.
That guy actually has such a devoted side?
This truly surprised Wu Lanxi.
While drinking tea, Wu Lanxi also subtly inquired more about Tang Huan. She also learned that the woman named Xue'e in front of her was just a maid who took care of Tang Huan's daily life.
Although she was called a maid, she was more like a family member.
Xue'e and Tang Huan have a special relationship; they interact more than others, and therefore understand each other better.
From this girl, Wu Lanxi also learned more about Tang Huan.
He would deliberately tell strange and terrifying ghost stories to scare the maids.
He would enjoy a few drinks under the moon, composing poems and essays, but he wouldn't allow Xue'e to publicize it.
He would tell Xue'e about his strange and wonderful ideas, including a tool to replace the two wheels of a carriage, a long-barreled weapon that could fire iron balls for attack, and a black box that could transmit messages over thousands of miles...
Wu Lanxi could understand some of these things, and even looked forward to the huge changes that those things would bring after they were invented.
But there were some things that even after Xue'e explained them, she still couldn't imagine them, and they felt like she was dreaming.
Before they knew it, an hour had passed.
A man strolled over unsteadily, sat down next to Xue'e with complete ease, picked up a cup of cold tea from the table, and drank it all in one gulp. "I'm so thirsty."
After drinking it all in one gulp, Tang Huan finally let out a long sigh of relief and rubbed his eyes vigorously.
"Sir, this tea belongs to Boss Wu..."
Xue'e spoke somewhat embarrassedly, explaining to Wu Lanxi, "My lord is usually so unconventional, please don't take offense, Boss Wu."
Tang Huan waved her hand, "It's alright, it's just a cup of tea, nothing serious."
Wu Lanxi's expression was solemn.
Lin Wan'er stared wide-eyed as Tang Huan drank the entire cup of tea that His Majesty had just finished.
Wu Lanxi straightened her eyebrows and tried to calm herself down.
"I heard from Xue'e that Lord Tang is still unmarried?"
"What's so good about getting married? Does having a wife mean you'll be controlled? It's better to be single and carefree, able to joke and play around with whichever girl you want without any problems..."
As he spoke, Tang Huan reached out and used one finger to stroke Xue'e's chin.
Xue'e was shy and kept dodging.
This scene startled Wu Lanxi, making her begin to doubt whether Tang Huan was truly a deeply affectionate person.
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