Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 128 The Last Reign of Emperor Yuanqing

Hall of Supreme Harmony,
When they learned that Emperor Yuanqing, who had been recuperating in the palace for a long time, wanted to hold a morning court again, all the civil and military officials in the court were shocked.

The ministers gathered at Xuanwu Gate, where they had not lined up for a long time. They were talking heatedly about the recent war, but they were very secretive about Emperor Yuanqing's re-opening of the morning court, and they all tacitly avoided the topic.

When the city gates were opened, civil and military officials entered from both sides and went straight to the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

When the ministers entered the hall, they saw that Yuan Qing had already arrived, and everyone was shocked again.

"Long live my emperor."

Emperor Yuan Qing did not raise his hand, but said calmly: "My dear ministers, please stand up."

Seeing the familiar civil and military officials, among whom there were few unfamiliar faces, Emperor Yuan Qing knew that letting his Erlang take this position was indeed the right choice. Although the process was not good, the current result was not bad.

In the queue, a young man standing in the front row was obviously out of place with the people around him and was really conspicuous.

After a moment, Emperor Yuan Qing withdrew his gaze and signaled to Dai Quan.

Dai Quan, on behalf of Emperor Yuan Qing, stepped forward and said loudly: "Dachang is now facing an unprecedented difficulty. The northern barbarians are invading and are less than 20 miles away from the capital. Only if the people in the capital are united and work together can we overcome the difficulties."

"Today, let's not discuss other matters. Yue Ling, the Grand Commander of the Capital, please step forward."

The eyes of all the officials were once again focused on Yue Ling, each with their own thoughts.

Yue Ling was prepared. He responded by walking out of the queue, then walked to the head of the ministers and saluted Emperor Yuan Qing, "Your Majesty, I greet you."

Emperor Yuan Qing wanted to raise his hand to avoid the ceremony, but he didn't have the strength to do so, so he nodded slightly, "No need to be polite. Recently, there have been complaints in the capital about how to deal with the northern barbarians. But after reading your memorial, I think your plan is the way to go, so you can speak to everyone in this palace."

Yue Ling nodded slightly, turned around, faced the ministers, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice: "As your majesty said, only if you all work together can we defeat the enemy."

“Today I have three things to say.”

"First, block the nine gates of the capital and fight from behind. No one is allowed to leave the city without my order. Otherwise, they will be regarded as accomplices of the northern barbarians and will be bombarded and killed."

"Secondly, our army is in disarray. We have elite troops from the capital camp, Yulin Army, Bingmasi, Qianhusuo from various places, and conscripted civilians. Not all of them are wearing armor. Therefore, all armored soldiers must fight forward and stand in the front line. If anyone retreats, the flag officer can be killed on the spot. If the flag officer retreats, the centurion can be killed. If the centurion retreats, the thousand-household can be killed. In a word, there is only forward, no retreat. We have no place to retreat. If we retreat again, we will be the people in the city."

Upon hearing this, the military officers were so excited that they nodded in praise of Yue Ling. The civil officials, on the other hand, were talking about it, thinking that Yue Ling's methods were too cruel, and the scene was filled with noise.

At the instruction of Emperor Yuan Qing, Dai Quan waved his whip a few times, "Silence!"

All the officials kept silent, and Emperor Yuan Qing said, "Do everything as Yue Ling said, no need to discuss it."

Since Emperor Yuan Qing supported Yue Ling from behind, the crowd did not doubt him and could only agree, "Your Highness obeys your command."

After all the officials bowed their heads, Yue Ling spoke again: "Third, there are rewards and punishments. Officers who have made outstanding contributions will be promoted three levels, those who have made the first contribution will be promoted two levels, and those who have made regular contributions will be promoted one level. Those who died in battle will have their descendants promoted two levels. Soldiers who beheaded the enemy will be rewarded 20 taels of silver if they kill one person alone, and 15 taels if they kill two people together..."

After Yue Ling finished talking about the three major military and political affairs, Emperor Yuan Qing felt a sense of admiration from the bottom of his heart.

"Such talent is truly amazing."

However, it was only an early morning court session and his energy was already a little exhausted. He needed to put an end to this last court session as quickly as possible.

With an imperceptible sigh, Emperor Yuan Qing looked down at the ministers who were discussing the issue, and said slowly, "If you are all united, I will not treat you unfairly. Dai Quan, open the treasury and reward each minister with a year's salary. Also, the workshops of the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War, and all those who are related to the war, will be rewarded."

Although Emperor Yuan Qing's voice was faint, the emperor was sitting on the dragon throne, and none of his ministers mentioned fleeing south again. They all boosted their morale and were ready to fight a desperate battle with the northern barbarians.

After expressing their gratitude, some ministers shouted in the palace their determination to fight against the northern barbarians, but that was it.

……

Yue's house,

Yue Ling hasn't been home for many days, and it seems that there is no vitality in the house.

Many little girls sat together eating, and they rarely spoke.

Xueyan put the bowl and chopsticks on the table first, which was unusual. She sighed and said, "I wonder how long it will take for General Yue to come back. This meal doesn't even taste good anymore."

When the girls heard this, they all sighed and secretly looked at Lin Daiyu.

