◇ Chapter 93 (93) A long-planned encounter (Part 2)
Of course the young emperor knew that Bo Kang was innocent.
The Grand Tutor was on the side of the Empress Dowager, having always supported the Prince Yuan, whom she had chosen, and had been too permissive towards him and not very loyal to him. But he was now the Emperor, and the Empress Dowager was so brazen, even trying to get him thrown off his horse, that she was trying to completely tear off that fig leaf.
Now he is the emperor. If his guards fail to protect him properly, he can punish a few people. Who in the court can blame him?
As for this guard...
The moment the guard rushed out to save the man, Chen Fenglian dispatched an investigation. Although he held little power, he still had some control over palace affairs. This guard had been lingering in the martial arts arena for the past few days, and while he certainly hadn't tampered with the horses, his visits coincided with the appearance of the palace attendant who had tampered with the horses.
Whether he discovered it or concealed it on purpose, the guard approached intentionally and was probably not a good person.
But this was the first time someone had expressed admiration for him. Whether it was genuine or fake, the guard was quite handsome and seemed quite skilled, so he might as well stay by his side.
If he is really the Queen Mother's man, it would be nice to watch them fight each other.
When Bai Kang took the imperial edict and left the imperial study, he was still confused.
His Majesty appointed him as a third-rank imperial guard.
He made the right bet.
That day at the martial arts arena, he had indeed seen someone acting suspiciously, sneaking into the stables and seemingly hiding something on the horse. As a guard, he should have arrested the person immediately.
But he didn't. He guessed that the horse might be His Majesty's. Chang Yuzhu's evaluation of him was wrong. He was not a conservative and rule-abiding person.
He is obviously a person with bad intentions.
As an imperial guard, he could investigate Yan Chengxi's death, without worrying about whether he'd followed in his footsteps. Bai Kang had previously speculated whether the emperor had ordered his death, but if so, why would he hide it? If he wanted to keep his head above water and make a name for himself, he had to rely on himself. Fortunately, Bai Kang wasn't incompetent; he'd always performed his duties diligently and without error. He'd been a top scorer in the martial arts exam, on par with the imperial guards.
I don't know why, but the little emperor seems to dislike him and is always picking on him. Could it be that he still doubts him?
But by the time he was transferred to the Imperial Court, His Majesty had already discovered that the person who tampered with the horses was under the orders of the previously powerless Eighth Prince—this, of course, was also false. Others didn't know, but Bo Kang had personally witnessed it; the person was on duty in the inner palace. With undercurrents swirling between the Empress Dowager and the young Emperor, he should have played it safe.
After ascending the throne, the young emperor's schedule was much the same as that of the other princes. After court, he would study until the evening hour, and occasionally the empress dowager would check on his homework. Bai Kang, his personal guard, would also follow the imperial carriage and stand guard outside the empress dowager's palace. With the arrival of winter, the time for the homework check was moved up an hour. Even so, by the time Eunuch Wen helped the young emperor out of the Cining Palace, it was already late at night.
When they reached the Purple Palace, Eunuch Wen was about to help the little emperor in, but Bai Kang squatted down before him and said, "Please allow me to carry you in."
The eunuchs below lowered their heads, not witnessing this. Eunuch Wen was startled by his audacity, then heard Bo Kang say, "Your Majesty has a leg injury and is not fit to walk. Eunuch Wen is not feeling well, so please allow me to carry you inside."
Maybe others didn't see it, or they didn't dare to say it, but Bai Kang clearly saw that the little emperor staggered a little when he walked out of the Cining Palace.
Was he punished?
Eunuch Wen was about to reprimand him when he saw Bo Kang's face and remembered that this was the guard who had bravely rescued him earlier. Suddenly, his surprise was no longer a problem. The little emperor snorted and laughed, "You are quite bold."
"I'm worried about Your Majesty." Bo Kang said this sincerely, but he didn't wait for any instructions. The young emperor no longer looked at him and allowed Eunuch Wen to support him into the hall.
Bai Kang is still on duty at night.
The nights in the capital were cold, and walking outside the palace could help him stay awake. Bai Kang was extremely sleepy. He had been on night watch lately, and he had to force himself not to fall asleep. Suddenly, Eunuch Wen rushed out of the palace and gave Bai Kang a sinister smile: "Guard Bai, come with us."
