◇ Chapter 38 (38) First confrontation, jealousy
Lianzhi seemed to disbelieve his promise and rubbed against his hand, like a frightened little animal seeking protection. Bo Kang watched his movements carefully, and after a while, he finally reached out and gently stroked his back: "Are you still afraid of these things?"
It wasn't that he didn't want to believe Lianzhi, it was simply that he had no reason to. He'd been scorned by the cook before, and he'd threatened to kill him. He'd remained calm even when he saw him punishing the servants. To say he was afraid now felt a bit fake.
"Can't I be afraid?" Lianzhi blinked innocently and threw the question back. Bo Kang didn't ask any more questions, just patted his shoulder again and took him back.
His attitude hadn't changed at all, and before leaving, he even instructed Eunuch Wen to keep a close eye on him and not let him eat too much. Seeing that he didn't seem angry, Lianzhi stopped being so cautious and, as usual, put her hands on her hips and said coquettishly, "You just tried to scare me, and now you're still controlling me!"
Bai Kang smiled and ruffled his hair. "Ask Lao Wen if I'm right. You shouldn't be greedy for coolness in the summer. Be obedient."
Lianzhi pursed her lips. After Bai Kang left, her delicate face suddenly sank, and she stared at him expressionlessly. Eunuch Wen instantly noticed his change of mood and hurried forward, "Young Master..."
"Damn Bai Kang! I'm so mad!" Lianzhi swept the decorations on the table to the ground and stomped her feet a few times.
There was a crackling noise coming from the room, which frightened the servants outside so much that they dared not breathe. Bo Kang had not yet walked far away, but he could only vaguely hear a few sounds.
He squinted in the direction of the bedroom and quickly left.
"Master, who made you angry?"
Eunuch Wen calmly picked up the broken porcelain pieces on the floor. He was extremely skilled at this, and it was obviously not the first time he had endured Lianzhi's anger. Lianzhi smashed all the porcelain vases and ornaments on the table, but she still felt unsatisfied.
How dare Bo Kang touch his people! What's even more abominable is that Arus actually dared to play tricks on him!
He had been careless, thinking that Arus didn't know how to use the token to command his men, so he let his guard down. Now that he thought about it, how could Arus let his men charge in front and bear the brunt of the attack? He must have let his men explore the way!
He couldn't leave the Shangshu Mansion now, and it was inconvenient for him to move around. It would be better for him to just leave and avoid being bullied here!
Lianzhi ate a large bowl of smoothie, then grabbed Eunuch Wen and scolded him several times for being old and confused before he calmed down a bit. In the afternoon, she went to Bai Kang's study. The table was clean. The servant was cleaning the cabinet. When he saw him, he immediately knelt and saluted: "Madam, why are you here?"
Lianzhi was already annoyed, and when she heard the dumb servant calling her "Madam," she became even more annoyed. She said unhappily, "Can't I come?"
The servant lowered his head and said nothing. Lianzhi stepped over him and sat at the desk. Bo Kang's desk was always messy, with a simple separation of unread documents from reviewed ones. Now, there was only a pen holder and inkstone on the desk. Lianzhi scolded, "Where did you take the things on the desk?"
"Master Bai ordered me to do this," the servant said hurriedly. "It's already been put in the box."
Lianzhi listened and opened the box to take the contents out. He had seen how Bo Kang had put them, and thought they should be able to return them to their proper places. Unexpectedly, before he could even reach out, the servant came over to stop him.
The moment she saw the servant's action, Lianzhi immediately understood that it must be Bai Kang's order.
Bai Kang is wary of him again.
Thinking of this, Lianzhi became even angrier. She sneered, pushed the servant hard and left the study.
He was unhappy, and Bai Kang, who was far away in the Ministry of Rites, was also unhappy. Lianzhi was obviously still connected to Liangzhou, and he didn't want to be on guard against Lianzhi, but it was a helpless move. Lianzhi would definitely be angry if she found out. Bai Kang thought, sighed, and was already thinking about how to comfort her.
