Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 491 Lin Ruhai Enters the Capital

Yangzhou, the Salt Commissioner's Office.

The study was filled with the aroma of tea.

Before the lacquered sandalwood table, Lin Ruhai and his steward Han Da were playing chess, and Lin Ruhai frowned, a rare sight for him.

In terms of chess skills, Steward Han Da, a beginner who only started learning chess halfway through his career and mostly relied on self-study, is definitely far inferior to the former third-place scholar Lin Ruhai.

However, Lin Ruhai was really absent-minded today, and his moves were very casual. By the time he came to his senses, he had already made several dead moves.

Han Da wanted to offer some words of comfort, but he was afraid that if he spoke too bluntly, Lin Ruhai would lose face.

Han Da knew, of course, what his master was worried about.

It is now the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, and the Lantern Festival has passed. According to custom, the officials in the capital should have been in office long ago, but my master has not yet received a transfer order.

The newly appointed Salt Commissioner has taken office, and Lin Ruhai is currently in a state of leisure at home. He should have returned to the capital long ago and vacated the Salt Commissioner's residence.

Even though Lin Ruhai always said he didn't care, he had secretly had the maids pack his luggage and was waiting for the transfer order to be issued so that he could leave the city and rush to the capital.

No matter what, the one in the capital is his beloved daughter, not to mention the new addition to the Lin family.

This Salt Commissioner's residence is no longer the master's home; his heart has long since wandered to the capital.

After walking a few more steps, Han Da felt it wouldn't be polite to give way.

If he deliberately loses to the master in chess, he will definitely be found out. It would be better for him to bite the bullet and win, and the master will give him a way out.

As expected, Lin Ruhai picked up another chess piece but didn't place it for a long time.

"Your chess skills have improved; it seems you're a late bloomer."

Han Da smiled apologetically and said, "Sir, you are too kind. You are usually busy with salt affairs, and even when you have some free time, you can't focus on this little chessboard. I just happened to win one game."

Lin Ruhai shook his head helplessly and said, "A loss is a loss, and there's no point in making excuses."

Han Da gathered up the chessboard and pieces, and tentatively asked, "Master, would you like to play another game?"

There was really nothing interesting in the Lin residence now, so he nodded and said, "Alright, let's put it out again."

Just as they were placing the chess pieces, a voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Is the former Salt Commissioner, Lord Lin, here, as ordered by the capital?"

Lin Ruhai abruptly put down his teacup, and without even having time to hang up his coat, he strode towards the door, saying, "Yes, I'm here."

Lin Ruhai, who had been filled with sorrow just moments before, now had all his bad luck swept away and greeted him with a smile as he entered the corridor.

"Lord Lin, I am delivering the transfer order from the capital. Please come to the capital as soon as possible, the sooner the better."

Lin Ruhai took the letter but did not open it immediately. Instead, he looked at the messenger with a puzzled expression and asked, "Is there some important matter in the capital that His Majesty has ordered me to take up my post?"

The messenger bowed slightly in congratulations, then straightened up and asked in confusion, "No, no, Lord Lin, do you not know? The whole capital knows! Your daughter's marriage to the Duke of Dingguo is set for February 12th, which is less than a month away!"

"The canal is still frozen, and to reach the capital we must travel by horse through the passes. The journey is freezing cold, so please take precautions to keep warm, Your Excellency..."

The messenger collected the lucky money and then left the mansion.

When Han Da returned, he saw his master in the courtyard, his eyes glazed over, his body swaying involuntarily.

Han Da was startled and quickly stepped forward to help him up, managing to catch him from behind before he fell to the ground.

"Master, Master?"

Han Da looked around and hurriedly called to the old woman in the distance, "Master is not feeling well, quickly go outside and find a doctor to examine him!"

Lin Ruhai grabbed Han Da's wrist, shook his head, and gritted his teeth, saying, "It's alright, help me sit down, I can sit down right away."

In this situation, Han Da had no choice but to go along with Lin Ruhai, taking off his outer garment to use as a cushion for Lin Ruhai, and then sitting on the floor in the corridor.

"The wedding is on February 12th, and not a single person has come to inform me! It's truly infuriating!"

Lin Ruhai angrily gripped the hem of his clothes, took a few deep breaths, and mentally prepared himself before opening the letter. But after reading it, his eyes nearly rolled back, and his breathing became even more rapid.

"Good, good, exactly what I thought. This is Yue Ling's doing. In order to marry Yu'er, he will stop at nothing. He didn't even inform me first, and he didn't go through the proper betrothal ceremony. Instead, he had His Majesty bestow the marriage upon him first."

