◇ Chapter 32 (32) The Connector
The mention of Eunuch Wen gave Bai Kang another headache. He wondered if it was just his age that was giving him the headaches. He hadn't intended to interrogate Eunuch Wen in the first place. Eunuch Wen's body couldn't withstand torture, and he knew Lianzhi was innocent. Wouldn't Lianzhi be furious if he tortured her?
But he always had doubts in his mind about many things.
Yesterday at noon, when the housekeeper and Qinghe took Eunuch Wen away, Eunuch Wen kept shouting that the young master was innocent and that he was willing to die for the young master.
Why was Eunuch Wen so loyal to Lianzhi? He had only been with Lianzhi for a little over a month. And why did Lianzhi know Eunuch Wen?
As far as he knew, Eunuch Wen had been working in the pawnshop in recent years and had never left Beijing.
An extremely absurd thought flashed through Bai Kang's mind, but he quickly dismissed it. He could only guess that Eunuch Wen felt that Lianzhi and Chen Fenglian were too similar, and because of his former master, he loved her too much.
He slowly woke up. In his sleep, Lianzhi always felt that someone was staring at him. When he opened his eyes, he saw Bai Kang sitting beside the bed, looking at him very gently.
"Feeling uncomfortable?" asked Bo Kang.
Lianzhi shook her head: "Why don't you sleep? Stop staring at me, I allow you to sleep in the bed."
"I'm worried that you might have a stomachache, so I'll just watch over you." Bai Kang smiled and thought Lianzhi looked cute with her hair messy while sleeping.
It’s over, maybe I really like lotus branches.
No, I can't like it.
He is ten years older than Lianzhi. It's OK that he didn't realize it before, Lianzhi is still young, and he can't lead him astray.
Lianzhi was speechless: "Lianzi slandered me, you punish him."
"I'll transfer him to the warehouse so he won't be a nuisance to you." Seeing Lianzhi's disagreement, Bo Kang explained, "Don't you want to know who ordered Lianzi to do this? Someone wants your life. Let's keep him for now and find out who's behind him."
This made sense, and Lianzhi couldn't find any fault with it, so he just said, "Go to sleep if you're tired," and turned around, facing the wall. While he was sleeping, it seemed as if someone was holding him and adjusting his sleeping position for him, changing him into a more comfortable one.
The embrace was warm and he didn't shy away.
The next morning, the housekeeper personally brought Eunuch Wen back. Lianzhi took everyone to check everything, and was relieved only after confirming that Eunuch Wen was not injured.
Seeing how he cared about Eunuch Wen, the housekeeper silently complained for his master in his heart. It was unknown whether in Young Master Lianzhi's heart, their master was more important, or this eunuch.
After driving the housekeeper away, Lianzhi asked several more questions, and was relieved to make sure that Eunuch Wen was not bullied. Lianzhi felt complicated. He was not a qualified master. When he was a prince, he made Eunuch Wen suffer with him, and now he could not let him enjoy the good life.
"Master, I got this." Eunuch Wen still remembered his business and took out a handkerchief from his bosom. He had sewn the handkerchief into the lapel of his inner garment, making it very concealed. Seeing the words on it, Lianzhi asked in confusion, "Where did you get it?"
"It was from the servant next to Bai Kang." Eunuch Wen took credit. "I got it yesterday, Master, let's get going!"
Lianzhi was very puzzled. This matter was full of doubts. How could Eunuch Wen easily obtain such an important item from Qinghe? And why did Bai Kang put it on Qinghe? It was strange.
"Did you see what he was carrying on him? What was the situation at that time?" Lianzhi continued to ask.
Since it was about Lianzhi, Eunuch Wen remembered it particularly clearly: "The housekeeper brought it here. It seems someone outside the mansion intercepted the handkerchief, and Bai Kang had it placed in the study for safekeeping. I saw it and secretly took it while they weren't paying attention."
How could Eunuch Wen have gotten it so easily? Lianzhi still had a hunch that something was up; there was something deliberate about it. But seeing that Eunuch Wen thought he had accomplished something great, he couldn't bear to criticize him: "Then go ahead."
The worst-case scenario was that Bai Kang was trying to trick him. He could just come up with a pretext to find out if Bai Kang had any doubts about him. Thinking of Bai Kang's inexplicably gentle look last night, Lian Zhi felt that nothing serious would happen to him.
He led Eunuch Wen out with a proud and confident manner. The guards at the gate did not stop him, so he sent for the carriage. For some reason, everything went so smoothly—if it were any other time, the butler would have definitely run out and asked him to bring two servants with him, ostensibly to take care of him but actually to monitor him.
Zuiyuelou is the largest restaurant in the capital. Rumor has it that the power behind it is the royal family and aristocracy, which is why they can afford to hire famous chefs from all over the world. However, Lianzhi knows that Zuiyuelou is the property of his sister, Princess Jinyang.
