◇ Chapter 45 (45) I want to report... (Part 1)
Lianzhi liked to be carried on his back, as long as it didn't tire him out. With his arms outstretched, he sat by the car, waiting obediently for Bai Kang to pick him up. Bai Kang picked him up and held him tightly in his arms.
"Let's go." Bo Kang glanced at the guard waiting beside him, signaling him to follow with an umbrella. Somehow, the more he looked at him, the more he disliked this guard. He was so humble and submissive, so there must be something fishy going on. He was actually being brought along by Lian Zhi.
You know, Lianzhi always treated everyone in the mansion with indifference—except him, of course. Besides him and Eunuch Wen, only Liang Ye could occasionally speak to Lianzhi.
Could this person be an old acquaintance of Lianzhi? A few days ago, a suspicious person was identified and expelled from the mansion. Not to mention how quickly it was done, it was unexpected that he could be related to Lianzhi.
Bai Kang's mind was in turmoil, and he didn't realize that his shoulder was in pain. He looked down and saw Lianzhi tightly grasping his collar, burrowing into his arms, trying to wrap herself up. It was obvious that she was afraid of the cold.
Every summer, the capital city experiences several heavy rains. Rainy days are damp and cold, and in the past, Lianzhi would never have gone out.
"I went out on a rainy day just for you." Lianzhi buried her face in Bai Kang's chest for a while to warm it, then raised her head and said angrily.
"What's wrong with me? Didn't the Prime Minister's wife ask you out?" Bo Kang felt that he was becoming increasingly confused about Lianzhi. It seemed that everything he did would make her angry. But her angry look was also very cute.
Hot water and thick clothes were already prepared in the inner room. Lianzhi had originally wanted to order someone to light a fire to remove the dampness, but she was afraid the room would be too hot. Bai Kang carried the person into the room and cast a cold glance at the guards behind him.
The guard immediately took his leave. Lianzhi jumped to the ground and said, "I offered you lamps today, and I paid for them with my own money." Providing those nine lamps cost him dozens of taels of silver.
"Thank you, baby." Bai Kang hadn't expected Lian Zhi to offer him a candle. Within a few words, Bai Kang had stripped down to his shorts and sat in the tub. The servant was very considerate and had prepared a tub large enough for two people. He waved to Lian Zhi, "What did you ask for me, baby?"
Lianzhi looked at him, her face showing hesitation. Before Bai Kang could ask again, Lianzhi looked away, her ears slightly red: "Ask now?"
Are you sure you want to ask…while sitting in the bathtub?
Bai Kang noticed his expression and suddenly realized something. He opened his arms again: "Come in and bathe too." He must have been too cold and wanted to bathe with him. It was his fault; he should have let Lianzhi bathe first.
"How can that be!" Lianzhi screamed.
What's wrong with Bai Kang? How can he take a bath with others!
"So what? Do we northerners still care about this?" Bai Kang leaned back carelessly, resting his hands on the edge of the bathtub. A few drops of blood oozed out and flowed towards his abdomen along the steaming water vapor.
Lianzhi's eyelashes drooped slightly, and she said, "I said I was a distant relative of the Prime Minister's wife, and I offered nine lamps for my brother."
Brother...Brother?
"Didn't you say you prayed for me? How did you become my brother?" Bai Kang was anxious. Lianzhi was shy and didn't dare to say that she prayed for her husband, but why did she have to be my brother? Usually, he asked her to call him Brother Kang. Did he really think of me as his elder brother?
Lianzhi glared at him without saying anything, her snow-white skin already stained a crimson red. Bo Kang quickly reacted and calmed down a lot: "Who did you meet? What did you say?"
"People from Linshan Monastery. At first, a Taoist saw me traveling with the Prime Minister's wife and thought I was the young master of the Prime Minister's residence. But he became suspicious of me, and I shook him off." Lianzhi recalled her encounter with Arus. He pulled a soft stool over and sat next to the bathtub. "Then I met another man who kept asking about my family background. I lied and said I was a distant relative of the Prime Minister's wife, and he became very attentive to me."
Bai Kang pondered for a moment, "Why don't you think they're trying to find a richer victim to cheat them out of their money?" Lianzhi must have told him this because she was convinced there was something fishy about those two. In truth, Bai Kang had long suspected this, but since they were selling bracelets and pretending to be charlatans, and they hadn't revealed their true colors yet, he hadn't been able to act.
