Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 525 Both rain and dew are touched
After the court assembly, the eldest prince Liu An was filled with worry.

The situation at the court meeting almost spiraled out of control, but fortunately Yue Ling withstood the pressure and took charge of everything.

After becoming regent, Liu An increasingly understood why his father, the emperor, valued Yue Ling so much.

The remarks made by Chai Pu and others today were especially unexpected, and the situation is not so easy to control.

Therefore, Liu An had no choice but to go to Chai Pu's house to demand an explanation.

Clearly, Chai Pu had anticipated his arrival and had already prepared tea in the tea room, waiting for him to take his seat.

For some reason, upon seeing this scene, Liu An felt a sense of absurdity, as if he were being tricked into a trap.

Forced to sit down, Liu An still inquired, "Elder Chai, what exactly happened in court today...?"

Chai Pu nodded and raised his hand to signal him not to be impatient.

Liu An obliged to take a sip of tea first. The aroma and taste were much better than the strong tea he had drunk before. It was smooth and had a sweet aftertaste, as if it were freshly brewed tea.

Chai Pu remained calm and composed, comforting Liu An, "Your Highness, what I am about to say comes from the bottom of my heart. Do not tell anyone outside of this, not even your closest confidants."

Liu An asked in confusion, "Not even the Empress Dowager?"

Chai Pu shook his head repeatedly, “Your Highness, the Empress has three sons. This is a struggle for the throne, and it is inevitable that there will be favoritism. Does Your Highness know which prince the Empress favors more? But this old minister has long stood on Your Highness's side, working day and night, exhausting all his energy.”

Liu An slowly nodded, "Alright, Elder Chai, please speak frankly. I will certainly not let outsiders know."

Chai Pu composed himself and said, "The situation has suddenly changed. I don't know if Your Highness can see it clearly. I need to analyze it with Your Highness first."

"The Second Prince led his troops out of Shanhaiguan to defend against the enemy, while the Jurchens and the Northern Barbarians sought help, intending to jointly march south, forming a pincer movement, and to replicate what they had failed to achieve in the past."

"However, the Northern Barbarians have been recuperating for several years and are no longer as strong as they once were. Even so, the Jurchens still asked for help, which shows that they are not entirely confident in defeating the Second Prince."

Liu An seemed to understand something and murmured, "So, with the support of the nobles, it's a sure thing that my younger brother will achieve merit?"

Chai Pu couldn't help but sigh, "This old minister didn't want to be so absolute, but the facts are clear. If the Second Prince makes meritorious contributions and returns to the capital, winning over the hearts of the people, Your Highness will really be repeating the old path of Prince Kang."

Liu An trembled slightly, "Then, according to Elder Chai's wishes..."

Chai Pu poured Liu An more tea and comforted him, saying, "Your Highness, please rest assured. I have already come up with a plan on how to counter this. I hope Your Highness will not blame me for taking matters into my own hands."

He then bowed deeply, his attitude very sincere.

Liu An raised his hand to help him up, saying, "Elder Chai, you flatter me. I don't know how to repay your kindness, so how could I offend you?"

A hint of gratitude appeared in Chai Pu's aged eyes, and he said, "The Second Prince is currently leading troops outside the capital, drawing on elite troops from the capital garrison and Shandong. If the Duke of Dingguo goes north to meet the enemy, he will need to continue to select elite soldiers and generals from the military camp."

"After two rounds of sifting, the capital is indeed empty. But it is precisely this emptiness that gives Your Highness the best opportunity."

Liu An's eyes widened slightly.

Chai Pu added, "After receiving His Highness's letter, Prince Teng was deeply moved and swore to be loyal to His Highness. With the loyal troops he now controls, it will be a piece of cake for him to take control of the inner city gates."

"At that time, we will go straight to the imperial palace and invite His Majesty out..."

Liu An immediately stood up, fully understanding what Chai Pu was planning and why he had said in advance not to blame him for making decisions on his own.

Chai Pu, this is going to frame him for deceiving the emperor.

He, who valued moderation and disliked killing, could never have imagined such a thing, much less do it. At this moment, he was so shocked that a cold sweat broke out on his back.

"Elder Chai, I cannot agree to this."

Liu An clutched his head and shook it rapidly. "No, do you want me to bear eternal infamy?"

Chai Pu had anticipated this question and immediately reassured him, "Didn't the current emperor also ascend the throne in the same way? As long as he works diligently and cares for the people, how could he have a bad reputation?"

Liu An was speechless for a moment.

Chai Pu was absolutely right; he couldn't refute it at all, given the glaring examples right before his eyes.

The emperor forced his own father to become the retired emperor.

Now that he is in this position, even though he is acting as regent, his father has not yet made him the emperor. So, shouldn't he take this opportunity to follow his father's example?

He is the emperor's son, so it is only natural for him to follow suit.

