The Heir

Сhарter 175: Goryео Ink and the Рan Familу Ink Меthоd

Zhеn Niаng stood аt the entrance of Ink Маnor, wаtching Yi Ноu Shеng’s сarriаgе disаррeаr into the distanсе down thе official strеet. Hеr heart suddеnlу fеlt tаnglеd, аs if оvergrown with wееds—restlеss аnd unеasу.

Almоst unсonsciоuslу, she tоok out the smаll Taoist inkstiсk Luо Wеnqian hаd given her and bеgаn tо toу with it.

Аs shе ехаmined it сlоselу, somеthing seemеd off. Васk then, whеn Luо Wеnqiаn had given her this inkstiсk, it was already dusk, аnd she hadn’t inspеcted it сarеfullу. She оnly knew it was a small Taoist inkstick and, aware that such inksticks were imitations by Luo Longwen, she had assumed this one was also made by him. Afterward, she hadn’t bothered to verify it.

But now, upon closer inspection, she noticed something unusual. Judging by the degree of degumming and the faint, subtle patina, this inkstick was at least thirty or forty years old.

Luo Longwen had died at only forty, so it was clearly impossible for him to have made this inkstick shortly after his birth.

Moreover, Zhen Niang realized that the ingredients and crafting method of this inkstick likely followed the Pan Family Ink Method.

The representative figure of the Pan Family Ink Method was Pan Gu of the Song Dynasty, known as the “Ink Immortal.” He was undoubtedly a prominent figure in the ink-making industry. Su Dongpo, in his “Four Poems on Ink,” held Pan Gu in high regard, writing: “On Mount Culai, there are no old pines; in Yishui, no skilled artisans. Precious materials come from Lelang, but the masterful hands belong only to Elder Pan. Fish bladders are pounded ten thousand times, rhinoceros horns carved with twin dragons. The ink, once made, is too precious to use—it belongs in the Penglai Palace.”

Su Dongpo and Pan Gu were also close friends, and many aspects of Su Dongpo’s ink-making method were derived from the Pan Family Ink Method.

In later generations, Zhen Niang and her grandfather had studied the Pan Family Ink Method. While many historical records documented the method, most described only ordinary techniques. Like the Li Family Ink Method, the essence of the Pan Family Ink Method had been lost over generations of inheritance.

This was a heartbreaking loss for all ink makers.

If so, the inkstick Luo Wenqian had given her was not merely a Luo inkstick. Hmm, she thought, she would have to ask Wenqian in detail when he returned.

“Girl, what treasure do you have there?” Just then, Old Master Qi Chun strolled in. Seeing the small Taoist inkstick in Zhen Niang’s hands, he asked curiously.

“Grandfather Qi, you’re here! Please, have a seat.” Zhen Niang quickly invited Old Master Qi into the elegant room to sit, then handed him the inkstick. “Take a look.”

She then asked Hua’er, who was nearby, to serve tea and called for her own grandfather to come over.

“Hmm, the Luo Family’s small Taoist inkstick. Luo Longwen is dead, so this has become a rarity. Keep it safe—in a few years, it could become the treasure of your Li Family’s ink collection,” Old Master Qi said, taking a small sip of tea.

The so-called “treasure ink” was the most important possession of every ink workshop. It represented the workshop’s heritage, containing the finest inks produced since its establishment.

To draw an analogy, this treasure ink was like the aged fermentation pits of century-old wineries.

“Mm,” Zhen Niang replied with a cheerful smile. She then remembered her earlier doubts and was about to seek Old Master Qi’s opinion.

But just then, Qi Chun let out a soft “Huh?” His expression turned serious. He set down his teacup, carefully examined the small Taoist inkstick again, and furrowed his brow. His expression then shifted, as if recalling something, tinged with a hint of melancholy.

A sigh escaped from the depths of his throat."Grandfather Qi?" Zhen Niang called softly, somewhat curious. Old Master Qi then snapped out of his reverie and shook his head. "My apologies for the lapse. This inkstick was likely not made by Luo Longwen, but rather by his aunt, Luo Mengzhen."

Luo Mengzhen? The name sounded familiar. After thinking for a moment, Zhen Niang recalled the Luo Family Chastity Archway standing not far from the dock outside Huizhou Prefecture. The person who had died was Luo Mengzhen.

She must have been the Luo family woman her second aunt had once mentioned—the one who had been betrothed to the Wang family, only for her fiancé to drown, after which she had taken her own life.

