◇ Chapter 36 (36) Planning a retreat
Bai Kang felt truly wounded, his brain also failing him, forcing Lianzhi to take care of all this. Just looking at Lianzhi's daily behavior, she would have Wen Gong announce the dishes and feed her, and would have Liang Ye give her instructions for handling matters within the mansion. She would talk rather than act, and would never speak for herself unless someone else asked.
With this in mind, when Qinghe brought the hot milk, Bai Kang took the bowl first and handed it to Lianzhi: "Come closer and drink."
Lotus branch about to reach out:?
He was a little clumsy, but not to the point of being treated as a fool. He glared at Bo Kang, snatched the drink and drank it all himself.
After a good night's sleep, Bai Kang regained a lot of energy. The butler brought some official documents sent by the Ministry of Rites that morning to the study for his approval. Lianzhi helped him up - although she didn't use much strength, it felt like Bai Kang was supporting him. Hearing the butler's words, Lianzhi said casually: "Brother Kang, you are injured and still have to handle official business. Can't you let someone else do it?"
After being given a cold look by Bo Kang, Lian Zhi explained, "You were injured because of me. I feel sorry for you."
"We need to give the North Sea envoy an explanation for yesterday's incident. There's no time to delay. Old Du's injuries are worse than mine. With no one in the Ministry of Rites right now, of course I have to work with the Game Bureau to handle it." Bo Kang said, letting go of his hand. "This has nothing to do with you. Don't worry about it."
Lianzhi said "oh". Baikang asked Qinghe to send him back first. When they returned to their room, Lianzhi drove Xiaoliu and Xiaoye away before closing the door.
The room was silent, with only Eunuch Wen guarding it. Eunuch Wen pulled him around several times, making sure Lianzhi was unharmed. Then he cried, "How did we run into assassins after only one day out? We really shouldn't have dealt with the barbarians of the North Sea! And Bai Kang, you've withered so much beside him, young master."
Seeing that Lianzhi was unhappy, he left without saying anything more. A moment later, he brought Liang Ye back in. Liang Ye lowered his brows and placed the account book on the table. "Master, Steward Feng said that the affairs of the mansion from the past two days are still waiting to be dealt with, so I came to report to you."
There are only so few people in the mansion, and they still bother him with work. Lianzhi curled his lips. With just one glance, he could tell that something was wrong with Liang Ye.
"Who are you? Where are you from Liangye?" Lianzhi stood up and turned to signal Eunuch Wen to close the door. The other man tore off the mask on his face, revealing a very familiar face.
It's Arus.
His previous disguise as a guard had already aroused Bo Kang's suspicion. Apparently, he knew his disguise was poor, so this time he simply disguised himself as Liang Ye.
"You haven't come for so many days, I thought you died in the capital." Lianzhi smiled, revealing two small canine teeth, but the words she said were unpleasant to the ear, "Why are you looking for me this time?"
"Looking for you? Lianzhi, your heart has become wild. You haven't done what the master asked you to do."
Arus placed his hand on Lianzhi's neck, moving it slowly. That innocent yet cunning face was before him. Recalling his master's instructions, he really should have strangled the traitor to death rather than let him stay with Bo Kang. Lianzhi knew too many of their secrets.
But why did Lianzhi keep showing mercy to Baikang? There was nothing special about Baikang, so it couldn't be that Lianzhi was truly moved by him.
The force under his hand tightened slightly, and Lianzhi's eyes flashed as he slapped him. Arus was caught off guard, his cheek red and swollen, and he looked utterly embarrassed. Instead, he smiled and sat across from Lianzhi. "Why didn't you exchange the gift? What benefit did Bo Kang promise you?"
"Who said I didn't change it?" Lianzhi picked up a piece of watermelon with a silver hairpin and pretended to be surprised: "Arus, why are you accusing me?" Arus asked him to change the gift, and he did it, but Bo Kang found out.
"What you did is known only to heaven and earth, and only to you and me. As for who you met, I know it myself." Arus said slowly, "Since you are the prefect's adopted son, I will not expose this matter. I will come to you again later."
The second half of the sentence made Lianzhi want to laugh.
He ignored Arus's poor excuse, raised his head slightly, and said with a smile, "It's a pleasure to work with you."
After saying this, he asked Eunuch Wen to see the guest off. As he left, Arus re-dressed as a guard. Beneath his black attire, a brass waist badge stood out, reflecting slightly from the sunlight streaming in through the window. Lianzhi hadn't paid much attention to it, but when he saw the pattern on the badge, he couldn't help but sit up straight and call out to Arus, "Wait a minute."
