◇ Chapter 51 (51) Can I kiss you?
Bai Kang was stunned. Although he had long known that Princess Jinyang had returned to the capital with a secret decree, he remained calm and said, "Isn't the Princess stationed at Yanmen Pass? Why is she in the capital?"
Doctor Liu looked around again and asked him to move. "The Empress Dowager's health has been deteriorating, and her suspicions are growing. Sir Bai, I'm only speaking this because of your friendship with my master. A few days ago, the Empress Dowager, citing illness, issued an imperial decree, ordering Princess Chang to return to the capital as soon as possible to attend to her. This matter is kept secret, and many relatives in the capital are unaware of it."
Hearing the last sentence, Bai Kang breathed a sigh of relief. Doctor Liu asked, "If there is anything, Master Bai, please tell me and I will pass it on to Master."
"No need, I just wanted to ask for a recipe for some calming incense." Bo Kang said nonchalantly, "I've been very tired lately and can't sleep at night."
It's just a little calming incense, nothing to be ashamed of. Doctor Liu registered it and readily handed it to Bo Kang. The two exchanged glances, confirming that neither would tell anyone about their conversation, and then laughed in unison.
Bai Kang returned home with the packet of tranquilizing incense, intending to light it quickly to prevent Lianzhi from feeling depressed. If he had known Lianzhi would have nightmares, he would never have brought the damn thing back.
The room was filled with fragrant mist, smoke slowly dispersing from the white jade incense burner, and the delicate fragrance of lotus flowers filled the room. A young man in plain clothes sat on a couch, holding a book in his hands. His long hair flowed softly on the table, and the white headband made his small face look even more haggard.
Amidst the smoke, the picturesque eyebrows and eyes were looming, and a wisp of cigarette smoke quietly climbed up the sleeves, leaving a faint fragrance on the brocade clothes embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns.
"Why are you still burning that incense?" Bo Kang approached, thinking he was reading some storybook. Lianzhi didn't like reading, but lately she's been reading a lot, so she must have come across some interesting story.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out not to be a play or story script, but an account book from the mansion.
"It smells nice." Lianzhi blinked her big eyes, picked up the account book like a treasure, and gestured to Bai Kang to look at it. Bai Kang glanced at it and was surprised: "I saved thirty taels."
This month's expenses were actually 30 taels less than last month, returning to the amount spent before Lianzhi came. Strange, he didn't skimp on Lianzhi's expenses, so how could he save so much?
"Of course I saved it!" Lianzhi said, "There are many people in the mansion. Didn't we lay off a few servants last month? I asked the new guards to do the servants' errands. And the food rations for the servants in the courtyard were all deducted from my monthly salary..."
He talked for a long time, but when Bai Kang didn't answer, he stared at him intently, thinking that Bai Kang didn't believe he could come up with such ideas. He used to be a stickler for economy, but he wasn't stupid. The methods for reducing expenses, increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, were similar inside and outside the palace. He wasn't stupid either, so he wouldn't be ignorant of these things.
"What are you looking at me for!" Her pale cheeks finally flushed, no longer looking as frail and sickly as before. Bai Kang still liked Lianzhi's coquettish and lively expression when she was angry. He immediately came to his senses and hugged her. "I was thinking about how smart the baby is. The baby is really amazing and can even save me money. You haven't answered me yet, why are you still burning incense?"
He didn't expect Lianzhi to save money for him. He suddenly became sensible, probably because he was holding back something bad.
"Didn't I tell you I think the fragrance smells good?" Lianzhi didn't know why Bo Kang asked the same question twice. Her eyes flashed, "Also, I want to thank Brother Kang for the fragrance. You were cheated because of me, and I want to pay you back."
Is this really the reason?
Hearing this, Bai Kang felt even more guilty. It was like he had lied to a child for the first time in his life, and ended up being taught a lesson by the child.
"I told you you don't have to pay me back. I was just teasing you. How could the Shangshu Mansion possibly need that little bit of money from you?" Bo Kang ruffled his hair, his eyes once again focused on Lianzhi's plain clothes. Lianzhi rarely wore light colors, and now she looked quite beautiful in white.