The clerks around looked at each other in bewilderment. This was already the eighth time Lord Bai had sighed that day. Lord Bai was usually cheerful. Even when he was angry, it was clearly visible on his face and his words were harsh. He had never sighed before.
It seems that things have been different since Lord Bai got married.
"Who will take this to the master?" Xiao Li pointed at the chrysanthemum tea in front of him and nudged the person next to him with his elbow.
"I can't go!" the clerk shouted, "Why don't you go?"
The noise didn't alarm Bo Kang. After sighing for the ninth time of the day, he flipped open the document in front of him.
"A large number of traveling merchants have appeared in the capital?" Bo Kang's brows furrowed as he read the information above. "How many are there? Are they merchants from the North Sea?"
"I don't know." The subordinate said, then saw Bo Kang glaring at him and wiped his sweat awkwardly. "Most foreigners look alike. They can't tell the difference."
Recently, the capital has opened up to trade, and some foreign merchants have been able to enter the city and trade with merchants in the capital. Their Ministry of Rites is fully responsible for controlling the number of merchants entering the capital and the amount of goods they sell.
Bai Kang took a deep breath, carefully examined the document, and circled a few points in red ink: "Have you checked their official documents?"
"We checked." The subordinate lowered his voice: "It's... from the Yanmen Chamber of Commerce."
Yanmen?
Isn’t that the fiefdom of Princess Jinyang?
"Yanmen Chamber of Commerce?" Minister Du suddenly spoke up. "Yanmen is close to the northern border and has its own customs market. They rarely come to Beijing to trade. The last time I saw the Qiang people from Yanmen was several years ago."
The clerk took the opportunity to bring two cups of tea and placed them next to Bai Kang and Minister Du. Neither of them moved, but just stared at the documents in front of them.
"A mere Qiang people, what's the point of mentioning them?" Minister Du continued, "Since they're not foreign merchants, they're not our business. If you have nothing else to do, please leave."
When the subordinate was about to leave, Bo Kang stopped him and said, "Wait."
"You guys keep watching. Old Du also said that the people from the Yanmen Chamber of Commerce haven't entered the customs to trade for several years. Even if it's not our responsibility, it's definitely right to keep an eye on them. Especially when they trade with merchants from the North Sea and Mobei, we have to be extra careful." After Bai Kang finished speaking, he raised his hand, revealing the small piece of content he was holding down.
Minister Du, with his age and blurred vision, only took a cursory glance. It seemed to be a red flower pattern. Unsure of what it meant, and seeing that Bo Kang didn't mention it, he turned away and continued with his own business.
In the summer, the sky darkens slowly, and by the time work was over in the evening, it was still light outside. Several petty officials were leaving a roadside jade shop when they happened to run into a familiar carriage.
Changing out of his official uniform, Bo Kang, now dressed in black, leaned against the side of the carriage. Just as they were about to bypass Bo Kang and quietly leave, Bo Kang called out from behind, "You guys."
"Your Excellency, we are not going to a brothel to drink!" Several people immediately clasped their fists and saluted. Bo Kang was stunned, and said with a smile: "Who cares about you guys! Get out of here, get out of the way."
Several people breathed a sigh of relief. Meeting Lord Bai at this time and place was truly alarming. They thought Bai Kang was here to investigate officials visiting brothels and soliciting prostitutes. They bravely bowed and took their leave. Bai Kang then grabbed one of them and asked, "I remember you were married?"
The person who was caught said in a daze, "Yes."
"What should you do if your wife is angry?" Bai Kang rubbed his hands.
A few people looked at the sign of the jade jewelry store behind them, and they all thought that Lord Bai was here to buy something for his wife.
"How should I know?" The clerk's head almost buried in his stomach, "I've never coaxed a man's wife..."
Before he could finish his words, he was slapped hard by the people around him. Bo Kang's eyebrows jumped, but he didn't ask any more questions, just waved his hand and let them go.
