◇ Chapter 105 (105) How could I become your enemy (Part 2)
Lianzhi wanted to repay the favor.
From the very beginning, he had the idea of repaying a favor.
Chang Yuzhu was right. Who, seeking revenge, would transfer that person to serve as their personal attendant? Or even send them to a position in the Ministry of Rites? While Lianzhi certainly couldn't have foreseen the palace coup, his appointment to the Ministry of Rites clearly wasn't a revenge move.
If it were just this one incident, it could be said that during the year or so he'd been with Lianzhi, Lianzhi had found him quite capable and a decent person. But Lianzhi kept repeating the words "repay the favor," and when she lost her temper, she couldn't help but complain about not wanting to be close to him...
Lianzhi is putting herself in a difficult position to repay her gratitude.
Of course, the report wasn't about her bringing him back to the capital. Combining the two people's accounts, his mother's words, and the clues that had surfaced over the past few days... When they first met in the palace, Lianzhi recognized his identity.
Lianzhi was repaying the kindness of the previous generation. He had known from the beginning that his mother had served Concubine Li, so he was transferred to her side. Perhaps at that time, it was to test his character and knowledge.
A year later, he was sent to the Ministry of Rites. However, Lianzhi himself did not expect that not long after, Emperor Jianguang and the Empress Dowager would launch a palace coup.
"I don't care about those. I hope you can stay with me forever." Bai Kang supported his hands on Lianzhi and asked in a low voice.
If I were still with Lianzhi, would I still have a chance to escape with Lianzhi?
Lianzhi's expression was unpredictable and murky. It was the first time Bai Kang had seen such a serious expression on his face, and he couldn't help but laugh. "Should I be glad I'm not such a bad person and have your favor?"
"Aren't you a bad person? You are the worst." Lianzhi muttered softly.
Saying this means that Lianzhi admits it.
When he first met Bai Kang, he recognized his identity at a glance.
His mother left behind few relics, the only one being a small portrait depicting her and several of her maids. He had always remembered their appearance. General Xue and Eunuch Wen had both said that those maids were the ones his mother trusted most.
Bai Kang was very similar to his mother, in that he would be indignant over the death of a colleague with whom he had no close relationship and would want to avenge him. He seemed to be a good person and should be like his mother. Lianzhi found an excuse to transfer him to her side.
After ascending the throne, he had already inquired about the whereabouts of those palace maids and compensated them and their families. He had already made up his mind: if Bai Kang was a good person, he would arrange an official position for him. As for the rank he would achieve in the future, that would depend on Bai Kang's own luck.
This is the greatest favor he can repay for his mother.
"I also have selfish motives in sending you to the Ministry of Rites." Lianzhi curled her lips and lowered her eyes. "I have long intended to win over other princes. If you can become my confidant, perhaps you can help me."
This must be the truth. Bo Kang nodded: "What else?"
"Huh?" Lianzhi was puzzled.
"Now that I've repaid you, what happened next?" Bo Kang pinched his cheek, his lips curled up like a wolf that had caught its prey. "When did you fall in love with me?"
Lianzhi's tone remained unchanged: "What nonsense are you talking about."
Bai Kang took a step forward, his movements a bit laborious, but he encircled Lianzhi in his arms, unable to retreat. "Don't you like me? Then why are you willing to marry me? And you even ask me if I like children? Others won't risk themselves just to repay a favor. Let me think, if it were me... the most I could pay for saving your life would be gold and silver, or at least a house. I wouldn't marry someone I don't like just to repay a favor."
This time, Lianzhi's expression completely changed. Bai Kang pressed on, insisting on hearing Lianzhi admit it: "Baby, I've told you so many times that I like you, but you've never told me once."
The person in his arms suddenly pushed him away, and yelled in a state of collapse: "I said I don't like you, I don't like you! What does it have to do with you how I repay you? Now that you have got what you wanted, do you still have to ask for the truth?!"
"Yes, I just want to know the truth."
Bai Kang grasped his thin wrist and said, "I just want to hear it. Lian'er, what are you still hiding from me? I really don't know which of your words are the truth."
"Every word is true!" Suddenly, Lianzhi thrust him hard, her strength bursting out from nowhere. Bai Kang's leg injury hadn't healed yet, and he stumbled. Lianzhi hadn't expected Bai Kang to be so fragile, and she was startled and rushed to support him.
