◇ Chapter 52 (52) Suspicion and Confession
Lianzhi's lips were so soft that Bo Kang couldn't bear to move away. But the young man before him was handsome and youthful, while looking back at himself, not only was he approaching thirty, but he still didn't dare to express his feelings to Lianzhi.
Thinking of this, Bai Kang said from the bottom of his heart: "I'm sorry."
Lianzhi was still in shock when she heard Bo Kang apologizing to her. She was puzzled and asked, "Why are you apologizing?"
He didn't actually have a nightmare, but seeing that Bai Kang was worried about him, he wanted to try to fake a nightmare to see if he could make Bai Kang feel guilty. After all, he had a nightmare yesterday because of Bai Kang! He made Bai Kang anxious once, so he would even it out.
Unexpectedly, Bo Kang looked really sad, and he didn't know what to say.
"I kissed you, I'm sorry." Bo Kang said, his eyes still fixed on his lips, with the words "I want to kiss you again" clearly written in his eyes. Lian Zhi was a little amused: "Why apologize? I wasn't angry when you asked me just now."
"Thanks to Brother Tokang, I'm not afraid anymore."
As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Kang, who was holding him, suddenly turned over.
The dry and rough long hair fell beside Lianzhi's face. Lianzhi reached out to grab it, but Bai Kang grabbed his hand and wrapped his palm tightly.
"Can I kiss you again?" Bai Kang's eyes sparkled.
Lianzhi said nothing, but she didn't refuse. Bo Kang understood his eyes and kissed her again on the lips.
This time it wasn't the corner of her lips, but a solid kiss.
Their lips and teeth intertwined, in the darkness, only two pairs of eyes remained bright.
After a long time, Bai Kang finally looked up and let go of Lian Zhi's hand, not knowing where to put it. After living for 28 years, he looked like a young boy at this moment. Lian Zhi saw him swaying here and there, and felt a little dizzy: "Brother Kang, what are you doing? Now that you're done kissing, go to sleep quickly."
Bai Kang finally calmed down. Lian Zhi's eyes were still confused. I wonder if she understood why she kissed him. Although the timing and place were strange, Bai Kang still spoke: "Baby, I like you very much."
"I know." Lianzhi yawned, thinking that with Bai Kang's kind personality, who loved to act like a big brother to others, she didn't think she had ever seen him particularly dislike anyone. Oh, except for her past self.
"It's almost dawn. Brother Kang, you have to go to court tomorrow morning. Go to sleep." After Lianzhi said this, she threw herself into Bai Kang's arms and soon fell asleep again, leaving Bai Kang alone and sleepless all night.
Did Lianzhi understand what he meant?
Since that day, Bai Kang not only likes to hug Lianzhi, but also kisses him occasionally. Seeing that Lianzhi is not angry or resisting, he is not sure whether Lianzhi likes him or not.
He planned to wait two years until Lianzhi reached adulthood. If she liked him, they would become a real couple. If not... they would talk about it later.
Several generals who had traveled to the northern frontier reported back that the Longxi and Mu kings had used their troops with such brilliance that the Mobei army was steadily losing ground. The Helan tribe, usually silent and unyielding, showed no sign of retreat against the Mobei army, winning several consecutive victories.
Now it seems that agreeing to the request of the Helan tribe and establishing friendly relations between the two countries is also a possible way.
Perhaps it is because Your Majesty now uses the two princes, and because Mobei has been defeated and lost power, the Qiang people and Mobei merchants in the capital have become much more obedient; Daning and Beihai are now united in their hatred of the enemy, and the merchants in Beihai are much more friendly than before. The atmosphere in the capital is unprecedentedly harmonious, which saves a lot of trouble for officials from various departments.
Although the famine in the north was under control, the weather was getting colder as autumn approached, and this winter was likely to be difficult. Bai Kang thought that while he had some free time, he could bring his younger brothers and sisters over to spend the winter in the capital.
However, before accepting it, you have to settle your own concerns.
The weather turned cold, and Eunuch Wen's old injury relapsed, making it difficult for him to serve, so Lianzhi let him rest. Although he no longer used Eunuch Wen as often, there were some intimate things he could only tell Eunuch Wen. Liang Ye was nice to him, but since he was not one of his own, he was still worried.
