The Heir

Сhарter 126: Someоnе from Huizhоu Has Аrrivеd

"Lu Quаn, whаt аrе you dоing?" Ge Xunlan asked cоldlу.

"No сhoiсе hеrе. Eunuсh Ма реrsonаlly orderеd mе to tаke you in fоr questioning," thе yamеn runnеr nаmеd Lu Quаn sаid with а helplеss еxрrеssiоn. Thеn he lеаned in and lоwеred his vоice to Gе Dana: "Brоthеr Gе, don't blаme others. Yоu just misjudgеd уour brоthеr аnd mаrriеd thе wrong wоmаn."

"Was it Нuang Lаng and that bitсh Cао Shi?" Gе Xunlаn аskеd with vеnomous eуes.

"Exactlу," Lu Quan nodded. Аs for Huаng Lang, Lu Quаn аlso lоoked down on him. Although yamen runners were considered lowly, they still had their own sense of loyalty. Huang Lang's actions were truly despicable. He shouldn't be called Huang Lang (Yellow Wolf) but rather Bai Lang (White Wolf).

Then he waved his hand, ordering the yamen runners to take the men away, while others hauled off all the goods.

"Father," Ge Qiu Jie pursed her lips and called out worriedly.

"Qiu Jie, it's fine. It's Huang Lang and that bitch Cao Shi who did this. I'll explain everything to Eunuch Ma, and it'll be sorted out. You take care of yourself. Don't pay any attention to that bitch Cao Shi. Wait for me to come back and handle it," Ge Dana snorted coldly.

"I understand," Ge Qiu Jie nodded.

Then the tax office yamen runners took both the men and the goods away.

The situation changed in an instant. One moment they were putting out the fire, and the next, Ge Dana and the two shop owners were arrested by the tax office over the warehouse tax.

The onlookers whispered among themselves. Ge Dana was no good man himself. Over the years, as the patrol officer, he had extorted plenty of money from everyone. Most merchants on the official street were pleased to see him arrested by the tax office over the warehouse tax.

They openly said that Ge Dana had finally met his day, and Eunuch Ma had done a good deed for once.

Some also remarked, "Which tiger in this world doesn't prey on people? If Ge Dana is in trouble, whoever replaces him as patrol officer might not be any better than him."

Such idle gossip continued.

Ge Qiu Jie stood at the door, her eyes fixed on the direction where Ge Xunlan and the others had left, her face full of worry. Only after they had gone far did she snap back to reality. The whispers of the people around her also reached her ears, making her even more furious. She felt that everyone in the world was utterly detestable. Ge Qiu Jie raised her eyes and glared fiercely at the crowd before slamming the door shut with a heavy thud.

At this moment, Zhen Niang also realized that this wasn't just about the warehouse tax. Combined with the adultery scandal from the previous night, she understood: this was a case of failing to kill the snake and instead being bitten by it.

Ge Xunlan was also a ruthless man. Once Cao Shi and Huang Lang's affair was exposed, even if they weren't caught red-handed, they must have known Ge Dana wouldn't let them off easily. So, they decided to go all the way and strike first.

Zhen Niang then glanced at the tightly shut, slightly charred door of the raw silk shop and shook her head. This kind of trouble was truly troublesome. To be honest, if it weren't for the lingering affection between Li Zhengping and Ge Qiu Jie, Zhen Niang would likely have been pleased to see the Ge family in this situation.

After all, no one would kindly think of someone who had been scheming against their family's property. Besides, the reason Ge Dana was tricked by Huang Lang this time ultimately came down to Ge Dana's own lack of integrity.

In short, those who live by the sword in the underworld will eventually pay the price.

With these thoughts, she dispersed along with the crowd of onlookers.The hour was nearing dusk. The setting sun slanted westward, its final lingering glow clinging to the eaves of the ancient high walls, casting a surprisingly splendid hue.

At the street corner, a carriage came rushing over. Upon reaching Zhen Niang, it paused briefly. From inside, a young woman leaned out: "Zhen Niang."

