◇ Chapter 49 (49) Don’t Hate Me

"Emissary Chunyu doesn't know who it is," the subordinate reported. He was Bai Kang's confidant, fluent in the language of the North Sea, and had been the one to communicate privately with Chunyu Ying. "All we know is that he's a man, and he has a white jade plaque with a leopard carved on it."

leopard……

Bo Kang hurriedly called the Secretary and asked him to draw a picture: "Is it like this?"

He had ordered a painting of the very tattoo on Lianzhi's waist that he had glimpsed in a fleeting glance. The book's historical drawing was vivid, but his subordinates scratched their heads: "This... Envoy Chunyu didn't describe the detailed design."

"Then he asked, does the person the leader of the Helan tribe is looking for have tattoos?" Bai Kang asked.

This time, the subordinate's answer was more assertive: "There shouldn't be one. Envoy Chunyu clearly stated that they were looking for a member of the Helan tribe. And the Helan tribe doesn't have the custom of tattooing their bodies."

That's good, Bo Kang breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know why, but he had been suspicious recently, always worried that Lianzhi would be implicated.

It made sense. How could Lianzhi be from the North Sea? How could anything be related to him? He had been too worried and restless recently. He had to ask the doctor to prescribe some medicine when he got home.

Furthermore, the Chunyu envoy stated that the Yilu tribe agreed to facilitate a marriage between the two states and requested that the emperor of Daning use this as an excuse to attack Mobei and provide support to the Beihai region. If the marriage was successful, the Helan tribe would submit to Daning, and he asked the Minister of Rites to convey this message.

This person must be very important to the Helan tribe, which is why the Helan leader would rather surrender and rely on the power of Daning to find him.

However, Emperor Jianguang's willingness to dispatch troops required comprehensive consideration. The Helan tribe was too unknown for the Daning Kingdom; no one knew whether they could offer a satisfactory bargaining chip. As Bai Kang submitted the memorial, his mind shifted to Lianzhi.

Lianzhi went to the Prime Minister's Mansion today.

Let's pick him up in the afternoon.

When Lianzhi set foot in Linshan Temple again, she found that the number of pilgrims was more than double that of the last time. Even the incense burners were replaced with new ones, and the statues in the temple were also plated with gold, which showed how much money was made.

Lianzhi originally thought that Xingjiezi and others only flattered officials, but after looking carefully, he found that they treated every pilgrim equally. It seemed that he had mistakenly thought that he had to establish a relationship with the Prime Minister's wife in order to find out more about their internal affairs.

As a distinguished guest of Linshan Temple, Taoist Master Chongshan specially sent his disciple Hongzhen to receive him. Unable to find the person who had led him there last time, Lianzhi smiled and asked, "The last time I came here, I debated with a Taoist master from the temple and gained some insights. I have some questions for you today. Why can't I see that Taoist master?"

After he described the man in detail, Hong Zhen replied somewhat awkwardly, "Are you talking about Xuan Yu? He fell into the water a few days ago and has since passed away."

Is he dead? It seems Arus has taken care of him. Lianzhi narrowed her eyes and followed the Prime Minister's wife into the wing room.

When Bai Kang arrived at the Prime Minister's residence, he heard that the Prime Minister's wife and Lianzhi had not yet returned, so he hurried to Linshan Temple. He happened to meet a Taoist priest in the audience who respectfully escorted the Prime Minister's wife and Lianzhi to the carriage. The Prime Minister's wife was more perceptive. When she saw Bai Kang dismounting, she smiled and said, "Lianzhi, Bai Kang is here to pick you up."

Lianzhi was startled. After bidding her farewell, she walked to Bo Kang and called softly, "Brother Kang."

He lowered his head and eyes, not knowing what he was thinking. Bai Kang thought he had been wronged. Of course it wasn't the Prime Minister's wife who bullied him, it must be the people from Linshan Temple. Bai Kang threw up his sleeves and said angrily, "Who offended you?"

After a while, Lianzhi said slowly: "I told them that you are my husband."

Bo Kang: “Ah?”

He laughed subconsciously, and the anger on his body disappeared without a trace in an instant. He pretended to be serious and asked, "What's going on?"

