◇ Chapter 57 (57) The Wife Ran Away
Bo Kang sat up, holding his head.
A night of beautiful dreams. The morning sun filtered through the window lattice, shimmering across the bed curtains. The dawn was dim, and all things were just beginning to wake up. The servants of the Shangshu Mansion hadn't all woken up yet. Only the sound of a few scattered footsteps and the faint sound of snoring could be heard from outside the door. Xiao Liu, the night watchman, lay on the small couch by the door, clutching a pillow, sound asleep.
Judging from the sky, it was not yet time for him to get up and prepare to go to court.
He had a terrible headache. He'd already drunk too much last night, not to mention the drugs. His head felt like it was about to explode. Bo Kang rubbed his temples, and the scene of last night involuntarily emerged in his mind.
Lianzhi likes him and is willing to be with him.
Lianzhi kept crying and grabbing him, and was finally knocked unconscious by him.
Thinking of this, Bo Kang's heart suddenly softened, worried that he hadn't used any proper tactics and had really hurt Lianzhi. The bed was still warm. Last night, Lianzhi had clung to his waist tightly to fall asleep, but now she had let go.
But he had to see if Lianzhi was hurt before he could feel at ease. Bo Kang lifted the quilt and called out in the most gentle and polite voice ever: "Baby, let me see..."
In the middle of his words, Bai Kang fell silent.
There was no one around him. There were wrinkles on the mattress where someone had slept there. The warmth was still there, but that person was gone.
In the early morning, all the servants in the Shangshu Mansion were forced to wake up early.
Their wife, Master Lianzhi, is missing.
It was late August, and the mornings were chilly. Bai Kang hadn't even had time to put on his shirt, leaving his torso, covered in scars and scratches, exposed. No one dared to remind him, fearing bad luck. They searched the courtyard, the study, the side rooms, even the stables and the woodshed, but Lianzhi seemed to have vanished. Her clothing and jewelry, which had belonged to her, vanished from the closet. Aside from the lingering warmth of the bed, not a trace remained.
"Where could he go?" Bo Kang murmured. "We must investigate."
Qing He, trembling with fear at the side, caught the key words and immediately handed the tea to Bai Kang. Bai Kang was speechless for a moment, pinching his brows. "It's three quarters past the hour of Mao now, and the city gate will open in two quarters of an hour. You take my badge and quickly lead the people to find the city gate guards. Make sure they don't open the city gate yet. I'll lead the people to search for people nearby."
Qing He nodded in agreement. Bo Kang stood up, then remembered the most important point and ordered, "If you encounter any trace of him, make sure Lian Er is safe and bring back the person who is holding him hostage!"
Qing He thought, "Who could sneak into the Shangshu Mansion and kidnap someone so quietly? It must be the Madam herself who ran away." He didn't say it out loud, taking Bai Kang's badge and hurriedly leaving with the guards. With court about to begin, Bai Kang planned to lead his men along the official road in search of the person. When court was about to begin, he would have the palace guards disperse to search for the person...
"My lord, something bad has happened!"
Bai Kang frowned and turned away. Xiao Liu came running back, panting heavily, her face filled with panic. "Jiang Yong is missing! We found his wife's things in his room!"
As a servant, Jiang Yong lived with three other people. Unfortunately, all three of his roommates were on night watch last night, leaving him alone in the room. Jiang Yong's cabinet was bare. An envelope with Lianzhi's handwriting sat on the table, and a few scraps of paper lay scattered on the floor.
Bo Kang opened the envelope and found a thick stack of banknotes inside. He counted them and found that there were a thousand taels of silver.
Counting the amount, it was all the expenses that Bai Kang had spent on Lianzhi since he came to the Shangshu Mansion.
Lianzhi returned the money to him.
——Lianzhi was not kidnapped by anyone, he left on his own.
Even though he knew the possibility of Lianzhi being kidnapped was minimal, Bo Kang still refused to admit it. They'd been talking about everything lately, and they'd just had a heart-to-heart last night. Lianzhi depended on him so much, why would she leave him?
What he wanted more than money was Lianzhi by his side!
