◇ Chapter 55 (55) Birthmark
Are people in the north so friendly?
Lianzhi sat in Princess Mu's carriage, looking dazed. Princess Mu kept dragging him along, talking about things in the north and the Bai Kang family, which made him unhappy. The only thing that made him feel a little relieved was that the other party didn't use his identity as an excuse.
"Why are you willing to be friends with me, Princess?" He asked when Princess Mu said she was tired and wanted to drink some water.
"I've already said I get along well with you," Princess Mu said with a smile. "We're of similar status, and you're so lovely. When Bo Kang sent back your portrait, I wanted to meet you."
Their identities were similar, meaning they were both married to other men. Hearing the last sentence, Lianzhi was startled: "What portrait?"
"Bai Kang sent many portraits of you to his family. His sister showed them to us. Bai Kang's painting skills are average, but he painted you beautifully." Princess Mu winked at him. He didn't know the inside story and thought Lianzhi and Bai Kang were together because they were in love.
"You've been in Beijing for half a year now. Has Bo Kang ever taken you on a good tour of the capital? Even though I'm from the north, I know a lot of good restaurants in Beijing." Princess Mu made plans enthusiastically. "I know a really, really delicious noodle shop. The owner also makes Liangzhou beef noodles. I'm sure you'll like it."
Lianzhi leaned back against the soft pillow, silent. How could anyone from the royal family be truly kind? This Princess Mu seemed so friendly, perhaps she was here to help Prince Mu get some information.
When the carriage stopped outside the shop, Lianzhi realized that it was not a noodle shop, but a clothing store. Seeing them, the shop owner and the clerk respectfully called out, "Boss."
She wasn't addressing him, but Princess Mu. Pointing at the clothes hanging on the wall, Princess Mu said, "It's our first meeting, and I'm not sure what gift to give you. Our palace has ready-made clothing, cosmetics, snacks, food, pots and pans... ahem. Xiaozhi, feel free to take whatever you like!"
Lianzhi didn't know whether to be shocked by the complex structure of Prince Mu's estate, or by the down-to-earth nature of Princess Mu's gift. He didn't know how to respond, so he said dryly, "Thank you for your kindness, but I don't need it."
"No need to be polite with me." Princess Mu looked him up and down, and asked the shopkeeper to come over to help her choose clothes. The shopkeeper next to him also looked over, narrowing his eyes. "Is this sir from the envoy group? We have some cooperation with the North Sea caravan, and we do have clothes in North Sea styles."
After he said this, Princess Mu also looked closely at Lianzhi's face. Perhaps it was because the north was close to the frontier, and there were many people with three-dimensional features. Before, she had only thought Lianzhi was very beautiful, but now she saw that she looked a bit like someone from the North Sea.
He didn't ask rashly, but simply had the shopkeeper bring a few pieces of clothing and gold and jade jewelry and sent someone to take Lianzhi to try them on. While sitting at the door drinking tea, the shopkeeper smiled and said, "The princess has made a new envoy friend. The last time I saw you bring friends from the North Sea was six or seven years ago."
After arriving in the capital, Lianzhi lived in seclusion and rarely went out. Not many people had seen him, and it was the first time the shopkeeper had seen him.
"Why do you think he is from the North Sea?" Princess Mu took a sip of tea.
"You're right," the shopkeeper laughed, seeming to find his question amusing. "To be honest, I've dealt with more North Sea merchants than you and the prince combined. That gentleman's appearance shows he's either from the North Sea or a mix of North Sea and Mobei, there's no doubt about it. He became an envoy to a country at such a young age. He's truly a formidable young man."
Princess Mu hummed.
After a long while, the servant who had taken Lianzhi to change clothes hurried out, whispered a few words in his ear, and quickly went back. Princess Mu thought for a moment, stared at the closed door, walked over and pushed it open.
Lianzhi was struggling to tie the belt around his back. He obviously rarely dressed himself, always having others do it for him. He was so slow in putting on such simple clothes that he even put on his undershirt incorrectly, with the straps inexplicably crossed over his back.