Besides, if he doesn't do it, does that mean his second brother won't?

Liu An's face showed a slight change, his Adam's apple bobbed, and after a long while he stammered, "Even if the Duke of Dingguo is not in the capital, there are still Imperial Guards by Father's side. The strength of the Imperial Guards should not be underestimated."

Chai Pu shook his head and said, "The Imperial Guards of today are no longer the Xuanjia Army that His Majesty used to command. They are now a group of spoiled brats selected from nobles and relatives. In terms of actual combat strength, they may not be much stronger than the troops under Prince Teng."

"Especially in a stalemate, how long can they hold out in the capital? They have no reinforcements either."

"This, this, this..."

Liu An paced anxiously, still unable to make up his mind.

Chai Pu rose and followed behind him, saying, "Your Highness, this is an opportunity that will not come again. Moreover, to be frank, the Second Prince is more like His Majesty than Your Highness."

Upon hearing this, Liu An gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, let's proceed according to Elder Chai's plan."

Chai Pu bowed deeply and said, "Yes, Your Highness, this old minister will certainly live up to your expectations!"

Unnoticed by Liu An, Chai Pu's lips curled into a smile that was hard to decipher.

Everything was proceeding exactly as he had planned, step by step...

……

"Is it really time to lead troops? Has a date for departure been set?"

Inside the Dingguo Mansion, nestled beside Yue Ling, Lin Daiyu once again adopted the demeanor of a little girl befitting her age, her lips tightly pressed together, her heart filled with reluctance.

Yue Ling remained noncommittal, then sighed, "It is true that I will lead the troops into battle, but..."

"but?"

Lin Daiyu tilted her head, realizing that the matter of leading troops was about to take a turn for the worse, and it was probably no small matter.

After pondering for a long time, Yue Ling finally decided to tell Lin Daiyu everything and no longer hide it from her.

Although Lin Daiyu is not very old now, according to the previous life, she is still a middle school student.

But she was born with precocious intelligence and an exceptional memory, making her no ordinary person.

Moreover, having gone through thick and thin with Yue Ling along the way, she already possesses a mindset beyond her years.

She still needs to take care of things within the manor.

"The situation in the court today is very strange. Those who disagree with my decision to lead the army are actually a minority of my own people."

Lin Daiyu blinked and immediately understood.

This appointment as commander was not something he actively requested, but rather something he passively accepted. Yue Ling's appearance had already disrupted the balance of power in the court. With the Duzheng Hall in charge, the civil official group was already being restrained. If he were to accumulate more merits, it would only further enhance Yue Ling's power and cause the civil officials to lose their influence.

When your life-or-death opponent wants you to succeed, either they've lost their mind, or you've lost yours.

In a short moment, Lin Daiyu thought of the same idea as Lin Ruhai, and said carefully, "Recently, I haven't had much contact with Her Majesty the Empress. I also heard that His Majesty is unwell, so I didn't want to bother him too much."

"But judging from what has happened before, neither His Majesty nor the Empress are heartless people. The saying 'when the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away' should not apply to my husband."

Yue Ling nodded slightly, not arguing about the matter, but said, "The Second Prince has led his troops out on an expedition, leaving the city vulnerable. If someone takes the opportunity to cause trouble, it will be even easier than the palace coup many years ago."

"Especially since there is a rift between the eldest prince and the second prince, if the second prince hears that I am going to war against the northern barbarians, he will probably have some doubts."

Lin Daiyu's eyes widened; she hadn't initially thought about it that deeply.

Once upon a time, when she first entered the palace, she had seen those three princes, who were all about the same height as her. She had completely overlooked the fact that they were already vying for the throne.

"Then, after my husband leaves the city, won't the manor be in danger? After all, there are hardly any soldiers outside the capital."

Yue Ling nodded slightly and said, "Whether it was the new policies or the journey south, I offended many people along the way. Now that I am powerful, no one dares to stand up against me. But if chaos breaks out in the capital, it is hard to guarantee that someone will not deliberately commit murder and seek revenge, and implicate you in it."

Yue Ling, feeling slightly guilty, continued, "Therefore, I will not bring the guards with me for the time being; I will leave them to guard the mansion."

"The mansion itself was built by His Majesty. It has corner towers at all four corners, and the walls are several feet higher than those of ordinary mansions, so it can be considered impregnable. There should be no danger in the short term, but we should still be careful."

Lin Daiyu's expression turned serious, and she finally realized how dire the situation was. But she knew that Yue Ling would take care of everything, and all she needed was his support. "Alright, my husband, rest assured."

"Besides, my husband is already on guard, so there's nothing to worry about."

Yue Ling smiled awkwardly, feeling that he owed Lin Daiyu a great deal of pressure and wanted her to share the burden with him.

But Lin Daiyu's gaze was unusually firm. Holding Yue Ling's hand, she stared straight into his eyes and said, "We are now husband and wife. Even before, we were meant to weather the storms together."

