The Heir

Сhаpter 171: Stirring Тrоublе аnd Gаmbling on Stones

In thе аfternoоn, Cheng Sаn Yеуе brоught оver the аppeal petitiоn. Аfter rеading it, Zhеn Niаng thоught tо hersеlf thаt indееd, gingеr is spiсier when old. Сhеng San Yеye’s pеtition foсused solеlу оn thе Тiаn fаmily’s cоllusiоn with Tаоist Мastеr Yunsong tо sеize the Тributе Ink, while еverything elsе was attributed tо bеing dеcеived by Tаоist Мastеr Yunsоng. Аftеr аll, if еven thе lаte еmpеror had bеen dесеived bу Таоist Master Yunsоng, how could the offiсials of the Ink Аffairs Burеau bе аny diffеrent? Thus, the bureau’s decision to award the Tribute Ink to the Tian family back then could hardly be considered a mistake.

Truly, this petition was skillfully crafted.

Subsequently, the Li family affixed their seal. Old Shopkeeper Li then sent someone to summon Luo Wenqian, who also stamped the petition. Once this was done, the appeal was finalized. The next day, Cheng San Yeye submitted the petition to the Ink Affairs Bureau.

The Ink Affairs Bureau was not a proper judicial authority, and the matter dated back two years and had occurred in Huizhou. The bureau would naturally need to send someone to Huizhou to investigate.

Thus, all that followed was a period of waiting.

However, Zhen Niang was not worried about the outcome. After all, the case of Tian Benchang’s collusion with Yunsong had already been confirmed and settled by the Huizhou Prefecture authorities. As long as the Ink Affairs Bureau verified the evidence with the Huizhou Prefecture, Cheng San Yeye’s appeal would face no issues.

…

Tian Family Ink Manor.

“That old fool Cheng San, why didn’t he just drop dead back then? Instead, he’s still around causing trouble.” Ever since learning about the Cheng family’s lawsuit against the Tian family, Tian Er had been restless. Over the years, he had been suppressed by his elder brother, and in the eyes of outsiders, he was nothing but a failure.

Now, having finally gained some respect, he was eager to achieve something in the ink industry to prove that he, Tian Er, was not a useless person. Of course, he also wanted to vent his frustration over being driven out of Nanjing by Tian Benchang. But before he could even make a move, the Cheng family had sued them. Although the lawsuit was technically against his elder brother, it targeted the entire Tian family. If the Cheng family won, their Tribute Ink Privilege would be immediately revoked, and he would have to deal with a series of ensuing problems and the mess left behind. Who knew if this would even affect next year’s Tribute Ink Selection?

How could he not be infuriated?

“Second Brother, calm down,” Tian Ronghua, who was chatting with Madam Lin, turned and said.

Madam Lin was the mother of Tian Er and Tian Ronghua. She had come to Nanjing with her two sons, unable to bear the sight of Chunzhi’s arrogance and exclusive favor back in Huizhou. For this, she couldn’t help but blame her son. But then again, without Chunzhi, her son would not have his current status. So, regarding Chunzhi, she simply chose to turn a blind eye.

“Calm down? Don’t you start with that nonsense like Elder Brother. I hate it the most. Anyway, if that old man Cheng doesn’t let me have peace, we won’t let him have peace either…” Tian Er fumed, then stormed out the door.

“Er Lang… what are you planning? Don’t do anything reckless,” Madam Lin anxiously called out. She knew her son was not only a wastrel but also lacked sense, and she feared he might stir up something irreparable.

But Tian Er paid her no heed and had already rushed off to who knows where.

“You didn’t even try to stop your second brother,” Madam Lin complained to Tian Ronghua when she could no longer see Tian Er.Tian Ronghua curled her lip. "Mother, you know as well as I do—is Second Brother the type to listen to advice? Who could stop him from doing whatever he wants? Besides, this lawsuit against the Cheng Family is bound to be lost by our Tian Family anyway. Might as well let Second Brother stir up some trouble."

"Are we really sure to lose?" Madam Lin asked anxiously.

"Of course. Unless we overturn Eldest Brother's case," Tian Ronghua said.

"How could we overturn it? If we did, wouldn't that mean your eldest brother was innocent?" Madam Lin replied.

