The Heir

Сhарtеr 152: Тhе Acсоunt Вооk

“Take him аwаy.” At thаt moment, sеvеrаl соnstаbles draggеd Li Zhengping out of Ink Manоr, а long irоn chаin lосkеd arоund his nесk. Тhе chiеf constablе wаved his hаnd heavily аs he spоke.

“Wait, sir. Мау I аsk whаt сrimе my neрhеw Zhengрing hаs сommittеd to wаrrаnt such an аrrеst?” Li Jingfu squeеzed through the сrowd. At a timе likе this, it wаs most аpproрriаtе for аn еldеr likе him tо sрeаk uр.

“Thе magistrаte ordеrs the аrrеst, sо we аrrеst. If уоu have questiоns, take them to the mаgistrate at thе yamеn,” the сhiеf cоnstable replied, eyeing Li Jingfu. “What, do you intend to resist arrest?”

“Sir, you jest. We merely wish to understand why he is being arrested,” Zhen Niang stepped forward.

“Complicity in murder,” the constable answered. Seeing Li Zhenniang, he dared not be too insolent. This young lady was a figure of some repute in Nanjing, and her status as a supplier to the princess’s household was not something he could casually provoke. Of course, as he was carrying out official duties, he feared no one.

“What evidence is there?” Hua’er asked timidly from the side. Commoners rarely remained unafraid when facing officials.

“Hah, you speak foolishly, young lady. I am only responsible for making arrests, not for trying cases. If you want evidence, go ask the magistrates,” the constable retorted, ignoring Zhen Niang and the others as he dragged Li Zhengping away.

As Li Zhengping passed by Zhen Niang, he desperately halted his steps. “I am innocent! Ge Qiu Jie is also innocent! We did not kill anyone!”

“Still stubborn as a dead duck! My husband was murdered by you and that wench Ge Qiu Jie in conspiracy. Once you enter the yamen, you’ll be sentenced to immediate execution!” Cao Shi rushed out from the crowd, kicking and biting at Li Zhengping.

“What madwoman is this?” Li Jingfu, still fuming from being silenced by the constable’s words, could not stand by and watch Cao Shi attack Li Zhengping. He reached out with his arm and forcefully pulled her away, sending her tumbling onto her backside.

He glared fiercely at Cao Shi. “This is only an investigation; no verdict has been reached yet. Who are you to the magistrate? The magistrate has not yet determined the crime, yet you have already pronounced guilt on his behalf? You even know the sentence? It seems the magistrate’s position should be yours instead!”

“You’re talking nonsense!” Cao Shi was terrified by Li Jingfu’s words. If such talk reached the magistrate, she would be finished.

“I’m talking nonsense? Oh, perhaps you have a grudge against my nephew Zhengping and are deliberately framing him. Or perhaps your husband was actually killed by you and your lover. After all, wasn’t Ge Dana killed by you and Huang Lang before? Tsk, doing it again wouldn’t be surprising.”

Having spent over a decade in gambling dens and two years in northern mines, Li Jingfu had picked up some rogue habits. He had also heard about Li Zhengping’s past incidents in Huizhou. Now, with a few plausible-sounding reasons, he spoke convincingly, infuriating Cao Shi, who could only scream about slander but could not explain herself clearly.

Gritting her teeth, she stammered, “You… you… you…” unable to form a complete sentence.Meanwhile, whispers rippled through the crowd. Although Ge Qiujie had stronger motives for murder, people generally sided with the underdog. Ge Qiujie had fallen to such a state—wasn’t she now the underdog? Moreover, Huang Lang and Cao Shi’s earlier actions had left a sour taste in everyone’s mouths. With no solid evidence against Ge Qiujie and her charges still unresolved, Cao Shi’s aggressive behavior only fueled speculation. Li Jingfu’s words had introduced a new possibility into the case, and people began to wonder—maybe it wasn’t so far-fetched. After all, hadn’t Huang Lang recently taken two concubines? Cao Shi had been furious, cursing loudly, and the two had been quarreling for some time. If Cao Shi, in a fit of rage, had taken a lover and killed Huang Lang, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Even the constable looked at Cao Shi with a peculiar expression.

Cao Shi felt wronged and helpless, pleading directly to the constable, “Sir, you must uphold justice for this humble woman.”

“Do I have time to deal with your affairs?” he retorted, ignoring her further and ordering his men to take Li Zhengping away.

“Please wait, sir,” Zhen Niang called out at that moment.

The constable turned and glared at her, but Zhen Niang offered a polite smile. She took out a small pouch of silver pieces from her sleeve and slipped it into the constable’s hand. “My cousin is an honest and law-abiding man. I ask that you show him some consideration. Please use this to treat yourself and the other officers to a drink.”

