Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 420 Lin Daiyu, I like you!

The situation seemed to be one-sided. Even Emperor Longyou, who was sitting on the dragon throne, was watching with interest how Yue Ling would break the impasse.

Many civil officials had already celebrated, thinking that Yue Ling's ability to dominate the battlefield and call the shots outside the capital were all due to his military strength. However, now that he had come to the court, he could not just punch the person who impeached him to death in front of the emperor.

In the end, it all comes down to verbal battles, and in debates, they are naturally invincible.

To put it bluntly, when Confucian scholars held high the banner of "benevolence" and "propriety", even the emperor had to give in.

When the teasing eyes were focused on Yue Ling, they found that he was unusually calm, with no trace of emotion on his face.

Not only that, Yue Ling turned around, smiled and bowed, saying: "Mr. Shi Lang quoted from the classics, and every word was consistent with the etiquette and justice. I admire you very much."

Originally everyone thought Yue Ling was going to fight back, but unexpectedly he was the first to surrender. This made the nobles and military officers who were watching the show on the sidelines sigh with regret.

But on second thought, it was unwise to engage in verbal battles with so many civil servants in the court, and it would be right to cut losses in time.

On the other hand, seeing that Yue Ling was just trying to save face as his side had achieved a great victory and had defeated the Duke Dingguo who was now on the rise, of course most people had a proud look on their faces and were watching the excitement on the field with a smile.

Zhao Gongjin, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, also stroked his pale beard, and ignoring Yue Ling's salutation, he turned to Emperor Longyou and said, "Your Majesty, since Duke Dingguo also thinks this matter is inappropriate, why not close the workshop and cut off its livelihood? Posting the notice was done by Duke Dingguo alone to restore the reputation of the court."

"Oh? Duke Dingguo, what do you think?"

Yue Ling stopped smiling upon hearing this, frowned slightly, and glared at Minister Zhao, saying, "When did I ever say that this matter was inappropriate? All the dignitaries are here in front of me, how can you say anything you want?"

Zhao Gongjin was also dumbfounded. This was the rule of debate in the hall. Whoever ran out of words would admit defeat. Why was Yue Ling still so shameless and refused to admit it?

This is a bit against the rules.

Zhao Gongjin also showed some displeasure on his face, as if he was fooled by Yue Ling, and angrily asked: "Duke Dingguo, do you have anything else to say?"

Yue Ling chuckled and said, "I just praised the Minister, how can you say I have nothing to say?"

"But, to be honest, you scholars who are selected through the imperial examinations are better at quoting scriptures. The so-called 'self-discipline and restoration of propriety is benevolence' is the core of the scriptures. Propriety and benevolence are the doctrines you believe in throughout your lives."

"The Minister of Justice pressured me with his righteousness. I wanted to give him some face and not point out his weaknesses. But he thought I was giving in and even went further."

Yue Ling slowly walked up to Zhao Gongjin, stood with his hands behind his back, and the expression on his face became increasingly serious.

Zhao Gongjin was also annoyed by his talk, and his blood boiled. He said angrily: "Duke Dingguo, what do you want to say? I remind you that this is in front of His Majesty, you can't say anything nonsense!"

Yue Ling suddenly raised his hand. Zhao Gongjin was so frightened that he fell backwards to avoid it. He thought Yue Ling was going to beat him up in public, so he shouted, "Rebellion? Do you dare to use violence in front of His Majesty?"

A group of civil servants behind him worked together to support him, and then they looked at Yue Ling, only to find that he just shook his sleeves and took out a piece of paper from them.

"Although I am not a scholar, I am also a scholar. How could I be violent? You are worrying too much, my Excellency."

Yue Ling spoke eloquently, unfolded the rice paper, and read aloud: "On the fifth day of the fifth month, the concubine of Mr. Zhao, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, purchased three pieces of Baoyue Jin and three pieces of Yu Gou Sha in the name of Madam... a total of fifteen taels. The wife of the third son of the mansion purchased ten pieces of Yunluo Mei, ten pieces of Nichang Yu, and thirty pieces of Hehuan Jie... a second purchase, 20% off, a total of fifty-six taels."