"Yuejuan?" Zhen Niang looked up, somewhat surprised. Then, noticing another face in the carriage—Tian Benchang—she understood. With such a major incident befalling the Tian family, it was only natural for Tian Benchang to come. Now that Sun Yuejuan had accompanied him, it seemed likely Tian Benchang would take over the Nanjing operations from now on.

"Miss Li, I hope that once I have settled matters here, I may invite you and Grandfather Cheng to sit down and have a proper discussion. Would you honor me with your presence?" Tian Benchang clasped his hands respectfully from the side.

"Let’s wait until you have properly handled the affairs of the Tian family’s Ink Manor first," Zhen Niang replied, neither agreeing nor refusing outright. In the end, she would judge by his words and observe his actions; it all depended on how Tian Benchang conducted himself.

"Very well, I understand," Tian Benchang said with another clasp of his hands before waving for the carriage to move on. Sun Yuejuan smiled at Zhen Niang once more, and Zhen Niang nodded in return.

Once close friends, their differing circumstances had long since made it impossible to return to the intimacy of the past. At least in Zhen Niang’s eyes, although Sun Yuejuan’s smile at this moment was genuine, it carried a deliberate weight. Some of her true nature had been lost. By Sun Yuejuan’s original temperament, showing closeness would not have been through such a gentle smile but rather through playful scolding—perhaps even complaining that Zhen Niang had forgotten her or accusing her of being money-minded and lacking loyalty.

But now, not a single word of that sort was spoken—only that gentle smile. Perhaps this was the price of growing up.

In their youth, girls could laugh and scold without a care, but once married and becoming wives, they were expected to embody gentleness, kindness, virtue, and chastity.

With these thoughts, Zhen Niang returned to Ink Manor. It was closing time, and the shop assistants were shutting the doors when another carriage stopped in front of the Li Family Ink Manor.

Turning around, Zhen Niang looked at the person stepping down from the carriage and was instantly overjoyed. "Elder Brother, you’ve come! Why didn’t you write ahead so I could have met you?"

"What’s the point of writing? By the time a letter arrived, we could have taken the boat and gotten here ourselves," said Li Dalang, turning to help another person down from the carriage—their mother, Zhao Shi.

Zhao Shi and Li Zhenliang had traveled on the same boat as Tian Benchang’s party. Tian Benchang had initially invited Zhao Shi to share his carriage, but Zhao Shi, with her straightforward and unforgiving nature, completely ignored him. Meanwhile, Tian Benchang, anxious about his family affairs, hired a carriage as soon as they disembarked, naturally arriving a step ahead.

Zhao Shi and Li Zhenliang thus arrived a little later.

Now, beyond surprise, Zhen Niang was filled with immense delight, her face beaming with a smile. "Mother, how come you’re here too?"

"What kind of question is that? Aren’t you welcoming your mother?" Zhao Shi still had her old temper, quick to show displeasure at the slightest disagreement.

As for why Zhao Shi had suddenly come to Nanjing—the truth was that the family’s livelihood was no longer as difficult as when Zhen Niang first arrived. A comfortable life was now assured, and there was no longer any need for Zhao Shi to toil day and night with all her strength.Old Master Li could now return to the Ink Workshop. His health had improved remarkably, as if he had taken some miraculous elixir. He was much more robust. With Old Master Li doing well, Wu Shi, who shared his fate as husband and wife, also regained her vitality. With both of them in better health, Zhao Shi naturally had much less to worry about.

Moreover, there was Zheng Shi at home, who was never idle. Although Du Shi was pregnant, she had a sister-in-law to look after her, and with five months already passed, she was in a stable period, so Zhao Shi didn’t need to fuss over her either.

Thus, Zhao Shi found herself quite idle. And with this idleness came thoughts of her daughter. Counting on her fingers, she realized her daughter had come to Nanjing after the first lunar month, and it was now the seventh month—almost half a year. After all, she was a young woman. Although the letters she wrote home were always filled with good news, Zhen Niang had a strong-willed personality. If anything happened, she was likely to share only the good and hide the troubles. Coincidentally, Li Dalang was coming to Nanjing to explore tung oil opportunities. Zhao Shi thought that since she had free time now, she might as well come along to see her daughter. Once Du Shi gave birth, she likely wouldn’t have the chance again.

