◇ Chapter 40 (40) Border Warfare, Participating in the Flower Viewing Banquet
Before Bai Kang could decide whether to lie or answer truthfully, Lianzhi suddenly reached out and gently stroked the scars on his back. Her soft, delicate hands caressed the rough skin, and his heart felt numb, even the place she touched felt hot.
"Brother Kang," Lianzhi asked him, "Do you really hate that person?"
No explanation was needed, they both knew who that person was referring to.
Bai Kang raised an eyebrow. He knew everything? It saved him the trouble of explaining. Bai Kang pulled up his collar, but didn't answer. He asked first, "How do you know?"
"I found out. Of course I have to find out everything about you from the people in the mansion." Lianzhi said coquettishly, and Bai Kang's heart melted when he heard it.
But this is not something that is easy to explain to Lianzhi.
Seeing that he didn't want to talk, Lianzhi held his hand and shook it again. Bai Kang couldn't resist and said with his forehead in his hand: "A little bit."
Lianzhi lowered her eyes, not surprised.
After all, many palace servants could see that he was deliberately punishing Bo Kang, looking for trouble even when there was nothing to do. This was completely different from his attitude towards other people. He himself admitted this.
When he lost his temper, he knew that even if he was a prince or an emperor, it was normal for him to be disliked by his servants, and Bai Kang was no exception.
There's just a little bit of indescribable loss in my heart.
It doesn’t matter. Bai Kang hates him and he hates Bai Kang too. They’re even!
"Brother Kang, let me apply the patch for you!" Lianzhi said, holding her breath as she pulled the plaster off Bai Kang's back. The plaster smelled unpleasant, and he tilted his head back, moving away. Bai Kang had just applied the patch on himself, and when Lianzhi tore it, the flesh on the injured area was tugged, causing a slight pain.
"Baby." Bai Kang sighed again, "Don't worry about me, I'll do it myself." Sometimes he really felt that Lianzhi was a great help if she didn't do anything.
Lianzhi nodded obediently, secretly exerted some strength in her hands, and pulled the plaster again, then she obediently jumped out of Bai Kang's arms and ran away.
After leaving the study, he turned his back and quietly made a face. When he saw Qing He approaching with a servant, he immediately restrained his expression and put on a condescending look: "Qing He? What are you doing here?"
Qing He gave him a strange look and bowed reluctantly, "Master, I'm here to deliver a letter to Lord Bai. Today, I went to the posthouse and saw there were letters for you and Eunuch Wen, so I took them back. I think Liang Ye will deliver them to you in a while."
A letter to him?
The few people who could contact him were all in private, so how could they dare to send it to the post station openly? Seeing his doubts, Qinghe said, "It was sent from Liangzhou, maybe it's a letter from your family."
Hearing this, Lianzhi almost laughed. If he hadn't mentioned this, he would have forgotten their nominal father-son relationship. He hurried back, and sure enough, Liang Ye had already arrived. The basket was filled with letters from the servants, two of which bore the names of Lianzhi and Eunuch Wen, respectively.
The handwriting was different, but upon closer inspection, one could discern similar strokes, clearly from the same hand. The envelope showed no signs of having been opened and resealed, so Qinghe likely hadn't opened it.
Lianzhi took out the letter and smiled coldly after reading the contents: "The Queen Mother can't hold back so quickly."
The letter said that the Queen Mother would summon him to the palace in the near future, and her intentions would definitely be ill, so he should be prepared.
Although it was disadvantageous to him, it was also an opportunity to enter the palace. After listening to his words, Eunuch Wen carefully considered them, his eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "Are you saying that we have a way to take revenge and leave the Shangshu Mansion?"
"Don't leave yet. There are other things to do." Lianzhi said.
He was a little surprised to hear Eunuch Wen mention the word "leaving". Bai Kang had been very good to him, and if he left now, there would be one less person to serve him. It wasn't that he was reluctant to let Bai Kang go.
Just now in the study, Lianzhi really wanted to ask, between the late emperor and Emperor Jianguang, who did Bai Kang dislike more? But this question would only make Bai Kang suspect him and laugh at him, adding to his troubles.
That's all.
Princess Jinyang was indeed well-informed. On the morning of the next day, an imperial edict was delivered to the Shangshu Mansion. Lianzhi was still asleep at the time, and Bo Kang hurried back to the mansion to receive the edict. However, upon hearing that Lianzhi had asked the eunuch to announce the edict to wait at the ceremonial gate, he hurried back to fetch her.
"Is he awake?" Bai Kang dismounted quickly, his official uniform a bit disheveled from his anxiety. When the steward said Lianzhi was still getting ready and asked them to wait a moment, Bai Kang didn't know what to say.
"I'll go and receive the order first." Finally, Bai Kang said in a deep voice.
