Chapter 22 (22) False Compromise
Recently, Bai Kang discovered that there was something wrong with the guard named Tang Yuan outside Lianzhi Gate.
He had his steward personally select the guards, young men from the outskirts of Beijing with clean family backgrounds. He had personally checked them out and knew there shouldn't be any problems.
But recently, he noticed that Tang Yuan would occasionally stare at Lianzhi's window, scratching his ears and face like a monkey, clearly feeling guilty. But when he called him over and asked him about it, he knew from his appearance that his ancestors had lived in the capital for thirty generations, and he spoke the Beijing dialect much more fluently than he did.
When returning home that day, Bai Kang passed by Lianzhi's door and saw Tang Yuan staring at Lianzhi's room stealthily again.
Following his gaze, Bai Kang looked over and saw Lianzhi sitting by the window, plucking rose petals from a vase. He didn't seem to have many hobbies; when Bai Kang came back, he always found him in a daze.
Tang Yuan stared at Lian Zhi, not knowing what he was thinking. He suddenly felt unhappy and walked over to pat Tang Yuan on the shoulder: "What are you looking at?"
Tang Yuan scratched his head again, with a simple and honest look on his face: "I'm afraid the young master is in danger, so I have to pay attention at all times."
Bai Kang stared at him closely, and when he saw him looking back calmly, he patted him again and left. After making sure that Bai Kang had returned to the study, Lianzhi poked her head out and saw the face of "Tang Yuan" and gasped.
Tang Yuan himself had a simple and honest appearance, an ordinary person's face. But in the eyes of Lianzhi, who was used to seeing beautiful women, he was considered ugly.
"Take off the mask." Lianzhi ordered.
Arus felt that he was doing it on purpose. If he made any move to take off his mask, he would be discovered immediately. Lianzhi felt a little regretful when he saw that he didn't take the bait. She continued to yell in a low voice: "What mission do you have for me to do? Why don't you tell me now? I'm so bored staying here-"
"Shut up!" Arus said with his lips, "I'll tell you when I need you!"
He must be crazy to run over to see Lianzhi!
If the original judgment was wrong, Lianzhi should have been allowed to stay in Liangzhou!
Lianzhi curled her lips and closed the window.
He also thought that it would be better to kill two birds with one stone and see if he could lure Bai Kang over, arrest Arus, interrogate him, and intimidate the people in Liangzhou. As for his reasons, he had already prepared them.
Anyway, Bai Kang seemed to be very soft-hearted towards him, so he said that he was forced to do so, and Bai Kang would definitely let him go. Compared with Bai Kang, Lianzhi always felt that the people in Liangzhou were the greater threat.
After all, Bai Kang knows everything.
At night, Bai Kang asked Qinghe to carry a quilt into his room.
Lianzhi had already fallen asleep, but when she heard the door open, she was startled and sat up instantly. In the dark night, Lianzhi's gray eyes sparkled like the eyes of a kitten in the darkness.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, it's me." Bo Kang raised his hands and walked to his side. He glanced at the pillow that Lianzhi placed in the middle of the bed and said, "Move over for me."
Lianzhi still looked at him warily, and he said, "To prevent others from talking about you."
Lianzhi was stunned. He had heard the rumors among the servants. The Shangshu Mansion was small, with few people and little to do, so everyone was bored. Not to mention that Bai Kang was a good-natured person who didn't mind other people's business, so the servants loved to get together and chat.
The thing they talked about the most was definitely Lianzhi, and the things between Lianzhi and their adults.
He didn't care about that. If someone's words really annoyed him, he would just catch them and beat them up to make an example of them. But since Bo Kang was willing to help him, he had no objection.
"Then go and sleep on the couch." Lianzhi said.
"Hey." Bo Kang raised the corner of his lips and laughed angrily, "I'm helping you, and you let me sleep on the couch?"
Lianzhi hesitated for a moment, wanting to say that he could sleep on the couch, but how could a couch be as comfortable as a bed? Seeing his face full of reluctance to leave the bed, Baikang understood and asked Qinghe to put the quilt on the couch and lay down on it: "Come on, you sleep on the bed. I'll sleep on the couch."
Bai Kang, a tall and strong man, lay on the couch, curled up his arms and legs, but the couch was still too short. His feet were dangling in the air, making him very uncomfortable. Lianzhi, on the other hand, was a tiny ball, taking up only a third of the bed.
"How about changing it?" Lianzhi rarely felt guilty.
"Go to sleep." Bai Kang's voice was somewhat teasing, and it sounded sarcastic. "You are delicate and precious, and I am thick-skinned and tough."
Lianzhi uttered an "oh" and went along with it. The little bit of conscience he had just regained disappeared again. He turned over, hugged the quilt, and soon fell asleep again.