Confused, he followed Eunuch Wen into the palace. The young emperor, dressed only in his nightgown, lay expressionless, wrapped in his blanket, huddled in bed. A blazing charcoal basin lay at his feet, casting a ghostly shadow on his round, childish face. The young emperor ordered, "Bai Kang, you remain in the palace. Little Wen, please withdraw."
It was against the rules for the imperial guards to enter the palace. Bai Kang wanted to remind them, but the little emperor had already rolled over and fallen asleep. The palace was too warm, and Bai Kang was even more sleepy. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly heard a faint voice in his ear: "Guard Bai."
He saluted quickly, and the little emperor rubbed his eyes: "It's okay, I just called you."
After saying this, he turned over and went back to sleep. That night, the little emperor called him four times, and each time he caught Bai Kang's sleepiness. Bai Kang was a little trembling, thinking, could it be that the little emperor was scolding him?
It was a knock once, but when it continued for dozens of days, something was wrong. The next day, after the morning court session, it was time for the little emperor to go to his study. He rolled his eyes, pushed Eunuch Wen aside, and beckoned to Bo Kang: "Come here and carry me."
Bai Kang was a beat slow to react. The little emperor said, "Don't you want to carry me on your back? You can carry me to the study."
From that day on, in addition to patrol duty, Bo Kang had another responsibility: carrying the young emperor to the study and the Cining Palace every day. It wasn't far, but the young emperor was unruly, lying on his back as if he wanted to strangle him.
It was clearly a deliberate torture!
Bai Kang really didn't know what he had done to anger His Majesty. At the same time, he also lamented that His Majesty had a childish temper. Even his little sister would not deliberately kick his legs when he was carrying her on her back.
That’s right, at this time, Bai Kang still felt that the little emperor looked very much like his little sister.
The Empress Dowager loved to give the young emperor a hard time, always finding excuses to punish him. At first, she'd make some high-sounding excuses, saying his majesty wasn't doing enough homework, but later, when Bo Kang saw the young emperor leave the Cining Palace, his legs were shaking.
He silently squatted down and lifted the little emperor onto his back. When he touched the emperor's slender calves, the man on his back shuddered. Bo Kang sighed inwardly, returned to the Purple Palace, and put the man down.
"Your Majesty, please call the imperial physician." He whispered.
The little emperor looked up and asked, "You care about me?"
"I am worried about Your Majesty." Bai Kang said bluntly.
The young man on the couch touched his nose and tilted his head: "Stop talking to me and the Queen Mother, and get twenty strokes of the cane."
Bo Kang was surprised and asked, "Your Majesty?"
"It seems I've been too indulgent with you," the little emperor said, turning his head away from him. Bo Kang didn't know why his expression changed so quickly, so he could only go to the Ministry of Punishment to receive his punishment.
The young emperor was clearly not an easy person to get along with; this was just the first time Bo Kang had noticed his fickle nature. Over time, Bo Kang discovered that the young emperor was incredibly difficult to serve, picky about everything from the temperature of his tea to his daily life and attire. Even the eunuchs in the imperial study had to be replaced twice because they couldn't quite grasp the tea temperature. When the replacements were made, the young emperor specifically requested that they be handsome. Eunuch Wen, on the side, advised, "Your Majesty, if the Empress Dowager knew..."
"I can't even make a decision on such a small matter right now?" The little emperor grinned, his eyes darting around until they finally landed on Bo Kang. "Come here."
Bo Kang had guessed this would happen. Every time His Majesty got angry, he was the last one to be ordered around.
"The fruits and vegetables sent by the imperial kitchen are becoming increasingly perfunctory." The little emperor glanced at the fruit plate with disdain and threw an apple over. "How dare you send it here with the peel still on? You should be thrown to the Ministry of Punishment. You, peel the peel for me."
peel?
Bo Kang looked embarrassed. Drawing a sword in front of the emperor was a serious crime. The little emperor gave him another cold look: "Don't you have arms?"
I see. I deliberately let him use his hands. Bo Kang took the fruit plate respectfully, his eyes unconsciously sweeping across the table.
On the desk lay stacks of open and closed memorials. Each one bore numerous annotations in red ink, written in the imperial hand. The young emperor's handwriting was still a little immature, lacking any brushstrokes, but he wrote with great care, as if he were meticulously reviewing the memorials. Bai Kang recalled hearing the Grand Tutor rebuking the young emperor the day before in the upper study.