It's just too plain, it looks weird.
"Why are you dressed like this today?" Bai Kang asked. After saying that, he realized his tone was wrong and added, "It looks good."
"I gave the clothes as a gift," Lianzhi said proudly. "I saw that Lianhua worked very carefully today, so I gave it to him. I heard from the Prime Minister's wife that if you give your things as a gift, the servants will like it very much, and they don't have to pay extra money!"
Rewarding someone? Your clothes are worth much more than a few taels of silver! Bo Kang's eyes widened, and he couldn't bear to say anything to hurt Lianzhi.
Ultimately, this was his fault. He clutched the box of incense tightly, hesitating whether to take it out now, when Lianzhi closed the account book and said, "His Majesty didn't ask you about the northern affairs this afternoon, did he?"
"His Majesty wants me to monitor King Mu for him, but he's also suspicious of me. If he knew we were taking precautions, he wouldn't have openly tested me again after today," Bo Kang finished, then sighed. "But if you rashly invite me back today, I'm afraid His Majesty will also become suspicious of you."
"Maybe you've been suspicious of me for a long time?" Lianzhi said nonchalantly, "Brother Kang, after I came to Beijing, you've been trying to find out about me, right?"
Bai Kang was speechless and embarrassed, unsure whether to admit it or not. Lianzhi, however, remained unconcerned and continued, "You suspected me of being a spy for my adoptive father, but perhaps in His Majesty's eyes, I was just a pawn to win you over?"
He spoke very naturally, but Bo Kang always felt that something was wrong: "Your identity is very clean and there is no problem with your past." The implication was that other people would not associate their meeting with intentional.
"Then maybe I'm here to seduce you. Brother Kang, you're a straightforward person, and I've deceived you." Lianzhi said casually, "After all, you like me very much."
He spoke naturally, without thinking in any other way. From the perspective of an older brother looking at his younger brother, Bai Kang undoubtedly loved and cared for him. But when Bai Kang heard this, his cheeks burned and his ears instantly turned red.
Fortunately, Lianzhi didn't look at him and told Liang Ye to put the account books away. The room was still burning with incense, and Bai Kang had the ashes in the stove dumped out and replaced with the calming incense he had just brought back.
"You've been cheated again." Lianzhi looked at Baikang in surprise. Baikang was at a loss for words, so he said, "This is cheaper. Let's order this to try it out."
As he finished speaking, Liang Ye had already lit new incense. Smelling the familiar aroma, Lian Zhi was completely puzzled.
He had noticed something strange when he had a nightmare last night. He hadn't had a nightmare in a long time, and although the fragrance was pleasant, it gave him a headache after smelling it for too long.
It must have been Bai Kang's deliberate act. Although he didn't know what he was up to, he didn't mind cooperating. Now it seemed that Bai Kang felt guilty towards him and was anxious to replace the calming incense.
He still feels so uneasy after doing something bad. He is indeed as upright as before.
Lianzhi had a poor appetite and only ate a small portion of dinner. Seeing him listless, Bai Kang had a desk brought into the room to accompany Lianzhi. Seeing Lianzhi hugging him with both her arms and legs, burying her head in his arms, Bai Kang found it both cute and funny: "You're almost an adult, why are you still acting like a child? Only little kids like to sleep with something in their arms."
"Those are you northerners." Lianzhi replied bluntly. After he finished speaking, he realized that he had said something out of turn and immediately shut up.
The room instantly fell silent. Lianzhi's words were harsh, as if the previous incident hadn't happened: "You have thick skin and flesh, so you must be born like a conservative old man."
Bai Kang didn't deny it. It was as if he knew he was going to be the eldest brother from the moment he was born. Lianzhi turned around and looked at the memorial with him. "A Qiang merchant caravan and merchants from the capital are fighting? You're also intervening in such trivial matters. If someone is causing trouble, shouldn't the Jinwu Guards be responsible for arresting them?"
"If it were merchants in Beijing, we could just send a few market inspectors to give them a heads-up." Bo Kang sighed, rubbing his temples with a headache. "Foreign merchants have only recently arrived in Beijing and don't know the rules yet. Every time they pass through Fanfang, it's really annoying."