He remembered that when they were in Liangzhou, Lianzhi loved to stare at the jade sold by street vendors. Later, when he came to the capital, the steward followed him out of the house a few times, and Lianzhi also liked to look at the jade shops.
Maybe if I bought him some small things, Lianzhi would feel better. Bo Kang touched his empty purse, feeling a little sad.
Counting the expenses of the government office, Lianzhi's monthly allowance, the money he sent home, and the money he spent to redeem Lianzhi in Liangzhou, he was now truly unable to make ends meet. Even those petty officials he had just mentioned might not have been as poor as he was.
More importantly, this shop was often visited by merchants from the Western Regions. Bai Kang looked at the plaque above his head and walked in.
Inside the shop, several different styles of brocade boxes were placed on the sandalwood counter, and on the antique display shelf against the wall, a dazzling array of jade ornaments were arranged in an orderly manner. Several women were looking at jade bracelets nearby, but he quietly stepped away, his eyes fixed on a pair of yellow carved jade pendants on the shelf.
The color was a bit like the jade Buddha he'd found earlier. Lianzhi had discussed the exchange with him, telling him that she'd liked the texture of the jade Buddha. Perhaps Lianzhi would like this one.
"My Lord, do you like this jade pendant?"
The shopkeeper came over, smiled, and pushed the peepholes on his eye sockets. He looked Bai Kang up and down, and introduced: "This is Liangzhou nephrite. It has a warm and delicate texture and a translucent luster. It is rare in Beijing. If you are..."
"I want it."
Bai Kang came back to his senses and looked at the man in white beside him. "My dear brother, everything should be based on first come first served. I like this piece of jade first, so you should give it up."
"You didn't pay." The man in white's tone was very strange. To Bo Kang, it sounded strangely familiar. "Boss, pretend."
The wind blew through the veil on the man's head, revealing his dark hair and thin chin, which were tied up under the white veil. When Bo Kang casually turned his eyes away, intending to switch to a similar piece of jade, he caught a glimpse of half of the man's face.
He has a pair of light grey eyes with a hint of blue.
The shopkeeper placed the jade pendant in a brocade box and was about to hand it to the man when Bai Kang held his hand, smiled and said, "I've thought about it and I still like this one. I'm planning to give this jade to my wife. Could you please help me and give it to me?"
The man didn't say anything. After a while, he said stiffly, "No."
"I'll pay double the price." Bai Kang looked at the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper immediately said to the man, "Sir, I have other nephrite products that are just as good as this one."
It wasn't that he didn't recognize Bo Kang, especially since he had just seen the man's face clearly. Even merchants from foreign lands were governed by the Ministry of Rites. He knew the difference between offending the Minister and offending a foreigner. The shopkeeper was about to open the brocade box beside him and take out a few more jade ornaments when the man spoke again, his tone somewhat provocative: "I want this one."
Hearing this, Bai Kang's forehead throbbed. He turned and gestured to the shopkeeper to give him the jade pendant. Without paying any attention to the people around him, Bai Kang paid the silver, put the brocade box in his lapel pocket, and left.
The carriage was still parked in the alley outside the shop. Behind him, a gust of wind rustled. He instinctively leaped forward, and the sharp gust of wind swept past. The man from earlier had actually walked up behind him and was kicking him!
The alley was crowded, and the man's sudden attack clearly caused panic among those around him. People outside the store fled in all directions. Bo Kang reached out to stop him, grabbed the man's legs and squeezed them hard, sneering, "If you don't have money to buy it, just say you don't have money. You're trying to rob me? That's unkind!"
Seeing he'd been spotted, the man launched another punch, each one aimed at Bo Kang's face. Bo Kang dodged and retreated into the alley, shaking off the man and trying to quickly get on the carriage. He had no intention of engaging in a fight, but the man clearly didn't give him the chance. With his left hand, he drew his dagger and stabbed him in the heart.
The other party wants his life!
