The Heir

Сhарtеr 119: Zеng Yiрin Has Disарреаred

The Тiаn family hаd actuаllу аrrivеd in Nаnjing оver a mоnth earlier than the Li familу, hаving cоme аt thе еnd оf last уеаr. Еvеrything hаd been prерarеd by the eldеst son of thе Tian fаmilу. Ноwеvеr, аs the Huizhоu Ink Wоrkshoр wаs thе foundаtion оf thе Tian fаmilу, and with thе need to оversee thе рrоductiоn of Tribute Ink, Тiаn Вenсhаng simрlу соuld not lеаve.

Оriginallу, it was agrеed thаt Оld Мastеr Тiаn wоuld come, but аfter the New Year, hе caught a сold and hаd beеn in рoоr health ever since. Thus, Tian Er seized this opportunity.

As a result, when Tian Er and Tian Ronghua arrived in Nanjing, although the Tian family’s ink workshop had not officially opened, everything had already been prepared. They were only waiting for an auspicious day to commence business. Therefore, Tian Er and Zhen Niang arrived in Nanjing together, but the Tian family’s opening preceded the Li family’s by nearly two months. Moreover, the workshop was fully equipped with masters, workers, and materials.

Thus, upon obtaining the Li family’s Liquid Ink formula, Tian Er wasted no time. He selected a few masters and entered an independent workshop to begin trial production of Liquid Ink.

Such independent workshops, known in later times as research and development laboratories, were indispensable for every ink workshop and were also the lifeblood of each establishment.

Once inside the workshop, the masters and workers busied themselves. For them, trialing a new ink was an exciting endeavor. Tian Er, for once, did not find it tedious to stay with the masters and workers, while Tian Ronghua kept a close watch, even personally handling some of the processes.

The Tian siblings, having entered the ink-making trade midway, naturally could not compare to Li Zhenniang in terms of skill. However, they had the advantage of managing the original team from the Luo Family’s ink workshop. Moreover, due to the Pine Blight outbreak in the previous two years, many small ink workshops had either shut down or merged. The Tian family had successfully recruited a considerable number of talents. Therefore, even though the Tian siblings were newcomers to the trade, as long as they did not give misguided orders, the overall level of the Tian family’s Ink-making Technique was not lacking.

Thus, the Tian siblings, along with several masters, worked from noon until the lamps were lit in the evening. Finally, the Liquid Ink was produced. They had several people test the ink and even specifically sent someone to purchase a few bottles of ink from the Li family for comparison. The results were identical.

Only then did Tian Ronghua breathe a sigh of relief. Tian Er was even more smug, feeling almost as clever as the ancient strategist Zhuge Liang.

“Second Brother, just to be safe, why don’t you go buy a few bottles of ink from the Zhu family to test as well?” Tian Ronghua still felt somewhat uneasy.

“There’s no need. I’ve already obtained the ink formula from the Zhu family’s side, and it’s exactly the same as the one Master Zeng got from the Li family. I was worried that the Li family might be guarding against the Zhu family and not sharing the real formula, which is why I had Master Zeng obtain another copy from the Li family. Who would have thought Li Zhenniang would be so generous? To share the ink formula she worked so hard to develop just like that—heh.” Tian Er dismissed the idea with a shrug.

After all, if it were the Tian family, such a thing would be absolutely impossible.

“Li Zhenniang is determined to pull the Zhu family into competing with us for a share of the Nanjing ink market, so naturally, she must cooperate sincerely with them,” Tian Ronghua said. If the Li family hadn’t given the Zhu family a hand, the Zhu family might have already left Nanjing in disgrace, just like the Wei family.

To be honest, Tian Ronghua still held some admiration for Li Zhenniang’s business acumen.However, people truly need experience. Although her second brother's actions this time were somewhat underhanded, the plan was quite meticulous—from initially taking out his anger on Master Zeng, to successively stealing the ink formulas of the Zhu and Li families. Only in this way could it be foolproof.

Second Brother had indeed grown more capable. With that, the heavy stone in Tian Ronghua's heart finally settled.

"Hmph, trying to compete with us? Let's see how they fight me this time. Steward Fang, prepare enough materials. Keep an eye on things. Go all out in producing liquid ink. When the time comes, I'll lower the prices. Competing with me? I'll drive them to ruin," Tian Er said viciously.

