Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 484 I Can't Be the Emperor?

"Okay, okay, I'll hold you all."

Holding the other little crybaby in his arms, the crying stopped abruptly, and the baby giggled. The baby even reached out from the swaddling clothes and scratched Yue Ling's cheek.

However, its arms were too short to reach, so it waved in mid-air, as if it were dancing with joy.

Seeing this, Qin Keqing couldn't help but chuckle and teased, "I thought we weren't liked by them, but it turns out they already have someone they like. Since they like Master, there's nothing to compare. As expected of Lin Daiyu's sister, you really have good taste. All the sisters have to admit defeat."

As Qin Keqing spoke sourly, everyone unconsciously turned their gazes toward Lin Daiyu.

Lin Daiyu rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, and leaned back in her chair, clearly jealous.

The two little ones have only just been born, and they're already so attached to Yue Ling. What will they be like when they grow up?

Everyone had the same thought, but they couldn't express it, so they all turned their heads away to suppress their laughter.

Yue Ling was embarrassed. She was holding the two babies in her arms and couldn't give them away. So she just carried them around the room and tried to coax them to play.

Xue Baochai glanced at Lin Daiyu's expression, then at Xue Baoqin beside her, who was even more troublesome, and felt even more sympathetic towards her.

"Sister Lin, everything is fine here, so we'll head back now. It's rare for the Marquis to return, so let's celebrate together today?"

The two little ones looked cute, but they were actually quite unlovable. However, since they were her own younger sisters, Lin Daiyu naturally had to take care of them in a lively and enthusiastic manner.

"Are the two little ones curious because everyone in this room is a woman and Brother Yue is the only boy? They're still so young, how would they know about things like or dislike?"

"Or perhaps they regard Brother Yue as their father?"

Lin Daiyu found the idea increasingly strange. She shook her head, sat up straight again, and replied to Xue Baochai, "What Sister Baochai said is indeed the case. I'll trouble Sister Baochai to handle this matter. My two aunts have suffered a lot, and I need to send the good news back to Yangzhou."

As she spoke, Lin Daiyu also got up, intending to go back and send a letter home. However, before leaving, she glanced at Yue Ling and gave a soft snort.

The women smiled and stepped forward to greet Yue Ling, then followed Lin Daiyu out the door.

Qin Keqing was at the very end of the line and didn't rush to leave. Standing in front of Yue Ling, she looked around and carefully examined the two little ones.

The two little ones seemed to sense that Qin Keqing was scrutinizing them, and they immediately hid their faces in Yue Ling's arms.

Yue Ling laughed and said, "What are you doing? You've scared them. Newborn babies are all wary of strangers. If you like them, you can coax them when they're older."

Qin Keqing looked up and asked, "Then why aren't you shy around the master?"

Yue Ling's smile froze, speechless after being choked by Qin Keqing's words.

Qin Keqing stood with her hands behind her back, her back straight, her eyebrows raised in disdain, and laughed, "I think these are a pair of clever little devils. When they grow up, the master will have a good time with them."

Yue Ling shook his head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Holding the little one in her arms, Yue Ling realized how much she loved children and even wanted to have her own.

Suddenly remembering that he had also died saving children in his previous life, Yue Ling became even more certain of his feelings after being reborn into this world.

"What? Does Master like children? Or perhaps I should try harder tonight?"

"Pooh!"

Yue Lingqing spat and glared, saying, "What nonsense are you spouting in front of them? Hurry up and go out with the others to do some work!"

Yue Ling raised a foot, the back of his foot landing on Qin Keqing's buttocks, causing her to stumble.

Qin Keqing seemed satisfied, her eyes turning into spring water as she left with tender affection.

With many important matters to attend to, and unable to stay in the room to soothe the child, Yue Ling had no choice but to call the wet nurse back. However, when she handed them over, the child still struggled and cried, which really gave Yue Ling a headache.

Seeing this, the midwife suggested, "Newborn babies can't be separated from their mothers. Why don't you have the master send them back to the two concubines? That should make it easier for them to get away this time."

"That makes sense, let's go."

The two concubines were exhausted from the ordeal today. After drinking the nourishing soup, they rested for several hours and have now woken up one after the other.

Lying in bed, knowing that the child was being looked after by the girls outside, the two were not in a hurry and started chatting.

For the two of them, it was a great pity that they were unable to give birth to a son for the Lin family.

However, both of them kept this thought to themselves and never mentioned it.

"I wonder if the young lady has given them any names. With your literary talent, you must have thought of them much more thoroughly than we have."

Aunt Bai let out a long breath and spoke softly.