He wanted to hear what Lianzhi thought. Could it be that the little guy had a keen intuition?
Lianzhi chuckled softly: "Brother Kang, aren't you the Minister of Rites?"
"Yeah." Bo Kang was confused. "What's wrong?"
"Then why can't you hear that their words are mixed with Qiang people's terms?" Lianzhi asked.
That group of people were charlatans. Even though they wore Central Plains clothing and imitated the accent and manners of the Beijing natives, they still hadn't learned thoroughly. They weren't cultivators at all, so they could only combine what they knew to deceive others.
There were some aristocrats in the capital who devoted themselves to the worship of Buddha, but many more used it as a pretext for socializing and were easily fooled. He hadn't expected that Bo Kang would be able to tell.
Bai Kang was stunned.
"He obviously saw that I had a good relationship with the Prime Minister's wife and was interested in making friends with me. He's not just a charlatan." Lianzhi touched his chin and continued to think. "I asked a few passers-by at Linshan Temple, and they all came here because of my reputation. I guess it's..."
"Are you trying to win people's hearts?" Bai Kang moved closer and looked at Lianzhi's profile.
Lianzhi didn't answer and stood up. Suddenly, Bai Kang grabbed her arm. His palm was still a little damp from the heat. Bai Kang raised an eyebrow and said, "Why did you dare to tell me?"
Facing his question, Lianzhi chose to play dumb and blinked innocently: "Brother Kang, didn't you say that I am your wife? In that case, of course we should be of one mind as husband and wife."
Fine, fine. Even if Lianzhi dug a huge cliff for him, he'd accept it. Bai Kang tried to analyze Lianzhi's words quickly, but he couldn't suppress the smile on his face. He cleared his throat and stood up from the water. "This isn't a big deal. We can just arrest the guy according to the fraud law now."
There was no answer. Bai Kang looked over in confusion, only to see Lianzhi staring at his soaked pants with a red face, her eyes fixed on him. When she noticed Bai Kang's gaze, she quickly turned her head away, her eyes darting around.
Bai Kang lowered his head and understood instantly.
"I've never seen you shy before." Bai Kang wanted to say that if Lianzhi hadn't been here, he wouldn't even wear pants. But fearing that this would scare people away, Bai Kang naturally pulled the towel draped over the edge and wrapped it around himself.
Bai Kang had never taken a bath in front of him before. Lianzhi was about to argue, but Bai Kang had already put on his clothes neatly and asked someone to boil another bucket of water and bring it in.
"I won't tease you anymore." Bai Kang walked out politely and closed the door. The wind outside was still cold, and when he met Xiao Liu's strange eyes, Bai Kang thought that he might be the only man in the world who would avoid his wife while she was taking a bath, for fear that she would be scared.
Who made him ten years older than others? He could just call him that in his heart.
The sound of water could be heard in the house. He didn't stay long and was about to return to his room which had been empty for a long time. He glanced around the yard and suddenly realized that something was wrong.
"Where is that man? That guard?" Bai Kang pointed at the guards in the distance.
"The guards are all standing guard at the gate. If you have any instructions, I'll call them over," Xiao Liu replied. "It's cold outside. Please go back to your room and rest."
"I mean, where's the guard who held the umbrella when we came back?" Bai Kang asked inquiringly. He didn't know why, but he felt a little uneasy when the guard wasn't there. The next second, Xiao Liu's expression suddenly dawned on him: "He's serving the lady. The lady said he served well, so she specifically transferred him over."
He couldn't possibly still be around, could he? He said that the man had shifty eyes and must be suspicious. Bo Kang tugged at his coat, coughing as he went back to his room. The room was still empty except for Lianzhi. He thought it was the servant who came in, so he said without turning his head, "Come and clean up."
There was silence behind him. He turned around and found Bai Kang standing by the door, looking at him silently, his eyes revealing something he couldn't understand. Before Lianzhi could think deeply, Bai Kang rolled his eyes and returned to his usual appearance, "Where are the servants?"
"Didn't you stop them from coming in?" Lianzhi wrapped herself in her coat and crawled under the quilt. The room was steaming hot, and her hot body pressed against him from behind.
"Go to bed now? It's not even the hour of Xu yet." Bai Kang asked.
"Of course we have to go to bed early on a rainy day. Brother Kang, aren't you busy?" Lianzhi turned around and suddenly felt that when she was in the palace, she should have let Bai Kang hold her while she slept. It was warm and much more comfortable than sleeping alone.
