When court officials impeached Lin Dan for being cruel and ruthless and demanded severe punishment, the emperor felt that what they said made sense. Since he even dared to kill his own father, this man had lost his basic moral bottom line and should not be reused. But after hearing what the old lady said, and considering the actual situation at the time, the emperor suddenly realized that it was precisely because they placed the monarch and the country too high and took them too seriously that the father and daughter made such a choice.
In order to serve the monarch and contribute to their country, they have long put their lives at risk. If such loyal people cannot be used, who else can be used? Could it be these people who hide in the rear, enjoying wealth and glory, and always claiming that filial piety is more important than loyalty to the emperor? If we put them on the battlefield, they would probably run away before the war drums even sound, right? They even have a ready-made excuse. They have elderly parents at home who need their filial care, and they can't die!
If the entire Wei State was filled with people like this, who would guard the borders, resist foreign enemies, and protect the rivers and mountains? The fact that I can sit here peacefully and listen to them quarreling, isn’t it all earned by the lives of the men of the Lin family? The more the emperor thought about it, the more moved he was by the Lin family's loyalty. Then he looked at the officials who impeached Lin Dan and felt that each of them was harbouring ulterior motives and were despicable! The court officials who were caught by his gaze lowered their heads hurriedly, not even daring to breathe.
"Old Madam, please get up quickly! I know very well how loyal the Lin family is to me! Your words really make me ashamed!" The emperor personally stepped down from the dragon throne to support the old madam, with tears already in the corners of his eyes. At this moment, he regretted it so much that his intestines turned green, and secretly blamed himself for issuing an imperial decree to reprimand Lin Dan and call her back. If the commander of the border was changed, would he still be as loyal as she is?
The emperor became more and more angry as he thought about it. After personally sending the old lady away, he lost his temper in the court and demoted several officials who had impeached Lin Dan for any reason. What is the most important thing for an official in the court? Loyalty is of course the most important thing, especially when the princes have grown up and the fight for the throne has become increasingly fierce.
The emperor was old and in poor health, so he seemed to be unable to do anything. Under such circumstances, his sons kept their eyes on the throne under his butt and plotted secretly. Wouldn't he be anxious and unable to sleep? Wouldn't he be anxious every day and be on guard all the time?
As a result, his standards for employing people have undergone a fundamental change, from valuing ability to valuing loyalty. If it weren't for these court officials slandering Lin Dan, he should not have withdrawn Lin Dan from the border. The Western Expedition Army was the largest and most powerful army in the Wei State. As long as he could firmly control this army, the emperor would have the confidence to do anything. But now, without the Lin family’s Western Expedition Army, is it still the Western Expedition Army that was loyal only to the monarch? Will it be secretly infiltrated and controlled by several princes?
The emperor then realized belatedly that he had been fooled by his sons and had played his most advantageous trump card carelessly. He immediately regretted it so much!
The old lady didn't know how regretful the emperor was. She only knew that she had to protect her granddaughter and let her return safely. Fortunately, her memorial in the court soon took effect, and no civil servant dared to impeach Lin Dan again, for fear that they would be accused of being disloyal to the emperor and dispatriotic, which would completely ruin their official career. The people also changed their views and praised Lin Dan's bravery and loyalty.
The Lin family finally regained some peace, but not long after, another piece of bad news came - in order to save King Zhuang, Lin Dan was knocked down a mountain stream by an assassin and disappeared. The mountain stream was dozens of feet deep and the water was extremely fast. Even a fish might not be able to float up if it fell in, let alone a human. I'm afraid Lin Dan is in great danger this time!
This time the old lady finally fell ill. She lay in bed, refusing to eat or drink, and crying all day long. Before Mrs. Lin could figure out how to face her daughter, she could no longer see her daughter and burst into tears. She really regrets it! He regretted that when the old lady wrote back to Lin Dan, he was unwilling to write a few words of comfort to her in the letter because of that grudge. Now she wants to comfort her daughter, but she can't hear her. My daughter gave so much for the Lin family and the Wei Kingdom, but in the end, even her body could not be found. This should not be her ending!
The Lin family was shrouded in a cloud of gloom, and the old emperor was also stunned. He sat on the dragon throne for a long time without being able to recover. He had already thought about it. When Lin Dan returned to Beijing, he would give him a few symbolic words of admonition, give him a generous reward, and then send him back to the border to continue guarding the country for him. Lin Dan was the only general he could trust at present. How could he be gone in just a few days?
How could the old emperor not understand the undercurrents and conspiracies hidden behind this? His anger, disappointment, and even hatred towards his sons increased. His temper became increasingly erratic, and he demoted many officials in succession, causing chaos both inside and outside the court.
At the same time, Aunt Shi quietly entered the Kangwang Mansion and complained: "Lin Dan is dead, and the Lin family is no longer as prosperous as before. Many nobles have severed ties with our family. You also know that Lin Qing is a hopeless person. He can't take over the Western Expedition Army at all. Without the Western Expedition Army, the Lin family is nothing. What's the point of giving birth to the child? I still have to suffer."
