Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 104: What a gentleman does is for the world

The Privy Council,
For several days in a row, Feng Tongchen took leave and stayed at home, and Yue Ling never met him again.

Today, when Yue Ling went to the Privy Council to report, he saw that he was already behind the documents.

Yue Ling was slightly startled when he stepped into the door, then smiled and said, "Mr. Feng, are you feeling better now?"

Feng Yu looked at Yue Ling, with a guilty look on his face, and sighed, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Yue, you have recovered well. A few days ago, I underestimated Mr. Yue. I was ignorant of etiquette and did not behave like a gentleman."

"Tong-chen Yue deliberately tested me with the Book of Rites, but I was unable to wake up and became even more stupid. I hope Tong-chen Yue will forgive me."

Yue Ling didn't dislike Feng Yu's straightforward personality. After he was given a way out, Yue Ling backed down.

"A gentleman is kind and polite. A kind person loves others, and a polite person respects others. Mr. Feng, don't blame me for making things difficult for you. Let's just let this matter pass."

Feng Yu smiled, poured a cup of tea for Yue Ling with his beloved purple clay teapot, handed it to Yue Ling with both hands, and asked in confusion: "Tongchen Yue is familiar with even the most complicated "Book of Rites", why doesn't he seek fame and honor through the imperial examination?"

Yue Ling took the teacup and said, "Tongchen Feng, do you think that seeking fame and fortune is the ultimate goal of studying?"

"Zeng Zi said: Cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the country and bring peace to the world. Zhang Ziyou said: Establish a mind for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, inherit the lost knowledge of the past sages, and bring peace to the world for all generations. Of course, I want to bring peace to the world, so I joined the army. Now I am under the command of the King of Qin and can use my talents. When the sages ruled the world, there was never an imperial examination. When did fame and fortune become a prerequisite for benefiting the people?"

Feng Yu suddenly realized, "Yue Tongchen has the demeanor of a pre-Qin gentleman. The so-called six arts of a gentleman include archery. We are just scholars who are powerless."

Therefore, Feng Yu was completely convinced by Yue Ling. He also understood why the Crown Prince could send him, a military officer without any merit, to the Privy Council.

I'm afraid that if Yue Ling went to take the imperial examination, it would not be difficult for him to pass.

At the right time, Lu Yuan came in from outside. Seeing that the two people in the room were getting along well, he said with a happy face, "You are all here. This is convenient. I was just looking for you to discuss something. There is a new situation in Datong Prefecture. The barbarians want to resume trade with our dynasty and agree not to start a war this year. They even want to exchange the life and even the war horse of the old Duke Rong for temporary stability. The meaning of the Secretariat just now is that we can consider agreeing to it."

"This year, the government and the country are in turmoil, and many places have been hit by disasters. Datong Prefecture has just suffered a defeat, which has shaken its foundation. After a year of recovery, after the busy spring and autumn harvest, the border will certainly be much more stable. But the key issue is, after the northern barbarians have passed the winter, will they start a war again? They have a precedent of breaking contracts."

Hearing this, Feng Yu frowned and said, "If we consider the benefits to our dynasty, trade is indeed the right way to go. However, Tuji Khan is a very ambitious man, so we have to be on guard."

Chai Pu walked into the main hall, saying firmly, "We must not trade with those outside the Great Wall. If we trade, it will only provide food and supplies to the northern barbarians to facilitate their migration south. This will put the border in an even more difficult and dangerous situation."

"Are the people in the Secretariat all three-year-old children? Can you trust such a contract?"

Lu Yuan considered again and said, "What about Duke Rong?"

Chai Pu said, "Duke Rong has been a soldier all his life and has made many outstanding achievements. Has he ever gone to war without the intention of sacrificing his life for his country? To exchange your life for a joint decision is an insult to the old Duke."

Chai Pu looked at Yue Ling who was silent at the side and said, "I have already written the memorial. Yue Ling, you can go to the palace. It just so happens that His Highness has just sent someone to look for you."

Seeing that the Deputy Privy Envoy was a staunch advocate of war, Yue Ling had a slight favorable impression of him. He stood up, bowed, and said, "Okay, I will enter the palace now."

……

Imperial Palace, Hall of Supreme Harmony,

After the morning court was dismissed, the King of Qin continued to stay in the palace to receive envoys from foreign countries who came to China to pay tribute.

Since the news that the King of Qin would supervise the government was announced to the world, all foreign nations sent envoys with small gifts to make friends with the crown prince of the Dachang Dynasty, the future ruler of China.

There were also some that had had interactions with the King of Qin, such as Tubo and Yarkand, who were able to restore their countries with the help of the King of Qin, and Siam and Annan in the south, which reached a reconciliation due to the mediation of the King of Qin. These foreign countries had envoys in the capital for a long time due to the long journey, and when they heard the news that the King of Qin had entered the East Palace, they immediately prepared gifts.

Today, they were summoned into the palace by the King of Qin at the same time.

Speaking in not-so-fluent Chinese, the foreign envoys kowtowed in the palace, "Your Highness, the great Crown Prince, may you be in good health..."

The King of Qin raised his hand slightly and said, "Okay, no need to be polite. I summoned you all today because I heard that you wanted to see me a long time ago. I have a lot of state affairs, so I made time to meet with you today and explain everything clearly."

The Goryeo envoy was the first to kneel down and said, "Your Highness, in recent years, the Jurchens have risen in the Baishan and Heishui regions, and the Jianzhou Jurchens have repeatedly harassed our border towns. Our country is weak and cannot withstand their harassment and fight against them. We hope that Your Highness can send troops to fight them. The people of Silla will surely welcome the imperial army with food and drink."

