◇ Chapter 31 (31) Bai Kang recognizes his true feelings
Did Bai Kang see him meeting Xue Nan? Lian Zhi's heart tightened, wondering if Bai Kang had heard the conversation between him and Xue Nan. He was just an orphan from Liangzhou, so of course it was impossible for him to know General Xue.
He couldn't tell anyone, he couldn't let Bai Kang know that he knew General Xue.
"Who is it? I don't know." Lianzhi opened her eyes blankly, with an innocent look, like a confused deer. But this look couldn't fool Bai Kang - Bai Kang knew him too well, and such an expression would only make him look guilty.
Otherwise, Lianzhi would have lost her temper and asked herself why she had wronged him.
A few servants and guards gathered behind him, watching his back and whispering to each other. Bai Kang heard what they were saying, walked into the room, and slammed the door shut. After closing the door, Lianzhi realized he had brought Lianzi and the housekeeper with him.
"Lianzhi." Bai Kang's voice was low and serious, hinting at suppressed disappointment. "If you tell me now, I won't blame you."
He waited quietly for Lianzhi's reaction. She leaned against the wall, eyes downcast, and said nothing. This attitude only intensified his rage.
Why has Lianzhi always been unwilling to trust him?
Why don't you tell him anything?
"Lianzi, go ahead." Bo Kang pushed the person out and spoke in a deep voice. Lianzhi finally moved, and her eyes turned to look at Lianzi. Lianzi clasped her fingers and said timidly: "I..."
He gritted his teeth and said, "Yesterday in the palace, Madam met privately with the envoy from the North Sea Territory. The two of them talked for a long time."
It's that Lianzi guy again! Lianzhi's eyes were about to spit fire, but he breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, at the palace banquet yesterday, the envoy from the North Sea Territory announced his identity, and he and Envoy Chunyu just spoke and exchanged greetings in a proper manner. He was about to make an excuse, but Lianzi continued, "Madam and the envoy had a very pleasant conversation, and the envoy even said that Madam and him have known each other for a long time. My lord, the envoy from the North Sea Territory is not from Daning after all, and you are in the Ministry of Rites. What will people think if this gets out?"
Have you known each other for a long time?
Lianzhi was stunned and recalled for a long time before she remembered that Envoy Chunyu said that he looked familiar.
"Is what he said true or false?" Bai Kang stared at him closely, as if he would believe him unconditionally as long as Lianzhi started to explain.
Lianzhi immediately went forward to pull his arm, but when she failed, she said pitifully, "That's just Lianzi's one-sided story. He's never liked me, so he must be deliberately framing me! Brother Kang, you have to believe me. I just saw that messenger for the first time yesterday, and I thought he looked particularly strange. Brother Kang, you know this, don't you?"
Bai Kang, who had always been lenient with him, still had a cold expression, a chill that was a little frightening. Lianzi said, "This isn't just my story. Before I came to the Shangshu Mansion, I had a few good friends in the palace who were also at the palace banquet yesterday, and they told me about this. Lord Bai, you could summon them one by one to confront them, so as to prevent Madam from misunderstanding me."
Why is Lianzi so sharp-tongued today? And there's even a witness. Clearly, he's well-prepared. Seeing him angry, Lianzi let out an inexplicable smile. "Madam even agreed with the envoy to exchange letters privately. My Lord, you're the Minister of Rites. Who knows, Madam and the envoy might be plotting something to harm you..."
Before he could finish his words, Lianzhi was already furious and rushed over to beat him up. Bo Kang stopped him and subconsciously grabbed Lianzhi's hand: "Don't run around." His knee hasn't healed yet, and he's already running around.
"He's slandering me!" Lianzhi exclaimed. That was pure exaggeration. Even though the North Sea Territory was affiliated with the Daning Kingdom, it was still a frontier tribe. How could he possibly be communicating with, and even plotting against, the North Sea Territory's envoys? Lianzi was clearly pointing fingers at him, accusing him of treason!
"Brother Kang, how could I possibly do such a thing?" Lianzhi hugged Bai Kang's arm and shook it. He had been so obedient and well-behaved today, Bai Kang would definitely side with him. Besides, what Lianzi said was completely false, and Bai Kang was not stupid, so how could he believe it?
But Bo Kang let go of his hand.
