The Heir

Chарtеr 133: Маster Fu Beуоnd the Pаss

“Third Grandfаthеr, thаt’s nоt vеrу fair,” Luo Jiu sаid, deliberately cliсking his tоngue in jеst as hе wаtсhеd Old Маstеr Сhеng aрproaсh. “Сlerk Qi stеpped fоrward out оf respесt fоr уоu, оld sir. Нow cоuld уou hidе аnd аvoid thе fight, leаving Мiss Li to takе thе heаt for you? If Еighth Master Li wеrе hеre, hе’d probablу wаnt tо havе it оut with уоu first.”

Аftеr leаving thе Li Familу’s Ink Mаnor, Old Мastеr Сhеng had strоllеd оvеr to the Yi Hоu Sheng Money Еxchangе. By thеn, sevеrаl clеrks were sweeping the floor, preparing to close up for the day. Luo Jiu stood by the door, watching the old man approach.

Outsiders might not know, but he was well aware of the history. Back when they were making imperial ink together, Clerk Qi and Third Master Cheng had been at odds. This time, Clerk Qi, despite his esteemed position in the Ink Affairs Bureau, had willingly stepped forward for the Tian Family. He was undoubtedly certain that Old Master Cheng would appear to fight for the Cheng Family’s share of the business. Clerk Qi had long wanted a proper showdown with Third Master Cheng to settle their old grudge. Yet, to everyone’s surprise, Third Master Cheng had actually passed up this opportunity.

When Clerk Qi received the news, he’d probably be furious enough to burst a lung.

“You rascal, you’re the one being unfair here,” Old Master Cheng retorted, his beard bristling with mock indignation. “The Li Family has everything ready; all they need is the east wind. And what is that east wind? This Birthday Ink order is it. That girl would charge through mountains of swords and seas of fire for this. She’s a natural in this trade and can be ruthless when needed. Tian Er just suffered a major loss at her hands. I’m not falling for your tricks. If I really stepped forward and got into a fight with that narrow-minded Old Qi, losing would not only cost me face but also fulfill that fellow’s wish. And if I won? That girl might just stab me in the back. If I lost to her again, wouldn’t that give Old Qi even more reason to laugh at me? This is a thankless task, and I, your Third Grandfather, won’t do it.”

Anyway, he had made up his mind: he would sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. After all, that Li Family girl was no pushover either.

As he spoke, Old Master Cheng gave Luo Jiu a teasing look. “I say, young Luo, what is that girl to you that you’d so eagerly stand up for her?”

“Third Grandfather, you’ve misunderstood,” Luo Jiu laughed heartily. “It was just idle chatter. It’s been a while since I’ve played chess, and my hands are itching. How about a couple of games, old sir?”

Old Master Cheng’s hands were itching too. After all, Nanjing wasn’t Huizhou; it felt somewhat unfamiliar, and there were few people he could really chat with. As an old man, he often found himself only able to talk with these two youngsters. So he waved a hand and said, “Alright then, let’s do it. Set up the board.”

Luo Wenqian led Old Master Cheng up to a private room on the second floor. A clerk served Lu’an tea along with snacks like snowflake cakes, and the game began.

Luo Wenqian’s playing style that day was quite aggressive. Old Master Cheng was caught off guard at the start and nearly fell into a trap, forcing him to muster all his concentration. Even so, maneuvering left and right still felt strenuous. He couldn’t help grumbling inwardly: youngsters these days, none of them know how to respect their elders.

After a while, Old Master Cheng muttered, “This game is too exhausting. I’m done playing.”

With that, he swept his hand across the board, scattering the pieces, and then leisurely took his leave.

Just then, Shopkeeper Yan entered the shop with the Account Book of the First-Class Money Exchange tucked under his arm. Seeing the scene, he chuckled. “That old master is getting more and more shameless.”"He's becoming more of an old rascal, growing ever fonder of mischief," Luo Wenqian remarked, then gestured toward a chair, inviting Yan Xilai to sit.

Yan Xilai presented the account books and then took out a letter: "This is from Old Song beyond the pass. Master Fu is about to return through the pass, and it seems he's also heading to Nanjing. However, it won't be that soon. I reckon he’ll first make a trip to the Qin family’s camel caravan in Shanxi before coming here. He probably won’t arrive until around the New Year. This past year, we’ve taken quite a bit of business from the Qin family. Old Song suspects the Qin family sent Master Fu to target us."

They started by mining gold. Later, Luo Wenqian donated funds to the Qi Family Army, and in return, Marshal Qi entrusted him with the army’s military supply business—a gesture of reciprocity, and also because he trusted Luo Wenqian more.

But this move essentially cut a piece of meat from the Shanxi Qin family. To explain this, one must speak of the Shanxi merchants and the "Kai Zhong" system. In the early Ming Dynasty, when the capital was established in Nanjing, transporting military grain to border troops was not only cumbersome but also incurred heavy losses due to numerous checkpoints, which the imperial court could not afford. Thus, the Kai Zhong system was introduced. The court reached an agreement with Shanxi merchants: the merchants would directly transport grain to the armies and, in exchange, receive salt vouchers, granting them exclusive rights to the salt trade. This allowed Shanxi merchants to amass enormous profits.

From that time on, the procurement of military supplies for border troops was largely controlled by Shanxi merchants.

The Qin family rose to prominence during this period. Originally, when Marshal Qi went to the Nine Frontiers to train troops, the Qin family had already regarded the military supply business as theirs for the taking. Unexpectedly, it ended up in Luo Wenqian’s hands.

Thus, a feud was born.