Her words made the constable study her more closely. No wonder the Li family’s Ink Manor was managed by a young woman. If nothing else, her understanding of social graces alone was enough to establish a foothold in Nanjing.

“Hah, someone who knows how things work. Very well, I’ll treat the brothers to a drink on behalf of the shopkeeper,” the head constable said. Then, turning to the other officers, he added, “You lot with no sense—didn’t you hear Shopkeeper Li? Her cousin is an honest and law-abiding man. Let’s not make things difficult for him. Remove the chains.”

“Yes, sir,” the officers replied cheerfully, already looking forward to the promised drink. Their usual extra income came from such small favors. Whether someone was shackled or not made a world of difference—without chains, the journey was far more comfortable. With them, the heavy iron links could chafe the neck raw by the time they reached the yamen.

Watching Li Zhengping being led away without chains, Hua’er gratefully said to Zhen Niang, “Sister Zhen Niang, you’re so thoughtful. This way, my brother will suffer less inside.”

Meanwhile, Li Jingfu stared in astonishment. In the past, he had given up on himself, drowning in drink and gambling, paying little attention to Zhen Niang. Later, after a sudden awakening, he went to Suzhou and remained unfamiliar with his daughter. Since returning and spending a few days with her, he had only known her to be strong-willed and independent—never realizing she was so shrewd.

No wonder Seventh Aunt had entrusted the vast Nanjing Ink Manor to her. She was even more capable than her own father.

Unaware of her father’s thoughts, Zhen Niang reflected that her actions—bribing the officers—were partly inspired by modern television dramas and partly thanks to her cheap father, Li Jingfu.Back when Li Jingfu had run up a pile of debts outside, her eldest brother was honest and dull by nature, so it was her mother who had to clean up the mess. Sometimes, she even had to play along with her mother's act of suffering to gain sympathy. These methods became second nature to her without her even realizing it. There's an old saying: "Children from poor families grow up early." It's quite true.

Afterward, she ushered everyone into Ink Manor and called for help to unload the goods.

At that moment, Luo Wenqian, standing in the crowd, frowned as he watched Li Zhengping being taken away. From Wei Bai Wan's concubine being beaten to death, to Huang Lang's sudden death, and then Ge Qiu Jie's involvement in the case dragging Li Zhengping into it—something about all this felt unusual. However, he had just returned from Huizhou and was completely in the dark, so he couldn't quite grasp what was going on.

Still, it was best to give Zhen Niang a heads-up about Wei Bai Wan's possible involvement so she could be prepared. Besides, this girl seemed to have a good relationship with Madam Xu Hai, so she could also help gather some information. With that thought, he stepped forward.

Zhen Niang naturally greeted him.

"Let's go inside. There's something I need to tell you," Luo Wenqian said, leading the way into Ink Manor. Zhen Niang followed him in, guiding him to an elegant seating area used for ink appraisal. She then asked Hua'er to make tea.

"No need, I haven't returned to the bank yet. I'll leave after I finish speaking," Luo Wenqian said, then continued, "I inquired about the whole incident. It's said that on the evening of the fourth, Wei Bai Wan invited people from the raw silk industry for a drink. Last year, the raw silk industry made a huge profit, and Huang Lang was among them. That night, one of Wei Bai Wan's concubines ran away but was later caught and beaten to death on the spot. However, someone saw Huang Lang meeting with that concubine. Then, early the next morning, news of Huang Lang's death came. Shortly after, Ge Qiu Jie was imprisoned, and today, Li Zhengping was implicated."

Luo Wenqian briefly outlined the entire sequence of events.

"Are you suggesting that the person who killed Huang Lang might be someone from Wei Bai Wan's side?" Zhen Niang's heart tightened as she asked, surprised to learn there was such a backstory behind Huang Lang's death. At the same time, she glanced at Luo Wenqian in astonishment. This fellow had arrived in Nanjing with her, yet in such a short time, he had already pieced together most of the story.

"No, not necessarily. If the person who killed Huang Lang was truly from Wei Bai Wan's side, this matter wouldn't have escalated so much. In any case, I'm not too clear about it either. Like you, I just arrived and am completely in the dark. This is all just hearsay. I'm telling you this just to give you a heads-up so you can be better prepared." With that, Luo Wenqian stood up to take his leave. He still had many matters to attend to at the bank.

"Alright, I understand," Zhen Niang nodded, seeing Luo Wenqian out. She didn't offer too many thanks, as sometimes excessive gratitude could create distance between people.

Afterward, Zhen Niang had her people organize the goods and other matters, then gathered the household to inquire about Li Zhengping's situation.