The butler guessed that this was the case. He didn't force anyone to "invite" Young Master Lianzhi to accept the order because he guessed that Bo Kang would not blame him. If he angered Young Master Lianzhi, he would be the one who would suffer.
By the time Lianzhi, yawning and slowly walking to the front hall, was helped along, the eunuch who was supposed to announce the decree had already left. He asked Liang Ye to inquire about it, and it turned out that Bai Kang had lied that he was seriously ill and unable to get up to receive the decree.
"Lord Bai got very angry when he saw me." Liang Ye said seriously.
Hearing this, Lianzhi suddenly felt guilty. He had indeed been deliberately delaying, not wanting to go and receive the imperial edict. He knew that the eunuchs in the palace who announced the imperial edicts were not prone to making things difficult for people. As long as there was no conflict, it wouldn't be a big deal if the officials' families didn't go to receive the imperial edict.
Maybe Bai Kang himself was just observing etiquette and felt that he was being too slow and embarrassing him?
Lianzhi smiled in advance, her words already prepared. As soon as her left foot crossed the door frame, Bai Kang rushed over and hugged her tightly, so hard that her back ached. "Don't be afraid, baby. I'm here."
Lotus branch:
He looked around and found that the housekeeper and Qinghe were looking at him with pity, as if he was about to be taken to the prison to be beheaded. The housekeeper advised: "Sir, don't worry, there is still a way."
"Yes, there is another way." Bai Kang pinched his eyebrows tiredly and came up with a solution in the blink of an eye.
He pointed at Liang Ye and said, "You, replace the young master and enter the palace... No, this is deceiving the emperor. It's not allowed."
Liang Ye and Lian Zhi were both stunned. Bai Kang was still mumbling to himself when Lian Zhi grabbed his arm and said, "Brother Kang, what's going on? Calm down."
After saying this, he pulled Bai Kang to sit down and had tea brought over. With Lianzhi here, Bai Kang finally remembered to control his temper and sighed, "Prince Yuan has reached adulthood, and the Empress Dowager wants to hold a flower viewing banquet in the palace to find a princess for him."
Lianzhi blinked. Bo Kang continued, "The Queen Mother has appointed you to attend the palace."
Ah? Lianzhi was stunned: "I'm already married to you, how can I participate!"
Hearing the first half of the sentence, the corners of Bai Kang's mouth subconsciously moved upwards a little, but he quickly suppressed it: "The Queen Mother wants you to accompany her to select candidates."
Lianzhi heaved a sigh of relief and sat down to drink some tea to soothe his throat. He had thought the Queen Mother was going to humiliate him in this way.
The more Bai Kang thought about it, the more worried he became. Between the risk of being discovered while deceiving the emperor and the possibility of Lianzhi being punished by the Queen Mother or even causing even greater trouble, he felt it would be better to deceive the emperor: "Fake illness. Say you're seriously ill and can't get up. If that doesn't work out, let Liang Ye enter the palace in your place. You two look alike, so it shouldn't be discovered."
Liang Ye wanted to say he didn't have the guts. Fortunately, Master Lianzhi spoke up for him: "Liang Ye's personality is different from mine, so he can't pretend to be me. Since it's the Empress Dowager's decree, then why don't I just enter the palace?"
Bo Kang refused outright: "No. Have you forgotten the last time you were punished to kneel?"
"I'll just be careful. The Queen Mother is kind-hearted and will definitely not punish me again." Lianzhi blinked innocently and lied with her eyes open.
"she……"
Bai Kang leaned closer and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Don't be deceived by appearances. The Queen Mother is mean and loves to punish people like you who are ignorant."
I thought that Bai Kang would definitely let him into the palace, and even if he sent Qing He or someone else to watch him, he would definitely not say anything to deceive the emperor. Bai Kang looked casual, but he was actually a very polite person. I didn't expect him to say such words to him.
Could it be that... Bai Kang also hates the Queen Mother and Chen Fengke?
"Don't worry, Brother Kang!" Lianzhi patted her chest, then patted Bai Kang's chest, raised her little face and said, "I'm fine!"
Looking at Lianzhi's expression, Bo Kang found it hard to trust him. He was still trying to think of some countermeasures, but Lianzhi had already had people prepare the auspicious clothes for entering the palace. She was obviously eager to try, and there was no way to stop her.
What made him feel even more strange was that this matter was proposed by Princess Jinyang.
Princess Jinyang wasn't the Empress Dowager's biological daughter, and she wasn't close to her mother. So why was she so concerned about her half-brother's marriage? Furthermore, they had just discovered a group of Princess Jinyang's men had been quietly deployed in the capital, and they were fearing ill intentions.
Bai Kang had a hunch that something was fishy going on, but he kept quiet and didn't report the unusual incident. He didn't know if it was just his imagination running wild, but he always felt it was connected to Chen Fenglian. Perhaps staring at the lotus all day had damaged his brain.
