The Heir

Сhарtеr 203: Тhе Flаw

“Never mind thоsе mаttеrs. Wе should only fосus on what nеeds to bе dоnе nоw аnd whаt is right to do.”

Аs Zhen Niang had guessed, aftеr rеading thе lettеr, Оld Маdam Li аnd Оld Shорkеeрer Li paid nо аttentiоn to the upсoming Ink Cоmpetitiоn in Nаnjing.

Тhеу wоuld dо what was right аt thе momеnt. Аs fоr what сamе lаter, theу wоuld faсe challеnges as theу аrоse. Whеn it came tо ink-mаking, thе Li Familу hаd nеvеr bасked dоwn.

“Нavе yоu decidеd?” Luo Wеnqiаn mоved а сhаir tо sit beside the Li Fаmily’s seats and gesturеd for the waitеr to bring anоther роt of tеa.

Such casual behavior would normally draw attention, but Luo Wenqian, the eldest son of the Luo Family, had once been a well-known figure in Huizhou. Although the Luo Family had declined, he had managed to rise again after just a few setbacks. Moreover, he was the Li Family’s designated son-in-law, so no one paid much mind to his actions.

“Yes. You should know my grandfather and Seventh Grandmother’s temperament.” Zhen Niang nodded.

Seeing her nod, Luo Wenqian said nothing more. He had rushed to deliver the letter, hoping the Li Family would give up competing for the Tribute Ink Privilege and avoid the Ink Competition in Nanjing. However, he was not surprised by their decision. If he were in their place, he would not easily retreat either.

He sat beside Old Shopkeeper Li, pouring tea for him and engaging in casual conversation while pondering his own thoughts. After all, he still had some connections. If the worst came to worst, he could spend money freely to ensure the Li Family’s safety.

Thus, the Tribute Ink Privilege had to be fought for to the end.

Although they were determined to fight, Old Madam Li and Old Shopkeeper Li wore solemn expressions.

“Today, the three Ink Testing Masters’ performance seemed off,” Old Shopkeeper Li remarked, studying the calligraphy and paintings hanging nearby under the lantern light.

“The Tian Family must have pulled some strings,” Luo Wenqian responded. The Tian Family was too opportunistic and obsessed with power. It would be strange if they didn’t resort to underhanded tactics at a time like this.

Seventh Grandmother Li also wore a grim expression and snorted coldly. “Let’s wait and see. Whether our Li Family obtains the Tribute Ink Privilege or not, there must be a convincing explanation. Otherwise, this old woman won’t hesitate to make a scene, regardless of how it looks. We’ll have to cause a stir if necessary.”

Although the Li Family had declined, a century-old family still had some influence when pushed to its limits. Old Madam Li had kept the Li Family afloat all these years, and she was no simple woman.

However, the seventh branch of the Li Family consisted mostly of widows, and Huizhou placed great emphasis on reputation. Thus, Old Madam Li had always kept a low profile.

“Seventh Grandmother, I have an idea,” Zhen Niang said calmly.

“Oh? Tell me,” Seventh Grandmother nodded, knowing the girl always had clever ideas.

Zhen Niang then whispered her plan to her grandfather and Seventh Grandmother. It was simple: replace the Ink Testing Masters with Su Dongpo’s ink-testing method.

“That won’t work. The Ink Testing Masters were previously selected by the Ink Affairs Bureau. Having them test the ink is the convention. How could we change it just because we say so?” Old Madam Li shook her head. Zhen Niang’s idea was good, but it might not be feasible.

“What if I can prove the Ink Testing Masters are falsifying their results?” Zhen Niang replied, narrowing her eyes."Is that true? If so, then naturally it's up to us to decide." Old Madam Li stared at Li Zhenniang with gleaming eyes.

Zhen Niang nodded emphatically.

At that moment, a waiter-like figure went to pour tea at the Tian family's table.

Luo Wenqian saw the waiter slip a letter to Tian Ronghua. After reading it, Tian Ronghua’s expression changed drastically, and he passed the letter to Master Tian. Master Tian, however, remained unfazed after reading it.

