◇ Chapter 62 (62) Brother, are you coming to my room?
"What?" Bo Kang touched his nose awkwardly. "There's a difference between men and women. How can I meet a girl? My mother is so worried that she's in a state of confusion. I can't do that."
"Even if your wife may never come back?" King Mu said meaningfully.
Bai Kang never thought of that possibility.
No matter what, he would find Lianzhi. Moreover, he was certain that the "maid" was Lianzhi herself, and perhaps Lianzhi was the one who instigated the princess' disappearance.
It was only right and reasonable for him to bring Lianzhi back and let the little guy explain why he did all these things.
Xiaozhu said she'd come back, but Bokang waited for days without seeing him. He waited at the inn as usual, practically staying there to facilitate communication with the Helan envoy. Sadly, he never saw that figure again. The young man who claimed to be a page boy appeared several times. Bokang heard from the Helan pageant that the boy's name was Geer. But every time he saw him, Geer would stay away, looking guilty.
Even that Mobei man never showed up again.
Bai Kang ordered the little white cat to be washed and carried out daily. He usually wore black, and the little white cat nestled in his arms was extremely conspicuous, making Bai Kang appear less serious. Officials from the Ministry of Rites and envoys from the North Sea Territory would come over to pet it whenever they saw it.
The attendants who came with King Mu would also come to pet the kitten, muttering, "This cat looks just like the one our princess raises."
"These cats and dogs all look the same." Bai Kang answered casually.
Six days had passed before they finally tracked down the princess. The letter before them indicated the tavern where she had been hiding. It turned out that on the day the Helan envoys entered the city, the princess had secretly left the envoys and blended into another caravan entering the city.
Bai Kang had a hunch that something was amiss. The attendant, still playing with the cat nearby, replied, "It's different. Our princess's cat also has a wisp of golden hair around its mouth, just like this one. Lord Bai, where did you get this cat?"
Bo Kang said he picked it up on the roadside, and the attendant slapped his head and said, "Maybe it's the same one!"
"If that's the case, why not take the cat back and ask the princess to see if it's her favorite pet?" Bo Kang said. He thought it would be a great achievement if he could help the cat find its owner. Lianzhi was feeding a cat on the roadside at the time, so she must have felt sorry for the kitten.
He can't even take care of himself. He's wearing so little in such cold weather, and yet he still has the mind to worry about his cat.
Da Xi Mi promised to bring the princess back within two days and not let Bai Kang down. After finishing all his business, it was already past midnight, but he didn't go home, staying at the inn. In the dead of night, a few voices could be heard downstairs, but they seemed insignificant in the silence.
Not long after he fell asleep, there was a banging on the door. Bo Kang was instantly alert, but he didn't open the door. The person outside knocked a few more times, and he couldn't wait any longer, so he shouted, "Sir! There's a quarrel downstairs!"
There was only one table of people still eating on the first floor. Two lamps were burning against the wall, illuminating that corner. When Bo Kang walked over, the quarrel was so intense that it was about to come to blows.
The snow-white figure he'd been dreaming of stood in the middle, hands on hips, fiercely arguing with several burly men across from him. Outnumbered, he held his own. The shopkeeper apologized with a smile, "Did you disturb your master's rest? I'll have them separated right away."
"Pull open? You're probably not going to be able to move the Helan envoy." Bo Kang snorted and laughed, standing still, watching. It wasn't until the woman behind Xiaozhu drew the dagger from her waist that he took a deep breath and stepped forward.
Those men were local merchants in Rongcheng, so they naturally recognized Bai Kang. Seeing him approach, they stopped talking. Seeing that the woman hadn't yet sheathed her knife, Bai Kang warned her, "If blood is seen now, even if you are an envoy from the North Sea, I'm afraid I'll have to act impartially."
The woman ignored him and looked at Xiaozhu. After getting her approval, she put away the dagger.
Bai Kang saw her face clearly and laughed: "It's you."
Isn't this the girl they caught disguised as a man?
Bo Kang's eyes darted back and forth between the two faces in front of him, and he felt that they were indeed similar. He had no intention of staring at the girl, but Xiaozhu stood in front of her, subtly motioning her to go upstairs first. "Brother, what are you looking at?"
The voice was soft, still that of a girl. Bo Kang had already confirmed that he was Lian Zhi, so he sat down and looked him in the eye. "Baby, why did you quarrel with those people?"
"They said we were barbarians from the northern border and told us to get out of Daning. Of course I had to curse back," Lianzhi said aggrievedly. "Will my brother stand up for us?"
"I'll send someone to inquire," Bo Kang said. Lianzhi was always a liar, and now, through that veil, it was even harder to discern her expression. The peace negotiations between Daning Kingdom and the various tribes of the North Sea Territory had only been going on for the past two years, and many people in Daning Kingdom still harbored hostility towards the North Sea Territory, and this wasn't an isolated case.
If what he said was true, Bai Kang would certainly stand up for him. If he was deliberately causing trouble, Bai Kang would also teach him a lesson. As for how to teach him, he still had to take him back first.
Now, Bai Kang wanted to ask another question.
"Why don't you come to see me?" asked Bai Kang.
I promised to come find him.
Lianzhi's eyes flickered, but she also didn't answer. She asked another question: "Brother, where is my cat?"
Bai Kang had already given the little white cat to Princess Mu. The cat had indeed escaped from Prince Mu's mansion, and now it had been returned to its original owner. After hearing this, Lianzhi curled her lips and tears fell without warning: "I gave the cat to you, why would I give it to someone else? If you don't want to take care of my cat, I don't want to see you either!"
"That's someone else's cat, not yours," Bo Kang explained. "Do you like it? If you want, I'll buy you another one."
