Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 18: Beautiful as a Butterfly
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the Hall of Supreme Harmony became tense.

What Shi Rui pointed out was obvious.

Everyone who can stand in this hall is not a fool.

Prince Zhongshun Liu Ju shouted angrily and stood out from the queue, "Shi Rui, how dare you speak to His Highness like that? Do you think everyone is like you, jealous like a woman?"

Shi Rui was not convinced and retorted, "If you are not afraid, why do you block His Royal Highness Prince Kang's opportunity to make achievements? His Royal Highness Prince Kang had few military achievements in the past, so he failed to win the support of the people and enter the East Palace. Does it mean that the military talisman must always be in the hands of the Qin Palace?"

The King of Qin turned around, glaring at him, wishing he could draw his sword and kill the villain on the spot.

The King of Qin knew clearly that many of the four kings, eight dukes, and twelve marquises had close ties with his brother, especially the Duke of Shan Guo, whose daughter was selected as a concubine in the Prince of Kang's mansion. In the court, they would naturally not miss any opportunity to throw dirty water on him.

Of course, he knew this, and his father, who was sitting in the palace, must have known this as well.

The King of Qin suppressed his anger and said confidently, "I am not afraid that my brother will make great achievements, but I am worried that the gains will not outweigh the losses. Based on my more than ten years of experience in frontier rebellion, I guarantee that this is most likely a strategy of the northern barbarians to lure the enemy. If I don't order my brother to withdraw his troops as soon as possible, I am afraid that something unexpected will happen."

"If the border is lost, it will not only bring shame to Dachang. During this busy spring season, hundreds of thousands of people in Jinzhong will be plundered by the northern barbarians. This will cause bloodshed and countless lives to be lost. It will take more than a year to recover!"

"I hope Your Majesty will think about this carefully!"

Beside the King of Qin, several clan members with military merits also knelt down and asked, "I hope Your Majesty will think about it carefully."

Emperor Yuan Qing said calmly, "Okay, let's all get up first."

Looking at the front of the palace, the first to speak was the Minister of War Guo Jian, who asked, "Lord Guo, do you think now is the time to go to war? If we go to war, are there any troops that can be mobilized in the court?"

Guo Jian felt the burning gaze of the King of Qin, but he did not meet it. After avoiding it, he said to Emperor Yuanqing: "I think the Northern Barbarians will not send thousands of people to fight with King Kang for nothing. We should take this opportunity to annihilate them in one fell swoop. As for the troops, they can be mobilized at this time, and Liaodong can also send troops to help."

The King of Qin interrupted and explained, "Minister Guo, don't you know that the slaves among the northern barbarians are like animals, to be slaughtered for fun? How can you compare the virtues of our dynasty to those of the barbarians? If the barbarians were willing to be educated, why would they invade the south?"

Emperor Yuan Qing coughed and sighed, "Enough, my son. I know you are loyal, but the northern barbarians are indeed a great threat to our dynasty and must be eliminated."

He then turned to ask the Minister of Revenue, "Minister Zhang, are there enough food and grass?"

"Your Majesty, it can be transferred."

Emperor Yuan Qing was very satisfied and said several good words.

"Okay, okay, then send a message to King Kang, telling him not to worry about the baggage, to razze the grassland, and to bring the head of the Northern Barbarian leader to me."

The King of Qin could not bear it any longer and was about to speak again, "Father, this..."

Before he could finish, Emperor Yuan Qing raised his hand to interrupt him, "Well, the King of Qin's concerns are not unreasonable. Let's attach them to the letter and let King Kang handle it as appropriate."

Having said that, the King of Qin had no more excuses and could only remain silent.

However, this conversation between father and son sounded different to the ears of the ministers, as if Emperor Yuan Qing had already given direction on who should be the crown prince.

The civil and military officials looked at each other, and all of them could see each other's surprise and doubt.

"Okay, that's it for now, let's adjourn!"

"Retreat~to~"

……

Qin Palace,
The King of Qin was furious. He drew his sword and chopped down a few wooden stakes. When he returned to his study, his mood eased slightly.

In the inner study of the King of Qin, there was a man waiting inside. He was dressed in a grey scholar's robe, with a few strands of grey in his hair and beard, light eyebrows, clear eyes and a kind face.

Dongfang Zhi was the most thoughtful person under the King of Qin. He was a Jinshi who was dismissed for a crime in the previous dynasty. Later, because the King of Qin valued his talent, he was taken into the palace and handled all the affairs in the palace.

"Your Majesty, calm down. The reason why His Majesty did not follow your advice is precisely because your reputation is too great, forcing His Majesty to make a balance. Perhaps His Majesty also knows that it is not a good time to raise an army, but there is no other way." The King of Qin stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the beams of the house, and gritted his teeth and said, "Is war a joke?"

"You should know that not all monarchs value the people and the country. Most of them value power."

"Moreover, once this happens, the ministers who support you to ascend the throne will surely be in a state of panic. You should show a calm attitude to reassure them. In the fight for the throne, the Qin Palace still has a great advantage."

The King of Qin clenched his fists, waved them secretly, and then regained his composure.

"You are right. I cannot lose my composure. It is not the time to decide the outcome. I estimate that the battle at the border is 80% likely. I should write to the generals and warn them."

The King of Qin hurriedly wrote a letter and called out to the outside of the room, "Come here, call Yue Ling and deliver the letter to the front line."

On second thought, King Qin thought it was inappropriate that Yue Ling was taking care of Lin Ruhai's daughter at the moment.

"Forget it, call the others."

……

While the court was in turmoil, Yue Ling's courtyard was peaceful and harmonious.

At that moment, Yue Ling was using wooden boards and ropes to prepare a swing for Lin Daiyu.

Every time she went out, Lin Daiyu would sit by the window and daydream, and sometimes even when Yue Ling came back, her eyes would be red.

After asking Xueyan, I learned that since Yue Ling was not at home, Lin Daiyu had been sighing or groaning, probably because she missed her hometown and thought about her parents.

In this way, Yue Ling hoped that she could go out more often so that she could have more fun when he was not around.

There is probably no child who doesn't like a swing.

"what is this?"

Lin Daiyu squatted beside Yue Ling and looked at him puzzledly.

Yue Ling carefully hammered the nails and put the rope through the small hole. "This is called a swing. It's made for your fun."

In fact, swings have existed since the Han Dynasty, and later became a common facility for playing and having fun in the harem.

It's just that Lin Daiyu was born with a weak body and stayed in her room most of the time since she was young. Under Yue Ling's care, her face has some color, and it's time for her to move more.

Yue Ling quickly tied the rope to the jujube tree branch and then placed a cushion on the wooden board.

After brushing off the dust, Yue Ling called out, "Come and sit down."

Seeing a suspended stool floating in the air, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but feel a little worried, "Brother Yue, can you sit on it steadily?"

"What you want is to be unable to sit still. Come, I will protect you."

Lin Daiyu was skeptical and sat in front of Yue Ling.

Yue Ling urged, “Hold on to the rope.”

Then, Yue Ling gave a light push, and Lin Daiyu swung in the air.

Lin Daiyu screamed, closed her eyes, lowered her head and hunched her chest, her small hands tightly grasped the rope, and begged, "Brother Yue, slow down."

"Don't be afraid, open your eyes, it's not that fast."

Soon, Lin Daiyu was able to adapt and swung happily on the swing, like a butterfly flying up and down.

(End of this chapter)