Lin Wan chuckled and said, "Mom, you are wrong. The Lin family has been fighting for generations, and we have captured countless spoils of war. The family's warehouses are full of gold and silver treasures. If you give birth to the child, at least you can inherit the money. With financial support, I will have a much better life in King Kang's backyard. When King Kang ascends the throne, the child in my belly will be a prince, and I can at least be a concubine. If I have great luck in the future, maybe I will fly like a phoenix and travel to the sky. Don't just focus on the Lin family's small piece of land, look at the long term."
Aunt Shi's depressed expression was immediately replaced by ecstasy. She nodded and said, "That's right. Then you must take good care of the fetus! I have checked this pregnancy and it is a boy. You are still young and cannot tell for now. I will help you check it in another month. I will definitely let you give birth to a prince." After she finished speaking, she put a few packets of medicine on the table and reminded her, "You must remember to drink this medicine. I personally got it for you."
"I believe in my mother's medical skills." Lin Wan hid the medicine in the box and slowly imagined the future with Aunt Shi. However, they never expected that their beautiful dream would be shattered so quickly. A maid ran in panic and whispered, "My master, something bad has happened. A war report has been sent from the border. It says that the prince was killed by Mo Xiao!"
"What did you say? The prince went to negotiate with Mo Xiao, how could he be killed?" Lin Wan showed an expression of disbelief.
The maid knelt on the ground and replied hurriedly: "The prince had almost reached an agreement with Mo Xiao. Later, the news of General Lin Dan's death somehow reached the ears of the Xiongnu. Mo Xiao immediately stopped the negotiations and returned to the grassland to rest for half a month. Then he secretly united the Xianbei, Jie, Di, and Qiang tribes and quickly formed an army. On the same day, he raided the Wei camp, killed several officials in charge of the peace talks and the prince, and began to attack the Hetao area. Mo Xiao also made a harsh statement in front of the battle, saying that he only withdrew his troops to negotiate peace because of General Lin Dan. Since General Lin Dan was dead, he naturally had no worries and would go straight to Hetao, settle in northern Shanxi, and flatten the Central Plains."
The maid was so scared that she almost cried. She suppressed her fear and said, "Without General Lin Dan to deter, Prince Zhuang was transferred back to the capital, and Military Advisor Ding was not there. The Western Expedition Army was leaderless and could not deal with the Five Barbarians. Now it is losing ground. Outside, it is in chaos. The emperor not only did not sympathize with the prince's sacrifice for the country, but instead scolded him in the court for killing loyal officials, bringing disaster to the country and the people, and bringing disaster to himself. The princess went to the palace to inquire about the news, but was directly driven out by the emperor. He said that among the officials who impeached General Lin Dan, the prince and the princess had the most people. They are reaping what they have sown and do not deserve sympathy."
The maid asked in a panic, "Master, what should we do? Should we go to the princess to take a look?"
Lin Wan collapsed on the couch, holding her stomach, not knowing what to do next. Without Prince Kang, all her dreams of a prince, a queen, and even a queen mother had turned into nothing. How could there be any future for her? If she had known this would happen, she should not have revealed the news of Lin Dan's patricide to King Kang. In this way, King Kang would not have instigated his officials to impeach her and asked the emperor to recall her. If she had stayed at the border and intimidated the Huns, the peace talks would not have broken down, King Kang would not have died, and she could have given birth to the child in peace and wait to become an imperial consort or even a queen.
But now she has lost everything. Prince Kang is dead and the emperor has disliked her. The child in her belly has become a hot potato. In order to inherit the throne of King Kang, the princess will definitely take the child to raise as a child in her arms. In order to avoid trouble in the future, with her cruelty, Lin Wan's life will definitely not be saved!
"Mom, mom, what should I do?" Lin Wan was filled with remorse and fear, and had no idea what to do. How could she have known that killing Lin Dan would cause such a big trouble afterwards.
Aunt Shi was also extremely regretful. She managed to calm herself down and said, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. First, keep the baby in your belly. At least you can live a few more months. Then we can slowly think of a solution. Believe it or not, if you have a miscarriage, the princess will kill you instantly!"
Why doesn’t Lin Wan believe it? The princess wanted to eat her alive before she entered the palace, let alone now?
The mother and daughter hugged each other and cried bitterly, and even made a wish for the first time in their lives, hoping that Lin Dan was not dead and could come back in the future. With her around, the Huns will be afraid, and the State of Wei will be stable and peaceful; with her around, the Lin family will not collapse, and the princess will not be able to take action against them due to the power of the Lin family. In short, as long as Lin Dan is alive, everyone will have a way to survive.
The old emperor was extremely angry at this moment. He had never realized so deeply how important it was to have a powerful general who was capable of shocking the world. If Lin Dan could survive, no matter whether she was a man or a woman, loyal or treacherous, he would make great use of her. It’s a pity that Lin Dan’s life or death is no longer something he, the emperor, can decide. What’s worse, even the survival of the Wei Kingdom is completely beyond his control.
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