The Heir

Сhарter 140: Returning Ноmе in Glоrу

Zhen Niang pоndеred Ge Qiu Jiе's thoughts. She figurеd it wаs mеrеlу сuriosity, аnd since she couldn't quite figurе it оut for thе momеnt, shе lеt thе mattеr gо.

In thе blink оf аn eуe, it was the twеlfth lunаr month. Аll the necеssary gоods had bееn рurсhаsеd аnd all items раckеd.

Тhеir boаt was sсhеduled to dерart аt mao hour оn the fifth day оf thе twеlfth month. Zhеn Niang rose аt сhоu hour. In thе kitсhеn, thе Dаоist nun had аlrеadу prеparеd a sаvоrу cоngее. It wаs a Laba сongee made with driеd vegetablеs, mung beans, аdzuki beаns, rеd datеs, dried tofu, and lean meat. She explained that since everyone would still be on the boat on the Laba Festival and wouldn't get to eat Laba congee then, they were having it in advance today.

The Daoist nun had stayed up all night, pouring all her effort into simmering the congee for over four hours until it was exceptionally thick and creamy. Everyone had a large bowl, and a wave of warmth spread through their stomachs as they ate.

After all preparations were complete, Zhen Niang and the others bid farewell one by one to those staying behind. Chou Po and Er Gou were staying, as were Ma Shifu and his wife, who would remain with Li Zheng Ping. With them there, she had nothing to worry about in Nanjing.

Everyone wished each other well and exchanged early New Year's greetings. And so, as the sky began to show the pale light of dawn, the Li family party set out in their horse-drawn carriages.

The streets were sparsely populated.

As they passed Yi Hou Sheng Bank, they saw Luo Wenqian standing at the entrance. He clasped his hands in a salute toward the Li family's party, wishing them a safe journey.

Zhen Niang lifted the curtain and asked, "Brother Luo, are you not going back?"

"I am, but I still have a lot to take care of here, so I'll be delayed for a while. My boat is on the fifteenth. I'm afraid I'll only reach Huizhou in time for New Year's Eve," Luo Wenqian replied, his hands still clasped.

"Oh." Zhen Niang nodded and also wished him well. She understood, in a way. Huizhou was a place of sorrow for Luo Wenqian; he was mainly returning to pay respects to his ancestors. He didn't even have a home there anymore. Therefore, there was no need for him to go back so early.

Letting the curtain fall, Zhen Niang pulled her head back inside, only to be met by her second aunt's teasing, somewhat suggestive smile.

"Second Aunt, what is it?" Zhen Niang asked.

Huang Shi shook her head, saying it was nothing. In her mind, however, she was thinking about how Old Master Cheng had mentioned Luo Wenqian to her a few days ago, saying only that he and Zhen Niang were a good match.

Just now, the back-and-forth between Zhen Niang and Luo Wenqian had a harmonious and unspoken understanding. Thinking further, Luo Wenqian's parents were missing, and in these times, it was highly likely they had met with misfortune. For Luo Wenqian to have struggled and built his current standing all by himself showed that he was a responsible man. He just needed a woman who could be there for him through thick and thin.

More importantly, everyone knew Luo Wenqian's background, and they were both in the ink-making trade. If nothing else, he would at least be able to understand Zhen Niang better. Thinking it over, this Young Master Luo truly seemed to be a good match for Zhen Niang. However, she had not yet mentioned this matter to Zhen Niang, her mother-in-law, or her grandparents-in-law, so she didn't reveal anything now. She would wait until they returned to Huizhou. They could all discuss it, and if it seemed promising, they could have Old Master Cheng step in.

And so, at mao hour, the party boarded the boat, which departed on time.

The journey was smooth sailing. After fifteen days, the boat arrived in Huizhou. It was between shen and wei hour. They disembarked at Yuliang Pier, hailed carriages, and urged the drivers on. The coachmen cracked their whips, and soon, they reached the city gate.

"Second Young Mistress, Elder Cousin, Old Grandmother is at the city gate to welcome us!" Hua'er, who had never been to Huizhou before, had been greedily taking in the scenery along the way, sitting at the front of the carriage despite the cold. Now, seeing a crowd of people at the city gate from a distance, with Seventh Grandmother at the very front, she cried out joyfully.

