Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 22 Test
Qin Palace, meeting room,
Everyone was seated, but a dusty guard standing alone in the hall attracted attention.

"Of the three generals, two died in battle and one is missing. Lord Rong was the rear guard for King Kang and was severely injured and captured by the northern barbarians. His life or death is unknown. The entire Datong Town is now under martial law. People are only allowed to enter the city but not leave. It is impossible to get any information."

The King of Qin's expression became increasingly solemn.

King Kang was not only defeated in the war, but also blocked the news. The situation was now worse than the worst he had expected.

The letter was delivered a step too late, and even the messenger almost couldn't come back. Fortunately, the elite warriors of the Qin Palace were of high quality and brought back this crucial information.

"I understand. Go down and rest first. Come here, give me a reward."

After the guards left, people in the hall began to talk at once.

"King Kang is not a good commander of troops to fight. How can he avoid defeat if he rushes to the north to defend against powerful enemies?"

"It's not a question of whether we will be defeated or not, but the fact that his Prince Kang's Palace is safe and sound. The defeated generals are the generals of my Prince Qin's Palace, and they are likely to throw the dirty water on Your Highness first."

"Not only that, if the border is breached, millions of people in Jinzhong will be plundered. We were defeated a few days ago and the army suffered heavy losses. I'm afraid the northern barbarians have already crossed the Great Wall!"

"Your Majesty is just ill, not confused. Next, we will definitely take back the military power and hand it over to Your Highness. Everyone should be prepared to clean up the mess for King Kang."

"..."

Yue Ling kept looking at King Qin's expression and remained silent.

After a long while, the crowd still couldn't come up with a set of rules. Everyone kept saying their own thing and no one could convince anyone else.

Finally, the King of Qin slammed the table and said, "That's enough. Tell me one by one."

Another person said, "Did Your Highness see His Majesty today?"

King Qin frowned and shook his head, "No."

Logically speaking, if he could get the news, then the emperor should have gotten the news too. The emperor was able to stabilize the government for so many years, and the Jinyiwei were not there for nothing.

But his father still avoided him, claiming that he was still ill and could not see anyone.

Everyone knows that the current emperor has almost no trust in the Qin Palace.

In the past, whenever there was trouble in the nine borders, Emperor Yuanqing would call his good Erlang into the palace and personally put on armor to see him off. Now that he is sick in bed, he does not even allow Prince Qin to enter the palace to serve him.

The gap between the two was so huge that it caused everyone to sigh.

The imperial family is the most ruthless, just like it is now.

After they each expressed their own views, such as trying to get the court to join the battle and prepare for war, or using the infighting in the court to put pressure on Prince Kang and Emperor Yuanqing, and so on, they all left the hall, leaving only Dongfang Zhi and Yue Ling.

The lights in the hall were brightly on. Several palace maids cleaned the hall and replaced the soft chairs with soft chairs for the two men to sit on the left and right sides of the King of Qin.

Sandalwood is burning in the incense burner, and wisps of green smoke rise straight up, refreshing the heart and allowing people to keep their minds clear.

King Qin sipped his tea and spoke slowly: "Yue Ling, what do you think?"

The King of Qin asked bluntly, and Yue Ling understood that his chance had come since the three generals that the King of Qin valued were not there. Now was the test before he could enter the core decision-making level.

Feudal society is a society where cannibalism is prevalent everywhere.

The reason why Yue Ling was so majestic along the way and could argue with the first-rank imperial edict in Rongguo Mansion was because of the white jade plate with dragon pattern on his waist. In other words, it was the trust of the middle-aged man in front of him.

But after all, he has no real job at the moment, and the King of Qin has not ascended to the throne. This status is like duckweed, and no one knows where it will be blown to in the next moment.

Even if it is to give Lin Daiyu a better life, Yue Ling should take a step forward. He can't really be Lin Daiyu's tutor and lie down to her for the rest of his second life.

Yue Ling no longer concealed his incompetence and answered from a strange angle: "I think the key now is not the border, but the Prince Kang's Palace."

The King of Qin raised his eyebrows slightly and asked in astonishment, "Kang Palace? Are the people at the border not important?"

Yue Ling did not avoid looking at him and responded, "The people at the border are certainly important, but they are more important to King Kang. King Kang is eager to make achievements in this expedition. If the end result is that the people of Jin are devastated, even if the Qin Palace is involved, he will be difficult to escape from the responsibility."

"Moreover, King Kang is not a good-for-nothing. He may not be able to defeat the northern barbarians in an expedition, but he is more than capable of defending a city. There have been constant wars along the border of Jinzhong. The walls of the cities and passes are high, and the people are tough, which is conducive to defending the city. The northern barbarians are mainly cavalry and are not good at attacking cities, so there is no need to worry about them."

"Your Highness Prince Qin, the most critical issue right now is not the battle at the border, but rather the movements of Prince Kang's palace. Prince Kang cannot achieve military merit, so his prestige in the court will naturally not rival that of Your Highness. Now that His Majesty is ill, the issue of establishing a crown prince will certainly be brought to the table again. If Prince Kang does not want to give up, he will have no choice but to fight to the death. This is the only way to go."

The King of Qin raised his hand to hold the teacup, then put it back, and said in disbelief: "How can my brother do such an unruly act? Yue Ling, you are really exaggerating."

Dongfang Zhi, who was standing by, stopped watching and coughed softly, saying, "Your Highness, what Mr. Yue said is right. Even if Prince Kang is not capable of such a perverse act, don't forget that the forces behind him cannot afford the consequences of his failure to seize the throne."

"King Kang has been making friends and seeking help to fight against our government. Now is the time for the backlash. He is in the vortex and naturally has no choice. It is precisely because of this trend that even if King Kang has the slightest desire, it will be magnified as vast as the ocean."

Hearing this, the King of Qin couldn't help but sighed deeply.

After a long while, he spoke again: "Well, Yue Ling, pay attention to the movements of Prince Kang's Mansion these days. If there is anything unusual, report to me as soon as possible."

Yue Ling stood up, bowed, and responded, "I will obey your command."

At the right moment, several palace maids escorted the Princess of Qin into the hall and came straight to the side of the King of Qin.

The King of Qin's brows slowly relaxed and he sighed, "Why are you here?"

The Princess of Qin held the forehead of the King of Qin, kneading it slowly, and said with a smile: "I asked the servants to ask when His Highness would come to eat, but the servants kept saying that His Highness was discussing matters. I think that even if he discussed matters, his health was more important, so he still had to eat on time. Didn't His Highness always say that food and grass should be sent before the troops moved?"

With the consolation from the Princess of Qin, the King of Qin felt a little relieved. He patted the Princess of Qin's hand and agreed, "Okay, I will listen to you. Let's eat now."

Princess Qin looked at the two people below and said, "Mr. Dongfang, this must be General Yue, right? Although I have never met him, he looks so young. He must be the young general that has been rumored recently."

"Meet the Princess Qin."

Princess Qin smiled warmly, "Let's stay and eat together. It's a good opportunity to keep Your Highness company."

Thinking of Lin Daiyu who was staying at home and perhaps worried about him, Yue Ling hesitated for a moment.

King Qin saw that Yue Ling was in trouble, so he snorted and laughed, saying, "Don't embarrass him, let him go back first."

Yue Ling bowed and accepted the order, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Afterwards, he left the house.

After Yue Ling left, Princess Qin asked in confusion, "General Yue already has a family at such a young age?"

The King of Qin casually replied, "It's true that he has a family, but he just takes care of other people's families. It's really amazing that a military commander is so attached to children."

(End of this chapter)