Perhaps it was because Bo Kang's aura was too terrifying that the surrounding guards dared not approach him. His face was clearly sad, and no one dared to comfort him. Finally, the butler came forward with a sigh and said, "Sir, there seems to be something left on the ground."
Bo Kang then squatted down and picked up the scraps of paper on the ground. He frowned as soon as he touched the scraps of paper.
No, this isn't paper. It feels soft and thin, like...
It seems to be the touch of human skin.
He suddenly remembered something and took his servant to search through all the garbage in the ear room. Finally, in the garbage pile that had not been thrown out of the house, he found a disguise mask and two unused jars of cosmetics that seemed to be used by women for dressing.
When the disguise mask was unfolded, only a part of it was visible, but you could tell whose face it was.
It was Lianzhi, or rather, they were "imitating" Chen Fenglian's face.
"You guys." Bai Kang waved to the three people who lived with Jiang Yong, his tone somewhat cold. "You live with Jiang Yong. When does he usually go to bed? Have you ever seen him dress?"
The three of them looked at each other and shook their heads: "Jiang Yong goes to bed the latest and gets up the earliest. He is not responsible for the affairs of the courtyard, so we don't know much about them." Ever since Lianzhi came, the division of labor in the Shangshu Mansion has become very clear, and the servants don't ask each other about their jobs.
Jiang Yong's face, which was extremely similar to Chen Fenglian's, was most likely a disguise.
Lianzhi disappeared, and Jiang Yong followed suit. Now that he thought about it, their encounters with these two in Liangzhou were clearly a long-planned plot! He was openly allowed to see Lianzhi, the most famous courtesan, while Jiang Yong met her on the street. If he hadn't meddled, or hadn't been willing to bring Jiang Yong back to the capital, Jiang Yong, the hidden pawn, wouldn't have been needed.
He had just thought that since two handsome young men with similar looks disappeared at the same time, it would be easy to find them.
"Do you think it's possible?" Bai Kang whispered.
The steward closest to him leaned over to listen, only to hear Bai Kang say, self-deceivingly, "Is it possible that Jiang Yong kidnapped Lian'er and Lian'er didn't leave of her own accord?"
After saying this, he even felt a little ridiculous.
Bai Kang was quite absent-minded throughout the morning court session. Returning to the Ministry of Rites, he hurriedly wrote a petition requesting leave for the next day. His subordinates had already reported back on the progress of the palace guards' search.
"Sir, we haven't found any trace of him on East and West Streets, but the city guards say no one with the characteristics you describe has left the city."
The subordinates' voices were low. Bai Kang only said they were searching for the thief, fearing the incident would become too serious. Bai Kang remained silent, his expression grave.
"Where is the person wearing the white jade pendant?" he asked.
The subordinate immediately understood: "We have followed your instructions. Everyone who leaves the city will be checked. There is still no news from the people sent from the South City and the North City."
Bai Kang hummed, feeling incredibly annoyed. He couldn't wait until the next day, having already submitted his request for leave that afternoon. The official who came to investigate, seeing his awful complexion, assumed he was ill and sent him away with kind words. He didn't return home, but instead led his men outside to search for her. This search dragged on until late at night, when the men dispatched from North and South Streets had already returned, having found no trace of Lianzhi in the city.
"Go to the inn." Bai Kang said in a deep voice.
Since there was no news from the city gate guards, it meant that Lianzhi and the others were still in the city. There were guards patrolling at night, and Lianzhi was so delicate that she would definitely stay at the inn.
"No need to go."
He was startled by the familiar voice and turned around to see Prince Mu and Princess Mu, both dressed in similar black, standing behind him, flanked by their royal guards. Princess Mu looked at him and said apologetically, "Your Highness and I have secured the posthouse and the vassal camp, but we haven't found any suspicious individuals. I'm sorry, Bo Kang. If I had discovered Lianzhi's identity earlier..."
"Princess, please don't say such things." Bai Kang lowered his head quickly.
Yesterday, when no one was around, Princess Mu showed him the jade token.
