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

June 30th, East Warm Pavilion of Zichen Palace.

Emperor Zhao Heng put down his vermilion brush and looked up at Consort De, who stood with her hands at her sides before the imperial desk. This consort, who came from a military family, was dressed in a lake-blue palace gown today. She did not wear any elaborate headdress, but only a jade hairpin, and her whole appearance was refreshing and neat.

"Your Majesty," Consort De's voice was cheerful, with the straightforwardness characteristic of a military family, "Jing Shuo has actually started talking about his lessons these past two days since he returned to the palace. Yesterday, he even pulled me aside to talk about 'the mutual generation of the five elements' and 'the way of illusion and reality.' When I didn't understand, he got so anxious that he stomped his feet, saying how clearly Editor Lu explained it."

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhao Heng's eyes: "Oh? What did he say?"

"He said the stones in the garden were arranged in a particular way, with each direction representing a line; he said that when playing chess, you can't just focus on capturing pieces, you have to look at the 'overall situation'." Consort De shook her head and laughed, "I'm a rough person and don't understand these things. But looking at his serious expression, it seems like he really listened."

She paused, then her tone became serious: "Your Majesty, you know how many tutors Jing Shuo has driven away in the past. I have tried to discipline him, but he is stubborn and only does the opposite of what I say. This Compiler Lu does have some skill."

Zhao Heng remained silent for a moment, then waved for Consort De to leave. He was left alone in the warm pavilion, with the faint chirping of cicadas coming from outside the window.

The Third Prince, Zhao Jingshuo, was the most troublesome of all his sons. He was intelligent, but all his intelligence was used for mischief. His previous tutors were either rigid and old-fashioned or overly ingratiating, and were completely fooled by the child. This Lu Qingyan was different.

He recalled the day of the imperial examination, when the scholar in the blue robe stood in the hall, facing the questions of a group of military officers, and calmly and confidently presented the strategy of "using commerce to weaken the army." At the time, he only thought that the young man had some courage, but now it seemed that he was more than just courage.

"Gao Deshun".

"Your servant is here." The head eunuch appeared silently at the entrance of the warm pavilion.

"Summon Lu Qingyan to come see me at 1-3 PM."

"As you command."

At 1:15 PM, in the East Warm Pavilion.

Lu Qingyan knelt on the cold gold bricks and performed a grand salute: "Your subject Lu Qingyan, compiler of the Hanlin Academy, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"Rise," Zhao Heng's voice came from above. "Take a seat."

A young eunuch brought over an embroidered stool. Lu Qingyan thanked the emperor and sat down, his eyes downcast, his posture respectful yet not servile.

Zhao Heng sized him up. He wore a slightly worn blue official robe, the cuffs faded from washing, but the fabric was clean and crisp. His hair was neatly combed, his face was thin, and his eyes were clear and calm. He didn't resemble those ministers who trembled at the sight of the emperor, nor those young people eager to show off.

"I have heard about the Third Prince's studies these past few days," Zhao Heng said slowly. "Consort De said that Jing Shuo has been taking the initiative to talk about what he has learned, which is something that has never happened before."

Lu Qingyan lowered his head: "Your Highness is exceptionally intelligent, but you haven't had the right approach before. I'm merely guiding you according to the circumstances."

"Take advantage of the situation?" Zhao Heng raised an eyebrow. "Tell me about it."

"His Highness is very active, so I take him to the Imperial Garden and use the rockery there to explain the principles of the Five Elements; His Highness enjoys playing chess, so I use the game to explain the principles of emptiness and fullness." Lu Qingyan's tone was calm. "Children don't like dry lectures. If you hide the principles in interesting stories, he will accept them more easily."

"You seem to know how to read a child's mind," Zhao Heng said, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Your subject dares not," Lu Qingyan said. "I was just thinking about when I was young and studying. If the teacher only asked us to memorize things by rote, it would be boring. But if we connected the principles in the books with the things around us, it would be easier to understand them."

That's a very true statement. Zhao Heng recalled his childhood days in the Imperial Study, where those old scholars would lecturing on the classics with their heads bobbing and swaying—it was indeed tedious. He looked at Lu Qingyan: "Then, in your opinion, is the Third Prince worthy of being cultivated?"

This is a very serious problem. Lu Qingyan's heart skipped a beat, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, "The Third Prince is exceptionally intelligent. If he can maintain this, he will surely achieve great things. However, the Prince is only ten years old, and his temperament is not yet settled. He needs the guidance of a good teacher, as well as the love and care of his parents."

He spoke the last four words very softly. A complex look flashed in Zhao Heng's eyes. Consort De was straightforward, but she didn't know how to teach children; he, as the emperor, was busy with countless affairs of state, and the time he could devote to each of his children was even more limited.

The warm chamber fell silent, with only the dripping of the water clock breaking the silence.

After a long silence, Zhao Heng suddenly changed the subject: "Your policy of 'using commerce to weaken the army' has been the subject of much debate in the court. Now that the border is unstable and the Northern Barbarians are frequently harassing the frontier, how would you respond?"

This was a test, a probing exercise. Lu Qingyan knew it perfectly well. He gathered his thoughts and slowly said, "I believe the solution can be divided into three steps. First, strengthen the foundation. The northern barbarians often raid the border because the grass withers in autumn and winter, forcing them to make a living. We can set up a border market to exchange tea, salt, and cloth for their cattle and sheep, so that they have something to rely on and will not need to plunder."

"Secondly, strengthen the army. The border troops are stationed year-round, and their food, supplies, and equipment must be sufficient. The Ministry of Works can be ordered to improve the weapons, the Ministry of Revenue to ensure the supply of food, and the Ministry of War to rotate the garrison troops regularly to ensure that the fighting capacity does not decline."