This was a rare instance of him getting it right when it came to coaxing people. Lianzhi decided to forgive him and gave him a kind look: "Brother, if I wasn't the person you said I was, would you still buy me a kitten?"
Still saying no? Tears started falling, and her tone was exactly the same as Lianzhi's. It was obvious that she didn't want to pretend anymore. Bai Kang didn't expose her: "Buy it, I will definitely buy it for you."
Lianzhi finally smiled. He wasn't wearing much today, and the night wind made him feel a little cold. He grabbed Bokang's hand and said, "Brother, please take me home."
After two months, Bo Kang finally held Lianzhi's hand. Lianzhi took the initiative. He was very happy, thinking that Lianzhi must be willing to go home with him. Anyway, the envoys were going to the capital, and as long as Lianzhi followed, she would definitely go back with him. He bent down and whispered in Lianzhi's ear: "Baby, princess maid, what's going on?"
He was afraid that Lianzhi would get into trouble and would be forced to disguise herself as a woman and infiltrate the Helan tribe envoys to save her life. Lianzhi rolled her eyes and said nothing. When she reached his room next to the one arranged for the princess, she asked, "If the princess comes back, you won't have to deal with affairs?"
She even cared about him. Bo Kang said, "It will be much easier."
Lianzhi smiled cunningly: "I heard that there will be a temple fair to welcome winter in two days, but I haven't seen it yet. Brother, come with me. Don't worry, the princess will definitely be back in two days." After saying that, he went back to his room without waiting for Bai Kang to ask any more questions.
This time, he actually arranged a date for their next meeting. Lianzhi and the princess were indeed connected. Perhaps even the princess's specific plan of hiding was helped by Lianzhi. He didn't want the princess to marry into the Daning Kingdom.
Taking advantage of these two days, Bo Kang shamelessly asked Princess Mu for a beautiful blue-eyed white cat. Princess Mu loved pets, and she feared there wouldn't be another kitten as beautiful as this in all of Rongcheng. On the evening of the temple fair, he waited downstairs at the inn with the cat in his arms.
Lianzhi kept her word and went downstairs after 3 p.m. He was dressed very warmly today, like a girl from Daning Country. Aside from the awkward veil on his head, there was no sign that he was from the North Sea Territory.
"What did you hide in your brother's arms?" Lianzhi saw a bulge in Bai Kang's clothes, and he must have hidden something for him. Bai Kang nodded, holding the kitten out and presenting it as if it were a treasure: "Baby, this is for you."
So fast?
There was a hint of surprise in Lianzhi's eyes. Bai Kang said sincerely, "Those people did offend you a few days ago. This kitten is your apology. When we get to the capital, I'll find you a prettier one."
Lianzhi didn't seem so happy. He took the kitten and thought about what he planned to do later. Suddenly, he felt a little worried.
How should I place the kitten then? I can’t put it on the bed, right?
"Baby?" Bo Kang called, "Don't you like it?"
Lianzhi smiled and said, "I like it."
A crowd surged in front of Huguo Temple. Unlike the Spring Festival temple fairs in Beijing, the temple fairs welcoming winter featured a few stalls selling simple vegetarian dishes, fruits, and incense sticks. The Rongcheng temple fair was more about praying for good weather and good harvests in the coming season, which was different from what Lianzhi had in mind.
But he also found this kind of temple fair novel. After all, in his two lifetimes combined, he had rarely witnessed any folk activities.
Bai Kang was a non-believer, so he had the rare interest to go to the Buddha to worship and pray... for Lianzhi's safety and their good marriage.
After the ceremony, the people who had been kneeling on their mats rose one by one to burn incense or pray for a lucky stick in front of the temple. Bai Kang was obediently burning incense and kneeling, but Lianzhi had disappeared. He searched for a long time before finally spotting him at the drawing area in front of the temple. The people around him stood at a distance, pointing and talking at him. Confused, Bai Kang looked down and saw Lianzhi secretly flipping through the sticks in the tube, picking out the ones.
"Baby!" Bai Kang held his hand and whispered, "You need to be sincere when asking for divination. It won't work if you do this!"
"I'm from the Helan tribe, and I don't understand your rules." Lianzhi looked at him pitifully, her hands moving without stopping. He picked out a good lot with a sharp eye and smiled with satisfaction: "I got it!"
"Don't be ridiculous." Bo Kang frowned. He knew Lianzhi had some connections to the North Sea Territory and was probably from the Helan Tribe, but no matter what, she was still from Daning. How could she act like this? Even he, a non-believer, couldn't bear to watch.
But soon, Lianzhi's next words left Bo Kang speechless:
"But my wish is related to my brother."
"Next time, do it quietly, don't let anyone see you." Bai Kang pretended to be serious, unable to refute anything. Lianzhi chuckled and asked Bai Kang to draw lots as well. Bai Kang shook the lot holder and carefully picked out one -
It's a winning number.
Before he could interpret the fortune, Lianzhi started crying out for food, saying she wasn't a vegetarian and insisted on returning to the posthouse. Although Bai Kang was somewhat puzzled by Lianzhi's sudden anxiety, he could have just taken her to a nearby restaurant. But Lianzhi said she liked the food at the posthouse better than in the North Sea, and Bai Kang felt a surge of affection for her.
There is a shortage of supplies in the North Sea Territory, and the food is not as diverse as in the Daning Kingdom. Lianzhi must have been very greedy after following the Helan people for the past two months.
Back at the inn, he asked the innkeeper to quickly serve some delicious dishes. Lianzhi interrupted, saying, "Send them upstairs, and also a jar of wine."
After saying that, he looked up at Bo Kang, his eyes full of smiles, like a little hook: "Brother, do you want to come to my room?"
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