◇ Chapter 71 (71) Baby, let’s elope
"Did you hear me? This is not the way back!" Lianzhi grabbed Bai Kang by the collar, trying to force him to stop. Bai Kang sat firmly on the horse, unmoved, but it was he who lost his balance and almost fell off.
The horse was suddenly startled and almost threw him to the ground.
"This is the way back." Bo Kang said firmly. Without waiting for Lianzhi to ask again, he said, "This is the way back home."
go home……?
Lianzhi instantly understood what he meant and said in disbelief, "You want to take me back to the capital? Are you crazy?"
"I'll take you back." Bai Kang pursed his lips. His injuries were real, and now, fearing Lianzhi would fight him for the reins, he strained until his palms turned pale and bloodless. He soothed, "Don't worry, not now. I'll take you back when the convoy reaches the capital."
The horses had already galloped several miles. The sky was turning pale, and the surrounding scenery was clearly visible in the morning light. Lianzhi looked around in confusion and suddenly realized that this was the road back to Rongcheng!
What is the way home? It turns out that it means taking him back to his home in Rongcheng!
He was shaking with anger, and when he saw that Bai Kang looked a little guilty, he became even more angry and sneered.
"You arranged for someone to pretend to be an assassin, not only because of Chen Fengke's order, but also because of me?" Lianzhi asked coldly. Bai Kang didn't answer, which he considered as tacit agreement.
He arranged such a great show and injured so many people from their Helan tribe. He originally thought that Bai Kang was just following orders and was worried that Bai Kang would be troubled. Now it seems that his worries were in vain!
Seeing him quiet down, Bai Kang instinctively knew that Lian Zhi would not be so obedient, so he could only hold her tighter to prevent him from struggling. Suddenly, Lian Zhi raised her hand and slapped Bai Kang hard in the face!
A crisp snapping sound exploded, louder than the sound of whipping a horse. Bo Kang was stunned by his blow, and his hands loosened slightly. Lian Zhi seized the opportunity, grabbed Bo Kang, and jumped up -
They both fell from their horses and crashed to the ground. Lianzhi squeezed his eyes shut, but felt no pain. He opened his eyes and was startled to find Bo Kang resting on his back, grinning at him.
"If you're worried about me, why do something so dangerous?" Bo Kang held him and sat him up, rubbing the back of his head. His palms were stained with blood. Although Lianzhi was uninjured, her wrists were scraped and she looked just as disheveled as he was.
"Who's worried about you? Don't be so sentimental!" Lianzhi yelled fiercely, shouting so hard that she couldn't help coughing. Bo Kang patted him on the back, stood up, led the horse back, and tied it to the tree.
The wound on the back of his head wasn't serious, just a little painful. Unlike him, Lianzhi's skin was delicate and tender, and the palm of her hand was scraped open, looking bloody and mangled. Bo Kang tore off his sleeve, bandaged Lianzhi's palm, and blew gently on it.
Guessing the convoy should have already left, he didn't hide anything and explained, "Don't worry, I'll take you back to Rongcheng. Once this matter is resolved, I'll come back to pick you up. I'll tell Lord Da Xi that you're in Rongcheng so they don't have to worry."
"Don't worry?" Lianzhi sneered, not believing his words. "The prince who was married to her is gone. Will she believe you? Don't dream."
Bai Kang didn't say anything, but just picked him up and put him back on the horse. Seeing his confident look, Lianzhi suddenly had a bold idea.
"Who did you ask to marry?" Lianzhi asked sternly.
"Someone will replace you. It's easy to find young men in the North Sea. You don't have to worry." Bai Kang said.
After hearing this, Lianzhi felt a little relieved. At least they hadn't asked Yuyao or anyone close to him to marry him off. But would Da Ximi really agree to Bo Kang's request? If someone discovered that they were sending a fake prince for marriage, wouldn't that raise questions about the Helan tribe's integrity?
"Lord Daxi said that Queen Helan didn't want you to marry." Bo Kang led the horse and walked slowly forward. He only said this, and Lianzhi immediately understood the meaning behind his words.
Bai Kang and Da Xi Mi reached an agreement in private that they would help exchange the prince for marriage and help him return to the Helan tribe, but they did not tell Da Xi Mi. Emperor Jianguang ordered Bai Kang to set an ambush.
"So?" Lianzhi's voice was filled with disappointment. "Are you going to lock me up like a prisoner and keep me waiting for you in Rongcheng? Just like the Queen Mother did with me before?"
This was too serious, and Bo Kang immediately denied it: "I won't do that."
His face suddenly turned red, though the scars on his face made it less noticeable. Bo Kang stopped and clasped Lianzhi's cloth-wrapped hands tightly, pressing them against his chest.
