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

The next morning, the Lu family compound became lively.

Local gentry and landlords arrived one after another to offer their congratulations, some in sedan chairs, some on horseback, all carrying generous gifts. Zhao had never seen such a scene before and was somewhat at a loss. Lu Tiezhu silently smoked, unsure how to respond.

Lu Qingyan changed into casual clothes and received the guests in the main room.

The first to arrive was Liu, a landlord from the neighboring village. He was about fifty years old, with a round, slightly plump face, and was followed by two servants carrying a large red lacquered box.

"Congratulations, Scholar Lu!" Landlord Liu bowed as he entered. "I've come to offer my congratulations upon hearing of your triumphant return!"

Lu Qingyan stood up and returned the greeting: "Master Liu, you're too kind. Please have a seat."

Landlord Liu sat down and gestured for his servants to open the chest. Inside were two bolts of silk, a set of writing implements, and a pair of silver ingots.

"It's just a small token of my appreciation," said Landlord Liu with a smile. "Now that you're a third-ranked scholar in the imperial court, I hope you'll take good care of our village."

Lu Qingyan glanced at them and said to Lu Dashan, who was standing to the side, "Brother, accept the silk and writing materials. Please have Master Liu take the money back with him."

Landlord Liu was taken aback: "This..."

"I appreciate Master Liu's kindness," Lu Qingyan said gently. "However, as I am new to officialdom, I dare not accept such a generous gift. The silk is for my mother to make clothes, and the writing implements are for my nephew to use in his studies. I really cannot accept the money."

These words were polite, but the meaning was clear. Landlord Liu's expression changed slightly, but he quickly put on a smile again: "The scholar's integrity is admirable. Then we'll do as the scholar wishes."

He gave a wink, and the servants took the silver back, leaving only the silk and writing implements.

After seeing off Landlord Liu, Lu Dashan asked in a low voice, "Third brother, that silver... was quite a lot."

"We can't accept it," Lu Qingyan said. "If we accept his money today, it will be difficult to refuse him if he asks for something in the future."

Lu Dashan nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Next came Manager Wang from the town, who owned the largest cloth shop in the county. His gifts were even more substantial—four bolts of top-quality Hangzhou silk, two boxes of ginseng, and a fifty-tael silver note.

Lu Qingyan continued to accept only silk fabrics, returning the ginseng and silver notes.

Shopkeeper Wang said somewhat anxiously, "My lord, this is truly just a small token of my appreciation..."

"I understand Manager Wang's good intentions," Lu Qingyan poured him a cup of tea. "However, I am young and inexperienced, and I really dare not accept such a generous gift. If Manager Wang does not mind, I will humbly accept this silk and make some clothes for my family."

Having said that, Manager Wang couldn't insist any further, so he awkwardly accepted the ginseng and silver notes and left.

Throughout the morning, seven or eight groups of people arrived. Lu Qingyan did the same thing with each group—accepting token gifts such as fabrics, pastries, and tea, while returning anything more valuable. For those he couldn't refuse, he noted their names and gifts, planning to reciprocate later.

By noon, the corner of the main room was piled high with gifts of all kinds. Looking at the silks and fabrics, Zhao was both pleased and worried: "Yan'er, won't this... offend someone?"

"Don't worry, Mother." Lu Qingyan helped her sit down. "Most of these people are giving gifts because of my current status. If I accept them all, it will cause endless trouble later. Accepting some ordinary gifts will save face for them and avoid owing them favors, which is just right."

Lu Tiezhu, puffing on his pipe, suddenly said, "You did the right thing. Although our Lu family is poor, we cannot be greedy."

Just then, clan chief Lu Xiuzhi arrived, leaning on his cane.

Lu Qingyan hurriedly went to greet him: "Grandpa Clan Chief, why did you come in person?"

"I need to discuss something with you." The Lu clan chief sat down in the main room, glanced at the gifts filling the room, and nodded. "You handled it well. We members of the Lu family can't be short-sighted."

"Grandpa Chief, you flatter me."

The clan chief Lu took out a booklet from his pocket and spread it on the table: "This is our Lu family's clan property and ancestral land. According to the imperial court's rules, those who pass the imperial examination can be exempted from taxes on three hundred mu of land. Now that you are a third-place scholar, it's time to make use of this allowance."

Lu Qingyan took the booklet and flipped through it. The Lu family's property was not much; they had fifty mu of ancestral land, and each family had some other land, totaling just over two hundred mu.

