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

The 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, in the afternoon.

Lu Qingyan went to the bookstore to copy books as usual. The snow had stopped for a few days, and the streets were muddy from the snow piled up by pedestrians and vehicles. He carefully avoided the puddles, and when he reached the bookstore, he found it more lively than usual.

When the innkeeper saw him arrive, he hurriedly came forward to greet him: "Scholar Lu, you've arrived? Perfect timing, a guest wishes to see you."

Lu Qingyan looked up and saw a man sitting at a tea table on the side of the bookstore. He was around forty years old, wearing an indigo brocade cotton robe and a black mink cloak, holding a cup of hot tea. Beside him stood an attendant, the same one who had delivered books a couple of days ago.

"This is Master Zhao," the shopkeeper introduced.

The man stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said with a smile, "Greetings, Scholar Lu. My name is Zhao Dequan, and I run a small business selling goods from both the north and south of China."

Lu Qingyan returned the greeting: "You're too kind, Master Zhao."

The two sat down again. The innkeeper tactfully stepped aside, but kept his ears open to listen.

Zhao Dequan took a sip of tea and said unhurriedly, "I sent my servant to invite Scholar Lu to copy books a couple of days ago, which was really presumptuous. I have come today to apologize."

"Master Zhao, you flatter me," Lu Qingyan said. "Copying books is just a job, and it is my honor to be invited to do so."

"That's true, but you should have come in person." Zhao Dequan sized him up. "I heard that Scholar Lu is from Yongning Prefecture?"

"Yes."

"Yongning Prefecture is a wonderful place," Zhao Dequan nodded. "I've been there a few times; the silk and tea there are of the highest quality. What kind of business does the Lu family run?"

Lu Qingyan understood that they were investigating his background. He remained expressionless: "My father is a farmer, and my brothers do some small business."

"Oh? What kind of business are you in?"

"My eldest brother farms, and my second brother knows some carpentry," Lu Qingyan replied simply.

Zhao Dequan said thoughtfully, "That scholar Lu must have spent a considerable amount of money on his studies."

"He was supported by his family and also copied books to supplement his income."

"Copying books is hard work," Zhao Dequan sighed. "When I was young, I also thought about taking the imperial examination route, but unfortunately I wasn't cut out for it. Now, seeing how diligent Scholar Lu is, I admire him."

These words were spoken politely, but they were clearly intended to probe. Lu Qingyan responded to each one, neither servile nor arrogant, and without saying much.

Seeing this, Zhao Dequan stood up and said, "Scholar Lu is busy, so I won't disturb you any longer. As for copying the book, Scholar Lu can proceed at his own pace." After saying this, he took his leave and left with his entourage.

Lu Qingyan continued copying the book. The pen tip scratched on the paper. He was copying Mencius, his handwriting neat, but his mind was elsewhere.

This Zhao Dequan is definitely not simple.

As the day drew to a close in the late afternoon, Lu Qingyan packed his things, preparing to return to his newly rented courtyard. The shopkeeper looked at him hesitantly, but ultimately just sighed.

When Lu Qingyan returned to the courtyard, it was already getting dark. She pushed open the gate and was about to go inside when there was another knock.

Upon opening the door, they found Zhang Zhiqing standing there.

"Brother Lu!" Zhang Zhiqing said with a smile, carrying a food box. "I heard you moved here, so I came to see you."

Lu Qingyan let him in. Zhang Zhiqing looked around the courtyard: "This place is nice, much quieter than the inn. How much did you rent it for?"

"Three taels, rent until the tenth of February."

"It's a good deal." Zhang Zhiqing placed the food box on the stone table in the courtyard. "My mother sent some cured meat and pickles through someone, thinking of bringing you some. I went to the inn to look for you, but the innkeeper said you had moved. I had to ask for the address to find you here."

The food box indeed contained food from Yongning Prefecture—thinly sliced ​​cured pork, glistening and reddish-brown; small jars of pickled vegetables, their familiar salty aroma filling the air upon opening; and a small bag of fried rice wrapped in oiled paper.

Lu Qingyan felt a warmth in his heart: "Thank you, Brother Zhang."

"Don't be so polite." Zhang Zhiqing sat down on the stone bench, glanced at Lu Qingyan's expression, and hesitated before speaking.

Lu Qingyan went inside to make tea—the cheapest tea powder, which, when steeped in boiling water, barely produced any tea flavor. When he brought it out, Zhang Zhiqing was still sitting there, his fingers unconsciously tapping the stone table.

"Brother Zhang, please speak frankly." Lu Qingyan sat down and poured two bowls of tea.

Zhang Zhiqing took the teacup, took a sip, and then said in a low voice, "Brother Lu, did something happen to you the other day?"

Lu Qingyan looked up at him.

"There are some rumors circulating outside," Zhang Zhiqing said in an even lower voice, "saying that you... that you have a relationship with the young lady of the Duke's mansion. I didn't believe it at first, but yesterday when I went to the prefectural school, I heard several people talking about it."

"What are they saying?"

Zhang Zhiqing hesitated for a moment: "He said that at the poetry gathering at the Vice Minister's residence, you saved the third young lady of the Duke's mansion from drowning and had intimate relations with her. He also said that the young lady slapped you in public and accused you of scheming against her."

Lu Qingyan picked up the teacup and slowly sipped it. The tea was very astringent and had little aroma.

"Is it true?" Zhang Zhiqing asked.

"I did save someone," Lu Qingyan put down his teacup, "and I did get slapped."

Zhang Zhiqing's eyes widened: "Then you..."

"I didn't scheme against her," Lu Qingyan said calmly. "I heard cries for help and jumped in to save her. It's that simple."