"I think the Tian family might voluntarily give up competing for the tribute," Luo Wenqian suddenly remarked, a slight smile curling his lips.

"How so?" Zhen Niang looked up at him.

"The Tian family has also received news from Nanjing," Luo Wenqian said, narrowing his eyes.

Hearing Luo Wenqian’s words, Zhen Niang suddenly understood. If that were truly the case, the Tian family might indeed withdraw. Compared to the Li family, the Tians had always been more adept at seeking advantage and avoiding harm.

Just then, the sudden downpour outside finally ceased. As the rain stopped, the rolling dark clouds in the sky dispersed, and the world brightened instantly.

The competition for the tribute between the Li and Tian families continued.

"The Tian family’s Purple Jade Radiance has been the Tribute Ink for over a decade since the Luo Mo era, while the Li family’s Four Harmonies Ink is a renowned ancient ink, once famed as 'gold is easy to obtain, but a single inkstick is hard to come by.' Therefore, we invite the masters to continue testing the ink, so that we may all see whether the Li family’s Four Harmonies Ink or the Tian family’s Purple Jade Radiance truly excels," announced the host from the Ink Affairs Bureau, before proceeding with the ink testing.

When the testing concluded, the final results remained largely unchanged. In the paintings by Mr. Yuan Bai and Kang You, the Tian family’s Purple Jade Radiance clearly surpassed the Li family’s Four Harmonies Ink, while Lu Chong’s painting still showed them evenly matched.

Overall, the Luo family’s Purple Jade Radiance was deemed superior to the Li family’s Four Harmonies Ink.

Seeing this result, Zhen Niang suddenly stood up, bowed gracefully, and addressed Lord Liu, "My lord, this humble girl has an impertinent request."

"Oh? Please speak," Lord Liu replied.

"I wish to ask Your Lordship to change the ink testing method and conduct another trial," Zhen Niang said.

Li Zhenniang’s words caused an uproar among the crowd. Was the Li family implying they did not accept the results of the three Ink Testing Masters?

"Miss Li, what do you mean by this?" Mr. Yuan Bai could no longer contain himself and jumped up to question her. The Li family was blatantly challenging his authority.

Li Zhenniang fixed her gaze on Mr. Yuan Bai and calmly replied, "Mr. Yuan Bai, the Li family means no disrespect. We simply believe that the three masters may not fully understand the characteristics of Li Mo, or perhaps the techniques used are not suitable for it. During the testing, not only were the strengths of Li Mo not showcased, but unsuitable techniques were employed, turning its advantages into flaws. Therefore, we hope to change the method and conduct another trial. I have heard of Su Dongpo’s ink testing method: grinding on an Ink-Fading Stone Inkstone and writing on a Refined White Jade Slab, where all inks fail. Thus, I request Your Lordship to prepare an Ink-Fading Stone Inkstone and a Refined White Jade Slab. This method is simpler and more intuitive for testing ink."

"Miss Li, one must accept defeat gracefully. Clearly, it is your Li Mo’s ink quality that is lacking, yet you blame us, the Ink Testing Masters. Isn’t that rather rude and despicable? I demand an explanation from you, Miss Li," Mr. Yuan Bai retorted sharply, showing no courtesy to Li Zhenniang.He had made up his mind—testing ink on the Refined White Jade Slab, especially for Ink Gradation, would reveal everything clearly. If the Li family were truly allowed to retry, his reputation today would be utterly ruined.

"I believe Mr. Yuan Bai has misunderstood. The Li family is not one to shy away from defeat, but if we lose, we must lose with clarity. The Li family will not play the fool. Moreover, this humble girl’s claim that the three gentlemen are unfamiliar with the characteristics of Li Mo and that the techniques they used were unsuitable for it is not baseless. It is supported by evidence," Zhen Niang said calmly.

"Oh, then please enlighten us, Miss Li," Mr. Yuan Bai said through gritted teeth.

"Enlightenment is too strong a word. This humble girl will simply explain and let everyone present judge." Li Zhenniang spoke, bowing slightly to the crowd before walking over to the calligraphy and paintings tested by the three previous artists.

