The Heir

Сhаpter 189: Li Мо's Grеаt Аchievemеnt

In thе blink of an еye, it wаs thе sесоnd уear оf the Longqing era. After thе Lаntern Fеstival оn thе fiftееnth daу, thе Nеw Yеаr cеlebrations оf Lоngqing’s seсond yeаr were nеarly оvеr. Тhоsе frоm Нuizhou who mаdе their living еlsеwhеre hаd gathеrеd at the Yuliаng dоck, сarrying bundles аnd umbrellas.

As fоr thе Li fаmily, Li Jingfu wаs prepаring tо rеturn to Nаnjing with а fеw оthеrs tо ovеrsеe thе business аt the Ink Mаnor thеrе. Мeаnwhilе, Zhеn Niаng and her grandfаther stayed behind tо manage this уear’s Тribute Ink Sеlеctiоn.

Traveling with Li Jingfu was Luo Wenqian. He had many affairs to attend to in Nanjing and couldn’t afford to stay idle in Huizhou.

"Brother Luo, take care on the journey. My father can be a bit reckless at times—please keep an eye on him for me." Early in the morning, Zhen Niang went with her elder brother to see her father and Brother Luo off. Before they boarded the boat, she couldn’t help but fuss a little.

Li Jingfu, standing nearby, listened to his daughter’s words with a sense of resignation. Truly, a grown daughter’s heart belonged elsewhere.

Luo Wenqian, not wanting to embarrass his future father-in-law, suppressed a smile and simply nodded, though the amusement in his eyes was unmistakable. He then reminded Zhen Niang to be careful in all matters.

Soon after, Li Jingfu, Luo Wenqian, and their party boarded the boat.

Watching the boat gradually disappear into the distance, Zhen Niang finally turned back with her brother to head home.

As they turned, they overheard a few passengers who had just disembarked from another boat chatting at a tea stall on the riverbank.

"Lord Hai has arrived in Nanjing. Just a few days after his arrival, several merchants had their vermilion-lacquered gates torn down by Lord Hai for violating regulations. The heads of those households were even beaten with canes and suffered greatly. Even in the yamen, minor officials who used to flaunt their status by riding in four- or eight-bearer sedan chairs have had their official robes stripped off for the same violations. Now, the mere mention of Lord Hai strikes fear in Nanjing." The speaker was a man dressed in a yuanwai robe with a goatee, likely an accountant or steward.

"Serves them right. Word spread before the New Year that Lord Hai was to be promoted as the Governor of Yingtian. Everyone knows what kind of man Lord Hai is. Knowing he was coming, they should have restrained themselves long ago. Instead, they foolishly broke the rules. Those who suffered beatings and lost their official robes have no one to blame but themselves." Another man, dressed as a private secretary in his fifties, spoke disdainfully. They were all fools who failed to read the times.

"This all stems from the incident two years ago. Back then, when the policy to convert rice paddies to mulberry fields was implemented and land prices soared, wasn’t it also rumored that Lord Hai was coming? In the end, Lord Hai submitted a memorial with his coffin and was imprisoned. So, when everyone heard Lord Hai was coming this time, few believed it. After all, the Governor of Yingtian is such a high-ranking position. Everyone said Lord Hai had offended too many people and wouldn’t get the appointment. So, no one took it seriously. Who would have thought Lord Hai would arrive in Nanjing on the ninth day of the New Year? With the festivities still ongoing, the wealthy indulged in all sorts of violations. In the end, they all fell into Lord Hai’s hands and were dealt with." The steward-like man shook his head and laughed.

"True enough. No one could have predicted Lord Hai’s meteoric rise. Not long after his release from prison, he was promoted to the position of Shangbao Cheng in the Court of Judicial Review. Then, in the blink of an eye, he became the Governor of Yingtian. The speed of his promotion is truly unbelievable." The private secretary shook his head and sighed, a hint of envy in his voice.He had taken the provincial examination for thirty years without ever passing—truly, people cannot be compared.