"They were even more wary of my disagreement, abusing their power for personal gain, suppressing my transfer order so that I wouldn't be able to attend the wedding and oppose him. What a wolf in sheep's clothing!"

Lin Ruhai was so angry that he slapped his thigh repeatedly. Han Da couldn't bear to watch and comforted him, "Master, you've misunderstood the Duke of Dingguo, haven't you? I've heard that the Duke of Dingguo is now a Minister of State Affairs and one of the cabinet members, in charge of important matters of the new policies. How could he possibly scheme against you over something as trivial as children's affairs?"

Lin Ruhai snorted coldly and said, "You've seen him before, have you? Do you really think he has good morals and that I would wrong him?"

"Private morality..."

When it came to personal ethics, Han Da hesitated.

Lin Ruhai threw the transfer order into Han Da's hand and said angrily, "Take a look for yourself, see what's written on this transfer order!"

Han hurriedly took the letter, glanced at it, and quickly discerned the important matters mentioned in the letter.

Firstly, the idea was to relieve the master of his important post as Salt Commissioner and send him to the capital to serve in the government, becoming the Duke of Dingguo's deputy and granting him the rank of a second-grade official.

Secondly, we invited the master to participate in the Duke of Dingguo's wedding, which was to take place on February 12th.

In addition, Han Da also noticed that the document from the Ministry of Personnel was marked at the end as follows: "At the request of the Duke of Dingguo, the process was simplified and the document was sent out of the capital."

This is probably what's making my husband angry.

They assumed that the Duke of Dingguo had deliberately delayed the process, sending the master's transfer order at this critical juncture.

It's less than a month since the last journey, and the land route is three thousand li. The further north you go, the colder it gets, and the more difficult the road becomes. It's probably only theoretically possible to reach the destination. If any unexpected event occurs, there will definitely be delays.

If there is a delay, then as the master said, it will fulfill the Duke of Dingguo's wishes.

Han Da wanted to mediate the relationship between his master and the Duke of Dingguo, but he was powerless to do so at this time. That's what the letter said, and that's the only way to interpret it.

With a sigh, Han Da cautiously handed the transfer order back to Lin Ruhai and asked in a low voice, "Master, when shall we depart?"

Lin Ruhai said coldly, "Find two clever servants to accompany me today. The rest of the luggage will be escorted to the capital by you. There's no need to rush. Just protect the valuables and people and make sure they arrive safely." "What? Today? The sun is already setting outside. Why isn't Master in a hurry for just half a day?"

Han Da was dumbfounded.

Lin Ruhai glared and said, "Yue Ling is making things difficult for me, but I won't let him have his way. I'll ride my horse at full speed all the way and get to the capital as soon as possible!"

……

“Brother Yue, it’s late, you should go back and rest. They should go to sleep too.”

Lin Daiyu frowned slightly, staring at Yue Ling with wide eyes.

Yue Ling was holding one of the little ones in each arm, trying to make them happy.

The two little ones were especially kind to Yue Ling. Whenever Yue Ling came to see them, they would giggle and hide in his arms, laughing happily. Sometimes, they would even cry if they couldn't see Yue Ling for a long time.

The two aunts were both amused and annoyed, feeling that the two little ones were clinging to Yue Ling too much, as if they regarded him as their biological father.

"Your sister is unhappy. Go back and sleep with your mother. I will come to see you another day."

Yue Ling turned her back, pinched the cheeks of the two little ones, and put them back in the crib. The two little ones clung tightly to Yue Ling's shoulders and stared at Lin Daiyu in the distance.

It was as if Lin Daiyu had stolen Yue Ling from them; whenever Lin Daiyu came, Yue Ling would leave with her.

Her cheeks puffed up with anger.

The two aunts smiled and waved, coaxing their little ones back. After a long tug-of-war, Yue Ling finally managed to escape the clutches of the two little devils.

As Yue Ling strolled with Lin Daiyu through the covered corridors, he took her hand and said with a smile, "Children are so lovable. When Lin Daiyu was little, she must have been even cuter than them."

Lin Daiyu turned her head away, trying to pull her hand away, but Yue Ling reacted faster and firmly held Lin Daiyu's soft hand in his.

"They just say flattering things, treating me like a child."

"Then we really can't treat Lin Daiyu like a child anymore, after all, she will be marrying me in a month."

Lin Daiyu gently pinched Yue Ling with her fingertips, lowered her head shyly, and whispered, "Alright, we agreed not to mention this."

Yue Ling stopped, then took Lin Daiyu's other hand and asked with emotion, "Seeing them is like being able to recall Lin Daiyu as a child, making up for the six years I never saw. It's also like being able to imagine what our child would look like after we had a child together."

