The Heir

Chaрtеr 166: Тhе Тian Family's Мisfоrtune

Additiоnally, ассоmраnying Old Мadam Li were Li Zhengshēn from thе ninth brаnch оf the Li fаmilу аnd his nеwlywеd wifе, Zhао Susu.

Zhеn Niang wаs deeplу mоved bу Old Madаm Li and the оthers arriving аt this timе. Соnsidеring thаt it hаd only bееn nine dауs sinсe sеnding a mеssеnger on hоrsеbaсk to deliver thе urgent letter tо Нuizhоu and thеir subsequent journеу hеre, it wаs сlеаr thаt Sеventh Grаndmоther аnd her grаndfather hаd travеlеd bу land, аnd thеir jоurnеy had beеn extremely rushеd.

The roаds from Huizhоu werе mоuntainоus and plagued by bandits, so the hardships and dangers they faced were self-evident. The weary and exhausted expressions on the two elders’ faces spoke volumes about their ordeal.

Moreover, since the beginning of spring this year, Seventh Grandmother’s health had not been good.

“Seventh Grandmother, Grandfather…” Zhen Niang’s voice choked with emotion.

“Alright, child, don’t act like a little girl. Hurry and fetch some hot water for your Seventh Grandmother and your grandfather. Our old bones can’t take much more of this,” Seventh Old Madam patted Zhen Niang’s forehead, her tone light and teasing.

“Yes,” Zhen Niang nodded emphatically and dashed to the kitchen. Without waiting for the nun or Ma Sao to help, she gathered firewood and lit the stove herself—tasks she was accustomed to and performed with ease.

Soon, the water was heated. She then helped Seventh Grandmother wash up and settle into bed. Though Seventh Grandmother was usually a light sleeper, she was utterly exhausted and fell into a deep slumber as soon as she lay down.

After tucking the thin quilt around Seventh Grandmother, Zhen Niang quietly slipped out. Outside, she overheard her father and grandfather talking—specifically about the private agreement he had made with Luo Qian.

“Your actions are rather petty. Don’t forget, I’m still in Huizhou. How could your Seventh Aunt not discuss Zhen Niang’s matters with me? You’ve broadened your horizons over the years, yet your heart seems to have grown smaller,” Old Shopkeeper Li’s voice carried a note of displeasure.

From his son’s actions, Old Shopkeeper Li could discern his intentions—he was guarding against Seventh Old Madam favoring the Xu family and using Zhen Niang as a bargaining chip.

“Father, you taught me when I was young: ‘Do not harbor ill intentions toward others, but do not let down your guard either.’ Besides, my actions weren’t entirely to guard against Seventh Aunt. I was genuinely concerned that the journey from Huizhou might cause delays and that complications could arise, so I took matters into my own hands. I truly didn’t expect you and Seventh Aunt to arrive so quickly,” Li Jingfu explained, sounding somewhat aggrieved. He had always been like a mouse before a cat in his father’s presence.

Of course, his final remark also held a note of surprise. Observing Seventh Aunt’s actions, Li Jingfu realized he had been overly suspicious. The old madam of the seventh branch truly held Zhen Niang dear to her heart.

“Now you understand how your Seventh Aunt feels about Zhen Niang? You’ve been petty for nothing. However, as a father, your concern for your daughter isn’t entirely wrong, so I won’t say more. I believe your Seventh Grandmother will understand as well. But remember this: among family, matters should be discussed openly. Guarding against each other only erodes familial bonds,” Old Shopkeeper Li added.

“Father, I understand. You must be tired too. Rest for a while,” Li Jingfu nodded in agreement.Zhen Niang had originally intended to go in to see her grandfather, but upon hearing her grandfather and father speaking, she felt it inappropriate to enter.

Thus, she withdrew from the outer room and headed toward the rear courtyard. In the courtyard, Zhao Shi was chatting with Li Zhengshēn and Zhao Susu.

Zhao Susu was originally Zhao Shi’s niece, and now that she had also become her nephew’s wife, they had grown even closer.

When Zhen Niang arrived, Zhao Shi was holding Zhao Susu’s hand, asking about daily matters: "How is the business in Wuyuan? When will you return to Wuyuan?"

"We won’t be going back for now. Zhengshēn and my father have both withdrawn from those mining pits in Wuyuan," Zhao Susu replied to Zhao Shi.

"What happened?" Zhao Shi asked Li Zhengshēn in surprise upon hearing Susu’s words.

Zhen Niang was also curious. During the New Year, she had asked Zhengshēn-ge about it. Although there were people from the Wuyuan County Magistrate’s side who had invested, the business was still manageable. How had things changed so drastically in just a few months?

"It’s all because of the Meizi Pit. That pit is located in a mountain stream beneath a river, making it extremely difficult to excavate. In the beginning, Zhengliang-ge and I took a risk and opened it once, and the harvest was substantial. But precisely because we had personally experienced it and knew how perilous it was, we never opened the Meizi Pit again after that. We had been focusing on the Jinxing Pit and two other smaller pits, planning to take it slow, accumulate funds, and acquire more equipment before attempting the Meizi Pit again. However, ever since the County Magistrate’s brother-in-law and his people invested, they’ve been mining without restraint. In just the latter half of last year, the two smaller pits were exhausted, and the Jinxing Pit hasn’t yielded any good material in recent digs. So, as soon as spring began this year, the County Magistrate’s brother-in-law and his group set their sights on the Meizi Pit. You know, mining in a mountain stream is dangerous—if groundwater surges, people could drown. Without thorough preparation, how could we proceed recklessly? That’s why Susu’s father and I firmly opposed it. In the end, the County Magistrate’s brother-in-law flew into a rage. Somehow, he found out about my past as a Taoist priest and threatened me, saying that if I didn’t agree, he would report my history as a Taoist priest to the county yamen..." Li Zhengshēn said indignantly.

