Chapter 12 (12) The spies came to the door and met privately
But what does the lady of a mansion want to do?
Taking care of the housework, managing the servants, and receiving guests? He didn't have many servants in his house, and judging from Lianzhi's appearance, she didn't look like someone who could command the attention of others. As for receiving guests...
Apart from the playboy Chang Yuzhu, there are few people in the capital who have a good relationship with him, so Lianzhi should not need to socialize with other nobles.
When he arrived alone in the capital, determined to make a career, he had to be more steadfast. No matter how flamboyant he was with those people, no matter how they argued back and forth, he could never lose his composure and forced himself to remain calm. Later, he was exhausted every day, and his initial enthusiasm was long gone, and his emotions were no longer fluctuating.
It had been ages since anyone had stirred his emotions like this. The last time was Emperor Lingdi, the young emperor he'd protected closely, who had died three years earlier. Before he could figure out how to mess with Lianzhi, Bo Kang was summoned away by the Ministry of Rites. With only four days left until the Imperial College selections, he decided to stay at the Ministry to avoid returning to his palace to find Lianzhi and Lianzi fighting again.
Without his master, the Shangshu Mansion was even more deserted. At first, Lianzhi was very unhappy. How could he cultivate a relationship with Bai Kang without him?
If he doesn't have a good relationship with Bai Kang, how can he use Bai Kang to contact officials in Beijing and get in touch with his former subordinates?
But soon, good news reached him—Bai Kang had finally agreed to obey the imperial decree and prepare for the wedding. Would he then be able to see his former subordinates? He wondered what had become of his former supporters.
The moment the imperial edict was released, everyone in the palace was in an uproar. Truth inevitably comes to light, and while some people had already learned of His Majesty's decree granting the marriage, the majority remained unaware. His Majesty hadn't announced it publicly, and Bo Kang himself had intentionally concealed it. Many people, upon hearing the butler's account, were indignant.
Lianzhi has such a spoiled personality, she will definitely bully them in the future. Look at big brother Lianzi, he has been very unhappy lately.
As they had expected, Lianzhi was becoming increasingly excessive. When the Minister was away, she not only made unreasonable demands on the housekeeper, but also harassed the servants in the mansion, complaining about anything that didn't go her way.
Lianzhi didn't know what the others were thinking. Even Bai Kang had to listen to him, let alone the others. When the housekeeper said he would take him out of the house to order wedding clothes, Lianzhi was surprised and asked, "Why don't you invite an embroiderer and a tailor to come to the house? Doesn't Bai Kang have a dedicated tailor?"
The housekeeper was a little embarrassed. He had thought that although Lianzhi was delicate, she should be easy to fool when it came to food and clothing. Liangzhou was not like the capital, so Lianzhi should not understand anything.
Fortunately, Lianzhi didn't ask any more questions and followed him out obediently. No matter how honest or impoverished Bai Kang was, he was still a second-rank official. While his family didn't have a dedicated tailor, they had always had access to specialized custom tailoring. Lianzhi only needed to glance at the proprietress to recognize her as the daughter of a Suzhou weaver. She must have married into a royal merchant family in Beijing and established her own business with her husband.
He was very satisfied with this choice and allowed her to take his measurements. As expected of a lady from an aristocratic family, she showed no disdain or surprise when the housekeeper told her that she was the actor who was destined to marry Minister Bai. She even offered him hot tea while she went to get the silk and satin.
He narrowed his eyes, looked around, and asked, "What's the store across the street?"
The housekeeper took a look and thought to himself, could it be that Young Master Lianzhi's eyesight is poor? The shop's sign clearly stated that it sold jade ornaments. He didn't dare to neglect it, fearing that he would offend this spoiled young master again, so he answered respectfully. Lianzhi stood up and said, "I'll go and take a look."
"Young Master Lianzhi, I'll accompany you there later." said the butler.
"I want to go now." Lianzhi stood up quickly and left without waiting for the housekeeper's instructions. Before leaving the shop, she said, "Don't follow me!"
How could this be possible? The master had instructed us to follow Master Lianzhi closely, but if we made Master Lianzhi angry, we were afraid there would be another quarrel. The housekeeper stamped his feet anxiously. Seeing that the man was about to walk away, he hurriedly ordered the servant who had followed to carry the things to follow him and follow behind, so as not to disturb Lianzhi.
The jade jewelry shop across the street was packed with customers, and the street was thronged with people, blocking the entrance completely. Lianzhi walked to the door, but didn't go in. Instead, he turned quietly. He wasn't tall and strong, so he blended in with the crowd without being noticeable. Soon, he shook off the servant who followed him, who thought he was well hidden, and walked into the narrow alley next to him.
There were only a few homeless beggars in the alley, resting here. He walked to the end of the alley, pulled out the jade hairpin stuck in his hair, and with the agility and silence of a cat, he quickly pounced behind the man who was about to turn into another road and placed the cold hairpin across his neck.
"Why are you here?" There was murderous intent in his voice.
The man turned around and saw it was the subordinate who had been following the Liangzhou prefect, monitoring his every move. The man seemed to have expected him to follow him and smiled silently, "He saw the Minister of Rites' carriage and chased after him."