Arus turned around with a cold face.
"Where did you get your badge?" Lianzhi asked suspiciously.
"Of course it was given to me by someone else." Beneath the mask, Arus's pale eyes turned. He took off his badge and threw it to him, then quietly left through the window. "Lianzhi, I'll give you another chance."
After seeing the entirety of the badge, Lianzhi chuckled.
What do you mean by giving him another chance? This thing is clearly his. The original butterfly-shaped waist badge had been cut in half, leaving him with only one half. He didn't know if the princess kept half for herself and gave him the other half, or if Arus did it on purpose. He was more inclined to the latter.
It didn't matter. Compared to waist badges, secret guards were more recognizable to people. The few secret guards he had in his previous life all obeyed their master's orders. Arus was wrong to try to threaten him with the waist badge.
Lianzhi slowly stroked the rusty waist badge with both hands, a smile on her lips. She looked up at Eunuch Wen, her eyes tinged with anger again. "Who told you to contact him without permission?"
Eunuch Wen immediately knelt down, grabbed Lianzhi's skirt and said earnestly, "Master, Bai Kang can't be trusted!"
Hearing this, the anger in Lianzhi's eyes froze and turned into confusion: "Why do you say that? Do you think a Mobei person is more reliable than Bai Kang?"
It’s not that he likes Bai Kang very much, but between Bai Kang and Arus, a native of Mobei, he would choose Bai Kang.
If he really doubted Eunuch Wen, he would have sent him away if Eunuch Wen had not taken care of him since he was a child.
It is better to let Eunuch Wen stay out of these matters.
"Bai Kang has been under the control of the rebels for three years. Who can be sure of his loyalty? The King of Longxi is a member of the royal family. It's obvious who is closer to you." Eunuch Wen said earnestly, "Young Master, I don't understand politics. This is all for your own good!"
"You just don't understand anything!" Lianzhi was so angry that she laughed.
What royal family? Chen Fengke was also a royal family member. If he relied on his bloodline to start a rebellion, wouldn't that give him an excuse and a banner? Even the imperial sister, a woman, couldn't be fully trusted. He had already suffered enough in the past.
The weather was getting hotter, and Lianzhi was very delicate and couldn't stand the slightest heat. So Bo Kang had the ice cubes and ice jars stored in the ice cellar sent to Lianzhi.
Lianzhi wasn't polite either. He also felt that the ice stored at the Baikang residence was too little, less than one-tenth of what he used before. After June, he refused to leave the house. Even sitting in the shade of a tree, the sun was too glaring. He even stopped hiring opera troupes and stayed indoors every day, eating iced watermelon.
The servants serving beside them were all sweating. Lianzhi finished a large bowl of iced yogurt and was still not satisfied: "Go get another bowl."
"Master, the master said you can only eat one bowl a day." Xiao Liu advised him, "If you eat more, your stomach will hurt again."
"If I don't eat, I'll die of heat." Lianzhi said confidently, "Bo Kang is so stingy. Is he secretly using the ice for himself and not willing to give it to me?"
"The master only uses one box of ice every day, and the rest are supplied to you." Xiao Liu looked at the big ice container in embarrassment and did not dare to tell Lianzhi that there were few people in the Shangshu Mansion, and in previous years, servants like them could also get a box of ice.
This year, when Young Master Lianzhi came, they only had one bowl of ice every day.
Lianzhi was stunned. Bo Kang's wound had healed, and aside from the occasional pain at the site, he was fine. He didn't want to use Ma Fei San, so whenever he had a flare-up, he'd just use ice to relieve the pain.
But a few days ago, he saw that Bai Kang no longer applied ice, and thought that Bai Kang was already well.
Since Bo Kang was injured because of him, he couldn't keep monopolizing the ice. The next day, when the housekeeper came to deliver the ice, Lianzhi reluctantly gave half of it to Bo Kang.
Let’s give some of the ice cream to Bo Kang as well.
Lianzhi asked Xiaoliu and Xiaoye to move the Bingjian to the study. Hearing the two people's laborious grunting, Bai Kang looked up at the door and asked, "What are you doing?"
He thought Lianzhi was up to something again. Lianzhi had them place the ice jar on the table, and then placed the bowl of ice cream on the table. She was in such a hurry that she put the bowl down so hastily that a little bit of icing sugar splashed from the edge of the bowl and onto the inkstone.
