Chapter 9 (9) The first night back home, a mistake backfired
The housekeeper was unsure. Although there was the imperial decree, it was currently in the mansion, not the palace. How to treat this young master still depended on Master Bai.
However, it seems that Lord Bai doesn't care much about this young master.
"I've asked you where you are, and you haven't answered yet?" Lianzhi couldn't wait any longer. It had always been others who took the initiative to guess his feelings, and now he was being made to wait this long! But he remembered that he was different now, so he didn't lose his temper. Instead, he gave a well-behaved fake smile: "I won't cause any trouble for Master Bai."
When he smiled, his small canine teeth showed, making him look innocent and well-behaved, completely different from his bad character. Lianzhi's facial features were a blend of the characteristics of people from Guanzhong and Liangzhou, extremely deep. He didn't look much like Chen Fenglian, but when he smiled, he looked like they were cast in the same mold. Even the real person would be mistaken for him.
The housekeeper thought of the rumors in the capital and suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. He secretly thought that if their masters saw the young master laughing like this, they would probably lose their minds.
Compared with the previous ones, the one in front of him will definitely be more valued by their adults.
"I'll send two people to take you there right away." The butler said respectfully.
Lianzhi didn't know why his attitude had changed so quickly, but he didn't care. Someone was praising him anyway, so why would he care about the reason? He held his chin high, waiting for the butler to order two servants to come and take him to Bai Kang's residence.
The mansion wasn't very large, and its furnishings were ordinary. Compared to the residences of other officials in the capital, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was shabby. Lianzhi felt like they had only walked a few steps when they arrived. He looked at the room in front of him, horrified. "You said this is Bai Kang T... Lord Bai's bedroom?"
The servant nodded in agreement.
It was so shabby, so shabby. The doorframes and windowpanes were unadorned, exuding an air of simplicity and unadorned elegance. The furnishings were even simpler: a yellowwood coffee table that he considered crudely made, a few mahogany chairs covered in outdated Beijing embroidery. Only the carved wooden bed was worth looking at, but there wasn't even a delicate porcelain vase or incense burner at the headboard, only a few swords hanging.
Before he died, didn't he give Bo Kang a lot of things? Where's the money?
Lianzhi's expression was unpredictable. If he had known that he could come back to life, he would have given Baikang more goodies. God knows where that guy spent all his money, causing him to suffer hardship now.
The two servants saw Lianzhi's expression was not right and thought that the young master was unhappy. They had heard from the housekeeper that the young master and the minister had been granted marriage by His Majesty. From now on, the minister's mansion would have another owner.
"Are there any other rooms?" Lianzhi asked. He really couldn't stand living in a room like this. Back in Chunfeng Tower, the stewards had showered him with gold, silver, and jewelry to coax him into appearing before the distinguished guests. Forget about the gold and jade utensils and silks, at least they had to give him a jade pillow that he liked!
Lianzhi stared at them. The servant said in embarrassment, "This is Master Bai's bedroom. It's already the best place in our house! There's no better wing than this."
Lianzhi took a deep breath and didn't pursue the matter any further. It seemed that poor Bai Kang had nothing good to offer. Lianzhi sat on the chair, only to find that the cushions were hard and hurt his legs. He frowned and asked, "When will Master Bai come back?"
"We don't know," the servant said. They were just menial servants responsible for sweeping and cleaning, and had never served closely. Lianzhi asked again, "So, what are your master's hobbies? What does he like?"
The servant shook his head again. Suddenly, the servant on the left slapped his forehead and said, "Brother Lianzi has been serving Master Bai recently. You can ask him!"
Lianzi? The boy who looked a bit like him?
Lianzhi curled his lips, remaining noncommittal. He was certain that Lianzi harbored hostility towards him, and that he most likely had a crush on Bai Kang. Even that unromantic Bai Kang, there was actually someone who liked him. Lianzi was truly blind; aside from their appearance, they seemed completely different from him.
As the sky darkened, Bai Kang put down the briefcase in his hand. A letter lay on the table, the ink still wet. It had been delivered by the butler half an hour earlier. It detailed everything he had learned about Lianzhi's life. Bai Kang picked up his Western glasses from the table, put them on, and began to read the contents.
This Lianzhi had suddenly appeared in Liangzhou four months earlier. No one knew his past or family background, and there was no way to verify whether he was an orphan. All that was known was that four months earlier, a young singer named Asu had suddenly appeared in Chunfeng Tower, Liangzhou's largest brothel. He was incredibly arrogant, and a single pipa performance he could perform was worth a hundred gold coins.
Within a few days, the title of Aso Pipa Master suddenly spread, and then she changed her name to Lianzhi, and became very popular. Within a few days, she was hailed as the top courtesan.
His sudden appearance, with no trace of his past, suggests someone has deliberately obliterated all traces. Such a drastic move is unlikely to be made by a newly appointed prefect, unless there are other people behind him. This suggests Lianzhi's identity is likely more than just an actor. Who would place a spy so clueless so close to someone else?
Bai Kang burned the letter and instructed the butler to send two more men to follow Lianzhi, ensuring they monitored his every move and reported back. The letter in the brazier crumbled to ash, the flames extinguished, leaving only charcoal ash. Bai Kang returned to his room and stretched.
It's the second watch again.
I can’t sleep for long before I have to go to court. Alas, what a miserable life.
