The Heir

Сhарter 209: Qin Si Shaо

Lаtе Маy in Nanjing was thе hеight of summer. Тhe scоrсhing sun bаkеd thе еarth, and оver the Qinhuai River, misty vaроrs rosе like smоkе. Тhе long lеаvеs оf thе anсient willows alоng thе banks hung limр and withered.

Мuch like thе weathеr, thе hеаrts оf Nаnjing’s рeoрlе werе rеstlеss.

Sincе the rеturn оf the first batсh оf ships аfter the lifting of thе maritime ban, а flооd of fоreign goods hаd surgеd intо the Nаnjing mаrkеt. Whilе dаzzlеd by thе vаrietу, the рeoрle’s minds grеw еvеn morе асtivе. They hаd no choice—with еach shipmеnt sent out, vаst amоunts оf silver wеre earned, and as foreign goods entered the market, silver flowed into pockets in great quantities.

Nowadays, anyone in business longed to get involved in overseas trade.

Of course, such thoughts were reserved for merchants. For the idlers of Nanjing, the talk of the town was the Japanese envoy delegation, a topic of gossip after meals.

However, unlike the usual detached indifference toward unrelated matters, this gossip carried an extra layer of indignation. Whenever people discussed the Japanese envoy delegation, they inevitably talked about the upcoming Ink Competition. Consequently, there was also heightened anticipation for the Li family.

“A Tang, I heard your employer, Miss Zhen, and the others are coming.” At noon, in the sweltering summer heat, even the cicadas’ cries were hoarse, sporadic and faint, as if on the verge of dying out.

The speaker, naturally inclined to laziness, was Yao Niangzi from the cloth shop next to Li Family Ink Manor. She had moved a small stool to sit in the shade in front of her shop, but her head was poked into Li Family Ink Workshop as she called out to the workshop assistant, A Tang.

“Hmm, they should be arriving soon. Shopkeeper Zheng took Wenjie to the dock to meet them,” replied A Tang from inside the workshop, where he was tapping away on an abacus while muttering calculation formulas under his breath.

“I figured they’d be here soon. Any later, and it would be too late,” Yao Niangzi said excitedly upon hearing that someone had gone to fetch them. She then turned to share the news with people on the street.

After speaking, Yao Niangzi glanced at the entrance of Yi Hou Sheng Firm diagonally across the way, where Luo Wenqian was strolling leisurely with a teapot in hand. Raising her voice, she asked, “Shopkeeper Luo, you just returned from Huizhou not long ago. Tell us, what are the Li family’s chances in this Ink Competition against the Japanese?”

“Yes, yes,” others chimed in, their faces showing traces of concern.

To be honest, initially, no one had taken those Japanese seriously. The people of the Great Ming had their own dignity and grace, and they truly looked down on a few Japanese. However, this time, the ink brought by Renji Eishō was truly extraordinary, causing the southern ink masters to suffer a complete defeat. It was only natural to feel some worry now.

“Yao Niangzi, when has Miss Li ever let anyone down?” Luo Wenqian didn’t answer directly but instead posed a question in return.

He had come from Huizhou. Although he set out a bit later than Zhen Niang, he traveled by land and actually arrived in Nanjing a few days earlier than her party.

“That’s true. You have to admit, Miss Li’s work never gives cause for concern. I have faith in her,” Yao Niangzi declared, patting her chest.

Several others echoed her sentiment. Although Zhen Niang was a woman and faced considerable skepticism when she first arrived in Nanjing, after two years of hard work, anyone in this official street now had to give her a thumbs-up when her name was mentioned. She truly embodied the spirit of Huizhou merchants.

And speak of the devil, and he shall appear.The Li family arrived in Nanjing at noon. As soon as they disembarked, the Ink Workshop's carriage was already waiting at the dock, with Zheng Fuli and Sun Wenjie there to greet them.

They then headed straight for Official Street.

"Shopkeeper Zheng, how has business been in Nanjing lately?" Zhen Niang, sitting inside the carriage, leaned out to ask Zheng Fuli about the affairs of the Ink Manor during this period...

"It has been quite good since last year, especially after obtaining the Tribute Ink Privilege. Recently, there have been many orders. In early spring, the Ink Workshop was working overtime day and night. Now that summer has arrived, things have finally eased up a bit." Zheng Fuli then gave a brief overview of the business situation in the first half of the year.

Zhen Niang nodded. This was within her expectations.

As they spoke, they arrived at the entrance of the Ink Workshop.

People sitting outside the shops, chatting idly, warmly greeted the Li family upon their arrival. However, seeing the entire Li family dressed in mourning clothes, they couldn't help but sigh. Over the past few days, with merchants traveling back and forth between Huizhou and Nanjing, news of Old Shopkeeper Li's passing had spread here.

Under normal circumstances, after such an event, the family should observe a three-month mourning period at home. However, the Li family had received an imperial decree, and as merchants, they were not bound by such strict formalities.

Zhen Niang followed her father out of the carriage.

Having been away from Nanjing for over half a year, Zhen Niang noticed significant changes upon her return. For one, along the way, she had passed several shops selling foreign goods—a clear sign of the changes brought about by the lifting of trade restrictions.

With the opening of trade, the pace of life seemed to have quickened as well.

This was evident as soon as they entered Official Street. In the scorching midday heat of summer, the street should have been nearly empty, but now it was bustling with people.

Zhen Niang and her family exchanged a few words with the crowd and were about to enter the workshop when they suddenly heard a commotion coming from the Yi Hou Sheng Money Exchange.

