Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 139: Returning Home for a Celebration Banquet

"Look, the Grand Admiral is back!"

"Grand Governor!"

Outside the capital, a large banner with the word "Yue" on it fluttered in the wind. A young man was riding a tall horse, leading a group of people, slowly emerging from the horizon.

The area under Zhengyang Gate, which was originally littered with debris, had now been cleared and the bluestone road had been washed clean. Except for some traces of artillery shells on the walls, it seemed as if the battle in the early morning had not really happened.

It was almost dusk, and inside and outside the city gates and on both sides of the road were filled with civilians and soldiers who came spontaneously, waving flags and lining the streets to welcome them.

"Grand Commander, invincible!"

"Thank you, Grand Commander, for saving my life!"

"Grand Governor!"

The cheers of the people and soldiers were deafening.

When Yue Ling got closer, he saw an open-top carriage behind it. Inside it was a sturdy man with a bald head and his hair braided into small braids. One could tell at first glance that he was dressed like a northern barbarian.

"This must be Tuji Khan! Pah! You loser, you dare to come to the capital and make trouble. I wonder who is guarding the capital! Just wait for your head to be chopped off!"

"Behead! Behead!"

Yue Ling kept his eyes on the front and slowly drove into the city.

Tuji Khan also had a dull look on his face and his eyes were staring blankly. He could not hear the shouts of the people around him at all, and his mind was in a trance.

He fled in a panic, but was chased by Yue Ling all the way to the Luding River. As he was not good at swimming, he did not dare to go into the river, so he charged at Yue Ling. As a result, he was knocked off his horse by Yue Ling in one round and was tied up.

All that awaits him now is death, the only question is whether it is a dignified death.

After entering the city, Yue Ling took Tuji Khan to the Dali Temple Prison and had him imprisoned. He still warned him: "Be careful to detain this beast. Don't make any mistakes. Wait for Your Highness to return before you can convict him."

"Yes."

Another minor official stepped forward and said, "Grand Commander, the palace just sent a message that the Jinyiwei has stripped the Privy Council Chief Lu Yuan of his official hat and is now imprisoned in the Dali Temple's Tianlao."

Yue Ling frowned and said, "Okay, take me to see it."

Led by someone, Yue Ling once again came to the Dali Temple's Sky Prison. After taking a few steps, he arrived at the prison where Lu Yuan was imprisoned.

Inside the iron railings, Lu Yuan was seen dressed as a prisoner, with disheveled hair covering his face. He no longer looked like a scholar as before.

"Lord Lu."

Yue Ling called out softly.

The stunned man in the cell seemed to react. He looked up and saw that it was Yue Ling. He quickly crawled over, tightly grasped the iron bars with both hands, knelt on the ground, raised his head, and shouted at Yue Ling like crazy with bloodshot eyes: "I didn't collaborate with the enemy! I didn't collaborate with the enemy! Yue Ling, don't you believe me either?"

This sudden scene really startled Yue Ling.

If Yue Ling hadn't been mentally strong enough, he would have been frightened to the point of jumping back several steps.

"Not believing it is not accurate. Dean Lu, I am the first one to suspect you. There is no doubt that the flag tassel is the key to conveying information to the Northern Barbarians. And the person in charge of the flag bearer is you, how can you clear yourself of suspicion?"

Lu Yuan was startled, lowered his head and thought for a while, then suddenly raised his head and shouted at the top of his lungs: "How should I know what the flag tassel is? What if the flag tassel is different? Yue Ling, please explain it clearly!"

Yue Ling shook his head.

Perhaps it was because the gap from a third-rank official to a prisoner was too big for him to accept, and now his mentality is unbalanced, as if he has gone crazy.

At that moment, another minor official came in and said to Yue Ling, "Master Yue, these are the letters between Master Lu and the Northern Barbarians that the Royal Guards found in Master Lu's seat."

"The most dangerous place is the safest place. Lord Lu has learned criminal logic well."

Yue Ling didn't pay attention to it and handed it back to the clerk. "It will be put into the Experience Department. It's not wartime now. The crime of treason is too serious. Let's wait until His Highness comes back before we discuss everything."

"Yes."

Looking at Lu Yuan again, Yue Ling bowed and said, "Lord Lu, we have both the witnesses and the evidence. You can no longer clear yourself of the charges. In the last few days, you should eat whatever you want. Thank you for your care since I joined the Privy Council. Take care of yourself."

Yue Ling walked away.

Behind him, Lu Yuan was still shouting at the top of his lungs, "I didn't communicate with the Northern Barbarians, and the letter was not written by me! Yue Ling, you are extremely smart, don't you trust me? Why would I collaborate with the enemy? I have a happy family, my wife and children are all in the capital, why would I collaborate with the enemy?"

Yue Ling paused, sighed, and walked out of the prison.

"Yue Ling, come back! Come back!"