"Why don't you take me there?" Lianzhi said. "I've seen more Qiang people in Liangzhou than you've all seen combined. I know how to deal with them."
Bai Kang glanced at his face and reached out to pull his headband.
"Get well first. Those troublemakers are all big and strong, with ferocious looks. They'll give you nightmares if you look back."
Princess Jinyang secretly brought people to the capital, and Bo Kang couldn't help but pay attention to this matter. He didn't want Lianzhi to know, so he planned to stay up late tonight to review official documents and told Lianzhi to go back to bed quickly. After all, Lianzhi never stayed up late.
Unexpectedly, Lianzhi held him tightly and refused to let go: "I don't want it. You stay with me."
"Why do you want me to accompany you?" Bai Kang asked back.
Lianzhi thought that Bokang was going to chase him away, and stared at him stubbornly. The two looked at each other, and Lianzhi simply closed her eyes and began to pretend to sleep.
It's not like he's already asleep and we need to wake him up, right? Lianzhi couldn't answer this question. Perhaps it was because Bai Kang was his only old friend here, and he couldn't help but miss him.
Moreover, Bocon is indeed very reliable.
It could even make him forget his hatred temporarily, and forget that one day he would have to leave the Shangshu Mansion.
The breathing of the person in his arms gradually became steady. Bai Kang looked down and found that Lianzhi had really fallen asleep. He couldn't help but laugh.
He wanted to ask Lianzhi why she wanted him to accompany her, but he was afraid of getting an answer he wouldn't want to hear. The candlelight on the table flickered slightly, casting a warm yellow glow. Outside the window, silence reigned. Aside from Xiaoliu, who stood guard in the outer room, the other servants had already retired to the side rooms. Even the chirping of cicadas and frogs by the pond seemed particularly distant.
After finishing the last word, Bo Kang put down his pen, stretched his arms, and carried the person back to the couch. It was already the fourth watch, and there were only a few hours of good sleep left. He had just trimmed the wick and, like a thief, he reached for Lianzhi's soft face, ready for a nap, but it was cold and damp.
Lianzhi... is crying again?
He hurried to examine the lotus branch carefully. The young man was crying silently, his delicate brows tightly knitted together. He didn't sob or make any sound, but it was heartbreaking to see.
That shouldn't be the case! He had already changed the calming incense, so why was Lianzhi still having nightmares? Bo Kang suddenly lost all his sleepiness and called out softly, "Lian'er? Baby? Baby, wake up!"
Hearing his voice, Lianzhi finally opened her eyes and looked at him with red eyes: "I'm scared."
Bai Kang didn't know what he dreamed about, so he could only pat his back gently to comfort him. He moved closer to Lian Zhi and put his face close to him: "Don't be afraid, baby, don't be afraid, I'm here."
As if recognizing Bai Kang's voice, Lian Zhi's lifeless eyes gradually focused, and she said in a choked voice, "Brother Kang."
"It's me, I'm here." Bai Kang was still clinging to him. He could hear Lian Zhi stop crying and whisper his name again. After receiving another response, Lian Zhi gently rubbed Bai Kang's face with her still wet cheek.
In the misty eyes, he could clearly see Bo Kang's figure. If he turned his head slightly, he could kiss Lian Zhi's soft face.
"Can I have a kiss?" Bai Kang asked without thinking.
Lianzhi didn't react and continued to look at him. Having said that, Bo Kang didn't regret it and asked again, "Can I kiss you?"
If there were a candle burning by the bed, Lianzhi would have seen Bai Kang's flushed face. Even if she couldn't see his face, the pounding heartbeat would have betrayed him.
That's all.
Bai Kang comforted himself in his heart, wiped Lianzhi's face, and pretended that he had not said anything just now. Just as he raised his hand, soft lips suddenly touched his face.
Lianzhi came over and kissed him on the face.
The thumping of her heartbeat became more pronounced, as if it would burst out of her chest in the next second. Bai Kang held Lianzhi's face and kissed her smooth forehead and the corners of her eyes.
Finally, it moved to the lips.
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