Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 72 A Phoenix Comes to Rest
The soldiers from the Beijing camp broke down the gate and encountered no obstacles at all, not even a single person in sight.

"General, this seems to be an empty palace."

"General, we have searched the inner chambers, and not even a single servant is in the house."

Jia Daihua frowned, "The news is too delayed. The Qin Palace has already made sufficient preparations and left an empty palace for me. I'm afraid it is already in the imperial city. There must be a tunnel and secret room in this palace, otherwise where can the Qin Princess hide?"

"Captain Qi, you lead the people to continue searching here, and the rest of you, follow me to the Imperial City!"

Du Ke hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Old General, the imperial city has its own guards from Prince Kang's mansion, and His Highness didn't send a message for me to go there. You just made a decision on your own and only left a hundred people here. If you fail to find the King of Qin, or if he runs away..."

Jia Daihua raised his eyebrows and said angrily, "Who are you? Do you think the King of Qin will run away like you? This is a fight for the throne, and only the winner has the right to live! Where can you escape to?"

"If you wait here any longer, King Kang would have been chopped to death by King Qin. Get lost!"

……

In the alleys of ancient locust trees, in the small courtyard,

After Lin Daiyu had dinner, she lay down on the couch early to rest.

Today, not only did she lose the desire to do needlework, she even gave up reading.

As a result, he lay on the couch, but could not fall asleep, tossing and turning. As soon as he closed his eyes, he recalled every bit of his time with Yue Ling since he came to Beijing, and he became more and more worried.

Yue Ling sharpened his sword before leaving, and it was the first time he did not come back at night, and he was not even told what to do.

Lin Daiyu, who knew nothing, naturally felt uneasy.

After all, Yue Ling is different from his father. Yue Ling is a thorough military general who really wants to go to the battlefield and fight with swords.

Lin Daiyu's heart was as clear as a mirror. Although Brother Yue was always as warm as the spring breeze, he might not even know how many lives he had taken.

Even so, that was her support, and she would not have the slightest aversion.

At that moment, Zijuan came to the room to trim the wick, but saw Lin Daiyu lying on the bed with her eyes open, so she asked, "Miss, should I add more lamp oil?"

Lin Daiyu stood up, put on her coat, and responded, "It's alright, I can't sleep either, get up and read a book."

Zijuan thought about it and advised, "General Yue is fair and just, upright and honest. He is so upright that he will naturally be blessed. He must be blessed by heaven. If you worry too much, it may cause the root of your illness. When General Yue returns, he will worry about you again. Wouldn't that be a bad thing?"

"Besides, the girl has already sent out her blessing. Isn't the amulet in General Yue's hand? There will be no problem now."

Thinking of this, Lin Daiyu's face slowly turned red. "Did you see me delivering it?"

Zijuan smiled and sat down beside Lin Daiyu, saying, "That's not the case, but I see there is nothing left in the box."

Lin Daiyu said shyly, "I am a rich lady, but I embroidered such an ugly thing and gave it to someone else. It is really embarrassing."

Zijuan said, "What's the big deal? As long as General Yue likes it, that's fine."

The little girls were whispering to each other when the gate to the courtyard opened.

Lin Daiyu stood up immediately and said, "If it's not Brother Yue who has come back, then it must be Sister Yun who has come. She should be here by now."

When she walked to the window, she saw that the person who came in was not Yue Ling or Shi Xiangyun, but a beautiful woman in palace dress. The dim light in the courtyard made it difficult to see her face, but only her figure, which was very dignified. There was a guest in the courtyard, and Lin Daiyu, as the young host of the place, naturally went to ask questions. Although she was a little scared, it was easier to talk to her because she was a woman.

Lin Daiyu walked out of the room, stood under the eaves, and looked at the woman who was looking around the yard.

Before she could speak, the other party spoke first.

"You must be Lin Daiyu, the daughter of Censor Lin. You are so beautiful."

Lin Daiyu bowed and asked, "Who are you?"

The woman, supported by the palace maid beside her, walked forward a few steps and came to the stone steps. "I am the Princess of Qin. Tonight is not a peaceful night. After discussing with the King of Qin and General Yue, they asked me to take shelter here."

"This place is quiet and inconspicuous, with few lights and houses. No one will be able to search here."

Facing the light from the house, Lin Daiyu finally saw the appearance of the visitor. Her facial features were delicate, her skin was white as snow, delicate as jade, her eyebrows were as deep as distant black, and her eyes were as clear as autumn water. The luxurious headdress inlaid with gemstones on her head made her look elegant and graceful, and her demeanor was far beyond that of an ordinary girl from a poor family.

A word popped up in Lin Daiyu's mind: mother of the country.

After another round of greeting, Lin Daiyu said, "Meet the princess."

Princess Qin came forward and helped Lin Daiyu up, holding her hand and saying, "No need to be polite, I like you at first sight. Come in, we can sit down and talk in detail."

After entering Lin Daiyu's small room, Princess Qin looked around and said with a smile: "The courtyard looks a bit shabby from the outside, but the decoration inside this room is quite thoughtful. I didn't expect that General Yue is also a figure of Zhang Fei's embroidery."

Lin Daiyu and Zijuan, Xueyan ordered, "Pour the tea, and get the incense burner and warm the stove."

He turned around and spoke to Princess Qin: "I am afraid that I cannot entertain you well enough if you stay here."

Princess Qin shook her head, raised her hand to call the maid over, and handed her a treasure box. "When I heard that you were going to the capital, I wanted to take you to my palace to take care of you, but it was not possible for various reasons. I know that your mother died early, and there may be some things that I haven't prepared for you in time."

When the treasure box was opened, a golden hairpin was found inside, with a phoenix pattern carved on it and gemstones inlaid on it. It was so exquisite that the two little girls, Zijuan and Xueyan, stared at it with wide eyes.

Lin Daiyu quickly declined, saying, "This is our first meeting. How can I accept such an expensive ornament from the princess?"

Princess Qin stuffed it into Lin Daiyu's hand without further ado, "This is for your wedding. You came here in a hurry and didn't have time to bring more headgear. Don't worry, the phoenix coronet and bridal robe will all be prepared for you."

The Princess of Qin was so enthusiastic when they met for the first time that Lin Daiyu was a little confused and even at a loss for what to do.

Holding the treasure box, Lin Daiyu thanked him repeatedly, "Thank you, Princess."

Princess Qin looked at Lin Daiyu's face and liked her more and more. "You're welcome. You and I are as close as family."

"General Yue has saved Erlang so many times today that even I don't know how to thank him. This little bit of honor is nothing."

When Lin Daiyu heard Yue Ling mentioned, her heartstrings tensed up. She was completely attracted by the words of Princess Qin and asked hurriedly, "Where is Brother Yue now?"

Princess Qin said, "It should be in the palace."

Seeing Lin Daiyu's worried look, Princess Qin had never expected that the relationship between the two had become so deep, and hurriedly added: "Don't worry, things have come to this point, and it will only go in a good direction. After they finish their big things, they will definitely return safely."

　Thanks for reading!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)