◇ Chapter 78 (78) Encountering an Assassination Attack
As the largest gathering place for foreigners in the capital, Fanfang was bustling with merchants from various countries. It was near the market, and at the intersection stood a small building with an octagonal roof. Brass wind chimes carved with bizarre patterns hung from the eaves. On the main street, the wind carried a lingering fragrance. Several Kunlun slaves, their bodies still stained with the yellow sand from the Western Regions, unloaded boxes from camels and carried them to the front of various shops.
Bo Kang seemed to know the place well, walking along it with ease. He led Lianzhi around the white temple with a pointed roof in the center of the Fangfang, around the Indian monks in red robes, and arrived outside the shop where the fragrant aroma was emanating.
It was a spice shop, and Bai Kang had been there before, more than once. A Persian merchant and an Arab merchant, both wearing white turbans, were discussing business. Upon seeing Bai Kang, they immediately dropped their weights and approached him with a smile, saying in their familiar but still off-key Daning Mandarin, "Master Bai, what brings you here?"
Bai Kang gestured for them to go inside and talk. The two men immediately stepped aside to let Bai Kang in first.
Many people in Fanfang knew Bo Kang, so he didn't want to cause any trouble. He walked into the shop and pulled up a chair for himself. Lianzhi scurried out from behind him and sat down in front of him. A small white cat with heterochromia was lying under the chair. It was startled and scurried away with a meow.
Bo Kang was stunned for a moment, then sat down in front of him. The Persian merchant rolled his eyes and asked the servant behind him to pour two cups of tea.
"Sir, please try this! This is the fine tea that was recently delivered from my hometown." The Persian merchant rubbed his hands and said with a flattering smile, "Sir, what are your wishes for today?"
The red tea was covered in foam, but Bai Kang wasn't interested. Lian Zhi, on the other hand, took a sip, spat it into the spittoon, and warned Bai Kang in a low voice, "Don't drink it, it's not tasty."
The two merchants then noticed that Bai Kang had brought someone with him. She was very pretty, and her eyes didn't look like someone from Daning. They immediately understood what was going on and asked for more tea.
"If we had known your Excellency was coming today, we would have treated you well," the Arab merchant hinted. "A few days ago, several Arab and European dancers came to the market. I didn't know your Excellency liked them. Let's call them over and entertain you..."
"Go away, stop acting on your own." Bo Kang replied in Persian with a nonchalant smile on his face. "I remember that in addition to doing business in the vassal areas, you also supply spices to some noble families in the capital?"
"Yes, sir, we do. If you need it, we will have the account book brought to you for your inspection."
Both men were adept at reading people's expressions. To thrive in a foreign land, without a bit of foresight, they couldn't possibly survive. They both sent their men back to retrieve the account books. The Arab merchant continued to flatter, saying with a smile, "Sir, that geisha..."
"You just said that the imperial physician couldn't identify the poison?" Bai Kang ignored him and looked at Lian Zhi. Lian Zhi hummed twice and described the taste of the wine. Before Bai Kang could say anything, the Arab merchant immediately said, "I know, this person, this person..."
He thought for a long time but still couldn't figure out what to call the lotus branch, so he simply skipped it and said, "It's spice!"
Unlike Daning, the food in Persia, Daqin and other places is often mixed with spices to add flavor and unique taste, so as soon as Lianzhi was described, they immediately thought of it.
"Spices were added to the Maserati tea that I just presented to you, my Lord." explained the Arab merchant.
The tea did taste different from the milk tea they usually drank. Bai Kang didn't feel like trying it again. He stared at the teacup, touched his chin, and muttered to himself, "The aroma of milk tea is different from the aroma of incense..."
"Your Excellency is wrong. Incense and spices are certainly different." The Arab merchant laughed, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and made a clicking sound.
"Are spices poisonous?" asked Lianzhi.
The two men were stunned by this sudden question. The Arab merchant pondered for a moment and said respectfully, "Since it's edible, it must be non-toxic. But, but, we don't know if it's poisonous..."
"What?"
Bai Kang's face turned cold: "Just now you said it was non-toxic, why don't you know?"
His expression turned cold, startling the two men opposite him. They broke out in a cold sweat and continued to explain haltingly, "I mean, we...we often add spices to our food, and we already have a familiar set of recipes. But many people in Daning don't buy spices according to our recipes when they come to buy them."
"You don't know, not all gentlemen are as wise as you, Master Bai," the Persian merchant said, not forgetting to flatter him. "They don't trust us foreigners, so how can they be as tolerant and generous as you, Master?"
"Don't flatter me." Bo Kang's tone remained unchanged. "So you didn't mention this to the Daning nobles before selling it to them?"
The two of them smiled awkwardly.
This time, Bo Kang didn't lose his temper or yell at Lian Zhi like usual. Perhaps he was giving the foreign visitors some face, or perhaps he felt the blame for this incident wasn't really on the two caravans. The servants brought two account books, but Bo Kang tossed them into Lian Zhi's arms without even glancing at them.
The account book was thin, written in both Daning and Persian or Arab scripts. It was neat and tidy, clearly prepared in advance to cope with the Ministry of Rites' inspection. Lianzhi glanced up at the two of them and continued reading.
The two men across from them thought that Bai Kang had learned about their new spice sales and was coming for a surprise audit. Although this had never happened before and Lord Bai wouldn't come in person for such a small matter, they still felt safe. That is until Lianzhi frowned and pointed at one of the rows: "Where is this?"
When the Arab merchant saw that it was the account book of his caravan, he immediately began to sweat again.
"Let me see... this, hiss—"
Bai Kang touched his nose and took an exaggerated breath. Lian Zhi glanced at him and said, "Answer me properly. What do you know?"