"But that doesn’t seem right," Zhen Niang continued. "The method used to make this ink is clearly the Pan family technique, which differs greatly from the Luo family’s method."

"That makes even more sense," Qi Chun said. "Luo Mengzhen studied the Pan family ink-making method. She was frail and sickly from a young age and once followed a nun to learn the way of quiet cultivation. That nun’s ancestors had close ties to the Pan family and had preserved a volume of the Pan family ink-making techniques. What a pity..." At this point, Qi Chun fell silent, naturally lamenting that the method had been burned along with Luo Mengzhen.

So that was how it was. Zhen Niang finally understood, and she too sighed inwardly at the loss.

"It must be fate," Old Master Qi said, looking at Zhen Niang again.

"What fate?" Zhen Niang asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I came here today originally to discuss a business matter with you. I had been hesitant, as it’s quite challenging, and with the Tribute Ink Selection coming up next spring, I didn’t want to distract you. But unexpectedly, you’ve obtained this Pan Inkstick. With careful study, success might not be out of reach," Old Master Qi explained.

"Oh, what business is this?" Old Shopkeeper Li entered at that moment.

"The Shen family of Suzhou recently acquired a batch of Goryeo inksticks, but the ink turned out dull and lacking in luster—nowhere near comparable to our local ink. Facing the prospect of this batch becoming worthless, they sought help. Lord Shen Shixing of the Hanlin Academy, a native of Suzhou, approached me, asking if anything could be done to salvage the ink. As you know, the ink artisans in the Ink Affairs Bureau nowadays are all talk but lack real skill, especially compared to you in Huizhou. Moreover, your Li family’s Re-blended Ink is quite renowned. So, I thought of asking you. However, the method for re-blending Goryeo ink was the specialty of Pan Xian, but it has long been lost. I wasn’t confident and worried it might end in failure, wasting your time and distracting you from preparing for the Tribute Ink Selection. That’s why I hesitated. But now, unexpectedly, Zhen Niang has obtained this small Taoist inkstick made with the Pan family technique. Studying it might just make this possible," Qi Chun said.

Su Dongpo’s poem "Four Poems on Ink" refers precisely to Pan Xian’s method of re-blending Goryeo ink.

Lelang was one of the Han dynasty’s four commanderies established on the Korean Peninsula, and in the poem, "Lelang" actually refers to Goryeo and Silla ink.

Precious materials sourced from Lelang, Skilled hands belong to Old Pan. Fish bladders pounded ten thousand times, Rhinoceros horns carved with twin dragons. Ink made but not dared to use, Offered to the Penglai Palace.From this, we can see that the re-blending of Goryeo ink was Pan Xian’s masterpiece, and its difficulty is easy to imagine.

"Hmm, let me take a look," Old Shopkeeper Li said, taking the inkstick and examining it carefully.Yet at this moment, Zhen Niang had her own calculations. This Shen Shixing was also a remarkable figure in the Ming Dynasty. Although currently only a compiler, he would soon become the future Wanli Emperor's teacher. And when Wanli ascended the throne, this Lord Shen would rise step by step, eventually entering the Grand Secretariat. After Zhang Juzheng passed away and during Zhang Siwei's power seizure, he became the foremost figure in the cabinet.

Of course, this wasn't the most important point. What mattered most was that Luo Wenqian was now considered part of Zhang Juzheng's faction, though temporarily enjoying boundless glory. But when Zhang Juzheng was purged by Wanli, the tragic fate of the Zhang family would be chilling. In the end, it was this Shen Shixing who stepped forward, though by then the Zhang family's tragedy was already complete. Still, he managed to preserve the last vestiges of the Zhang family's vitality, preventing their complete annihilation.

Though Zhen Niang's thoughts wandered far ahead, establishing good karma with such a figure was always beneficial.

In any case, because of her engagement to Luo Wenqian, Zhen Niang's worries extended far into the future.

Moreover, setting aside distant concerns, there was the immediate matter: next spring was the Tribute Ink Selection. Originally, Grandfather Cheng had created excellent circumstances for the Li family. But now that the Tian family had formed a marriage alliance with the Xu family, next year's Tribute Ink Selection became unpredictable for the Li family again. It would be better to accumulate more reputation.

Regardless of other considerations, Shen Shixing's status as the top scholar in the forty-first year of the Jiajing reign alone meant that gaining his recognition would undoubtedly elevate Li Ink's prestige another level.

