The Heir

Сhарter 131: Oрроrtunitу

In thе following daуs, within thе ink industry, mediсinal ink undoubtеdlу bесаmе a hot tоpic. If there had beеn sоmething likе a sеаrсh еngine trеnding list bасk thеn, it wоuld likelу have rankеd аmong thе top seаrches.

Lаte summer, thе wеаthеr rеmаinеd sweltering.

Рrinсess Ning Аn’s Villа.

Рrincеss Ning An, drеssеd in a pаlе greеn gauze robе woven with gold thrеаd, sаt with her сonsort, Li Hе, in а smаll pаviliоn in thе gаrdеn, siрping tеа. Neаrby, wаter tricklеd gentlу оvеr a rосkеrу, and a light breеze brushed past, crеating a scеne of рerfесt leisurе and tranquility.

Princess Ning An’s main residence was naturally in the capital. However, since the beginning of the year, Emperor Jiajing’s health had been deteriorating day by day, and no amount of elixirs seemed to help. As a result, the court situation had grown somewhat chaotic, with princes and nobles each harboring their own schemes.

Ever since her mother, Consort Duan, was falsely accused during the Renyin Palace Incident and subsequently executed by dismemberment, Princess Ning An had lived in constant fear within the palace. She had come to understand all too well the cruelty of imperial indifference, which made her more cautious than her siblings.

Even after several years of marriage, she had never let her guard down.

Thus, at the start of the year, citing poor health, she had taken her consort and retreated to her villa in Nanjing, distancing herself from the turmoil in the capital.

Seeking peace and quiet. Additionally, she was preparing a gift for Noble Consort Shen’s birthday.

“Has the Ink Affairs Bureau selected an ink workshop to produce the Longevity Ink yet?” Princess Ning An took a sip of tea and asked Li He beside her.

“Not yet. Originally, the Ink Affairs Bureau favored the Tian family, as they are a Tribute Ink manufacturer with high qualifications. However, due to the recent Ink Incident involving the Tian family, the bureau is now conducting a re-evaluation,” Li He replied with a nod. Although he understood that the so-called re-evaluation was merely a formality, it wouldn’t be long before the bureau recommended entrusting the production of the Longevity Ink to the Tian family.

Of course, there was no need for Li He to spell this out—the princess would understand on her own.

“Oh, I see,” Princess Ning An nodded slightly. She then added, “By the way, recently, while enjoying the cool and having tea with Lady Qin and others, I’ve frequently heard the name Li Family Medicinal Ink. Is this Li Mo the Huizhou Li family you mentioned before?”

“Yes, the Huizhou Li family is also a famous ink maker. There was once a saying, ‘Gold is easy to obtain, but Li Mo is hard to come by.’ However, even the most glorious eras eventually fade. Li Mo hasn’t made much of a name for itself in recent years, but the current head of the Li family is quite ambitious. From the looks of it, he aims to restore Li Mo’s former glory,” Li He said with a smile.

When preparations for the Longevity Ink first began, Luo Jiu had recommended Li Mo, and Li He had mentioned it to the princess. However, at the time, Princess Ning An had already decided it would be better to leave the ink production to the Ink Affairs Bureau, which naturally favored the Tian family. In the end, he didn’t bring it up again.

Now, with the Li Family Medicinal Ink gaining fame and the Tian family embroiled in the Ink Incident, the Ink Affairs Bureau’s so-called re-evaluation seemed to focus solely on the Tian family. It was essentially just a formality.

Though Princess Ning An didn’t voice it, she was somewhat dissatisfied with the Ink Affairs Bureau’s handling of the matter, which was why she brought up Li Mo today.

Hearing Li He’s words, Princess Ning An glanced sideways at him, her expression neutral, and remarked, “You seem quite familiar with the head of the Li family.”As the fame of Medicinal Ink spread, so did the news that the great manager of Li Mo was a young woman. Some women gossiped privately, with disdain among them, but there were also those who valued her.

“I wouldn’t say I know her well, but I’ve heard quite a bit. Luo Jiu, as you know, has some history with this great manager of Li Mo. It’s said that when Luo Jiu left Huizhou, he borrowed money from her. But that fellow is shameless—now that he’s built up such wealth, he still has the nerve to tell her he’s temporarily short and will repay when convenient. So, the borrowed money remains unpaid to this day. It’s truly hard to watch,” Li He said with a shake of his head and a laugh.

“I think he just doesn’t want to repay it,” Princess Ning An chuckled. After a moment’s thought, she added, “You’re reserved and proud by nature. Since marrying me, you’ve lost touch with many old friends. Now, Luo Jiu is one of the few you can still talk to. Let’s give him some face and let the Li family try as well.”

“Alright,” Li He nodded, offering no polite words. Princess Ning An, having grown up differently, remained strong-willed. If not for the rising reputation of Li Family Medicinal Ink catching her attention, she wouldn’t have mentioned the Li family.

Princess Ning An had intended to show goodwill, so she couldn’t help but feel irked by Li He’s matter-of-fact attitude. She let out a soft humph. “Hmm, sending a special invitation to the Li family wouldn’t be appropriate—it would make our princess manor seem unfair to other Ink Makers. Instead, let’s post a notice: the princess manor intends to produce Birthday Ink. Any capable Ink Maker may participate in the selection. The winner will receive the Ink Production Rights and be formally appointed as our princess manor’s Ink Production Official. That’s it. Discuss with the Ink Affairs Bureau and draft a plan.”

With that, she flicked her sleeve, stood up, and left with her maids.

“Alright,” Li He stood up, his tone still calm. Watching Princess Ning An’s retreating figure, he shook his head. In truth, Princess Ning An wasn’t bad. Over the years of marriage, she had at least given him the respect he deserved. But all princesses in this world shared the same flaw: they took others’ kindness for granted, while expecting gratitude for their own.