Bai Kang sneered: "How can I be busy every day?"
Lianzhi said, "Aren't you going to have dinner?"
"Baby, are you trying to get me to leave?" Bo Kang replied, "I'll stay with you first."
Lianzhi frowned, realizing that this wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. The room was strangely quiet, the warm yellow candlelight shimmering in the corners. The night outside the window quietly seeped in. Their breathing was almost audible, yet deliberately muted. The entire room seemed enveloped by an invisible barrier, isolating the outside world and leaving only unspoken emotions. Lianzhi felt the current atmosphere was inexplicably terrifying and shouldn't continue like this.
"I suspect they're all Qiang people," Lianzhi said. Bo Kang hummed, not expecting him to bring this up so suddenly. Without taking his eyes off Lianzhi's radiant white face, he quickly returned to business, waiting for him to continue.
The secretive atmosphere in the house was suddenly broken, and Lianzhi felt much more at ease. She changed the subject: "Or maybe they are people who have lived in the west since childhood. Unlike you people from the Central Plains, they... are extra vigilant." The small movements of those people were deliberately tense. If you were not familiar with the customs of the Qiang people, you would at most think that they were nervous when facing dignitaries.
Lianzhi wanted to imitate their movements, so she sat up. Bo Kang put his hand on his forehead and looked at them for a while: "Are you usually wary of me?"
Lianzhi: “Huh?”
"Don't you realize that you usually do these little things?" Bai Kang helplessly hooked him and stuffed him back into the quilt.
"After all, I've lived in Liangzhou before." Lianzhi touched her nose. "Though those people are Qiang, they're probably not my adoptive father's men, otherwise they wouldn't have failed to recognize me. But I can't imagine who else has the ability to place so many people in the capital."
Bai Kang instantly thought of the answer. Lianzhi continued in his ear, "Winning over the powerful is like asking me to win over you. I really can't think of anyone else who would do such a thing besides my adoptive father..."
"King of Longxi?" Bai Kang asked softly.
Lianzhi paused, looked up at him, and shook her head. "Liangzhou is the fief of the King of Longxi. If my adoptive father takes action, the King of Longxi will definitely know about it. Although I have never met the King of Longxi, I heard that he is stationed at the border for a long time and has no close ties with any royal family members among the royal family. Therefore, my adoptive father does not often visit him."
"The governor of Liangzhou even told you these things?" Bai Kang frowned.
"Of course." Lianzhi not only did not deny it, but also raised her head proudly, showing her beautiful face to Bai Kang, "I am so beautiful, my adoptive father thinks highly of me, so of course I have to tell me. Otherwise, it wouldn't be me who was sent to your side."
He brought this up so bluntly, and Bo Kang smiled. Suddenly, Lianzhi nudged him in the arm: "Brother, do you really believe me? What if everything I said was a lie?"
"Then just lie." Bai Kang patted Lianzhi's back gently.
The rain outside the window continued to pour, and the sound of water dripping from the eaves was like a drumbeat against his heart. Lianzhi was quickly lulled to sleep, her head nestled against Bai Kang's arm, sound asleep, her breathing calm and sweet. The person in his arms was so soft and light that if he held her any tighter, he'd crush her. How could such a person exist? He was completely helpless, and Bai Kang couldn't even tell whether what Lianzhi said to him, what she showed him, was true or false.
He was clearly just a spy following orders, yet he insisted on getting close to him; he clearly just wanted to keep him as a little toy, yet he was willing to confide in him regardless of anything else. He usually called him "Brother Kang", but in the end, he was the only one who gave his heart to him.
Bai Kang sighed and kissed Lianzhi lightly on the cheek. The touch was as soft as he had imagined.
For fear of waking people up, Bai Kang immediately stopped and closed his eyes.
I just wanted to take a nap, but when I opened my eyes, the sky was already turning pale and it was already the morning hour.
It was almost time to go to court, and he had almost overslept. Bai Kang hurriedly sat up, asked someone to help him change his clothes, and quickly prepared the carriage. The night watchman was quietly tidying up the candlesticks, replacing the candles that had burned out last night. Lianzhi was also woken by him and sat up with a yawn: "Brother Kang, you are so noisy."
"You continue to sleep." Bai Kang ordered.
