Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 17: Palace Meeting
"You are joking. In the past, I didn't know how high the heaven was and how deep the earth was. I wanted to fight with you with my mediocre skills. How could I get the upper hand?"

"As for money, if General Yue is short of money, just tell me and I will give it to you."

There was a lot of noise on the street, so Ni Er and Yue Ling came to a quiet alley to talk.

Yue Ling chuckled and said, "Okay, stop joking and tell me what's going on."

Ni Er first clasped his hands before saying, "General Yue should know that there has been a victory report from the capital recently. Prince Kang won a great victory at the border."

Yue Ling said calmly: "It is indeed a rare good thing that King Kang can save the country."

Ni Er pursed his lips, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Seeing Ni Er alone, Yue Ling remembered that he felt something was wrong on the street. There were fewer hooligans and idle people, which was indeed not normal.

Yue Ling asked, "Why are your two followers missing?"

Ni Er answered truthfully, "A while ago, a tent was set up at Donghua Gate to recruit soldiers. They were wandering around all day without any proper job, so they all joined the army. Now they seem to be working for Prince Kang's Palace."

Yue Ling patted Ni Er on the shoulder and said, "You have so much strength. Why didn't you report to Prince Kang's Mansion? Why did you let your younger brother go instead?"

Ni Er smiled awkwardly and said, "General Yue knows that I have parents and children to take care of, so I don't have the energy to follow the army. Besides, if I want to do anything, I only want to work for the Qin Palace. King Kang... I still feel that I am not as good as His Royal Highness the Qin Prince."

Yue Ling already knew the deep meaning behind the words, but he couldn't make a promise in his current position.

Yue Ling nodded and said, "You have good vision. Do your work steadily and wash your hands more cleanly. If there is any need for you, I will call you."

Ni Er immediately smiled and flattered, "Okay, thank you, General Yue."

After shopping, Yue Ling returned home.

From afar, I could see Lin Daiyu sitting by the window with the window open, looking towards the door. The breeze blew up her hair, and she looked cold and elf-like, with tears sparkling in her eyes like beautiful flowers reflected in the water.

When she saw Yue Ling, Lin Daiyu smiled and went out to greet him.

"What's wrong? Are you homesick again?"

Lin Daiyu wiped the corners of her eyes, shook her head, looked at Yue Ling and said, "No, it was just the wind that blew."

"Why don't you close the window?"

Lin Daiyu pursed her lips and said, "The room is a bit stuffy, open the window and get some fresh air."

I thought to myself, "Of course not. If I don't open the window, I won't be able to see you coming back."

Yue Ling rubbed Lin Daiyu's head. This girl was full of worries, and all he could do was to make her happier.

"Okay, go back to your room. I'll make you a feast today."

"Okay! Thank you, Brother Yue!"

……

Imperial City, Hall of Supreme Harmony,

Emperor Yuan Qing was ill and stopped holding morning court for several days.

Yesterday, we received good news from the border, so we had to hold a meeting of the court to discuss the matter.

Civil and military officials were arranged in ranks, while the King of Qin stood at the head of them with a sword hanging from his waist, looking solemn.

It was not until the 9th hour that Emperor Yuan Qing, supported by the eunuchs, slowly came to the palace. "Long live the emperor."

"Be flat."

Emperor Yuan Qing was breathing heavily, and under the cover of his crown, the officials could not see his face, which was as pale as a dead tree.

After a long pause, Emperor Yuan Qing spoke again, "Today I summon all of you to the palace. The only thing that needs to be discussed is the border issue of Prince Kang. I am ill, so please submit your memorials to the Secretariat for the rest of the trivial matters."

At the signal of Emperor Yuan Qing, the eunuch beside him began to read out the battle reports sent back from the border.

"Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission. In the northern border, I have fought bravely and defeated the barbarians in the north. I won the battle in one go, beheaded more than 500 enemies, and captured more than 100 horses. The barbarian leader retreated dozens of miles, with his flags upside down, and his army was in disarray. I have pursued him all the way, winning several battles in a row."

"I am reporting this victory to my father, the emperor. I request that you send me more food and soldiers to help me penetrate the heart of the Northern Barbarians and completely defeat them. I hope you take good care of yourself and stay healthy."

After the reading, there was an uproar in the hall, and all the officials began to discuss among themselves.

Emperor Yuan Qing coughed heavily to stop the criticism.

"Everyone, since the northern barbarians are no match for King Kang, should we send troops to the northern desert? We can solve the biggest disaster in the north of Dachang in the past hundred years in one fell swoop, and bring peace and stability to the people on the border."

Guo Jian, the Minister of War, was the first to step out of the line of civil officials, bowed and said, "King Kang shocked the northern border and showed the barbarians the military power of our Great Chang. It is a blessing for the people and the country. It is also a blessing for your majesty to have another prince with such civil and military achievements to relieve your worries."

Emperor Yuan Qing was very pleased with the flattering words and nodded slightly.

"Let's talk about whether to send troops. I think we should take this opportunity to wipe out the barbarians. In the past, Wei Huo went on an expedition to the northern desert and conquered the Wolf's Lair, which stabilized the border for decades. Now our dynasty has deployed 100,000 troops at the border, with countless good generals, and now we have won a victory. It is a good time to take this opportunity to solve the border disaster in one fell swoop."

"I second the proposal..."

After Guo Jian made the opening statement, many officials who advocated war stood behind him and expressed their support.

Emperor Yuan Qing looked around at his ministers and asked, "Does anyone have any objections?"

The King of Qin, who had remained silent the whole time, clenched his hand holding the sword, half-knelt on the ground, and said earnestly, "Your son has objections."

This voice attracted the attention of everyone in the hall, including Emperor Yuan Qing.

Emperor Yuan Qing remained calm and asked calmly, "Why?"

The King of Qin bowed and said, "I have three reasons. First, the northern barbarians are not ignorant of military affairs. I have fought with them hundreds of times at the border, big and small, and never suffered a complete defeat. If it weren't for the exaggeration in the battle report, I would think it was more of a strategy of the barbarians to lure the enemy."

"Secondly, the northern barbarians are like weeds, 'blooming again in the spring breeze'. Even if my brother can find the enemy's gathering place on the vast grassland, the enemy can also escape. Unlike our dynasty, which is based on farming and weaving, the barbarians make a living by grazing. We can fight them when we meet them, and escape when we are trapped. How can we completely eliminate the disaster?"

"The third one is what Minister Guo just said."

The King of Qin turned his head and stared at Guo Jian, then said, "Minister Guo only talked about the glory of Fenglangjuxu, but did not mention the war of aggression in the last years of Emperor Wu of Han, when the people starved to death everywhere. If our dynasty gets entangled with the northern barbarians, we will surely repeat the same mistakes. We can fight, but not now. I hope that father will understand!"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone stood up to object.

Shi Rui, the son of Duke Shan and the successor to the First-Class Auxiliary General, stepped out and said, "Your Highness the King of Qin's words are nothing but shocking. The border guards have exactly followed the King of Qin's policy and have always traded with the northern barbarians, exchanging what they have and what they don't have, which has caused the northern barbarians to become more powerful and have also thoroughly explored the border forts and strongholds."

"This strategy will only lead to trouble. We must follow the advice of the eldest prince. It is the right thing to do to eradicate this evil in one fell swoop!"

The King of Qin frowned and said, "The Northern Barbarians are not a monolithic group. The current leader, Tuji Khan, is not the leader who negotiated peace with me."

Shi Rui chuckled and said, "Is Your Highness afraid that His Highness Prince Kang will accomplish something that Your Highness has failed to accomplish?"

(End of this chapter)