Lu Yuan gripped the iron railings tightly with both hands and shook them vigorously, with a look of unwillingness on his face.

The clerk at the side advised: "Lord Lu, you should take a rest and save some strength. The Dali Temple is different from the Ministry of Justice. The food can still be taken care of..."

……

If the King of Qin was in the palace, the first thing Yue Ling would do after returning from a victorious battle would be to report to the palace.

But now the King of Qin was still in Liaodong, and Emperor Yuan Qing was not suitable to receive foreign officials, which allowed him to skip this step.

After leaving the Dali Temple, Yue Ling rode quickly back to the mansion he had been longing for.

After not seeing it for several months, the big red lanterns in front of Yue's house are still bright.

When Yue Ling stopped his horse in front of the gate, a large group of doormen and servants immediately rushed out and rushed to take the reins from Yue Ling.

"Congratulations, sir, on your great victory!"

"The master is a hero to the whole city!"

With compliments coming from all around, Yue Ling smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get a reward."

After Yue Ling abandoned them, he turned around, passed the large screen at the second gate, and ran straight into the main courtyard.

Upon hearing that Yue Ling had returned, the little girls could no longer contain their excitement and waited outside the courtyard gate in advance.

Many girls gathered together, and when they saw Yue Ling coming in, they threw themselves on him one by one, wishing they could hang on him.

Only Lin Daiyu, who was sitting on the stone steps in front of the door, stamped her feet secretly.

"Master, you are finally back!"

"Yeah, we waited for a long time..."

"..."

Yue Ling rubbed his head, then blinked at Lin Daiyu who was standing alone on the stone steps in a white gown, then smiled and said to everyone: "Okay, it's my fault. Let's go back to the room first, the early spring wind has caught a cold. Do you want me to boil water and wash clothes tomorrow? I still want to have a good rest for a few days."

After hearing this, the girls stopped blocking Yue Ling's way. They all rushed to say they wanted to do the work, and together they accompanied Yue Ling back to the room.

After Qin Keqing, Ruizhu, Baozhu and Yue Ling changed into clean clothes, the other girls were tactful and went out together, using the excuse of preparing meals, leaving Yue Ling and Lin Daiyu alone.

After all, they all knew that they had just been acting coquettishly around Yue Ling, and Lin Daiyu didn't have the nerve to squeeze over and compete with them.

Now is the time for Miss Lin to have Yue Ling all to herself.

In the room, two people sat side by side, with a small tea table between them.

Lin Daiyu looked Yue Ling up and down and asked, "Brother Yue, are you injured?" Yue Ling smiled and shook his head, "I just had a few scratches at first, but they have healed up a long time ago."

Lin Daiyu nodded, then withdrew her gaze and lowered her head.

The person she had been thinking about was right in front of her, but she didn't know what to say.

Yue Ling drank a sip of the warm tea prepared by Lin Daiyu, let out a sigh of relief, looked up at the beams, and murmured, "I haven't been back for four months."

Lin Daiyu bit her lips lightly and responded, "Four months and ten days."

"It's been that long."

Lin Daiyu nodded slightly and said nothing.

Yue Ling glanced at Lin Daiyu and felt that she seemed to have grown taller and her cheeks had become a little thinner.

"Didn't Miss Lin take her meals and medicine on time? She looks a little unwell."

Lin Daiyu shook her head and said, "Not really, it's just that I have a lot of dreams at night and can't sleep well."

"Dreamy? What kind of dreams?"

Lin Daiyu looked up at Yue Ling, then lowered her head in embarrassment.

Shaking her head, Lin Daiyu made an excuse: "I don't know. Things in dreams are naturally forgotten after waking up."

"That's it."

Yue Ling poured another cup of tea, took a sip from it, and said with a slightly regretful tone: "I missed Sister Lin's birthday again this year, so I can only celebrate for you next time."

Hearing that Yue Ling still remembered her birthday, Lin Daiyu's heart trembled, and she pursed her lips and said, "It's okay. After all, Brother Yue was guarding the city at that time."

The two people who missed each other found that the atmosphere of their conversation became more and more awkward after they met again.

It really made Yue Ling feel a little uncomfortable.

After a long silence, Yue Ling asked jokingly, "When they were in the courtyard just now, they all said they missed me, but why didn't Sister Lin say she missed me? I'm thinking about Sister Lin every day, worrying about whether you've taken your medicine and whether you're still healthy."

Lin Daiyu frowned and asked Yue Ling, "You hugged them just now, but not me. I felt wronged. I was afraid that I had offended Brother Yue and he disliked me."

Tilting her head, Lin Daiyu continued, "I think that with so many girls in the room, a younger sister like me is no longer important."

Hearing this, Yue Ling felt helpless.

"How come Sister Lin has become so good at bickering after not seeing you for a few months? I didn't mean I didn't hug you, but I was afraid you would be shy in front of everyone."

Yue Ling stood up, opened his arms, and said, "Well, I'll compensate Sister Lin right away."