Based on Luo Wenqian's explanation, she now had a general understanding of the sequence of events surrounding Huang Lang's death. However, she still didn't know how it had ultimately implicated Li Zhengping. So she asked, "On the fifth, I recall it was the day for warming the furnace and tending the lamps at Ink Manor, right?"

Every year after the Beginning of Spring, Ink Manor would end its winter break. Combined with the New Year holidays, there was a period when the furnace was shut down. Thus, at the start of spring each year, all ink manors would hold a "warming the furnace and tending the lamps" ceremony. This was essentially a blessing day for the ink industry, similar to the spring sacrifices in agriculture.The Li family's Warm Furnace and Nurture Lamp Day was set for the fifth day of the month, starting from the Chou hour and lasting until the Chen hour.

"That's right. On the evening of the fourth, we didn't sleep the entire night. Then, as soon as the Chou hour passed on the fifth, we began preparing for the Warm Furnace and Nurture Lamp," said Ma Shifu from the side.

"If that's the case, doesn't it prove that Zhengping was with everyone the whole time? He wouldn't have had the chance to conspire with Ge Qiu Jie to commit murder," Zhen Niang said, frowning.

"That's true, but at the exact start of the Yin hour, Ge Qiu Jie came looking for Li Zhengping. Yao Niangzi from next door happened to come early to borrow fire to light her brazier, and she saw Li Zhengping leaving with Ge Qiu Jie," Ma Sao explained helplessly.

Hearing this, Zhen Niang felt a wave of frustration and patted her forehead. This only seemed to further confirm that Ge Qiu Jie and Li Zhengping had the time to conspire in the crime. Even if they weren't accomplices, at the very least, Li Zhengping must have been aware of it. No wonder the authorities had arrested him directly.

"By the way, did Zhengping leave any message before he was taken away?" Li Jingfu asked from the side.

"He didn't leave any words. The constables came in a hurry," Ma Shifu replied thoughtfully. However, Ma Sao added, "Oh, right. Just before entering the yamen, Zhengping did say something to me."

"What did he say?" Zhen Niang asked quickly.

"He said that before Miss Zhen left last year, she had instructed that the glue-boiling furnace in the small ink workshop was specially made and should only be warmed after Miss Zhen returned. He told us not to touch it," Ma Sao said.

"Oh," Li Jingfu said nothing more upon hearing this. It seemed Zhengping was merely entrusting some unfinished tasks.

But Zhen Niang couldn't help but frown. She didn't remember giving Li Zhengping such instructions.

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now. Er Gou, during this time, take a few people and gather more information about the case. I'll finish organizing the Birthday Ink and deliver it first," Zhen Niang said, suppressing her doubts. The ink for the princess's manor couldn't be delayed.

"Should we write to Mother and Father about this?" Hua'er asked from the side. During her recent visit home, her mother had harshly criticized her eldest brother, saying he was bewitched by that vixen Ge Qiu Jie. Her words were as unpleasant as could be.

"Hmm, let's wait and see for a couple more days. There's no rush," Zhen Niang said after some thought. In truth, even if Li Jingming and his wife found out, what could they do? It would only mean two more people worrying without any solution.

"Alright," Hua'er nodded.

After that, everyone went about their own tasks.

"Father, you should rest for a while. I'm going to check on the ink workshop in the backyard," Zhen Niang said to Li Jingfu.

"Go ahead and do what you need to do. If there's anything your father can help with, just let me know," Li Jingfu replied.

"Alright," Zhen Niang nodded. Her father was still completely unfamiliar with the affairs of the Ink Manor, so it was best not to involve him for now to avoid complicating things further.

Zhen Niang then headed to the ink workshop in the backyard. However, she went straight into the small ink workshop inside. She wanted to see what was in the furnace there that Li Zhengping had insisted no one else should touch.A large cauldron with a steamer on top was used for steaming glue. As the stove had not yet been warmed, the entire hearth felt particularly cold. Zhen Niang circled the stove, examining it for a long time, but found nothing unusual. The inside of the stove was pitch black and hard to see, so she simply lit a torch and carefully extended it into the hearth. The interior immediately brightened, and Zhen Niang noticed that on one side of the stove, a brick seemed to be out of place. She then took out a long pair of fire tongs and pried the brick open, revealing a booklet inside. Startled, Zhen Niang quickly withdrew the torch and, using the faint remaining light, used the tongs to pull out the booklet.

Afterward, Zhen Niang sat by the stove and opened the booklet, reading it carefully. As she read, her heart sank.

It was an account book detailing the division of profits from raw silk and cocoons between Wei Bai Wan, the Weaving Bureau, and the local county government.