Bo Kang sighed, having expected this: "Baby, what are you doing?"
"Let's eat ice cream together." Lianzhi blinked, his face red from sweating from running. Bai Kang looked at him, but he looked away evasively.
Bai Kang immediately guessed that he must have heard someone say something and felt embarrassed. Pushing the bowl aside, Bai Kang said, "My injury hasn't healed yet, so I can't eat. Also, you're not allowed to eat either. Xiao Liu said you ate a bowl this morning, so you're not allowed to eat any cold food today."
Xiao Liu immediately stepped forward and tactfully removed the ice cream and chilled fruit. Lianzhi was stunned and angrily asked, "Why did you take them away?"
"You'll have a stomachache if you eat cold food again." Bai Kang raised his chin and signaled Xiao Ye to bring him hot tea.
But he was so hot! Lianzhi glared at him, and seeing that Baikang was indifferent, she was about to make a fuss again, but Baikang put his left hand around his waist and fixed him in his arms: "Don't move, drink more hot water. Be obedient."
Sitting in Bai Kang's arms, Lianzhi's eyes were fixed on the memorial on his desk, and he could see the contents. He hesitated for a moment whether to close his eyes to avoid worrying Bai Kang.
But Bai Kang didn't say anything, so it shouldn't be something important?
He secretly glanced at the words on the memorial; it really wasn't anything important. To entertain the North Sea envoys, a North Sea market had been set up in the capital for the past month, with many merchants from the North Sea setting up stalls. He had spent so much time in the Shangshu Mansion and didn't like to go out, so he hadn't been aware of this.
"I want to go." He pointed to the memorial in front of him.
"There's nothing to see," Bai Kang said perfunctorily. "Haven't you seen people from the North Sea? They're tall and strong, and aside from looking different from us, there's nothing interesting about them. If you're bored, invite a troupe to perform at your house."
"I'm going out now. I haven't even seen the market in the North Sea yet." The lotus branch moved around unruly. "If you don't agree, give me the ice cream back. I want to eat it!"
Between letting Lianzhi eat cold food and taking Lianzhi out to play, Bai Kang chose the second one.
It would be good to take Lianzhi out for a walk, so that he wouldn't get angry every day in the mansion. Maybe if he went out for a walk, he wouldn't be so bothered anymore.
"Okay." Bai Kang touched his face, which was warm and soft.
"I heard that you punished Lao Wen a few days ago?" Bai Kang asked casually.
It was the day he met Arus. Lianzhi didn't expect him to know about it, so she replied calmly, "He's not very agile, I'm just a little worried."
"Oh. Old Wen is old, don't be too harsh on him," Bai Kang said. Lianzhi didn't know if Bai Kang knew something, so she looked up slightly, but he was only concentrating on the memorial in front of him.
I just don't know whether all the people in the yard are Bo Kang's spies, or there are other people involved.
The lights are on and the flames are dim.
The night market in central Beijing is bustling, with colorful lanterns gleaming in the moonlight. The clamor of the market, the sounds of hawkers and bargains, echo in the air. Pedestrians jostle and jostle, the atmosphere resembling daylight.
Bai Kang didn't have much of a feeling about the market. Firstly, he wasn't one for wandering around, and secondly, the market was no different from any other day. Aside from a few more North Sea stalls and some North Sea goods not available in Beijing, everything else was the same as usual.
Lianzhi was very excited. He had never been to a night market in his life. In his previous life, he had never left the palace, and in this life in Liangzhou, he only traveled during the day.
The clothes of the common merchants are different from those of the envoys from the North Sea. They are dressed in a very novel way, which is really interesting.
Bo Kang had been feeling the pressure from the crowds outside was giving him a headache and aching wounds. But when he caught sight of Lianzhi's gleaming eyes, his lips curled up. Lianzhi pointed at the street stalls.
"Brother Kang, I want to buy that porcelain figure."
Bo Kang: “Buy.”
"Brother Kang, I've never seen this jade carving before."
Bo Kang: “Buy.”
"Brother Kang, I want to eat this."
Bo Kang: "Buy... No. Fruits and vegetables are cold, you can't eat them."
"I'm hungry." Lianzhi grabbed his hand and shook it. "Brother Kang, you said you'd take me out to eat. I'm so hungry. I know you wouldn't want to let me go hungry, but Zuiyue Tower is too expensive. I want to save some money for Brother Kang..."
