Chаpter 132: Тhоsе Whо Livе bу Their Сraft Speak with Their Skills
"Is this truе?" Zhеn Niang's еyеs sраrklеd upоn hеаring this. Тhе Anсient Yu Mi Ink had bееn sucсessfully prоduced, but it wаs like a уоung lаdу hiddеn аwаy in a dееp bоudоir, unknоwn to аnyоnе. Zhen Niang hаd bеen struggling tо find the right opрortunity to intrоduсе the Аncient Yu Mi Ink. Rеgаrdlеss of whеthеr thеу соuld ultimatеlу win, this was аn eхcellеnt chаnсе to lаunсh it.
"Сhiеf Managеr, it's absolutely true. Нow could thе noticе pоstеd at thе entrance of the Ink Affairs Bureau be fake?" A Tang, who had come with Zheng Fuli, said with a smile.
"Excellent." Zhen Niang couldn't help but smile, her eyes narrowing. No matter what, this was a perfect opportunity.
This time, she had to give it her all.
Suddenly, Zhen Niang understood why Tian Benchang had been frequently hosting banquets for the Ink Affairs Bureau officials lately. It wasn't just to mitigate the impact of the previous Ink Incident but also for this birthday ink matter.
The Tian Family had clearly received the news early on.
It was even possible that, given the relationship between the Ink Affairs Bureau and the Tian Family, the Birthday Ink commission might have been initially reserved for the Tians. Unfortunately, Tian Er had been too incompetent, causing the Ink Incident, which likely shook the princess's confidence. That was why this fair Ink Competition had been opened up. A great opportunity had been squandered by Tian Er's blunder. Tian Benchang must be suffering in silence now.
Tian Benchang truly was suffering in silence.
He never expected things to take such an abrupt turn.
After the Ink Incident, although the Ink Affairs Bureau had announced a re-evaluation, it was mostly just an excuse to extract some benefits. Otherwise, why would only the Tian Family be subjected to such scrutiny? Knowing the underlying tricks, Tian Benchang, despite hating his younger brother for his incompetence and troublemaking, believed there was still room for recovery. That was why he had been indulging the Ink Affairs Bureau officials with lavish hospitality lately. The bureau officials had practically guaranteed that the Birthday Ink commission would go to the Tian Family.
As for the princess, there was absolutely no problem.
But who could have guessed that things would change as unpredictably as the weather in June? What was supposed to be foolproof had gone awry.
He was both furious and helpless. He couldn't afford to truly antagonize the Ink Affairs Bureau, as the Tribute Ink business involved frequent dealings with them. Offending the bureau could lead to complications in future Tribute Ink submissions, which would be unbearable.
Moreover, the Ink Affairs Bureau owed the Tian Family a favor this time.
As for this Ink Competition, to be honest, Tian Benchang wasn't worried about others, including the Cheng Family. The Chengs had only recently arrived in Nanjing and hadn't fully established themselves yet, so they couldn't compete with the Tian Family. The only concern was the Li Family, or rather, Li Zhenniang. For some reason, no matter how favorable the situation or how much advantage he held, he always ended up losing to that girl. Thinking about this, Tian Benchang felt an indescribable bitterness.
If only the Tian Family hadn't broken off the engagement back then, what a tremendous asset Li Zhenniang would have been to the Tian Family now. They had truly underestimated her. But now, it was all water under the bridge.
Enough of these thoughts—dwelling on them was pointless. In the end, the Ink Affairs Bureau owed him an explanation. Besides, those who accepted favors would find it hard to refuse. Over the past two years, the bureau had taken far more than just a little from the Tian Family. Now was the perfect time to call in a favor. For the master craftsman to lead the Tian Family's Ink Competition efforts, Tian Benchang decided to borrow someone from the Ink Affairs Bureau.
The person he borrowed was Qi Chun, one of the former Five Masters of Ink and now an official clerk.After all, when it came to ink competitions and ink appraisal, the Tian family was a latecomer and couldn’t compare to some of the old families. Moreover, Zeng Yipin, whom they had gone to great lengths to recruit, had now essentially betrayed the Tian family and was nowhere to be found. Currently, the Tian family’s branch in Nanjing truly lacked a master who could hold their own. While there were such masters in Huizhou, there simply wasn’t enough time.
