The Heir

Сhарtеr 173: The Tiаn Fаmily's Schеme

“Arе уоu sаtisfiеd nоw?” As the сrowd dispersed, Tian Rоnghuа turned bаck tоwаrd thе hоuse but раusеd tо аddress Li Zhеnniang, who was аbоut to lеave.

Zhenniаng stopрed in her trасks, glаnсеd аt Тian Ronghuа, аnd aftеr а mоment’s thоught reрliеd, “What’s stolеn must аlwaуs be returned.”

Тhe Tribute Ink Рrivilеgе the Тian family hаd оbtаined thrоugh thе Immоrtаl Еvаluatiоn bаck thеn was еssentiallу stolеn frоm thе Chеng fаmilу.

“Аnd when will you rеturn what you stole?” Тian Ronghua suddеnly retоrted аftеr a briеf pause.

“What did I steal?” Zhenniang was momentarily taken aback, but noticing Tian Ronghua’s gaze fixed on the nearby Yi Hou Sheng Firm, she understood—this was about Luo Wenqian. She replied earnestly, “That wasn’t stolen; it was picked up.” Of course, she left unsaid the part she feared would provoke Tian Ronghua too much—it was something someone had discarded, and she had merely picked it up.

Thus, Zhenniang felt she was being rather magnanimous.

Even so, Tian Ronghua’s expression darkened further. “Li Zhenniang, I won’t lose to you in next year’s Tribute Ink Selection.”

“The Li family has never feared any challenge,” Zhenniang declared. Then she turned and headed back to the Li Family Ink Manor.

She truly didn’t care about Tian Ronghua—not out of contempt, but rather because she held Tian Ronghua in high regard. This woman was capable of being ruthless to others and to herself, making her a formidable opponent. The problem was, she had a teammate as foolish as a pig. Such a person could never succeed.

As for the Tian family’s current predicament, they had no one to blame but themselves. If Tian Er hadn’t accused Tian Benchang of colluding with Yunsong, the authorities wouldn’t have gone out of their way to vent their anger on the Tian family. After all, the Tian family held the Tribute Ink Privilege, effectively making them imperial merchants. Who would willingly provoke them without cause?

Yet, the Tian family’s internal strife had exposed the matter, allowing Third Master Cheng to lodge his complaint openly and justly.

In the end, the Tian family had lifted a rock only to drop it on their own feet. They had no one else to blame.

Tian Ronghua watched Zhenniang’s retreating figure, stamped her foot in frustration, and returned to the house with a resentful expression.

That Li Zhenniang was nothing but sharp-tongued.

Evening, Tian Family Ink Manor.

Tian Er returned home drunk. Tian Ronghua was still reviewing account books. That afternoon, two ink pavilions had come to return goods. They had originally been drawn by the prestige of the Tribute Ink brand, but now that the Ink Affairs Bureau had revoked the Tian family’s Tribute Ink Privilege, it was only natural for merchants to return the goods. The Tian family had no grounds to refuse.

Of course, Tian Ronghua was furious—they were all just kicking someone when they were down.

Moreover, with only six months left until next year’s Tribute Ink Selection, Tian Ronghua needed to find a way to rebuild the reputation of Tian ink and develop ink for the selection.

Both tasks left her utterly clueless.

“Sister, still working…” Tian Er greeted her unsteadily.

Seeing his state, Tian Ronghua felt a headache coming on. She waved impatiently for the servants to help her second brother back to his room. This brother was nothing but a hopeless case.

“Sister, let me tell you, worrying won’t help. I’ve finally realized that the key to business isn’t in the business itself—it’s outside of it,” Tian Er slurred.

“What do you mean by that?” Tian Ronghua asked, puzzled."How else can I put it? Isn't it obvious? The reason Elder Brother was able to thrive in the ink industry before was all because of Daoist Yunsong's backing. He was a favorite of the emperor, so everyone gave Elder Brother face. Now that Daoist Yunsong has fallen, our family naturally suffers too. So, if we want to support Tian Ink, we need to find another backer." Tian Er spoke very bluntly.