The more he spoke, the more outrageous it sounded. It was obvious that he was playing hard to get. Bai Kang interrupted him, "Stop. Don't say anymore. I won't let you starve even if I do. Let's go to Zuiyue Tower."
Lianzhi smiled sweetly at him: "Thank you, Brother Kang, you are the best to me."
Knowing that he did it on purpose, Bai Kang couldn't say anything. As the two of them walked into Zuiyue Tower, Bai Kang suddenly remembered that it was just the two of them today.
There was no eunuch Wen, no petty officials, and no strange men trying to strike up a conversation.
Bai Kang's heart beat twice shamefully.
Summer nights bring even more people out, including many young couples and unmarried lovers on a secret trip. Daning residents are quite open-minded, and a couple of young men or women traveling together won't be gossiped about.
What's more, they are a married couple with a marriage certificate granted by His Majesty.
Stop, stop. He was ten years older than Lianzhi, so he couldn't think like that. Besides, when Lianzhi grew up and understood the world, she might divorce him.
"I still want to eat snacks from the North Sea." Lianzhi looked at the menu brought by the waiter, flipping through it again and again, staring eagerly at the stalls outside the window. "The ones from Zuiyuelou are definitely not as authentic as the ones sold in the North Sea. Brother Kang, please buy me some."
After saying this, he couldn't help swallowing his saliva, looking innocent. Bai Kang couldn't help but smile and asked him, "Baby, do you still want to go back to Liangzhou?"
He waited nervously for Lianzhi's words. Lianzhi shook her head, "I don't want to. In Liangzhou, I'd have to play the pipa for some ugly freak, and the actors in Chunfeng Tower wouldn't like me. I like the capital."
Bai Kang suddenly remembered that when he saw Lianzhi in Chunfeng Tower, Lianzhi was surrounded and bullied by several actors, looking pitiful - although in the end it was someone else who got beaten.
But Lianzhi said he liked the capital, and Bo Kang smiled and said, "Am I better than those people?"
Lianzhi looked at him strangely and said, "I've never played the pipa for you."
I see. He is even uglier than an ugly monster.
"Brother Kang, please buy me something to eat first." Lianzhi started to act like a spoiled child again. Bai Kang wanted him to wait for a while, but when he was about to get up, he hesitated.
What if another stranger comes out and chats up Lianzhi?
But with so many people outside, he was even more worried about letting Lianzhi go out alone. Bo Kang pondered for a moment and finally said, "Wait, I'll be back soon."
He went downstairs to the stall facing the window, where he could see Lianzhi at a glance and could come and go quickly. As Bai Kang was about to go down the stairs, Lianzhi turned around and said to the person who had just sat down behind her, "Master Wu, does the princess have anything to say?"
The visitor was none other than the Princess's trusted confidant, the Deputy Minister of Personnel, Lord Wu, a member of the same clan as Wu Sheng, who had contacted him previously. Lord Wu had intended to strike first, but was surprised to see Lianzhi spot him first. A closer look at Lianzhi's features revealed a distinctly alien quality between his features, and he understood.
"My master has asked me to tell you that the token has been returned to its original owner, and your secret guards will be at your disposal." Lord Wu lowered his voice and gestured. "This matter is confidential, so you can rest assured. My master also said that she already knows about your relationship with the King of Longxi."
Princess Jinyang had long been dissatisfied with Emperor Jianguang. Upon hearing that the Prince of Longxi shared similar ambitions, she contacted him privately, which gave him a premonition. Do Not Disturb thought it would be a good idea for the Princess to collaborate with Lianzhi and join the Prince of Longxi. Emperor Jianguang's rise to power was illegitimate, and as the "late emperor's secret guard," he could then provide evidence on behalf of the Prince of Longxi and legitimately denounce him.
"My master said you and she share a common enemy, so why not cooperate?" Lord Wu's face was expressionless, but his tone was flattering. "We are all subjects, so it's not shameful to leave a way out for ourselves. I was once just a small bastard from a branch of the Wu family, but now I'm a deputy minister. It's wise to assess the situation and make the right move."
Lianzhi smiled faintly but remained silent. Without waiting for his response, Lord Wu felt a little embarrassed. "What's more, your current... husband is also an old minister of the late emperor. I hope you will consider it. Whether to choose a minister with a less stable foundation or our master, you should make the decision."
The King of Longxi tried to win over Bai Kang for the sake of his reputation as a former minister of the previous emperor. Bai Kang was a loyal man, but his loyalty was only to the emperor, not to Chen Fenglian.