"Let me help you." Lianzhi rubbed her eyes and went to fight Qinghe for the official robe, looking like she was causing trouble. When she heard the voice of someone being scolded, she finally woke up and hurriedly helped Baikang button up his official robe.
Without waiting for the expected praise, Bai Kang hurriedly scooped up two handfuls of water from the basin and smeared it on his face. He heard Lianzhi's aggrieved voice: "Brother Kang, are you angry? Have I caused you any trouble?"
"Just sleep if I tell you to." Bo Kang said helplessly, "I'm not the kind of old man who loves to make rules. I'm not the kind of old man who gets angry and uses rules to pressure people if they wake up late in the morning."
Besides, Lianzhi was still a full-grown boy, and at that age, he was still growing. He had never asked Lianzhi when to get up before. Strangely, Lianzhi didn't lie down and continue sleeping, but got up to wash and change clothes.
"Brother Kang, how about I go to the Ministry of Rites and donate money to get a small official position?" Lianzhi asked with a smile, but was hit on the head.
"What evil plan are you up to?" Bai Kang said calmly. Before Bai Kang could object, Lian Zhi quickly added, "This way I can be with Brother Kang every day."
Bai Kang was stunned by the latter part of his words and almost ran away. Lianzhi was very dissatisfied with his attitude. She snorted softly and asked someone to bring breakfast.
Eunuch Wen sat across from him, reading out the palace's recent expenses. Halfway through, Lianzhi interrupted him, pushed the bowl in front of her away, opened the window, and said to the person guarding outside, "You, come in and serve."
It was the guard he had taken out of the mansion yesterday. Eunuch Wen was wary of others who were trusted by Lianzhi. He lowered his voice and said, "The young master has been paying a lot of attention to that man recently. In my opinion, he doesn't have any outstanding qualities."
The sound was not loud, but it was loud enough for the guard who entered the inner room to hear. The guard raised his eyelids and stole a glance at Eunuch Wen.
"What's wrong with reading an account book? Just knowing how to read is enough." Lianzhi laughed and looked at the guard, "You can read, right?"
The guard quickly agreed.
"That's all." Lianzhi said, "Xiao Wenzi, you haven't had a bite of breakfast yet, eat quickly."
So she was concerned about him. Eunuch Wen was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. Lianzhi had a smaller appetite than a cat. After eating two dumplings, she put down her chopsticks and dozed off lazily.
He didn't open his eyes until the guards had finished reading, and was almost asleep. He was awakened by Eunuch Wen's push: "Done? Then let's go."
The guard responded and was about to leave when Lianzhi stopped him, "I didn't ask you to leave. Come with me and move some things from the warehouse. I was just worried that no one could give me any advice."
I had planned to ask Bai Kang this morning what gift would be appropriate for the Prime Minister's wife, but before he could even say anything, Bai Kang had already run away.
It was still early, before daybreak, and the warehouse was utterly dim. It was a quiet, deserted place, with the floor piled high with wooden boxes and utensils. The air was filled with a faint scent of camphorwood and dust. Several attendants, sweeping the floor, greeted Lianzhi with a greeting. Lianzhi waved, signaling for the door to be closed.
Unlike other families, the majority of the items in Bai Kang's warehouse were not gold or silver treasures, but swords, spears, and halberds. But in Lianzhi's eyes, they looked like a pile of junk. He took out the list given to him by the warehouse guard and spent a long time sorting through the items.
"You come from a good family, right?" Lianzhi glanced at the guard and, without waiting for a reply, asked, "Come and see, which of these things is worth showing off?"
The guard squatted down, took a look, and pointed to one of the boxes: "This pair of white jade folding fans is very good, suitable for giving to the Prime Minister's wife."
"I haven't even told you yet, and you already know I'm going to give it to the Prime Minister's wife." Lianzhi smiled in surprise, her dark, shiny eyes fixed on the guard. The guard felt embarrassed by his gaze and lowered his head: "I saw the purchase expenses in the account book and guessed that you intended to give her a gift..."
After he finished speaking, he looked up and found Lianzhi still looking at him, a smile on her exceptionally beautiful face. The guard blushed and fell silent.
Lianzhi had the folding fan packed and sent to the carriage. As she was about to leave, she saw a familiar figure. Lianzhi saw the other person's face clearly and frowned: "Lianzi?"
Lianzi couldn't help but tremble.