Bai Kang knew about this and didn't object. He just said sourly, "Baby, you treat Lao Wen better than I do."
"It's different." Lianzhi said seriously, "I never asked you to do any work."
Bai Kang thought about it and immediately stopped caring about it. After a while, he changed his mind and thought, I am not a eunuch, why should I compare myself with Lao Wen.
Lianzhi originally wanted to let Eunuch Wen have a good rest, but she didn't expect Xiao Liu and the others to be so stupid. Not only did they always fail to understand his instructions, they also messed up things in his room. The account book he placed on the bedside before going to bed last night was lost when he woke up.
When Bo Kang came back, he saw Lianzhi ordering Xiao Liu to push the bedside table. He was sweating profusely and looked particularly funny. "What are you looking for?"
"This stupid guy tinkered with things and lost the account books in the mansion!" Lianzhi complained immediately.
"It's not a big deal. Let Old Feng look for it." Bo Kang said, "Baby, I need your help with something."
Lianzhi was very surprised to hear that Bai Kang wanted to ask her for help. She followed him to the study, where Bai Kang took out a piece of parchment and said, "This was seized from a Qiang soldier today. There are some parts that I can't understand, and no one in the Ministry of Rites can either. I need your help to look at it."
"How could there be Qiang soldiers?" Lianzhi grasped the crux of the matter. Bo Kang paused for a moment and replied, "The news came from the north."
Lianzhi was still suspicious. It wasn't normal for Bai Kang to let him interfere in the Ministry of Rites' affairs out of the blue. He glanced at it, finding the content to be nothing serious, and felt relieved. "The military has entrusted the caravan to purchase supplies in the capital. Don't worry. It's cold this year, and supplies are scarce in Liangzhou. It's normal for them to use their connections to buy some things. They do this every year. Didn't you know about this before?"
Bai Kang didn't answer. He said in a deep voice, "It's nothing that they bought something. There's another line at the end of the letter. I don't understand that last line."
As he said, there were indeed words at the bottom of the letter. Lianzhi was stunned when she saw it.
"What did you write?" Bai Kang's voice was faint and no emotion could be heard.
"They're so bold! They even dare to sell ironware privately." Lianzhi even laughed. "They've given us evidence, so why don't you arrest them?"
"Could they be instructed by someone?" Bai Kang asked again.
Lianzhi looked at him in surprise. "Of course they did. They couldn't have bought them just to play with at home, could they? They...those foreigners are very obedient. Most of them are probably ordered by the people behind the scenes, or they are passed on to people from Mobei or Beihai."
After he finished speaking, Bai Kang suddenly stopped answering. Lianzhi shrugged, letting Bai Kang think slowly. Not long after, the housekeeper came back and said that the account book had been found and Liang Ye had put it away. For some reason, he always felt that the master and servant were acting suspiciously. Just as he was about to go back to find Liang Ye, Bai Kang said, "Baby, come here."
"What do you want me to see now?" Lianzhi walked over and was suddenly hugged tightly. The housekeeper had left without knowing when, closing the study door. Bai Kang hugged him and kissed him on the corner of his lips.
"Baby, what do you want to do for your coming-of-age ceremony?" Bo Kang asked without further context. "How about I ask the Prime Minister and my father to come and crown you?"
"I still have two years to go before I reach adulthood," said Lianzhi.
He himself wasn't sure if he'd live to see adulthood. Bai Kang looked at Lian Zhi, who was a head shorter than him, and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry, get ready early. When the time comes, I'll definitely give you the grandest coming-of-age ceremony in the capital."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lianzhi threw herself into his arms and hugged his waist. Bai Kang was a little jealous and was about to ask if he could kiss her when Lianzhi said sullenly, "Brother Kang, I wish you were my father."
Ah...ah?
Father? I can't let Lianzhi treat him as her father, let alone compare him with the governor of Liangzhou!
"Baby, it's enough for me to be your husband." Bo Kang lowered his voice, "Can I kiss you?"
Half an hour later, Lianzhi leisurely emerged from the study, her face slightly flushed. He suspected that Bai Kang had mentioned the coming-of-age ceremony just to trick him into kissing her. It didn't matter; it was already good enough that someone was willing to put in the effort for him.
