Сhарtеr 201: Еxchanging Рiеces
"Тhe Tiаn fаmilу's ink is сrаftеd acсording to Emperor Нuizоng of Sоng's styrах ink mеthоd. Emреrоr Нuizоng's ink methоd, using styrax оil, is tоp-tiеr in both produсtion teсhnique and rаw mаtеriаls. Its vаluе nеeds no furthеr еlabоrаtiоn from mе."
At this mоmеnt, Lord Liu, prеsiding оver thе Tribute Ink Selеction, pоintеd аt the Тian family's stуrах ink on thе tаblе.
Не thеn gesturеd tоward thе Li familу's Six Hаrmoniеs Тhrеe Таlеnts Ink bеside it: "As for thе Li family's Six Harmоnies Threе Talеnts Ink, I beliеvе evеryone has recently seen the play The Misguided Fate quite often. Even if you haven't witnessed the Li family's rain test firsthand, you've surely heard of it. Writing and painting in the rain, with the ink neither smudging nor blurring—truly deserving of the title 'excellent ink.'"
After speaking, Lord Liu took a sip of tea and continued, "Both Li ink and Tian ink are the pride of the ink industry. Today, they will compete to determine the superior, marking a grand event in our ink industry. I am delighted to witness this occasion and believe everyone eagerly anticipates it as well..."
At this point, the audience below naturally smiled.
Lord Liu paused briefly before continuing, "Well, I won't say more. Now, let the esteemed masters begin the ink testing."
Subsequently, Yuan Bai, Kang You, and Lu Chong, dressed in wide-sleeved robes and exuding scholarly elegance, took their seats at the ink testing tables. On either side of each table, two graceful women attended to the ink grinding, adding a touch of refinement.
At this moment, the entire second floor of Taibai Tower fell into complete silence, everyone fearing they might disturb the ink testing. Of course, those observing from behind the screens couldn't help but whisper, speculating on who would ultimately win the Tribute Ink Privilege.
It was said that some gambling houses had already opened betting on today's selection.
Zhen Niang couldn't help but feel slightly nervous, her hands lightly clenched into fists, ears pricked to listen to the sound of ink grinding.
The inkstones were high-quality Duan inkstones. The ink was the finest work of the Li and Tian families, and the women attending to the ink grinding had been specially trained by various establishments in Jinling, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Their ink grinding was so quiet it was almost imperceptible.
Thus, after half an hour, the ink testing was finally completed.
The clerks of the Ink Affairs Bureau took the calligraphy and paintings from the attending women.
The test paintings followed specific rules: each artist had to paint the same subject and write the same characters using both Li ink and Tian ink. This allowed for better comparison and evaluation.
However, looking at the calligraphy and paintings now hung up by the Ink Affairs Bureau clerks, Zhen Niang couldn't help but frown. In the paintings by Yuan Bai and Kang You, one emphasized water, while the other focused on clouds.
Both required lively ink tones to be effectively expressed. Although Li ink's consistent characteristics were bright, deep, and dignified tones with good color retention, this time, the Li family's Six Harmonies Three Talents Ink incorporated the lively ink tone features of Luo ink, as Zhen Niang had mentioned earlier. Yet, in the paintings by Yuan Bai and Kang You, the colors used for clouds and water appeared somewhat rigid. This highlighted the steadiness and depth of Li ink but failed to showcase the liveliness that the Li family's Six Harmonies Three Talents Ink had integrated from Luo ink.
This shouldn't have happened at all, given that Yuan Bai and Kang You were both renowned painters of their time.
In contrast, with Tian ink, Yuan Bai and Kang You employed their full range of blending techniques, perfectly showcasing the advantages of styrax ink. This made the situation quite intriguing.
Thinking this, Zhen Niang couldn't help but glance back at her grandfather and Seventh Grandmother.