As for Master Fu mentioned in the letter, he only went to the gold mines last year. It’s said the Qin family once saved his life. Moreover, as fellow gold miners and rivals, frequent clashes were inevitable, deepening the feud even further.

That’s why, upon hearing of Master Fu’s return through the pass, Old Song specifically wrote to Luo Jiu, urging him to be cautious.

Luo Wenqian took the letter, glanced over it, and smiled faintly. "Well, it’s hard to say what the Qin family’s plans are, but as for Master Fu himself, I don’t think he’s coming specifically to target us. I suspect he’s returning to his hometown. It’s already the latter half of the year, and he’s mined quite a bit of gold. It’s time for him to return in glory. This Master Fu is likely from Huizhou."

Gold mining beyond the pass is a life-risking endeavor. Many miners are bandits or desperadoes, and fights and killings during mining are commonplace, inevitably leading to numerous enemies. For this reason, most gold miners beyond the pass use false names. For instance, Luo Wenqian became Luo Jiu once he crossed the pass.

Beyond the pass, it’s taboo to inquire about others’ real names, hometowns, or families—unless the conflict reaches a point of no return. So, under normal circumstances, unless someone volunteers the information, no one knows their true identity or origins.

However, some things can be inferred easily, such as accents.

This Master Fu speaks with a Huizhou accent, so his general origins can be guessed.

"That’s quite possible," Yan Xilai nodded, then chuckled. "I wonder if this Master Fu has found a good son-in-law for his daughter yet."

At this, Luo Wenqian also laughed.

Among the gold miners beyond the pass, there’s a rumor that this Master Fu has a daughter whose looks are said to rival the legendary Wuyan and whose temper matches that of the proverbial Hedong lion.Naturally, no one had ever seen Fortune Lord's daughter. But this Fortune Lord had a flaw—he loved to drink, yet his tolerance wasn't great. And the liquor beyond the pass was strong, so after just a few bowls, he would often get drunk. Normally, he wouldn't speak of family matters, but once drunk, sometimes he couldn't help himself.

Thus, he would ramble about finding a match for his daughter. For older men, he would ask them to act as matchmakers; for those of similar age, he would directly propose marriage.

Across several mining areas, anyone with decent looks, a sturdy build, and some gold in their pockets became this Fortune Lord's target.

Even Luo Jiu, his rival, once had his men capture Fortune Lord during a fight between their mining areas. Thinking he was surely going to die, Fortune Lord clamored for liquor, refusing to become a starving ghost.

Perhaps influenced by the ruggedness beyond the pass, even as rivals, they believed killing was a straightforward matter. As men struggling to make a living, they wouldn't degrade others and held a certain respect. So, when Fortune Lord asked for liquor, Luo Jiu had someone bring it and even drank a few bowls with him. Unexpectedly, Fortune Lord immediately got drunk—and not just drunk, but he also started proposing marriage to Luo Jiu.

He said Luo Jiu was a perfect match for his daughter and might as well become his son-in-law. As for the mining area Luo Jiu had seized from him earlier, he’d let it go.

Hearing this, Luo Jiu was both amused and exasperated.

It also made the brothers who had come to ransom Fortune Lord with gold laugh in disbelief. Here he was, nearly losing his life, yet still thinking of arranging a marriage. After this incident, it became a joke about Fortune Lord.

And so, a rumor spread across the mining areas: everyone thought, since Fortune Lord was now somewhat of a figure in the mines and could dig up some gold, yet he was so anxious about marrying off his daughter, there could only be one possibility—Fortune Lord’s daughter was too ugly, her temperament too poor, and she couldn’t get married, which was why he was so worried.

There was even a betting pool in the mining areas, wagering on when Fortune Lord’s daughter would finally marry. It was said that quite a few bets had already been placed.

That’s why Yan Xilai found it so amusing when talking about this Fortune Lord.

“Probably not anytime soon,” Luo Jiu laughed heartily, then shook the letter in his hand. “Anyway, let’s set aside Fortune Lord’s matter for now. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Yan Xilai naturally nodded.

Leaving aside Luo Wenqian’s side, even Zhen Niang had been pondering something these past few days.

She had found out that the Ink Master helping the Tian family in the competition was none other than Qi Chun, the Ink Production Official, who was as renowned as her own grandfather.

She immediately knew this would be a tough nut to crack. To win, she would have to find an unconventional approach.

“Zhen Niang, just do your best in this matter. Don’t wear yourself out,” Huang Shi said, watching Zhen Niang frowning all day, feeling a bit heartbroken.

“But this opportunity is truly rare. If we can seize it, Li Mo can open up a new horizon,” Zhen Niang leaned against Huang Shi and said. No matter what, if Li Mo wanted to regain its former glory, they couldn’t miss this hurdle.

Additionally, Zhen Niang also valued the position of Ink Production Official for the Princess’s residence. Although her mother had been smiling since her arrival, Zhen Niang occasionally heard her complaining about some gossip from Huizhou during their conversations.Although Seventh Grandmother had handled things quite well, and Uncle Jingming harbored no resentment, she was a girl not yet seventeen who had taken over the family's Nanjing operations, assumed control of the Li Family Ink Manor, and ultimately forced Uncle Jingming's family back to Huizhou. How could their Huizhou relatives possibly have nothing to say about it?

Not just in this era—even in later times, such matters would inevitably become gossip among relatives.

Of course, what others said had little real impact, and she herself didn’t care, but her mother would.

If she could secure the position of Ink Production Official for the Princess’s estate this time, with the backing of the Princess’s household, no one would dare utter a word. In fact, they might even start currying favor—such is the general nature of human hearts.