There was no one in the room, only the dusty account book lying on the bedside. Lianzhi went out to call for help, but there was no sign of Liang Ye. He muttered to himself, "Liang Ye is stupid!" and waited for a long time before Liang Ye came running back in a panic.
"Why are you running?" Lianzhi said with a bit of disgust. Liang Ye, however, didn't care much: "Master, the housekeeper took... took Eunuch Wen away!"
Hearing this, Lianzhi felt somewhat calm despite her anger, as if she had anticipated that Bai Kang would torment the people around him. Lianzhi blinked and breathed a sigh of relief: "When did this happen?"
"After you went to the study, the housekeeper took us to look for the account books. Somehow, we found them in Eunuch Wen's room. He and... and..."
Liang Ye stammered and couldn't explain clearly, and Lianzhi couldn't suppress her anger anymore: "With what? Tell me quickly!"
"Letters with Princess Jinyang! They contain information about Princess Jinyang's desire to use Eunuch Wen's connections to sell ironware to Yanmen!" Liang Ye became increasingly panicked as he spoke. "This is a capital crime, Eunuch Wen, wouldn't you..."
Lianzhi clenched her fists. Putting aside the fact that Yanmen was home to an iron mine, Princess Jinyang wouldn't have needed to go to such great lengths to find an old eunuch for help. Just as Bai Kang had told him about this, Eunuch Wen was taken away. There was no way they were going to keep it a secret from him!
"Where is he?" Lianzhi asked.
"In Lord Bai's private prison for interrogation..." Liang Ye replied.
The private prison was quiet, and unlike what Lianzhi had imagined, the guards at the gate did not stop him. Instead, they let him in respectfully. No one beat or kicked Eunuch Wen, or forced him to confess, but instead treated him kindly.
Seeing Lianzhi, Eunuch Wen pushed aside the servant beside him and rushed over. Lianzhi gave the servant a look, signaling him to leave. After the people left, Lianzhi asked, "What are they doing?"
"Young Master, this is bad!" In contrast to Lianzhi's calmness, Eunuch Wen growled, "I'm afraid Bai Kang is suspicious of your identity! His people have been asking me about your past, asking if you had any contact with me when you were in Liangzhou. He must be suspicious! You didn't get along with him in the past. If he finds out your identity, it will be terrible!"
Although Eunuch Wen was a bit confused in his old age, he was not stupid. When he heard the butler beside Bai Kang ask him about Lianzhi's past, he guessed that Bai Kang must be suspicious. Even if you don't say that His Majesty and Bai Kang have a bad relationship, the idea of resurrection is too horrifying. What if Bai Kang killed their Majesty?
"Master, they lied that I was in contact with Her Royal Highness the Princess. I guess they don't want to spare my life. Why don't I admit my guilt and commit suicide as soon as possible? Then no one will be able to find out your identity..."
Eunuch Wen burst into tears. Lianzhi looked at him with a distressed look, squatted down and held his hand. "You can't die! If you can't even save our lives, I've lived this life in vain. Little Wenzi, Bai Kang shouldn't kill us."
It wasn't that he trusted Bai Kang that much. They were now living under someone else's roof, so it would be easy for Bai Kang to take action. Since he was allowed to see Eunuch Wen without anyone stopping him, it meant that Bai Kang wanted to test them and get the answer he wanted. Perhaps he was nearby—
No wonder Bai Kang had gone to so much trouble these past few days, sending incense and mentioning Princess Jinyang; it turned out to be all tests. Lianzhi lowered her eyes, appeased Eunuch Wen, and then left.
As he expected, Bai Kang was standing outside the door, having obviously been eavesdropping for a while. Seeing him, Bai Kang didn't ask about their conversation, but instead walked over and hugged him: "Baby, go back and rest."
The embrace suddenly fell away and Lianzhi pushed him away.
"If you want to know something, why don't you ask me? You know that Xiao Wenzi and I have a close relationship, and you will definitely fall into your trap." Lianzhi lowered her eyes, "Did you hear everything? If you hate my words, I will take Xiao Wenzi away and won't cause you any trouble, nor will I be a nuisance to you anymore."
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