Hai Rui had become the Governor of Yingtian? Hearing this, Zhen Niang was momentarily stunned. Historically, Hai Rui should have only received the appointment as Governor of Yingtian next year. How had it come so soon after the New Year?

Could it be because of that account book from before? Of course, she thought this, but the truth of the matter was beyond her reach. She didn’t want to get involved either, only feeling slightly puzzled.

She then wondered whether the Xu family’s affairs would still unfold as they had in history.

At that moment, a river breeze began to stir, carrying the lingering chill of early spring.

"Sister, let’s go back," Li Dalang urged from the side. Zhen Niang quickly hurried after her elder brother with small, quick steps.

Back home, she had only just sat down for a while when Aunt Chunhua and Uncle-in-law Yao Qianshan arrived. Zhen Niang busied herself preparing tea for them.

The two would soon be leaving for Suzhou. Uncle-in-law Yao Qianshan had agreed to serve as an advisor to the Surveillance Commissioner of the Suzhou Circuit in Nanjing and was about to officially take up his post.

As Zhen Niang finished brewing the tea and listened to Uncle-in-law Yao speak of this, her thoughts stirred. She couldn’t help but recall what Luo Wenqian had said about the Qin family after returning from Shizhou. Back then, her own father had worked loading goods at a trading company in Suzhou. In the end, because he was willing to endure hardship, he gained the appreciation of the company’s owner and joined the caravan. Yet, who could have foreseen that when the group went north to transport goods, only her father would survive by sheer luck.

And according to the information Brother Luo had gathered, the Qin family seemed somewhat suspicious in this matter.

Thinking this, Zhen Niang turned to Yao Qianshan and said, "Uncle-in-law Qianshan, there’s something I’d like to ask for your help with."

"Oh? What is it?" Yao Qianshan asked with a serious expression. No one in the Li family underestimated this girl from the eighth branch.

Since everyone present was family, Zhen Niang held nothing back. She recounted what Luo Wenqian had found out and concluded, "I’d like to ask you, once you’re in Suzhou, to look into that trading company’s affairs from back then and see if they had any business dealings with the Qin family." Zhen Niang explained. Uncle-in-law Yao’s employer was the Surveillance Commissioner of Suzhou, so investigating such matters should be convenient for him.

"Hmm, I’d heard rumors about the Qin family colluding with Japanese pirates back when I was in Shanxi. Given the current situation, I’ll start looking into this as soon as I arrive in Suzhou," Yao Qianshan nodded.

"Be careful when investigating, and don’t let any information leak," Old Shopkeeper Li cautioned from the side. After all, colluding with Japanese pirates was a crime punishable by extermination of the entire clan. If the Qin family caught even a hint of it, they would surely retaliate.

"I understand," Yao Qianshan nodded gravely.

He understood the gravity of such matters better than anyone.

After the first month passed, on the second day of the second lunar month, Yao Qianshan and his family set off for Suzhou.

On that day, Zhen Niang and Old Shopkeeper Li spent the entire day holed up in the Ink Workshop, from morning till night. Old Shopkeeper Li kept his eyes fixed on the fire in the stove, not even blinking. As soon as he saw a layer of blue flame appear, he immediately instructed Zhen Niang to mix in the glue. Each time the glue was mixed, it was steamed again, repeating the process several times.As for Zhen Niang, each time she mixed the glue, she disregarded the scalding heat of the hot glue, frequently testing the temperature directly with her fingers. Her entire hand was already covered in blisters. Yet Zhen Niang paid no mind to these, still having to be constantly careful not to break them. Otherwise, if the fluid inside the blisters contaminated the ink, all their previous efforts would be wasted.

The Li Family's Six Harmonies Three Talents Ink had reached its final critical stage.

At this moment, Zhen Niang could hear her own heart pounding wildly. She also stared intently at the ink paste inside the steamer.

"Zhen Niang, the final mixing, add the glue..." Old Shopkeeper Li almost screamed hysterically, his eyes completely bloodshot.

