Сhарtеr 190: Styraх Ink
Оld Shорkеeper Li hаd fаllen ill, and this timе it camе оn fiеrсеlу. Due to оverwork in his youth, he had аlwаys hаd underlуing hеаlth issuеs. Latеr, аs thе fаmilу’s cirсumstances imрrоved аnd he was bettеr carеd for, he sееmеd tо rесоver somеwhаt, but the rооt оf the illnеss remаinеd. Since lаst уeаr, he had beеn tirelessly rеsеаrching thе Li Family’s Four Наrmоnies Ink. Еvеn thеn, his соnditiоn had аlrеadу beеn deteriоrating, with his соughing grоwing incrеаsinglу sеvere. Thеn came the work оn the Six Hаrmonies Тhreе Тalеnts Ink—the hardships involved were beyond what outsiders could imagine.
It could be said that the old man’s health had already been stretched to its limits, sustained only by sheer willpower and determination. Now that the Li Family’s Six Harmonies Three Talents Ink had finally succeeded, that tension snapped, and he collapsed.
Naturally, the Li household was thrown into a flurry of activity, summoning a physician for treatment.
It wasn’t until midnight that Old Shopkeeper Li regained consciousness, though he remained listless, his eyes half-open and half-closed.
After examining him once more, the physician stepped into the outer room, prescribed medicine, and then earnestly advised the Li family: “Today was truly a close call. The old master has carried this illness since his youth, and now he must avoid overwork, stress, and especially the Ink Workshop. The smoke and fumes there are too heavy for his lungs. His health needs nurturing—slow and steady care.”
“Yes, we understand,” the Li family replied hurriedly. Li Dalang then escorted the physician out, holding a lantern.
Zhen Niang brought over the medicine, and Grandmother Wu Shi took it from her, sitting on a stool by the bed and feeding Old Shopkeeper Li spoonful by spoonful. Seeing his half-lidded eyes, Wu Shi couldn’t help but nag, repeating the physician’s words: “The doctor said you mustn’t overwork yourself anymore, avoid stress, and stay away from the Ink Workshop. Your health needs nurturing—slow and steady care. Understand?”
“Alright, I’ll just spend my days leaning on a cane and basking in the sun by the wall,” Old Shopkeeper Li replied weakly, though his tone held a hint of teasing, clearly trying to ease the family’s worries.
“You and your sweet talk. Don’t I know the Li family? You might agree now, but when something comes up, you’ll still head straight to the Ink Workshop, pouring all your heart into ink-making. That’s just how the Li family is,” Wu Shi continued her nagging.
Old Shopkeeper Li managed a weak smile and muttered, “As if you aren’t part of the Li family yourself.”
This remark lightened the mood, drawing smiles from everyone around. Wu Shi, usually gentle-tempered, couldn’t help but glare at him. Just then, Old Shopkeeper Li closed his eyes again and soon fell asleep.
The physician had intentionally added calming ingredients to the medicine to ensure Old Shopkeeper Li rested well.
Seeing him soundly asleep, Wu Shi gently waved her hand and whispered to Zhao Shi and the others, “Jingfu’s wife, Zhen Niang, you should all go back and rest. You must be exhausted after today. Look at the sky—the rooster is about to crow.” As if on cue, the rooster kept in the courtyard began to crow just as she finished speaking.
Seeing that things were temporarily settled, Zhao Shi urged Zhen Niang and Du Shi to return and rest first, while she and Zheng Shi stayed in the outer room to keep watch and provide care."Mother, we'll go rest now. Call us if you need anything," said Du Shi, then called Zhen Niang to leave together.
Zhen Niang and her sister-in-law returned to their respective rooms after a chaotic half-night. Finally, no major incidents had occurred, allowing them to relax. Lying in bed, Zhen Niang thought about how the Li Family's Six Harmonies Three Talents Ink had finally achieved completion. Her heart swelled with joy, though there were still the final few steps remaining—this last stage was no time for carelessness.