"It's not bad to let the Duke think about it. Judging from the 'Great Debate at the Imperial Lectures,' the Duke's knowledge is no less than that of those great scholars. No wonder the young lady said at the beginning that the Duke had taught her. At the time, the master thought he was joking."

"Master."

Aunt Bai gazed calmly at the roof beam and murmured, "They should be arriving in the capital soon."

"If nothing unexpected happens, then it should be."

The two men, unanimously worried, wondered what their husband would think when he saw that there were two girls.

Just then, led by a maid, Yue Ling entered with the two little ones.

"My lord?"

The two struggled to get up, but Yue Ling quickly had someone calm them down and said with an embarrassed smile, "Don't move around too much, just rest well. If they hadn't insisted that I carry them and refused to get down, I wouldn't have bothered you two to rest."

Aunt Bai and Aunt Zhou exchanged glances, both showing surprise.

How can two babies recognize each other at such a young age?
Moreover, recognizing Yue Ling as a relative is obviously not a bad thing. Things will definitely go smoothly for him in the future. Even if Lin Ruhai dislikes it, it would be good to be able to stay in the Duke of Dingguo's mansion for a long time.

To be honest, the convenience of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion far surpasses that of the Lin mansion in Yangzhou. Even after staying there for a while, they felt more comfortable here.

After all, the Lin family had strict rules and too many dogmas.

On the other side, Yue Ling tried to put the two little babies on the bed.

Even after seeing their mother, the two little ones hesitated, looking back and forth as if making a difficult decision.

After circling around a few times, the two little ones got hungry and finally chose to run into their mother's arms, which made Yue Ling breathe a sigh of relief.

"Please rest well, both of you. If you need anything, just ask someone else. Don't be so polite. We're all family here. Don't worry about the Duke."

The two concubines thanked him repeatedly, and only then did the maids and nanny see Yue Ling out.

When she came to her senses, Aunt Zhou, though too weak to move, still twisted her body to look at the little one in her arms. "He's stuck with the Duke of Dingguo. This child has good taste; he'll definitely be clever when he grows up."

Aunt Bai also smiled, "It's a good thing, it's a good thing."

……

After going out for some fresh air, Yue Ling felt much better. Just as he was about to go to the room to talk to Lin Daiyu, a maidservant hurriedly ran over to deliver a message.

"Master, there's a guest in the front hall who claims to be the Second Prince." Yue Ling's face darkened, his brows furrowing slightly. He thought to himself, "What are they doing coming to my residence at this time? Hasn't this residence only been established a few days ago?"

"Lead the Second Prince to the study, I will go there now."

In the outer study, Jia Yun served tea to the Second Prince Liu Yi, his movements very restrained.

Having served my master for a long time and met many high-ranking officials, none of them were as distinguished as this one.

"So this is Father Emperor's old study. It's exactly the same as the one in the palace. It seems that Father Emperor and Duke Dingguo have very similar tastes."

Liu Yi stopped in front of the bookshelf with his hands behind his back, raised his hand and ran it over the scrolls to identify what books Yue Ling had displayed.

Overall, I didn't find any books related to "new learning," only some classics and historical texts, which is quite different from Yue Ling's public image.

Not knowing how to respond, Jia Yun simply pretended not to hear and stood quietly to the side.

Before he could finish, a servant boy outside the door greeted him with a curtsy.

Liu Yi turned around, quickly stepped forward to greet him, and first cupped his hands in greeting, "Liu Yi greets you, sir."

He maintained proper student etiquette and did not act as if he were a prince, which was quite polite.

Yue Ling also bowed and said, "Your Highness, are you here today on business?"

Jia Yun quietly slipped out of the room, and Yue Ling raised his hand to invite the Second Prince Liu Yi to take a seat. The two then sat down and began to talk.

"My father granted permission for my two brothers and me to leave the palace and establish our own residences. After the residences were prepared, I couldn't wait to come here to learn from you and get answers to my questions."

Yue Ling picked up the teacup, took a small sip, and nodded, saying, "Your Highness may speak frankly."

Liu Yi naturally picked up the teacup, skimming off the foam as he pondered, "My father once warned us to carefully study the intricacies of the new policies, but lately I have been quite perplexed."

"The gentleman is the one who spearheaded the reforms, and no one in the world dares to say that their understanding of the new policies surpasses that of the gentleman."

Yue Ling remained expressionless and continued listening to the Second Prince's flattering words.

"I have thoroughly read through the new policies and reforms, and I believe that you have found a very good path to enriching the country and strengthening its military. The northern barbarians and the Jurchens are both stationed at the pass, eyeing us covetously. Moreover, you have also mentioned the threat from the sea. Compared to external enemies, how do you think we should weigh the internal affairs?"