After folding the paper in half again, it was Yue Ling who laughed. "Now I want to ask you, Minister Zhao, is this about 'self-discipline and restoration of propriety' or 'strict with others and lenient with yourself'?"

"You speak of righteousness in a high-sounding manner and hold me accountable with these stern words, but secretly you are doing something like this?"

"Could it be that he wants to wait until I close the market so that Minister Zhao can resell it at a high price on the black market? Or is it that Minister Zhao just returned from the Qingming Festival after worshipping his ancestors, and he is in high spirits, and is eager to have sex with his concubine at home..."

Glancing up and down at Zhao Gongjin, Yue Ling could not help but nod, "Minister Zhao is still as skilled as ever."

"nonsense!"

Zhao Gongjin felt his blood boiling, and he almost fainted on the spot because of Yue Ling's anger. He gasped and said, "When did I buy such despicable things as yours?"

Yue Ling smiled calmly, "Whether it is true or not, Minister Zhao knows better than me. Otherwise, can you ask your wife to come into the palace to confront me?"

Zhao Gongjin couldn't help but be stunned. He didn't know the details, but his wife might be involved in the affairs of the inner house. He hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to refute.

Yue Ling raised his eyes and sneered, his voice became sonorous, facing the ministers, he raised the rice paper in his hand and said: "This contains a lot of purchase records of the adults. After all, this underwear is still a rare item in the capital, and ordinary people can't buy it. It must be that the adults use it a lot. Do you need me to read it again?"

"No need!"

As soon as Yue Ling threw out the trigger, someone immediately took the bait and stopped Yue Ling from announcing the details to the public.

"Duke Dingguo, the morning court is for discussing government affairs. Why waste time on such trivial matters?"

"Yes, yes, yes..."

The situation completely reversed, and some people began to speak up for Yue Ling.

Seeing this scene, Emperor Longyou couldn't help but smile.

Most of these corrupt scholars are like this. They talk about benevolence, righteousness, and morality, but in reality most of them have dishonest conduct. After becoming officials, they have long forgotten the so-called words of sages. Only when they are really needed, they bring out the scriptures to argue, which has become a weapon for them to use words to disrupt the law.

In the end, Yue Ling traced the root of the problem and resolved it skillfully.

First, elevate justice to the highest position, and then use it to kill these civil servants.

The civil officials were at a loss for a moment, and in desperation, everyone had to urge Zhao Gongjin to be the first to take action. Otherwise, the civil officials would lose the first battle, and their limited voice in front of Emperor Longyou would be deprived of most of it.

"Master Zhao, please don't faint yet, think of a solution quickly."

"Yes, if we are suppressed by Yue Ling like this, how can we have a good life in the future? Will his Duzhengsi extend his hand to the six ministries?"

Zhao Gongjin struggled to get up, staggered to his feet, and said with a breath, "Even if it was purchased by my family, I had no knowledge of it, and I cannot prove that you did nothing wrong!"

Seeing that this old guy had lost all his dignity and came up to him to let him slap him, Yue Ling certainly would not give up this opportunity easily.

"Oh? Minister Zhao's words mean that this is not related to the family? What a good saying, 'Doctors should not be punished'. It turns out that the etiquette of the Minister's family is that the mistress cannot control the concubines, and the strict father cannot teach the rebellious son, but they want to instruct me on how to govern the country?"

With a puff, a cloud of blood mist spurted out in front of the hall.

Zhao Gongjin fainted immediately.

The surroundings became a mess, with people trying to tear Zhao Gongjin's body apart, and some who knew a little about medicine started pinching his philtrum.

Seeing this, Emperor Longyou also spoke up to smooth things over, "Quickly invite Lord Zhao to the side hall to recuperate, and order the Imperial Hospital to come quickly for a consultation!"

