The Heir

Сhарtеr 206: А Way Оut

“Неrе.” Тian Ronghua hаndеd the jar in hеr hand to Zhеn Niаng.

“Whаt is it?” Li Zhеnniаng wаs puzzled. Shе had initially thought Tian Rоnghuа was just рassing bу, but it turnеd оut shе had соmе strаight tоward hеr.

“Millennium Pinе Sоot Ink.” Тian Ronghua rеplied sоmewhat соldlу.

“Мillеnnium Рinе Soot Ink?” Uроn heаring thе wоrds “Millеnnium Pinе Sоot Ink,” Zhen Niаng сouldn’t hеlp but raise аn eyebrоw. Неr first thought wаs that this Tian girl wаs рrоbablу рlоtting sоmеthing аgain.

“Dоn’t think thаt the Li fаmily is thе only оne whо knоws hоw to mаkе ink, оr thаt only yоur family are true ink mаkers. Since оur Tian fаmily hаs еnterеd the Ink Trade, we are just as capable.” Tian Ronghua couldn’t stand the look on Li Zhenniang’s face and spoke sharply, then forcefully placed the jar of soot pigment into Zhen Niang’s hands.

The Li family always assumed the worst of others.

Seeing Tian Ronghua’s expression, Zhen Niang realized she might have misunderstood the Tian family. She opened the jar and gently pinched a bit of the soot pigment with her fingers. The pigment felt as smooth as congealed fat. Rubbing it between her thumb, index finger, and middle finger, she held it up against the faint grayish-white light of the sky. Under the remaining daylight, it shimmered with specks of starlight. If it were completely dark, the ink’s brilliance would likely shine even brighter.

It truly was Millennium Pine Soot Ink. Zhen Niang couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. The Li family now owed the Tian family a great favor.

“Thank you.” Zhen Niang hadn’t expected the Tian family to show such consideration. It seemed she had underestimated them before, and she felt a bit embarrassed as she smiled and expressed her gratitude.

“No need for thanks. Our Tian family didn’t offer this to curry favor with your Li family. Now it’s up to you. If you lose, your Li family might not be able to hold its head high in Huizhou anymore.” Tian Ronghua’s tone remained sharp.

“Don’t worry. We definitely won’t lose.” Zhen Niang replied firmly.

“That’s for the best.” Tian Ronghua responded, then turned to leave.

Watching Tian Ronghua as she walked away, Zhen Niang recalled Wang Decai, whom she had seen not long ago. He was no easy opponent, and it would be wise to warn the Tian family. She quickly took a few steps to catch up. “Wait…”

“What else?” Tian Ronghua turned back, her expression still indifferent.

“I heard Wang Decai is now by your second brother’s side and quite trusted?” Zhen Niang asked.

“What about it? After your Li family forced him into exile in Qiongzhou, he’s back now. Are you still not letting him go?” Tian Ronghua curled her lips, her tone tinged with sarcasm.

“You’re overthinking it. He has nothing to do with our Li family anymore. I just wanted to remind you—this man is cunning, so be careful.” Zhen Niang replied, also curling her lips slightly. From Tian Ronghua’s tone, it seemed she was defending Wang Decai. It appeared Wang Decai’s status in the Tian family was indeed not low.

She knew better than anyone what kind of person Wang Decai was—secretive, manipulative, and patient. As for the Tian family’s current situation, everyone in Huizhou was aware of it. During the Ink Competition, Old Master Tian’s face had been ashen, and to put it bluntly, it was uncertain how much longer he could hold on. If Old Master Tian were to fall, Tian Ronghua might not be able to keep Tian Er in check. And Tian Er was nothing but a bag of rotten straw. To make matters worse, he kept Madam Su by his side. How could he dare to trust Wang Decai after taking another man’s wife? Honestly, she couldn’t help but admire Tian Er’s audacity.It's just a pity that Tian Er had the courage but not the capability to keep Wang Decai by his side. In Zhen Niang's view, this was definitely not a good thing.

Since the Tian family had shown her a kindness today, she felt she should reciprocate by offering a reminder.

