The Heir

Сhарter 211: Knоwing thе Ink bу Its Sсеnt

After the bаnquеt ended, еveryоnе grаduаllу disрersed, lеaving only Uncle-in-law Наn Yigui and thе two соusins, Li Zhеngshēn аnd Li Zhengрing.

Тhе Li fаmilу naturаlly gatherеd tоgethеr to discuss the situаtion in Nanjing. Нaving beеn аwау frоm Nаnjing fоr severаl mоnths, the сhаngеs therе werе dizzуing.

“Nanjing has bееn anуthing but peaсeful latelу,” Наn Yigui begаn, after eхрrеssing his cоndоlеnсеs fоr Old Маster Li’s рassing. Нe then uрdatеd Li Jingfu аnd Zhеn Niang оn rесеnt events. “First, therе was the Japanеse Ink Comрetition, аnd now Наi Rui has gоne to Songjiang, where he’s stirred up quite a storm. He truly is an iron-faced, formidable figure. It’s said that even Prime Minister Xu had shown him considerable favor, but as soon as Hai Rui arrived in Songjiang, his first target was Prime Minister Xu. He submitted several memorials impeaching the Prime Minister and his sons.”

“What prompted Lord Hai to impeach the Xu family?” Zhen Niang asked curiously. Historically, Hai Rui would not assume the position of Governor of Yingtian until next year, and his investigation into land annexation had led him to the Xu family.

So why had Lord Hai targeted the Xu family in this lifetime?

“I heard it was a case of land donation in Huizhou that implicated the Xu family. Lord Hai took notice, and upon deeper investigation, he discovered that the Xu family’s land holdings had spread across Songjiang, Nanjing, Huizhou, and other regions. In short, the case has now blown up. Prime Minister Xu has pleaded guilty several times in court, and the censors who were once part of Gao Gong’s faction have seized the opportunity to submit memorials. The court is in chaos, and the Nanjing officialdom is in a state of panic,” Han Yigui explained.

Since ancient times, officials and merchants have been closely intertwined, and shifts in the officialdom often affect the business world. Thus, members of the Huizhou Merchant Guild were highly sensitive to political matters. Han Yigui was a close friend of Hu Zonglin, so he was quite familiar with such affairs.

“The Xu family’s case only involves Huizhou and Songjiang, right? Why is Nanjing in such turmoil?” Li Jingfu asked, puzzled.

“It’s said that while Lord Hai was impeaching the Xu family, he also targeted the Nanjing Weaving Bureau. The Huizhou case involves the daughter of Jiang Niangmu—the wife of Zhu Zi—who accused her younger clan brother, Niu Shuan’er, of land encroachment and illegal donations. Naturally, their lawsuit implicated the Weaving Bureau,” Han Yigui explained.

“Oh,” Zhen Niang exclaimed, suddenly understanding. During this period, her family had been preoccupied with various matters: first, her eldest brother’s oil workshop was falsely accused by the Du family, then there was the tribute dispute, followed by the Ink Competition. She had been spending her days in a daze, working tirelessly in the ink workshop, and had paid little attention to news from Huizhou.

However, now that her uncle-in-law mentioned it, she recalled Luo Wenqian mentioning something about it before. It was said that the Tian family had been involved in brokering the matter. Zhu Zi’s wife, the daughter of Jiang Niangmu, was the one who had attempted suicide with rat poison along with her children during the New Year two years ago. Given this, it was no surprise that her case had implicated the Nanjing Weaving Bureau. Zhen Niang also remembered the account book she had submitted earlier. With that in mind, it was only natural that the Nanjing officialdom was now in a state of panic.

“Exactly. With Hai Rui impeaching the Nanjing Weaving Bureau, Wang Sifang is in for serious trouble,” Han Yigui added.

