◇ Chapter 56 (56) Drunk, consummating the marriage
"That's too kind." Xue Nan's cheeks flushed slightly.
Hearing the last sentence, he remembered the two people before him: Princess Mu and the Minister's Wife. In their usual conversations, Princess Mu was graceful, respectful, and even able to discuss political matters with him. As for the Minister's Wife... she was a secret guard. Being around them always made one forget their identities.
Why do I suddenly feel so awkward now?
"When I was counting the spoils, I took a few of these jades." Xue Nan remembered something and dug into his pocket, pulling out a few jade plaques of unusual design, clearly ornaments worn by people from the North Sea. He glanced at Lian Zhi furtively, "Do you like them?"
Princess Mu knew what he was thinking from his expression. He was trying to please them like little girls. "I was there at the time. The prince has already sent the remaining spoils to the capital."
Xue Nan laughed awkwardly.
"Let me see it." Lianzhi grabbed the jade token. Before Xue Nan could stop him, he snatched it away. Lianzhi looked left and right, untied a chain around her neck and said, "I have something similar."
The white jade pendant rested quietly in his open palm. It was indeed identical to the one Xue Nan had brought. He wore several pendants, and without careful observation, one couldn't tell the similarities. Xue Nan leaned over to examine them carefully, then laughed and said, "They're exactly the same!"
"This is what I brought from Liangzhou." Lianzhi said proudly.
Xue Nan placed his piece in Lianzhi's hand and said with a sigh, "How bizarre! They can actually be put together..."
Before he could finish, both pieces were snatched away by Princess Mu. Princess Mu held up the jade plaques, looked at them carefully against the light from the window, and then returned them.
"Xiaozhi, does Bo Kang know you have this badge?" Princess Mu asked seriously. He usually looked cold, but he always smiled when talking to Lianzhi. This was the first time he looked so serious. Lianzhi shook her head: "No. I rarely wear this."
"Don't tell him you have this jade token," Princess Mu said softly, speaking very quickly. After that, he looked at Xue Nan with a smile and said, "It's not right to take things from people in the North Sea Territory. Please, General Xue, don't tell anyone."
I don't know if Xue Nan listened to me or not, but he finally put the jade token away. Seeing that they were outside Zuiyue Tower, Xue Nan opened the car door and jumped out excitedly. Princess Mu was about to get out of the car when she heard Lianzhi say behind her: "Princess, please wait a moment."
Princess Mu turned around in confusion.
"Princess, you should have guessed what this is, right?" Lianzhi looked puzzled. "Why are you reminding me?"
Logically speaking, Princess Mu should have a closer relationship with Bai Kang than with him, but why would she remind him?
"Why did you take out this jade token?" Princess Mu's eyes were very calm. "I said, we have similar backgrounds. I just want to help you."
After saying this, he ignored Lianzhi and got off the carriage. The moment his feet touched the ground, a cloak fell over Princess Mu's shoulders. The man in brocade clothes spoke in a gentle voice, his face still sickly, and he looked at Princess Mu with concern.
"Why don't you wear a cloak when you go out? It's windy these days, be careful not to catch a cold."
Lianzhi looked up and saw two people in front of her leading horses. One was Bai Kang, who was wearing official uniform and hat, and the other was wearing the prince's casual clothes. He was handing the horse to the servant, while he was concerned about the Princess Mu in front of him.
It was his former cousin, King Mu.
Lianzhi's gaze shifted to Baikang, who also looked over. After a while, he uttered a few "ohs," "Baby, I'm not wearing a cape today..."
Come to think of it, there's no need to wear a cloak in today's weather. Prince Mu and his wife don't look like strong men, so it's normal for them to focus on keeping warm. Lianzhi had heard that Prince Mu was in poor health and had only gradually improved in recent years. She immediately gave up the idea of comparing herself with others and took Bo Kang's hand.
King Mu's gaze only briefly passed over his face before he turned away.
The top floor had been completely reserved by Prince Mu, and the palace guards stood guard at the stairwell, verifying everyone's identity before letting them in. Bai Kang and Lian Zhi followed them in and sat to the left of the main seat.
"That's General Luo, the Northern Guardian. You probably haven't seen him. He took office last year and immediately headed north. He only recently returned." Bai Kang leaned close to Lianzhi's ear and secretly extended his hand to introduce the people at the table. "The two on his right are General Mingwei and General Fu, and the one next to him is Lieutenant General Shen. There's another one you don't know."