Who would have thought that Bai Kang would stand up again? "You're here to help me if you don't like me? I don't believe it. Baby, you know I'm a persistent pest. If you don't tell me, I'll keep asking. I'll keep asking you for the rest of my life. To see you, I set out from Rongcheng and walked for several days. I almost got hurt several times and almost fell off the cliff. To see you, I almost lost my life. Let's call it even, okay?"
Lianzhi's nose turned slightly red and she turned her face away.
"Are you crying?" Bai Kang rubbed the corners of his eyes.
"Don't touch it." Lianzhi slapped his hand away and sniffed secretly. The sound was still heard by Bai Kang. Lianzhi said in a muffled voice: "Let's talk about it after you leave Yanmen alive."
I understand. She's afraid that she won't survive and will be a burden to him.
How can you be so cute when you say one thing and mean another?
"I thought you weren't mad at me anymore." Bo Kang kissed his soft face several times. "Are we finally reconciled?"
Lianzhi said nothing. Bo Kang took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face: "Don't cry, be careful not to be seen."
This time Lianzhi didn't resist and let him wipe it obediently. When Bai Kang withdrew his hand, he grabbed Bai Kang's collar, buried his face in it and rubbed it hard: "It smells like sweat."
"It's freezing cold, how can you sweat?" Bai Kang led him out nonchalantly. Agui and the young master were still playing ball, so engrossed in their pursuit that they didn't even hear what had just happened. Seeing them come out, they ran over and asked, "Sir, do you want to play with us?"
Bai Kang was delighted. The child was truly innocent and simple. Just as he was about to say yes, Lianzhi spoke again: "Your Highness, it's time to go back and do your homework. Ah Gui, you can go with your Highness."
"I don't want to." The young master said softly. Lianzhi frowned: "What did you say?"
The young master seemed very afraid of him and walked away with his neck shrunk. Agui also didn't like studying - who in the world likes doing homework? But he had no choice but to follow the young master.
The two children returned to the study and began to read. Lianzhi watched from outside for a moment, making sure they weren't distracted. Bo Kang jokingly said, "You're still asking them to study at a time like this?"
"He's not very smart, unlike his sister. He certainly needs to work hard to make up for his shortcomings," Lianzhi said. He wrapped his cloak tightly around him and walked down the steps. Bo Kang asked him, "Why don't you become emperor?"
"It's not the right time." Lianzhi said, and went to help Bai Kang push the wheelchair. But Bai Kang asked: "I mean, why don't you become the emperor yourself? The throne should be yours."
Lianzhi stopped and then pushed him as if nothing had happened.
"I didn't realize it before. You've been delaying. It has nothing to do with Jiangcheng, right? The timing you mentioned is to wait for peace to return so the princess can become emperor. As for the young prince, is he the one you appointed as the crown prince?" Bai Kang speculated. Lianzhi was overly respectful of the young prince, and his body movements showed that he was very nervous about him.
You know, Lianzhi has been looking down on others these days, just like usual. He's just a nephew, so there's no reason to dote on him like that.
Lianzhi herself is not a studious person, but she forces other people's children to study like this, which obviously shows that she has high hopes for the young master.
Lianzhi's eyelashes trembled slightly. He had been shocked by Bo Kang several times today. This man, who usually seemed not very smart, was very smart in this matter.
"I won't call you stupid anymore." Lianzhi muttered.
"Thank you." Bai Kang said.
How shameless! Lianzhi was irritated by him and said unhappily, "With my sister's current power, she can't hold the throne securely. Even if Zongzheng tries to manipulate the situation, he won't allow a woman to become emperor. However, it's always possible to build a plank road in the open while secretly attacking Chencang."
Bai Kang instantly understood what he meant: "You mean, let the young prince become emperor?"
"Don't you remember? The real dragon is in the north." Lianzhi gave him a look that showed you understand it yourself.
The true dragon is in the north, and the eldest princess holds the bloodline of the Ren Emperor. Bo Kang was shocked and said, "That's the eldest princess's son! She actually agreed to it?"
"As long as he can ascend the throne, what does the title matter? When the young prince grows up, he will have to thank his mother." Lianzhi said.
The eldest princess is an ambitious woman. Although her abilities are a little lacking, the young prince is still young. Before he grows up, the eldest princess has a long time to build up her own power.
Bai Kang quickly figured out the key. He felt that he and Lianzhi were a good match; they both understood each other's intentions quickly. Bai Kang was delighted; they were truly a match made in heaven.
Although he still had some doubts in his mind, Bo Kang didn't dwell on them. What happened next had nothing to do with him. Since Lianzhi had no intention of becoming emperor, he could just wait until everything was settled and live happily with Lianzhi.
