The Heir

Сhарtеr 163: Li Jingfu's Тhоughts

While Mаdаm Наn Li wаs speaking with Zhао Shi inside the hоuse, Zhen Niаng аnd Li Jingfu wеnt tоgеthеr to Wang Сuiqiao's shipyard. Wang Сuiqiаo's first bаtch оf gооds wаs abоut tо sеt sаil—а majоr event that nаturаlly сalled for sоme kind of сeremоnу. Тhе Li Fаmilу Ink Wоrkshop аlsо had а shiрmеnt of ink tо be sеnt оut with this voyаgе, and аccomрanying Wang Сuiqiао's fleеt was Li Zhengping.

Аftеr Gе Qiu Jie lеft, Li Zhеngрing fеlt sоmеwhat dоwn but nоt disheаrtenеd. The еmotiоns bеtwеen thеm hаd bееn tangled with toо many compliсations, their fеelings not еntirelу рure. Li Zhеngping's inability to let go of Ge Qiu Jie largely stemmed from a sense of responsibility, and his proposal to reconcile was also because Ge Qiu Jie had nowhere else to go.

Now that Ge Qiu Jie had chosen to stay and care for Ge San Er, Li Zhengping had nothing more to say.

Just as Ge Qiu Jie wrote in her farewell letter, if fate allowed them to reunite, perhaps this was a process of refining and purifying. After a period of separation, both had calmed down, allowing time to strip away the impurities in their feelings. What remained, with the passage of time, might just ferment into a rich and mellow wine.

With news of the lifting of the Maritime Prohibition spreading, Li Zhengping, having been in Nanjing for so long, naturally understood the potential profits involved. Thus, having put aside the matter of Ge Qiu Jie, he decided to join Wang Cuiqiao's voyage to explore the possibility of opening up overseas markets for Li Mo.

Zhen Niang was optimistic about his aspirations.

However, Li Zhengping's plan gave Madam Fang quite a fright. She almost thought he was acting out of despair over Ge Qiu Jie's departure and nearly sent someone to find her. It was only after Li Zhengping explained at length and enlisted Zhen Niang's family to vouch for him that Madam Fang realized her son simply wanted to pursue something meaningful. She finally breathed a sigh of relief, though even after understanding, she still found it hard to let him go.

Li Jingming, on the other hand, strongly supported Li Zhengping. After all, Li Zhengping had grown up in Nanjing, and returning to Huizhou would leave him with little to do. Now, venturing to the Two Oceans regions, aside from exploring markets for Li Mo, even just trading in foreign goods could mean significant business in Nanjing.

Take, for instance, spices from places like Southeast Asia, which were highly sought after in Nanjing.

This reminded Zhen Niang of storax resin—the renowned storax oil soot ink. Thus, Li Zhengping's journey gained another objective: sourcing suitable storax oil.

That afternoon, Zhen Niang, along with her father and Li Jingming and his wife, went to Wang Cuiqiao's Xu Family Shipyard to attend the ceremony and bid farewell to Li Zhengping. The fleet was set to depart early the next morning, so there was no need for everyone to see them off again.

Back at the Li Family Ink Manor, after Madam Han Li finished speaking, she left, leaving Zhao Shi's heart unsettled for even a moment.

By evening, when Zhen Niang and the others returned, and with Li Jingming and his wife planning to return to Huizhou the next day—having stayed for two months while matters in Huizhou piled up—they would have likely returned earlier if not for Li Zhengping's voyage.

Thus, the Ink Manor had to prepare gifts and pack items for Li Jingming's party to take back to Huizhou the next day. This kept everyone busy late into the night.

After a long and busy day, Zhen Niang bid everyone goodnight and retired to her room to sleep, unaware that her aunt's visit today had actually been about her own significant matter.In the main room on the other side, Zhao Shi had finally waited for Li Jingfu to return. Seeing him collapse onto the bed as soon as he entered the room, intent on sleeping, she pinched his waist with two fingers. Her mind had been in turmoil all afternoon and evening, weighed down by the matter concerning Zhen Niang. How could she let Li Jingfu simply fall asleep now?

"What's wrong, thinking about it again?" Li Jingfu turned his face toward Zhao Shi with a sly grin.