"Brother, you are trying to kill me for my money!" Bo Kang drew his sword from his waist and swung it back, pointing the tip of the sword directly at the opponent's throat. At the same time, a whip kick swept out. Bo Kang had no time to dodge and was hit hard in the waist by the kick, but he did not fall down. Instead, he quickly punched! The man frowned, obviously not expecting him to be so tenacious. He stopped talking nonsense, flashed his body, and pounced on him again. The two men tangled together, the swords flashed, fists and feet collided, and the figures quickly crossed in the alley, and the breath was filled with the hot blood.
Suddenly, the man feinted his sword, striking Bo Kang squarely in the shoulder, his shirt instantly stained red with blood. He laughed and struck again at Bo Kang's collar, but was caught by the wrist and twisted violently. The knife landed with a dull thud. Bo Kang didn't rush to pin him to the ground, but instead raised his hand and tore off his veil.
It was the face of a typical foreign man, one that was unforgettable once seen. Even though he was wearing the clothes of a Beijing man and a simple disguise, Bo Kang could still recognize him at a glance. He had seen this man before.
More than once.
"It's you," Bo Kang sneered, spitting blood foam. The man clearly knew where he had been injured some time ago, and he had attempted to stab the wound on his shoulder, which hadn't yet healed.
"What's your name?" Bo Kang asked, not expecting him to answer. He handcuffed the man's hands behind his back and pinned him to the ground, preparing to tie him up and take him back for interrogation. Lacking any rope, he tore off a piece of his sleeve. Just as he was about to tie the man's hands, the man suddenly raised his head and banged his forehead hard against Bo Kang's.
Bo Kang was blinded by the blow and took a few steps back, instinctively blocking himself with his sword. However, the man did not continue to attack him, but instead searched in his shirt pocket.
His target is... that jade pendant?
Bo Kang endured the pain from his headache and injuries and recalled the patterns on the jade pendant. Could there be something wrong with the pattern on the jade pendant?
No matter what, he can't be allowed to get that jade pendant!
The clothing on his right shoulder was soaked with blood, stained with it. Bo Kang tried to raise his arm, but his entire right arm went numb. He pressed down hard, hooking his left arm around the man's neck and twisting it hard, preventing him from moving. His vision went black, but the man he had subdued was clearly not feeling well either, his throat rumbling like a worn-out bellows.
Arus hadn't expected that a mere civil servant like Bai Kang could rival him in skill. Seeing his death imminent, he raised his hand and struck Bai Kang in the chest with his elbow. At the critical moment, the sound of horse hooves echoed behind him.
"My lord! Lord Kashiwa!"
It's his subordinate!
Unable to seize the jade, Arus used all his strength to stab Bo Kang's wound with his dagger. His right shoulder was a bloody mess. Bo Kang hadn't let go, but his arm had already fallen limp. Arus seized the opportunity and quickly scaled the wall to escape, leaving a trail of blood on the ground. When his subordinates found Bo Kang, they were shocked by his appearance.
"You're late!" the subordinates knelt hurriedly. Bo Kang tried to wave his hand, but his right hand was numb. A sharp taste of iron rose in his throat, and he spat out blood. Before fainting, he ordered, "Help me get on the carriage!"
Lianzhi waited for a long time, but Bai Kang never returned home.
He was a little angry and asked the butler to go find someone. The butler sent someone, but did not tell him anything else. Just when Lianzhi was about to go find someone herself, Bai Kang's carriage suddenly appeared at the intersection.
Bai Kang got out of the car, looking much paler than he had been that morning, and smelling of blood. Lian Zhi also smelled it and asked, "Are you injured?"
"Yeah." Bo Kang spread his hands, his right arm hanging limply, letting him see for himself. "I fell when I got off the bus and broke my arm... Laugh if you want, I'm busy. My mind isn't working. Baby, shouldn't you feel sorry for me?"
Lianzhi burst into laughter and rolled her eyes: "Hold me!"
