Chapter 72: The God of War (18)
When the courtiers impeached Lin Dan for being cruel and merciless to kill her father, she should be punished severely, as she had lost the primary moral bottom line and should not serve in an important position. The emperor thought what they said was reasonable. She even dared to kill his father. But after hearing the great empress' words and considering the actual situation at that time, the emperor suddenly realized that the two had made such a decision just because they placed too much importance on the emperor and the country.
In order to serve the emperor and the country, their life and death had long been left out of consideration. If such a devoted person is not fit to be in an important position, who else is qualified? Couldn't it be these people who hid behind the frontier and enjoyed luxurious life and claiming that filial piety was more important than loyalty to the emperor? If they were put on the battlefield, they would probably flee before the drum rumble? They even had an excuse that there were still parents at home who needed to be filial. They couldn't die!
If all the people in the Wei Kingdom were like them, who else would guard the frontier, defend the enemy, and protect the country? He could sit here peacefully and listen to them arguing. Wasn't it all because Lin's men exchanged their lives for it? The more the emperor thought about it, the more he was moved by the loyalty of the Lin clan. When he looked at the courtiers who impeached Lin Dan, he felt ulterior motives and ugly! Those courtiers who were glanced by him quickly lowered their heads didn't even dare to breathe.
"The great empress, please quickly stand up! How can I not understand the Lin clan's loyalty to me! What you said really makes me feel ashamed!" The emperor walked down the throne and held the great empress's arm, tears in his eyes. At this moment, he regretted deeply and blamed himself for issuing the imperial edict to reprimand and summon Lin Dan back. If the commander in chief at the frontier was replaced, would he still be as loyal as she was?
The more the emperor thought about it, the angrier he became. After he personally sent the great empress away, he lost his temper in the court and found an excuse to reprimand several courtiers who impeached Lin Dan. What was the most important to be an official in the court? Loyalty was the most important, especially when the princes had grown up and the fight for the throne was getting more and more intense.
The emperor was getting old and weak, so he seemed to be weak in everything. In such a situation, his sons were just staring at the throne and secretly plotting. Wouldn't he feel uneasy and have trouble sleeping? Wouldn't he feel anxious every day and being vigilant at all times?
As a result, his standard of hiring had changed thoroughly, from competency to loyalty. If these courtiers hadn't slandered him, he shouldn't have retreated Lin Dan from the frontier. The Western army was the largest and most powerful army in the Wei Kingdom. The emperor had the confidence to do anything with the existence of this unit. But now, the Western army without the member of the Lin family, would the army still be the one who was loyal to the emperor? Would it be stealthily infiltrated and controlled by the princes?
It was not until then that the emperor realized that he had been fooled by his sons, which made him played the most advantageous trump card at random. He regretted it so much!
The great empress didn't know how regretful the emperor was. She only knew that she had to protect her granddaughter and let her come back in peace. Fortunately, her performance in the court soon worked. No civil official dared to impeach Lin Dan again, fearing that their career would be ruined entirely and being charged with being disloyal to the emperor and country. The citizens began to change their opinions and praised Lin Dan's courage and loyalty.
The Lin family finally regained some peace, but not long after, there was another devastating news – Lin Dan fell off the ravine by the assassins while saving King Zhuang, and she was nowhere to be found. The ravine was several hundred feet deep, and the water was flowing very fast. Lin Dan might be in grave danger this time! Even the fishes might not float, let alone humans.
This time, the great empress finally fell ill. She laid on the bed, refuse to eat or drink anything, and cried all day. Before Mrs. Lin could figure out how to face her daughter, she couldn't have the chance to see her anymore. She burst into tears. Mrs. Lin was really regretful! She regretted that when the great empress replied to Lin Dan, she refused to write a few words to comfort her. Now she was tempted to comfort her but couldn't be heard by her daughter. Her daughter had done so much for the Lin family and the Wei Kingdom. In the end, she couldn't even find her body. She shouldn't have ended up like this!
The Lin clan was shrouded in gloom, and the emperor was also confused. He sat on the dragon throne for a long time, unable to come to his senses. He had made up his mind that after Lin Dan returned to the capital, he would symbolically compliment and reward her handsomely and send her back to the frontier to continue to protect the country for himself. Lin Dan was the only general he could trust; how could he lose her in just a few days?
How could the emperor not see through the undercurrent and plot hidden behind it? His anger, disappointment, and even hatred towards his sons increased a little more. He was getting more and more irritable. He reprimanded many officials one after another, causing chaos inside and outside of the kingdom.