The King of Qin thought for a moment and said, "The Jianzhou Jurchens are indeed ambitious and brutal. They often massacre cities and plunder. I have heard about this. It is no small matter to start a war again. I will discuss this with the ministers in the court and give you a reply in a few days."

The Goryeo envoys kowtowed repeatedly and presented their gifts.

"Your Highness, this is the newly harvested wild ginseng this year, as well as the carpets woven by more than a hundred households in Seoul... and the two princesses, who have been sent to your Highness's East Palace as maids."

Hearing this, the King of Qin was startled and whispered to Xia Shouzhong beside him, "What did the Crown Princess say?"

Xia Shouzhong bowed and responded in a low voice: "I was a little angry, but I still took him into the palace."

The King of Qin nodded slightly, and then said to the Goryeo envoy: "Okay, I know your country's intentions, and I will reward you with a hundred pieces of silk and a box of medical and pharmacological books... Go down first."

The Goryeo envoy kowtowed to express his gratitude, and then the envoy from Yarkand came forward. When Yue Ling arrived outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, he saw the envoys from various countries leaving the hall, all with bright faces, and even talking and laughing with each other.

Yue Ling heard that the Tubo envoy asked the Silla envoy whether they had any female relatives accompanying them.

Not long after, Xia Shouzhong came out with a stern face, and when he saw Yue Ling, his face turned into a smile, "Your Highness has gone to the side hall, General Yue can go directly."

Having said that, Xia Shouzhong was about to go out.

Yue Ling stopped him and said, "Eunuch, won't you come with me?"

Xia Shouzhong smiled awkwardly, "I have work to do, so I have to go back to the East Palace."

Yue Ling nodded repeatedly, said goodbye to Xia Shouzhong, and went straight to the hall.

When entering the door, the scene remained the same. The King of Qin was still lighting the incense that he had loved since he was in the Qin Palace, and he was still writing behind the long desk.

Yue Ling knocked on the door frame a few times with his fingers.

Hearing the noise, King Qin looked down and saw that it was Yue Ling, so he called him to come forward.

"Come on, what does the Privy Council think about the border issue?"

Yue Ling stepped forward and handed over the memorial from Deputy Envoy Chai, and then said, "Trading now is no different from aiding the enemy. It is different from the past. The Privy Council still advocates war."

The King of Qin placed his pen on the pen holder, flipped through the memorial, and nodded, saying, "That's what I mean. There is no possibility of seeking peace with Tuji Khan. We can only actively prepare for war. Fighting on two fronts is unwise, but we have no choice."

"Today, the Goryeo envoys came to the court. They have also been oppressed by the Jurchens for a long time. They can become a helper and encircle the Jurchens in the northeast."

Yue Ling nodded and said, "This is a good idea. At least it can delay the Jurchens from targeting our dynasty."

The King of Qin accepted the memorial and sighed, "It's a pity that the old Duke Rong, who had a great reputation throughout his life, ended up with a disgraceful end in his later years. Well, forget it, everyone has their own destiny. I'd better give some rewards to comfort the Rong family."

The King of Qin picked up something on the table and handed it to Yue Ling, saying, "Since that day when I threatened to scare the tiger, I sent the Jinyiwei to monitor the movements outside the city gate all night, and finally found the messenger who was delivering the letter from the capital to the outside. The Jinyiwei hijacked the letter on the way, but I didn't expect that the messenger was a hidden assassin in someone's house. Before he committed suicide by taking poison, he also burned this silk."

"In the end, only this one word remains."

Yue Ling picked up the brocade and saw the word "Lu", and he couldn't help but think deeply.

"Is there a minister named Lu in the court?"

The King of Qin nodded slightly and said, "Yes, there are some, but none of them are of high rank and above, and they are not capable of secretly communicating with the Northern Barbarians. However, I have also sent the Jinyiwei to keep an eye on the secret sentries."

Yue Ling really had no idea for a moment.

The King of Qin asked again, "You have been working in the Privy Council for half a month. Can you tell who has problems?"

Yue Ling shook his head. "It's all normal. The three people in the room are very diligent and treat others well."

The King of Qin smiled and said, "I have also heard about your affairs in the Privy Council. Since you have shown your talents, they naturally treat you well."

Slowly standing up, the King of Qin said, "Forget it. They have all served in the court for several years and have never been suspected of colluding with the barbarians. You are just speculating without any evidence. How can you detect something strange in just a few days? Perhaps the traitor is not in the Privy Council?"

"Don't think about it for now, just follow me out of the city."

Yue Ling's eyes flashed, "Leaving the city?"

The King of Qin smiled and said, "That's right, the artillery has been transported back."

……

Beijing Camp, martial arts training ground.

Yin Taihe, the governor of the Beijing camp, was ordered to pull heavy wooden boxes to the deep forest in the northeast of the capital.

Seeing these foreign cannons, Yin Taihe's face did not show any joy. There was also a group of foreigners around him who were making noises and saying something, which made him even more annoyed.

"What's so good about foreign stuff? This cannon was bought with commercial goods worth thousands of taels of silver, and some of them cost tens of thousands of taels. Isn't it good to use so much silver as military pay?"

Yin Taihe couldn't help complaining in his heart, "Cannons are just a matter of luck. You don't know where they will hit when you fire them. They are useless except for defending the city. What on earth was your Highness thinking? Why did you spend so much money to buy these pieces of iron?"

(End of this chapter)