"If you ask me, Lin Daiyu is far more beautiful than the two concubines, and I am slightly better than Lord Lin. So, our child should be even more beautiful, right?"

Lin Daiyu and Yue Ling stood facing each other blankly for a moment, then she couldn't help but chuckle, "Brother Yue, what nonsense are you talking about again?"

“I can’t remember the first six years of my life. But since I came to the capital, I remember everything that happened…”

Looking up, Lin Daiyu's eyes were deep, like a pool of autumn water, shimmering in the moonlight.

"When we first met, Brother Yue shielded me from river bandits, protected me, and stayed by my bedside all night. After we entered the capital, Brother Yue helped me study and practice calligraphy, and we went out to play in the streets. I still remember the lotus lanterns and the daisy paintings vividly."

As she spoke, Lin Daiyu pulled out a jade pendant from her neck. "This is a jade that Brother Yue asked for for me. It was this jade that made Brother Yue realize that there were barbarians hiding in the capital. It is a lucky charm. I feel more at ease carrying it with me at all times."

"Saving Cangzhou, going south of the Yangtze River, I experienced all the hardships of the world along the way. I accompanied Brother Yue to see it all. I think if I had stayed in bed for a long time, I would never have been able to see so many sights again, and I would never have known the warmth and coldness of human relationships."

Lin Daiyu spoke simple words of love, yet they were so moving that Yue Ling felt a slight tremor in his heart.

The atmosphere was just right, and Yue Ling slowly leaned down to find those sweet and delicious lips, but before he could bend down, Lin Daiyu pressed her lips back against his with her palm.

With a giggle, Lin Daiyu jumped out of the way and said, "Brother Yue is trying to take advantage of me again. Oh no, we already agreed to wait until after the wedding."

Yue Ling looked over with considerable regret, but Lin Daiyu blinked like an elf and said mischievously, "Could it be that Brother Yue can't even wait a month?"

She awkwardly tried to appear charming, wanting to show that she had already grown into a beautiful young woman. This deliberate attempt made Yue Ling laugh.

Clutching his stomach, Yue Ling rubbed his eyes and said with a smile, "Sister Lin must have learned something from Ke Qing, but that's not my preference. Sister Lin should just be herself. Of all the different looks, I like Sister Lin the way she was at the beginning the most."

Lin Daiyu was initially quite pleased with herself, as if she had gained the upper hand in her private conversation with Yue Ling for the first time. However, after hearing Yue Ling's words, she deflated and pouted, saying, "Why is it like this? Brother Yue is still treating me like a child."

Yue Ling stepped forward again, put his arm around her waist, hugged her tightly, and pulled Lin Daiyu into his arms. He gently breathed hot air into her ear and said, "When Lin Daiyu confessed her feelings to me and kissed me as a token of our love, I knew that I could no longer treat her like a child."

"But back then, I found it hard to go against my conscience, after all, it was your father who entrusted me with taking care of you..."

Speaking of this, Yue Ling couldn't help but sigh slightly.

Lin Daiyu, however, persisted, saying, "So what? Didn't Brother Yue take good care of me?"

"That's not the case."

"Brother Yue promised to take care of me for the rest of my life, isn't that keeping his promise?"

Yue Ling smiled wryly and said, "I'm afraid Lord Lin wouldn't think that way."

Lin Daiyu pouted, her brows furrowed again, and she couldn't help but stomp her foot.

"The best thing Father did was to let Brother Yue take me away from Yangzhou! But now he's gone back on his word. Who's going to listen to him? Anyway, His Majesty and the Empress will take care of our marriage. Even if Father disagrees, he has no say in it!"

Blinking, Lin Daiyu asked again, "By the way, Brother Yue, have you sent the invitation to Father? Even if he doesn't agree, we still need to be polite and not give him any reason to complain. Otherwise, Father will keep nagging about it."

Yue Ling was stunned and asked in return, "When you sent a letter home to Yangzhou last time, didn't you include it in the letter?"

"Oh? But the date hadn't been set yet at that time."

"so……"

The two exchanged a glance, both sensing that something was terribly wrong.

Lin Daiyu twitched her lips and couldn't help but ask, "Father, you don't know we've come to the capital, do you? Are you still staying in Yangzhou?"

Yue Ling smiled wryly and said, "That shouldn't be the case. After all, the Ministry of Personnel's transfer order has already been sent out, and they should be able to enter the capital before our wedding."

"Well...it would be best if we could make it in time, in case there's any trouble..."

Yue Ling scratched his head, then led Lin Daiyu forward, and said with a bitter smile, "We'll see when the time comes..."

(End of this chapter)