"Li Zhenniang, I don't know what to say about you. What, your Li family can't tolerate Wang Decai, so you're trying to stir things up so my Tian family won't keep him either? Don't forget, he was once your uncle-in-law. Everyone says the Li family is benevolent and righteous, but I think it's all fake benevolence and false righteousness." Tian Ronghua sneered, then added with a cold snort, "What right do you, Li Zhenniang, have to meddle in our Tian family's affairs?"

"Fine, consider me meddling." Zhen Niang, holding a jar with one hand, lightly tapped her forehead with her other fist, feeling both amused and annoyed. She hadn't expected her good intentions to be met with such a sharp rebuke from Tian Ronghua. Well, whatever the Tian family wanted to do was up to them. She had said what she needed to say; after all, you can't force a cow to drink water if it doesn't want to.

If it weren't for the great favor the Tian family had shown by sending the Millennium Pine Soot Ink, would she have gone out of her way to invite such unpleasantness?

With that thought, Zhen Niang naturally had no desire to engage further with Tian Ronghua.

Tian Ronghua also had nothing more to say to Li Zhenniang. She turned to leave but after a few steps, she came back and said to Zhen Niang, "By the way, I just went to the Luo Family's warehouse. The shop assistant said he brought something to your Li family. Is he still here?"

"He's still here; he'll be out soon. Do you need to see him? You can wait a bit." Zhen Niang looked at Tian Ronghua calmly, though she felt a bit puzzled, wondering why Tian Ronghua wanted to see Luo Wenqian.

Of course, there was no possibility of any personal relationship between the two. To be honest, Tian Ronghua had a somewhat proud temperament, and since Luo Wenqian was engaged to her and Tian Ronghua was also engaged to someone else, there was no connection between them.

"No need. When he comes out, tell him my father wants to see him regarding the loan our ink workshop took from him the year before last," Tian Ronghua said.

"When?" Zhen Niang asked. Oh, Zhen Niang then remembered that the year before last, someone from the Tian family's ink workshop had tried to steal the formula for liquid ink from her family's workshop. She had exposed the plot and provided a fake ink formula, which ended up causing the entire batch of Tian family's liquid ink to spoil. Coupled with returns from many ink shops, the Tian family had indeed taken out a loan from the Yi Hou Sheng money house to keep their operations running.

"The sooner, the better. My father's health isn't very good," Tian Ronghua said, her expression somewhat troubled.

"Alright, I'll definitely pass on the message," Zhen Niang nodded.

Tian Ronghua said nothing more and turned to leave.

Not long after Zhen Niang watched Tian Ronghua leave, Luo Wenqian emerged from the Li Family Ink Workshop. From a distance, he saw Zhen Niang standing under the old locust tree and quickly walked over. "Why are you standing here? The sun has set, and the wind is strong."

Although it was already early summer, the temperature difference between morning and evening in Huizhou was significant. In the evening, once the sun set and the wind picked up, it could still feel quite chilly. The girl was dressed rather lightly.

Hearing Luo Wenqian's concerned words, Zhen Niang felt very happy inside. Then, holding the jar with one hand and tugging at Luo Wenqian's sleeve with the other, her face slightly flushed, she said, "Brother Luo, I overheard what Seventh Grandmother and my grandfather said to you."Upon hearing Zhen Niang mention this, Luo Wenqian noticed she had been standing there for a while, clearly with something to say to him. He took her hand in his and asked, "What is it? Do you have some thoughts?" His eyes burned intently as he looked at Li Zhenniang.

"Yes," Zhen Niang replied, her cheeks flushing even more under Luo Wenqian's gaze. She nodded, then pursed her lips and said, "Brother Luo, I wanted to discuss with you—could we find a way to postpone the wedding until after the Ink Competition? You know my grandfather's health. Last time he made the Six Harmonies Three Talents Ink, he nearly had an accident. He truly cannot handle ink anymore, so I must be the one to make the ink for the competition."

"Zhen Niang, holding the wedding after the Ink Competition is simply not possible. This isn't just the wish of your Seventh Grandmother and grandfather—I feel the same way. I've finally found a kindred spirit, and I want to ensure your complete safety," Luo Wenqian said with a light laugh, though his eyes held firm resolve.

"Brother Luo..." Zhen Niang grew anxious.