A group of eunuchs rushed in and carried Zhao Gongjin, whose face was as pale as paper, away.

Emperor Longyou shook his head and sighed, "Is there anyone who opposes Yue Ling's move?"

After the farce, the ministers understood for the first time Yue Ling's fighting ability. He was strong not only in martial arts, but also in his eloquence and scheming. He could not be treated as an ordinary crude warrior.

Seeing that Yue Ling was the more prepared party and had a firm grasp on everyone's weaknesses, it would be unwise to go on stage and play a counter-acting role at this time, so no one responded.

Right Prime Minister Chai Pu, taking over the words of Emperor Longyou, concluded: "Duke Dingguo's heart is for the country and the people. Although this move is ingenious, it will ultimately be beneficial to fill the national treasury."

"Just now, Minister Zhao of the Ministry of Revenue was in charge of all matters concerning the national treasury. Now that he is not here, I dare to ask on his behalf how the profits are divided and how much goes into the national treasury?" "If the accounts are clean and there are officials to supervise, it is not a bad idea to open up a precedent for this kind of business."

Emperor Longyou nodded, thinking this was quite fair, and replied: "Duke Dingguo has already explained to me in his memorial that the Duke Dingguo's Mansion will only take 10% of the proceeds. You, my dear ministers, do not need to worry that Duke Dingguo is abusing his power for personal gain and enriching himself."

With a deep sigh, Emperor Longyou said pitifully, "In the past, whenever an emperor ascended the throne, the mausoleum would be renovated. I didn't expect that our treasury had been in deficit for many years and the income was not enough to cover the expenditure. I used the treasury to subsidize it, but the construction of the mausoleum has been suspended for a long time. It is covered with moss and weeds. How can I not be heartbroken?"

"I am not fond of extravagance, but I cannot abandon the emperor's ceremonial guards and roll up on straw mats. Duke Dingguo sent me silver several times to help me out of my urgent need, so I started the renovation again last month."

"My dear ministers, do you think that I will have no place to rest in peace after a hundred years?"

After these words were spoken, supporting Yue Ling, no one dared to object.

After a thunderous roar of "Long live your majesty" and praises of "Your Majesty is in the prime of his life", the court meeting came to an end...

……

"Yesterday's income was 1,326 taels, and the day before yesterday..."

Lin Daiyu walked alone in the corridor. She was not paying attention to the scenery around her, nor the poems she had read not long ago, nor the worries about the future. Instead, she was silently calculating the accounts in her mind.

"From this perspective, the recent business is pretty good. Once the quota for mining and buying is released, the mansion will really make a fortune."

Lin Daiyu clapped her hands, feeling so happy that she didn't notice Yue Ling chasing after her.

Suddenly, she felt someone was hugging her waist from both sides. Lin Daiyu looked back in surprise. Seeing Yue Ling's face, she was also surprised, "Brother Yue, are you leaving the government office? So early?"

Yue Ling leaned against Lin Daiyu's back, took a deep breath, and said slowly: "There's not much to do originally. I may not be able to come so early in the future."

Feeling the hot breath from Yue Ling blowing into her ears, Lin Daiyu's cheeks turned slightly red. She twisted her body and reluctantly struggled out of Yue Ling's arms.

"Brother Yue, stop touching me. You've become more and more unscrupulous lately. We're still in the courtyard. What if the maids or nannies passing by see us? You have no shame, but I still have my dignity to save."

She pushed Yue Ling away, but was reluctant to use too much force. She managed to free herself and then took a few steps back.

Yue Ling, who had been fighting with the civil officials in the court, was a little listless. But now that he had absorbed enough nutrients from Lin Daiyu, he talked normally, "Okay, okay."

Looking around, he found that only Lin Daiyu was resting here. There was no one else around. Yue Ling couldn't help but ask, "It seems like I haven't seen Miss Xue for a long time recently. Did she leave the house again?"

Lin Daiyu curled her lips, avoided his gaze, and snorted coldly, "Is it because Brother Yue is tired of staying by my side and prefers that cold fragrance? If you want to find Sister Bao, just go to her room and don't let me trip you up."