"I need to investigate." Bo Kang closed the door again and left the bedroom with Lianzi. The wooden door blocked his and Lianzi's figures, and also blocked Lianzhi's sight.
Bo Kang didn't believe him?
Bai Kang believed Lianzi’s nonsense!
Lianzhi was so angry that he stamped his feet and tried to pull the door, but none of the guards outside were willing to open it for him. Lianzhi pointed at the wooden door and cursed loudly.
No one paid any attention to him.
It was not until this moment that Lianzhi felt a little panicked and confused - Bai Kang did not believe him.
Although he didn't trust Bo Kang either, how could Bo Kang not trust him? Lian Zhi sat on the edge of the bed in a daze, feeling very aggrieved. He suddenly felt that he had been living too comfortably recently.
Although he had been placed under house arrest and imprisoned in the palace before, he never felt as wronged as he does now.
From early morning to dusk, the door remained unopened. Just as Lianzhi was about to force his way in, someone finally opened the door for him. Qinghe was standing outside, carrying a lunch box.
"Are you going to let me out?" Lianzhi's eyes lit up, and she quickly asked, "Why isn't Brother Kang coming over?"
"Master Bai hasn't said he'll let you out yet." Surprisingly, Qing He said, "I'm here to bring you food."
Lianzhi took the food box, feeling even more upset. He said, "Where's Xiao Wenzi? Ask him to serve me."
Even if he was to be locked up, he should be left with Xiao Wenzi, right? Once Xiao Wenzi arrived, he could think of a way to send a message to the outside world, or come up with some other countermeasures.
Qing He grinned and said, "My Lord has ordered that Eunuch Wen be transferred for questioning. I'm sorry to have to bear with you until your case is fully investigated."
Why was Xiao Wenzi transferred away?
"I want to see Bo Kang!" Lianzhi shouted, "What right do you have to interrogate him? I was the one who entered the palace, and he didn't! Let him interrogate me, not Xiao Wenzi!"
After he finished speaking, he wanted to rush out. Qinghe blocked the door and prevented him from leaving. Seeing this, Lianzhi raised the food box and was about to throw it. Qinghe remembered Baikang's instructions, so how could she let Lianzhi throw things, not to mention that the food was gone, and she couldn't let this young master go hungry: "I'm just asking questions, Master Lianzhi, please don't make it difficult for me. This is also to prove your innocence. Our master is most taboo about this kind of thing. Besides, you know the master's temper. If he really doubts you, he will interrogate you directly. You don't have to worry."
"Really?" Lianzhi frowned.
Qing He nodded vigorously, and he finally believed it. He stopped making a fuss and let her go. After Qing He left, he sat at the table to prepare his meal. He opened the lunch box, looked at the contents, and laughed to himself.
He also said there was no need to worry, as they were just leftovers. If Bo Kang hadn't suspected him, how could he have allowed people to send him these things?
After eating the stale rice, Lianzhi felt a persistent stomachache. He woke up in the middle of the night and wanted to call a doctor.
He knocked on the door for a long time, but no one answered. He knocked harder, and after a long time, someone finally came over.
"What are you doing? What are you doing in the middle of the night?" the people outside said dissatisfiedly.
It sounded like a servant. Lianzhi didn't care about his rudeness and ordered him to invite a doctor to the house as soon as possible. Unexpectedly, the man sneered: "Master Lianzhi, your matter has not been investigated clearly yet. When the truth is revealed, I will definitely invite a doctor for you!"
After saying that, he just left.
Lianzhi was furious and hurt, cursing Bo Kang a thousand times in his heart. He could only go back to sleep. His stomach ached so much that he couldn't sleep, and he tossed and turned thinking about what had happened during the day.
Someone wants to harm him, and this person is probably not from the mansion.
Lianzi didn't have the brains or the guts to accuse him of such a thing. Given his personality, he would only accuse him of something as minor as stealing.
It could be the work of his "friends." But what he couldn't understand was that in the eyes of outsiders, he was just a little musician and a male wife. Who would be so idle as to want to harm him?
Unless... someone discovered what he did and found out his identity?
Lianzhi was in a state of confusion, unable to make sense of anything. She woke up the next morning, unsure whether she had fallen asleep or fainted from the pain. Her lower abdomen was still aching, and she clutched her stomach as she stood up, feeling like crying.
They said "you can trust him", but they still locked him up and took Xiao Wenzi away.
Damn Bocon!