"I'm asking why you're in the capital?" Lianzhi asked expressionlessly. "Has my adoptive father's case been resolved? Didn't the court send officials to investigate? How could it be over so quickly?"
"That little thing was dealt with long ago." The man motioned him to put down what he was holding. Then, with a sarcastic look in his eyes, he looked him up and down and said, "You're living well with the Minister of Rites. Have you completely forgotten about us? Don't forget, your life belongs to me..."
Before he could finish his words, a cold light pierced the air, a sharp edge flashed before his eyes, and an icy stinging sensation instantly followed. The man was startled to discover that he was holding a silver hairpin.
When he was in Liangzhou, he had clearly never displayed such skills.
Realizing that he and his parents might have been deceived by the young man before him, the man felt angry and even thought that Lianzhi was just using them as a springboard to get close to Bai Kang. Perhaps they had already contacted each other privately.
This guy is hard to control. Rather than causing trouble for them, it's better to get rid of him. The man was thinking, but Lianzhi was already preparing to leave.
He had originally intended to scare the man, letting him know he wasn't so easy to manipulate, but he also concealed his true intentions, letting him know he still needed the Liangzhou prefect's help and that it wasn't a good time to break up with them directly. Seeing that he had no intention of continuing, the man softened his tone, "I know where the person you're looking for is."
Lianzhi paused.
"Are you serious?" Lianzhi was puzzled. "Is he still alive?"
The man threw a ball of paper, which landed safely in Lianzhi's hands. "Just go find him. He's still at the pawnshop. I asked the owner to keep him. When you go, tell him my name."
He had come to see Lianzhi today, in fact, for this matter. He was very confused, why was Lianzhi trying so hard to find a eunuch? When they were in Liangzhou, Lianzhi had mentioned that name, and he thought she was just talking in her sleep.
More importantly, how did Lianzhi know the eunuch? If he hadn't found out that there really was such a person, he would probably think that Lianzhi had a beautiful dream and really thought she was the emperor.
A servant's voice could be heard from a distance, evidently having come looking for him. The man said, "I'll come back to find you," and hurriedly climbed over the wall. The servant and the housekeeper quickly arrived and saw Lianzhi squatting on the ground, playing with a red hairpin. They cautiously asked, "Master Lianzhi, why are you here?"
"Seeing that the homeless man is pitiful, give him something." Lianzhi casually threw the red hairpin into the small bowl in front of the homeless man. Seeing that the servant and the housekeeper obviously did not believe her, she pretended to be angry: "What's wrong? Can't I be kind?"
The housekeeper said embarrassedly: "Master, please come back with us." Bai Kang has been extremely busy lately. In order to deal with a wedding that no one cares about, he asked them to finish it quickly and report to His Majesty.
"Okay." Lianzhi nodded. He had just heard the good news and was in a good mood. He was also very friendly to the housekeeper. He was thinking about how to bring the man back. Bringing back a eunuch who was once a confidant of the late emperor might cause trouble for Bai Kang, but he had to save him. More importantly, he had to confirm whether it was true.
By the time the list was finalized, it was the end of the month, not long before the Imperial College selections. Students who graduated from the Imperial College had almost one foot in the imperial court. By the time he returned to his residence, Bai Kang was practically asleep standing up. After dismissing the servants who rushed to escort him back to his room, he returned to his bedroom and practically collapsed on the bed.
Warm hands suddenly touched both sides of his forehead and took off his headband. Bo Kang was startled, then grabbed the other person's wrist and pulled it down.
It's a lotus branch.
He was even more confused, not knowing what Lianzhi was going to do. Lianzhi smiled softly, "Are you tired?"
It was strange. Bai Kang looked at him, but Lian Zhi didn't jump up in frustration. Instead, she hung up Bai Kang's cloak and said, "I'll help you put away your uniform. I'll make sure it doesn't get dirty this time."
Changed sex?
Something unusual must be going on. Bo Kang couldn't admit that he was a bit flattered when Lianzhi honestly folded his official uniform. He would be thankful if she didn't even have to try to please him like this, just kept quiet.
"Do you need anything from me?" asked Bo Kang.
Lianzhi wanted to nod and admit it directly, but she forced herself to hold it back. If she told him now, Baikang might not agree to tell her, and his impression of him would also be soured. He shook his head: "No, it was my fault for fighting with Lianzi before. I know I was wrong, and I won't make you angry again."
So well-behaved?
Bai Kang couldn't help but grin, then quickly put on a serious face. He ordered the servant to bring hot water for bathing. Lianzhi sat beside him eagerly: "I'll take you to bed."
Here it comes again. Bo Kang frowned, but since Lianzhi was obedient today, he didn't say anything harsh: "Go back to your room."
Lianzhi nodded, so obedient that Bo Kang almost suspected he had been possessed. Before leaving, Lianzhi clung to the door frame and said, "I want to buy someone."
Bai Kang let him do what he wanted. Looking at his back, Bai Kang suddenly remembered something: "Didn't I give you two servants?"
"It's too little," Lianzhi said. He frowned slightly as he complained, stamping his feet slightly, like a spoiled child. Bai Kang looked at him and remembered the butler's report when he returned home. The butler said that Lianzhi had met a foreigner during the day.
He thought he had concealed it well, but he didn't know that his every move was seen by the housekeeper.
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