"The Prime Minister's wife and I went to see Chongshan twice. Their attitude towards her was no different from anyone else's, even to a wealthy businessman who donated five thousand taels of silver." Lianzhi touched her nose. "If they are indeed from Liangzhou, perhaps mentioning your name would be a better choice. But I still can't understand. What's the difference between you and the Prime Minister? You are the Shangshu. Isn't the Prime Minister more powerful than you?"

Bai Kang was amused by the innocent tone of his last question. Not wanting to explain to Lian Zhi about the affairs of the late emperor's old ministers, Bai Kang coaxed him casually, "Because your husband is so powerful."

Lianzhi also agreed with him and said, "Yes, my husband is amazing."

Hmm? So well behaved today? Bo Kang's first reaction was to become alert. Seeing that he was silent, Lianzhi hugged his neck and said flatteringly: "My husband is the most powerful, the kindest, and the most tolerant, right?"

"What do you want to say?" Bai Kang didn't take the bait. Lianzhi smiled sweetly, feeling a little guilty. "I told them my husband is very rich and can donate 500 taels of silver to Linshan Temple to build a golden statue..."

Suddenly there was a loud creaking sound from inside the carriage. The driver was startled and pricked up his ears. Not hearing their master getting angry, he continued driving.

"Lianzhi! How can you say five hundred taels of silver!"

Bai Kang was going crazy. Was Lianzhi a Pixiu? He still owed the one thousand taels he'd redeemed him from, and his expenses were insufficient to cover his income. Not to mention that after Lianzhi came into the mansion, the expenses of the Shangshu Mansion had doubled—and the extra money was all Lianzhi's.

Five hundred taels...five hundred taels!

Bai Kang almost fainted, and Lianzhi immediately shook him: "I have already gained the trust of the Xingjiezi, and they even treat me as an honored guest. The overall situation is more important, Brother Kang!"

The overall situation. The overall situation of five hundred taels of silver.

Bai Kang was dizzy for only a second before he sat up immediately, regaining his usual composure. "Baby, you already owe me 1,500 taels, do you understand?"

Lianzhi blinked and said aggrievedly, "I will try my best to pay you back...but Brother Kang, how can I pay you back?"

"You don't have to pay back the money, not a single cent." Bai Kang let out a breath.

Fifteen hundred taels. No matter who can come up with a betrothal gift of fifteen hundred taels, he'll consider it as a betrothal gift to Lianzhi. She owes him so much, and she must remember to marry him for the rest of her life. Bo Kang quickly found a loophole, "Baby, since you're sure they're from that place, how could they not recognize you? It would be inappropriate for you to reveal your identity."

What if they alert the enemy and get the news that they are investigating Xingjiezi?

Lianzhi smiled cunningly and snuggled into his arms again: "Who said I revealed my identity? I didn't say I was Lianzhi."

Bo Kang:?

Didn’t you just call him husband?

"I'm the young master that the Minister has kept." Lianzhi's words shocked Bai Kang, causing him to cough violently. Lianzhi didn't care that her shocking words frightened Bai Kang, who was extremely traditional in matters of love. "Mr. Bai likes this face, so what's wrong with keeping someone who looks similar? They suspect the Minister's wife, so what does it have to do with me?"

"You..." Bo Kang didn't know what to say, his forehead twitching constantly: "You've ruined my reputation..."

Lianzhi's smile suddenly widened. Bo Kang sighed, but he wasn't angry. He rummaged in his sleeves, pulled out an exquisite paper package, and handed it to Lianzhi.

The paper package was palm-sized and exuded a faint fragrance. Lianzhi opened it and found it was a small box of spices. Without a lid to block the smell, the aroma was so strong that it was a bit pungent. Lianzhi was used to the smell of high-quality spices in the palace. Even though she was not burning incense at the moment, she frowned at the sight of this inferior product. "What is this? Is it for me? I don't want it."

"Baby, I found this especially for you," Bo Kang said. He had rarely addressed Lianzhi like that recently, but now that she heard it, Lianzhi felt strangely happy and calmed down, willing to listen to his explanation.

"Haven't there been a lot of Qiang merchants in the capital lately? They say this is high-quality spices from Liangzhou, and I paid a huge sum of money for it." Bai Kang emphasized the word "huge sum of money." Lian Zhi, who had just spent five hundred taels of silver on this sentence, suddenly felt guilty and put the box away. "You've been deceived. This is not a spice from Liangzhou at all! The Qiang are good at business, and they are the best at deceiving people! Whoever sold it to you, I'll go after them."

