Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 120 Rebellion against Tiangang
"The third type?"

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but look at Guo Jian.

Yue Ling couldn't think of a third option, so he asked curiously, "I don't know what other options we can take. However, Minister Guo has been in the court for many years and has much more experience than me. Maybe there is a better way. Why not listen to Minister Guo's advice first?"

Minister of War Guo Jian looked around, stood up and saluted the officials, and then slowly said: "This statement did not come from me, but I heard it from others."

Hearing that Guo Jian was still keeping it a secret, Yue Ling frowned and said, "Minister Guo, this is not the time to show off."

Yue Ling's words were a bit harsh.

Shangshu was a second-rank official position in the Dachang Dynasty, while Yue Ling's actual position was the fourth-rank official of the Privy Council, two levels lower. However, as a wartime commander-in-chief, Yue Ling had the confidence and knowledge to do so.

Guo Jian's face also changed slightly. After seeing that Dai Quan in the palace did not make any comments, he still spoke politely, "I heard from the director of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory that Mars is in the heart and a comet is hitting the moon. This is a very bad omen. However, the stars in the south are auspicious, as if there is a blessing from heaven."

Everyone understood, including Yue Ling. People in ancient times always liked to make up stories about gods and ghosts, or the signs of the stars, to achieve their own goals at critical moments.

He was as stupid as Emperor Qinzong of Song, Zhao Huan, who did not defend the city gates at the critical moment, but opened them wide and used the so-called "divine soldiers" to guard the city and used heavenly soldiers and generals to repel the Jin army. However, it turned out that the so-called "divine soldiers" were simply vulnerable, which led to the Jingkang Shame.

Everyone here is not stupid and will not be easily fooled. Even though you may have some selfish motives, you cannot just believe in any celestial phenomena.

Feng Tongchen was immediately furious. He stood up and pointed at Guo Jian and said, "General Manager Dai, the treacherous ministers have already jumped out. One is Li Qiu, and the other is Guo Jian! How can this military department win a battle?"

Lu Yuan, a member of the Privy Council, also said, "How can we abandon the capital? His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is still at the border. If the capital is lost, wouldn't the Crown Prince be attacked from all sides?"

Guo Jian was worried that the prince would be at a disadvantage at the border, and that the northern barbarians would attack the capital in one fell swoop. In this case, the country would be ruined and there would be no room for recovery. But he couldn't speak out directly and tell the prince that he might be defeated, so he kept silent and sighed deeply.

Dai Quan, who had been recording all the time, finally spoke up: "Now that the northern barbarians are invading and the war is re-starting, according to the recommendation of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the order of His Majesty, Grand Commander Yue Ling will lead the troops to garrison. You only need to give your advice, and Yue Ling will make the rest. Therefore, you all stop arguing and listen to the Grand Commander's opinion."

Yue Ling looked around the field and continued, "According to what I just said, it is best to fortify the city and defend against the enemy in the capital. If the northern barbarians reach the foot of the capital, I will lead the troops to fight the enemy. Now why don't we discuss the defense situation of various places in the capital."

There are nine gates in the capital city, and that means 150,000 people are scattered on the city walls to guard the city, with less than 20,000 people at each location. It is easy for someone to take advantage of the situation by outnumbering the enemy locally, so we have to make preparations and plans in advance.

The left minister An Jingzhong also said: "Okay, then let's listen to what the Grand Commander says first."

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall,
Surrounded by her descendants, Grandmother Jia's complexion has now recovered a little and she is able to get dressed and go out. This is really a good thing for the family.

"Baoyu, what have you been doing lately?"

Grandmother Jia held Baoyu in her arms and greeted him warmly. She also saw that the jade on his chest was more and more attractive to her, and no matter how much she admired it, it was not enough.

Baoyu whispered, "To answer the old lady's question, I have been reading some books in my room recently. The teacher who came to teach in the mansion is ill, and I haven't found a new one for a long time."

Grandmother Jia smiled and nodded, saying, "Very good. Baoyu is able to study so hard without his teacher. He is really smart and clever. With such a character, how can he not become a talent in the future? He will achieve great things."

Listening to Lady Jia's praise of Baoyu, Mrs. Wang, who was sitting beside her, had a hint of pride on her face, but it disappeared in an instant.

The three girls in the room all knew Baoyu's character. He was always the best at pleasing the old lady in the mansion. It was hard to say what kind of book he actually read, or whether he read it or not.

There was a harmonious scene in the hall until Jia Zheng hurried over.

Seeing Jia Zheng's anxious expression, which was out of control, Mrs. Wang knew that something big had happened outside, and hurriedly called Baoyu and Miss Sanchun, "Master has something to say, let's go out first."

Grandmother Jia also nodded slightly.

After the younger generations had all left, Grandmother Jia put away her smile and frowned, asking, "What's the matter? I was upset when I saw you come in. Has there been any good news in your mansion recently?"

Jia Zheng said aggrievedly, "Mother, how can I influence this? The northern barbarians have moved south and have already broken through Datong Prefecture and are heading straight for the capital. I just heard that many aristocratic families are preparing boats to go south. If the river freezes over in a while, it will be difficult to leave even if we want to!"