"Who should we find?" Tian Ronghua glared coldly at her second brother.

"How about the Xu family?" Tian Er chuckled slyly.

"Why would they back us?" Tian Ronghua frowned.

"You could marry into the Xu family as their daughter-in-law," Tian Er said, dropping a bombshell.

"Second Brother, are you selling me out?!" Tian Ronghua grabbed a teacup from the bed and hurled it at Tian Er. Scalding hot water splashed all over him. It was summer, and his clothes were thin, making Tian Er jump from the heat. "You little brat, are you trying to kill your second brother? How am I selling you out? I'm doing this for your own good. Being a daughter-in-law of the Xu family—how many people dream of that?" Tian Er grumbled angrily.

Then he added a jab: "What, are you still hung up on that Luo fellow? Luo Wenqian is already engaged. Are you going to wait around to be his concubine?"

"What's going on? What's going on? What are you two siblings doing?" Madam Lin came out upon hearing the commotion.

"Mother, my sister is being ungrateful. Third Young Master Xu helped us today. When I invited him for a drink, I could tell from his words that he has a good impression of my sister. What a great opportunity this is! If my sister can marry into the Xu family, we won't have to worry about anything anymore. Mother, weren't you worried that Chunzhi wouldn't tolerate you? If my sister marries into the Xu family, with the Xu family as our backer, why would we fear Chunzhi?" Tian Er argued.

"Is that really true?" Madam Lin's eyes lit up at these words.

Tian Ronghua snorted coldly from the side.

"Sister, don't blame me for not warning you. Even if Luo Wenqian weren't engaged, you shouldn't think about him anymore. Back when the Luo family was planning to transfer their assets, Father sent me to report it to the authorities. That's how our Tian family got Luo Ink. Luo Wenqian knows this perfectly well. Besides, when the Luo family was in trouble, didn't you also keep your distance from him? He holds grudges—do you think he'd still want you?" Tian Er said with a tone of exasperation.

"Yes, Ronghua, your second brother is right. Don't think about Young Master Luo anymore. The Xu family is a good match, but I'm afraid they might not look favorably on us." Madam Lin sighed. Although Third Young Master Xu had a good impression of Ronghua, whether a marriage could happen still depended on Second Master Xu and Second Madam Xu.

Tian Ronghua fell silent. She understood everything Tian Er had said, but she couldn't help feeling unwilling. Now, thinking it over, since things were this way, she might as well aim for a grand and glorious marriage. At the very least, she wouldn't lose to Li Zhenniang.

She also wanted to make Luo Wenqian regret it.

"Mother, don't worry. Tomorrow, ask Auntie Wang to approach Second Madam Xu about this matter. Once that's done, the marriage will be almost certain. The Xu family took a liking to Li Zhenniang only because of Li Ink. The Li family has Li Ink, and our Tian family has Tian Ink. Neither of us is inferior to the other." Tian Ronghua said coldly.

"Good, good, good. I'll go find Auntie Wang tomorrow." Madam Lin nodded eagerly. Although the Wang family was related to the Luo family, the relationship between the Wang and Luo families was very poor. In contrast, the Wang and Tian families had always been close. Asking Aunt Wang to intervene would surely work.And as it turned out, many things were still too simple in Tian Ronghua's mind. The Xu family had initially taken a liking to Li Zhenniang not only because of Li Mo but also because Li Zhenniang held the status of a Princess Mansion attendant, which meant she was connected to the princess in some way. In this regard, Tian Ronghua could not compare to Li Zhenniang, and because of this, Second Madam Xu had refused outright from the start.

Fortunately, Tian Ronghua had one advantage over Zhen Niang—her strikingly beautiful appearance. Third Young Master Xu took a liking to her and insisted on marrying her, causing quite a stir with Second Madam Xu. In the end, the Tian family offered an additional thirty percent share of Tian ink as dowry. Only then did the marriage negotiations between the Xu and Tian families proceed as planned.

…