"Exactly. So this lawsuit is doomed to fail," Tian Ronghua said. But even in losing, there were ways to lose. She figured Second Brother's underhanded methods, though crude and simple, could still cause enough disruption.

Hearing this, Madam Lin said no more. She couldn’t be bothered with these matters anyway.

For the next half month, things remained calm on Official Street.

Due to the summer break, there wasn’t much work at the Ink Workshop. With her father overseeing things, Zhen Niang didn’t involve herself much. In her free time, she studied the Li Family’s Four Harmonies Ink with her grandfather.

However, Old Shopkeeper Li spent most of this period at Qi Chun’s place, often staying overnight. The two old partners were absorbed in researching the Li Family’s Four Harmonies Ink. Zhen Niang arranged for two apprentices to stay with her grandfather—both to look after him and to learn from him. Meanwhile, she helped Zhengping and Susu with their inkstone shop.

The shop Zhengping had rented was the same raw silk storefront that had belonged to Ge Qiu Jie. After the Ge Family incident, everyone said the place was unlucky, so it had remained vacant. The rent was cheaper than elsewhere, and Zhengping rented it without any hesitation.

"He’s not really unbothered by it, you know. Let me tell you—on the night they moved in, he secretly got up in the middle of the night, put on his old Taoist robe, and performed an exorcism with that wooden sword. He made such a racket the whole night!" Zhao Susu whispered privately to Zhen Niang, who couldn’t help but laugh.

"How’s business been these past couple of days?" Zhen Niang asked. A few days earlier, her eldest brother had delivered oil and helped Zhengping transport the family’s collection of inkstones. The shop had now been open for two days.

"Lots of people come to look, but few actually buy," Zhao Susu said helplessly. New shops often faced this, especially since inkstones weren’t essential items.

"Inkstone shops are like that—similar to antique stores. They might not make a sale for a while, but when they do, it can sustain them for years," Zhen Niang said cheerfully. Of course, that was an exaggeration. Unless they were exceptional pieces, inkstones were far less valuable than antiques.

"Well, we’ll just keep it open for now. When Zhengping returns, if he brings back any foreign goods, we might add some of those. Maybe business will pick up then," Zhao Susu said.

"How about this—sell some raw stones," an idea suddenly occurred to Zhen Niang, and she suggested it.

"Who would buy raw stones?" Zhao Susu asked, wide-eyed.

"Who says no one would? Take some unopened inkstone ore—whether it yields inkstones or not—and mix them together. Sell them at a low price. There’s an element of gambling to it. A customer might buy a useless rock, but they could also end up with a premium inkstone. It’s called stone gambling. It might even cause a sensation," Zhen Niang proposed. This was what later generations would call "stone gambling."This kind of business is always extremely attractive at any time.

Zhao Susu thought for a moment, then suddenly clapped her hands: "This method might actually work. When we used to sell goods at the mine, we did something similar—selling a piece of fragmented stone material at a very cheap price. If it turned out to contain good inkstone stone, the buyer would profit; if not, even if they lost, it wouldn’t be much. I just never thought it could be sold piece by piece like this. Hmm. I’ll go back and discuss it with your Zhengshēn brother." With that, Zhao Susu hurried off in a whirlwind.

The next day, after breakfast, Zhen Niang walked to the entrance of Zhengshēn brother’s shop. There, she saw a pile of stones of various sizes laid out on a table, with the words "Stone Gambling" written beside them.

A crowd had gathered around, each curious and asking, "What is stone gambling?"

"Let me give you an example," Li Zhengshēn said, channeling the persuasive flair he once used as a Taoist priest. "Take this stone, for instance. I’ll sell it for thirty coins. If you buy it, there’s a stonemason nearby who can help you chisel it open. If there’s no inkstone stone inside, or if the quality is poor, then you’ve lost. But if the stonemason opens it and finds a top-grade inkstone stone inside, the value could be enormous—ranging from a few hundred to thousands of coins, or even dozens of taels of silver. Then you’d strike it rich, wouldn’t you?" His vivid description stirred excitement and longing among the listeners.

Immediately, someone bought two stones. One, when cut open, revealed inkstone stone of extremely poor quality, essentially worthless, so the buyer lost. The other, however, produced a decent piece of inkstone stone, valued at around five or six hundred coins—a decent return. Instantly, the crowd was abuzz, and a swarm of people gathered to buy.

