A Poor Man's Son-in-Law: He Picks Up the Daughter of a Duke's Mansion at the Start

In mid-July, the weather grew increasingly hot and humid. In the afternoon, the three of them sat under the old locust tree in the courtyard, where they finally found some shade.

Du Wei, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, said with a face covered in sweat, "It's so hot today, I can't concentrate on my book."

Zhang Zhiqing put down the Book of Documents: "A calm mind brings coolness."

"Brother Zhang makes it sound so easy," Du Wei sighed. "My heart is more restless than the sky."

Lu Qingyan had just come out of the kitchen, carrying a basin of fruits rinsed with well water: "Have some cold food."

As the three of them ate fruit, Du Wei suddenly suggested, "Let's not just read books, let's quiz each other on what we need to memorize! Let's see who remembers it best."

Zhang Zhiqing nodded: "Alright."

"I'll go first." Du Wei cleared his throat. "In the Analects, Book 2, Chapter 2, Confucius said: 'Guide them by laws, regulate them by penalties, and the people will evade punishment but have no sense of shame.' What comes next?"

Without hesitation, Zhang Zhiqing replied, "'Guide them with virtue, regulate them with propriety, and they will have a sense of shame and become good.'"

"Wow, that's fast." Du Wei then turned to Lu Qingyan. "Brother Lu, what comes after 'Though one may have wisdom, it is better to seize the opportunity' in Mencius's 'Gongsun Chou I'?"

Lu Qingyan replied, "Although we have the foundation, it's better to wait for the right time."

"Okay, you're all impressive." Du Wei scratched his head. "Now it's your turn to test me."

Zhang Zhiqing thought for a moment: "The opening of 'The Great Learning'."

"I know this!" Du Wei straightened his back. "The Great Learning teaches us to manifest our bright virtue, to love the people, and to abide in the highest good. Knowing where to stop, we can then be resolute; being resolute, we can then be calm..." He recited it fairly fluently, but he got stuck when he got to "when things are investigated, knowledge can be extended."

"Only with knowledge can one's intentions be sincere," Lu Qingyan gently reminded him.

"Right, right, sincerity leads to a righteous heart, and a righteous heart leads to self-cultivation..." Du Wei barely finished reciting it, then breathed a sigh of relief, "This stuff is really hard to pronounce."

After we finished memorizing the texts, Zhang Zhiqing said, "Just memorizing isn't enough. Let's discuss policy essays. We'll take 'water conservancy' as the topic and share our insights."

Du Wei spoke first: "Water conservancy is about building canals and dams for flood control and irrigation. The imperial court should allocate more funds so that local officials can do a good job of it."

Zhang Zhiqing shook his head: "Brother Du's words are too general. Water conservancy matters must be adapted to local conditions. In the north, where there is drought, the focus is on water storage and irrigation; in the south, where there is flooding, the focus is on dredging and flood control. We also need to consider the people's strength and not blindly engage in large-scale construction, which would only burden the people and waste resources."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Lu Qingyan.

Lu Qingyan pondered for a moment: "Brother Zhang is right. But I believe that water conservancy is not just an engineering project, but also a system. Wang Anshi's reforms in the previous dynasty established the 'Farmland Irrigation Law,' which used work relief to both repair water conservancy and provide for displaced people. This is an example. We can learn from this, but it needs to be improved—for example, we can let local gentry donate funds, the people contribute labor, and the government supervise, so that all three parties can work together. After completion, water rights can be allocated according to the amount of funds and labor contributed. Only in this way can it be sustainable."

Zhang Zhiqing's eyes lit up: "This is a great idea! It solves the problem of money and supplies while also allowing all parties to profit."

Du Wei frowned: "Ask the local gentry to donate money? Those people are shrewd; would they really give up any?"

"Therefore, there must be regulations," Lu Qingyan said. "Donors can have some taxes reduced or exempted, or have a monument erected to commemorate their contributions. With both fame and fortune, naturally some people will be willing to do it."

"What about water rights allocation?" Zhang Zhiqing pressed. "How can it be fair?"

"The calculation should be based on land area, capital contribution, and labor contribution, combining all three factors," Lu Qingyan said. "Specific details can be determined locally, but they must be filed with the government and made public to prevent disputes."

Zhang Zhiqing nodded repeatedly: "Thorough."

Du Wei thought for a moment and said, "If you ask me, it would be simpler for the imperial court to handle things directly. They could just issue an imperial decree, allocate some funds, and let the local officials take care of it."

"Where does the silver come from?" Zhang Zhiqing asked. "The national treasury isn't well-stocked either."

"Raise taxes," Du Wei blurted out.

Lu Qingyan and Zhang Zhiqing exchanged a glance and both shook their heads.

"Brother Du," Lu Qingyan said patiently, "Tax increases are most likely to breed public resentment. In the late years of the previous dynasty, the heavy burden of exorbitant taxes and levies made people miserable, which led to popular uprisings. Water conservancy is supposed to benefit the people, but if it becomes harmful to them due to tax increases, it will be a losing proposition."

Du Wei said sheepishly, "I just said it offhand..."

