 He was promoted to General of Chariots and Cavalry () after a major victory against Quan Cong.In the second year of Cao Fang's reign, Wang Ling was appointed Minister of Works, while his nephew Linghu Yu () became the Inspector of Yan Province ().Wang Ling lost faith in Cao Fang's ability to rule after Sima Yi's coup d'etat in the incident at Gaoping Tombs succeeded in turning the emperor against Sima Yi's rival, Cao Shuang.