The matter of the Qiang caravan had not yet come to a conclusion when King Mu and King Longxi, who were far away on the border of Daning State, suddenly sent several memorials back to the capital, saying that the armies of the Helan tribe in Mobei and Beihai were fighting, and the fighting had spread to Daning State and might affect the two border areas.
Nearly ten days had passed by the time the memorial was delivered to the Ministry of War. Strangely, the Helan tribe was the most peaceful of the three tribes in the North Sea, neither interacting with the surrounding areas nor actively provoking war, giving a completely different impression from the other two tribes.
For several days, the court debated whether to send troops to support the enemy. The battlefield was changing rapidly, and after ten days, no one knew the current situation at the border. Most court officials felt that interfering in the affairs of other states was unnecessary. The King of Longxi and the King of Mu each had their own armies, and while they were small, they were sufficient to hold out for a while while they waited for new military intelligence to arrive.
Bo Kang lowered his head and stole a glance at Emperor Jianguang's expression. He felt that His Majesty wanted to send troops.
He said nothing, lowering his head and listening quietly to the generals' endless quarrel. When the court was dismissed, Bai Kang was about to hurry back to the mansion when Eunuch Lu called him, "Master Bai, please stay."
Bai Kang was feeling annoyed. Today was the day for the flower viewing banquet, and he wanted to hurry back home to give Lianzhi instructions. Turning around impatiently, Bai Kang instantly put on a bright smile: "But does Your Majesty have something to tell me?"
"Master Bai is right." Eunuch Lu also smiled falsely, "His Majesty is waiting for you in the Imperial Study."
As he turned around, a carriage suddenly passed by on the palace road. The noise it made as it rolled over the gravel was so loud that it attracted the attention of officials who had not yet left the palace. Bo Kang also looked over.
Except for the emperor, empress, and queen mother, no one in the palace could ride on the official road. So whose car is this?
"Today is the flower-viewing banquet hosted by the Empress Dowager for Prince Yuan. Our Majesty has shown compassion and granted the prince the privilege of riding in a carriage within the palace," Eunuch Lu explained with a smile. "At this hour, it should be time for the women of the various mansions to enter the palace."
That means Lianzhi has already left the palace?
Bai Kang's heart tightened, and Eunuch Lu urged him, "Master Bai, let's go quickly."
"Master, is it really okay for us to wear this?"
Xiao Liu looked at Lian Zhi's wedding dress with concern. Eunuch Wen was an old man in the palace, so Lian Zhi didn't dare to bring him into the palace, so she could only bring Xiao Liu. Seeing Xiao Liu pointing at her clothes, Lian Zhi became unhappy: "What's wrong? I think it looks good."
He couldn't wear a women's ceremonial dress. The previous one was still usable, but a few days ago, Lianzhi had a sudden inspiration and had a new one made. It was different from the previous one, and while it was still beautiful—Xiao Liu thought it was probably because Young Master Lianzhi was so beautiful that he looked good in anything.
But the dress was too rustic and vulgar, with patterns that even his sister, a maid in a merchant's house, wouldn't wear. Young Master Lianzhi dressed like a country matchmaker, bringing shame to the Shangshu Mansion.
"Just tell me, does it look good?" Lianzhi asked him with eyes wide open. Xiao Liu looked at his peachy face and could not find the word "ugly", so he nodded.
Lianzhi smiled smugly under Xiao Liu's indescribable gaze. His aesthetic taste was certainly not bad; it should be said he had excellent taste. If he dressed more modestly, the Queen Mother would be less suspicious.
After all, he was a tasteless actor from a humble family.
Just after the hour of noon, carriages from various mansions began arriving outside the palace gates. The vermilion lacquered gates slowly swung open, and sedan chairs filed in one after another. The curtains lifted slightly, revealing a variety of embroidered dresses. Just as Lianzhi was about to board the sedan before her, a familiar voice echoed from behind her.
"Meet Madam Bai."
Nanny Xuemei smiled at him, and when she saw the auspicious attire on Lianzhi, a trace of disdain flashed in her eyes: "The Empress Dowager specifically ordered this servant to wait for you here. Please get into the sedan chair and follow this servant to the Cining Palace."
Lianzhi didn't answer immediately, but looked at her with wide eyes. Nanny Xuemei's smile almost froze, and she cursed this unruly man's wife a hundred times in her heart before Lianzhi said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration. Please lead the way, Nanny."
In the Imperial Garden, the young ladies from various mansions had already arrived, standing neatly on either side. He was late, but the Empress Dowager wasn't angry. Instead, she smiled and waved at him, "Madam Bai, come to my side."
The smile was kind and loving, completely different from the last time. Lianzhi calmly walked over to pay her respects. After passing through the crowd, Lianzhi finally saw the person sitting below the empress dowager, her face covered with a scarf.
It was the man I saw at the last palace banquet, the imperial concubine mentioned by Bai Kang.
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