"Once upon a time, I used myself as bait to create the illusion that my husband had returned to the capital. On my way south to Suzhou to find him, I had already made all the preparations for this."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of this family."

Yue Ling's heart softened, and he slowly pulled Lin Daiyu into his arms.

The two leaned against each other quietly for a long time before Lin Daiyu gently parted her lips and whispered in Yue Ling's ear, "Let's go to bed."

Yue Ling pursed his lips and lifted Lin Daiyu up in his arms.

Lin Daiyu clung tightly to Yue Ling's neck until her back pressed against the brocade quilt, then released her, lying on the bed in a starfish position.

"Tonight, I'll let you stay in the room. But before you set off, you can't let them down."

Just as Yue Ling leaned down to kiss her, Lin Daiyu poked her nose and pushed him away half an inch.

“They love you just as much as I do; they were all weeping in front of the hall just now.”

Yue Ling nodded and said, "Okay, thank you for your kindness, Madam."

The beaded curtains billowed, and the tassels on the bed curtains swayed gently, making it impossible to tell whether the night sky was a crescent moon or twinkling stars.

A pair of mandarin ducks stood side by side on the treetop when suddenly a strong wind blew, causing the branches to tremble violently.

The male mandarin duck used its wings to shelter the female from the wind, and after everything calmed down, they snuggled together and fell asleep.

……

After marrying Yue Ling, Lin Daiyu's state of mind changed drastically.

Because she realized that she really couldn't satisfy Yue Ling.

Even though the atmosphere was always very intense, she would become weak and powerless in less than half an incense stick's time, and no matter how Yue Ling called out to her, she would not respond.

Perhaps due to her innate sensitivity, she simply couldn't withstand such stimulation.

If you can't do something yourself, you have to ask your sisters to share the burden.

After the decision to launch the expedition was made, Yue Ling would personally go to the capital garrison to muster the troops every morning at the crack of dawn.

The first recruits were soldiers from Cangzhou who had previously visited Shuangyu Island with him and were considered among the best in the army.

The generals selected were all old acquaintances.

The vanguard was led by Yang and Liu, two former officials from the Prince of Qin's residence, with Yue Ling leading the central army. The firearms battalion was commanded by Xu Hui, the commander of the Beijing Garrison, who also came from the Prince of Qin's residence, and Shi Ding brought up the rear.

All military supplies and equipment were provided and handled by the Xue family's Feng brand, a royal merchant firm, and everything was proceeding in full swing.

During the day, Yue Ling would train and select soldiers in the military camp. In the afternoon, he would return to his residence to reorganize his personal guards, replenish his weapons and equipment as soon as possible, and prepare for war in secret. Even at night, Yue Ling was still busy.

Of course, at night, they weren't busy with military preparations.

It was agreed upon with Lin Daiyu that the young ladies of the manor would be treated equally before their departure for the war.

However, Yue Ling was almost 80% certain that chaos would break out in the city, and he would return to the capital to stabilize the situation and protect the emperor, rather than embarking on a distant expedition.

So, after he had a passionate affair with Lin Daiyu...

He then went to the courtyard of the girl he had previously slept with, in order to soothe her heart.

Qin Keqing, Xiangling, Qingwen, Zijuan, and others need no further explanation.

Even Xue Baoqin, who came from behind, was taken care of meticulously.

The three sisters of the Spring Festival and Xue Baochai, who had previously missed their chance, were filled with envy, but there was nothing they could do about it.

Within a few days, Yue Ling received petitions from Zhao Hao and Liu Xianglian, informing them of the upcoming expedition and requesting to join the fight.

Yue Ling comforted them again, telling them to pay closer attention to the situation in Liaodong and to send urgent reports as soon as they received any news, without being stingy with horses.

So, everything is ready.

Less than fifteen days after the Second Prince set out on his campaign, Yue Ling led his army out of the pass to meet the enemy.

……

Guangning City,
Before him lay a golden goblet of fine wine and an unfurled map depicting the defenses of the six towns of Liaodong.

The Second Prince Liu Yi squinted, carefully calculating where the Jurchens would raid next and in which direction they would flee.

Upon arriving in Liaodong, Liu Yi was initially in high spirits, but he was constantly met with news of the looting of supplies and provisions at the front, which filled him with indignation.

Logically speaking, the matter of the grain transport route is quite secretive and generally difficult to detect, especially since it is within one's own territory.

Unexpectedly, the Jurchens were elusive and always managed to stumble upon the truth, as if there were a traitor among them, and their tracks could always be found.

Liu Yi picked up his wine cup, took a sip in a sullen mood, and then heard someone outside anxiously reporting something.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The northern barbarians are advancing south, and the Duke of Dingguo has personally led a large army out of the capital to meet them!"

(End of this chapter)