Chapter 10 (10) The conflict deepened and the two quarreled

On the first night at the Shangshu Mansion, Lianzhi was met with disappointment.

Even after the butler took him back, he was still not satisfied. He looked towards Bai Kang's bedroom and stamped his feet in anger, but he could do nothing. If he were still the emperor, how could Bai Kang be so arrogant in front of him!

Angry as he was, he went back home, lay down, and fell asleep. He threw the loose official uniform that belonged to Bai Kang to the ground and stomped on it hard. In his dreams, Bai Kang, now the Minister of State, was showing off his power and mocking him loudly.

Damn it! He was clearly the one who promoted him! If I had known earlier, I would have let Bai Kang be a guard for life. Let's see if Chen Fengke would promote a country boy like him after he ascended the throne!

He cursed Bai Kang in his heart before he felt better and went to sleep contentedly. At three o'clock in the morning, Bai Kang got out of bed, hurriedly washed his face with cold water, and prepared to attend the morning court. It was too early, so he had to leave the court and buy two steamed buns on the way to the Ministry of Rites.

Alas, when will these hard days end?

Bai Kang felt his pockets to see how many coins he had left, only to remember that he hadn't changed his clothes yet. Lian Zi came in just then and offered to help him change. Bai Kang waved his hand, "No need for you. Go find my official uniform. Where is it?"

I clearly placed it by the bed last night, how come it disappeared?

Hearing this, Lianzi's face became inexplicably ugly: "Sir, I have never entered your room." Lord Bai had never asked him to clean the house. If he could serve closely, he would be willing to do so even if he was just a servant cleaning the room.

Bai Kang waved at him again, recalling where he had put his clothes last night. His memory stopped abruptly the moment Lian Zhi was pushed out the door by him. Bai Kang slapped his thigh and said, "You, call Lian Zhi over!"

Hearing Lianzhi's name, Lianzi felt even more aggrieved: "It's enough for me to serve you, sir..."

"My uniform is with him." Bai Kang felt a headache when he saw his tearful expression. He was so weak, what words made him cry? He didn't want to say more to Lianzi, "Anyway, just ask him to come over, and don't worry about the rest."

Why is Lord Bai’s official uniform with Lianzhi?

Instantly, Lianzi's mind raced with numerous theories. He lived far from Bo Kang's bedroom, so naturally, he had no idea what had happened last night. Ultimately, he had to conclude that it was the one he was most worried about.

Could it be that Lord Bai really likes Lianzhi?

He twisted his fingers and ran out. After a long time, he came back: "Lianzhi is still sleeping, I can't wake him up."

"Pull him up... Never mind, I'll do it." Bo Kang now realized that his previous assumption that Lianzi was efficient was wrong. It would be more efficient to call someone himself. Fortunately, the housekeeper had arranged for Lianzhi's room to be close by. He pushed the door open. The room was still pitch black. The curtains on the large wooden bed were drawn, revealing a corner of the quilt. A white, porcelain-like foot stretched out, already red from the cold.

Bo Kang walked over and wanted to wake the man up, but he stepped on something soft and almost tripped him. Looking down, he found that it was his official uniform, thrown under the bed, with a footprint on it.

It’s obvious that it was the little guy on the bed who did it.

Bai Kang didn't know whether to be angry with him or not. He hadn't expected Lianzhi to hold such a grudge. How was he supposed to wear his official uniform after it had soiled him? Time was running out, and there was obviously no time to clean it, but the footprints were so obvious...

Forget it, it's all his fault. Blame it on his poor eyesight for letting Lianzhi wear his official uniform.

He sighed, put on his official uniform, and was about to leave when the person on the bed slowly woke up and sat up.

Behind the goose-yellow curtains, a delicate figure could be vaguely seen. Lianzhi rubbed her eyes and said, "Who disturbed my sleep? Get out!"