Hearing that Seventh Grandmother had actually come to the city gate to welcome them, both Huang Shi and Zhen Niang gasped, feeling incredibly flattered.

"Stop the carriage," Zhen Niang quickly called to the driver. They couldn't wait until the carriage was right in front of them to get out; that would be far too rude.

The driver brought the carriage to an abrupt halt. The group disembarked and walked forward. When they reached Seventh Grandmother and saw Grandfather, Grandmother, Mother, Uncle Jingdong, and all the others standing beside her, Zhen Niang's eyes suddenly reddened. With a thud, she knelt. "Seventh Grandmother, Grandfather, Grandmother, Mother, Uncle Jingdong, Shao Bo, how can you do this? You will bring me misfortune with such an honor."

"You deserve it, you deserve it. You have rendered a great service to the Li family." Seventh Grandmother smiled, stepped forward to pull Zhen Niang up, and held her hand, patting it repeatedly, quite moved.

For Zhen Niang, winning the position of Ink Production Official for the princess's residence was, in her mind, firstly for the Birthday Ink, and secondly to stand up for her mother and silence the gossip, so that no one could question her management of the Nanjing Ink Workshop.

But Zhen Niang did not understand the importance of an Ink Production Official position from a princess's residence to the Li family. It was tantamount to gaining a protective talisman.

In this era, merchants had money, but they had no status. Without a powerful backer, they were merely meat on someone else's chopping block.

Why had all the families schemed and fought so hard for the Tribute Ink Privilege over the years? In truth, the profit from making Tribute Ink for the court was very limited, and at times, one might even have to bear enormous risks. But why did everyone still fight for it, racking their brains to compete? Because risks aside, the Tribute Ink Privilege meant having the imperial court as a backer.

Now, Zhen Niang was the Ink Production Official for a princess's residence. Although in the Great Ming, princesses and their husbands held no real power in the court, a princess's status was undeniable. No matter how low-profile she was, she was not someone an ordinary person would dare to offend.

Zhen Niang's achievement was akin to a Li family descendant passing the highest imperial examinations. The old matriarch coming out to greet her was a sign of how highly she valued this. Especially since there had been a great deal of gossip within the clan when Li Jingming's family first returned to Huizhou, despite Seventh Grandmother personally bringing them back. And honestly, such gossip was impossible to prevent.

Therefore, Seventh Grandmother had made this gesture today to vindicate Li Zhenniang.

Today, Li Zhenniang was, in a sense, returning home in glory.

"Alright, let's go home," Old Master Li said, composing himself and ushering everyone back to the Li Ancestral Residence. Zhen Niang's group was travel-worn. By the time they got home, the sky had already darkened. After a quick round of formalities, they had a reunion dinner and then went to their respective rooms to rest.

However, despite being tired, the hour was still early. Coupled with the excitement of being home, how could Zhen Niang possibly sleep? So, she sat in her grandparents' room, chatting with everyone.

Zhen Niang recounted everything that had happened in Nanjing in detail to her grandfather, from the unexpected support at the grand opening, to the liquid ink incident, and finally to the Ink Competition at the princess's residence, especially the matter concerning Old Master Qi. She explained it all, one by one. Finally, she handed her grandfather the stick of Li family Four Harmonies Ink that Old Master Qi had left for her.

Holding the Four Harmonies Ink stick, Old Master Li was also extremely excited. The formula for the Li family's Four Harmonies Ink had been lost. Now, with this ink stick, the hope of recovering the formula rested on it.

"I'll keep this ink. While this old bag of bones is still of some use, I'll study it carefully."

"Mm," Zhen Niang nodded. This was what she had intended all along. The ink-making techniques Zhen Niang had learned in her past life were too varied and eclectic; giving it to her grandfather was more useful than keeping it herself.

Beside them, Wu Shi paid no mind to ink or anything of the sort. She only knew that Zhen Niang had accomplished great things in Nanjing. This was her own granddaughter, so she was naturally filled with pride and had been smiling the entire time.

Afterward, Zhen Niang mentioned that she had reached a reconciliation with the Tian family and that the three great Huizhou ink families would develop together in the future.

"Mm, that is for the best. We are all Huizhou Merchants. It's one thing to squabble at home, but if we fight amongst ourselves out in the world, none of us will come out ahead," Old Master Li nodded.

At this, Zhao Shi snorted. "It's not like the Tian family had a choice but to reconcile. They're in a complete mess right now."

