Chapter 21 (21) Shuwei, whoever eats will be jealous
After counting the number of people, Lianzhi found that everyone was here today. He was very satisfied.
On the roster, the names of the servants who had reported in last time were still circled in vermilion. He had a good memory and could easily match the faces of those people just by looking at the names. Lianzhi looked around. Most of the servants looked carefree and indifferent, and some didn't even care about him.
Lianzhi asked Lianye to bring out the group of people who had obeyed him last time and stand beside him. The number of people on both sides was about the same, and Lianzhi felt a little more balanced.
He's not that annoying.
"Each of these people will be given ten strokes of the cane." Lianzhi said lightly.
Everyone was stunned. They hadn't expected him to suddenly attack them out of nowhere. But no one listened to him. Even Lian Ye beside him stared at him blankly. It was obviously wrong to punish a servant for no reason.
"Last time we counted the number of people, not even half of the Shangshu Mansion's people showed up. I'm the master, and you're the servants. If you don't obey the summons, you're breaking the rules." Lianzhi said, then looked at Xiao Liu on the side. "What do you think, should they be punished?"
That was true. But Xiao Liu was clearly on the servants' side. He pretended to be embarrassed and said, "Ten strokes of the cane is too severe a punishment. How about a lighter punishment..."
"I said ten, and that means ten! If I don't punish you severely, who will listen to me in the future?" Lianzhi slammed the table, as if angry. The servants came to their senses and retorted, like a boiling pot suddenly exploding. Lianzhi said again: "I will beat you today! If you think my punishment is too severe, then go ask Master Bai if he thinks I did the right thing."
Lianzhi had seen through what happened last night. Bai Kang really disliked servants who broke the rules and had ulterior motives. So he wasn't afraid. Xiao Liu also knew this and gritted his teeth, commanding, "Beat them!"
The servants rushed over and pinned the group of people who were trying to escape and cause trouble to the ground. They then realized that Lianzhi had already prepared a wooden board. The wooden board hit them, and the pain was unbearable.
Lianzhi had already had Eunuch Wen soak the wooden board in salt water. The wounds would be more painful after the skin and flesh were torn apart. The punishments in the palace were more numerous and more horrific. This was nothing.
The ten strokes of the cane were quickly completed, and Lianzhi waved her hand to let them disperse: "If you do it again, I'll give you twenty strokes if you don't obey me."
There would undoubtedly be those who would disobey and complain to Bo Kang. When that happened, he would switch to a plank with burrs and give those people a good beating.
Most people were stunned and knelt down to agree. Some were reluctant, but now they had to pretend to obey. Lianzhi looked around and found that Lianzi had the ugliest expression of all.
He was also beaten. The light pink jacket he had deliberately worn was stained red in a large area, and the embroidery on it was hooked, making it obviously unwearable.
After this, the servants in the mansion became much more respectful to Lianzhi.
After Bai Kang learned about this, although he didn't say anything, anyone with a discerning eye could see that he was a little unhappy. Before he could go over, Lian Zhi came over with food. Seeing that Bai Kang wanted to change clothes, he walked over and sat down next to Bai Kang obediently.
She really looks like a well-behaved young wife.
But Bo Kang still had a psychological shadow over him. Seeing him reaching out to touch his belt, he took a step back and said, "You let... forget it, I'll do it myself."
Lianzhi let go of her hand, licked her lips and said, "Don't be angry."
They all knew what Lianzhi was talking about.
"Tell me, what am I angry about?" asked Bai Kang.
Lianzhi said nothing. He had only come to go through the motions, to let everyone know. Anyway, Bai Kang wouldn't really blame him, so it would be much easier for him to punish people later!
"If someone doesn't respect you, can't you just tell me? If you do that, won't they trust you even less?" Bo Kang sighed. "I'll handle the lecturing. You just play the good cop and leave a good impression on them."
When he was in a bad mood, he would beat and scold people at will, without considering the consequences. Servants were also human beings, and there was power in numbers. If they were really provoked, there was no telling what they would do. He had heard in his hometown of Rongcheng that there was an uneducated and licentious young master from a noble family who bullied men and women and committed all kinds of evil. He especially loved to mistreat his servants. In the end, he killed the little actor he had forcibly taken back to his mansion.
Lianzhi's temper was too similar to Chen Fenglian's. If it weren't for his distinctly alien features, Bo Kang would have suspected Lianzhi was a prince who had fallen into exile.
"They bullied me, and I got angry," Lianzhi said, then quickly promised, "I won't do that again."
Although Bo Kang didn't quite believe it, he didn't refute it. He hummed and continued to change. He didn't shy away from Lianzhi, took off his outer clothes, and asked someone to find him some casual clothes.
Lianzhi was very obedient. After watching him change his clothes, she asked, "Brother Kang, can you assign me a few guards?"
"Why, so that it's convenient for you to beat people?" Bai Kang glanced at him.
"To protect me." Lianzhi said confidently, "Like you said, what if some of the servants don't like me?"
Bai Kang felt somewhat helpless. But his request wasn't excessive, so after a moment's thought, he agreed. Having achieved her goal, Lian Zhi wanted to slip away immediately, but she also felt she needed to maintain a good relationship with him, so she stayed in Bai Kang's room and refused to leave.