Lianzhi was very clear about this. He even thought that compared to him, Bai Kang might like Emperor Chen Fengke more.
After all, Bo Kang always says bad things about him.
There were few things Lord Wu said that he found pleasing to the ear, but there was one thing he thought was good: find a way out for yourself, so as not to be ashamed.
Anyway, he just wanted to kill Chen Fengke and the Queen Mother. As long as it could help him get revenge, it didn't matter who he used. He had now retrieved his token and contacted General Xue and the Queen Sister.
Moreover, Bai Kang controls him every day and doesn't even let him eat ice cream. I don't know what's wrong with him recently. He always wants to sleep with him at night and I can't get rid of him. It's really annoying.
It was obvious that he had always slept on the bed and Bo Kang had slept on the couch. Now he could only sleep on half of the bed. If it weren't for the fact that Bo Kang was injured because of him, he would not have agreed.
But if he left Bai Kang now, wouldn't he be at the mercy of others? He had to stay with Bai Kang for a while. Besides, Bai Kang had been very nice to him recently, and he knew without him having to say it that Bai Kang would definitely be reluctant to let him go.
Then he would reluctantly stay for a few more days.
Lianzhi and Lord Wu exchanged a smile, each assuming the other understood their thoughts. They agreed to contact him through the alien young man, Arus. Just as he was about to continue speaking, Lord Wu suddenly fell silent and glanced behind him.
Oh, Master Bai looks quite angry. Could he have heard what they said? This shouldn't be the case. He watched Master Bai go upstairs and then his face suddenly darkened.
It's not like he hates him. There are many officials in the court who dislike Lord Bai, but he has never been at odds with Lord Bai!
Lianzhi, however, was unhurried. She turned to Bai Kang, smiled, grabbed his hand, and shook it, like a kitten rubbing against its owner and acting coquettishly. "Brother Kang, you're back. This Lord Wu actually knows me. Are you two close friends?"
Bai Kang's eyes moved between Lianzhi and Master Wu several times before he greeted Master Wu and sat down next to Lianzhi. "I'm fine. What are you guys talking about?"
"We're talking about our business." Lianzhi opened her round, cat-like eyes wide, innocent and cute. "It turns out that many people still recognize me as the Shangshu's wife."
Bai Kang didn't ask any more questions. He just put the snacks he bought on the table, called the waiter, and ordered some side dishes and a pot of tea.
The sound of stringed instruments and dancing emanated from downstairs. Listening carefully, it seemed to be a performance from the nearby music pavilion. The sound was melodious and graceful, like the gurgling of a spring, captivating. Lianzhi finished her snack, wiped her mouth, and said, "Brother Kang, let's go past the music pavilion. The sound of the pipa is quite similar to the one I heard at Chunfeng Pavilion."
When the pipa was mentioned, Bo Kang couldn't help but ask, "How do you play the pipa?" He had never heard Lianzhi play the pipa before, only a couple of times, a sound that sounded like plucking cotton. Although he had heard that his pipa playing wasn't very good, he still wanted to listen.
"I'll play it for you when I have the chance," said Lianzhi.
The crowds on the street gradually dispersed, and many vendors began to pack up and go home. Aside from Lelou, other places were noticeably less crowded. Bo Kang and Lianzhi also boarded their carriages to return home. As they passed Lelou, they stopped for a moment downstairs.
Lianzhi only listened for a few seconds and waved her hand: "It's similar to Yuqiao's playing. I don't like it."
"Jade Bridge?" asked Bai Kang.
"That's the actor who bullied me." Lianzhi complained secretly. Although when they left Liangzhou, he saw Bai Kang close Chunfeng Tower and Yuqiao also left, probably to go to another brothel.
After he has taken revenge and goes to Liangzhou again, he will definitely laugh at those actors who look down on him.
Bai Kang nodded in agreement, thinking the same thing. The carriage passed through the official road, which was deserted and sparsely populated. The clamor was left behind, making the official road even quieter. Lianzhi hugged the pillow and leaned against Bai Kang, drowsy. When he was about to fall asleep, Bai Kang suddenly opened the window and glanced back warily: "Someone is following us."
"Then tell the driver to go faster." Lianzhi rubbed his eyes. Even in summer, the night wind was a little chilly. When Bai Kang suddenly opened the window, the wind made him shiver.
Bo Kang thought he was scared, so he patted him on the back and said, "Don't be afraid, my people are following you. Besides, I'm here."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