First, she pointed at the calligraphy and said, "Mr. Yuan Bai and Mr. Kang You wrote these pieces in cursive script. Everyone here is involved in the Ink Industry, and all know that Li Mo’s ink is as dark as lacquer, with a rugged and majestic hue. It excels in conveying steadiness and grandeur when used for seal script or the official script. This is precisely the strength of Li Mo. Moreover, all government offices now use the official script. Why, during this tribute competition, was the official script abandoned in favor of cursive script, which fails to fully showcase the ink’s qualities? This seems unreasonable, does it not?"

Pausing briefly, Zhen Niang continued, "Furthermore, our previous Six Harmonies Three Talents Ink incorporated techniques from various schools, making it suitable for any script. However, in Mr. Yuan Bai’s cursive piece, where flying white technique should have been applied, he instead paused, causing the ink to pool and stagnating the 'energy' of the entire piece. Everyone, please take a look—is what this humble girl says correct or not? It was this that made Li Mo appear inferior to Tian ink." As she spoke, she addressed the observers from the Ink Affairs Bureau.

Previously, everyone had focused solely on the ink’s color, as it was, after all, an ink test. But now, after Zhen Niang’s explanation, upon closer inspection of the calligraphy, they realized that the earlier poor performance of Li Mo was not due to the ink itself but rather the handling by the Ink Testing Master. Immediately, whispers spread among the observers.

Mr. Yuan Bai’s face turned pale, and he argued stubbornly, "This is mere sophistry. My calligraphy style has always been like this."

"That is precisely why I said Mr. Yuan Bai’s technique is unsuitable for Li Mo," Zhen Niang retorted, leaving Yuan Bai speechless.

Zhen Niang was determined to see her argument through. She continued, "Now, regarding the painting—everyone knows that clouds should be softly blended, and water should flow smoothly, both requiring a single, uninterrupted stroke. Yet, in this painting, at every point of flow, Mr. Yuan Bai’s brush paused, making the clouds heavy and the water stagnant. It failed entirely to capture the charm inherent in Li Mo."

Pausing once more, she added, "Of course, Mr. Yuan Bai might argue that Li Mo lacks liveliness and charm, but that is not the case. This humble girl can point this out to Mr. Yuan Bai."At this point, Zhen Niang walked over to the painting of the shepherd boy riding a yellow ox that Mr. Lu Chong had used for both ink tests. She extended her hand and pointed at the shepherd boy’s eyes in the painting, saying, "The eyes are the most expressive part of a person. In Mr. Lu Chong’s paintings of the shepherd boy and the yellow ox, both Li Mo and Tian ink performed equally well. However, I invite everyone to take a closer look at the shepherd boy’s eyes. The eyes painted with Li Mo contain subtle ink tones, with distinct shades of light and dark in the pupils, appearing clear and exceptionally lively. In contrast, the eyes in the painting done with Tian ink appear unfocused and lifeless due to the ink’s instability. If this had happened only once, it could be dismissed as a coincidence. But now, with the same result in both tests, is it unreasonable for our Li family to request another ink test?"

After Zhen Niang’s explanation, everyone examined the shepherd boy’s eyes more closely and indeed found it as she had described. Immediately, the crowd’s gazes toward Yuan Bai and Kang You turned suspicious. While it could be argued that their painting techniques were unsuitable for Li Mo, most people understood that as court-appointed Ink Testing Masters, their skills should not be in question.

Naturally, suspicions arose that Yuan Bai and Kang You might have accepted favors from the Tian family, especially since the Tian family’s methods in the previous Tribute Ink Selection had already drawn criticism.

Yuan Bai and Kang You turned pale, knowing their reputations were ruined after this test. Meanwhile, Lu Chong, who had been sitting calmly to the side, felt a wave of relief. He had indeed used some techniques to enhance Tian ink’s performance, but he always preferred to leave room for maneuver and had not deliberately suppressed Li Mo’s performance. As a result, both inks appeared equally impressive in his painting.

However, he had paid little attention to the eyes, and with little room for adjustment, he had painted them according to his usual style. Unexpectedly, the Li family had seized upon this detail. Now, with this turn of events, he was able to remain unscathed.

Under these circumstances, the Li family’s request was entirely reasonable.