"Zhen Niang, there's no room for discussion on this matter. From what I gathered from your grandfather, even if the wedding weren't scheduled before the competition, he would absolutely forbid you from getting involved in making the ink this time. Do you understand?" Luo Wenqian gave her hand another gentle squeeze.

Hearing his words, Zhen Niang felt a pang of sorrow. How could she not understand her grandfather's intentions? If anything went wrong during the Ink Competition, the imperial court would first hold the Ink Master accountable. Her grandfather was determined to keep her entirely out of it.

By now, she knew the matter was settled. She would have no part in this Ink Competition.

"Brother Luo, I understand," Zhen Niang said, taking a deep breath. Since things had come to this, she would not dwell on it further. In the meantime, she could focus on doing her best to provide support.

"Here, let me carry that for you," Luo Wenqian said, relieved to see Zhen Niang's expression ease slightly. Noticing the jar in her hands, he took it from her.

Zhen Niang let him take the jar and explained, "Tian Ronghua came by earlier. She said her father sent her to deliver this—it's Millennium Pine Soot Ink."

"Millennium Pine Soot Ink? Tian Huai'an is being quite generous," Luo Wenqian remarked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"Oh, and Tian Ronghua also said her father wants to see you," Zhen Niang added, recalling the message she had been asked to relay.

"Tian Huai'an wants to see me? When?" Luo Wenqian asked, stroking his chin.

"According to Tian Ronghua, it's about the loan Tian ink took from your bank the year before last. She didn't specify a time, only said the sooner the better," Zhen Niang replied.

After a moment of thought, Luo Wenqian suddenly said, "Tian Huai'an probably won't last much longer."

With that, he handed the jar back to Zhen Niang. "Zhen Niang, I'll go see Tian Huai'an at the Tian residence right now."

"Alright, be careful," Zhen Niang said, holding the jar and offering a word of caution.

Luo Wenqian waved lightly with a smile and strode off toward the Tian household.

Zhen Niang composed herself and headed home. Regardless of everything, they now had the Millennium Pine Soot Ink. With all preparations complete, only the ink-making remained.

Back at home, Old Shopkeeper Li was thrilled to hear they had obtained the Millennium Pine Soot Ink. "Excellent, excellent! Tian Huai'an has shown some courage this time. Whatever his motives, our Li family owes the Tian family a great debt.""By the way, where is Wenqian? Didn't your grandfather just say Wenqian was with you? He was waiting for him to share a drink with your grandfather." At that moment, Zhao Shi brought out the food and, not seeing Luo Wenqian, asked.

"He went to the Tian family," Zhen Niang replied. She then recounted in detail Luo Wenqian's visit to the Tian family, though she still didn't quite understand why Luo Wenqian had said Tian Huai'an wouldn't hold on much longer.

"Tian Huai'an might truly not have much time left." Hearing Zhen Niang's explanation, Old Shopkeeper Li suddenly sighed.

In the competition for the Tribute Ink between the Tian and Li families, the Li family naturally had to know their opponent well. Before the contest, Tian Huai'an had almost been bedridden, but a few days prior to the competition, his condition suddenly improved. The Li family had sent someone to investigate this matter.

The information they obtained was that Tian Huai'an had asked a physician to prescribe several potent and aggressive medicines. Such drugs could only sustain him temporarily; once their effects wore off, his body would deteriorate even further.

Old Shopkeeper Li also understood that Tian Huai'an was doing this in a desperate attempt to secure the Tribute Ink Privilege, even at the cost of his own life. After all, Tian Er was truly hopeless, and the Tian family's future ultimately relied on Tian Ronghua and the Xu family.

However, if the Tian family's foundation wasn't solid enough, they wouldn't fare well under the Xu family's influence. Thus, the Tribute Ink Privilege became something the Tian family had to fight for. To this end, the Tian family had put in considerable effort, even bribing several Ink Testing Masters. Unexpectedly, the Li family had been prepared in advance, nearly exposing the Ink Testing Masters' secrets. Moreover, with Renji Eishō appearing out of nowhere, Tian Huai'an's elaborate plans ultimately fell through.

Considering this, along with Tian Huai'an sending coal soot and his sudden request to meet Luo Wenqian, it wasn't hard to see that Tian Huai'an was likely planning a fallback for the Tian family.