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

June 15th, sunny.

In the Hanlin Academy's duty room, Zhou Wenyuan's hand trembled almost imperceptibly as he presented his newly drafted petition to Li Mubai. The petition was short, but the handwriting was much more illegible than usual:

"...Upon thorough investigation, the case of the dispute over water between the Deng family of Yongning County and tenant Wang Wu, resulting in injury, was indeed settled amicably between the two parties years ago. Wang Wu died of illness a month later, which was an accident and not caused by the Deng family. The original case has been closed, and there was no miscarriage of justice. I failed to investigate properly in my report the other day, and I request the scholar to punish me."

Li Mubai took the document and studied it for a long time. Sunlight streamed in through the window, making the paper appear white. He looked up at Zhou Wenyuan: "Have you found out?"

"It's been investigated." Zhou Wenyuan said, his head bowed, his voice dry.

"What about the descendants of the victim? Weren't they supposed to have been found?"

"We found him, but..." Zhou Wenyuan's Adam's apple bobbed, "But after questioning, Wang Wu's son, Wang Xiaozhu, said that his father did indeed die of illness, and it had nothing to do with the Deng family. What he said the other day was just hearsay from the villagers."

Li Mubai remained silent for a moment, then looked at Lu Qingyan standing to the side: "What does Editor Lu think?"

Lu Qingyan bowed: "I did not participate in the investigation, so I dare not make any rash judgments. But Editor Zhou put a lot of effort into the revision."

These words, though spoken politely, made Zhou Wenyuan's face burn. What had he gone to such lengths? He had painstakingly planned and framed someone, only to have to dismantle his own scheme in the end.

"In that case, let's leave it at that." Li Mubai placed the document on the table. "Editor Zhou, you spoke with such certainty the other day, and today you've completely contradicted yourself. As a Hanlin editor, you should be extremely cautious when investigating cases; how can you treat it so lightly?"

"This humble official knows his mistake." Zhou Wenyuan lowered his head even further.

"Go back and write a self-statement, and hand it in tomorrow." Li Mubai waved his hand. "Go."

Zhou Wenyuan felt as if he had been granted a pardon and bowed as he withdrew. He paused briefly as he passed Lu Qingyan, but ultimately did not dare to look up and hurried away.

Only the two of them remained in the study. Li Mubai looked at Lu Qingyan and slowly asked, "What do you plan to do with that gift list?"

Lu Qingyan's heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, nothing could be hidden from this scholar.

"The student hasn't decided yet."

"Burn it," Li Mubai said calmly. "Some things are better left unsaid once you know them." He paused. "Vice Minister Zhou has served in the Ministry of War for many years. Though he has no merits, he has not committed any major offenses either. Let's save him some face."

This was an attempt to appease the situation. Lu Qingyan understood that Li Mubai was doing this for his own good—if things really escalated, the Zhou family would certainly suffer, but he, a Hanlin compiler with no connections, would also come out worse off.

"The student understands."

"However," Li Mubai changed the subject, "after this incident, Zhou Wenyuan won't be able to stay in the Hanlin Academy for long."

Lu Qingyan looked up.

"The Hanlin Academy will have quotas for field assignments after the autumn harvest, and I plan to recommend him for a few years of experience in local areas." Li Mubai looked at him. "Qingyan, do you know why I've made this arrangement?"

"The students are dull-witted."

"Jade that is not carved cannot become a vessel," Li Mubai sighed. "Zhou Wenyuan has talent, but unfortunately his character is not upright. Perhaps he can be tempered by a few years of hardship in the countryside. If he cannot be tempered..." He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

Lu Qingyan remained silent. This punishment was already lenient towards Zhou Wenyuan.

"As for you," Li Mubai said, his gaze sharp, "you've passed the first hurdle after this incident. But there will be many more open and covert attacks in the court to come."

"The students will keep this teaching in mind."

It was nearly noon when Lu Qingyan emerged from Li Mubai's study. The sun was blazing, making the bluestone slabs scorching hot. As Lu Qingyan walked through the courtyard, she saw Zhou Wenyuan standing alone under the locust tree in the distance, his figure desolate.

He didn't stop and walked straight over.

Back in Wutong Lane, Yun Shuwei was arranging flowers in the flower hall. Seeing him return, she put down the peonies she was holding and asked with a smile, "How is it?"

"That's settled." Lu Qingyan recounted the events at the Hanlin Academy.

After listening, Yun Shuwei sneered, "He got off too easily." She placed the last flower into the vase. "What about the gift list?"

"Scholar Li had it burned."

Yun Shu paused slightly, then nodded: "It's better to burn it. Keeping it will only cause trouble in the end." She walked to Lu Qingyan's side, carefully observing his expression, "Are you unhappy?"

Lu Qingyan was silent for a moment, then said softly, "I just find it a bit boring."

