Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 113 Role Reversal, Lin Daiyu's Care

After tidying up the room, Yue Ling changed into casual clothes, went to Lin Daiyu's door and knocked gently.

"Sister Ke'er? Come in."

I guess Lin Daiyu didn't expect him to come back early, so she thought it was Qin Keqing.

Yue Ling pushed the door open and walked in. On the wall next to the couch, he could see a painting he had done with Lin Daiyu, as well as the little daisy that had not faded.

The floor heating in the room was roaring, but Zijuan and Xueyan were not there.

Lin Daiyu was sitting at the table, wearing a light green gauze dress. The hem of her white gauze skirt was slightly rippled by the heat from the stove beside her, revealing her ankles as white as lotus roots, showing her original slenderness and fragility.

Lin Daiyu was holding a pen in her hand, writing intently, and she didn't notice that it was Yue Ling who came in.

Yue Ling had no intention of disturbing her, so he sat down next to Lin Daiyu familiarly and accompanied her silently until she finished writing.

Putting the pen back on the pen holder, Lin Daiyu blew on the ink lightly before saying to the person beside her, "Sister Ke'er, what do you think of my writing?"

Yue Ling looked at the calligraphy and commented, "It's pretty good. It's improved compared to before. The pen control is getting more skillful, and the strokes are just right."

If Yue Ling's voice hadn't been too familiar, Lin Daiyu would have jumped away in fright at this moment when she heard a man's voice in the room.

Patting her chest lightly, Lin Daiyu let out a sigh of relief and said, "Brother Yue, why didn't you just scare me to death?"

Yue Ling smiled and said, "Just now I saw that you were fully focused on copying, so I didn't say anything to disturb you. Is this calligraphy for someone?"

Lin Daiyu nodded and said, "This can't be hidden from Brother Yue's eyes."

Lin Daiyu stood up and took a pair of teacups from the tea table beside her. She poured one cup for Yue Ling and another for herself.

"I promised Tanchun to give her a painting when I was in Rongguo Mansion. I thought about it recently and wrote a few paintings but was not satisfied with them, so I practiced more."

"Rongguo Mansion."

Yue Ling thought about it, "I really should go there again. No matter what, it's better to settle Zijuan's matter first."

Because of the presence of Qin Keqing, Ruizhu and Baozhu in his room, Yue Ling had less and less contact with Zijuan. Sometimes, Yue Ling felt that Zijuan was deliberately avoiding him, probably because she thought he had denied it.

He was slightly distracted, but was awakened by Lin Daiyu waving her hand in front of him.

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "Brother Yue, did you encounter any trouble outside? Since you came into the room, you have only said a few words, but your brows have been frowning."

At home, Yue Ling was not on guard at all, and his emotions were reflected on his face.

Lin Daiyu was very smart and could tell it at a glance.

Yue Ling took a sip of tea and sighed, "It is a bit difficult, but it is all outside."

The women in the inner chambers seldom asked questions about external affairs. As a young girl, Lin Daiyu did not speak a word. She only nodded and said, "Brother Yue is very capable. It is normal for him to shoulder responsibilities that others cannot handle. However, I believe that Brother Yue will handle everything properly, because Brother Yue can do everything."

Yue Ling smiled and pointed at the lantern outside the door that had not been taken down yet, "How can you be omnipotent? Besides, I can't make that lantern."

Lin Daiyu also smiled and said, "After all, that's not an outside matter. If that counts, then Brother Yue and I are omnipotent."

Listening to Lin Daiyu's comfort, Yue Ling breathed a sigh of relief and felt a lot better.

Just imagine, which man, tired from working outside, would not want to hear some soft words when he returns home?

"Brother Yue has indeed returned home a little early today. Why don't you just take a rest on the couch? When it's time for dinner, they will go and call Brother Yue."

Yue Ling picked up the teapot and poured tea for himself. "I've been busy these days and haven't had the time to sit with Sister Lin for a while."

It turned out that Brother Yue was afraid that he would feel neglected. Lin Daiyu's mouth corners curved again.

But Brother Yue looked tired and couldn't act willfully, so he just stayed by his side. With a change of eyes, Lin Daiyu suggested, "Brother Yue, please rest in my room for a while. I'll wake you up later."

"what?"

Before Yue Ling could come to his senses, Lin Daiyu pulled him to the lilac-colored flower curtain. Lin Daiyu tied the bed curtain and said, "Okay, Brother Yue, lie down here for a while."

Lin Daiyu was too embarrassed to take off Yue Ling's boots, so she gently kicked Yue Ling's foot and sat down next to the couch again.

There was a faint orchid fragrance in the flower tent, which was refreshing and made Yue Ling feel slightly at ease.

But when he really lay down, Yue Ling's heart started beating fast again. He felt as if there was a bottomless abyss ahead and he would never be able to come back if he fell into it.

Lin Daiyu urged from the side, "Why? Brother Yue, do you dislike me?"

Yue Ling smiled awkwardly: "How can this be possible?"

"Forget it, if I'm not as good as hell, then whoever goes to hell should go to hell?" Yue Ling made up his mind and lay down on the couch, resting his head on Lin Daiyu's pillow.

There was another smell of crisp tendons and soft bones, and for a moment Yue Ling didn't want to get up.