Zhao Shi was so annoyed she nearly kicked him off the bed. However, she knew this wasn’t the time for losing her temper and said, "All you ever think about is nonsense. You don’t care at all about Zhen Niang’s situation."

"What’s wrong now? How can you say I don’t care?" Li Jingfu protested. "You told me that once we arrived in Nanjing, I shouldn’t let Zhen Niang shoulder everything alone or make her appear in public too often. I’ve done exactly that. Look, aside from some women’s gatherings, haven’t I taken over all the business negotiations? And that’s not all—I haven’t slacked off on the work at the Ink Workshop either. I’ve done as much as any ordinary worker. Nowadays, the workers at the workshop even call me ‘Fu Tou’r’." Li Jingfu said.

When it came to the Ink Workshop, he did have some foundation after all. Moreover, he had truly put his heart into it this time. Most of the workers hired at the Nanjing Ink Workshop were new, and while Li Jingfu could be a bit reckless, his past experiences—frequenting gambling dens and later working in the mines—had given him a straightforward and sociable side. He knew how to handle people with his words. Surprisingly, after just three months at Ink Manor, he had won more favor among the workers than even Ma Shifu, who had arrived earlier.

The workers affectionately called him "Fu Tou’r," one after another. Because of this, Li Jingfu felt quite proud in front of Zhao Shi.

"Who’s talking about that? It’s about Zhen Niang’s marriage. Today, Madam Han came…" Zhao Shi then recounted everything Madam Han Li had told her earlier.

Hearing this, Li Jingfu couldn’t help but laugh. "What’s wrong with you as a mother? Most mothers would be overjoyed if a prestigious family took an interest in their daughter, hoping she’d marry into wealth and live a life of luxury. Weren’t you the same when you clung to the Tian family back then? But now, when a prestigious family shows interest in Zhen Niang, you treat it as a burden. Isn’t this a good thing?"

"Good thing my foot! Don’t talk nonsense. How can the Tian family back then compare to the Xu family now? No matter how wealthy the Tian family was, they were just merchants. Even though our Li family was expelled from the Ink Workshop at the time, we’ve had generations of ink officials. Were we really beneath the Tian family? Besides, it was the Tian family’s patriarch who personally proposed the marriage to our father back then. How could they just decide to have it or not as they pleased? No way!" Li Jingfu had touched a sore spot, making Zhao Shi glare at him angrily.

"But the Xu family is different now. If my daughter were perfectly fine, what would it matter if the Xu family were ministers? With Zhen Niang’s abilities, she’d surely avoid any mistakes. The problem is, Zhen Niang was once rejected in marriage and carries the reputation of being a ‘husband-killer’…"

"That ‘husband-killer’ nonsense isn’t reliable at all." Before Zhao Shi could finish, Li Jingfu interjected indignantly."Of course we know it's not reliable, but the problem is, the rumor has already spread like this. When three people say there's a tiger, it becomes real—do you understand?" Zhao Shi said irritably.

Li Jingfu certainly understood this matter; otherwise, he wouldn't have been carrying this worry around, to the point where every time he got drunk, he couldn't help but pull people aside to discuss marriage proposals for Zhen Niang. It was truly because in Huizhou, such things were taken too seriously. He only thought that people from other places might be a bit better.

Hearing Zhao Shi say this, Li Jingfu fell silent. He was somewhat muddle-headed, but not foolish. Back in the day, following Old Shopkeeper Li, he had seen a bit of the world. Later, although he frequented gambling dens, those places were even darker, filled with all kinds of human nature, and he had witnessed quite a lot. Now, thinking it over carefully, he also felt that the Xu family marriage proposal was inappropriate.

"So what do you mean?" Li Jingfu, now wide awake, asked.

"What else could I mean? Today, Eldest Aunt also told me that we should hurry and write a letter to the Old Madam and our parents. If they are willing to let Zhen Niang enter the Xu family, then the Old Madam will have to step in and negotiate with the Xu family. If they are not willing, then we must quickly settle Zhen Niang's marriage to avoid this matter spreading and then falling through, which would offend the Xu family instead," Zhao Shi said.

"By the way, during the New Year, the Old Madam was talking about that Luo Family boy, wasn't she?" Li Jingfu suddenly added.