At the same time, Aunt Shi sneaked into King Kang's mansion and complained, "Lin Dan is dead. The glory of the Lin clan is not as good as before. Many of the noblemen have cut off their relations with us. As you know, Lin Qing is incompetent. He can't take over the Western army at all. Without the Western army, the Lin family is nothing. What's the use of me giving birth to the baby? In the end, I still have to suffer. "
Lin Wan chuckled, "Mom, you're wrong. The Lin family has been fighting for generations, and the spoils they seized are unknown. There are a lot of gold and silver treasures in the family. After you give birth to the child, you can at least inherit the money. With the support of money, I will have a better life in King Kang's mansion. When King Kang ascends to the throne, my baby will be the prince, and I can at least be a concubine. If I am lucky in the future, I may live a wealthy life. You shouldn't only focus on the Lin family's property; you should take a long-term view.
Aunt Shi's dejected expression was immediately replaced with joy. She nodded and said, "What you said is true. You must take good care of yourself! I've already known mine, it's a boy. Yours is still young to find out for the time being. I'll come and take a look for you in another month. I'm sure you'll have a prince." After saying that, she put a few packets of remedy on the table and said, "You must remember to take this medicine. I got it for you myself."
"I believe in your medical skills." Lin Wan kept the medicine in a box and began to imagine the future with her mother. However, they never expected that their dream would shatter so soon. A servant ran into the room panicky and said in a low voice," Mistress, there's bad news. The frontier sent a message that saying that His Royal Highness was killed by Mo Xiao!"
"What did you say? His Royal Highness went to negotiate with Mo Xiao. How could he be killed?" Lin Wan asked in disbelief.
The servant knelt on the ground and hurriedly replied, "His Royal Highness and Mo Xiao were about to reach an agreement, but later, the Huns somehow heard the news of General Lin Dan's death. Mo Xiao immediately halted the negotiation and went back to the grassland to rest for half a month. Then he secretly allied with the four tribes, Xianbei, Jie, Di, and Qiang, and quickly formed an army. He launched a surprise attack in the military camp of the Wei kingdom. After killing several officials and His Royal Highness, who was in charge of the negotiation, they began to attack the river trap area again. He declared that he surrender because of General Lin Dan. Now that General Lin Dan is dead, he has no scruples. He will take the river trap, settle in Northern Shanxi, and trample the Central Plains. "
The servant was frightened that she almost burst into tears. She tried her best to hold back her fear and said, "Without the deterrence of General Lin Dan, King Zhuang was transferred back to the capital, and the absence of Master Ding. The Western army had no leader; It was impossible for them to deal with the five Hu joint army. Now they were successively defeated. Outside the palace was in chaos. His Majesty was not sympathetic about His Highness's death for the country but rebuked him in the court for accusing others and causing chaos to the country, which he deserved to die. Her Royal Highness went to the palace to inquire about the news and was immediately driven out by His Majesty. His Majesty claimed that His Royal Highness and Her Royal Highness were among the officials who impeached General Lin Dan the most. They suffered from their own actions and didn't deserve mercy. "
The servant was so frightened and asked, "Mistress, what should we do? Do you want to visit Her Royal Highness? "
Lin Wan held her belly and collapsed on the bed, not knowing where to go. Without King Kang, her dreams about the prince, empress, empress dowager would all be ruined. There is no future. If she had known it earlier, she wouldn't have told King Kang the news that Lin Dan killed her father. In this way, King Kang wouldn't have instigated his officials to impeach her and order the emperor to call her back. If she stayed in the frontier and deter the Huns, the peace negotiations wouldn't be ruined, and King Kang wouldn't have died. She could also give birth to the baby in peace, waiting to be the imperial concubine or even empress.
But now she had nothing, King Kang was dead, and the emperor was disgusted with her, and the baby in her belly became a hot potato. In order to take over the position of King Kang, Her Royal Highness would definitely take the child and raise it under her. In order not to cause any trouble in the future, with Her Royal Highness ruthlessness, Lin Wan would definitely suffer!
"Mother, mother, what should I do?" Lin Wan was filled with remorse and fear; she had no idea what to do. She didn't expect that she would cause such big trouble after she killed Lin Dan.
Aunt Shi was also very regretful. She managed to calm herself down and said, "Don't be afraid. You should keep the baby first. At least you can live a few more months. You can think about it later. Believe it or not, if you miscarry, Her Royal Highness can eliminate you immediately! "
Lin Wan was clear about the consequences she will face. Before she entered the mansion, Her Royal Highness wanted to kill her, let alone now?
The two hugged each other and cried bitterly. For the first time, they made a wish, hoping that Lin Dan was still alive and could come back in the future. As long as she was there, the Huns would be afraid, and the Wei Kingdom would be in peace; With her presence, the Lin family wouldn't collapse. Considering the power of the Lin family, it was difficult for Her Royal Highness to take action against them. All in all, as long as Lin Dan was alive, everyone could have a way to live.
The emperor was furious. He had never been so profoundly aware of how important it was to have a competent general in his hand that was enough to intimidate the world. If Lin Dan could come back to life, he would assign her to an important position no matter she was a man or a woman, loyal or treacherous. It was a pity that the life and death of Lin Dan were not up to him as an emperor to decide. Even the survival of the Wei Kingdom was utterly beyond his control.