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

June 12th, Hanlin Academy.

As dawn broke, several people had already gathered in the duty room. Li Mubai sat at the head of the table, his face solemn. To his left and right sat Zhou Wenyuan, Lu Qingyan, and two senior editors. On the table lay the case file from the old case in Yongning County, and on it was a petition written by Zhou Wenyuan overnight, the ink still wet.

"The Deng family caused someone's death and then settled the case privately. This trend must not be allowed to continue." Zhou Wenyuan's voice was clear and righteous. "In my opinion, this case should be retried to uphold the law and appease public anger."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Lu Qingyan almost imperceptibly.

Li Mubai stroked his beard thoughtfully, then looked at Lu Qingyan: "Editor Lu is from Yongning. What are your thoughts on this case?"

That was a clever question. It gave Lu Qingyan a chance to speak while also highlighting his identity—both an insider and a stakeholder.

Lu Qingyan stood up and bowed respectfully: "I believe that what Editor Zhou said makes sense. If there is indeed a wrongful conviction, the case should be reopened." He paused, then changed the subject, "But the investigation must be fair. Whether the Deng family has committed any wrongdoing, and what the true cause of Wang Wu's death is, must be supported by concrete evidence."

Zhou Wenyuan immediately replied, "The evidence must be investigated. I have already sent people to Yongning to search for the victim's descendants, and I also request the Ministry of Justice to assist in investigating the village elders and yamen runners involved back then." He looked at Lu Qingyan, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes, "Since Editor Lu is from Yongning, would you be willing to assist in the investigation?"

This is an attempt to drag Lu Qingyan into the case. If Lu Qingyan refuses, he will appear guilty; if he agrees, he will be trapped in a quagmire.

The duty room fell silent for a moment. The two veteran editors exchanged glances, both understanding Zhou Wenyuan's intentions.

Lu Qingyan remained calm: "This student will certainly do his best. However..." He looked at Li Mubai, "Since this case is already being handled by Editor Zhou, it might be presumptuous for me to interfere. How about I assist from the sidelines and provide information on the local customs and culture of Yongning?"

That was a brilliant answer. It neither declined nor took full responsibility, and it even offered the high-sounding reason of "overstepping authority."

Li Mubai nodded: "Very good." He closed the file. "This matter will be handled by Editor Zhou. He should ascertain the facts within three days and report to the Ministry of Justice. Editor Lu will assist him." He paused and looked at Zhou Wenyuan. "The investigation must be thorough; no arbitrary judgments should be made."

"Your humble servant understands." Zhou Wenyuan bowed and replied, a slight smile playing on his lips.

After leaving Li Mubai's study, Zhou Wenyuan caught up with Lu Qingyan and walked side by side in the corridor: "Editor Lu, rest assured, I will definitely get to the bottom of this case."

"Thank you for your help, Editor Zhou," Lu Qingyan said calmly.

"Of course." Zhou Wenyuan stopped and looked at the old locust tree in the courtyard. "Speaking of which, isn't Editor Lu's family also from Yongning? The Deng family's actions must have caused great harm to the villagers. Did Editor Lu hear anything about it back then?"

That's a tricky question. To say they'd heard of it would be to admit that the Deng family was notorious, and how could the Lu family, as fellow townsmen, not know? To say they hadn't heard of it would seem cold-hearted, or even an attempt to cover it up.

Lu Qingyan also stopped and looked at Zhou Wenyuan: "Back then, I was so focused on my studies that I didn't care about anything else. But Editor Zhou," he paused slightly, "is so concerned about the old stories of Yongning, which is truly admirable."

Zhou Wenyuan's expression stiffened slightly, and he chuckled twice: "It's my duty."

After the two parted, Lu Qingyan returned to his duty room. Editor Wang leaned over and whispered, "Brother Lu, Zhou Wenyuan sent someone to the Ministry of Justice this morning to retrieve the rosters of all the yamen runners in Yongning County. I'm afraid he really intends to check them one by one."

"Let him investigate." Lu Qingyan spread out a sheet of paper and began to write. His pen moved steadily, showing no sign of panic.

At noon, Yun Shuwei sent someone to deliver a food box. Besides the usual snacks, there was also a neatly folded note. Lu Qingyan unfolded it when no one was around; it contained only four words: "The person has arrived in the capital."

He felt relieved and burned the note over the candlelight.

In the afternoon, Zhou Wenyuan indeed began to take action. He invited a senior official from the Ministry of Justice over, and the two had a long, private conversation behind closed doors in the duty room. When they emerged, Zhou Wenyuan looked radiant, clearly indicating that progress was going smoothly.

Before leaving work at dusk, Zhou Wenyuan suddenly said in front of everyone, "Editor Lu, could we speak privately tomorrow? I'd like to ask you about some old matters from Yongning."

These were polite words, but they drew everyone's attention.

Lu Qingyan raised his eyes: "Of course I'll keep you company."

June 13th, morning.

When Lu Qingyan arrived at the Hanlin Academy, Zhou Wenyuan was already waiting for him. The two went to the pavilion in the backyard, where no one was around.

"Editor Lu," Zhou Wenyuan said bluntly, "I found out yesterday that Master Qian, who handled the Deng family case back then, passed away a month ago."