"I don't know much about fragrance." Bo Kang said sincerely, "This fragrance smells pretty good, and it has a little bit of lotus fragrance. It seems to suit you very well."

It seems like there is a little bit?

Since Bai Kang thinks it's good, let's go back and try burning some incense. Sooner or later, I'll find some high-quality spices and let Bai Kang see the good stuff. Lianzhi thought so and said nothing more. Back at the Shangshu Mansion, she hurriedly asked Eunuch Wen to dig out an incense burner and fill it with spices.

"Brother Kang, it really smells like lotus!" Lianzhi stretched out her hand excitedly, "Let me give you a taste."

"I didn't lie to you, did I?" Bai Kang said proudly.

Lianzhi loved the scent of lotus flowers; he loved everything that had a connection to his past self. Seeing that Bokang was also happy, Lianzhi said excitedly, "Then I'll fumigate some of the incense on my clothes, too. I can buy some more and put them in..."

He was halfway through his speech when he suddenly stopped talking. Bo Kang sensed something was wrong and asked, "Why are you silent?"

"Is this expensive?" Lianzhi asked hesitantly. He had never had to worry about money before. "If it's expensive, then I'll just save it."

How come he suddenly became so obedient? Bo Kang wanted to take out his wallet: "Don't even think about it. Buy it if you like it, buy more."

Lianzhi smiled again.

After enduring the ups and downs of the five hundred taels of silver, Bai Kang finally understood. Does spending money on his wife really count as spending money? It's about strengthening their relationship. The more he spends, the more his wife will depend on him. It remains to be seen who else, besides him, will tolerate Lianzhi's extravagant spending.

Besides, if Lianzhi is really Chen Fenglian...

Then he must be wronged by being with me. I'll give Lianzhi an extra 500 coins a month.

At night, the room was still filled with incense. Bo Kang said the Qiang claimed it had a calming effect, allowing people to sleep better. The window was only slightly open, and the room was filled with the rich fragrance of lotus flowers. Lianzhi nestled in Bo Kang's arms, her brow furrowed.

A single thin red candle lit the bedside, its light flickering and dim, making it hard to even make out the face of the person in his arms. Bo Kang watched, eyes wide open, as Lianzhi grabbed his sleeve.

He cheated on Lianzhi.

That spice had no calming effect at all, nor was it sold by the Qiang people or a specialty of Liangzhou. Instead, it was a spice that he had privately asked Qin, the imperial physician with whom he had a good relationship, to prepare.

He really wanted to know whether Lianzhi was Chen Fenglian.

Imperial Physician Qin said that this incense would cause people to have nightmares at night and frequently recall past events. He didn't know if the incense was truly magical, but he thought it was worth a try.

If he were to judge others by his own experience, the most memorable event in his past would undoubtedly be the year when Lianzhi became emperor. Everyone in the world would agree. Burning incense at night for a few days would reveal Lianzhi's true colors.

After midnight, the red candle burned out completely.

Bai Kang hadn't fallen asleep yet. The room was completely dark. He couldn't see Lianzhi's face at all, but he could feel the person in his arms suddenly sobbing softly.

Are you having a nightmare?

If it gives Lianzhi a nightmare, I'd better not burn incense tomorrow.

Bai Kang's mood was particularly complicated. He suddenly remembered that Chen Fenglian loved to talk in her sleep. Normally, the princes were corrected when they were young, as sleep talking was considered bad etiquette. But Chen Fenglian had never been properly taught the rules. When he was on night patrol, he could always hear Chen Fenglian talking in her sleep and crying.

The crying sounded the same as now.

Not knowing what she was dreaming about, Lianzhi stopped sobbing and suddenly called out softly, "Brother Kang."

Bai Kang held his breath and dared not move.

If Lianzhi was Chen Fenglian, then why hadn't she been talking in her sleep for the past few days? He was filled with all sorts of speculations, wondering what Lianzhi had dreamed about him. Then Lianzhi spoke again, her voice still thin, her tears soaking his sleeves:

"Bo Kang, don't hate me."