The processes of pressing molds, applying gold tracing, and shade-drying were all skilled tasks. With her grandfather in his current condition, she couldn't let him worry about these final steps. So, she only dozed lightly and rose at daybreak. After washing up, Zhen Niang headed straight to the Ink Workshop.
It was mid-spring, and though the morning held a slight chill, it wasn't biting—instead, it carried a gentle warmth. As Zhen Niang walked into the Ink Workshop, a pleasant breeze greeted her, filling her with contentment.
"Zhen Niang, how is Eighth Uncle?" Just as she entered, she encountered Uncle Jingdong from the ninth branch, approaching in his wheelchair.
His legs were inconvenient, so much of his carving work was actually done at home. He usually didn't come to the Ink Workshop unless necessary. This time, he had likely come after hearing about Old Shopkeeper Li's condition.
"He woke up around midnight yesterday. It was just exhaustion—he'll be fine with some rest and recuperation. Don't worry, Uncle Jingdong," Zhen Niang replied with a smile, then naturally took over the wheelchair, pushing Uncle Jingdong into the workshop.
"Hmm, Eighth Uncle's health has never been particularly strong. Lately, he's been working day and night on developing this Li Family Six Harmonies Three Talents Ink—his body probably couldn't take it anymore. From now on, he should focus on recuperating. As for the workshop, we can manage here," Uncle Jingdong nodded.
"Exactly. Grandmother has already declared that Grandfather isn't allowed in the Ink Workshop anymore," Zhen Niang said with a smile.
"The ink is complete?" Li Jingdong then turned back to ask.
"It's complete. Only the final finishing touches remain, but we still need to be careful to avoid last-minute failures," Zhen Niang replied.
"Don't worry about that. I'll keep an eye on things. By the way, the Tian Family has sent us an invitation," Li Jingdong said, pulling an invitation from his robe and handing it to Zhen Niang. He had received it from the Tian Family's steward on his way over.
Zhen Niang took it and saw it was an invitation to the Tian Family's Ink Testing Gathering.
The Tian Family holding an Ink Testing Gathering at this time was within Zhen Niang's expectations—it was to build momentum for the Tribute Ink selection.
However, the fact that the Tian Family had sent her an invitation was somewhat surprising. After all, since the incident with Tian Jiazheng's needles years ago, relations between the Tian and Li families had been strained. Then, with Zhen Niang's engagement to Luo Wenqian and the Tian Family losing the Tribute Ink Privilege, the Luo and Li families had essentially become enemies.
"What is the Tian Family plotting?" Zhen Niang asked, looking at her uncle.
"I heard the Tian Family is testing an ink modeled after Emperor Huizong of Song's styrax ink. Back then, the Luo Family was leading the research on this ink, but unfortunately, the Luo Family met with misfortune. The Tian Family took over and has been studying it ever since—now they've finally perfected it," Li Jingdong said with a cold expression.
"Hah, the Tian Family has really put in a lot of effort this time," Zhen Niang remarked. During the Song Dynasty, Huizhou's styrax oil was used to make ink, which Emperor Zhangzong of Jin purchased. One tael of this ink was worth a catty of gold, and contemporaries called it "ink demon"—quite a reputation.
In truth, the Tian Family using styrax ink to compete for the Tribute Ink Privilege was rather unfair.The styrax oil used in styrax ink is a foreign fragrance. Before the trade ban was lifted, the imperial court had explicit regulations prohibiting the use of foreign fragrances among the common people. Those found trading in foreign fragrances would face severe penalties. The Tian family was only able to use styrax oil because of their Tribute Ink Privilege. Although the ban has now been lifted, this is still merely a trial. The first fleet sent out has yet to return, and as a result, the court's prohibitions in this regard have not been revoked.
