◇ Chapter 58 (58) Marriage
North of the city, outside the market town.
A rather unassuming carriage stopped at the restaurant's warehouse. Arus, disguised as a North Sea merchant, and a waiter worked together to load the box into the carriage. They opened it, and the person inside emerged. The young man's face flushed red as he angrily scolded, "You're so slow!"
It was the lotus branch hiding in the rice box.
"Just make do with it, young master," Arus said sarcastically. "The entire capital is looking for your guards and personal soldiers. It seems that the Minister of Rites really treats you like the apple of his eye. He hasn't given up after searching for you for a whole day and night."
Lianzhi snorted without refutation, her eyes downcast, a look of gloom surrounding her. The air was thick with the scent of the Minister of Rites, whom he hated the most. Seeing this, Arus was filled with rage. He wanted to rush into the city and give Bai Kang another beating—even though his last fight with Bai Kang hadn't ended well for him.
We can't stay in the city any longer. We can't let Bo Kang take Lianzhi back. Arus glanced at the sky and stuffed two buns into Lianzhi's hands. "Eat them in half an hour. We'll leave the city today."
Lianzhi: “I don’t want to eat it.”
"Why don't you eat?" Arus deliberately reminded him in a tone that was tinged with the North Sea dialect. "If you're not hungry, go back to the box."
Lianzhi snorted softly and reluctantly took a small bite. His stomach ached so badly that he couldn't eat anything. If Bo Kang were here, he would definitely buy him something else.
No, he has a stomachache, it’s all Bo Kang’s fault!
It made his stomach and head hurt. He agreed to it because he was leaving and Bai Kang was going to be without a wife. Bai Kang had been very good to him over the past six months, so it was no big deal to allow him to come once. He didn't expect Bai Kang to be like a mad dog! He really still hated Bai Kang!
Resisting the urge to go back and scold Bo Kang, Lianzhi tearfully ate half a bun. Seeing that he had stopped complaining, Arus softened his attitude. Thinking of his pampered nature and unwillingness to compromise, he suggested he sleep a little longer in the carriage.
Lianzhi dismissed the man with a cold expression. After Arus left for a walk, the waiter stepped into the carriage, removed his turban, and revealed an ordinary face with a hint of an alien character.
Although the voice and appearance were completely different, this person was none other than Jiang Yong.
"Have the princess's men withdrawn?" Lianzhi leaned against the car window and asked softly.
"As you instructed, they left the capital last night. The Ministry of Rites had no suspicions and allowed them all to pass. By the time they came to their senses, they were likely already far away from the capital," Jiang Yong reported. "Only two groups remained, still in the city as merchants and monks."
"That's good. The Longxi King is powerful, and the Princess has so many people stationed in the capital that it's actually arousing suspicion." Lianzhi rubbed her brow. She was exhausted, and her thoughts were slower than usual. "Bai Kang and the others will definitely find our people soon. Be sure to tell everyone to retreat completely."
Jiang Yong didn't answer the question. He hummed and said worriedly, "Your Highness, please get some sleep. You look very tired."
Lianzhi waved her hand, telling him to stop arguing. He stared at Jiang Yong's face and suddenly laughed, a laugh that was particularly bitter: "You'd look better if you disguised yourself as me."
This warehouse was right next to the restaurant's windows, and one could clearly hear the noises of laughter and the strong smell of alcohol wafting from inside. Lianzhi felt the breeze and felt drowsy.
He actually hoped that Bo Kang would come.
From a short distance, he could hear the sound of personal guards searching. Lianzhi, with her sharp hearing, could tell they were not far from the restaurant, and quickly slipped back into the box. A moment later, the world beneath him began to spin, and the carriage took off, carrying him away from the capital.
I actually feel reluctant to let go.
However, they will meet again soon.
The guards searched the city for two whole days but could find no trace of Lianzhi. Strangely enough, they couldn't find anyone who even remotely resembled Lianzhi, let alone the real person, even after searching with her portrait.
Bai Kang thought they might have disguised themselves as Qiang people and left the city with the caravan. Jiang Yong's disguise skills were so superb that no one, including him, his colleagues from the Ministry of Rites, and the servants in the palace, could tell that it was not his true appearance.
The next day, Prince Mu and Princess Mu came to visit the Shangshu Mansion.
Bai Kang and the doctor were both in the reception room, and the room was filled with a strong smell of medicine. Seeing them coming, Bai Kang quickly stood up and gave the main seat to King Mu.
Princess Mu sniffed the air, looked at Bo Kang, and frowned, "Are you drinking tonic? What's wrong with you?"