Perhaps too tired, he fell asleep quickly. In his dream, someone seemed to be holding him tightly, pressing down on him, as if he were possessed by a ghost. He tried to strike the evil spirit with his burkon knife, but it couldn't reach him. He reached out again and felt warm, soft skin.
Caught!
He snapped his eyes open, the sleepiness quickly fading. Sure enough, someone was on top of him, but it wasn't a ghost. Under the moonlight, an innocent-looking young man sat on top of him, a blanket draped over his shoulders, a cool breeze wafting into the covers.
The young man was wearing only a light red shirt, which very deliberately revealed a small piece of delicate white skin. His cheeks were slightly red, and his big eyes were blinking as he looked at him, as if they were filled with water. Seeing that he had woken up, Lianzhi grabbed Bai Kang's arm, shook it like a spoiled child, and said, "Brother Kang, you're awake!"
"...What are you doing?" Bai Kang's voice was full of vigilance.
"I'll help you get to bed," Lianzhi replied timidly, her voice so deliberate that Bo Kang recognized it instantly. Strangely, he hated pretentious people, but Lianzhi's voice didn't sound disgusting at all. Instead, it had a certain cuteness that only a teenager could possess.
Even though he knew he was a spy, Bo Kang felt a little soft-hearted. Lianzhi, a child about the same age as his brothers and sisters, was about to be used as a pawn by the Liangzhou prefect. He was about to speak when Lianzhi smiled at him again.
When he wasn't smiling, he only looked 50% like Chen Fenglian. When he smiled, he looked 100% like her. Even the housekeeper could see it, so it was impossible for Bai Kang not to recognize her. He put away his pity and patted Lianzhi's shoulder: "Go away."
"Brother Kang..." Lianzhi looked at him pitifully.
Bai Kang snorted and raised an eyebrow: "I was already asleep, and you woke me up, saying you would wait on me until bedtime. Did you do that on purpose?"
Lianzhi's earlobes blushed. He'd made such a gesture, yet Bai Kang didn't appreciate it. Didn't everyone say Bai Kang liked him? Although he didn't know why, he doubted the rumors' veracity. But he was such a lovely and beautiful woman, and Bai Kang had been serving him for years. It was only natural that she'd developed feelings for him.
Although he also disliked Bai Kang, who was unromantic, poor and straightforward, he felt sorry for Bai Kang and decided not to be rude to him or order him around.
Thinking of this, Lianzhi said carelessly: "That's the kind of service! My lord, you know, that kind!"
He was afraid that Bai Kang didn't understand, so he gestured twice. Seeing his movements, the smile on Bai Kang's face completely disappeared, and he even looked a little angry: "Who taught you that?"
Lianzhi: “Ah?”
"At your age, who would teach you..." Bai Kang was halfway through his sentence when he thought of his own youthful background. He had spent four months in a place like Chunfeng Tower, influenced by what he saw and heard, and must have learned a lot. Thinking of this, Bai Kang felt even more that the Liangzhou prefect was a bad man. Not only did he let a child risk his life, but he also sent him to such a place.
"Get up!" said Bo Kang. "Go back to your room!"
The housekeeper had told him that Lianzhi had specifically requested to live with him, so he knew what was going on. Bo Kang didn't say anything, thinking that a child couldn't possibly cause such a commotion.
Unexpectedly, the child planned to run into his room in the middle of the night.
Lianzhi sighed a little, staring at him in disbelief: "Why? Didn't you bring me back for this? Otherwise, why would you redeem me?"
He was ready. He had been asked to seduce Bai Kang, a man worth millions, but he didn't appreciate it. Lian Zhi looked at Bai Kang angrily, but Bai Kang simply picked him up and casually pulled a coat over him.
Her coat was frozen stiff, still holding a hint of chill. March in Beijing was chilly, and Lianzhi, wearing only a thin undershirt, instantly flushed her exposed skin. But Bo Kang showed no pity, flinging the door open and pushing the man out.
"Old Feng! Old Feng!" Bai Kang shouted to the housekeeper. The Shangshu Mansion had few servants, but his shouting startled everyone around. Many servants were clinging to the doorframe to look over. Bai Kang waited for the housekeeper to come over and pointed at Lianzhi, saying, "Take him back!"
Lianzhi felt extremely embarrassed and wanted to scratch Bai Kang's face. And those servants around him, don't think he can't see them. Wait until tomorrow morning, he will pull them out one by one to settle the score.
Bai Kang didn't look at him again and slammed the door shut. The housekeeper glanced at him, first asking the servants who were watching the excitement to go back, then sighed and said to Lianzhi, "Young Master, let's go back."
Before Lianzhi could answer, the housekeeper took another closer look and was startled: "Young Master, you...why are you crying?"
Lianzhi was really crying now, with several tears in her eyes, half-falling. He put on a stern face and took the initiative to show his affection, but he didn't expect to seduce Bai Kang at all, and was even pushed out of the room by him. He wiped his eyes and said angrily: "Damn Bai Kang! Does he look down on me? I will tear him into pieces!"
Oh, it's not just their looks that are similar, their personalities are completely alike! The lord always said that the late emperor would threaten to tear people into pieces if he got offended by even the smallest thing. As for them, the late emperor had already called them "torn into pieces" hundreds of times.
So similar, so similar... It's so strange.
The housekeeper didn't dare to guess what Bai Kang was thinking, and didn't say much. He just thought that after this incident, the servants in the mansion would probably know that Lord Bai had no interest in Young Master Lianzhi.
He still instructed the two servants to be nice to Young Master Lianzhi and not let him be bullied.
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