He was clumsy and refused to let anyone help him, insisting on doing it himself. In the end, he spent a long time but couldn't put any clothes on properly.
Princess Mu's gaze shifted quietly downwards, revealing a small section of her fair back. A tiny, brown mark was imprinted on Lianzhi's waist. Just as the waiter had reported, it was a birthmark. However, the birthmark was tattooed with a ferocious leopard head.
Lianzhi's face was extremely pure and lovely, but she had a ferocious tattoo on her body, the contrast was particularly great. Princess Mu pretended not to see it, said nothing, and walked over with a smile: "Let me help you."
“…Thank you.”
As the saying goes, "Don't hit someone who smiles at you." Lianzhi turned around and asked the other person to help him. It was very natural for him to order people around. Princess Mu was not angry. She helped him tie his belt and tied a piece of gauze around his waist.
After finishing her dressing, Princess Mu took a few steps back, looked at him with her chin propped up, and pulled him to sit in front of the dressing table: "Xiaozhi, let me braid your hair, like mine."
He was very deft and quickly gave Lianzhi a new hairstyle. He kept working and asked, "Is the clothing in Liangzhou similar to that in the north? This is the daily outfit of young people in the north. It really suits you."
"It's quite similar." Lianzhi replied, gesturing, "We wear forehead ornaments and earrings in this shape."
"I heard that people in Liangzhou like to wear animal skins and tattoo their bodies and faces. Is that true?"
"That's not the case," Lianzhi replied. He simply thought it was a rumor that Princess Mu had never been to Liangzhou and had heard from others. After packing several boxes of clothes for him, Princess Mu took him to dinner and didn't send him back until dusk.
Throughout the day, the Princess Mu did not mention anything about Bai Kang or King Mu to him. Instead, she simply took him out to play and even treated him to two meals. She was a very nice person.
Bai Kang, who had just left the palace and was riding back to his mansion, saw a young man in a white gauze robe and braided hair strolling outside the mansion gate. He thought it was someone from the vassal state who had lost his way and was about to go up and scold him, but when he got closer, he saw that it was actually Lianzhi.
He quickly grabbed the man by the waist and lifted him up onto his horse. Lianzhi struggled a bit, then turned around and saw it was him, then stopped moving.
"Baby, you look so handsome today." Bo Kang kissed the top of his head. "Why are you suddenly dressed like this?"
"This is the Liangzhou clothing Princess Mu gave me," Lianzhi said. He really suited himself to this look. The red jade pendant on his forehead swayed as he spoke, framing his features like a pampered Persian kitten adorned with precious jewels. He smiled, the gold earrings gleaming. "Brother Kang, do you like me dressed this way?"
"I like it." Bai Kang said sincerely.
The more he looked at her, the more he liked her. He vaguely recalled that when he first met Lianzhi in Liangzhou, she was dressed like this, wearing a veil that revealed only her beautiful eyes. Perhaps he had fallen in love with her then.
He dismounted with Lianzhi in his arms, asked Qinghe to lead the horse away, and walked to the inner courtyard, carrying Lianzhi into the bedroom. The servants in the mansion were already used to this and pretended not to notice. After entering the house, Bai Kang closed the door with his backhand: "Baby, I owe you one..."
"Brother Kang." Lianzhi blocked Bo Kang's kiss, her white palm blocking the two of them, smiling innocently yet cunningly, "I'll wear this every day from now on, okay?"
Bai Kang really liked him dressed like this, otherwise he wouldn't be able to resist kissing him whenever he saw him. He asked in a hoarse voice, "Can you just wear it for me to see?"
Lianzhi pretended to think. Outside, there was a commotion and the sound of horses' hooves receding into the distance, but inside the house, it was so quiet that Lianzhi could even hear Bo Kang's anxious heartbeat. He gave her a wicked smile, "I'm afraid that won't work."
It was an expected answer. Bo Kang said nothing, but continued the kiss. After the kiss, he let her go politely: "I am going to the palace with King Mu today."
"Hmm?" Lianzhi was stunned. His face was still flushed, and he hadn't recovered from the kiss just now.
Why are you suddenly talking about serious matters?
