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

On the eleventh day of the sixth lunar month, at the Hanlin Academy.

A light rain had fallen when he woke up, leaving the cobblestone path damp and the air filled with the earthy smell of soil. As Lu Qingyan walked into the duty room with his umbrella, the letter that Granny Lin had delivered the night before pressed against his skin like a branding iron.

He had memorized the contents of the letter: Wang Wu's son, Wang Xiaozhu, had been found. He was an apprentice at a blacksmith's shop in a neighboring county, fourteen years old this year. His memory of his father was vague; he only remembered that "his father was beaten to death by the Deng family." Granny Lin had secretly arranged for him to stay at the dowry estate.

The letter ended with the line: "Master Qian of the Deng family passed away a month ago, and his son has taken over his position. This man is a gambler and has accumulated a great deal of debt."

Lu Qingyan burned the letter over the candle flame, and the ashes fell into the brush washer, spreading out a circle of ink.

Not long after they sat down, Zhou Wenyuan arrived. He was wearing a brand-new royal blue silk robe today, looking radiant. As soon as he entered, he smiled and said, "Editor Lu, you've arrived early." But his gaze fell on Lu Qingyan's desk—where the manuscript of the "Collected Statutes" was spread out, and next to it were stacks of files sent by the Ministry of Justice.

"Good morning, Editor Zhou." Lu Qingyan didn't even look up, continuing to write.

Zhou Wenyuan walked to his desk and slowly began tidying up the documents. He said casually, "Yesterday I went to the Ministry of Justice and heard from Physician Liu about an old case—a fatal assault in Yongning County six years ago, which was suppressed and settled privately. Tell me, isn't that a miscarriage of justice?"

There was a moment of silence in the duty room. Outside the window, the rain pattered against the roof tiles.

Lu Qingyan put down her pen and looked up at him: "Is Editor Zhou referring to the matter between the Deng family and tenant farmer Wang Wu?"

Zhou Wenyuan was taken aback, clearly not expecting him to be so direct: "Does Editor Lu know?"

"I know a little about it." Lu Qingyan said calmly, "Wang Wu died a little over a month after being injured. The Deng family paid five taels of silver in compensation, the village elders mediated, and the matter was settled." He paused, "If Editor Zhou feels that this case is unjust, he should report it to the Ministry of Justice according to the law for a retrial."

This statement was perfectly watertight, both indicating that he was aware of the situation and passing the buck back to the authorities—if you believe it's a miscarriage of justice, then proceed according to procedure.

Zhou Wenyuan's expression changed slightly. He had originally intended to use this case to put pressure on Lu Qingyan, but he hadn't expected the other party to be so calm. He stared at Lu Qingyan, trying to find a flaw in that calm face, but only saw silence.

"Editor Lu seems to know," Zhou Wenyuan said with a smirk. "However, the Ministry of Justice will not reopen such old cases unless the victim files a complaint."

"That depends on whether the victim is willing to file a complaint," Lu Qingyan said casually, picking up his pen again to write, as if the matter was insignificant.

Zhou Wenyuan was rebuffed and felt a tightness in his chest, but he couldn't say anything more. He sat back down in his chair, opened the file, but his gaze kept drifting towards the person opposite him.

The rain gradually intensified, pattering against the windowpane.

At noon, the rain subsided slightly. Lu Qingyan went to the dining hall for lunch, and Editor Wang sat down with a tray, saying in a low voice, "Brother Lu, I just heard that Zhou Wenyuan went to Scholar Li's place this morning."

"Oh?"

"I don't know what they said, but Scholar Li had someone retrieve the household registration records of Yongning County for the past ten years this morning," Editor Wang said worriedly. "Is he trying to investigate Brother Lu's family background?"

Lu Qingyan paused for a moment while picking up food with his chopsticks, then resumed his normal expression: "Investigate if you will."

Despite saying that, a chill ran down my spine. Checking the household registration records meant digging deep into their roots. Although the Lu family was innocent, there was no guarantee that some distant relatives or neighborhood disputes wouldn't be unearthed.

After finishing his meal, Lu Qingyan did not return to his duty room, but went to Li Mubai's study.

Li Mubai was reviewing case files when he saw him enter. He pointed to the chair opposite him and said, "Sit down." After Li Mubai sat down, he put down the case files. "You've come at the right time. Zhou Wenyuan came this morning to report that there's an old case in Yongning that might involve a murder, and he suggested a retrial."

"The students have heard about it."

"He said the victim in this case might still be alive, and if found, justice should be served." Li Mubai looked at him. "What do you think?"

Lu Qingyan pondered for a moment: "If there is truly a miscarriage of justice, then a retrial is warranted. However, I believe that investigations should be fair and impartial, and we cannot rely solely on one side of the story."