Zhang Zhiqing said solemnly, "Governing a country and administering government is not something that can be done casually. Every policy requires careful consideration and weighing of its advantages and disadvantages. We study for the imperial examinations, and if we become officials in the future, every word and action will affect the livelihood of the people."

Du Wei lowered his head: "Brother Zhang is right."

The atmosphere became somewhat heavy. Lu Qingyan changed the subject: "Let's change the topic. How about 'merchants'?"

Du Wei perked up: "I know a bit about this. My father often deals with businessmen. If you ask me, businessmen are profit-driven, and there's no such thing as a business without some kind of cunning. They should be strictly regulated and heavily taxed."

Zhang Zhiqing frowned: "Brother Du, your words are biased. Merchants facilitate the flow of goods and make life more convenient for the people. Without merchants, how could the common people benefit from the transport of tea from the south to the north and salt from the east to the west?"

"But merchants are indeed cunning," Du Wei insisted. "My father was cheated."

Lu Qingyan began, "Among merchants, there are indeed cunning individuals, but there are also honest and upright gentlemen. The Mr. Lin I met the other day is someone who establishes himself on the principle of 'integrity.' He said that if you cheat someone once, your reputation is ruined. He has been doing business for twenty years, and he has relied on integrity."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I believe that merchants should not be suppressed indiscriminately, but rather guided and regulated. We should establish market regulation offices to set fair prices; set up brokerage firms to prevent fraud; and reduce taxes at checkpoints to promote the flow of goods. In this way, merchants will benefit, the people will benefit, and the court will collect taxes—a win-win situation for all three."

Zhang Zhiqing pondered: "Brother Lu's idea aligns with the ancient adage of 'facilitating trade and benefiting industry.' However... among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, commerce is considered the lowest of the low and has always been looked down upon. Changing this will not be easy."

"Therefore, we need to proceed gradually," Lu Qingyan said. "We can start with practical measures. For example, if a certain place has abundant local specialties but is hampered by transportation difficulties, we can encourage merchants to go there, and the government can provide convenience. Once we see results, we can then promote it more widely."

Listening to this, Du Wei suddenly said, "Brother Lu, where did you get these ideas from? It doesn't seem to be written like this in the book."

Lu Qingyan was taken aback. Indeed, these were ideas that combined modern economic thinking with ancient realities, ideas that wouldn't be found in books of this era.

"Just observe more and think more," he mumbled.

Zhang Zhiqing gave him a deep look: "Brother Lu's insights are often unexpected, yet perfectly reasonable. If one can offer such practical arguments in the provincial examination, one will surely stand out."

Lu Qingyan shook his head: "Brother Zhang, you flatter me. My argument may be too pragmatic and lack literary flair. Policy essays emphasize both content and form. In this respect, I am not as good as Brother Zhang."

He was telling the truth. Zhang Zhiqing's essays were well-structured and elegantly worded, typical of imperial examination essays. However, his were sometimes too blunt.

Zhang Zhiqing replied, "Literary talent can be cultivated, but insight is hard to come by. Brother Lu's insight is the real skill."

Du Wei looked at this one, then at that one, and sighed, "You two are both amazing, but me... I can't memorize the books, and I don't know how to write policy essays, sigh."

Lu Qingyan patted him on the shoulder: "Brother Du has his strengths. You are worldly-wise and understand human nature, which cannot be learned from books. Policy essays must be combined with reality, and your experience is a treasure."

"Really?" Du Wei's eyes lit up.

"Really," Lu Qingyan said earnestly. "For example, you just said that merchants are cunning, which is true. But we can think further—why are they cunning? Is it due to inadequate supervision or lenient punishment? How can this be changed? This is the line of thought for policy analysis."

Du Wei seemed to be deep in thought.

Zhang Zhiqing smiled and said, "Only by discussing scholarship in this way can we make progress. Come, let's discuss another topic..."

The three discussed until the sun began to set. They covered everything from water conservancy to commerce, from taxation to education, from border defense to local customs. Each expressed their own opinions, and while there were occasional disagreements, they were all candid.

Lu Qingyan discovered that although Zhang Zhiqing was conservative, he had a solid foundation and could quote classical texts with ease. Du Wei, though impetuous, did possess some common sense and could see beyond the books. As for himself... he benefited from modern knowledge and ways of thinking, but sometimes he was too ahead of his time and ignored the limitations of the era.

Only by illuminating each other can we see our own blind spots.

In the evening, Aunt Li brought over dinner—simple porridge and pickled vegetables. The three of them ate and continued chatting.

Du Wei suddenly said, "Brother Lu, Brother Zhang, it's so good to know you two. If I were preparing on my own, I would probably just be sitting in the house daydreaming or wandering around the streets aimlessly."

Zhang Zhiqing nodded: "Only by encouraging each other can we make progress."

Looking at his two companions, Lu Qingyan felt a surge of warmth in his heart. It was a blessing to have like-minded people to accompany him on the path of the imperial examinations.

After dinner, the three of them went back to their rooms to study. Lu Qingyan spread out a sheet of paper and wrote down the key points of today's discussion. These sparks of thought were valuable material.

Outside the window, dusk was settling in. The lights of the city began to illuminate the city one by one.

He took a deep breath and continued writing. The imperial examination was approaching, and not a single day could be wasted.