They had all dealt with envoys from the North Sea Territory before, and they immediately recognized the jade token as belonging to the North Sea Territory's royal family based on its specifications. Bo Kang and King Mu could decipher the inscription: it was the character for "Lan." The Huti royal family was in decline, and the Yilu royal family lacked a noble named Lan.
Most likely, this is something from the Helan tribe.
Why do the remnants of the Huti tribe have the jade token of the Helan tribe? Why does the same thing also belong to Lianzhi?
Bo Kang originally thought that since Lianzhi was unwilling to tell him about this, he could find an opportunity to slowly ask her. After all, they were close now, and Lianzhi would confess everything to him sooner or later.
Unexpected, unexpected!
Lianzhi ran away without saying a word!
Bai Kang was so restless that he couldn't help but pace around. King Mu, who had been silent, suddenly said, "Be prepared. Someone might come to pick him up, and we won't be able to find him."
Princess Mu and Bai Kang both looked over. King Mu coughed twice and said, "A whole day has passed. If all methods fail to find the person... Bai Kang, you must be prepared." After all, so much time has passed, the hope of finding the person is extremely slim.
Bai Kang hummed a deep, unspoken "hmm." His inner thoughts were unclear. The guards arrived to report that the man wearing the white jade plaque had been found in the north of the city. Overjoyed, Bai Kang quickly ordered the man to be brought aboard.
This look made me even more disappointed.
Xue Nan, who was escorted here by the imperial guards, cursed and swore, not daring to fight the guards, so he could only talk. Seeing him, the three people who were waiting for news fell into a strange silence.
"Why bring him here?" asked King Mu.
The guard was stunned: "Didn't Master Bai's guard say that they were looking for someone wearing a white jade badge..."
It was indeed his request, but Bo Kang sensed something was amiss. His guards had all seen Lian Zhi before; how could they recognize her name and not her? He sent for the guard who had delivered the message, only to discover that he had vanished.
He is from Lianzhi.
The people from Lianzhi are disturbing them.
As the night deepened, Bai Kang ordered Xue Nan to be escorted back to the palace. Xue Nan's appearance was a coincidence; he had said he was looking for someone. But how could the guards have such a chance encounter with Xue Nan, wearing the jade token?
"It's inconvenient to move around at night. Bo Kang, do you have any of Xiaozhi's personal belongings?" Princess Mu thought of something and suggested, "Why not let the wolfhounds sniff out the scent to find the person? Although the effect may be minimal, it can still be of some help."
When Lianzhi left, she had already taken all her belongings. Aside from the quilt, there was only the letter he had left behind, which Bo Kang kept with him. He reluctantly handed the purse over. Princess Mu took it, her brow furrowed, and instead of rushing to hand it over to Prince Mu, she sniffed it herself.
"What is this?" asked Princess Mu.
"The envelope that Lianzhi left behind. And the disguise mask and makeup." Bo Kang said, then became nervous. "Can't they be packed together?"
Princess Mu shook her head: "This is not makeup, but medicine, that kind of medicine. I can only smell a little bit of it. You have to be careful about the people around you."
That kind of medicine.
The drug he took last night?
Bai Kang suddenly understood something. His throat felt dry, and he wanted to ask Princess Mu for clarification, but he knew only Lian Zhi could give him the answer. He couldn't even remember what he had told the guards. He returned to his house in a daze, dismissed everyone around him, and returned to his room alone.
The housekeeper quickly summoned the doctor. Bo Kang handed him the medicine jar and repeated Princess Mu's words. The doctor took out the powder, examined it for a moment, and replied, "This is just as you said. It's a common aphrodisiac. It's harmless to the body. You can rest assured."
Bo Kang said nothing, letting him leave. For a moment, the room was completely silent. The bed was still as it had been when he'd left it that morning, as if the lotus branch were still beside him.
He lived for more than twenty years and claimed to have seen many things clearly, but he was deceived by a petty liar.
He had never even seen through Lianzhi's intentions, nor was he willing to investigate them. He no longer cared about Lianzhi's true identity or what she wanted to do.
As long as I can get the lotus branch back, that's fine.
"Baby." Bai Kang picked up the crumpled quilt and took a deep breath. "When are you willing to come back?"
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