"That makes sense." Li Mubai nodded. "I've already sent him to investigate the whereabouts of the victim, and also to investigate whether the Deng family has truly committed any wrongdoing." He paused. "Qingyan, you are from Yongning, so you should avoid suspicion in this matter. Put the autumn review on hold for now and focus on revising the 'Collected Statutes'."

This was both protection and a test. Lu Qingyan rose and bowed: "This student obeys."

As Lu Qingyan emerged from Li Mubai's study, the rain began to fall again. Holding an umbrella, he walked slowly across the courtyard, the cobblestone path slippery.

Zhou Wenyuan's move was indeed ruthless—using the pretext of investigating a case, he could both appear impartial and implicate this official from Yongning. If the Deng family was truly guilty, the Lu family, as fellow townsmen, would inevitably be suspected of protecting them; if the Deng family was innocent, Zhou Wenyuan could also claim that the Lu family was protecting their fellow townsmen.

dilemma.

Back in his duty room, Zhou Wenyuan was not there. Lu Qingyan sat down at his desk, spread out some paper, but hesitated to write. He looked out at the rain, thinking of Yongning's home, his parents' kind faces, and his sisters' clear eyes.

These people and these events have now become pawns in someone else's game.

He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, they were clear. He picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote two lines on the paper:

"The tree desires stillness, but the wind never ceases; the child wishes to care for his parents, but they are no longer there."

The handwriting is steady and powerful, penetrating the paper.

As the day drew to a close in the late afternoon, the rain stopped. The sky was clear and bright, as if washed clean. Lu Qingyan walked out of the Hanlin Academy, where Coachman Zhao was already waiting outside. The carriage drove towards Wutong Lane, its wheels splashing through the puddles.

Back home, Yun Shuwei was looking at the account books in the flower hall. Seeing him return, she put down the account books and greeted him: "How was today?"

Lu Qingyan recounted the events at the Hanlin Academy. Yun Shuwei listened and sneered, "He certainly knows how to use someone else's strength against them." She pulled Lu Qingyan to sit down and handed him a cup of tea. "But don't worry, I've already had Granny Lin make the arrangements."

"What arrangements?"

"Someone from Yongning will come to the capital early tomorrow morning." A sharp glint flashed in Yun Shuwei's eyes. "It's not Wang Wu's son, but the Deng family's rival—the Li family, who fought with the Deng family for paddy fields back then. The Li family and the Deng family have a long-standing feud, and if something happens to the Deng family, they will be the most willing to testify."

Lu Qingyan was taken aback: "When did you arrange this?"

"I made the arrangements as soon as I received the letter from the old lady yesterday," Yun Shuwei said matter-of-factly. "Since Zhou Wenyuan wants to investigate, let him investigate thoroughly. However, what he finds out may not be what he wants."

These words were loaded with meaning. Lu Qingyan looked at her: "You mean..."

"The Deng family was able to suppress the murder case back then thanks to Qian, the county clerk. Qian is dead, but his son is still alive, and..." Yun Shuwei's lips curled slightly, "When the Zhou family passed through Yongning six years ago, the Deng family sent a list of gifts. I asked the nanny to look for it. If she finds it, things will get interesting."

Lu Qingyan's heart skipped a beat. If they could really find the gift list to prove that the Zhou family had received gifts from the Deng family back then, then Zhou Wenyuan's current overturning of the case would be a case of the thief crying "stop thief!"

"Was this gift list easy to find?"

"The letter from the old woman said that Master Qian's son is a gambler and has racked up a huge debt." Yun Shu smiled slyly. "Gamblers will sell anything for money."

Outside the window, the setting sun painted the sky a golden-red hue. Lotus flowers in the pond swayed in the evening breeze, their fragrance filling the air.

Looking at Yun Shuwei's gentle profile in the sunset, Lu Qingyan suddenly felt that if his wife were a man, she would definitely be able to manipulate events in the court.

"Shuwei," he said softly, "thank you."

"Don't talk nonsense again," Yun Shu said with a slight reproach, her ears turning slightly red. "I've said it before, your business is my business." She paused, then said seriously, "But Lu Qingyan, after this, Zhou Wenyuan will probably hate you to the bone. Have you thought it through?"

Lu Qingyan looked out the window; dusk was falling and the city lights were just coming on.

"I've thought it through," he said slowly. "In this court, it's not that if you back down, others will give up. Since that's the case, I might as well confront them."

Yun Shuwei looked at his resolute profile, a smile appearing in her eyes.

This is the husband she has chosen—talented, responsible, and courageous enough to take action in critical moments.

As night deepened, the study was brightly lit by candlelight. A game of strategy had only just begun.