At this point, Tian Ronghua naturally wouldn't stop her second brother. The business world was like a battlefield. Since the Tian and Li families had already clashed, they would fight to the end.

In the following days, the Tian family ramped up production of liquid ink. Of course, this matter was kept strictly confidential, with no news leaking to the outside. They only planned to stockpile a large quantity of liquid ink and then launch it all at once into the ink market, using massive quantities and low prices to crush the small market share the Li and Zhu families had just managed to consolidate, thereby driving both families to ruin.

The Li family, of course, knew nothing of the Tian family's schemes.

It was just that ever since Master Zeng requested leave that day and left with his son, he had never returned to the Li Family Ink Manor, nor had he sent any message back. Naturally, the people at the Li Family Ink Manor were growing suspicious.

"Miss Zhen, Master Zeng hasn't returned for several days. Could something have happened to him?" While producing liquid ink, Ma Shifu, who used to handle the pounding and grinding, was now in charge of stirring the ink mixture. This step was also crucial for liquid ink, requiring considerable strength, so naturally, it fell to Ma Shifu.

After finishing his work, Ma Shifu sat down and said in a muffled voice to Li Zhenniang, who was directing people to affix labels onto bottles nearby.

Hearing Ma Shifu's words, the corners of Zhenniang's mouth lifted slightly. She had a rough idea of what might be going on, but after a moment's thought, she nodded. "Alright, when Master Zheng returns later, have him take two people and check on Master Zeng. If he's truly facing difficulties, we should lend a hand."

"That makes sense," Ma Shifu nodded and went back to his work.

Zhenniang watched for a while in the Ink Workshop before returning to the front of the Ink Manor. In the manor, customers came and went in small groups, with several clerks introducing various inks to them.

Zhenniang had already instructed the clerks that even if customers showed no intention to buy ink, they should greet them warmly and do their best to introduce Li Mo. Not buying this time didn’t mean they wouldn’t buy next time. Leaving a good impression would gradually improve business.

Afterward, Zhenniang went to check the accounts.

Not long after, Zheng Fuli returned, slightly tipsy from drinking. Business entertainment was unavoidable, and as a young woman, Zhenniang wasn’t well-suited to attend such occasions. Therefore, most business-related socializing was handled by Zheng Fuli. Nowadays, many traveling merchants were eyeing the Li family's liquid ink, each hoping to secure a supply. The Li family had established procedures for this, leaving little room for exploitation. These merchants aimed to build good relationships, so drinking gatherings were frequent. Refusing them would be unwise, so these days, Zheng Fuli attended one drinking event after another.

Most of these drinking sessions took place in the brothels along the Qinhuai River. Fortunately, Zheng Fuli was not yet married, or else his wife would surely have been consumed by jealousy.However, Hua'er had recently been voicing some complaints about this, often whispering in Zhen Niang's ear that Manager Zheng had gone astray and urging Zhen Niang to keep an eye on him.

Zhen Niang found it both amusing and exasperating. To be honest, as long as it wasn't her own husband, she was quite pleased with such matters. After all, Zheng Fuli was, in a way, "sacrificing himself" for the Li Family Ink Workshop—a reason to raise a toast.

Moreover, Zheng Fuli had been personally trained by Steward Shao. Although Steward Shao had not been particularly deferential to Zhen Niang back then, he was truly a model of loyalty to the Li family's main lineage. It could be said that if it weren't for Steward Shao helping her Seventh Grandmother hold things together in those years, the Li Family Ink Workshop might not have maintained its current standing. Zheng Fuli had grown up by Steward Shao's side, and though he sometimes had a tendency to think too highly of himself, if you could impress him with genuine skill, he would carry out his duties diligently and reliably.

To put it simply, since arriving in Nanjing, Zheng Fuli had been indispensable in the preparation and establishment of this ink workshop. Anyone who has opened a shop in later times knows that during the startup phase, there may not seem to be many visible tasks, but in reality, the work is incredibly tedious and complex.

All of this had been shouldered by Zheng Fuli. This was also why, when selecting people to bring over, Zhen Niang had chosen Zheng Fuli first.

Therefore, in this regard, Zhen Niang still trusted Zheng Fuli. She couldn't help but scold Hua'er with a laugh, "Stop worrying over nothing."