Such exaggeration clearly meant he had something to say. Bo Kang exchanged glances with him, then turned to the Arab merchant. "Five days ago, someone from your caravan delivered something to the mansion at No. 1 Taiping Street? Why wasn't it clearly written?"
The Arab merchant rubbed his face and chuckled, "If anyone else had asked, I definitely wouldn't have told you, but since you, my Lord, have asked, I'll tell you even if I die. The noble lady of that mansion has instructed us to keep the transaction secret. It's said that the noble lady of that mansion is a woman and doesn't dare to show her face..."
That's right.
Bai Kang whispered to Lianzhi, "Princess Jinyang, hasn't she left the capital yet? You know, the enfeoffed princes who return to the capital live in residences outside the palace. The residence at No. 1 Taiping Street is where she lives now."
Of course Lianzhi knew.
It was because he knew that that he wondered why that address appeared in the account book.
It's also possible that the princess simply wanted to try the spices of the Arab world and hadn't mentioned this trivial disappearance to him. Lianzhi's heart was only in turmoil for a moment, but she quickly returned to normal. She asked the two to pack up all the spices in the store and planned to have the imperial physician retest them.
No, we can't ask the imperial physician to examine him. Let's use... the doctor who usually treats Bai Kang.
He rolled his eyes. Beside him, Bo Kang observed him calmly, then returned the two account books. New spices were placed in the copper censer, and white smoke drifted out. The little white cat that had been lying beside the censer meowed, jumped down, and burrowed back into Lianzhi's arms, its jeweled chain making a crisp sound.
Seeing that Lianzhi liked it, the Persian merchant came over and said, "You and Liya are so destined to be together! She usually doesn't let anyone touch her. If you like her, why not give her to you?"
Lianzhi shook his head, and Bokang said for him, "The jewel chain looks nice."
"We have plenty of these! Why don't you go get them and give them to Lord Bai?" The Persian merchant instructed his attendants and then smiled flatteringly, "Then we..."
Bai Kang glanced at him, and the Persian merchant immediately understood and smiled even more brightly.
Lianzhi rarely saw such a perceptive person, even better than the eunuchs in the palace, and she couldn't help but look at him a few more times. The servants quickly brought the things, and Lianzhi, holding the box, suddenly felt that the items were not the right ones.
After opening it, he took a look at it, then with a dark face, he stuffed the box into Bo Kang's arms and left. Bo Kang didn't understand why, so he opened it and took a look.
It turned out to be a long chain inlaid with jade, folded and placed in a box. It didn't look like something for a cat to wear.
It looks like it's worn on a person.
Bai Kang hadn't expected the two men to act on their own initiative and misunderstand him, so he gave a bitter smile. He hurriedly chased after them. The two men, accompanied by their servants, stood at the door to see them off respectfully. Seeing their expressions, Bai Kang was furious.
"One more thing," Bo Kang added, "Your New Music House is no longer allowed to operate from today onwards!"
They were both stunned, not knowing what had irritated Bai Kang—Master Bai himself had a foreign-looking beauty, and yet he still cared whether they opened a new music hall or not? They had been homesick during their time in Daning, especially the beauty from their hometown. They had spent a fortune on the new music hall!
After Bai Kang finished speaking, he hurriedly caught up with Lian Zhi, who had already walked a long way away, and kept saying, "Baby, walk slower, baby, your wife, wait for me..."
daughter in law……
daughter in law!
The Persian and Arab merchants were stunned for a moment, and then quickly translated the meaning of the word into the highly advanced Daning dialect.
That little beauty, no, that young man, is the wife of Lord Bai!
They have been recommending beauties to Lord Bai in front of the lady, and even treated the lady as a geisha and gave her a body chain like that!
It’s over!
Bai Kang was fast and caught up with Lian Zhi in a few steps. He coaxed her in a low voice, "Baby, I didn't mean that!"
Lianzhi wasn't angry with Bo Kang, or else he wouldn't have walked so slowly, waiting for Bo Kang to catch up. But he still pretended to be angry and snorted softly.
"Why are you giving me this? Do I look like a geisha?" He pretended to be wronged and spoke in a fierce tone, but it was not scary at all. Bo Kang said, "You are prettier than a geisha."
"Have you ever seen a geisha?" Lianzhi asked another fatal question.
"No," said Bo Kang, "but I have never seen anyone more beautiful than you."
Bai Kang was surprisingly good at talking. It seemed that after interacting with smooth-talking people so much, he had become more sweet-tongued himself. Lianzhi was quickly coaxed into submission by him. The two of them walked outside the Fanfang and did not rush to get in the carriage, but instead took in the surrounding environment.
To be more precise, it was Lianzhi herself who was silently memorizing the nearby buildings. He then turned to business: "The imperial physicians in the palace rarely come into contact with the common people, and often fail to diagnose some rare illnesses. Tomorrow I will have the poisoned wine taken out of the palace, and you will give it to a doctor you trust for examination."
"Do you think it's not about the spices?" Bo Kang asked, then continued, "Since it's from the Western Regions, their people know more about it. Why not let the people from the Fanfang check it out? Don't worry, they're very tight-lipped and won't tell anyone."
Lianzhi smacked the corner of his lips.
"Then I'll leave it to you." He patted Bai Kang's shoulder, and Bai Kang's face visibly flushed. Suddenly, his eyes turned cold. Before Lianzhi could react to his sudden change of attitude, Bai Kang suddenly hugged him in his arms, turned abruptly, and threw himself in front of the carriage.
Lianzhi cried out in surprise. The horse was startled and almost ran away, pulling the cart with it. Fortunately, the driver stopped it in time, dismounted, and looked around vigilantly. Bo Kang pulled Lianzhi up, only to hear the driver say behind him, "Sir! Here... here are two short arrows!"
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