His voice was lighter than the morning mist, and he said solemnly: "Lian'er, baby, let's elope."
"Don't go for the marriage. Go to a place that is absolutely safe, where the Queen Mother or His Majesty won't find you. If you want to go to the North Sea, I'll go with you, okay?"
Bai Kang looked at Lian Zhi almost reverently, expecting his reply. Unexpectedly, Lian Zhi pulled back his hand, jumped off the horse with an expressionless face, and then scratched Bai Kang's face twice. Bai Kang shouted twice: "Wait! Stop scratching me! It will be ugly if it leaves a scar!"
"Do you still care about these?" Lianzhi felt like she was about to laugh out of anger.
"Of course. If I weren't handsome, you wouldn't like me anymore." Bai Kang rubbed his face. His interruption actually calmed Lianzhi down a bit: "Who told you that? I wouldn't like you no matter what you look like."
Bai Kang had long understood Lianzhi's personality and knew that his words were harder than stone. If he said he didn't like something, he really did like it: "The maids around you said before that you always punished me because you thought I was pretty."
The unspoken part of the sentence was that the palace maids were saying that His Majesty was jealous of his tall and handsome figure, while they themselves were feminine and petite, and that was why they took their anger out on him. I used to think Chen Fenglian was really narrow-minded, but now I think she's quite cute.
Seeing his expression, Lianzhi sneered, stopped talking, and stood there with her arms folded. When Bai Kang was about to carry him onto the horse, he snorted coldly, turned sideways and pushed him away.
After repeating it several times, he looked at Bo Kang and grabbed his collar: "Elope? Go with you? Do you think you are more important than my hatred? More important than my mission? Don't you know what I'm angry about?!"
Lianzhi roared, "I am now Helian Zhulan, the prince of the Helan tribe. I am no longer a Daning citizen!"
After saying this, Lianzhi placed her finger to her lips and blew a long whistle. Shortly after the whistle ended, the ground suddenly shook, startling birds from the forest. A dozen tall, fine horses, carrying guards from the Helan tribe, arrived, led by none other than Arus. Arus, holding a torch to disperse the morning mist, saw them and shouted, "The prince has been spotted!"
Seeing that Lianzhi and Baikang were both covered in wounds, Arus's eyes suddenly filled with murderous intent: "You hurt our prince?"
"Put away the knife. He protected me." Lianzhi warned. Arus glared at Bai Kang again and reluctantly put away the knife.
"Let's go." Lianzhi said softly.
The Helan guards immediately brought a horse and asked Lianzhi to mount it, but Lianzhi said that he and the Shangshu of Daning could ride on the same horse. Upon hearing this, the Helan guards glared at Baikang angrily, obviously wondering how this Daning man could win the favor of their prince.
Lianzhi glanced at Bai Kang.
It seemed to be saying that he had already seen through Bo Kang's plan.
They met up with the marriage convoy at noon.
The convoy had already reached the Qizhou city gate, waiting for them to arrive, so they could rest at the official post station and seek medical treatment in the city. The Helan tribe had not suffered many casualties, and during their absence, the incident last night had already been classified as a robbery by bandits.
After entering Qizhou City, Lianzhi never spoke to Bai Kang again. When she arrived at the official inn, she just went into her room by herself. Seeing Bai Kang chasing her, she slammed the door shut.
Just as Bo Kang was about to rush into the house, the wooden door slammed shut in front of him, and he almost bumped into it. Bo Kang knocked again outside, but seeing that there were many people around, he was afraid that someone would notice anything, so he had to leave temporarily.
Elsewhere, inside Lianzhi's house, Arus jumped in from the window and reported to him, "Not long after you left, Daning's personal guards captured a group of people, saying they were bandits. When we arrived in Qizhou, the Qizhou prefect came in person and identified those people as the bandits they had been trying to catch for so long."
"Minister Daning even told you about setting an ambush." Arus said sourly.
Lianzhi sneered in her heart.
How could he tell him? If he hadn't guessed there might be an ambush and warned Da Xi Mi in advance, they would have suffered heavy casualties.
He trusted Bo Kang, but he doubted Chen Fengke would refrain from manipulation. The Helan tribe's greatest sincerity in the matter of a marriage alliance between the two countries was the deployment map and military arrangements for the northern border.
If it were not for the joint fight against Mobei, Daning would not have chosen to marry the Helan tribe.
After killing the guards of the Helan tribe, a lonely "princess" who was carrying important secrets arrived in the capital and was at the mercy of others.
Lianzhi asked a few more questions, confirmed that Yuyao and Geerer were not injured, and then drove Arus away. Arus had long been accustomed to his attitude, and after a few sarcastic remarks, he climbed through the window and left. As he left, the guard outside pushed the door open and asked, "Prince, Minister Daning wishes to see you."
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