Yue Ling raised an eyebrow, not really thinking that the Second Prince had come to discuss state affairs.

In particular, after several interactions with him, he found that the Second Prince was the least patient with reading, and instead preferred Yue Ling to teach him martial arts and explain military strategy.

It is quite obvious that the Second Prince Liu Yi is an impatient person.

When an impatient person starts to beat around the bush, their purpose is certainly not the event they mentioned.

According to the established rites, now that several princes have left the palace to establish their own residences, the eldest prince, as the legitimate son, is naturally the one with the best chance of becoming the crown prince.

When the Second Prince came to ask for advice at night, Yue Ling thought he was probably hinting at his ambition to seize the throne.

Although reckless, he was not a fool, unlike the likes of Prince Kang. Yue Ling believed that although these princes were not as good as Emperor Longyou, they were by no means incompetent.

Yue Ling did not address the main point, but instead explained the issues discussed by the Second Prince step by step.

The two then went on to discuss everything from politics and national policies to wise rulers throughout history, chatting for several rounds until the sun began to set.

Seeing that he showed no sign of leaving, and with servants pacing back and forth outside the door, seemingly informing him to return to the inner quarters for a banquet, Yue Ling couldn't help but interrupt the conversation.

"It's getting late. Why doesn't Your Highness stay here for the night and have a meal?"

Liu Yi still seemed unsatisfied, but he didn't want to disturb Yue Ling's family reunion.

After all, Yue Ling has a good reputation, and since he has finally returned to the manor for a day, he will probably indulge in sensual pleasures.

After hesitating for a while, Liu Yi seemed to come out of deep thought and stood up to apologize, saying, "I am ashamed, I am ashamed. Your words just now were so enlightening that I was so absorbed in them that I forgot the time and delayed your good deed."

Yue Ling waved his hand and said some polite words in return.

After taking a few steps, Liu Yi turned back, his expression becoming increasingly solemn, and asked, "Sir, I have one last question. Do you think I can become an excellent monarch like my father?"

Finally revealing his true colors, Yue Ling feigned surprise and asked with a frown, "Second Prince, what makes you say this?"

Liu Yi persisted in asking, "Sir, you only need to tell me whether it is possible or not."

Yue Ling shook his head. "No."

Liu Yi was puzzled, and a look of disappointment appeared on his face.

My father was skilled in archery and horsemanship at the age of 18, and was able to command troops in battle, quell rebellions in all directions, and stabilize the country.

His other brothers had no such ability at all. Wasn't he the one who most resembled his father?
"Why did you say this, sir?"

Liu Yi was still unwilling to give up; he was not someone who would give up easily.

"The Second Prince is well-versed in military strategy and can train and command troops. He is a capable general who can protect the country and its people. However, the proper order is to establish an heir apparent based on the eldest son."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yi suddenly burst into laughter, laughing three times and then letting out a long howl.

After a few breaths, silence returned. Liu Yi spoke again, "Sir, you are innovative and enterprising, breaking the rules. Are there any unchanging rules in front of you?"

Yue Ling frowned slightly. "Without rules, nothing can be accomplished. But old rules are not entirely useless."

Liu Yi shook his head and said, "That's not the case. Sir, you're hiding your talents. You should have treated me with the same sincerity you showed just now."

"Sir, you could not possibly be unaware of the Emperor's true intentions. He sent my two brothers and me out of the palace to establish our own residences so that we would infight in the court and vie for the position of Crown Prince."

"Is it not right for such a high-ranking and capable person to occupy this position?"

"Is the great prosperity you built with your own hands really going to be handed over to my weak-willed elder brother and cowardly younger brother?"

“I am the only one who has ever valued your reforms the most. If you support me, I will treat you with the same respect I would show my father. No, no…”

Liu Yi changed his mind again, flicked his robes, and was about to kneel down to perform the kowtow to his teacher, saying, "This prince will regard the Duke of Dingguo as his teacher and his prime minister father."

Liu Yi's face was resolute, and he was not joking. He was about to kneel down very decisively, but as soon as his knees bent, Yue Ling helped him up with both hands.

"Your Highness, why have you gone to such lengths?"

Liu Yi raised his head, his eyes brimming with tears of excitement. "Does the Emperor know that he has already met with Prime Minister Chai?"

Yue Ling shook his head. "I really don't know."

Liu Yi stared intently at Yue Ling and asked, "Does the gentleman know what the consequences are if one loses the battle for the crown prince position?"

"Or perhaps become a vassal king in the borderlands, or..."

Liu Yi interrupted, "My father wasn't the eldest son either, so why can't I become emperor?"

(End of this chapter)