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

On September 21, Lu Qingyan returned to the prefectural city.

Aunt Li greeted him with a smile, "Scholar Lu is back! How is everything at home?"

"All is well." Lu Qingyan unloaded his luggage. "Aunt Li, thank you for taking care of the house these days."

"What are you saying? Come inside and rest."

After settling in, Lu Qingyan's first task was to find Lin Guangbiao. He was carrying a bonsai—the one with bamboo and rocks—carefully wrapped in cloth.

In room number three of the Tianzi section of the Yuelai Inn, Lin Guangbiao was looking at the account book. Seeing Lu Qingyan arrive, he put down the account book: "Scholar Lu, you're back! You must be tired from your journey."

"Mr. Lin," Lu Qingyan put down his bundle, "I brought my elder brother's bonsai."

"Quick, take a look."

Lu Qingyan untied the cloth bag, revealing the bonsai. Morning light streamed in through the window, falling directly on the bamboo leaves. The bamboo leaves, as thin as cicada wings, seemed almost transparent in the light. The rocks were rugged in shape, and the wooden basin was polished smooth.

Lin Guangbiao bent down to examine it closely, and after a long time, he straightened up: "Good! Really good! This craftsmanship is no worse than the ones I saw in Jiangnan."

He carefully picked up the bonsai, walked to the window, and examined it again by the light: "The bamboo roots are wonderfully chosen, old yet not withered. The stones are also well-matched, one upright and one lying down, echoing each other. The pot is also exquisite, with simple lines."

"Mr. Lin has good taste," Lu Qingyan said.

"After years in business, I've developed a good eye," Lin Guangbiao said, putting down the bonsai. "How many did you bring?"

"Three items. The other two are at my residence."

"Bring them all, I want them all," Lin Guangbiao said readily. "One of each of the bamboo, rock, pine, and withered wood, right? Here's the deal: I'll give you two taels of silver for each, six taels for all three. How about that?"

Lu Qingyan quickly did the math in her head. Previously at Ya Yun Zhai, one item sold for one and a half taels. Lin Guangbiao giving two taels was indeed generous.

"Mr. Lin's price is fair."

"Alright then." Lin Guangbiao took out his money pouch from his pocket, counted out six taels of silver, and said, "This is the deposit. From now on, any bonsai your brother makes that are of this quality, I'll buy them for two taels each. I'll take as many as you have."

Lu Qingyan accepted the silver: "Thank you, Mr. Lin."

"No need for thanks, it's mutually beneficial," Lin Guangbiao laughed. "I resell them in Jiangnan, where they can fetch five taels or even more per piece. However, the scholars there are picky; the items must be of high quality."

"My brother is skillful and willing to study; his work will only get better and better."

"That's good." Lin Guangbiao sat down. "Scholar Lu, did you hear anything about what happened along the coast during your trip back?"

Lu Qingyan shook his head: "My family lives inland, so we're not well-informed."

"I went to Haizhou last month," Lin Guangbiao said in a low voice. "It's bustling there now. The imperial court has lifted the sea ban, allowing merchant ships to go out to sea for trade. Although there are many restrictions, the profits are huge."

A maritime ban? Lu Qingyan's heart skipped a beat. He remembered that the Ming Dynasty in his previous life also had a maritime ban, which was sometimes lifted and sometimes lifted. This fictional Great Yong Dynasty seemed to be similar.

"Mr. Lin is interested in overseas trade?"

"I'd like to, but it's difficult." Lin Guangbiao shook his head. "First, you need a seagoing vessel; second, you need connections; and third, the risks are huge. Not to mention the storms at sea, there are many pirates. However..." He paused, "the profits are truly enormous. I heard that a ship full of silk and porcelain can be exchanged for a ship full of spices and treasures, a tenfold profit."

Ten times. Lu Qingyan clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Does Mr. Lin have connections?"

"A little," Lin Guangbiao said. "I know a ship owner in Haizhou who owns two ships. He invited me to invest, but I'm still considering it. After all, the maritime business is too risky."