Since childhood, Lianzhi has always been surrounded by many eunuchs and palace maids. It is normal for four or five people to watch him while he sleeps. As long as he is sure there is no danger, he is not afraid of ten Bai Kangs, let alone one.
But Bai Kang couldn't sleep.
When he woke up again, it was still dark outside, and it seemed like only a short time had passed. The person in the bed was sleeping soundly, their long black hair hanging down over the edge of the bed, some of it leaking out from the curtains. From Bo Kang's perspective, he could see Lianzhi's sockless feet.
Why didn't you come to play a trick on him today? Why didn't you come to repay him? Did you really fall asleep?
Bo Kang turned sideways.
Ever since Lianzhi severely punished a group of servants, they have become much more obedient and stopped causing trouble. Therefore, Bai Kang was willing to come and sleep on his couch to avoid being talked about.
Lianzhi no longer intended to approach him. He was indeed a spy from Liangzhou. No, if he was a spy, he should be approached.
Bai Kang turned sideways again.
After this cycle repeated several times, dawn came.
After a sleepless night, Bo Kang had a terrible headache. But the culprit who had kept him awake was sound asleep. He clenched his fists, but still didn't wake Lianzhi.
When he is woken up, he gets angry and needs to be coaxed.
He opened the door and called Qinghe in to help him change his clothes. He then instructed, "Tell the kitchen to prepare ten buns and stew a pot of chicken soup for him. Go watch the kitchen prepare the ingredients, and then wait for me by the carriage outside the mansion."
Qinghe nodded.
Their masters are very concerned about Lianzhi, and hope that no one will be so foolish as to provoke Young Master Lianzhi.
He went to the kitchen and watched the cook and servants prepare the chicken soup before he went out to get on the carriage with ten hot buns in his pocket. Bo Kang looked quite relaxed today, and when he entered the Ministry of Rites carrying the buns, everyone could see the joy on his face.
"Lord Bai, what good news is there?" asked the Minister of Rites sourly.
"Indeed, there is a happy event." Bo Kang said with a smile, "The invitation has been sent to your house. I will be on vacation for my wedding next month, so you must come."
After saying this, he rubbed his hands and said, "Given our friendship, you can give as much as you like. The Minister is well-off, so I'll wait and see."
The Minister of Rites' face turned green.
After one morning, everyone in the Ministry of Rites knew that Bai Kang was really going to get married next month.
Nine days off!
Although Bai Kang was often harsh and careless, the Ministry of Rites had so many matters to attend to that it couldn't do without him. The last time Bai Kang took a month off, the Ministry had already piled up a lot of work. Now, taking another nine days off was really a bit of a hassle.
Not to mention that Bai Kang asks everyone to give a share of the money, which is even more annoying.
Bai Kang knew that the Ministry of Rites relied on him for many tasks, so he had to make arrangements while he was here. The Emperor Jianguang's birthday was about a month away, and they had to work with the Imperial Household Department to organize a palace banquet. By the time he returned from vacation, it would be time for the banquet.
He is on vacation this time and has no control over anything, so he won't be taken advantage of.
He made his arrangements meticulously, having the Minister write them down and circulate them to the others. After years of working in the Ministry of Rites, he had become quite skilled and was no longer the humble guard he once was. He had once been ordered around, but now, the clerks in the Ministry of Rites trusted him and treated him like a big brother.
Thinking of this, Bai Kang suddenly felt a bit complicated. When he was about to return home after his shift, before the carriage even reached the gate, he saw a familiar red figure in the distance.
Red clothes, a crown. His heart almost stopped for a moment, then he realized, oh, it's a lotus branch.
"Brother Kang!" Lianzhi waved at him, "Look, this crown on my head was sent by the embroidery workshop!"
"Go back." Bo Kang scolded softly. It was not proper to run around outside wearing so little.
Seeing that Lianzhi seemed to be stopped by the yelling and looked unhappy, Bai Kang softened his voice and said, "You are wearing too little. It's cold, don't catch a cold. Go back."
Lianzhi finally smiled. The evening breeze blew his hair, covering the dimples on both sides of his cheeks. He was still muttering to himself, "I've been in Beijing for so long, and this is the first time I've seen such a fine thing. It's a pity it's jade; I still prefer rubies..."
It seemed as if she really just wanted Bai Kang to see her wearing the hair crown.
Bai Kang suddenly felt that if Lianzhi could always be obedient, it would not be a bad idea to marry him.
"Come to my room for a midnight snack!" Lianzhi said. He held his hair crown, his palms wet and sweaty.
In the afternoon, Arus came again for the first time. This time he didn't just come to keep an eye on him, but to relay the news from Liangzhou.
He said that he needed Lianzhi's help to exchange the birthday gift that Baikang was about to present on the Wanshou Festival.
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