As for the Five Masters of Ink, that was a matter of the previous generation.
Old Master Wei of the Wei family had already passed away. Luo Xiaohua of the Luo family had gone missing. Of the remaining three, one was Eighth Master Li, also known as Li Zhenniang’s grandfather, who was in Huizhou and couldn’t possibly come to participate in the Ink Competition. Third Master Cheng of the Cheng family had developed a hand tremor in recent years, making it impossible for him to personally craft ink anymore. In his estimation, the Cheng family might not even participate in the Ink Competition this time, and even if they did, they wouldn’t pose much of a threat.
Only Clerk Qi was different. He had come from the Imperial Ink Bureau of the Ministry of Works. Without the backing of a family, and in a place like the Imperial Ink Bureau, even if a lowly craftsman performed exceptionally well, the credit would always go to their superiors. If it hadn’t been for the imperial family summoning the Five Masters to craft imperial ink back then, no one would have known that such a talent was hidden within the Imperial Ink Bureau.
The reputation of the Five Masters was also established during that imperial ink-making endeavor. It was because of this that Qi Chun entered the Ink Affairs Bureau and became a clerk, overseeing ink production, inspection, and appraisal within the bureau.
With Clerk Qi’s involvement this time, the Tian family’s chances of winning the Ink Competition increased significantly. Even if the Tian family lost, it would only mean missing one opportunity to produce Birthday Ink. However, anyone who defeated Clerk Qi would inevitably offend the Ink Affairs Bureau. And offending the Ink Affairs Bureau meant losing its support, which would severely limit their future development and make them unable to compete with the Tian family.
In the end, by inviting Clerk Qi to represent them in this competition, Tian Benchang ensured that a win would bring joy to all, while a loss would still disadvantage the winner and cause minimal harm to the Tian family. It also effectively tied the Ink Affairs Bureau to the Tian family’s interests.
"Elder Brother’s move is brilliant," Tian Ronghua nodded approvingly upon hearing Tian Benchang’s plan.
"I still feel this isn’t right. Our family’s matters should ultimately be handled by our own people. Inviting an outsider to step in—if we win, it may not bring glory to the Tian family; if we lose, the outsider will lose face and might even blame us," Sun Yuejuan interjected from the side.
"Sister-in-law, you don’t understand. What do you mean by ‘not bringing glory to the Tian family’? If someone from the Ink Affairs Bureau is willing to represent the Tian family, it only proves our standing within the bureau. From now on, anyone who wants to oppose the Tian family will have to consider the reaction of the Ink Affairs Bureau," Tian Ronghua frowned, thinking that his sister-in-law’s lowly background made her perspective too shallow.
"Oh," Sun Yuejuan didn’t argue further. However, precisely because of her humble origins, she still believed that family matters should be handled by the family itself. Moreover, after her father-in-law’s incident and the Tian family’s lukewarm treatment over the past half year, Sun Yuejuan’s perspective was no longer as shallow as before.
The Ink Affairs Bureau was, after all, part of the officialdom. In dealings between commoners and officials, the commoners were often at a disadvantage. Besides, the Ink Affairs Bureau had many factions, and the infighting was intense. Why should the Tian family willingly entangle themselves in such a situation?However, Sun Yuejuan also knew she had little say in the Tian family. So she simply didn’t bother speaking further. She stood up and excused herself: “You two chat, I’ll go rest first.”
“Mm.” Tian Benchang nodded, then added, “You can visit Li Zhenniang. No need to stay cooped up at home all day.”
“Mm.” Sun Yuejuan nodded without another word, turning to return to her room.
In Tian Ronghua’s eyes, Sun Yuejuan seemed even more petty and narrow-minded, like an abacus bead—only moving when pushed.
Her background was simply too lowly. He truly couldn’t bring himself to think much of her.
Zhen Niang, for her part, was unaware of the Tian family’s schemes. But even if she had known, she wouldn’t have given up on this competition for the sake of a mere Qi Sili or the Ink Affairs Bureau. For this selection, her Li family was going all out.