The door opened, and Lianzhi looked over with a hint of surprise. Seeing Lianzi standing outside, she felt a sudden sense of disappointment. Lianzhi walked over with a piece of paper, placed it in front of him, and whispered, "Master Bai wants you to write down what you said to Envoy Chunyu yesterday."
The lotus branch didn't move.
"The eunuch has confessed." Lianzi's voice was still timid and soft, but Lianzhi wanted to punch him twice. "Hurry up and write it. Maybe Lord Bai will show you mercy and give you a lighter sentence."
"Give me a lighter sentence?" Lianzhi sneered, her pale face full of sarcasm. "Whether what you said is true or not, you know best."
"Is he really alright? Not in a bad mood? Not complaining?"
In the study, after listening to the guard's report, Bai Kang was a little surprised. That spoiled Lianzhi didn't complain?
"That's right. Young Master Lianzhi has been staying in the room and has not summoned us." said the guard.
These words increased Bai Kang's suspicion, but he certainly would not believe that Lianzhi would contact people from the North Sea in private.
It wasn't that he was particularly confident in Lianzhi's character; in fact, he couldn't completely trust even his own family members. He had simply investigated Lianzhi's background and knew that he didn't know the North Sea envoy and had no means of contacting him—even the Liangzhou prefect and the Longxi King, who hadn't returned to the capital, had never met the North Sea envoy.
However, he was still willing to believe that Lianzhi was a good child.
"Has he eaten yet? Was breakfast delivered this morning?" Bo Kang asked seriously. "Did he sleep well last night? How's his knee injury? Did he have any leg pain or other symptoms when he walked?"
The guard was bewildered by the string of questions. He said angrily, "This... I haven't been to Young Master Lianzhi's room, so I don't know. But the meal should have been delivered."
Hearing this, Bo Kang breathed a sigh of relief: "You can go back. If he has any problems, come to me as soon as possible."
After sending the man away, Bai Kang turned around and saw Chang Yuzhu, who looked very interested. His face suddenly fell: "Why are you grinning like an idiot?"
"You care so much about it. Why don't you go and see it yourself?" Chang Yuzhu asked with a wicked smile.
When he was in Liangzhou, he felt that these two people were unusual. They looked similar, but Bai Kang was attracted to Lian Zhi, and Lian Zhi also liked to follow Bai Kang.
Sure enough, Bai Kang is interested in her.
"Read your book. If you have nothing else to do, go back to your house." Bo Kang began to scold him, "Didn't you want to borrow a book? You found the book, so go ahead."
"Hey, it's been so long since I last came to your house, and you're already chasing me away." Chang Yuzhu leaned against the couch. "I'm telling the truth. Since you care about me, why don't you go and see me? You're asking the guards questions all the time. If you go and see for yourself, won't you know everything?"
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Bai Kang's face actually showed a conflicted look: "If he sees me, he will definitely be angry with me. It's too noisy."
Chang Yuzhu sneered: "Why are you still embarrassed?"
Bo Kang hadn't really intended to keep Lianzhi in custody. With so many people in the palace yesterday, it would have been easy for him to find out who Lianzhi had met and what she had said. As the Minister of Rites, he had met with several envoys from the North Sea Territory, so it wouldn't have been difficult to find out.
He just wanted Lianzhi to rest in the house to heal his knees, so that he wouldn't have to walk around the mansion all the time. Besides, if he ran into Lianzi outside, they would definitely fight.
By the way, I pretended to be cold to Lianzhi and see how the little guy reacted.
As expected, Lianzhi didn't curse in the room. Bo Kang actually hoped that Lianzhi would curse him secretly as usual, which was better than being so abnormal.
"Bo Kang, tell me, what do you really think of your wife?" Chang Yuzhu asked.
Bo Kang: "What do you think?"
"Do you like her or not?" Chang Yuzhu asked directly, leaving Bai Kang stunned. "You've been back for two months. You can't still be a stranger, right?"
like?
Some people also say that he likes lotus branches?
"Stop joking." Bo Kang laughed twice, his tone stiff and awkward, "How could I possibly like Lianzhi? It's because Lianzhi likes me, and I can't bear to see him sad, so I treat him well."
Lianzhi is a man, and ten years younger than him.
There's no way he likes lotus branches.
"Are you still lying to your brother?" Chang Yuzhu seemed not to believe him at all. "That child is so young, how could he know how to like you? It's almost the same as if you like her."