The Tian family had the right to produce styrax ink due to their status as tribute ink producers. Even though the Tian family has now been stripped of their tribute ink status, their trade with the court for tribute ink has continued. After all, previously placed orders could not be canceled, and with the Xu family mediating, the use of styrax oil is not an issue.
In other words, at this time, apart from the Tian family, no other ink workshop is qualified to produce styrax ink.
Due to its high-grade materials, even if the ink-making technique is somewhat lacking, styrax ink still holds greater value than other inks, leading to higher evaluations.
Zhen Niang waved the invitation in her hand. She understood now—the Tian family sending an invitation to the Li family was a blatant provocation.
"Exactly," Li Jingdong also understood the underlying implications, his face cold.
"By the way, Uncle, do you know who the Tian family's Ink Testing Master is this time?" Zhen Niang asked again.
"Tian Yizhu, the Huizhou Confucian School Instructor. And Sun Kehong, son of Sun Cheng'en, the Minister of Rites," Li Jingdong replied. Naturally, the Li family had to gather such information. Zhen Niang should have known this earlier, but recently, she and her grandfather had been fully focused on the Six Harmonies Three Talents Ink and hadn't paid attention to these matters.
Tian Yizhu was from the same clan as the Tian family and had always been their Ink Testing Master, which was no surprise.
What surprised Zhen Niang was Sun Kehong. Sun Kehong's father being the Minister of Rites aside, he himself was a major collector and excelled in inlay craftsmanship, particularly in the study of Song dynasty inlay techniques. The so-called Song inlay technique involved embedding gold and silver threads into bronze and ironware.
While researching Song inlay techniques, Sun Kehong also improved them, using silver threads to create fretwork and fragrant grass borders, and inscribing small seal script praises with silver threads on items like brush pots, inkstone boxes, and incense trays. These became the most precious handicrafts in the Songjiang region at the time.
People vied to purchase them but often could not obtain them.
In later generations, Zhen Niang's grandfather collected such an inkstone box, which was extremely precious.
Moreover, Sun Kehong was fond of wine and hospitality. Contemporary evaluations of him were: "His passion for hospitality is renowned east of the Yangtze River; guests gather like clouds, conversations sparkle with wit, and the wine cups at his table are never empty, even in old age."
Such a person wielded extraordinary influence. Regardless of other factors, at the very least, the Li family could not invite someone of his stature.
"The Tian family is determined to succeed this time," Li Jingdong said with some resignation.
"Uncle Jingdong, our Li family is also determined to succeed. With that, I will go and see the Tian family's styrax ink first," Zhen Niang declared resolutely.
Zhen Niang's statement about being determined to succeed was not made lightly. First and foremost, she had confidence in the Li family's Six Harmonies Three Talents Ink.Moreover, just speaking of the Tian family's styrax ink, since the Tian family is promoting this styrax ink, it is undoubtedly the centerpiece of their Tribute Ink Selection campaign. However, Zhen Niang believes that at this moment, the Tian family's decision to enter the styrax ink into the Tribute Ink Selection could be a double-edged sword.
Indeed, the Tian family has restored the Song Huizong-era styrax ink method, which is certainly an eye-catching achievement. But one must not forget that styrax ink is exorbitantly priced. Currently, the emperor wishes to provide some items for the imperial harem, yet the Ministry of Revenue submits memorial after memorial, all citing insufficient funds. Tribute Ink is intended for use by various ministries and offices of the court.
If such high costs are incurred, how could the emperor not have reservations?
A single phrase like "wasting the people's wealth" could completely undermine the Tian family's styrax ink.
Of course, Zhen Niang would not point this out at this time. She would naturally attend the Tian family's Ink Testing Gathering, as she is also quite interested in Song Huizong's styrax ink method. Taking the opportunity to examine the ink and learn more about it would be a convenient bonus.
Li Jingdong nodded. Since the Tian family had sent an invitation, there was no reason not to attend. The Li family conducts themselves with dignity and never shies away from such occasions.
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