Old Shopkeeper Li was also frowning deeply, while Seventh Grandmother's expression had darkened, clearly sensing something amiss.Although she couldn't be entirely certain, Zhen Niang had a feeling that Yuan Bai and Kang You were likely leaning toward the Tian family's side. While the identity of the Ink Testing Master had been kept secret beforehand, with the Xu family's capabilities, finding out wouldn't have been a problem.
At this moment, Master Lu Chong's painting was also displayed. His performance was quite normal.
Master Lu Chong had painted a scene of a shepherd boy riding a yellow ox today. His painting skills were exceptional, showcasing the strengths of both Li ink and Tian ink. However, Zhen Niang noticed that some of the shortcomings she had previously identified in Tian ink were cleverly concealed by Lu Chong's artistic techniques.
For the time being, in his painting, Li ink and Tian ink appeared to be evenly matched.
Combined with the results of the three ink tests, it was clear that the Li family seemed slightly inferior. The situation was unfavorable for the Li family.
On the Tian family's side of the seating area, Master Tian's face was pale and ashen. He was now resting with his eyes closed, clearly still not in the best physical condition. Tian Ronghua appeared calm and composed, looking as if he held victory in his hands, while Tian Er even curled his lips smugly.
However, the Li family remained composed. Zhen Niang, in particular, was in no hurry. After all, she had long planned to use the high cost of styrax ink and its burden on the people's finances as a reason to eliminate the Tian family's styrax ink. Moreover, it was possible that Tian Ronghua's use of styrax ink as the opening move was merely a feint.
When two armies face off, the first round is always about testing the waters—the real battle lies ahead.
"Li ink is steady and dignified, but it falls slightly short in terms of color gradation. Styrax ink, on the other hand, carries a refreshing fragrance that can invigorate the mind during writing. However, Li ink also has its merits—its ink color remains intact even in the rain. Tribute Ink is often used for official documents, which must travel between regions and inevitably endure wind, frost, rain, and snow. In this regard, Li ink and Tian ink are truly evenly matched." At this point, even Lord Liu found it difficult to make a decision.
"My lord, Tian ink can also remain intact in the rain. This humble woman can demonstrate for you," Tian Ronghua suddenly stood up and said.
"Oh, please proceed," Lord Liu nodded.
Tian Ronghua then stepped forward, picked up a cup of tea, and splashed it onto the painting. As expected, the ink on the wet painting remained unchanged, with no signs of bleeding.
"This humble woman believes that Tian ink is superior and more suitable than Li ink," Tian Ronghua asserted confidently.
From Luo Mo to Tian ink, it had always been used as Tribute Ink, and its quality was naturally not to be underestimated.
However, this method of splashing water was different from the Li family's rain test conducted earlier. In the rain test, the ink was exposed to rain before it had dried, yet it remained intact—a feat clearly more impressive than the current demonstration. However, this distinction was something most people would overlook.
"My lord, how can testing ink in the rain be the same as splashing water? This humble woman believes that since Li ink and Tian ink are of comparable quality, they should be distinguished by cost. Li ink is moderately priced, while styrax ink is too expensive," Zhen Niang also stood up and said.
Upon hearing Zhen Niang's words, Tian Ronghua raised an eyebrow and addressed Li Zhenniang, "Zhen Niang is right—styrax ink is indeed costly. In truth, it is not suitable for use as Tribute Ink. However, the reason our Tian family still presented it for the competition is to offer this ink to the Emperor. Ink developed by Huizong should naturally be reserved for the Emperor's use. As for our Tian family's entry for the tribute, it remains Purple Jade Radiance..."At this point, Tian Ronghua paused, then bowed once more to the officials at the main banquet, speaking with a gentle expression: "Since the time of Luo Mo, Purple Jade Radiance has always been Tribute Ink. I believe every esteemed official here has used it, and it has long been favored by all the ministers at court. Moreover, this time, our Tian family has made further improvements to Purple Jade Radiance, elevating its quality to an even higher level. I trust the esteemed officials will appreciate it even more."