Bai Kang was secretly happy. Lianzhi found that Bai Kang liked to talk about these gossips. Occasionally, she heard him chatting with Chang Yuzhu, and he would also gossip about other people. It seemed that he knew everything about the officials' family affairs, even more than the people in the Censorate.
"Deputy General Shen was appointed last year. He was given an important position because his sister married General Xue's nephew." Bai Kang said while peeling peanuts, "But General Xue's nephew has been injured since childhood and cannot be treated as a human. Deputy General Shen's family knew this, but they still..."
Lianzhi covered her ears expressionlessly: "Brother Kang, don't tell me this."
Bai Kang smiled awkwardly and put down his things. The white porcelain plate in front of him was piled high with peeled peanuts, which he passed to Lianzhi. He shifted his sitting position and listened to Lianzhi ask, "Why did General Xue ask to be stationed at the border?"
Bai Kang looked left and right, and when he saw that no one was paying attention to them, he lowered his head and said, "The Princess of Jinyang has arrived in Beijing."
Lotus branch:?
"Rumor has it that General Xue and Princess Jinyang secretly fell in love, but later broke up. That's why General Xue asked to be stationed at the border." Bai Kang stared at the top of Lianzhi's head. "A few days ago, General Xue was inexplicably holding a token from Princess Jinyang. You may not have seen it before. It's a woman's handkerchief."
Handkerchief... Could it be the one he gave to Xue Nan?
Lianzhi smiled slightly: "Brother Kang, please drink less today."
"You're concerned about me?" Bo Kang grinned. Lian Zhi shook her head, "You're talking drunken talk even though you haven't even had any alcohol yet."
After saying that, he stopped looking at Bo Kang's reaction and started eating peanuts.
Since Bai Kang knew that General Xue had obtained the handkerchief and that there was a connection between them, how could he not know that it was he who gave the handkerchief away?
After all, I couldn't hide it.
But why didn’t Bo Kang mention this matter?
He stared at the table, lost in thought, when he suddenly shuddered. It felt as if a cold gaze was fixed upon him, like a snake waiting for its chance to strike. He instinctively glanced over, only to find that the people in that direction were toasting and chatting animatedly.
Is it his illusion?
Lianzhi was suspicious. The guards outside the door brought in dishes one after another. There were clan members present, so just in case, these dishes were sent by the waiters to the guards to test for poison before being put on the table. The dishes on each table were the same. Lianzhi took a closer look and found that there were indeed many dishes he liked. He looked at Bai Kang in surprise: "You actually mentioned this to King Mu?" He had just said it casually, but he didn't expect Bai Kang to be willing to say such a thing in front of King Mu?
"Of course. As I said before, I used to be King Mu's personal guard. I'm one of us." Bai Kang boasted proudly.
Somehow, Lianzhi got upset by this remark, and he twisted Baikang's waist. When Baikang grimaced in pain, he said aggrievedly, "Personal bodyguard? You can only be my bodyguard."
Bai Kang's face was full of amusement: "Jealous?"
"That's right." Lianzhi dragged out the tone.
King Mu was a man of few arrogance, so he avoided the toasts and the constant flattery. The wine was served by guards, a dozen or so of them approaching with jugs of wine, each pouring it to each table. As they approached their table, Lianzhi could clearly smell something strange in the jug.
Of course it wasn't poison. Every pot of wine was tested for poison; if there was a problem, it would have been discovered long ago. He raised the celadon wine glass and sniffed it. The wine was clear and looked like any other drink at first glance.
It seems that...
Governor Liu, seated to his left, raised his glass to toast Bai Kang and Lian Zhi. Lian Zhi, flustered, was about to pour out her wine when Governor Liu arrived to offer a toast. She tried to remind Bai Kang, but she was afraid she couldn't. Just as he was about to drink, Bai Kang suddenly snatched the glass from his hand and emptied both glasses in quick succession.
Lianzhi and Governor Liu both looked over in surprise.
"My wife is young and can't drink much. Old Liu, let's just drink together." Bai Kang smiled, sat in front of Lianzhi calmly, and drank two more glasses with Governor Liu.
This was the wine from Rongcheng, stronger than the wine in Beijing. After four cups, Bai Kang's face had turned a little red. His face was red, but he wasn't drunk. When Governor Liu and others toasted, Lianzhi asked, "Why are you drinking for me?"
"Is there something wrong with the wine?" asked Bai Kang.