Upon hearing her grandfather's words, Zhen Niang dared not delay in the slightest. She added the final batch of glue and stirred rapidly. There could be no pause whatsoever during this process, and the speed had to be fast, because once the glue and ink cooled, they would harden, resulting in an uneven mixture.

Once it was thoroughly mixed, she immediately handed the ink paste to Ma Shifu for him to pound.

The thirty thousand strokes of pounding could not have the slightest interruption. Only an experienced pounder like Ma Shifu could handle such a task.

This was also the most crucial step. Ma Shifu did not dare to be negligent in the least. The stone pestle rose and fell, rhythmic and even, with each strike's force precisely the same.

At this point, Zhen Niang helped Old Shopkeeper Li sit down to the side. "Grandfather, this will still take quite a while. Why don't you go rest first?" Seeing her grandfather's bloodshot eyes, Zhen Niang urged.

"If I don't watch, how could I possibly rest easy? This time, indulge your grandfather," Old Shopkeeper Li said.

Hearing her grandfather say this, Zhen Niang had no choice but to relent, knowing it was impossible to make him rest now.

And so, from then on, the only sound in the entire Ink Workshop was that of pounding.

Thus, after one hour.

"Old Master, Miss Zhen, it's done!!" Ma Shifu exclaimed, his face also alight with excitement. Having been immersed in the ink craft for decades, just by looking at the quality of the ink paste, he could estimate the final quality of the ink.

"Help me over to see," Old Shopkeeper Li said, his face full of excitement. Zhen Niang then helped her grandfather over. The ink paste in the stone mortar was dark and glossy, its surface as smooth and lustrous as a piece of black jade, deeply captivating everyone's gaze.

"Good, good, good," Old Shopkeeper Li repeated as he looked, then waved his hand. "Zhen Niang, weigh it and mold it."

"Yes, Grandfather," Zhen Niang responded. She had naturally prepared all this in advance. She immediately rolled the ink paste into a cylindrical strip, then pinched it off into lumps like making steamed buns. Each ink lump weighed eight qian, and she left a little extra when pinching because the edges would need trimming later.

Once the ink was placed into the molds, it was pressed firmly. After all this busy work, by the time everything was finished, oil lamps were just being lit outside.

Grandmother Wu Shi stood at the entrance of the Ink Workshop holding a lantern, talking with the waiting Seventh Grandmother.

Zhen Niang helped her grandfather out.

"How did it go?" Seventh Grandmother asked, her face calm, but her voice trembled slightly, clearly also extremely tense.

"It's done, it's done, Seventh Sister-in-law. Even in the underworld, I, Li Jinshui, will have the face to see Seventh Brother now..." At this, Old Shopkeeper Li looked up at the sky, tears streaming down his aged face.

Back then, because of Li Jingfu's actions, Li Mo encountered trouble, and the Li Family's Seventh Master ultimately fell ill and passed away. Over this, Old Shopkeeper Li had always carried a heavy burden of regret."Good, good, good." Seventh Grandmother's eyes also grew moist. She murmured softly, "Master, Master, all these years, I have finally lived up to your trust, lived up to your trust..."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but wipe away her tears repeatedly.

"This is a good thing, this is a good thing. We should be happy." Zhen Niang's grandmother, Wu Shi, choked up beside her.

Seeing the two elderly women like this, Zhen Niang's heart also ached with sorrow. At this moment, it had nothing to do with Tribute Ink; the perfection of the Li family's Six Harmonies Three Talents Ink was now the greatest achievement of Li Mo.

In her heart, she silently addressed her grandfather from the future: "Grandfather, no matter what, the Li family's ink-making method has truly been revived and surpassed. Your wish, your granddaughter has fulfilled it during the most prosperous era of the ink industry in the Great Ming Dynasty."

Just then, Old Shopkeeper Li suddenly leaned backward. Zhen Niang failed to catch him, but fortunately, Ma Shifu, who was following behind, reacted quickly and caught Old Shopkeeper Li in his arms. He shouted anxiously, "Old Shopkeeper, Old Shopkeeper!"

"Grandfather..."

"Eighth Uncle..."

"Old man..."