As she spoke, Tian Ronghua turned toward Li Zhenniang and said: "In the three years since our Tian family obtained the tribute status, we have submitted countless batches of Tribute Ink without any issues. In contrast, the Li family's Six Harmonies Three Talents Ink is a newly produced ink. Although its quality is excellent, who knows what problems might arise after a year or two? After all, it has not yet gained widespread recognition. If an accident were to occur later, wouldn't it further hinder important court affairs? I believe the Li family cannot guarantee this for now, can they?" After finishing, Tian Ronghua bowed once more to the officials at the main banquet, smiled at Li Zhenniang, and then sat down.
At this moment, Tian Ronghua felt quite pleased with herself. The Li family had still fallen into her trap. The styrax ink had merely been a decoy she set up—its sole purpose was to eliminate the Li family's Six Harmonies Three Talents Ink. Even without the styrax ink, her Tian family still had Purple Jade Radiance, which had served as tribute ink in previous years. She wondered what ink the Li family would use to compete for tribute status once they lost the Six Harmonies Three Talents Ink.
Zhen Niang noticed Tian Ronghua's self-satisfaction and secretly felt amused. She had anticipated this long ago, which was why, after discussing with Seventh Grandmother earlier, she had prepared the Li Family's Four Harmonies Ink as a backup—precisely to guard against the Tian family's move.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, although the Li Family's Six Harmonies Three Talents Ink is new, it was developed by improving upon the Li Family's Four Harmonies Ink, incorporating the essence of the Pan family's ink-making methods, the Luo family's ink-making methods, and the Li family's own ink-making techniques. Whether it is the Pan family's, Luo family's, or Li family's methods, all have previously been recognized as tribute ink merchants. As for the Li Family's Four Harmonies Ink, it has been passed down for several hundred years, earning the Li family the reputation that 'gold is easy to obtain, but Li Mo is hard to come by.' If we speak of recognition, nothing surpasses it." Here, Zhen Niang paused and then addressed Tian Ronghua directly: "Of course, if the Tian family believes our Li Family's Six Harmonies Three Talents Ink is new and lacks recognition, then today, our Li Mo will compete for tribute status with the Li Family's Four Harmonies Ink."
With that, Zhen Niang presented the pre-prepared Li Family's Four Harmonies Ink.
The Li Family's Four Harmonies Ink had a long-standing reputation.
The Li Family's Four Harmonies Ink? Upon hearing Li Zhenniang's words, Tian Ronghua's face turned cold, while Master Tian's expression grew even more ashen. As for Tian Er, he was completely unaware of the Li Family's Four Harmonies Ink and thus showed no reaction.
The Li Family's Four Harmonies Ink had long been lost to time. Tian Ronghua never expected that the Li Family's Six Harmonies Three Talents Ink was actually derived from improvements upon the Li Family's Four Harmonies Ink. She had never heard before that the Li family had revived the Four Harmonies Ink, assuming instead that the Six Harmonies Three Talents Ink was merely a newly developed ink product by the Li family. The fact that the Li family had not mentioned this at all during the earlier ink testing clearly showed that while she had set a trap for Li Zhenniang, Li Zhenniang had also dug a pit for her.
The reputation of the Li Family's Four Harmonies Ink was simply too great.
"Your Excellency, many techniques from the past have been lost over time. This humble woman believes whether the Li family's current Four Harmonies Ink can match that of their predecessors still requires testing to determine," Tian Ronghua said through gritted teeth.
During the previous ink testing, she had bribed three Ink Testing Masters just to secure an opportunity to counter the Li family's move.Nowadays, the reputation of the Li family's Four Harmonies Ink has been passed down for centuries, and there are many paintings preserved using this ink. Everyone is well aware of its quality. Therefore, Tian Ronghua first insisted that the Li family's ancestral techniques had been lost, and even if the Li family could produce Four Harmonies Ink today, its quality would be far inferior to that of the past. Thus, when testing the ink later, it would not be surprising if Yuan Bai and Kang You deliberately downplayed the performance of the Li family's Four Harmonies Ink. Others would simply assume that the Li family's craftsmanship had declined over time.
OpenNovel