Seeing that Yue Ling's face was determined as if he was going to execute someone, his brows furrowed again, and Lin Daiyu burst out laughing.

Then, Lin Daiyu rolled up her sleeves, stretched out her small hand and pressed it gently between Yue Ling's eyebrows. It was the Crown Princess who taught her that this would be a good way to relieve a man's pressure, and the Crown Princess always used this method with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Lin Daiyu followed suit, and soon after, she felt Yue Ling's breathing become smoother.

At first, Lin Daiyu's cold little hand on his head made Yue Ling tremble, but after a while Yue Ling got used to it, and really relieved all the pressure and fell into a deep sleep.

Hearing Yue Ling snoring softly, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but smile softly again.

Taking her hand back and looking at Yue Ling's handsome face, Lin Daiyu recalled what happened in the East Palace that day.

The Crown Princess talked about a lot of principles of managing a household, and also recounted how she was able to marry into the palace and marry the Crown Prince at the age of twelve.

Lin Daiyu felt blushing when she thought about it now. The Crown Princess really didn't shy away from anything. Once the topic came up, she would talk nonstop.

"It has always been Brother Yue who has taken care of me. This time it's my turn to take care of Brother Yue. It feels good."

Exhaling slowly, Lin Daiyu stood up from the couch, untied the curtains on both sides to block out the light outside, and went back to practicing calligraphy beside the couch.

……

East Palace,

As for the Yue Mansion incident, the King of Qin lay on the couch, and the Princess of Qin rubbed her brows beside him, asking with concern: "Your Highness, are you really going to raise troops to the border?"

The King of Qin exhaled slowly and said, "I have to go. I think that the towns in Liaodong are probably controlled by the Jurchens and Geng Bingwen now. The next step is to knock on the gate."

"The people of Liaodong are also the people of Dachang. If I abandon them, I will be an unkind and unjust king. Although it is beneficial for the moment to defend Shanhaiguan and not go out, I cannot do such a thing."

Princess Qin nodded and agreed: "Your Highness is a benevolent king, as long as you do not go against your heart."

"There is nothing wrong with letting Yue Ling handle the affairs in the capital. I also think he is a very stable person."

The King of Qin sighed, "There is no one more suitable than him. I asked him to prepare in advance, and now his pressure may be greater than mine."

Holding the Qin Wangfei's hand, the Qin Wang chuckled and said, "He doesn't have someone like you by his side. I feel more comfortable if you come to comfort him."

The Princess of Qin couldn't help but laugh too. She fetched more medicine and fed it to the King of Qin mouthful by mouthful.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart,
Dai Quan returned from the front hall and went to the palace to serve Emperor Yuan Qing.

At this time, the complexion of Emperor Yuan Qing could basically be described as a withered bone in a tomb, which was really frightening. The side effects of long-term use of the golden elixir had already occurred, and his body began to rot and peel. If it weren't for the precious medicinal materials that kept him alive, he would have been buried in the imperial tomb long ago.

At the right time, Emperor Yuan Qing just woke up, and Dai Quan stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

Emperor Yuan Qing nodded slightly, no longer showing the ferocity he had that day in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and his eyes seemed somewhat dazed.

"Is Erlang sure he wants to raise troops in Liaodong?"

Dai Quan stepped forward and fed Emperor Yuan Qing with honey water, saying, "It's settled. Geng Bingwen, the governor of Liaodong, has rebelled against the Jurchens, and Shanhaiguan is in danger."

Emperor Yuan Qing exhaled slowly, "If it were me, I would abandon Liaodong and defend Shanhaiguan. But if I do so, the people of Liaodong will probably be used as cannon fodder by the Jurchens in the siege."

After closing his eyes slightly, Emperor Yuan Qing continued, "Sitting in this position for too long, it's like I've lost my emotions. Everything is based on profit. Sacrificing a place, or even a province's people, is like it has nothing to do with me. I haven't seen those people."

"But recently, when I close my eyes, it seems like there are many wandering ghosts around me. I think my end is coming soon."

Dai Quan knelt down and kowtowed, "Your Majesty, may you live a hundred years, no, ten thousand years, how can there be an end to your life?"

Emperor Yuan Qing chuckled, enduring the pain in his body, and said, "I know my body best. When Erlang returns victorious, I will pass the throne to him, and he will no longer be bound by his hands and feet."

Dai Quan couldn't help but burst into tears.

"Dai Quan, how many years have you followed me?"

"Fifty-six years."

"Then you can be considered loyal. It would have been better if you hadn't come out to stop Erlang that night. As a prince, you really can't kill your father and brother, but apart from him, I can't find anyone who dares to take my life. You can't say you did something wrong in this matter."

Emperor Yuan Qing thought for a moment and said, "If Erlang leaves the capital, who will guard the capital? Yin Taihe? He is a rough man, he is OK for guarding the border."

Dai Quan replied: "It's not Yin Taihe. His Royal Highness intends to hand him over to Yue Ling for disposal."

"Yue Ling, Erlang really trusts him. He is indeed extraordinary in commanding an army, but he is too young."

Dai Quan said: "Yue Ling is indeed mature beyond his years."

"Oh? What do you say?"

Seeing that Emperor Yuan Qing was unusually interested, Dai Quan recounted the conversation between the two people in the corridor, which made Emperor Yuan Qing laugh.

"Yeah, mature."

(End of this chapter)