"you--"
"Bang—bang—"
"Master Bai, I have something important to ask you."
Hearing the voice of his subordinate, Bai Kang immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and said as if he had been pardoned, "Read your book!" and hurriedly followed his subordinate away.
Yesterday, Bai Kang sent his subordinates to the post station. According to the attendants of the North Sea envoy, as their envoy said yesterday, they did see a young man in auspicious clothes in the palace.
He only said one sentence to the young man, and the young man left without staying long.
These contents were similar to what they had heard from several other adults who had left the Golden Palace.
"Lianzi has three eunuchs in the palace who are on good terms with him. They were probably not on duty in the Golden Throne Hall yesterday," the subordinate said. They didn't have the reach to reach into the Golden Throne Hall, but they could easily inquire about the servants in certain officials' households.
Bo Kang subconsciously assumed that Lianzi disliked Lianzhi and was deliberately making a false accusation. The subordinate then said, "Madam met with General Xue in the palace yesterday. Besides that, we also got this."
Bai Kang held out his hand suspiciously, but he had no doubts about it. He was just greeting an important person. But when he saw what his subordinate had brought, he paused.
It was a red handkerchief, which looked very familiar. Bo Kang felt that he had seen it somewhere.
"This is……"
He shook open the handkerchief and saw a line of words written on it: "Meet at Zuiyue Tower at noon tomorrow."
Although he didn't know who the handkerchief belonged to or who it would be given to, Bai Kang had a hunch that the handkerchief would be given to Lianzhi.
Who wanted to meet him? Someone from Liangzhou, or someone else in Beijing?
Moreover, the handkerchief was written with tomorrow noon, so if anyone wanted to give it to him at the palace banquet, the time would have passed.
Bai Kang folded the handkerchief unwrapped, intending to have Qing He give it to Lian Zhi when she brought him dinner that evening to see how he would react. After asking a few more questions about the Ministry of Rites, Bai Kang sent the men away and called Qing He back in to give him instructions.
"Tell me everything he said, including his reaction..." Bo Kang said halfway, then changed his tone, "Forget it, I'll go and see for myself!"
After not seeing each other for a day, he was really curious about what had happened to Lianzhi. He couldn't help but want to see her, but this was because he was afraid that Lianzhi would be secretly angry, which would be bad for her health, not because he cared too much about her.
That's it.
Bai Kang was restless, and waited until dusk before quietly following Qing He. Qing He stood outside the door and knocked.
No one answered.
Qing He knocked again, thinking Lian Zhi was angry and unwilling to open the door for him. Just as he was about to call for help, Bai Kang came over and pushed him away, staring at the door with a heavy gaze.
Then, he kicked the door open.
The room was dark and gloomy, with no lights on. Lianzhi was lying on the bed, her head hanging over the edge. It was unclear whether she was asleep or unconscious. Bo Kang was startled and ran over to pick her up and shake her: "Lianzhi? Lianzhi!"
Lianzhi didn't say anything, her face was pale, as if she had fainted.
When he opened his eyes again, Lianzhi thought he was dying of pain, but when he saw the tall and familiar figure standing at the head of his bed, he was sure it was Bai Kang.
"Who told you not to feed him well and hire a doctor? I told you to report everything in detail, but you turned a deaf ear to it?"
"Do you still take me seriously?"
Bai Kang pointed at the guards and servants kneeling on the ground and cursed loudly. His deep voice sounded like it was about to explode. Lianzhi's ears hurt from his shouting. She reached out and tugged at the corner of his clothes: "Brother Kang."
The person who was furious just now suddenly fell silent.
"Brother Kang, my stomach hurts." Lianzhi's voice sounded even more aggrieved. Bai Kang immediately turned around, squatted down, held his hand and said softly, "The doctor has examined you and given you medicine. Does your stomach still hurt? Is there anything else that hurts?"
"I'll feel better if you stop talking." Lianzhi's voice was still a little weak. "You're so loud, it hurts my ears."
Fortunately, nothing went wrong. It's still as delicate as before.
Bai Kang ordered everyone kneeling on the ground to be pulled down. Begging for mercy continued. Lian Zhi probably guessed the truth, but she still looked at Bai Kang with grievance, tears half falling. I felt pity for her: "You get out too! You feed me rotten rice! I hate you."