Thus, in the following period, the entire Li Family Ink Manor went into full mobilization. The process of this competition was actually quite similar to the previous Tribute Ink Selection. First, each participating family would submit their ink samples, and the top five would advance to the next round.
After that came the Ink Testing Gathering, where experts would evaluate the ink from each family and ultimately decide the winner. Of course, what was being contested here wasn’t just the quality of the ink itself. Connections and influence also played a role. For example, back when the Tian family had won the Tribute Ink selection, they had used the “immortal’s judgment” tactic, making it impossible for others to refute even when they knew it was false.
However, this time, because it also concerned the ink production official position for the Princess’s estate, an additional ink appraisal round was included.
The ink appraisal round tested a much broader range of knowledge. This was different from the Ink Competition held during the Li Family Ink Manor’s opening last time—that one had mainly tested the sense of smell and memory, with a greater element of playfulness. This one, however, examined most of the knowledge within the ink industry.
In the end, if it weren’t for Zhen Niang’s vast foundation of ink-making knowledge from her past life, given her young age, even if she had started learning from the womb, she wouldn’t have stood a chance in this kind of ink appraisal contest. It wasn’t just about talent; it required long-term accumulation.
And because of this ink appraisal round, this Ink Competition became even more unpredictable.
“Young lady, how are the preparations going?” In the evening, after another busy day, Zhen Niang stepped out to relax when she saw Third Master Cheng strolling over with his hands behind his back.
“Still preparing. I’m feeling a bit nervous. When the time comes, Third Grandfather, please go easy on me. Don’t let this junior lose too badly,” Zhen Niang said half-jokingly.
“What kind of talk is that? If your grandfather were here, he’d surely scold you for boosting others’ morale while dampening your own. You compete properly, and I’ll be cheering for you from the sidelines. I heard the Tian family has enlisted help from the Ink Affairs Bureau this time. The only one who can compete with the Tian family is you, young lady,” Third Master Cheng said, his beard bristling with emotion.
“What? Third Grandfather, you’re not participating in this Ink Competition?” Hearing his words, Zhen Niang asked with surprise.
“Mm, I’m not participating. I’ve only just arrived in Nanjing and have barely set up a framework. Most of the people aren’t even in place yet. It’s too late to call anyone from Huizhou now. As for me, I’m old—I can’t participate anymore,” Third Master Cheng said, a touch of melancholy in his voice. He then reached for the teacup beside him, but a crisp clatter followed—his hand trembled like a leaf in the wind, nearly unable to hold the cup steady.Zhen Niang watched, her eyes involuntily stinging. For those who make a living by their craft, the greatest fear is a trembling hand—once the hand trembles, the rice bowl can no longer be held steady. Zhen Niang understood now why, over the years, the Cheng Family had always sought stability, avoiding even the slightest risk. The Cheng Family too had reached a time of transition, where the older generation was inevitably aging. The family had entered a period of dormancy, and it was precisely this dormancy over the next few years that would lead to the Cheng Family’s glory during the Wanli era.
“Ha, I was a bit nervous before, but now I’m not. In the Ink Competition, the only one I feared was Cheng San Yeye. Now, with Cheng San Yeye as my support, who else should I fear? I’ll definitely beat them all soundly,” Zhen Niang said with a playful tone. Cheng San Yeye was a hero of his generation in the ink industry. Though the situation was regrettable, there was no need for sorrow—birth, aging, illness, and death were simply the natural course of life.
“You, girl, compete well,” Cheng San Yeye said with mock sternness, pointing a finger in the air toward Li Zhenniang before turning and walking away with his hands clasped behind his back.
“Ugh, I’ve been tricked. This old master is forcing me to fight with all my might while he sits back and watches the tigers fight,” thought Zhen Niang, watching Old Master Cheng’s retreating figure. She recalled his earlier words about the Tian family having enlisted someone from the Ink Affairs Bureau to intervene, and only now did she realize the implication—she would be going up against the Ink Affairs Bureau.
Still, it was nothing to worry about. For those who rely on their skills, everything comes down to skill in the end.
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