Lu Qingyan's expression remained unchanged: "Oh?"

"Coincidentally, Master Qian's son succeeded his father in this position." Zhou Wenyuan stared at him. "Even more coincidentally, this new Master Qian said that after the case was exposed, the Deng family wanted to ask someone to plead with the county government, and the person they approached was the head of your Lu family."

Upon hearing this, the air in the pavilion suddenly froze.

Lu Qingyan looked at Zhou Wenyuan and slowly said, "What do you mean by that, Editor Zhou?"

"It doesn't mean anything," Zhou Wenyuan smiled. "It's just a coincidence. The Deng family committed a crime and asked someone to intercede on their behalf, and they happened to approach the head of the Lu family. And Lu, the editor, is now one of the few officials in Yongning serving in the imperial court."

These words are a blatant accusation—the Lu family protected the Deng family back then, and now Lu Qingyan is going to protect his fellow townsman.

Lu Qingyan was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "Editor Zhou's investigation is indeed meticulous." He stood up, "But Editor Zhou, are you aware that Master Qian's son is a gambler and heavily in debt?"

Zhou Wenyuan was taken aback.

"How much can you believe a gambler's words?" Lu Qingyan looked down at him. "Furthermore, does Editor Zhou know why the Deng family was able to suppress a murder case six years ago?"

Zhou Wenyuan's expression changed slightly.

"Because back then, it wasn't just the Deng family who found lovers to act as intermediaries when they passed through Yongning," Lu Qingyan said calmly, but every word was like a knife. "There was also a high-ranking official from the imperial court who stayed at the Deng family's villa and received a generous gift."

Zhou Wenyuan suddenly stood up: "What nonsense are you talking about!"

"Whether it's nonsense or not, Editor Zhou knows perfectly well." Lu Qingyan took out a piece of paper from her sleeve and gently placed it on the stone table. "This is a copy of the Deng family's gift list from back then. Editor Zhou might as well take a look."

The paper was densely filled with a list of gifts: two boxes of century-old ginseng, one hundred taels of pure gold, ten bolts of Suzhou embroidery... The last line in small print read: "Respectfully presented to Vice Minister Zhou on the fifth day of the sixth month of the fourth year of Yonghe."

Zhou Wenyuan's face turned pale, and he reached out to snatch it, but Lu Qingyan had already put it back in her sleeve.

"This gift list was sold last night by Master Qian's son to someone from Yongning." Lu Qingyan looked at him. "Editor Zhou, isn't that a coincidence?"

Zhou Wenyuan took a step back and slumped onto the stone bench. He stared at Lu Qingyan, his eyes swirling with shock, anger, fear, and a hint of despair.

"Does Editor Zhou still want to investigate this case?" Lu Qingyan asked.

Zhou Wenyuan's lips trembled, and he couldn't speak for a long time.

"If an investigation is necessary, I am willing to assist in the fullest." Lu Qingyan's tone remained calm. "I will submit this list of gifts, along with the events of that year, to Scholar Li, the Ministry of Justice, and even the Censorate. I will restore justice to the people of Yongning and clear Minister Zhou's name."

He spoke the last four words very softly, yet they struck Zhou Wenyuan's heart like a heavy hammer.

Innocent? If the investigation were to proceed, his father's acceptance of bribes and his cover-up of corrupt officials would be exposed. At that point, not only would his future be uncertain, but he might not even be able to keep his current official position.

"You..." Zhou Wenyuan's voice was hoarse, "What do you want?"

"I don't want anything." Lu Qingyan stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the green pond outside the pavilion. "I just feel that the investigation should be fair. We can't just investigate the Deng family's wrongdoing without investigating why they were able to do so back then; we can't just question the gentry of Yongning without questioning the officials who passed through Yongning."

These words, though brief, were sufficient.

Zhou Wenyuan trembled all over, and a fine layer of cold sweat seeped from his forehead. He looked at Lu Qingyan, this poor boy whom he had never taken seriously, but now he felt like a mountain pressing down on him, making it hard for him to breathe.

After a long silence, he said in a hoarse voice, "Perhaps I made a mistake in investigating this case."

"Investigations are bound to have errors," Lu Qingyan replied naturally. "Editor Zhou was misled."

Zhou Wenyuan closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, everything was ashen: "It was my oversight."

"Then please ask Editor Zhou to rewrite the petition." Lu Qingyan smiled slightly. "Just say that, after investigation, the Deng family did indeed reach a settlement with Wang Wu back then, and Wang Wu's death was an accident. This case is closed and there is no need for a retrial."

Zhou Wenyuan gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "Okay."

Lu Qingyan nodded, turned and walked out of the pavilion. Sunlight shone on his blue official robe, giving it a faint sheen.

Even after walking a long way, he could still feel the venomous gaze behind him.

But he doesn't care.

Back in the duty room, Editor Wang asked with concern, "Brother Lu, what did Editor Zhou want to see you about?"

"It's nothing." Lu Qingyan sat down, picked up his pen and started writing. "Just some details about the Yongning case."

The pen tip lands on the paper, and the ink flows like clouds and water.

Outside the window, the cicadas continue their song. Life at the Hanlin Academy must go on.

But some people and some things will be completely different from today.