"It's not me. I didn't know they would treat you so harshly." Bai Kang felt so regretful. He thought that after what happened last time, no one would disrespect Lianzhi again. He also overestimated Lianzhi's popularity.
Moreover, seeing that Lianzhi and Liang Ye had a good relationship, he thought that he had become friends with most people in the mansion.
She is so pampered, and he is the only one who can stand it.
"It was my negligence. I apologize to you." Bai Kang's voice was unspeakably gentle. If the people in the Ministry of Rites, or even the brothers and sisters of the Bai family heard it, they would probably think that he was possessed by a ghost.
"It's all because of my inability to control you, and I've made you suffer. You can do whatever you want with me." Bo Kang gently stroked Lianzhi's face, "Don't be angry for now."
Even after hearing the satisfactory answer, Lianzhi still refused to give in: "I am in so much pain, go and kill them all!"
Lianzhi stopped talking after putting a sugar pill in his mouth. Bo Kang patted his head and said, "I'll do as you say. Stop talking for now."
Lianzhi finally stopped making a fuss. After a while, the pain in his abdomen really eased a lot, and he sat up: "I want to eat a good meal!"
"You're not well yet, drink some rice porridge."
Bai Kang had already prepared some soft and easily digestible food and placed it on the table. Lianzhi was unhappy, but he didn't indulge her. Instead, he said, "Be obedient. When you get better, I'll take you to Zuiyue Tower for a good meal."
"Don't lie to me." Lianzhi grumbled, picked up the spoon and began to sip the porridge. While he was eating, Bai Kang lifted the quilt and looked at his knees.
It was inconvenient for him to look at it just now because there were so many people around, but now he saw that the wound on his knee was completely healed, without any red mark left.
"Don't look at it anymore." Lianzhi snatched back the quilt and covered her legs with it. "It's just a small red mark. It doesn't matter if you don't apply medicine. It will be healed after a good night's sleep."
That won't work.
Lianzhi loves a beautiful child, and no marks can be left on her body.
Lianzhi finally slept soundly after his meal. He had been suffering from abdominal pain all day and was hungry, so he couldn't sleep well.
Half asleep and half awake, Lianzhi heard screams and pleas for mercy coming from the yard. She woke up instantly, got out of bed, went to the door, opened a small crack and peeked out.
The butler and several guards dragged two bloody people out. It was the guards who did not open the door for him.
He knew that Bai Kang had some skills. When he was a royal guard, people around him had always believed in him. He became the Minister of Rites at such a young age, it was impossible that he relied on Emperor Jianguang's suspicion and pity, otherwise the Ministry of Rites would have been in chaos long ago.
But he didn't expect that Bai Kang would be so cruel and the punishment would be heavier than last time.
Seeing that the door was slightly open, Bai Kang hurried over, pushed it open, and saw Lianzhi standing at the door, looking so fragile that he felt a surge of pity in his heart.
He couldn't tell now whether he liked Lianzhi or not.
Lianzhi was very delicate and had many secrets. He hated delicate people the most, and he also didn't like people approaching him with ulterior motives or secrets.
But he didn't dislike Lian Zhi. If it were anyone else, he would have kicked them out long ago. They looked similar, but when it came to those Lian Zhi, Bai Kang felt like he couldn't stand it.
Or perhaps he wanted to take care of Lianzhi.
But he is ten years older than Lianzhi.
Lianzhi was very beautiful and delicate, like Chen Fenglian in the past, a young and noble girl who should be held in the palm of someone's hand. He couldn't say whether he liked Lianzhi or not, or whether he should like Lianzhi, but he couldn't bear to see Lianzhi suffer any injustice.
Since we're unsure, let's just be nicer to him. It's okay if he makes a little noise, isn't he quite energetic?
"Why are you wearing so little? Aren't you cold?" Bai Kang took off his outer robe, wrapped Lianzhi up, and carried her to the bed.
Lianzhi's eyelashes trembled. Bo Kang thought he was afraid he would be too harsh, and was about to speak when he heard Lianzhi's voice, hinting at a smile and pleasure: "Brother Kang, thank you, you should teach them a lesson!"
But Bai Kang did not respond.
He had tortured them and found out that those people had accepted bribes and followed other people's orders to deliberately treat Lianzhi harshly.
Who wants Lianzhi's life?
Let Eunuch Wen give him the handkerchief.
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