"Everyone, this makes no sense at all. This is clearly a draft from Yi Hou Sheng Money Exchange. How can you refuse to honor it?" A dark-faced man in his forties stood at the entrance of Yi Hou Sheng, cursing angrily.

"This is not a draft from our money exchange, so naturally, we cannot cash it," Luo Wenqian said nonchalantly, standing at the entrance of Yi Hou Sheng.

"Nonsense! How is this not a draft from your money exchange? Look at the secret code, the pattern—what's wrong with it?" the dark-faced man persisted.

"The secret code is correct, and the pattern is also correct. But even so, this draft is still fake," Luo Wenqian continued, narrowing his eyes. He then waved his hand and called out to several guards inside the money exchange, "Someone, seize him and take him to the magistrate's office. Tell them this man is trying to defraud us with a counterfeit draft."

Luo Wenqian's accusation was not unfounded. Although this draft was unregistered, each draft had a unique secret code. Since the secret code and pattern on the draft presented by the dark-faced man were both correct, it was likely that he had a close relationship with the legitimate holder of the draft, allowing him to obtain the secret code and forge such a convincing counterfeit.

Even if that were not the case, the origin of the draft still needed to be investigated.

Therefore, it was only natural to take him to the authorities."Luo, how dare you! So not only do you refuse to acknowledge the debt, but you're also trying to turn the tables on me, is that it? Fine, then explain it to me. On what grounds do you claim this draft is fake?" the dark-faced man shouted urgently. Then, turning to the surrounding crowd, he said, "Everyone, please watch and judge this fairly for me."

As soon as he finished speaking, the onlookers turned their eyes to Luo Wenqian. Zhen Niang, watching from a distance, felt anxious for Wenqian. This kind of situation was extremely tricky; this era was nothing like later times with all sorts of anti-counterfeiting measures. For a money house, if its secret codes and patterns were compromised, it would be almost a catastrophic blow.

Just then, Li Jingfu stepped forward in a flash. "Feng Daniu, have you lost your mind or what? Trying to swindle someone, and you pick my family? This is my future son-in-law." With that, Li Jingfu rushed forward and grabbed the dark-faced man, furious and flustered.

This dark-faced man was called Feng Daniu, a bandit from beyond the frontier who had once worked in a gold mine. Li Jingfu had crossed paths with him before.

Feng Daniu, the dark-faced man, hadn’t expected someone to intervene out of nowhere and was about to argue angrily. But upon recognizing Li Jingfu, he laughed mockingly. "Haha, so it’s Master Fu. Running into you in Nanjing—that’s fate, I suppose." As he spoke, he turned to Master Fu again. "What? Master Fu, this is your son-in-law? So you finally managed to marry off your daughter?"

Feng Daniu’s teasing tone made Li Zhenniang, standing nearby, roll her eyes in annoyance. Meanwhile, Li Jingfu, having had his sore spot exposed, looked thoroughly displeased.

"Never mind whether my daughter is married off or not. You tell me, what’s going on here? If you don’t explain clearly, I won’t let this go." Li Jingfu glared at Feng Daniu, fuming. This guy had never been any good.

"Master Fu, that’s not fair of you. I worked hard on a deal and got this draft, only to come here and have Yi Hou Sheng refuse to cash it. If you won’t let it go, neither will I. Seems like you’re all birds of a feather." Feng Daniu glared right back at Li Jingfu.

Li Jingfu was so angry he could barely catch his breath.

"Fine. It seems you won’t admit it until you’re faced with the evidence. Then let me make it clear for you." At this point, Luo Wenqian spoke up, addressing the crowd again. "Everyone, besides secret codes and patterns, Yi Hou Sheng Money House drafts have another anti-counterfeiting measure: the ink color of the pattern. If any of you have one of our drafts on hand, take a look. Normally, the pattern appears black, but if you hold the draft level with your eyes and view it against the light, the pattern’s color will shift to a dark purple hue. However, this brother’s draft pattern does not change color. That’s why I say his draft is fake."

Hearing Luo Wenqian’s explanation, the crowd looked amazed. Yi Hou Sheng Money House had never publicly disclosed this before, though everyone had heard rumors about their stringent anti-counterfeiting measures.

Several merchants who happened to be handling drafts at the money house immediately held their drafts up to eye level and tilted them toward the light. Sure enough, the patterns on the drafts turned a dark purple, glowing with a deep reddish tint, much like Purple Jade Radiance Ink.

The crowd erupted in murmurs of surprise. No one had expected Yi Hou Sheng Money House to have such a trick up its sleeve. But then again, considering Luo Jiu’s background, it wasn’t so strange that he could produce such an ink color.At this moment, Feng Daniu was also stomping his feet in anger, saying, "Could it be that my draft is really fake? Damn it, I've been completely fooled!"

"Whether you've been fooled or not, we'll settle this at the yamen first." Yan Xilai, still resentful of the dark-faced man's earlier excessive behavior, immediately ordered several guards to drag him away without further discussion.

Feng Daniu naturally refused to go. Most of his dealings were shady and without proper documentation—how could he possibly set foot in the yamen?

"Luo Jiu, this Master Feng is a well-known figure in the northern regions. I doubt he intended to swindle you deliberately—he was likely deceived as well. How about giving me some face and letting me act as a mediator? Let's talk things out and resolve this peacefully, shall we?"

Just then, several fast horses arrived, and a young man in his twenties dismounted, cupping his hands in greeting to Luo Wenqian.

"So it's Qin Si Shao. Long time no see." Luo Jiu squinted his eyes and returned the gesture with a cupped-hand salute.

"How has the Fourth Young Master been?" Li Jingfu laughed heartily from the side.

Zhen Niang raised an eyebrow, understanding immediately—the Qin family had arrived!!!