So, she accompanied Li Dalang to Nanjing, giving Zhen Niang a truly delightful surprise.

“How could that be? I’m just so pleasantly surprised that I’m at a loss for words,” Zhen Niang replied. When dealing with Zhao Shi, she had her own methods—a bit of thick skin and some clever words were enough to please her mother.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Zhao Shi was delighted and affectionately patted Zhen Niang’s head. Zhen Niang warmly linked arms with her mother and led her inside, while Xiao Ya followed behind to pay for the carriage.

In the wooden building at the back courtyard, Huang Shi was chatting with Ma Sao, discussing the Ge family’s affairs. When Zhen Niang entered, Huang Shi was still inquiring about what exactly had happened with the Ge family. Unexpectedly, she saw Zhao Shi following closely behind and exclaimed with delight, “Oh, Sister Jingfu is here!”

She immediately called out, instructing Ma Sao to prepare a room and telling the cook to add more dishes. Then she invited Zhao Shi to sit down. Although the two sisters-in-law hadn’t interacted much in the past—one straightforward, the other pure-hearted—when the Li family’s eighth branch moved back to the old residence, Huang Shi and Zhao Shi had gotten along particularly well. Now, as they sat down, they had endless things to talk about.

Huang Shi asked about matters in Huizhou, while Zhao Shi inquired about life in Nanjing. Zhen Niang listened with great interest on the side.

The improvement in her grandparents’ health was within Zhen Niang’s expectations. It was a matter of spirit. Grandfather’s poor health had always stemmed from his unresolved worries about the Ink Workshop. Now that the workshop’s affairs had stabilized and the eighth branch had successfully regained their shares, Old Master Li’s burden was lifted, and his spirits naturally improved.

However, when discussing the eighth branch’s return to the Ink Workshop, the topic inevitably turned to Li Jingfu. In his last letter, Li Jingfu had mentioned his desire to earn money to buy back the eighth branch’s shares in the Ink Workshop, hoping to redeem his past mistakes. Although Zhen Niang had already fulfilled this wish for him, Li Jingfu himself was gone—neither seen alive nor found in death.

It was a somewhat sorrowful thought.

“Sister Jingfu, try to take it easy. This is the fate of us Li family wives,” Huang Shi comforted Zhao Shi.

After all, more than a year had passed since the incident, and the initial grief had gradually subsided. Zhao Shi smiled, indicating that she had come to terms with it and no longer dwelled on it.

Just then, dinner was served, and the conversation shifted to other matters.At the dinner table, Zhao Shi recalled how Huang Shi had asked Zhen Niang about the Ge family when they first arrived, so she curiously inquired as well.

Zhen Niang recounted the events of the afternoon and added, "The Ge family is in quite a troublesome situation this time. If things go badly, they might lose everything."

"Serves them right," Zhao Shi said bluntly. Back when Old Madam Li returned to Huizhou with Li Jingming's family, she had mentioned the Ge family's affairs to Eighth Master Li. Naturally, Eighth Master Li later discussed it with Wu Shi, who couldn't help but praise Zhen Niang in front of Zhao Shi. Through this, Zhao Shi had learned about the Ge family's schemes.

Knowing that the Ge family was no good, she felt their current troubles were self-inflicted. Of course, Huang Lang and Cao Shi were even worse.

"By the way, how is Zhengping doing now?" Huang Shi asked again.

"Well, Zhengping is doing fine. When Zhenliang came over this time, we asked him to help look after the family's oil mill. He's very diligent, but he's a bit too quiet—hardly says a word all day. His mother even found a matchmaker to arrange a marriage for him, but he paid no attention, which infuriated her. She scolds him all the time," Zhao Shi said, frowning slightly.

"That child Zhengping carries a heavy heart. After all, he once shared a bed with Ge Qiu Jie, so there must be some lingering affection. He probably hasn't fully moved on yet. Sister-in-law Jingming is too impatient," Huang Shi sighed.

"Exactly," Zhao Shi nodded.

And so, they chatted idly for a while. Though trivial, their conversation carried a warm and comforting tone.