"Thirdly, we must win their hearts and minds." He paused. "The Northern Di are not a monolithic entity. The Left Wise King's tribe and the Right Wise King's tribe have a long-standing feud. We can send envoys to secretly contact them and divide their forces. At the same time, we should treat the Di tribes that have submitted to us on the border well, so as to demonstrate the benevolence of the Celestial Dynasty and make them yearn for it."

As Zhao Heng listened, his fingers unconsciously tapped the imperial desk. This view differed from both the pro-war and pro-peace factions in the court; it seemed more like that of a pragmatist.

"If I were to order you to write a detailed report, could you do it?"

Lu Qingyan rose and knelt down: "Your subject will certainly do his utmost."

"Alright." Zhao Heng nodded. "I'll give you ten days. Once you've finished writing, present it directly to me."

"I obey your decree."

It was already late afternoon when Lu Qingyan emerged from the East Warm Pavilion. The summer sun was still blazing, casting a blinding white light on the palace walls. Lu Qingyan walked along the long palace path, the bluestone pavement scorching hot from the sun.

The Emperor's summons today, seemingly casual, was in fact a test in every word. The affirmation of the Third Prince's education was an act of kindness; the order to write a report on the border was a mandate. A combination of kindness and severity—the Emperor's methods.

When he returned to the Hanlin Academy, it was already time to go home. The duty room was empty, except for Editor Wang, who was still organizing documents. Seeing him return, Editor Wang leaned over and whispered, "Brother Lu, you're finally back. Vice Minister Zhou came by this afternoon and sat with Scholar Li for half an hour."

Zhou Yannian? Lu Qingyan's heart skipped a beat: "Do you know why?"

"I don't know," Editor Wang shook his head. "But when Vice Minister Zhou came out, he didn't look too good. Scholar Li later summoned two senior editors in, as if they were discussing the procedures for the reshuffling of Hanlin Academy personnel after the autumn harvest."

The autumn transfer... Lu Qingyan remembered that Li Mubai had said that Zhou Wenyuan should be sent out for training. It seems that Zhou Yannian came for this matter.

"Thank you for informing me, Brother Wang."

"Brother Lu, you're too kind." Editor Wang hesitated for a moment. "There's something else... I heard that Vice Minister Zhou has recently been investigating the disaster relief accounts for the floods in the Yangtze and Huai River basins this spring. It seems that your in-laws'... the grain store under the Duke's mansion is also being investigated."

Lu Qingyan's expression remained unchanged: "Disaster relief accounts are of great importance, so it is only right to check them."

Despite saying that, his heart sank. Was Zhou Yannian going to dig up old grievances about the Yun family? Or was the investigation just a pretext, and his real target was Lu Qingyan?

By the time he returned to Wutong Lane, it was already dark. Yun Shuwei was looking at account books under the lamp. Seeing him return, she put down the account books and greeted him: "How was your day? What did the Emperor summon you for?"

Lu Qingyan recounted his audience with the Emperor, omitting the part about Vice Minister Zhou's auditing of the accounts. After listening, Yun Shuwei pondered and said, "The Emperor has asked you to write a report on the border, which means he intends to give you an important position." She paused, "However, in doing so, I'm afraid those military generals in the court will see you as an even bigger thorn in their side."

"I know," Lu Qingyan said, removing his official robe, "but the imperial decree is difficult to disobey."

"I understand." Yun Shuwei helped him hang up his clothes. "What information do you need? I'll have Lin Mama find it. Although the Duke's mansion isn't involved in military or political affairs, some old border reports and maps might be useful."

Thank you for your help.

"Between husband and wife, there's no need for thanks." Yun Shu smiled and turned to give instructions for dinner.

Night had fallen, and the study was brightly lit by candlelight. Lu Qingyan spread out papers and began drafting the outline of his proposal. The border situation, the details of the trade agreement, the improvement of military equipment, the strategy of divide and conquer... each and every matter required data support, references to classical texts, and, most importantly, practical feasibility.

This is not a policy essay for the imperial examination; it is a strategy for governing the country to be presented to the emperor. If written well, one's future will be bright; if written poorly, one may face utter ruin.

The sound of the night watchman's drum came from outside the window; it was the second watch of the night.

Yun Shuwei brought in a cup of ginseng tea and gently placed it on the table: "Don't stay up too late."

"It'll be done soon." Lu Qingyan rubbed his temples. "You should rest first."

Yun Shuwei didn't leave. She sat down opposite him and picked up the few pages he had written, examining them closely. The candlelight illuminated her earnest profile. After a long while, she said softly, "Lu Qingyan, if your proposal, Chen Ruozhen, is adopted, it will affect the interests of too many people. Border generals, Ministry of Revenue officials, and even merchants who profit from border trade will see you as an enemy."

"I know." Lu Qingyan put down his pen. "But some things just have to be done."

Yun Shu looked at him, a complex expression in her eyes. She recalled her mother Wang's advice when she first married him: "Qingyan comes from a humble background. If he wants to gain a foothold in the court, he must proceed cautiously and not be reckless."

But her husband never seemed to intend to "take things one step at a time".

"Don't worry," Lu Qingyan suddenly spoke, his voice gentle, "I won't act rashly. I know how to write this clause and to what extent."

Yun Shu was slightly taken aback, then smiled: "You know what I'm worried about."

"When husband and wife are of one mind, they will naturally know." Lu Qingyan smiled, a smile that contained both weariness and determination.

The candlelight flickered, casting their shadows on the wall, where they overlapped.

That night, Lu Qingyan wrote until the third watch. He knew this was just the beginning. The road ahead was long, and storms were brewing.