Seeing this, Zhen Niang felt conflicted. After some thought, she called Zhengshēn brother over and whispered a few words in his ear. Soon, a sign was erected beside the pile of stones: "Small gambling is entertaining; heavy gambling harms the body." Li Zhengshēn then added, "These stones are all leftover fragments and scraps. The real high-quality pieces are displayed on the counter. Treat stone gambling as a casual pastime—don’t take it too seriously."

Some of the older shopkeepers nearby had initially frowned upon the scene, feeling that stone gambling was not a proper practice. But upon seeing the sign and hearing Li Zhengshēn’s honest explanation, they smiled knowingly.

"Let me try buying one," Luo Jiu chimed in, joining the fun. He walked up to the table, casually selected a stone, and handed it to the stonemason, who began chiseling it open bit by bit. Soon, the stonemason froze in place.

This stonemason had long worked with Li Zhengshēn, not only skilled in stone carving but also possessing sharp judgment. The inkstone stone he had just uncovered left him astonished.

The stone was a pale, lustrous green, moist in texture, and completely free of any grain. It reminded him of a line from The Inkstone Records of Tang Gong: "Its color is as faint green as the sky after an autumn rain, gazing into the distant twilight, its surface pure and flawless, without a trace of grain—truly, the beauty of an inkstone."

"Master Liu, what’s wrong?" Li Zhengshēn asked, stepping closer to look. He, too, was stunned.

As an ink maker, Luo Jiu was also knowledgeable about inkstones. He rubbed his nose and looked at his hands, as if marveling at his own luck. Zhen Niang sighed inwardly—this was the rare "Miaoqian Qing" stone from later generations. Some people’s luck was truly unmatched.Watching the scene unfold, the onlookers grew even more curious and asked, "So, how much is it worth?"

A nearby stationery shop owner stroked his beard and said, "Around eighty to a hundred taels, perhaps?" He wasn't entirely sure either.

"Wow..." A wave of astonishment swept through the crowd.

"Tch, it's all a setup, and you actually believe it? Can't you see those two are the future brother-in-law and brother-in-law?" a cloth shop assistant nearby scoffed disdainfully.

Only then did everyone realize that the Luo Family and the Li Family had recently become in-laws. This was clearly a case of keeping the benefits within the family. Immediately, they began to tease: "I say, Shopkeeper Li, if you're going to set something up, at least make it believable. With the brother-in-law and brother-in-law involved, this setup is as flimsy as paper—it'll fall apart at the slightest poke."

"I wasn't trying to set anything up. I just wanted to give everyone a clear idea. Otherwise, I wouldn't have explained it earlier," Li Zhengshēn said, simply going along with the crowd since there was no way to explain it properly.

Zhen Niang thought this response was just right. After all, if everyone truly believed it was just luck, wouldn't they go crazy buying again? That wouldn't be good for anyone, including her Zhengshēn-ge.

"That makes sense," the crowd agreed with Li Zhengshēn's explanation.

At that moment, Luo Jiu quietly nudged Zhen Niang's elbow. "What about this one of mine?" he said, spreading the Temple-Front Green inkstone he had just acquired in front of her.

"Does my Li Family look like we can't afford to compensate?" Zhen Niang raised an eyebrow, thinking that those with too much luck tend to attract envy.

"What's mine is yours anyway," Luo Jiu said with a grin.

Zhen Niang pretended not to hear, though her mood lifted ever so slightly.

Just then, chaos erupted at the entrance of the official street, followed by a group of yamen runners escorting several people.

"It's Lord Liu from the Ink Affairs Bureau. I heard the Cheng Family has sued the Tian Family, claiming the Tians used underhanded methods during the Tribute Ink selection back then," someone well-informed said.

Now this was real excitement. Immediately, the crowd that had gathered around the gambling stones dispersed and headed toward the Tian Family side. At that moment, Tian Er stood respectfully at the entrance of the Tian Family's Ink Manor, holding the Tribute Ink plaque, ready to welcome the Ink Affairs Bureau delegation.

From a distance, Zhen Niang narrowed her eyes. It seemed the Tian Family was fully prepared.