"The remnants of the Beihai Territory intercepted a batch of food and fodder that was being transported to the border. Fortunately, King Mu and several generals discovered this and stopped it in time. The Huti tribe in the Beihai Territory fought hard with our Daning for a long time and was only wiped out a few years ago. However, some remnants are still roaming around. Over the years, the north has been clearing out the enemy forces of the Huti tribe." Bai Kang explained.
"I know all this!" Lianzhi interrupted him.
Did Bai Kang think that he was just pretending when he read memorials in the Imperial Study?
Bai Kang smiled and said, "The remaining members of the Guti tribe have been completely annihilated. His Majesty has ordered a banquet to celebrate the victory. The news of Prince Mu's arrival in the capital should be announced in a few days. Prince Mu would like to host a private banquet for you, me, and several generals."
"I don't want to go." Lianzhi said honestly, "King Mu has seen me, he will find out my identity. What if he reveals...that place?"
"Don't worry, baby," Bai Kang soothed. "King Mu trusts me. I'm one of his own. If you're worried, take Liang Ye and Jiang Yong with you. They'll be speechless when they see you."
This was exactly what Lianzhi wanted. He smiled and said, "Then I'll take Jiang Yong with me."
"Hmm?" Bo Kang was puzzled. "Don't you always bring Liang Ye with you?"
"You know he's clumsy, what if he makes a mistake when you take him out?" Lianzhi hugged his arm and acted coquettishly, "Brother Kang, you have to tell King Mu what I like to eat and prepare a portion for me!"
Lianzhi made a request to him, and even if the person in front of him was his enemy, he would try to satisfy him. Seeing that he agreed, Lianzhi looked up again and kissed him, feeling a little regretful.
It was quite comfortable to kiss Bai Kang, but after he left, I couldn’t kiss him anymore.
Take advantage of these few days to give each other more kisses.
This month, the Shangshu Mansion's expenses were exceptionally high. Lianzhi had invited several people from the Linshan Temple to the mansion under the guise of feng shui, which cost her another fortune. Add to that the gifts she sent to several generals and King Mu, and you've spent over three hundred taels of silver.
At the same time, news of a resounding victory at the northern frontier and the arrival of King Mu in Beijing reached the imperial court. The palace held celebratory banquets for two consecutive days, and the capital was filled with jubilation.
Three days later, King Mu held a banquet at Zuiyue Tower in the capital to entertain Bo Kang and several generals.
The reason for holding the banquet at Zuiyue Tower was that Prince Mu and Princess Mu were staying at the inn, so they could only hold the banquet at the restaurant. Early in the morning, the carriage from Prince Mu's palace arrived outside the palace.
Princess Mu came to pick up Lianzhi again. The difference this time was that there was another person in the carriage, someone Lianzhi knew: Xue Nan, whom she hadn't seen in a while. Princess Mu smiled and explained, "I met General Xue on the way, so we came together. Xiaozhi, sit next to me."
After he finished speaking, he looked at the attendant behind Lianzhi who looked almost identical to her, and said in surprise: "This..."
"He's a servant, don't worry about him, just let him sit in the back carriage." Lianzhi said.
Princess Mu nodded without saying anything, but Xue Nan couldn't hide the truth and his eyes widened - the first time Lianzhi saw him, she said that she was the secret guard of the previous emperor, so what about this attendant, couldn't he also be the secret guard of the previous emperor!
Could it be that all of the late emperor's secret guards look exactly the same?
His shock was so obvious that Lianzhi felt a slight disdain in her heart. She was afraid that he would say something and be noticed by Princess Mu, so she took the initiative to ask, "I heard that General Xue is still in Rongcheng. Why didn't General Xue stay with his father in Rongcheng?"
"I did want to, but unfortunately I wasn't on the list for the expedition that day. My father sent me back," Xue Nan said angrily. As soon as he changed the subject, he immediately forgot about the man.
"If it weren't for General Xue and General Xue Xiao leading the troops to defend the city, this battle against the Guti tribe wouldn't have been so smooth." Princess Mu nodded slightly. "On behalf of the prince and the people of Rongcheng, I thank the two generals."
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