The doctor immediately bowed and answered, "Your Highness, Your Highness, this is just some tranquilizing soup. Lord Bai has been working hard for several days and is mentally exhausted. He also took the medicine a few days ago and has been suffering from frequent headaches, so I ordered this medicine."
With that, Bai Kang downed the remaining medicinal liquid at the bottom of the bowl in one gulp. His movements were quick and decisive, completely different from the languor the doctor had described. After finishing his drink, he told the doctor to leave immediately. After closing the door, he took the initiative to ask, "Your Highness, you came here today. Is there any news from the palace?"
"It's just about that marriage." King Mu raised his teacup. "The defeat of Mobei is inevitable. While it's still winter and the food supply is sufficient, Your Majesty's intention is to capture Mobei as soon as possible to avoid further trouble."
This year's harvest was poor, and coupled with a famine, it wasn't the best time to attack Mobei. Emperor Jianguang was also known to be cautious and suspicious, and anyone could see that Your Majesty was unwilling to employ talented relatives like Prince Mu at this time.
If it weren't for the good opportunity of the war between the Helan tribe and Mobei, there would probably be no war between Daning Kingdom and Mobei for several years.
To show its sincerity, the Daning Kingdom was willing to ask the Helan Tribe to marry its princess in order to establish a friendly relationship with the two countries. Every year, the two countries would send supplies to each other and form an alliance.
After King Mu finished speaking, he suddenly fell silent and looked at Bai Kang from head to toe. Bai Kang was frightened by his gaze and asked, "Why are you looking at me, Your Majesty?"
"I see that your thoughts are no longer on state affairs," King Mu said with a smile. "I am solely responsible for leading the troops in battle. The Ministry of Rites will be responsible for all specific matters. You must have heard of this before, so why do you still look so confused?"
Bo Kang was startled and quickly said, "Your Highness, please forgive me..."
Before he could finish, Prince Mu waved his hand and took Princess Mu's hand, ready to leave. He helped Bo Kang up and said earnestly, "As for your wife... I'll do my best to find her in the north. You should relax."
After saying this, Prince Mu and Princess Mu left together. When the door opened, Qing He came in with a teapot, refilled Bai Kang's tea, and murmured, "I think His Highness Prince Mu came here today just to remind you not to worry too much about Madam's affairs."
"Did you eavesdrop on my discussion with King Mu?" Bai Kang glanced at him with an unfriendly tone.
"I just happened to hear it when I came in." Qing He comforted him, "Don't worry, sir. Maybe in a couple of days, the lady will be found."
Afraid that Bai Kang's bad mood would affect him, Qing He ran away immediately after adding the tea. Bai Kang rubbed his eyebrows, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
As if he were a human, you could tell that he was anxious and worried about Lianzhi.
King Mu's words were true. A few days later, Emperor Jianguang announced his intention to make peace with the Helan tribe during his morning court session. He also sent Bo Kang and officials from the Ministry of Rites to Rongcheng in the north to welcome the Helan princess and escort her to the capital.
The civil and military officials had been prepared for this, and now that they had heard the exact decree, their hearts were completely calm. After the court session, Bai Kang and the Minister of Rites were about to leave when Eunuch Lu hurried over. Looking in their direction, he saw that he was heading right towards them.
If Eunuch Lu comes after us...it's definitely not a good thing.
Sure enough, Bai Kang's premonition came true. Eunuch Lu stopped behind him and gave him a flattering smile. "His Majesty has ordered that Lord Bai immediately proceed to the Imperial Study to discuss matters."
Incense curled in the imperial study. Emperor Jianguang had removed his crown and was sitting on the dragon throne reviewing memorials. Seeing Bai Kang enter, he put down his red brush and motioned for Bai Kang to excuse himself.
"Lord Bai, I summoned you here because of today's events." Emperor Jianguang smiled warmly, "This marriage was truly a last resort."
Bai Kang bowed his head and saluted: "Mobei is a major concern for Your Majesty. I understand."
"Not only that. Border wars are frequent, and it is not enough to just solve the problem of Mobei." Emperor Jianguang sighed.
He looked at Bo Kang with a sharp gaze. "The marriage is just a delaying tactic. The Helan tribe is not my people. If I were in their place, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to convince them. I want you to find out the truth for me when you meet with the Helan envoys in the north. As for the princess coming for marriage... escort her to the capital."
Bai Kang had anticipated that Emperor Jianguang had other intentions, so he was not surprised at this time.
It's just a pity for the princess who was married off to another country.
He kowtowed solemnly and said: "I will do my best."
Ten days later, a group of people from the Ministry of Rites followed King Mu's troops back to the north to prepare to receive the envoys from the Helan tribe.
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