Lu Qingyan pondered. Overseas trade was indeed extremely profitable, but also incredibly risky. However, if the imperial court truly lifted the maritime ban, this could be a new path.

"If Mr. Lin really wants to do this, I think he can start small. There's no need to invest a lot of money at the beginning. He can go on a trip with a ship first and see the actual situation."

Lin Guangbiao's eyes lit up: "You're right. That's exactly what I was thinking. I plan to go to Southeast Asia by ship next spring to check out the market."

The two chatted for a while longer. Lin Guangbiao talked about his experiences overseas—spices from Southeast Asia, glass from the West, and swords from the East. Lu Qingyan listened intently; these were things that couldn't be learned from books.

"Lu Xiucai," Lin Guangbiao suddenly said, "you are well-read and knowledgeable. If I were to do business overseas in the future, could I ask you for advice? Of course, I will still pay you for your advice."

"The students are willing," Lu Qingyan said, "but when it comes to overseas trade, they're just talking theory."

"Talking on paper is still talking," Lin Guangbiao laughed. "It's still better than me, a roughneck."

Leaving the inn, Lu Qingyan was still thinking about overseas trade. In this era, the ocean was still uncharted territory. If it could truly be developed…

He shook his head. It's too early to think about these things now. First, we need to establish ourselves firmly before considering anything else.

Back at their lodgings, Zhang Zhiqing was already home. Seeing Lu Qingyan, he asked, "How is everything at home?"

"Good. My elder brother is getting married."

"Congratulations," Zhang Zhiqing smiled. "You brought back quite a lot of things this time?"

"Let Mr. Lin take a look at my second brother's bonsai," Lu Qingyan said. "I sold three for six taels of silver."

Zhang Zhiqing exclaimed in surprise, "So many?"

"Mr. Lin is kind and generous."

The two talked for a while. Zhang Zhiqing brought up the matter of the prefectural school—there was a monthly exam this month, Instructor Chen had lectured on the Spring and Autumn Annals several times, and had also assigned essay writing assignments.

"Qingyan, it's good that you're back. Instructor Chen asked us to write a policy essay on 'coastal defense,' and I've been having a headache about it."

Coastal defense? Lu Qingyan recalled his conversation with Lin Guangbiao earlier.

"Brother Zhang, do you have any ideas?"

"It's nothing more than repairing warships, training the navy, and guarding against pirates," Zhang Zhiqing said. "But it always feels too superficial."

Lu Qingyan thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps we can start with 'using commerce to support defense.' Coastal defense is extremely costly, and it is difficult to sustain it solely with government funding. If we can open up maritime trade, collect tariffs, and use those tariffs to support the navy, we can both strengthen coastal defense and benefit the people's livelihood."

Zhang Zhiqing's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! How come I didn't think of that?"

"I only thought of this after Mr. Lin mentioned the maritime trade."

"Quickly, let's write together." Zhang Zhiqing spread out the paper. "You take the lead, and I'll add the details."

The two spent an afternoon writing. Lu Qingyan was the main writer, and Zhang Zhiqing helped with polishing. The article began by discussing the current state of coastal defense, then talked about the benefits of opening up maritime trade, and then proposed specific measures for "using commerce to support defense"—establishing a maritime trade office, setting tariffs, building a navy, and protecting merchant ships. Finally, it emphasized that coastal defense was not only a military matter, but also an economic one.

After they finished writing, they were both very satisfied.

"Instructor Chen will surely like this policy essay," Zhang Zhiqing said.

After dinner, Lu Qingyan took out the six taels of silver Lin Guangbiao had given him. He kept one tael for daily expenses and planned to send five taels home. He wrote a letter, mentioning the good price the bonsai had fetched and urging his second brother to produce more. He also discussed overseas trade, assuring his family not to worry and that he was doing well in the prefectural city.

At night, he lay in bed, thinking about the day's events. Overseas trade, coastal defense, tariffs... this knowledge from his previous life might actually be useful in this era.