"What happened?" Zhen Niang asked curiously.

"You don't know? A while back, when Tian Er came back, he brought a courtesan named Xiangzhi with him and gave her to Old Master Tian. He's completely bewitched the old man. The Tian matriarch was so furious she caused a huge scene several times and tried to sell that Xiangzhi off. But Old Master Tian protected her to the death, even threatening divorce. The Tian matriarch was so angry she coughed up blood on the spot. I ran into your Third Aunt Tian a few days ago, and she said the Tian matriarch is not doing well. She's gravely ill, and it's uncertain if she'll even make it to the New Year."

As Zhao Shi spoke, her face was filled with indignation. Although she had always resented the Tian matriarch, especially since Zhen Niang's current marital troubles could be traced back to her breaking off the engagement, she still sided with her in this kind of struggle between a legal wife and a concubine. After all, no woman would ever side with a concubine in such matters.

Hearing her mother's words, Zhen Niang finally understood why the eldest young master of the Tian family had been so furious that day when he heard that Tian Er had redeemed Xiangzhi and brought her back.

"Tian Huai'an has gone senile. What is this? This is a sign of a family's decline," Wu Shi huffed from the side.

"That's enough. Speak less of other families' affairs," Old Master Li interjected.

Just then, Du Shi came in carrying Huiguan'er, who had just woken up. Zhen Niang looked at her little nephew. He was only two months old, with a small, rosy face. Perhaps because he was well-fed, he lay in Du Shi's arms with a look of contentment, his bright black eyes darting around. He was clearly a little unfamiliar with Zhen Niang, as he sized her up with curiosity.

"Call me Aunt," Zhen Niang said, moving closer and shaking a pellet drum to tease him.

"Silly girl, how could he know how to call people at this age?" Zhao Shi said, exasperated.

Zhen Niang chuckled sheepishly, then turned to her elder brother, who was sitting silently to one side. "Brother, how are things at the inkstone mine?"

At the mention of the inkstone mine, Li Dalang's expression darkened, and he looked ashamed. "Sister, I'm sorry. We couldn't hold on to the mine."

"What happened?" Zhen Niang asked, a jolt of alarm in her heart.

Li Dalang then explained everything. In the end, Wuyuan was not the Li family's territory. Although Zhao Shi's family was there to keep an eye on things, the two mines Zhen Niang had pointed out for her brother to excavate were too conspicuous. Wealth attracts covetous eyes. After the first and second batches of inkstones were extracted, they drew the attention of the Wuyuan county magistrate and several local wealthy families.

Since those mines had been organized and excavated by the previous dynasty's government, the county magistrate found a pretext, claiming the court wanted to reclaim them. However, mindful of the influence of Zhao Shi's mountain-dwelling clansmen and the Li family's connections in Huizhou, he ultimately didn't use brute force. Instead, the county government bought back half of the shares for joint operation. In the end, the arm could not twist the thigh.

The eighth branch of the Li family considered that Li Dalang had to manage the oil press, while the inkstone mine was mostly managed by Li Zhengshēn of the ninth branch and Zhen Niang's maternal uncle. So, Old Master Li had Li Dalang pull out completely. This at least allowed Li Zhengshēn and Zhen Niang's uncle to hold onto a slightly larger share. But even so, Li Zhengshēn and her uncle each ended up with only a twenty percent stake, while the remaining sixty percent was carved up by the county government and the few wealthy families.

"We didn't tell you last time you wrote because we were afraid you'd worry, so Grandfather said to hold off," Li Dalang finished.

"It's alright. This is fine too. Brother can focus on the oil press," Zhen Niang said after a moment's thought. There was some disappointment, but in this era, you couldn't protect your wealth without power.

Suddenly, she understood why Seventh Grandmother had gone to the city gate to welcome her today. The position of being a purveyor to the princess's residence was not only extremely important to Zhen Niang, but also to the entire Li Ink business.

Thinking of this, she resolved that when she returned to Nanjing next year, she would have to make more visits to the princess's residence, and also to Li Fuquan at Fuxian Pavilion. Some things were simply unavoidable social customs. As long as her intentions were sincere, it didn't matter.

The group chatted for a while longer. As the night deepened, they each returned to their rooms to sleep. In the small alley outside, the sound of firecrackers would occasionally explode...