Lianzhi grabbed his sleeve anxiously and said, "You knew it, but you still drank it! Go and spit it out first, and then you can tell King Mu about this!"
"Will he die?" asked Bo Kang.
Lianzhi was stunned and shook her head.
Bai Kang also guessed that it was not a poison that would kill instantly upon contact with blood, or maybe it was not a poison at all. It would be better for him to find an excuse to leave the table and let the doctor detoxify him quickly.
The important thing is that Lianzhi is fine.
"Master Bai, Mrs. Bai."
Deputy General Shen, who had just been discussing this, walked up to them, holding a wine glass, with a calm expression: "I have long admired you, sir. Please accept a glass of wine from me, sir and madam."
There's something wrong with this guy.
Bai Kang blocked Lian Zhi's way and tried to toast him. Unexpectedly, Lian Zhi followed suit and took a sip. Bai Kang's eyes widened, unable to stop her, so he could only clink glasses with Lieutenant General Shen. Lieutenant General Shen seemed to be toasting out of courtesy, and after his drink, he went to Governor Liu's office.
"What are you drinking!" Bai Kang asked sternly.
"I suspect the drug was given by someone from their side." Lianzhi's face flushed. "He was secretly watching us just now. It's okay, Brother Kang. I've seen this drug before. It's from Liangzhou..."
He trailed off mid-sentence. Bo Kang questioned Lianzhi several times, but she refused to speak. After three rounds of drinks, the night was as dark as ink, the moon hung high in the sky, and the streets below gradually became deserted. As the party dispersed and Lianzhi descended, her legs gave way.
"Master!"
Jiang Yong, who was waiting outside, saw something was wrong and rushed over to help. Before he could make a move, Bai Kang had already picked the man up. They had both been drinking at the banquet. Bai Kang had drunk more than Lian Zhi, and the smell of alcohol was strong. His steps were steady, but he felt a little dizzy.
"You go follow behind." Bai Kang calmly gave the order and carried the person into the carriage. As soon as he got in, Lianzhi rushed over with all her hands and feet and got into Bai Kang's arms: "Brother Kang, I'm so hot."
His face was already flushed, his soft little face like a ripe peach, ready to be squeezed into juice. He clung to Bo Kang like a little koala. Bo Kang looked at him with a complicated expression. By the second round of drinks, he had already noticed something was wrong with him and instantly understood what the drug was.
"Baby, you know what that is, why do you still drink it?" asked Bai Kang.
Lianzhi nuzzled against his chest, already unconscious. But Bo Kang, eager for his answer, asked again. He was feeling the heat, not to mention the alluring Lianzhi in his arms. He repeatedly told the driver to speed up, and after a while, they finally reached the mansion. He dismounted, Lianzhi on his back, and, with a hasty "prepare some cold water," he hurried back to his bedroom.
The tub had already been brought into the room. He took off his official uniform and wanted to take Lianzhi into the tub to soak in the cold water. Before he could touch the person on the bed, Lianzhi sat up first, hugged his waist and rubbed him hard.
"Let go." Bo Kang's voice was no longer as gentle as usual.
"Brother Kang, I feel so bad." Lianzhi's voice was tearful and timid, which made people feel soft-hearted.
"Are you doing this on purpose..." Bai Kang gritted his teeth, not daring to move. The bathtub was just a few steps away, emitting a chilling cold air. But Bai Kang couldn't move a step. Lianzhi still hugged him and said coquettishly: "I don't want to take a cold bath, no!"
Sure enough, as soon as he started to act coquettishly, Bai Kang loosened his grip and indulged him as usual. Just when Lian Zhi wanted him to change the hot water, Bai Kang suddenly leaned on one knee at the edge of the bed and pressed down with his whole body.
The limp body fell backward, and Lianzhi instantly sobered up. Bai Kang's face zoomed in and out, finally kissing him on the lips. The scent of alcohol and a light fragrance mingled. Lianzhi endured the kiss, staring blankly at Bai Kang.
You know what the medicine is, why do you still drink it?
If Bo Kang hadn't known for himself, he would have thought Lian Zhi liked him. But Lian Zhi never did anything she didn't want to do. So, could he boldly guess that Lian Zhi liked him?
Is Lianzhi willing to marry him?
"Lian'er." Bo Kang caressed Lianzhi's face, the meaning of which was self-evident. "Can I?"
Lianzhi's long eyelashes trembled, and she pressed her face against Bo Kang's palm and rubbed it slowly.
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