"I'm already like this." Bo Kang smiled helplessly. But Lianzhi didn't let him go. She moved closer to him, raised her little face and asked, "Don't you want to? It seems that you hate me. Then I will let others hold me from now on."
Bai Kang hesitated for a moment and squatted down.
"Come up, I'll carry you in."
Lianzhi felt embarrassed by his straightforwardness. He had done it on purpose, so that if Bo Kang refused, he could take advantage of it and lose his temper. The coachman and the housekeeper, standing outside the door, looked peculiar at Bo Kang's obedience. Lianzhi didn't bother him any more and pinched his right hand.
"Go back, go back, let's forget about it today!" he said loudly.
There were plenty of opportunities to mess with Bai Kang anyway. He could see that Bai Kang's right hand was injured, and he didn't really want to cripple it. As for his people... Arus had made him suffer a loss in this matter, and Bai Kang was also a little responsible. He wouldn't give up.
"Why did you come back so late today?" Lianzhi said as they walked.
"I told you to get bandaged after you fell." Bo Kang said, and pulled out a brocade box from his pocket. It was a little dusty, but otherwise undamaged. He handed it to Lianzhi, "Take a look. Do you like it?"
Lianzhi took the brocade box with some doubt and opened it. The yellow nephrite inside shone faintly in the night, its color lustrous and radiant, clearly worth a fortune. Lianzhi loved jade and recognized it as nephrite, exclaiming, "How beautiful!"
He happily took out the jade pendant, touched it, and asked, "Is it for me?"
Since he was reborn, he hasn't worn beautiful jade jewelry for a long time.
Bai Kang looked at his expression, didn't notice anything unusual, and nodded, "Of course. Baby, do you like this pattern? The shopkeeper said it has a good meaning, so it's more expensive than others."
Good meaning? Lianzhi stared at the jade pendant, looking left and right, but couldn't see anything special. Isn't it just a leaf pattern engraved on it? However, considering that Bai Kang was so poor and might not have seen anything good, he didn't pursue the matter.
Seeing Lianzhi so happy, Bai Kang regretted not buying her jewelry earlier. Thinking back to the beautiful young man in gold and silver he had only seen twice in Liangzhou, and then looking at the plainly dressed child in front of him, Bai Kang felt a little ashamed for the first time.
It was too late, and Lianzhi was already sleepy. Now that Bai Kang had arrived, he also wanted to go back to rest. He had originally wanted to ask Bai Kang why he was guarding against him, but now the sleepiness was overtaking him and he couldn't think of anything. He returned to his room and remembered something else.
Bai Kang didn’t come to see him again today?
Whether he was willing to have Bo Kang accompany him was one thing, whether Bo Kang would come or not was another. Sure enough, he wasn't loyal enough. If it were someone else, they would have to stay with him even if they got trampled by a horse, not to mention getting their arm bumped!
Lianzhi, clutching a pillow, knocked on Bai Kang's door. A faint smell of blood wafted from the room. Lianzhi pushed the door open and saw Bai Kang had just bandaged his arm wound and was tying the bandage in his hand. Even from a distance, Lianzhi could clearly see Bai Kang's injuries.
It's not a scratch, but rather a wound that looks like... a cut from a dagger?
Seeing that kind of wound and that kind of technique, Lianzhi was stunned and quickly thought of a familiar person.
Like Arus's method.
He pretended not to see it, walked to the bed, and threw the pillow onto the bed. Bo Kang hurriedly put on his coat to cover himself up, and when he found that Lianzhi didn't seem to see it, he cleared his throat and said, "Baby, why are you here?"
"I'll sleep." Lianzhi put the pillow inside, stepped over Bai Kang, and lay down against the wall. He didn't explain much, resting his head on Bai Kang's right arm, covered himself with a thin blanket, and fell asleep quickly.
His arm, pinned down, felt numb and a bit painful. The tip of Lianzhi's hair gently poked Bo Kang's shoulder, but he didn't dare move. The young man in his arms wore only a thin red undershirt, the topaz pendant still around his neck, making the skin on his shoulder shine brighter than the jade.