The handkerchief embroidered with butterflies was also an old possession of Princess Jinyang. Of all the royal relatives, except for the young crown prince, only this sister didn't care about his background. When he met Xue Nan, he realized that the sister was probably the only one who could help him.
After drinking tea downstairs for an hour, Eunuch Wen finally sensed something was wrong and said uncomfortably, "Master, have we been tricked? It's already past noon, and they haven't arrived yet."
"Don't worry, someone who shouldn't be here will come." Lianzhi said this in a riddle, and ordered a few more dishes. He also asked Eunuch Wen to eat something. Eunuch Wen was a little panicked and was about to say he didn't dare when a tall figure stopped behind them.
Eunuch Wen immediately turned around alertly.
"Is this young master alone? Can we share a table?" A scholar-like man in green stood by the table and gave Lianzhi a gentle and kind smile. However, Lianzhi didn't give him face and pointed at Eunuch Wen and asked, "Are you blind? Don't you see him?"
The man was stunned. "I'm sorry, I'm not very good at seeing. I apologize to both of you. Then I..."
"I don't like sharing a table. Please leave." Lianzhi waved her hand, refusing to respond to the man no matter what he said. Seeing that people around them noticed their argument, the man became anxious, sighed, and finally whispered, "Princess Jinyang sent me here."
Lianzhi narrowed her eyes and didn't believe him immediately: "It is said that someone once gave the princess a token of trust?"
Man: "A red silk handkerchief embroidered with pearl butterflies. It was a farewell gift from the eldest princess to the late emperor three years ago."
Only he and the eldest princess knew about this private matter. Lianzhi was relieved and beckoned the man: "Let's go upstairs and talk."
"Master." Eunuch Wen chased after him, wanting to say something but stopping himself, "Bai Kang, he..."
"I saw it." Lianzhi looked at a corner behind her, with the corners of her lips curled up.
Bai Kang and the servant beside him have been secretly staring at him. Don't think he didn't notice.
The man's surname was Wu, and he was a retainer in the palace of the Princess of Jinyang. The Princess didn't particularly like the late Emperor, but blood was thicker than water, so she was looking out for her younger brother. Furthermore, she disliked the illegitimately ascended Emperor Jianguang, so now that she had news of her younger brother, she would naturally lend a hand.
Thinking of the princess's instructions and her promise to him, the man picked up a pen and said, "The princess has a message for me to pass on to you, young master. No trace of this can be left. Please remember my words."
It was noon when Bai Kang came out of the Ministry of Rites.
The Wanshou Festival had passed, but the Ministry of Rites had become even busier. With envoys from the North Sea Territory stranded in the capital, the task of receiving them fell entirely on them. While the North Sea Territory had friendly relations with the Daning Kingdom, the tribes outside the Great Wall were known to be fierce and warlike, and should not be underestimated.
Looking at the documents presented by the envoy, Bai Kang's eyes revealed a murderous aura. The people around him pushed him several times, but he didn't notice. Bai Kang looked up with some irritation and said lightly, "Stop bothering me."
"Sir, the lady is missing!" The clerk from the Ministry of Rites said in a panic, "Please go and check quickly. The lady ran off with a man!"
Ran away with a man?
Bo Kang suddenly stood up and asked anxiously, "When? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"My Lord, you told me to stop making noise!" The clerk was also anxious. In broad daylight, the lady had actually followed a man upstairs. Upstairs was a private room, so she must be alone!
Bai Kang's attention was completely focused on the word "man". He had originally planned to have a clerk pretend to be a contact person to test Lianzhi's attitude, but he didn't expect to be hijacked by a stranger.
Bai Kang deliberately delayed for a day, and now the time written on the handkerchief has passed. It is estimated that the man is a lecher who deliberately flirted with Lianzhi because of her beauty.
Lianzhi doesn’t know anything and will definitely be cheated!
Without time to dwell on it, Bai Kang hurried upstairs to Zuiyuelou, knocking on each door. When he opened the door and saw it wasn't Lianzhi, he apologized to everyone. Most of the customers at Zuiyuelou were prominent figures, and most of them knew him and wouldn't deliberately give him a hard time.
He searched the entire second floor, but couldn't find Lianzhi. Bo Kang pondered for a moment, then resorted to his old trick again. He took out his token and said to the clerk, "Go and get the shopkeeper. Tell him someone from the Ministry of Rites wants to inspect the restaurant, and have him lead the way."
On the way, Bai Kang thought about the lotus branches that disappeared inexplicably, and felt an indescribable feeling in his heart.
The shopkeeper moved quickly, quickly leading them to a private room on the fourth floor. Little Lianzhi had surprisingly hidden himself in such a secluded corner. Even through the door, laughter could be heard from within. Besides Lianzhi's clear voice, there was also another unfamiliar male voice.
He flung the door open and took in the entire room: Lianzhi and Eunuch Wen sat opposite each other, playing chess. Lianzhi raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping across at Bai Kang, who hadn't even had time to change into his court attire. She smiled sweetly and ran over, whispering, "Brother Kang, why are you here?"
There was no third person in the room.
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