Because of this, such minor frictions between husband and wife had never ceased.

Well, take it slow. There was plenty of time.

Zhen Niang had no idea that because of Li Mo’s affairs, a subtle contest between princess and consort was unfolding in the princess manor, a place entirely unrelated to her.

Nor did she know that Li Mo’s development was about to encounter a crucial opportunity.

It was already late summer, with a chill creeping in during mornings and evenings.

As her sister-in-law was nearing childbirth and the tung oil sales issue had been resolved, Zhao Shi and Li Dalang returned to Huizhou. Meanwhile, Ink Manor was bustling with activity as autumn approached—the prime season for ink production.

Spring and autumn were both seasons for Ink Stockpiling.

In the evening, after a long day’s work, Zhen Niang finally took a break. The recent weather had been rather dry, so she held a bowl of chrysanthemum tea and stood at the doorway chatting with Yao Niangzi from the neighboring cloth shop.

“Miss Zhen, did you know? Ge Dana is dead,” Yao Niangzi whispered mysteriously. Her cloth shop had been open for many years, and with her gift for drawing people in, business was thriving. Since her customers were mostly wives from various households, her news was always remarkably well-informed."How could that be? I thought it was just penal servitude, at most exile?" Zhen Niang's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.

"They say he committed suicide in prison out of guilt, but actually, let me tell you—I heard he was murdered in his cell." As Yao Niangzi spoke, she gave Zhen Niang a knowing look.

Zhen Niang understood her meaning perfectly. There was no need to say more—this was undoubtedly Huang Lang’s doing, having bribed someone to carry it out. After all, he and Ge Dana were already mortal enemies. As long as Ge Dana lived, Huang Lang would never have peace of mind.

"What about Ge Qiu Jie?" Zhen Niang inquired further.

"I heard she disappeared after claiming her father’s body." Yao Niangzi replied, shaking her head and sighing inwardly. If Ge Qiu Jie hadn’t divorced Li Zheng Ping back then, she would at least have had a place to stay now. But as things stood, she probably couldn’t even find shelter.

Listening to this, Zhen Niang could only sigh at the unpredictability of life. When she first arrived, the Ge family had schemed relentlessly to seize the Li family’s assets, and Ge Qiu Jie had been full of ambition. Now, it was as if the world had turned upside down.

It had been some days since Hua’er’s letter was sent. Zhengping should have received it by now, though she wondered how he would react.

Later, she would have to ask Er Gou to keep an eye out for news about Ge Qiu Jie. If she truly faced an emergency, helping her out would be the right thing to do, if only to honor the slight connection she once had with the Li family.

As Zhen Niang pondered this, she saw a carriage emerge from the Tian Family Ink Manor and speed toward the street entrance.

"Men in this world are all worthless." At that moment, Yao Niangzi glanced at the carriage and muttered under her breath.

"What’s wrong?" Zhen Niang asked curiously.

"Don’t you know? This eldest son of the Tian family may seem proper, but he’s just as dissolute. He leaves all the Ink Manor affairs to that Miss Tian, and as soon as he arrives, he spends his days inviting people to cruise the river and visit brothels. He’s no better than that Tian Er. And he even has a wife with him—he leaves her at home all day long. What a heartless man." Yao Niangzi said indignantly.

They were all from Huizhou, and as the saying goes, "those in the same trade are enemies." They had all studied their rivals to some extent. Moreover, Zhen Niang had been entangled with this eldest son of the Tian family from the very beginning, so she knew a fair bit about him.

To be fair, this eldest son of the Tian family might not necessarily be a good man, but he wasn’t the type to indulge in debauchery either. At least in Huizhou, he had few rumors of that sort. Besides, he was somewhat ambitious. The Tian Family Ink Workshop had started on a high note, and Tian Benchang’s ambition was to leverage Tian ink to secure a foothold in the imperial court.

That’s how things generally were in this world—once you had money, you sought power to ensure prosperity and glory for generations to come.

Moreover, this was a critical period for Tian ink. Given Tian Benchang’s temperament, he shouldn’t be indulging himself like this. Zhen Niang felt that Tian Benchang’s behavior might have another purpose.

"Aunt Yao, do you know who Tian Benchang has been inviting?" Zhen Niang asked curiously."I really wouldn't know about that. But once, when my late husband was trying to secure a batch of goods, he invited several cloth merchants for drinks on a painted pleasure boat. We happened to see them on the river then. From what he said, most of them were the same officials who had attended the opening ceremony of Tian ink—they seemed to be people from the imperial court." As Yao Niangzi spoke, her face twitched slightly. That day, in order to secure that batch of goods, she had spent a considerable sum of money treating those few men to drinks. Even now, thinking about it made her heart ache.

The Qinhuai River was truly not a place that families like theirs, with only modest wealth, could afford to frequent.

Hearing Yao Niangzi's words, Zhen Niang understood. Tian Benchang must have invited people from the Ink Affairs Bureau. After all, the Ink Incident had a significant impact on the Tian family, so they couldn't afford to be careless. This was only reasonable, and with that realization, Zhen Niang no longer dwelled on it.

Just then, Zheng Fuli returned, clutching account books and an abacus, followed by two young attendants, his face brimming with excitement. Seeing Zhen Niang standing at the door, he eagerly said, "Miss Zhen, what an opportunity! Princess Ning An's residence is commissioning Birthday Ink. The Ink Affairs Bureau has posted a notice: all ink makers are eligible to participate in the selection. The winner will not only gain the ink production rights but will also be officially appointed as the ink production official for the princess's residence."