"Wasn't it you who didn't approve? Saying he wasn't a good person." Zhao Shi shot Li Jingfu a glare, then continued, "But if the Old Madam makes the decision this time, then it will be the Luo Family boy. Don't you go causing trouble again."

Li Jingfu said nothing, frowning as he thought things over. Aside from the few times he had been frustrated by that boy, the lad was actually quite decent. He was just unwilling to admit it.

After a while, he said, "Hmm, we must write the letter and make our intentions clear. However, this matter cannot be entirely left to the Old Madam's decision. We need to guard against something."

"Why? I agreed during the New Year to let the Old Madam decide," Zhao Shi said.

"You must understand, if Zhen Niang marries into the Xu family, it might not benefit her personally, but for the entire Li family, it might not be without advantages. I think the benefits could be significant. Just take next year's Tribute Ink Selection, for example. If Zhen Niang really marries into the Xu family, the Tribute Ink might not be a problem anymore. And the Old Madam, shrewd and capable as she is, who knows if she might abandon the Luo Family boy for this reason and instead push for the Xu family? Remember, it's us who think the Xu family is unsuitable, but most people, hearing that the Xu family has taken a liking to Zhen Niang, would say she's hit the jackpot. By then, if we disagree, we might end up being labeled ungrateful," Li Jingfu said.

"That can't be, can it?" Hearing this, Zhao Shi jumped up in shock.

"Whether it will or not is hard to say. Seventh Aunt's actions are somewhat unpredictable..." Li Jingfu said. To be honest, these were just his speculations, but it was always good to be cautious.

"So what do you plan to do?" Zhao Shi asked.

"Hmm, I'll wait and see for now. You just go ahead and write the letter." Li Jingfu said, then seeing Zhao Shi's worried expression, added, "That's just my speculation. Don't overthink it."

After that, the couple went to bed, but burdened with worries, neither of them slept well.Li Jingfu couldn't help but wonder if he should talk to that Luo kid, and how he could take the initiative in this matter.

Hmm, Luo Jiu! That brat! Let's have another round with him this time.

And so, the night passed.

The next day, Zhen Niang saw that both her parents had dark circles under their eyes, and thought they had been "working the fields" too hard the previous night. She secretly snickered to herself. Then the whole family, along with Hua'er, saw Li Jingming and Madam Fang off onto the boat back to Huizhou.

As for the letter to be sent to Huizhou, Li Jingfu arranged for someone else to deliver it posthaste by horse. The boat was too slow; land travel was much faster.

Afterward, Zhao Shi returned to Ink Manor with Zhen Niang. Finding a moment, Zhao Shi called Zhen Niang aside and told her about the Xu family's inquiries, as well as the analysis she and her husband had discussed the previous night. After all, Zhen Niang was not like ordinary girls—she could understand such matters, and since it concerned her own affairs, Zhao Shi naturally didn't want to hide it from her.

Only then did Zhen Niang realize that her aunt had come over yesterday to talk about this matter.

"Mother, don't worry. Not only would we disagree with the Xu family, but Seventh Aunt might disagree even more than us," Zhen Niang said.

"Why?" Zhao Shi looked puzzled. Yesterday, after hearing Jingfu's analysis, she felt that Seventh Aunt would definitely favor the Xu family.

"Mother, think about it. With my reputation, the Xu family would never take a liking to your daughter. If they truly did, they must have some ulterior motive. What could it be? Your daughter has nothing but her ink-making skills, but the Xu family isn't an ink-making lineage. Even my skills would be useless to them. That leaves only the one-tenth share of Li Mo that I hold. Combined with the stir that the Birthday Ink for Consort Shen caused in the capital this time, it's clear that the Xu family is eyeing Li Mo. With Seventh Grandmother's shrewdness, how could she not see through this? If I married into the Xu family, they could use my share to meddle in Li Mo's affairs. That is something Seventh Aunt would never tolerate. No matter what, she still has to protect the main lineage and little Tianyou. Compared to Tribute Ink, the foundation of Li Mo is far more important. So, rest assured, Seventh Aunt would never agree," Zhen Niang explained.

That's right! Hearing Zhen Niang's words, Zhao Shi breathed a huge sigh of relief. Zhen Niang's reasoning was crystal clear. Indeed, what mattered most to the old lady was little Tianyou. Inviting the Xu family in would be like letting a wolf into the house. The old lady would never do such a thing.