Grandmother Jia's face changed, as if she had lost her soul, and she asked anxiously, "Is there going to be a disaster in the capital?"

Jia Zheng said, "No one can say for sure. Now that His Majesty is ill and the Crown Prince is out of town, even the officials in the court are unsure."

Grandmother Jia thought to herself, "We should wait for news from the princes. How can those small towns compare with the capital? The emperor is still in the capital, how can it fall?"

"Who is the current commander of the capital?"

Hearing Lady Jia's question, Jia Zheng said again: "The one guarding the city is Yue Ling."

"Yue Ling?" Grandmother Jia was even more astonished. "When did he become the general guarding the city? Is it possible that my Jia family will benefit from his influence?"...

But when the sisters left the hall, they made an appointment to come and see what book Baoyu was reading.

At that time, Baoyu was not in his room. He must have gone to the courtyard again, looking for a little girl to taste the rouge.

Xiren received the guests and was surrounded by the three maids.

Tanchun smiled and said, "Just now, Second Brother Bao boasted in the hall that he studied on his own when his teacher was not around. How could Second Brother Bao study so hard? Tell me the truth, did he read the book at all?"

The maid Sanchun stared at her closely, making Xiren blush, but she still defended Baoyu's face and said, "Most likely he saw it, I don't know much about it."

Tanchun laughed again when she heard this, "Is there anything in this room that you don't know? Then Qingwen, tell me, is there anything?"

Qingwen was cleaning at the side with her back turned. She didn't want to be called by name, so she had to turn around and smiled awkwardly, "I was reading a book, but she didn't tell us what she was reading."

Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun looked at each other, thinking that there was something fishy going on, so they ignored Xiren's obstruction and went to Baoyu's desk to look around. They saw the cover of the book on the desk with the three characters "Romance of the West Chamber" written on it.

At that time, "Romance of the West Chamber" was a book banned by the imperial court. Although the girls did not know the content, they had heard that it was some so-called love stories, and they could not help but blush.

Tanchun spat and said, "Look at this filthy thing, and he is still boasting to the old ancestor in the hall. Brother Bao is really thick-skinned."

Not long after, Baoyu, who seemed to have received a message from the little girl, came hurriedly, and as soon as he entered the room, he quickly coaxed his sisters out.

"Good sister, good sister, please let me go. If the master finds out, he will definitely break my legs. Just pretend you haven't seen anything today, and I will repay you."

Tanchun took out a piece of calligraphy from her bosom and showed it to Baoyu, saying, "Look, this is what Sister Lin sent to us. The handwriting and the brushstrokes are like the style of a great scholar. She also advised us to read more, mainly scriptures and supplemented by poetry. Only by understanding the truth can we have a chance to change our miserable fate."

Tanchun said in her heart, "Sister Lin is right. I shouldn't rely on others. Brother Bao is so ignorant and unskilled. Who knows what kind of trouble he will cause in the mansion in the future. If I were born a man and could go out to live in this family, I would study hard and build a career outside."

Baoyu took the calligraphy and felt even more miserable the moment he looked at it.

Thinking of her fairy-like sister who was well-versed in poetry and songs, and knowing that such a delicate person was not in the mansion but was with the hateful Yue Ling, she couldn't help but shed tears.

"Oh, great heaven, why don't you open your eyes and judge right from wrong?"

……

Yue's house,

The news spread like wildfire in the city and inevitably reached the mansion.

Compared with Rongguo Mansion, this place is much safer.

There were no servants walking around at will, nor were there any who took advantage of this critical moment to steal some things from the mansion to create trouble.

Lin Daiyu was reading quietly in the hall. Only Ni Ni, who was sitting on a small stool at the door, was trembling slightly, as if she was feeling uneasy.

Seeing this, Lin Daiyu called Ni Ni to her side and asked with concern, "What's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

Ni Ni had been with Lin Daiyu for a long time, and she knew her kindness, so she did not hide anything and told the truth: "I heard from people outside that the barbarians are about to attack the capital. My mother told me in person that the barbarians are cannibals, and they only pick on children like me to eat. For a long time, I didn't dare to leave the house."

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "I'm afraid that you were not well behaved in the past, so your mother used it to scare you. Now that you live in the mansion, do you still not believe in Brother Yue's ability? He will certainly not let the capital be in trouble, so you just need to be at ease as before."

At the same time, Yue Ling returned home from outside. As soon as he entered the hall, he saw Lin Daiyu's smiling face again. He felt relieved and slowly let out a breath.

Ni Ni stood up from her seat and bowed respectfully to Yue Ling, saying, "Hello, Master."

Yue Ling smiled and rubbed her head, saying, "Okay, go back and rest first."

"Yes."

Sitting next to Lin Daiyu, drinking the tea that had been prepared beside him, Yue Ling leaned tiredly on the table.

Seeing this, Lin Daiyu's eyes turned, she rubbed Yue Ling's head, and said with a smile: "Thank you for your hard work, Brother Yue. Is everything going well?"

　Day 11, come on!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)