Fortunately, Lianzhi only glanced at him lightly, as if looking at an insignificant person. Only the guard closest to him noticed, and Lianzhi's eyes reddened. The guard was frightened and didn't know whether to speak. Lianzhi asked, "What's your name?"
"My surname is Chu, and my given name is Xiu." The guard replied.
Lianzhi nodded and asked him, "Do you know how I can tell you come from a good family?" Lianzhi blinked. Chu Xiu pretended to listen attentively. Lianzhi smiled again, "Because you walk very straight and your manners are different from other guards. If you see Brother Kang... forget it."
The guard didn't know why he only spoke halfway, but he noticed that Lianzhi looked a little lonely. Soon, he knew what was going on. That night, Bai Kang returned home, dusty and walking without stopping, he rushed into the room with an angry face.
"The housekeeper said you're punishing people arbitrarily again? Have you forgotten what I warned you about?" Bai Kang looked a little disappointed. "Lian'er, didn't you promise me that you wouldn't act so capriciously anymore?"
"How could I!" Lianzhi was so angry that she stood up and argued with him, "Who did I punish?"
"Lian Zi is still kneeling in the yard. Do you want me to take you there?" After saying this, Bai Kang seemed extremely disappointed. He said that he would reflect on himself tonight and slammed the door from the outside.
Eunuch Wen angrily said, "How can Bai Kang be so arbitrary? How could the young master punish a servant for no reason?"
"Little Wen, please go out first." Lianzhi gave a smile that was uglier than crying, but she still looked very beautiful. Only after Eunuch Wen stormed out did Lianzhi start to cry.
"I'll leave too..." The guard was a little embarrassed and wanted to leave quickly, but Lianzhi grabbed his sleeve and said, "You are not allowed to leave."
The only sound in the room was breathing. Lianzhi was still crying, and anyone who saw her with that expression would feel pity for her.
"You're all bullying me!" Lianzhi casually picked up the cup nearby and threw it hard. It missed the ground, but instead, the person next to him groaned. Chu Xiu barely caught the cup with his back, the broken pieces of porcelain digging deep into his flesh.
Seeing the blood, Lianzhi seemed to regain her sanity. She cried and pulled the man to his feet, apologized, and wanted to bandage him. Chu Xiu shook his head, lowered his head, and told Lianzhi not to worry, still looking honest and simple.
In the evening, Bai Kang did not invite Lianzhi to have dinner with him. He asked Qinghe to come and tell him that he was resting in the study.
"That's really strange." Qing He was puzzled. "Why did the Master and the Madam start arguing for no apparent reason today?"
"That's not something we can inquire about," Eunuch Wen said sarcastically, "It's probably Bai Kang who provoked the young master."
Lianzhi, of course, lost his temper once more, and Chu Xiu was the one bearing the brunt of his wrath. Only after he had calmed down did he allow Chu Xiu to return to rest. Chu Xiu nodded in agreement, and as he left the room, the forbearing expression on his face instantly twisted as he headed towards the servants' quarters. Everyone in the mansion knew that the mistress had recently been treating him with great favor.
Dusk deepened, and the house was completely silent. The moonlight outside the window was obscured by thick clouds, leaving only a few faint rays of light, dappled on the blue brick floor. The candles inside the house had long been extinguished, and a wisp of smoke from the incense burner loomed in the darkness.
Lianzhi rolled over and buried his head in the quilt. Behind him, a slightly cold body pressed against him. Turning back, Bai Kang was lying next to him, grinning at him.
"Baby……"
In response, Lianzhi let out a complaining groan. She rolled over again, her bottom facing Bai Kang. The soft quilt formed a small bulge. Bai Kang laughed and hugged him from behind. "Baby, are you angry? I'll go back to the study..."
Lianzhi turned around again and grabbed Bai Kang's collar.
"Why are you yelling at me?" Lianzhi asked aggrievedly, "Didn't we agree to just pretend? I was trying to help you, but who knew you'd yell at me instead? I won't help you anymore."
"Don't be angry, baby. I was worried that you couldn't sleep alone, so I rushed back to accompany you. Aren't you worried about being seen by them? If they were discovered, our plan would be ruined."
Lianzhi calmed down a little and asked hesitantly, "Did they see it? Brother Kang, how did you get here?"
"That's how it happened. Just as you expected, they were talking together." Bai Kang's voice was filled with a smile. He held Lianzhi in his arms and rubbed her for a few times before saying seriously, "Baby, how did you know that person was suspicious?"
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