It seems that the little emperor is not as ignorant as the Taifu said.
He only took a quick glance before retreating with the fruit plate. The Empress Dowager had recently left the palace to pay respects to the Buddha, and the young emperor, having finally been able to relax for a few days, had begun to harass the palace maids. Before returning to his room after his shift, Bai Kang pulled Eunuch Wen aside and asked, "Eunuch, how did I offend His Majesty?"
Eunuch Wen glanced at Bo Kang with a cold look: "Your Majesty is magnanimous, why would he bother with you? Don't talk nonsense, boy."
His eyes rested on Bo Kang's again, and he snorted, "It's your blessing to be able to serve His Majesty!"
"Your Majesty is targeting me."
On another day off, Bai Kang couldn't help but complain to Chang Yuzhu. Imperial guards couldn't drink, and he couldn't even drink to drown his sorrows. Chang Yuzhu looked at him, an expression of embarrassment: "You say this every time you leave the palace. Just the fact that His Majesty always pinches your neck when you carry him on your back is something you've said many times. But my grandfather told me that His Majesty isn't what you say."
"That's because you haven't seen the emperor before. His Majesty is indeed..."
Chang Yuzhu sighed: "Bai Kang, do you still remember what you said at the beginning, why you wanted to go to the imperial court?"
Bo Kang paused.
"I asked." He lowered his voice, "A few days before Yan Chengxi died, he met the eunuch beside the Queen Mother. If it was the Queen Mother..."
If it was the Queen Mother, then this could only be a false accusation.
"Even Your Majesty was tortured by the Queen Mother." Bai Kang changed the subject, looking worried, "Yesterday, the Queen Mother punished Your Majesty again."
Here they come again. Chang Yuzhu suspected that Bai Kang's complaints were fake, and that his true intention was to show off that the emperor valued him. If he didn't value him, why would he continue to allow him to walk before the emperor and hand over all matters to him—even though they weren't big things.
At night, Bai Kang returned to the palace. Just as he was about to rest in his wing room, a young eunuch knocked on the door and said anxiously, "Guard Bai, His Majesty is looking for you!"
His wing room was very close to the Purple Palace, only an incense stick's worth of time to reach it. Along the way, the eunuch kept saying that His Majesty had lost his temper and hoped that Guard Bai would comfort His Majesty. If Chang Yuzhu were there, he would definitely say that His Majesty valued Bai Kang, which is why he summoned him at this time.
But Bai Kang was different. He just felt that His Majesty was going to make trouble for him again.
The door was half-open, and there was no eunuch outside. After the Queen Mother returned to the palace, the servants of the Purple Palace resumed their idleness, their faces practically showing that they only obeyed the Queen Mother's orders.
The palace was completely silent, without a sound. The brocade quilt on the dragon bed was bunched up, forming a small bulge. Bai Kang walked over and was about to pay his respects when the person on the bed suddenly lifted the quilt. The little emperor's face seemed to have traces of tears, but he remained expressionless. "Bai Kang, stay by my side."
Lord Bai hasn't come to the villa for several days.
The servants in the other courtyard had no idea what was going on. Even though Princess Jinyang had recently left the capital and was returning to Yanmen, and things were complicated, Master wouldn't have neglected Madam. Madam, too, used to ask about Master's situation every day, but recently she hadn't mentioned it at all.
Did the master and the lady have a quarrel? It seems that the lady has been in a bad mood recently.
Bo Kang, still at the Ministry of Rites, was unaware of this. Princess Jinyang was leading a caravan out of the capital, and a large number of approval procedures needed his attention. However, he himself was somewhat reluctant to return to the villa, afraid to see Lianzhi.
Lianzhi hadn't contacted him, and Qinghe had said Lianzhi hadn't questioned him at all. Did she already know something? Over the past few days, Bai Kang had figured it out. If it was true, as Miss Yan said, that Lianzhi had ordered Yan Chengxi's execution, then that was also the Queen Mother's order. Lianzhi had no power at the time, so wouldn't the Queen Mother still have approved such a thing?
Bai Kang absentmindedly turned the next page when suddenly a doctor from the Ministry of Rites stepped forward and said, "Sir, there's something unusual happening at Linshan Temple."
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