Bai Kang was so angry that he almost laughed. He pulled aside the bed curtains and looked at Lianzhi, who was still sleepy. Lianzhi seemed to have no idea what was going on and frowned, saying, "What are you doing! Get out!"

"...I'll settle the score with you when I get back!" Bai Kang said this and hurried off. Because of his delay, he nearly missed his appointment. Although all the officials in the court knew Bai Kang's flamboyant personality, missing the morning court session was a serious offense that could lead to a report.

The shoe print on his body was too conspicuous, right in the middle of his back, attracting many people's attention. Rong, the Minister of Personnel, who had just had a verbal argument with him a few days ago, was standing diagonally behind him. Seeing his embarrassed appearance, he sneered, "Master Bai, what's wrong with you today? You look disheveled, unlike yourself."

"So what?" Bo Kang replied.

Minister Rong choked and said bluntly, "How dare someone kick our Lord Bai? You've always been so brave, but I never thought you'd be no match for others."

A while ago, Bai Kang had a major argument with Minister Rong, and he won. Several officials from the Ministry of Personnel had already reported him to Emperor Jianguang. But Bai Kang was a fearless person, so Emperor Jianguang simply warned him not to offend anyone again. But it seemed as if he was hoping he'd offend more people, so he could get into serious trouble and be punished for multiple crimes.

Thinking this way, Bai Kang ignored him and scratched his ear, which made Minister Rong very angry. Bai Kang also didn't care about the looks from people around him and pretended not to know about it. Anyway, the footprints were on his back, he couldn't see them, so if he couldn't see them, they weren't there. After the court was over and he arrived at the Ministry of Rites, he planned to change his clothes.

"Xiao Bai," Du Tianyun, the most senior minister in the Ministry of Rites, stopped him and asked sternly, "What's wrong with that thing on your back?"

Although the old man was strict and old-fashioned, he was not a bad person. Bai Kang was willing to respect him. He bit into the bun and replied, "I just found out it was stepped on and dirty when I got up this morning. I'll have someone clean it when I get home."

"Nonsense! Going out in dirty clothes? Aren't you ashamed?" Minister Du shook his head and sighed. Xiao Li, the chief beside him, appeared and said with a grin, "Did you get dirty early in the morning? Could it be someone in your family stepped on you?"

Everyone in the Ministry of Rites knew that he was in his twenties and still unmarried. He was also a chaste man, so how could he possibly have a wife? Little Li asked, "Master Bai, I heard that the Emperor has granted you a marriage. Is this true?"

He was easygoing and mingled well with the young officials of the Ministry of Rites. Upon hearing this, the surrounding clerks gathered around and chattered, "Is this true? Lord Bai, whose noble daughter is this? Since His Majesty has granted her marriage, she must be a celestial beauty! When can we meet the lady?"

She wasn't a noble lady, not even a woman. She could barely be called a celestial beauty. But when he thought of how similar Lianzhi's personality was to Chen Fenglian, he couldn't praise her anymore. He could only shout, "Disperse! Disperse! Go and take care of your official business! The list for the Imperial College selection must be submitted by the end of the month. If you can't, I'll see if you still have the energy to talk about this nonsense!"

The Imperial College selections were a major event. This year, many princes had nominated students from their fiefdoms, and the relationships involved were extremely complex. Everyone wailed and returned to their work.

After hearing Xiao Li's words, Bai Kang had already sensed something was amiss. His Majesty's permission for the marriage was true, but it hadn't been publicized, and no one else was likely aware of it. He hadn't mentioned it, either. How could Xiao Li, a minor official from a humble family, have heard of it?

Thinking of this, he called Xiao Li out and asked him, "How did you know that His Majesty has granted me a marriage?"

"Xiao Gu from the Ministry of Justice told me that they all know about it!" Xiao Li said with a smile, which made Bai Kang's eyes darken. "So, His Majesty really has granted you a marriage?"

"...Yeah." Bo Kang answered stiffly, "I'll tell everyone when everything is ready. Just keep your mouth shut and don't go out and talk nonsense."