All the fighting and arguing ultimately amounted to nothing more than a piece of paper and a few words of compromise. He recalled Zhou Wenyuan's ashen face and the gift list he hadn't yet taken out of his sleeve, and suddenly felt exhausted.

Yun Shuwei grasped his hand: "This is the imperial court. Blood is not seen, yet it is more dangerous than the battlefield." She paused, "However, Lu Qingyan, you did very well today. You neither backed down nor went too far, you struck the perfect balance."

"Is that so?" Lu Qingyan smiled bitterly, "But I don't feel happy at all."

"Why be so quick to act?" Yun Shuwei pulled him down to sit, looking at him intently. "Lu Qingyan, you must remember, in this court, to escape unscathed is to win. Today you escaped unscathed and even made Zhou Wenyuan suffer a hidden loss; that is a great victory."

She poured him a cup of tea and handed it to him: "As for whether it's satisfying or not, those stories of chivalrous revenge are all lies. The real contest is always like this—undercurrents are turbulent, but on the surface, everything must be calm."

Lu Qingyan took the teacup, feeling the warmth in his palm. He looked at Yun Shuwei and suddenly realized that this woman, who was several years younger than him, saw things much more clearly than he did in some ways.

"Oh, by the way," Yun Shuwei suddenly remembered something, "what are your plans for Wang Xiaozhu?"

"Let him stay at the estate," Lu Qingyan said. "He can learn a trade and have a livelihood in the future."

"Alright, I'll have Granny Lin make the arrangements." Yun Shu paused slightly. "As for the Deng family of Yongning, they should restrain themselves after this incident. If they still don't know what's good for them," a cold glint flashed in her eyes, "even though the gift list has been burned, there are still people who remember the copy."

This was a warning. Lu Qingyan nodded: "Thank you for your trouble."

After lunch, Lu Qingyan went to his study. He took out the copy of the gift list from a hidden compartment and lit it by candlelight. The paper curled up, turned to ashes, and drifted into the brush washer.

The firelight illuminated his calm face.

It's better to burn it. Some incriminating evidence, when held in our hands, is both a weapon and a burden. Now that it's burned, we feel much lighter.

The cicadas chirped incessantly outside the window; summer was in full swing. Lu Qingyan spread out a sheet of paper and began writing today's documents. The pen moved swiftly, the ink flowing smoothly, as if nothing had happened.

Yes, nothing has happened.

Inside the Hanlin Academy, Zhou Wenyuan was still writing his self-introduction; Li Mubai was reviewing official documents; and other colleagues were busy with their own tasks. The Deng family of Yongning continued to operate as local gentry, and Wang Xiaozhu was learning blacksmithing on his estate. Everything seemed normal.

But in some people's hearts, and in some things, things are ultimately different.

As evening fell, Editor Wang came to visit. He brought a pot of wine and said with a smile, "Brother Lu, you've got some free time today, how about a couple of drinks?"

The two sat down in the pavilion. Editor Wang poured wine and raised his cup: "To Brother Lu."

"What are you going to offer me in respect?"

"Brother Jinglu..." Editor Wang paused, then smiled and said, "Brother Jinglu is very composed."

The two drank it all in one gulp. The liquor was ordinary bamboo leaf green, slightly spicy on the palate, with a mellow aftertaste.

"The news about Editor Zhou has spread throughout the institute," Editor Wang said in a low voice. "Everyone says he shot himself in the foot. Although Scholar Li didn't say it outright, he'll definitely be among the candidates for posting to other posts after the autumn harvest."

Lu Qingyan looked at the wine in his glass: "Brother Wang, do you think I did the right thing?"

Editor Wang was silent for a moment, then said solemnly, "Brother Lu, I shouldn't be saying this. But we are both in the Hanlin Academy, and Zhou Wenyuan has gone too far in some matters. Today, he has only himself to blame. Brother Lu has already done more than enough by leaving room for maneuver."

"Have I done all I could?" Lu Qingyan smiled bitterly. How could he not want to make the gift list public and ruin the Zhou family's reputation? He simply couldn't.

"Come on, let's drink." Editor Wang poured another glass.

The two drank together and didn't mention the matter again. As dusk fell, the lotus lanterns in the pond were lit, casting a warm yellow glow on the water.

After seeing off Editor Wang, Lu Qingyan stood alone in the pavilion. A gentle evening breeze caressed her face, carrying the fragrance of lotus blossoms.

Yun Shuwei walked over and draped a cloak over his shoulders: "It's chilly at night."

Lu Qingyan held her hand: "Shuwei, if one day I become cunning and calculating, will you be disappointed?"

Yun Shu looked at him, the candlelight making her eyes sparkle: "Lu Qingyan, remember this: in this court, kindness is not weakness, and scheming is not despicable. As long as you still have that moral compass in your heart, you won't go astray."

She reached out and gently smoothed his slightly furrowed brow: "And I believe you, you've always had that ruler."

Lu Qingyan felt a warmth in his heart and pulled her into his arms.

The night was as still as water, and the Milky Way was dazzling.