Lianzhi pushed him to the front hall. Now that everything was out in the open—well, sort of. He no longer avoided Bo Kang, letting him sit in the sun and wait for him while he went to the corridor to listen to the military officer's report on the day's military situation.
It was a bit cold in the corridor. Lao Wu saw that his nose was red and thought he was cold, so he gave his cloak to Lianzhi. Bai Kang watched with a smile. Lianzhi came back soon and saw him grinning. She glared at him and said, "What are you laughing at?"
What's so funny about him? Why are you looking at him like that?
"Baby, don't you realize you're very popular?" Bo Kang said, "Those soldiers who joined the army all respect you."
Lianzhi wrinkled her nose. "They just hope that I can lead them to success and fulfill their unwavering loyalty."
"Then why don't they respect the eldest princess and her husband? Or is it because you are too likable?" Bai Kang's face showed considerable pride, as if his wife was truly amazing.
How could he not be jealous? Shouldn't he be told not to get too close to others in the future? Lianzhi snorted, feeling unhappy: "Then I can leave with Lao Wu?"
"Don't!" Bai Kang shouted.
His voice was so loud that it startled the people around him. Lao Wu walked by with a few soldiers and looked at the two of them with a smile.
At the Princess's residence, the relationship between Bai Kang and Lian Zhi was no longer a secret. While Bai Kang was unconscious during those few days, the others knew. Prince Zhulan dropped everything he was doing to stay by Bai Kang's bedside. While he didn't personally care for him, he was reluctant to leave. Rumors circulated that Prince Zhulan and Bai Kang were already married, and perhaps Lady Bai would become the Empress in the future. Haha.
Bai Kang's scalp tingled under their gazes. He felt something was wrong. After a while, he realized, "No—"
Lao Wu and the others had already bowed and left. Lianzhi stood behind him, laughing so hard that she was rolling on the floor. Bo Kang pinched his cheek with one hand and said with a sinister smile, "What are you laughing at?"
Lianzhi hummed twice.
He was about to push Bai Kang back to his room when he suddenly stood up, his steps steady. Although he was still a little slow, he clearly didn't look like he hadn't recovered yet. Lian Zhi stared at his knees: "Are you pretending?"
"You've made me angry," Bai Kang said confidently. He lifted Lianzhi up and placed her on the wheelchair, pushing it from behind. Back in his room, he closed the door and leaned over the wheelchair.
Their faces pressed together. Bo Kang bit his ear and asked softly, "Baby, can I kiss you?"
Why did you ask him suddenly?
Lianzhi blinked. Bo Kang said, "Didn't you say you didn't want to be close to me?"
He started pretending again. Didn't Lianzhi understand his intentions? Sighing, Lianzhi said, "I don't know what you are talking about. When did I ever mention such a thing?"
Bai Kang folded his arms and looked at him calmly: "So what is it that you mentioned?"
The two stared at each other quietly, neither willing to lower their heads first. In the past, Bo Kang would have taken the initiative to kiss her, but today he seemed determined and waited for Lian Zhi's answer.
Finally, this time, Lianzhi compromised first.
"Go ahead and kiss me, who's stopping you?" Lianzhi's face flushed, her eyes sparkling. Bai Kang admired her for a while, then he thought Bai Kang was still putting on airs and became unhappy. "Why don't you kiss me? Well, I allow you to kiss me without my consent from now on!"
Lianzhi and Baikang reconciled.
The happiest person was the eldest princess. She was also afraid that a conflict between Lianzhi and Baikang would affect her ability to give her advice.
Reports of battles continued to arrive from the south. All the cities north of Jiangcheng and south of Rongcheng had been captured by the Princess's army. Lianzhi had instructed the Princess to announce to the world that if Jiangcheng were captured, the "youngest son of the Ren Emperor" would be crowned emperor, and the Helan tribe would withdraw from Daning. If the youngest son of the Ren Emperor ascended the throne, the Beihai Territory pledged to remain an enemy of Daning for the next hundred years.
As soon as these words were spoken, all the northern vassal kings surrendered. Aside from Jiangcheng, only a few cities in the south remained stubbornly resisting, clearly unable to achieve anything significant. Furthermore, aside from the coastal city of Yangchuan, which had already surrendered, the rest of the southern region was a smoky, humid land, difficult to develop and unsuitable for a new capital.
At this point, the new emperor had nowhere to retreat.
At the end of April, it is the Grain Rain season, with apricot rain and pear clouds.
The eldest princess's army marched south and attacked Jiangcheng.
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