Your Tian family has connections, but my Li family has technical reputation. When the time comes, it's hard to say who will prevail. After all, the Xu family still valued their reputation externally. Additionally, although Minister Xu was currently the foremost figure in the court, his prominence made him a target, and he was not favored by Longqing. Otherwise, he wouldn't have retired and returned home the following year.

Considering all this, Zhen Niang felt that her Li family must take on this Re-blended Ink business for the Shen family of Suzhou's batch of Korean ink.

Of course, one shouldn't speak in absolutes. So Zhen Niang said, "Grandfather, I think we can first agree with the Shen family to try a small batch. If successful, we'll take on the order; if not, since we've discussed it beforehand, the Shen family likely won't make things difficult. Besides, even if we can't decipher the Pan Ink's Re-blended Ink method, our Li family's Re-blended Ink method is quite good."

"Alright, let's ask Brother Xu to make the connection," Old Shopkeeper Li decided promptly.

Thus, the matter was settled. The next day, Qi Chun brought Shen Ziyan of the Shen family. Shen Ziyan was Shen Shixing's cousin and currently managed the Shen family's business.

The two families agreed to first produce a trial batch.

Afterward, Zhen Niang and her grandfather immersed themselves in the Ink Workshop, even going so far as to scrape some ink edges from that small Taoist ink cake, then crushing and degumming it step by step to reconstruct the Pan family's ink method.

They then tested the ink, examining the ink bone through ink traces. Finally, with all preparations complete, Zhen Niang began her first trial production. For this first attempt, she didn't use the Pan family's ink method but directly applied the Re-blended Ink method she had previously developed.

This trial was successful because the Li family's Re-blended Ink method was now highly mature. However, different inks required different Re-blended Ink methods. Clearly, using the Li family's method for Korean ink, while workable, produced ink that was only somewhat better, far from being a masterpiece, let alone reaching Master Pan's level.

This still left Zhen Niang somewhat disappointed.So next, Zhen Niang immediately tried making ink using the newly researched Pan's Ink Method, but it ended in direct failure.

However, Zhen Niang's nature had always been one of growing stronger with each setback. In the following days, her trial production reached the point where she almost forgot to eat and sleep.

"This girl, she was lecturing me before, but look at her now—she's holed up in the Ink Workshop all day, forgetting even food and drink. I've noticed she's lost quite a bit of weight these past couple of days." In the evening, during dinner, once again not seeing Zhen Niang around and knowing she was still tucked away in the Ink Workshop, Old Shopkeeper Li couldn't help but grumble.

"Father, you two are the same—neither can criticize the other. You share the same temperament, born to be ink makers." On the side, Zhao Shi also spoke with some helplessness.

Beside them, Hua'er and the others chuckled.

"Grandfather, it's done, it's done!" Just then, Zhen Niang emerged holding a piece of ink, her face beaming with excitement.

"Ah, let me see." Hearing it was done, Old Shopkeeper Li stopped eating, put down his bowl, and rushed into the Ink Workshop.

"Look, look, they're exactly the same," Zhao Shi said with exasperation, turning to Li Jingfu.

Li Jingfu chuckled sheepishly. There was no helping it—old and young alike, when it came to ink making, the grandfather and granddaughter shared the same temperament.

Meanwhile, Old Shopkeeper Li had already begun testing the ink with Zhen Niang. However, the results of the ink test felt like a bucket of cold water poured over Zhen Niang's head. When tested with thick ink, the color was excellent and the luster was good, but when tested with diluted ink mixed with water, the expected speckled ink luster did not appear. Moreover, with diluted ink, the color appeared muddy—a sign of uneven ink distribution.

"It's already quite good. With a bit more polishing on the details, it should succeed," Old Shopkeeper Li encouraged Zhen Niang.

"Mhm," Zhen Niang nodded, but she knew in her heart that it wasn't just a matter of details. She had already handled the details meticulously, and the fact that this issue still arose clearly indicated that she hadn't fully grasped Pan's Ink Method yet.

That night, Zhen Niang couldn't sleep. Coupled with the hot weather, she felt even more restless. Deciding not to force sleep, she got up, put on her clothes, and once again buried herself in the Ink Workshop.

"Girl, the final Glue Method used in the Re-blended Ink technique for Goryeo ink isn't Pan's Ink Method—it's the Qingwu Ink Method of the Sichuan monk." Just then, someone entered holding a lamp.

Zhen Niang was startled. Turning around, she saw it was Chou Po.