"This is truly unreasonable. How long ago was that? Why is it still being pursued?" Zhao Shi raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"Generally, no one would pursue something that happened so long ago. But if someone lodges a complaint, the yamen officials will investigate. For merchants like us, the County Magistrate would be more than happy to have more such cases. To avoid trouble, we’d have to bribe our way out. Now, the former Magistrate Wei, who was like a parent to us, has been transferred away, and a new magistrate surnamed Ji has taken his place. His heart is as black as can be. That fellow Tian Benchang is still imprisoned because of his past involvement with Taoist Priest Yunsong. Because of this, Susu’s father and I discussed it and decided that this partnership was too unpleasant. We might as well withdraw completely and not get involved anymore," Li Zhengshēn added.

"If that’s the case, then it’s good that you withdrew," Zhao Shi quickly nodded in agreement.

Zhen Niang also nodded. She recalled records about the Meizi Pit—it seemed that only the first excavation had yielded a significant amount of material, and after that, there was little to speak of. Abandoning it now was no great loss.However, listening to her cousin's words, Tian Benchang had been arrested? Zhen Niang had been curious all along—summer was already approaching, yet this year, the Tian ink workshop had been managed solely by Steward Fang, and none of the Tian siblings had shown up. She had initially assumed it was due to mourning for Madam Tian's death, but now, hearing her cousin's words, it seemed that wasn't the case.

So she asked, "Cousin Zhengshēn, what happened to the Tian family again?"

"Nothing but brothers fighting each other..." Li Zhengshēn shook his head.

It turned out that after Madam Tian passed away, Tian Benchang’s life had taken a turn for the worse. Master Tian was now completely biased toward his concubine, Chunzhi, while Tian Er harbored resentment against Tian Benchang for shamelessly driving him back from Nanjing. Of course, his grievances weren’t limited to just this one incident—deep-seated grudges don’t form overnight.

Thus, relying on Chunzhi’s pillow talk, Tian Er began to target the eldest son. First, using Madam Tian’s death as an excuse, he urged Master Tian to revoke Tian Benchang’s authority over the ink workshop, citing that Tian Benchang needed to observe mourning.

Tian Benchang naturally disagreed. With his mother gone and his father increasingly neglecting him, if he were to hand over the workshop, he would be completely marginalized within the family.

Therefore, he refused to relinquish control of the workshop, arguing that the workshop’s operations were managed by the stewards, and he only needed to oversee the general direction, which wouldn’t interfere with his mourning period.

Although Master Tian was muddle-headed, he still knew that his eldest son was far more capable than his second son. Thus, Tian Er’s scheme didn’t succeed.

Unwilling to give up, Tian Er, having already torn off all pretenses with Tian Benchang, was determined to fight to the end. When one plan failed, he devised another, secretly arranging for someone to accuse Tian Benchang of colluding with Daoist Yunsong to embezzle government funds for ink production back in the day.

Was there any truth to this? Yes, but it wasn’t Tian Benchang who did it—it was Master Tian’s agreement with Daoist Yunsong.

To explain this, one must start with the "Divine Evaluation" used by the Tian family during the tribute ink selection years ago.

Back then, Old Master Tian enlisted Daoist Yunsong to conduct the Divine Evaluation, ultimately snatching the Tribute Ink Privilege from the Cheng Family. However, this came at a cost—aside from the payment to Daoist Yunsong at the time, they also agreed to produce a batch of Daoist ink for him.

For this batch of Daoist ink, the Tian family even risked great controversy by requisitioning the batch of Century-old Pine that Ninth Master Li of the Li family had obtained at the cost of his life.

Of course, this batch of Daoist ink was paid for by the imperial court but was for Daoist Yunsong’s personal use.

If Daoist Yunsong had remained influential, no one would have dared to expose this matter. However, now that Emperor Longqing had ascended the throne, he made an example of him.

Thus, Tian Er’s accusation immediately caught the attention of Magistrate Ji, who promptly sent people to arrest Tian Benchang.

In reality, Tian Er’s accusation wasn’t targeting Tian Benchang but Old Master Tian. After all, the agreement with Daoist Yunsong was made by Master Tian. The problem was that Tian Er had framed Tian Benchang from the start, and Tian Benchang wasn’t entirely innocent. Although he wasn’t the one who made the agreement with Daoist Yunsong, he was indeed the one who later requisitioned the Li family’s Century-old Pine and conducted the transaction with Daoist Yunsong. Moreover, Tian Benchang couldn’t defend himself further—if he did, he would be accusing Old Master Tian, which would be an act of great filial impiety.

Thus, Tian Benchang was doomed to fall into this trap."When we arrived, Tian Benchang was still locked up in jail. Sun Yuejuan was running around trying to help him, pouring in chests of silver, and we still don't know the outcome," said Li Zhengshēn.

"He brought this upon himself. Back then, their methods of competing for the Tribute Ink were already disgraceful. Now it's just a case of thieves falling out—they deserve it," Zhao Shi had no sympathy for the Tian family at all, and hearing this news was quite satisfying to her.

In Zhen Niang's view, whether Tian Benchang was wronged or not, being brought to this state by his own family was still rather pitiful.