Lianzhi, I really don’t know what’s wrong with the pattern on the jade?
Bo Kang had a hunch, but he knew Lianzhi well enough. At least from Lianzhi's expression and eyes, he didn't think there was anything wrong with the pattern—and now he also felt that it wasn't the pattern that was the problem.
It was just a piece of jade with leaf patterns. Many officials in the capital would give their favored children jewelry with leaf patterns, symbolizing the preciousness of a child. Could it be that the foreign man thought he wanted to be Lianzhi's father?
He found this ridiculous and couldn't help but laugh. Lianzhi was not sleeping deeply, and when he woke her up, she hugged him tighter, her head resting on his right arm, pressing the wound even harder.
Bai Kang sighed and kept his eyes open until dawn.
This injury was different from the previous one. Even if it was more serious, he still had to go to the Ministry of Rites to take up his post. Fortunately, Lianzhi didn't notice anything unusual, which made Bo Kang feel relieved.
He had already ordered a portrait of the foreigner from yesterday to be drawn and a search was launched throughout the capital to find his whereabouts. As he spoke, Bo Kang couldn't even lift his right hand. The man had stabbed him in the shoulder yesterday, and he was struggling to hold a pen today.
It’s useless to send Lianzhi here, so are we going to kill him directly?
"This pattern is also very common in Liangzhou," Chang Yuzhu said. His father had a concubine who was from Liangzhou and was quite familiar with the area. Early in the morning, Bai Kang had the pattern drawn and gave it to Chang Yuzhu to review.
He no longer thought there was anything wrong with the pattern, he just thought the other party was just trying to kill him. As for why they stole the jade...
So, why did he want to steal this jade?
"Let me see the jade." Chang Yuzhu suddenly stretched out his hand.
"It's not in my hands." Bo Kang said nonchalantly, "I said it was given to my wife, so of course it's not in my hands."
"You're getting a wife so soon?" Chang Yuzhu snorted. "Stop joking. How could I possibly like Lianzhi?"
"Is it really okay for you not to report to the Ministry of Personnel?" Bai Kang couldn't help but chase him away. Chang Yuzhu leaned back and said, "It doesn't matter whether I go or not. I'm not even a deputy minister. It won't matter if I'm missing."
Well, connections are indeed powerful. Bai Kang gave him a thumbs-up and said nothing more. The clerk beside him stared at the two men's faces and suddenly said, "Is it true, is it true..."
Bai Kang looked over and saw a face that looked so much like Chen Fenglian and Lianzhi that his heart skipped a beat—he was frightened. Even though they looked similar, he wasn't the type to show pity for a woman simply because of her looks. He said in a deep voice, "What do you want to say? Say it now."
"I mean, my brother has snatched tokens from girls he liked before..." Jiang Yong's voice trailed off. He noticed that Bai Kang was already showing signs of anger. "If it was someone you've known for a long time, you might just be jealous..."
As soon as he finished speaking, a piece of ink flew straight towards him. Jiang Yong didn't dodge and was hit on the forehead. Chang Yuzhu and the clerk beside him hurriedly advised, "Forget it, forget it. It's not necessarily like that. Why do you believe him?"
Bai Kang had the ink stick retrieved. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Jiang Yong's words made sense. Although it was the first time he had seen the foreign man's face, it was not his first contact with him.
The person Lianzhi met secretly when she first arrived in the capital; the person who sneaked into the Imperial College; and the spy in the mansion... The more Bai Kang thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.
Lianzhi, how long have you known that person?
It must be longer than I've known him.
Bai Kang gripped the brush tightly with his heavily bandaged hand, exerting force throughout his palm. Just then, Qing He walked into the inner room and whispered in Bai Kang's ear.
"Sir," Qing He said in a breathy voice, "Young Master Lianzhi sent a message saying that the mansion was robbed. Please return home as soon as possible after you are relieved of your duties today."
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