Xiao Li also understood this principle. He covered his mouth and hummed twice, then went back to work. Bai Kang leaned against the window and felt the breeze for a while before he felt better.

Everyone in the Ministry of Justice knows about it.

As far as he knew, His Majesty's only confidant within the Ministry of Justice was the Minister of Justice, a member of the Jianguang Emperor's faction during the late Emperor's reign. However, that person was also very old, and would certainly not spread such gossip without His Majesty's permission. Furthermore, he was also a conservative person, and he hated men who had affairs with men.

He thought for a long time before going back. It was already evening when he finished looking over the roster in his hand and sorted out part of the list. He left the Ministry of Rites and found the Chang Mansion's carriage parked outside. Chang Yuzhu was fanning herself and arguing with the servant.

Seeing him, Chang Yuzhu's eyes lit up: "Bai Kang! I've been waiting for you for half an hour, why did you just come out!"

"I'm busy." Bai Kang rubbed his dry eyes. He got on the carriage, and Chang Yuzhu said that he would take him back to the Shangshu Mansion first. Hearing this, Bai Kang immediately glanced at him: "Tell me, what's the matter?"

"Hehe, I can't hide it from you." Chang Yuzhu said with a smile, "What's the story behind that imperial decree granting marriage?"

"...You guys at the Ministry of Revenue know about this too?" Bai Kang had a vague feeling this was not going well. It had only been a day and a night, and yet so many officials had already heard about this. By tomorrow, everyone would have heard that the Emperor had granted him a marriage.

Chang Yuzhu nodded and pushed him with her fan: "How unkind of you to not tell your brother about the good news first? But you are already 28, it's time to get married. Whose daughter is she? Tell me quickly, let me hear which unlucky guy became your father-in-law."

How could being his father-in-law make him an unlucky guy? Bo Kang laughed meaningfully: "You know her, Lianzhi."

"Who is it? How do I know the name of the woman in the family...Lianzhi!"

Chang Yuzhu didn't figure it out at first. When he realized who Lianzhi was, he jumped up in shock and hit his head on the roof of the car. "Lianzhi? The Lianzhi we rescued! He's a man, and an actor! How could His Majesty?"

"Actors are good. Bai Kang married an actor of low status, and he's a man at that. Wouldn't that be a laughing stock if it were made public?" Bai Kang said leisurely. "Besides, I don't think it's bad. I come from a poor family, and he's an actor. There's not much difference, right?"

"How could that be? There's such a huge difference." Chang Yuzhu was a little anxious. There were young men in official families who admired actors, but they would just take them home and feed them well. I've never heard of any of them actually marrying them.

Bai Kang wasn't surprised by his reaction. He was actually quite pleased to have such a friend worrying about him. "If I really did marry someone's daughter, someone would be unhappy. They'd want to remind me of my lowly status, what kind of person I could possibly be, and make a fool of myself. How could I not obey? But it's all the same. If Your Majesty hadn't granted this marriage, I might have ended up living alone."

That’s Lianzhi’s personality…

Thinking of the dirty footprint on his official uniform, Bai Kang was so angry that he laughed again. Unexpectedly, Chang Yuzhu didn't notice his anger. Instead, she asked in surprise: "He is so nice? You are so happy to think of him that you are smiling."

Bo Kang's smile froze, and he said casually, "Get lost."

After asking what he wanted to ask, Chang Yuzhu asked the driver to speed up and send Bai Kang back to the Shangshu Mansion. After getting off the carriage, Bai Kang hurried back to his bedroom, stopped outside Lianzhi's room, pushed the door open with a bang, and shouted: "Lianzhi, come out!"

No response.

Bo Kang thought he was finally scared, and felt relieved. He clutched the official uniform, intending to settle the score with someone before asking the servants to clean it. He walked around the room, but couldn't find anyone. At this time, the servant came out and said to him, "Sir, Master Lianzhi is at Lianzi's place! Go and check it out!"