Lin Daiyu was naturally more worried than them, but she was sensible and knew that now was not the time to indulge in sentimentality. "Brother Yue is in charge of all the military and political affairs of the capital. He doesn't have enough time to handle paperwork every day, so it's normal for him to sleep in the government office. Now that there is no chaos in the capital, you can sit here and eat peacefully. This is all thanks to Brother Yue."

"Rather than looking forward to Brother Yue's return, I hope that Brother Yue will not overwork himself in the government office."

The girls all nodded. Even though they seldom went out, they had heard a lot about what was happening outside recently.

This was all thanks to the maids in the mansion. They had to go out every day, and when they came back, they would discuss it in the mansion. Lin Daiyu comforted her with a few words, and Xueyan picked up the bowl and chopsticks again, but after eating a few bites, she still found it tasted like chewing wax, so she put away the bowl and chopsticks and said, "I'm done."

Even Xueyan is like this, and many girls eat even less.

Lin Daiyu also sighed and said, "Forget it, let's all go back and rest first."

At the right moment, Ni Ni ran in from outside the room and reported: "Miss Lin, there is a letter for you."

"letter?"

The girls were all delighted, and Lin Daiyu hurriedly stood up to take it, thinking that it was Yue Ling who had sent a letter back to inform his family of the latest news.

As a result, the letter paper that was delivered was dyed gold, which did not look like the one Yue Ling used.

Before opening the letter, Lin Daiyu asked, "Where did this letter come from?"

Ni Ni thought for a moment and replied, "It seems to have been delivered by a eunuch, so it must be from the palace."

Lin Daiyu opened the letter in confusion, and when she unfolded it, she recognized the handwriting of the Crown Princess at first glance.

"I am writing to you, and I am afraid that there will be trouble in the capital. It would be safer if Daiyu came to the palace to keep me company..."

It turned out that the Crown Princess wanted her to enter the palace, just like on the day of the Qin Palace coup, the Crown Princess, who was still the Princess, went to her room for refuge. At this moment, the Crown Princess also wanted Lin Daiyu to enter the palace to avoid disaster.

Indeed, unless the capital is completely exhausted and the palace falls, the palace will always be the safest place.

"Miss Lin, where is the letter from?"

Qin Keqing looked over anxiously and asked.

"It's a letter from the palace. The Crown Princess wants me to go to the Imperial City to avoid disaster."

The young girls looked at each other in bewilderment. Yue Ling was already gone from the mansion, and if Lin Daiyu left as well, they would be at a loss as to what to do.

The Crown Princess invited Lin Daiyu into the palace, but they knew they were not eligible for such treatment.

"This... Miss Lin is planning to enter the palace?"

All the girls looked over with worry, each with only one thought in mind. However, they could not stop Lin Daiyu's decision, so they could only look forward to it eagerly.

Lin Daiyu looked around the room, her current home, and then looked at the girls in the room. Then she smiled and shook her head, saying, "No, I'll wait here for Brother Yue to come back."

The girls' faces were filled with happy smiles again, and they were no longer sad. They all took care of the house's affairs, put away the dishes and started to tidy up.

Lin Daiyu smiled again, returned to her room, asked Qin Keqing to grind ink, and wrote a reply.

Qin Keqing walked into the room smartly and ground ink for Lin Daiyu carefully. She asked with some embarrassment, "After all, it is the Crown Princess' kindness. If Miss Lin doesn't go, how should I reply?"

Lin Daiyu picked up the pen and dipped it in ink, thinking, "When the nest is overturned, no egg is left unbroken, so there is nothing to hide. I will just tell the Crown Princess what I am thinking, and she will surely understand."

Lin Daiyu perked up a little, and wrote quickly: "Brother Yue is now in charge of the important task of garrisoning the capital. Even if there are invading enemies, I think the capital will be safe. As for the mansion, there are many guards now, and they are on alert every day, so nothing will happen easily. Thank you for your kindness..."

……

Imperial City, Eastern Palace,
When the Crown Princess received Lin Daiyu's reply, she was not unhappy at all. She just nodded slightly and said, "It is indeed so."

The Crown Princess seemed to have expected this. She picked up the fragrant tea on the table beside her, took a sip, and then turned her gaze to the three little guys kneeling in the hall.

The maidservant standing by said, "Miss Lin is truly a person of love and righteousness. During the night in that courtyard, I saw that she is very good at handling things and has great self-cultivation. She is worthy of being the daughter of a marquis. General Yue is the most dazzling person in the capital. He is a hero at a young age. I don't know how much responsibility he has shouldered. Now he is walking with great difficulty."

"Everything is unknown, and no one can be sure of winning easily. Miss Lin did not suspect her and just waited at home. They are really a talented man and a beautiful woman, and their love is stronger than gold."

The Crown Princess also agreed with this and nodded slightly.

As the Crown Princess, her feelings were the same as Lin Daiyu's. She also firmly believed that her Erlang would return victorious from Liaodong, so she just waited in the imperial city and did not follow the advice of the civil officials to flee south with her son.

But her identity is different from Lin Daiyu's. Even if this is the case based on personal feelings, she has to make other plans for the sake of the country and the continuation of the royal bloodline.

"You three, look up at me."

The three little boys seemed to have received an order and looked up hurriedly, with timid expressions on their faces.

The Crown Princess looked unhappy, "What did I teach you? As royal blood, you must never lose your manners. Who are you embarrassing by behaving so vulgarly right now?"

(End of this chapter)