As if she had won, Lin Daiyu raised her eyebrows and said proudly, "Who cares..."

Seeing that Yue Ling was about to let go, Lin Daiyu still stood up shyly, moved closer to Yue Ling, and fell into Yue Ling's arms.

There was that familiar feeling of fullness again, and Lin Daiyu felt relieved, as if the heavy burden in her heart for many days had been lifted. In an instant, she felt refreshed.

The two hugged each other for a while, and before they could separate, they heard the door being pushed open and Ruizhu walked in.

Ruizhu just looked up at the scene in the room, and without saying a word, she immediately retreated and closed the door tightly.

Leaning against the door, Ruizhu took a few deep breaths and said regretfully, "Why am I the first one to come back? Didn't Xueyan and Baozhu go back just now? That's why I didn't knock on the door!"

"It's bad, now I'm going to have to eat the melon."

At this time in the room, Lin Daiyu had already returned to her seat, her cheeks as red as apples.

The action was so quick that Yue Ling didn't even notice when she retreated.

Yue Ling felt helpless and couldn't help but complain in his heart: "It was you who said to hug them and not you. You were also the one who was embarrassed when others saw you. Wasn't it just a hug? Isn't it normal to meet again after a long separation? Everyone has hugged before."

Seeing Lin Daiyu drinking tea to cover up her embarrassment, her thoughts had already flown away.

Yue Ling kindly reminded, "Sister Lin, that is the teacup I used just now."

Lin Daiyu hurriedly dropped the teacup, covered her face with her hands, turned her head away, and said angrily, "Brother Yue, don't look at me anymore!"

……

After many months, Yue Ling returned home, and everyone was finally able to gather around a round table to dine again. The little girls smiled brightly and were very happy.

Only Ruizhu was sitting at the table, feeling uneasy.

She would steal a glance at Lin Daiyu from time to time, and then at Yue Ling from time to time. Seeing that there was nothing unusual in their expressions, she didn't pay any attention to her, but she still felt regretful in her heart.

Baozhu sat in the chair and noticed that something was wrong with her, so she leaned close to her ear and asked softly, "Sister Ruizhu, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell? You look as if you've eaten something disgusting."

Ruizhu lowered her head, sighed, rubbed her cheeks, and whispered back, "I just did something stupid."

Baozhu was puzzled, "How stupid is it?"

Ruizhu glanced at Baozhu, then turned back and said, "Something even more stupid than you."

"Is it that stupid?"

Ruizhu nodded slightly, not in the mood to explain what happened in detail to Baozhu.

When everyone gathered and had dinner, they couldn't help but ask Yue Ling about what was happening outside.

Yue Ling was also happy to tell them about his experiences during this period, omitting some bloody stories and chatting with the girls.

The little girls listened attentively, as if they had experienced this long and drawn-out battle themselves, and they even forgot to eat.

After Yue Ling finished speaking, Xueyan asked anxiously, "General Yue, what does the Tuji Khan you captured look like? Is he a vicious and evil person?"

Yue Ling smiled and shook his head, "No, he just looks like an ordinary barbarian, middle-aged, with broad shoulders and a big waist. If compared with you, he is about the same as three or four of you."

"He was so strong, but he was still caught by General Yue. General Yue is the most powerful."

Snow Goose put a mouthful of shrimp into her mouth and ate it contentedly.

Beside Xueyan, Zijuan asked again: "What should we do next? Will the master go out of the city and defeat the other northern barbarian soldiers?"

Yue Ling replied, "No need. If they want to run, they will run away the fastest and it will be hard to track them. Moreover, only someone as ambitious as Tuji Khan would want to unite the tribes to invade Dachang. Without him, the northern barbarians will lose their backbone and fight on their own. In this way, they will not pose a threat to the border, and Dachang will usher in the long-awaited border stability."

"Of course I should take a break as well."

Yue Ling rubbed his shoulders and said, "I've been really tired lately, and my body aches a lot."

Qin Keqing added: "Now that the master has made great contributions, the whole capital is saying that the master is a great hero."

The little girls also responded, "Great hero! Great hero!"

Lin Daiyu was beside Yue Ling, looking at him with her head tilted, and she felt that Yue Ling seemed to be glowing all over.

　感谢风见雪残月、弓长火王、书友50293、尴尬g、书友24780、书友13431、书友40200、东皇太一、红楼梦中叹香玉、alexguyan、我的马马鸭、流风之魂、梦_没有明天的明天、Haru_Haru、书友57192、君玉缺、SthEIEnk、今天开始享受生活、卓敬世、取死之道、书友40166、书友18923、いああい、秋后的蚱蜢、小尾巴孔雀、玖什玖彼岸花、存钱买黄瓜的月票，感谢大佬九月天111的打赏，感谢大家的支持。

　　It's still not smooth, the next update will be later

　　
　
(End of this chapter)