Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 10: Prelude to the Succession War
A familiar crisp sound rang out, and everyone in the hall was startled.

Three or five maids rushed forward and held the jade in their hands as if they were snatching a treasure.

Grandmother Jia was so frightened that she hugged Baoyu and cried, "You evil creature, why did you throw away your life? If you were angry, why didn't you throw me, an old woman, away?"

Mrs. Xing, Mrs. Wang, and Li Wan were all in tears, and the three sisters were so frightened that they covered their faces with handkerchiefs. Only Lin Daiyu was at a loss in the hall, not knowing what to say.

I just told Mrs. Wang that she would not provoke this devil, but I didn't expect that before I could say a few words, I seemed to have offended him.

But Lin Daiyu also thought that what she said was carefully considered and she had no intention of offending anyone. She really didn't know why Baoyu was so angry.

Before this, her grandmother and several aunts, sisters-in-law, and sisters all spoke kindly to her. If they asked her to stay in their house for a while, Lin Daiyu would not be able to refuse out of consideration for their relationship.

But seeing that Jia Baoyu, the most favored boy in the mansion, was so unpredictable and emotionally unstable, and that he had offended him on his first arrival, he didn't want to stay in the mansion any longer.

Lin Daiyu silently shed tears, feeling very aggrieved, and thought to herself: "General Yue, when will you come to pick me up?"

……

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the court imposed heavy taxes and levies, corrupt officials took away the land, and the Han people were squeezed to the point of suffocation, so they could only raise the banner of rebellion. Tuotuo, the last prime minister who could be called a normal person, did not use the method of his subordinates changing the banknotes, and won the Battle of Gaoyou, forcibly extending the life of the corrupt Yuan Dynasty.

Several decades later, Zhu Yuanzhang still did not appear in the history books, but the Central Plains raised an army and used the financial resources of the southeastern nobles to conquer the north. In the end, Liu Xu, the founder of Dachang, together with the four kings, eight dukes and twelve marquises, drove out the barbarians and restored China.

Since the founding of Dachang, there have been three monarchs. The current Emperor Yuanqing has two sons, the eldest prince, Prince Kang, and the second prince, Prince Qin, each of whom has his own court.

It is obvious that Emperor Yuanqing did not appoint a crown prince early because he intended to choose the best one and seemed to have tacitly approved the struggle.

As a result, from the court to various places, countless people chose sides and fought openly and secretly.

Yue Ling is the second prince, King Qin's man, and now he has arrived at King Qin's mansion.

"Commander, you are back."

Seeing Yue Ling standing in front of the door, the guard immediately stepped forward and saluted Yue Ling, "The prince is currently discussing matters in the hall, so the commander-in-chief can go directly there."

Yue Ling slapped the reins in his hand onto the guard's hand, straightened his clothes, and nodded, "Okay, I understand."

After passing through several mountain corridors and large colorful screens, Yue Ling came directly to the reception room in the Prince of Qin's Mansion.

Now the reception room is full of people, all of whom are aides in the palace, and they seem to be discussing important matters.

"Your Majesty."

Yue Ling entered the room, bowed, and then found an empty seat to stand.

Seeing Yue Ling return safely, the King of Qin stopped talking to his staff and said to Yue Ling through the crowd, "Thank you for your hard work. You came back just in time."

Yue Ling curiously asked the people around him, "Li Zhubu, what happened in the court?"

The middle-aged man called Li Zhubu by Yue Ling was dressed like a scholar, with a scholarly look on his face and bright eyes. He was responsible for drafting documents for the palace and was a capable person.

"Commander Yue, you are lucky. Not long ago, the northern barbarians came to the border, and His Majesty ordered King Kang to lead the troops to fight against them and support the old Duke Rong who has been at the border for a long time but is now unable to support the country alone."

"Hmm? Why isn't the prince leading the troops?"

King Kang, as the eldest and legitimate prince, was unable to smoothly enter the East Palace. A very important reason for this was that King Qin had too many military achievements and was favored by the people.

He conquered Liaodong, pacified Tubo, went out of Longyou, and opened up the Western Regions. Everywhere in Dachang, there were traces of the King of Qin's achievements. This time, it was not the King of Qin who led the troops, but the one in the Yangxin Palace, who started to balance again.

Li Zhubu added: "Not only that, King Kang has called on three commanders from the palace to accompany the army to the battle as vanguard generals."

"Your Majesty actually agrees to this?"

Li Zhubu shook his head and sighed, "Why else would you say you're lucky that your name wasn't mentioned?"

Yue Ling also laughed at himself, "Most likely they think I'm too young and can't achieve as many outstanding military achievements as others."

Li Zhubu did not comment, turned his head back and looked at the King of Qin above.

Yue Ling was also listening to the discussions in the hall. Most of them were against sending a general to accompany the army, and there was constant shouting and cursing.

After a long while, no one could come to a conclusion. Finally, the King of Qin made the final decision: "Okay, stop arguing. The country is in trouble now, how can the King of Qin Palace just sit there and watch? No matter what the emperor brother is thinking, we should help him."

"You three joined the army to make achievements. Moreover, if I do not follow my father's order, I will be accused by the censor of accumulating power and seeking illegal activities. How can I fight against him in court?"

Seeing that the King of Qin was determined, no one else could say anything to disobey him, and even the three generals had to obey his orders.

Yue Ling thought that it was not that they did not want to achieve great things, but if they followed King Kang into battle, not to mention how much credit they would get for the victory, one stupid move might even cost them their lives.

The matter was settled and everyone dispersed and left.

Yue Ling took the initiative to stay, reported his itinerary to the King of Qin, and handed over Lin Ruhai's reply.

"Your Majesty, I am not the only one coming to the capital this time. Lord Lin entrusted his young daughter to me and came to the capital with me."

The King of Qin was in his prime, with a square face, a chin like a swallow, a thick beard, a hawk-like gaze, and thick eyebrows, which made him look like a military commander.

Putting down the fragrant tea on the table, King Qin unfolded the letter and sighed.

"I already know Ru Hai's intentions. Let him do what he wants in Yangzhou. I will take good care of his family."

He sent his daughter to the capital to show his loyalty and to make his ambition clear. Although the King of Qin said nothing, his face was full of approval.

However, upon hearing that the prince wanted to take good care of her, Yue Ling felt reluctant, fearing that the prince would directly take Lin Daiyu into the palace to raise her.

If that's the case, then I'll have nothing to do.

After all, he had raised Lin Daiyu for a month, so it was inevitable that he had some feelings for her.

"Your Highness, how should we arrange for Lord Lin's daughter now?" Yue Ling asked tentatively.

The King of Qin was quite calm, shaking the letter paper, "As Ruhai said in the letter, you will take care of him first, and I think it is appropriate. You don't need to come to the palace to be on duty during this period of time. If there is an order, you can come again."

Yue Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly agreed.

The King of Qin added: "I cannot mistreat his beloved daughter. If you need anything, just let me know. Money and food are fine. Just come to the account and take it..."

It was impossible to trust all the polite words of the leader. Yue Ling responded while leaving the house and heading straight for Rongguo Mansion.

"Huh, I wonder how Daiyu is doing in Rongguo Mansion."

(End of this chapter)