"What does Grandpa Chief mean?"

"I'm thinking of registering some of the poorer families' land under your name," Chief Lu said in a low voice. "That way, they can be exempted from taxes and their lives will be easier. Of course, it won't be for nothing; you'll receive 10% of their annual harvest as a reward."

Lu Qingyan remained silent for a moment.

This matter is neither a major nor a minor one. The imperial court allowed officials to be exempt from taxes, originally intended to show consideration for their families. However, in practice, many officials would "rent out" their tax exemptions to earn personal gain.

"Grandpa Chief," he said slowly, "this matter must be handled with care. If someone reports it as 'monopolizing funds and provisions,' it will be a serious crime."

Chief Lu was taken aback: "Is it that serious?"

"Yes." Lu Qingyan nodded. "But it's not like there's no other way."

He thought for a moment and said, "In this way, the fifty mu of sacrificial land will be directly registered in my name and exempted from taxes. The remaining amount can be given to a few of the most needy families in the clan, but it must be land that they actually cultivate themselves, not land that they rent. Moreover, they cannot accept any payment."

"How can that be?" Chief Lu said. "You're helping for nothing?"

"We're all from the same clan, so helping each other is only right," Lu Qingyan said. "But we need to establish a rule—whoever owns the land, that's whoever cultivates it, and it can't be sublet. Every year at harvest time, you, the clan chief, will personally oversee the process to ensure that it's the fruit of your own labor."

Clan Chief Lu looked at him with a complex expression: "Qingyan, you've really grown up."

"Grandpa Clan Chief, you flatter me," Lu Qingyan said with a smile. "This matter is best left to you. You know best which families are truly in need and which fields are truly barren. I will only contribute the quota; the specific arrangements will be entirely up to you."

That's a clever way of putting it, getting the job done while absolving himself of responsibility—he only provided the tax exemption quota; the clan chief was in charge of the actual operations. Even if something goes wrong in the future, he won't be blamed.

Chief Lu understood this and nodded emphatically: "Alright, I'll handle this. Don't worry, I won't cause you any trouble."

The two discussed the details further. In the end, they decided on five households, all of whom were the poorest in the clan, with a combined land area of ​​less than 100 mu. Adding the 50 mu of sacrificial land, the total was 150 mu, still far short of the 300 mu quota.

"The remaining quota..." Chief Lu hesitated.

"Leave it empty for now," Lu Qingyan said. "We'll talk about it later if we really need it."

After the business was concluded, Clan Chief Lu got up to leave. Lu Qingyan stopped him and picked out two bolts of thick cotton cloth and a box of tea from the pile of gifts: "Grandpa Clan Chief, please take these back. The cloth will make you some clothes, and you can enjoy the tea."

"I can't accept this..."

"It's only right." Lu Qingyan handed him the things. "I remember how the clan has taken care of me over the years."

After seeing the clan leader off, Lu Qingyan stood at the entrance of the main hall, looking at the old jujube tree in the courtyard.

The jujube trees in April had already sprouted new leaves, lush and green. Under the trees, Taohua and Shunhua were playing with the silk flowers he had brought back, their laughter ringing out.

Lu Dashan walked over and handed him a glass of water: "Third brother, are you tired?"

"I'm not tired." Lu Qingyan took the water. "Big brother, how have things been at home these days?"

"Everything's fine," Lu Dashan chuckled. "When the news of your passing the imperial examination spread, the county exempted our family from taxes. Our bonsai business is also doing well, earning two or three taels of silver a month. Now that you've become a third-place scholar, things are even better for us."

Lu Qingyan nodded, then remembered something: "Brother, my family doesn't need to prepare any betrothal gifts for my marriage. The Duke's mansion will take care of it, and I've also prepared some myself."

"How can that be?" Lu Dashan exclaimed anxiously. "You're a son of the Lu family; how can you expect your wife's family to provide the betrothal gifts?"

"It's not that the Yue family is paying, it's..." Lu Qingyan carefully chose his words, "It was agreed upon by both families. Don't worry, elder brother, we won't be impolite."

Before Lu Dashan could say anything more, Zhao came out of the kitchen and said, "Dashan, come and lend a hand."

Lu Dashan responded and left. Lu Qingyan watched her elder brother's retreating figure, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart.

The eldest brother was honest, the second brother was kind, and their parents were simple and honest. They didn't understand the intricacies of officialdom or the calculations of human relationships. All they knew was that their third brother had become successful and the family was doing well.