12dz Chapter 492 Fighting for a Son-in-Law
Chapter 492 Fighting for a Son-in-Law
Everything Lin Ping did was in preparation for this opportunity to claim credit; he wanted to become a powerful minister and possess his own military power.
When he entered the palace gates, the remaining ten thousand Lu family soldiers all knelt on the ground and kowtowed, as if a demon had descended.
In their eyes, Lin Ping was a ruthless killer.
"Your Majesty, I am late in coming to your rescue. Please forgive me." Lin Ping bowed respectfully.
The king then realized what was happening and quickly replied, "Not too late, not at all. The timing was perfect."
His attitude towards Lin Ping changed again. He looked Lin Ping up and down, and no matter how he looked at him, he felt comfortable.
"You even kept it from me, kid." Xia Yeran patted Lin Ping on the shoulder, her face beaming with joy.
To be honest, he never imagined that Lin Ping had such great power.
Not only did they bring in reinforcements, but they could also easily wipe out an army of 50,000 with only 20,000 men.
If he were given an army of 200,000, he would surely sweep across the entire Daye Dynasty.
"It all depends on luck; I'm not entirely confident either," Lin Ping chuckled.
Lin Ping actually left a matter concerning the life and death of the monarch to luck? If it weren't for the fact that his merits outweighed his faults, he would definitely be accused of deceiving the monarch.
But did Lin Ping lie?
Of course not, it really was all down to luck.
First, he was unsure if the city lord of Jiangcheng would lend a hand; second, he hadn't expected Jiang Mo to be able to suppress tens of thousands of troops single-handedly.
"The Lord of Jiangcheng pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
"The Lord of Mountain City pays respects to Your Majesty!"
The two men followed behind Lin Ping and kowtowed. Although they had brought the army, they dared not claim the credit from Lin Ping.
In other words, they were not trying to please the king, but rather to win over Lin Ping.
They really didn't care about the small favors and kindnesses the king gave them.
"My two beloved ministers, please rise quickly. You have made great contributions in suppressing this rebellion," the king said, personally helping the two men up.
In his view, it was the two city lords who defeated Lu's army, and Lin Ping was merely mediating between them.
"Your Majesty flatters me. My 10,000 private soldiers were personally trained by my son-in-law. Their strength is comparable to 50,000 elite troops. Now that my son-in-law is in trouble, even if I do not give the order, they will come out of the city to serve me." The city lord of Jiangcheng smiled faintly at Lin Ping.
Jiang Xiuwu's revelation of his relationship with Lin Ping in court was clearly an attempt to reconcile with him.
"The military pay and equipment of the private army in the mountain city are all provided by Brother Lin. This time, we are only helping out because of his face." Lian Ping smiled at Lin Ping as well.
"You guys are trying to kill me!"
Lin Ping secretly stuck out his tongue; how could he not know the idiom "too great a meritorious official to overshadow his master"?
The stronger his abilities, the greater the threat he poses to the ruler, and he doesn't think the ruler will be pleased about it.
As expected, the king's face darkened at first, then he burst into laughter: "Hahaha, I never expected my son-in-law to have such abilities. It is truly my good fortune and the good fortune of the world!"
"Lin Ping, receive your investiture!" The king's expression turned stern as he strode into the main hall.
"Hurry up and go!" Xia Linglong urged Lin Ping.
She knew that Lin Ping had only one purpose in doing all this: to gain military power and rescue Jiang Yunying.
She was merely a pawn in Lin Ping's scheme, and thinking of this, a strange sadness welled up inside her.
"Lin Ping, the martial arts champion, has rendered meritorious service in suppressing the rebellion and is hereby promoted to Left Commander of the Central Army!" The king's majestic voice resounded throughout the entire hall.
These words startled all the civil and military officials. This was not just an exceptional promotion, it was a meteoric rise.
The title of "Martial Arts Champion" was merely a nominal one; the best career path was to seek a minor official position in the Ministry of War, which was only a sixth-rank post.
As for his future career prospects, we'll have to wait and see how he performs in the future.
It seems a bit exaggerated that he has now been directly appointed as the Left Commander-in-Chief of the Central Army, a first-rank official, and a general second only to the emperor.
"Do any of you ministers have any objections?" The king asked coldly, noticing the dissatisfaction among the crowd.
Objections? You must be joking.
They had troops and had quelled the rebels, so any reward they received was only right and proper.
"We second that proposal," the crowd said, bowing with obsequious smiles.
He became a general at a young age, and his future prospects are limitless. If we don't get on good terms with him now, when will we?
"Furthermore, I have promised that whoever wins the title of Martial Arts Champion will be qualified to marry the princess." The king's expression softened considerably as he looked at Lin Ping with the same admonition he would give to a junior.
"Linglong, would you be willing to marry Lin Ping?"
This was the first time he had sought Xia Linglong's opinion, and the first time he was certain she would agree.
Xia Linglong was, after all, a woman, and it was inevitable that she would blush when this matter was brought up in public. She lowered her head and answered shyly, "Your daughter is willing."
Lin Ping disliked arranged marriages arranged by his parents the most and wanted to refuse, but he didn't expect Xia Linglong to agree.
"Tomboy, are you crazy? You finally have a chance to choose your marriage again, why do you want to jump into a fire pit? Don't worry, I will take all the blame," Lin Ping said urgently in Xia Linglong's ear.
"If you don't want to marry me, you can simply refuse. Why make up some high-sounding reasons?"
Suddenly, Xia Linglong felt a pang of pain in her heart and could no longer hold back her tears. With tears streaming down her face, she said to Lin Ping.
After speaking, Xia Linglong turned and left, her sorrowful figure heartbreaking.
“My dear son-in-law, this is absolutely unacceptable. I am sorry for what happened to Yunying. I have decided to do everything in my power to help you attack Lotus Palace and rescue Yunying.” Jiang Xiuwu said to Lin Ping without any hesitation.
The king openly bestowed a marriage upon Lin Ping, clearly intending to steal his son-in-law, and the city lord of Jiangcheng was not to be outdone.
After days of reflection, Jiang Xiuwu finally made this decision.
At such a young age, he was appointed as a general; his abilities were far beyond what his senior brother Jiang Lanfeng could match.
With his virtuous son-in-law's help, it would be difficult for the city lord's mansion not to prosper.
"Lin Ping, you should think this through. My daughter is a princess, beautiful, skilled in martial arts, and deeply devoted to you. How can she compare to Princess Jiangcheng?" The king said this in a manner that was not in accordance with his status.
“My Yunying and my son-in-law are truly in love, and she is even more skilled in martial arts. She is also the most beautiful woman in Jiangcheng,” Jiang Xiuwu said, not to be outdone.
"My daughter is skilled in martial arts!"
"My daughter is even better at martial arts!"
The two started shouting loudly, taking the strength of their martial arts skills as the standard for judgment.
"Am I, Lin Ping, destined to be subservient to women? Can't I survive without a wife who is highly skilled in martial arts?"
Lin Ping was taken aback, truly not understanding why the two of them kept comparing their martial arts skills.
On one side was the king, and on the other was the lord of Jiangcheng. These two middle-aged men actually started arguing in the main hall over who would become their son-in-law.
The civil and military officials showed no sign of mockery; if they weren't of lowly status, they too would have wanted to stand up and snatch the son-in-law.
Such an outstanding son-in-law is worth fighting for in the imperial court.