Unconsciously, Lin Daiyu started to feel jealous again, which really made Yue Ling laugh. "I just wanted to ask her about her business outside and whether she had any plans for the future. How did it become what Sister Lin thought?"

"Besides, isn't it known to everyone that I like Miss Lin?"

"Bah, sweet talk!" Lin Daiyu had been deceived many times and was somewhat immune to Yue Ling's sweet talk. She curled her lips and said, "Sister Bao has been badly harmed by you. Now she doesn't leave the house and doesn't see anyone. You still want to look for her outside."

Yue Ling blinked, quite surprised, and thought to himself: "There is such a thing, how come I haven't heard of it before."

Seeing Yue Ling really thinking deeply, Lin Daiyu regretted telling Xue Baochai about it. She snorted coldly and said, "Brother Yue, are you thinking about how to compensate Sister Bao?"

"Why don't you go to her room and look for her? Why are you still wasting time here?"

Yue Ling scratched his head. He felt really uncomfortable having his thoughts exposed by Lin Daiyu. It was even more difficult to fool such a clever girl.

"How could that be? The one I like is Sister Lin..."

Lin Daiyu pouted and said, "Tsk, you only make up some flattering words to coax me when we are alone."

"Sister Bao is also miserable. She did such a thing for Brother Yue, but not only was she teased, but was also forgotten by Brother Yue. I really feel sorry for Sister Bao."

"But if you don't coax me, forget about coaxing Sister Bao!"

Lin Daiyu turned around again and faced away from Yue Ling.

Yue Ling was dumbfounded and for a moment he really didn't know how to please Lin Daiyu.

Leaning closer, Yue Ling pressed the issue, "Of course I really mean it when I say I like Sister Lin. How can I just make it up to please Sister Lin? How can Sister Lin not know what I'm thinking?"

"So many sisters have come to your room. Who knows if you said the same thing as them? You keep saying the word 'like' all the time, and you say it so easily. How can you convince others?"

"This……"

Yue Ling blinked, and was somewhat speechless after being retorted by Lin Daiyu.

Although he was adept at dealing with all the officials, in front of Lin Daiyu, he seemed more like the one who was out of power.

"Then Sister Lin, what should I do so that I can say it without hesitation and prove my feelings?"

Lin Daiyu deliberately said, "When you are alone, you are not ashamed to say these two words, but if you are in front of others, would you dare to say it?"

Lin Daiyu turned around with a hint of pride on her face, thinking that Yue Ling didn't have the courage to say shy words in front of others.

"So simple?"

Yue Ling was slightly surprised, yet somewhat relieved.

It seems that this kind of thing is very shameful for a young girl, especially Lin Daiyu who is particularly thin-skinned.

But for Yue Ling...

It just so happened that the maids who were studying scriptures in the Buddhist temple came over in groups after class.

Lin Daiyu was waiting for them on this road, and she wanted to ask them about their recent training progress.

But when the girls saw Yue Ling and Lin Daiyu alone in the corridor from afar, they all kept silent and approached quietly.

"Sister Lin, I like you!"

Lin Daiyu's cheeks turned slightly red. Even when she and Yue Ling were alone, she would still feel a wave of emotion when she heard such straightforward words.

"I've already told you that it doesn't count when it's just the two of us."

"Sister Lin, I like you!"

"Hate it, why are you still here?"

"Sister Lin, I like..."

She turned her head away in shame and anger, her peripheral vision swept across the maids who were standing like a wall ten steps away and watching the show. Lin Daiyu's eyes widened immediately.

She turned around quickly, stood on tiptoe, put one arm around Yue Ling's neck, covered Yue Ling's mouth with the other, and pleaded in a trembling voice with her cheeks, which were more pink than the peach blossoms under the corridor:
"Brother Yue, stop, stop talking. I believe you are sincere... Isn't it enough for me to believe you?"

(End of this chapter)