Finally, Bai Kang couldn't stand it anymore and sent him back. Once back in her room, Lianzhi took out a small, exquisite envelope and said to Eunuch Wen, "You find a way to give this to Arus."
That night, the letter was intercepted and brought into Bai Kang's study. Bai Kang looked at the unclear characters on it and studied them all night, but he still couldn't understand what was written.
Another letter was quietly delivered. The next day, three guards appeared at the door of Lianzhi's room.
Lianzhi had been feeling quite proud lately. No one in the mansion dared to disobey him anymore, especially Lianzi, who looked quite like him. Even when injured, he stopped hanging around him. While managing dozens of people wasn't very fulfilling, it was still better than being looked down upon.
Especially the three guards were tall and mighty, and they scared people away when they stood at the gate of the courtyard.
Two days later, a brocade box arrived. It was delivered by the housekeeper himself. Looking at the size of the box, Lianzhi understood everything.
He opened it in front of the housekeeper, and inside was indeed a red dress, shining brightly, with the mandarin duck pattern embroidered on it lifelike, not inferior to the silk supplied to the palace.
"So fast?" Lianzhi asked knowingly.
"Not so soon. The wedding is early next month, and His Majesty has already agreed. Master Lianzhi, you need to prepare more," the butler said. This time, his face was more genuinely respectful. When Lord Bai last came to the palace to submit a new list, he personally mentioned this marriage. His Majesty then issued another decree, allowing them to marry at the beginning of next month.
The steward originally thought that if it were him, he would just put it off. Perhaps after a while, the people of the capital would forget about it. Since His Majesty's edict didn't specify a time, it wouldn't hurt to put it off.
Now, someone is going to laugh at me again. I don't know what Master Bai is thinking.
Lianzhi nodded, clearly liking the wedding dress very much. He hadn't had any beautiful new clothes to wear since arriving at the Shangshu Mansion. If this wasn't a wedding dress, he would have worn it several times.
The butler delivered the things and left. As soon as the door closed, Eunuch Wen's knees suddenly gave way, and he knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face. "Young Master, you, why are you marrying Guard Bai? This is a slap in your face. Let's go! I will take you away at the risk of my life!"
In Eunuch Wen's mind, there was no one in the world worthy of their Majesty, and his fondness for Bai Kang vanished instantly. His Majesty was so wise, so tall, so intelligent, and so lovely. How could she, how could she marry a guard? Besides being able-bodied, what difference did Bai Kang make between him and him? No, absolutely not!
Lianzhi felt a little embarrassed, remembering that he hadn't told Eunuch Wen about this yet. Everyone in the mansion called him "Young Master," and over time, he had forgotten to mention it. He was just about to say a few words to comfort Eunuch Wen when someone knocked on the door.
A few days ago, the newly hired guard came to deliver lunch. Lianzhi casually asked him to put it on the table, not paying any attention. But the guard put down the lunch box but did not leave, standing silently behind Lianzhi.
This time, even Eunuch Wen sensed something was amiss, and he looked at the guard with suspicion. Lianzhi's gaze was somewhat cold, indifferent, and she remained silent. After being stared at for a long time, the guard ripped off his mask, revealing a familiar, alien face.
"Are you really going to marry him? Are you serious?" Arus asked hurriedly, his tone tinged with a hint of nervousness that he himself was not aware of.
"So what? Didn't you ask me to do this?" Lianzhi put the box away and turned to put it in the cabinet. Her long hair brushed across Arus's face, leaving only a faint scent of rose water.
After receiving a message from Arus who was anxious to see him, he asked Bo Kang to send a few guards as soon as possible. Unexpectedly, the first thing he mentioned was this matter.
Arus found this unbelievable. He had always assumed that Lianzhi, with her pride, wouldn't want to be with Bai Kang. Everything that had happened before was just a way to paralyze Bai Kang and get closer to him to gather intelligence.
What wedding date can be delayed? It can be delayed until the day he leaves the capital and returns to Liangzhou.
"I thought you'd keep pretending." Lianzhi glanced at his face lightly, a hint of sarcasm in her round eyes. But that look added a touch of color to his innocent face, making him look even more like a foreigner like Arus.
Instead of being the same type of person as Bai Kang.
Arus looked at him for a long moment, half tempted to say, "Why not go back, back to Liangzhou?" There were plenty of other handsome men out there, so Lianzhi didn't have to stay here. Before he could even say it, he was shocked by his own thoughts.
How could he think that? Wasn't his job to look after Lianzhi and stay in the capital to do their work?
But it was he who picked up Lianzhi and brought him back. It was he who saved Lianzhi's life and brought him to the adults.
How could Lianzhi fall in love with someone else? Didn’t we agree that it was enough to stay with Baikang?
Arus couldn't explain what was happening to him. He took a deep breath, then dismissed those thoughts and reminded himself that he couldn't let his efforts go to waste.
"I've taken care of the last matter for you." Arus tried his best not to look at that fair and beautiful face. "From now on, we'll communicate every five days. After five days, I'll be the guard here."
Lianzhi nodded, indicating that he understood. He impatiently asked Arus to leave. Arus also knew that he didn't like him, and was afraid of being discovered, so he left quickly.
【Author’s words】
Okay, it's the second male lead who's jealous of Bo Kang.
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