Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 1 Picking up a Lin Daiyu
On the first day of February in the thirty-fifth year of Yuanqing,

Dachang, Yangzhou Prefecture, the Imperial Censorate of Lianghuai Salt.

That night, the lights in the front hall, which should have been turned out long ago, were now brightly lit.

Lin Ruhai, the Imperial Censor of Salt, looked tired, holding a secret letter in his hand. He sighed in the hall and took several sips of tea, unable to suppress his sorrow.

"Is it really going to come to this?"

A young man wearing a bamboo hat and black clothes and robes at the bottom replied in a low voice: "It's just that the capital is uneasy, the prince reminds you to make preparations early."

Lin Ruhai frowned, "The body of the poor girl Jing is still warm at home. If trouble breaks out in the capital, how can I explain it to her ghost?"

The young man replied calmly, "Your Majesty will know when to stop."

Seeing Lin Ruhai hesitate for a moment, the young man comforted him: "The prince needs Lord Lin to take charge of the southeast. The power of the nobles should not be underestimated. If you entrust it to others, the prince will be uneasy."

Lin Ruhai replied solemnly, "My Lin family's ancestors were hereditary marquises. Thanks to the prince's military exploits, the family was given an extra generation of grace. The royal family has been very kind and generous. Now that the prince needs my help, I naturally cannot retreat. Even if the southeast is in chaos, it will only take my life. It's just that I am a young girl in my family, and I am born weak. My mother is still in mourning, so..."

When talking about his daughter, Lin Ruhai sighed more frequently and a look of guilt appeared on his face.

After thinking it over again and again, Lin Ruhai said, "Thank you for taking my daughter to the capital. I will write a letter to the old lady in the mansion to let her know and ask her to take care of my daughter."

The young man reminded: "Both the East and West Palaces are sitting on the fence, and it is inevitable that they will be disliked by the prince. Lord Lin needs to think carefully."

Lin Ruhai seemed to have suddenly realized something. "I was so confused that I didn't think it through. As you said, Rongguo Mansion is really not a good place to live. Otherwise, I will stay in your house for now. I believe it won't take long for the prince to make a decision."

"Ah? My house?"

……

Yue Ling was a special police officer in his previous life. On his way back home, he encountered a drunk driver running a red light at an intersection. He rushed to the rescue and saved the child crossing the zebra crossing, but he himself was seriously injured and died.

Perhaps it was God's kindness that caused Yue Ling to open his eyes again and enter an ancient world, even a few years younger. This world had the same origin as China, but there was no record of it in history books.

In such a huge capital city, there was no place for a person from another world like him to survive, but relying on his bravery, he soon became friends with the gangsters in the streets.

The second prince of the dynasty, Prince Qin, valued his talent and recruited him from the palace to join the royal guards. He has been promoted to the position of commander of the royal guards, in charge of a team of soldiers.

And Lin Ruhai was like the person in charge of the Qin King's purse.

The salt and iron industry in Lianghuai is the most prosperous, and Yangzhou is a thoroughfare connecting the world with the city. The salt administration here also issues the most salt permits, and the benefits are self-evident. Back then, the King of Qin had to mobilize a huge amount of resources to tear this piece of meat from the mouths of the aristocratic families in the southeast coast and promoted Lin Ruhai to the position of the Salt Inspector.

The two of them, one in charge of domestic affairs and the other in charge of external affairs, have known each other for many years. Although there is a big age difference between them, they have a deep friendship.

As a colleague in the Prince Qin's Mansion, Lin Ruhai could naturally trust Yue Ling unconditionally.

"Daddy."

Soon, the sound of an oriole was heard in the hall.

Lin Daiyu was wearing a plain skirt and a white scarf on her head. She was supported by a little maid and walked towards her with slow steps.

Seeing his daughter with red and swollen eyes, haggard face, and thin body, Lin Ruhai blamed himself and was more determined to send her away. "Yu'er, Daddy didn't take good care of you..."

Lin Daiyu, who was only six years old, was quite sensible. She did not cry or act like a spoiled child like other children. Instead, she comforted her father, "Daddy, your official duties are complicated, and there is nothing I can do about it. I don't blame you."

This maturity and stability that was inconsistent with his age made Lin Ruhai feel even more uncomfortable, but he could not put his daughter in danger with him, so he could only make the choice with great pain.

Lin Ruhai leaned over and held his daughter's thin shoulders. "My dear child, your mother has passed away, and your father is busy with official business and can't come home every day. He is too busy to take care of you, so he plans to entrust you to General Yue's care and let you stay in Beijing for a while."

"General Yue is a pillar of the Qin Palace and a close friend of Dad. You don't have to hide anything from him. You can treat him like your own uncle. Your grandmother is also in the capital. You can go visit her on behalf of Dad."

Lin Daiyu looked at her father in surprise.

She didn't know why her father suddenly wanted her to come to Beijing, nor did she know why her father didn't just place her in her grandmother's house. But as a child, she couldn't say much, so she could only obey her father's arrangements and answered softly, "Yes."

Even without looking down, Lin Ruhai could imagine his daughter's sad expression.

But he had no other choice.

Lin Ruhai walked down the stone steps resolutely, took Lin Daiyu by the hand and came to Yue Ling, "Thank you for taking care of my little girl."

Yue Ling looked towards Lin Daiyu. She must have rarely seen a stranger, so she lowered her head and timidly pinched the hem of her skirt, not daring to look at him.

"This……"

After a conversation, Yue Ling became hesitant. Seeing this, Lin Ruhai persuaded him, "You can protect the prince in the capital, so it's right for my daughter to stay with you. The prince trusts you more than me, so I can only entrust you."

Although this is true, Yue Ling has always been a loner. If there is a child at home, especially a girl who needs to be taken care of, it will be really troublesome.

What’s more, Lin Daiyu is frail and sickly.

You have to know that Yue Ling was a person who could even kill a turtle in his previous life, so it was really difficult for him to agree at first.

"Alas." Lin Ruhai sighed, "If you don't want to, report this to the prince after you arrive in Beijing and see how the prince will handle it."

Lin Daiyu didn't understand the conversation between adults, nor did she understand why they said that the capital was better than Yangzhou. If she could choose, she would rather stay with her father. Even if her father couldn't take care of her, she could talk to herself in her mother's ancestral hall every day, just like she had her mother by her side before.

Lin Daiyu silently shed two more tears as she thought about it. She held her father's hand with some force unconsciously. In order to prevent the adults from seeing through her thoughts, she quickly wiped away her tears with the corner of her sleeve and remained silent.

Now that things have come to this, if Yue Ling continues to refuse, it would be irresponsible. "Well, I'll follow Lord Lin's arrangements."

Lin Ruhai nodded, patted Yue Ling's shoulder, mentioned Lin Daiyu, and called out, "Yu'er, come and recognize her."

The petite Lin Daiyu bowed, revealing the demeanor of a rich girl. It was obvious that she had been educated very well since childhood.

"Meet General Yue."

Lin Ruhai was about to correct the address when he was interrupted by Yue Ling.

He lied about his age to join the government, and now he is only sixteen years old, and he doesn't want to be called uncle. "This is good. If you need anything in the future, you can always ask."

　In order to make the story more complete, I slightly changed some of the timelines. I hope you enjoy reading it. If you like it, thank you for turning to the latest chapter and adding a follow-up reading support for me. I will be more motivated to write!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)