"But what they're saying outside is really nasty," Zhang Zhiqing said anxiously. "They're saying you deliberately plotted to climb the social ladder. Brother Lu, you have the imperial examination next February, and this kind of thing is spreading now..."

"I know," Lu Qingyan interrupted him, "but it's too late to say anything more."

Looking at his calm demeanor, Zhang Zhiqing sighed, "You're quite composed. I heard the Duke's mansion is investigating you. Has anyone come to cause you trouble these past few days?"

"Yes." Lu Qingyan told him about Zhao Dequan.

After listening, Zhang Zhiqing frowned: "Something's not right. Why would an ordinary merchant come in person to ask someone to copy a book? And why ask so many questions about your family?"

"I also felt something was off," Lu Qingyan said. "That's why we moved out. The inn is too crowded and noisy; it's quieter here."

Zhang Zhiqing was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Brother Lu, do you remember Zhou Wenyuan?"

Lu Qingyan nodded. He was another fellow townsman from Yongning Prefecture who had passed the imperial examination; he was over thirty years old and came from a poor family.

"He came to see me yesterday and said that someone had given him fifty taels of silver," Zhang Zhiqing said in a low voice. "They said it was to help him prepare for the exam. I asked who gave it to him, and he said it was someone who looked like a manager. He only said that he 'admired Zhou Ju's talent and learning,' and didn't leave his name."

Lu Qingyan's eyes narrowed.

"It's not just him," Zhang Zhiqing continued. "I've also heard that three out of the six candidates from Yongning Prefecture who came to take the imperial examinations this year received donations from unknown sources. The amount ranged from fifty taels to twenty taels."

"What are the conditions?"

"No conditions." Zhang Zhiqing shook his head. "Just say you're sponsoring students from poor families, hoping they'll achieve top scores in their exams."

Lu Qingyan smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: "You're quite generous."

"What are you laughing at?" Zhang Zhiqing asked, puzzled.

"Brother Zhang," Lu Qingyan looked at him, "would you give money to someone for no reason?"

Zhang Zhiqing was taken aback, then slowly understood: "You mean..."

"Someone is casting a net," Lu Qingyan said calmly, "but I don't know what they're trying to catch."

There was a moment of silence in the courtyard. The wind whistled through the bare branches.

Zhang Zhiqing suddenly stood up, paced around the courtyard a few steps, and then turned back: "Brother Lu, this matter is not simple. My father often said that the capital is a dangerous place, and the most important thing for us poor scholars is to stand firm and not get involved in trouble."

"We're already involved," Lu Qingyan said.

"We have to find a way to get out of this!" Zhang Zhiqing said urgently. "The imperial examination is just around the corner. If we get dragged down by this, three years of hard study will be wasted!"

Lu Qingyan didn't speak, but just stared at the bowl of tea on the stone table, which had gone completely cold. Fine tea dust floated on the surface of the tea, rising and falling.

"Brother Zhang," he suddenly asked, "what would you do?"

Zhang Zhiqing was stumped. He thought for a long time, then shook his head: "I don't know... Perhaps, I should go and explain things to the Duke's mansion?"

"Explain what?" Lu Qingyan smiled. "Say I'm innocent? Would they believe that? Even if they did, so what? It's a fact that I saved someone in front of everyone, and it's also a fact that we had physical intimacy."

He stood up, walked to the well, and drew a bucket of water. The well water was icy cold, so he scooped up a handful and washed his face.

Water droplets dripped down her cheeks, quickly freezing into ice crystals in the cold wind.

"The key to this matter is not whether I am innocent or not." Lu Qingyan turned around, his face expressionless. "Whether or not I have this innocence in the Duke's mansion is up to me, and whether or not people outside believe me."

Zhang Zhiqing stared blankly at him, suddenly feeling that Lu Qingyan in front of him was somewhat unfamiliar. The gentle and kind fellow villager who had been in Yongning Prefecture now had eyes as cold as well water in the twelfth lunar month.

"Then... then let's just leave it at that?" Zhang Zhiqing's voice was dry.

"Of course not." Lu Qingyan wiped his face. "But we can't rush it. The most important thing right now is the imperial examination. If we pass, our words will carry weight; if we fail, whatever we say will be a joke."

He walked back to the stone table, sat down again, picked up the bowl of cold tea, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Brother Zhang," he looked at Zhang Zhiqing, "I appreciate your kindness. But you'd better not get involved in this matter. Focus on your exams and don't let me implicate you."

Zhang Zhiqing opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he only sighed heavily.

The two talked for a while longer, mostly about preparing for the exam. Before leaving, Zhang Zhiqing reminded him, "Brother Lu, be careful these next few days. If anything happens, come find me in Elm Tree Lane in the east of the city; I'm staying at the third house."

"it is good."

After seeing Zhang Zhiqing off, Lu Qingyan closed the door and returned to the room.

The unfinished copy of the book lay spread out on the table, the paper and ink neatly arranged. He sat down, picked up his pen again, dipped it in ink, and began to write.

The handwriting is neat and orderly, with each stroke precise and orderly.

The sky outside the window gradually darkened. Daylight hours are short in the twelfth lunar month, and by the end of the late afternoon, the lights inside the house had to be turned on.

Lu Qingyan lit the oil lamp and continued copying the book.

The flickering lamplight cast a serene shadow on his profile. The sounds of the wind and the drumbeats outside seemed distant.

All he has to do now is wait.

We await the Duke's next move, the reappearance of Zhao Dequan, and the arrival of the imperial examinations in February.

As for the subsidies received by the other candidates, Lu Qingyan paused, leaving a small ink dot on the paper.

That's a really big net.