Then she teased, "If you're so concerned, why don't you keep an eye on him yourself?" Her words carried a hint of ambiguity. She had expected Hua'er to react with shy annoyance, but instead, Hua'er nodded seriously and said, "Alright, I'll keep an eye on him."

This left Zhen Niang both amused and exasperated.

At that moment, seeing Zheng Fuli looking flushed from drinking, Zhen Niang asked him to sit down and rest for a while. She also instructed a shop assistant to prepare some sobering soup.

Zheng Fuli was clearly excited. After sitting down, he spoke with a tipsy enthusiasm, "Miss Zhen, ink merchants from Shandong, Shanxi, Wuxi, Hangzhou, and Wuhu all want to source goods from us. Oh, and today at the banquet, there was a merchant from Zhoushan Island who was also very interested in our Li ink. I suspect they operate via sea routes. What do you think, Miss Zhen? Should we explore this avenue?"

As he spoke, Zheng Fuli looked at Miss Zhen's calm face, his eyes growing somewhat shadowy.

A restless urge stirred within him, wishing he could accomplish something remarkable so that Miss Zhen wouldn't look down on him.

"This route isn't urgent for now," Zhen Niang said after some thought. "Sea routes are still under embargo, and our Li ink is still in the foundational stage. Haste makes waste." In truth, this sea route had long been part of her plans, but she intended to reserve it for Wang Cuiqiao. Only when Longqing lifted the maritime ban would it become a true golden route.

For now, the upcoming autumn and the following spring were the periods for the Li family to focus intensely on producing and stockpiling ink.

Of course, the timing wasn't right yet, so this plan couldn't be revealed for the time being.

"Miss Zhen, this is a rare opportunity," Zheng Fuli said anxiously. "The merchant from Zhoushan seems quite resourceful. Why don't we send a batch of ink to test the waters?"

"I said, let's not discuss this for now," Zhen Niang waved her hand dismissively. Zheng Fuli's reasoning wasn't wrong by conventional standards, but the timing he perceived wasn't the timing Zhen Niang had in mind. She didn't want to continue this discussion any further.Seeing Zhen Niang make her decision, Zheng Fuli felt a pang of frustration in his heart, thinking it a pity. After all, she was a woman—her courage was small, and her vision somewhat narrow.

With that, he lost interest and excused himself to return to his room to rest. Beside the Ink Workshop stood a row of single-story houses where the ink artisans lived, separated from the rear courtyard of the Li residence—essentially a workers' dormitory area.

Given the circumstances, Zheng Fuli naturally couldn’t go looking for Master Zeng again. In the end, Zhen Niang sent Ma Shifu with two assistants instead.

Ma Shifu and the two assistants returned not long after, their expressions grave.

"Miss Zhen, Master Zeng and his entire family have disappeared," Ma Shifu said anxiously as soon as he entered, finding Li Zhenniang.

"What happened?" Zhen Niang asked, frowning.

"I’m not entirely sure. When we arrived at Master Zeng’s house, it was already empty. I asked the neighbors, and they said the family moved away a few days ago. As for where they went, no one seems to know. Oh, and I also asked about Master Zeng’s father-in-law. The neighbors said he passed away long ago, meaning the story Zeng’s son told when he came looking for him was a lie," Ma Shifu reported seriously. Even with his straightforward nature, he could tell something was off about Master Zeng.

"In that case, let it be. If the sky wants to rain or a mother wants to remarry, there’s no stopping it," Zhen Niang said, narrowing her eyes. It was clear—Master Zeng had achieved his goal and had gone off to pursue his own ambitions.

"This seems strange to me. Maybe we should have Er Gou look into it. He has more unconventional connections," Ma Shifu suggested. Master Zeng had seen quite a bit during his time at the Ink Workshop, and Ma Shifu felt uneasy.

"No need. The Zhu family still relies on Er Gou for now. As for Master Zeng, let him go," Zhen Niang replied calmly.

Hearing this, Ma Shifu said no more and went about his own tasks.

After Ma Shifu returned to the Ink Workshop in the rear courtyard, Zhen Niang sat alone, sipping tea. Her eyes held a playful glint, and the corners of her mouth curled into a faint smile. If Seventh Grandmother or Third Master Cheng were here, they would surely recognize that this girl was up to no good again—someone was about to face misfortune.