“What happened to President Wang?” Zhen Niang couldn’t help but ask. After all, Wang Sifang was Luo Wenqian’s uncle, so she felt compelled to inquire."This year, the funds for purchasing raw silk by the Nanjing Weaving Bureau were all advanced by Sifang Bank. If anything happens to the officials of the Nanjing Weaving Bureau, Sifang Bank will likely face difficulties. However, the current situation remains unclear, as it involves the Xu family, and Lord Xu's position in the court is unshakable. Although Hai Rui is now impeaching the Xu family and the Nanjing Weaving Bureau, there are also many in the court who are impeaching Lord Hai. In short, everyone is still taking a wait-and-see approach," said Han Yigui.

"Hmm, that's true," Zhen Niang nodded. After all, the current situation differed from history. Historically, when Hai Rui investigated the Xu family, Xu Jie had already retired. Even with his disciples and former subordinates, Hai Rui succeeded only because Gao Gong supported him from behind the scenes. Now, however, Xu Jie still stands firm in the court, and his control over court affairs is incomparable to what it was historically.

Thus, although the entire Nanjing officialdom and business circles were in turmoil, there was still room for observation. In fact, many remained quite optimistic about the Xu family.

Now, even Zhen Niang herself felt uncertain about matters related to the Xu family. How the entire situation would unfold could only be confirmed when the events actually occurred.

Of course, these matters had no direct bearing on Zhen Niang. Her current focus remained on the Ink Competition. She naturally proceeded to ask more about the Japanese, as this was the most critical issue. Knowing oneself and the enemy was essential—Zhen Niang never fought unprepared battles.

Speaking of the Japanese, Li Zhengping was filled with anger and snorted coldly. "Now, Renji Eishō is truly formidable. After defeating several Nanjing Ink Masters in the Ink Competition, he has been visiting various Ink Workshops one by one with his subordinates, ostensibly to seek guidance but actually to Challenge the Hall. Some time ago, after the Huizhou Tribute Ink Selection concluded, Renji Eishō boldly declared that he would come to the Li Family Ink Workshop for guidance. Since you arrived today, I estimate that Renji Eishō might bring his people to cause trouble tomorrow or the day after. You should make some preparations."

At this point, Li Zhengping added, "These Japanese are cunning. Under the guise of seeking guidance, I believe they are actually here to probe the Li family's capabilities. After all, they are determined to win the Ink Competition."

Determined to win? Well, that depended on whether Renji Eishō had the ability. Zhen Niang understood his intentions somewhat and pondered further. In fact, she felt that the Nanjing Ink Masters had handled the situation with Renji Eishō poorly. How could they allow Renji Eishō to seek guidance whenever he pleased? Renji Eishō came prepared, and by allowing him to act as he wished, they had placed themselves in a passive position, ultimately being led by the nose.

This was precisely what had led to the current awkward situation in the Ink Industry.

Of course, Zhen Niang also understood the feelings of the Nanjing Ink Masters. No one could swallow their pride when someone flaunting the title of World's Finest Ink paraded at their doorstep. Thus, Renji Eishō had successfully provoked the Nanjing Ink Masters.

As a result, a series of actions had played right into Renji Eishō's hands.

Thinking this, Zhen Niang made up her mind. If Renji Eishō truly came seeking guidance, she would find a way to turn the tables and take the initiative.

Of course, the specifics of how to proceed required careful consideration.Night fell, and the wind picked up, finally dispelling some of the stifling heat that had lingered throughout the day. Around midnight, a rumble of thunder echoed, followed by a heavy downpour. By morning, the thunder had ceased and the rain had cleared, leaving the air exceptionally fresh.

In the early morning, Chou Po was tending to a row of small greens she had planted in the backyard vegetable patch. The rain from the previous night had left them looking even more lush and vibrant. Zhen Niang gazed at the verdant scene, her mood genuinely uplifted. Chou Po had been busily caring for the plants since dawn.

"Auntie, your vegetables are growing better and better," Zhen Niang greeted as she approached Chou Po. Though the marriage had not yet been formally celebrated, both families had long acknowledged the arrangement, so the address "Auntie" was fitting.

"Just a pastime. Anything you do often enough, you start to get the hang of it," Chou Po replied, continuing to pluck a few weeds from around the vegetables before standing up. She turned to Zhen Niang with a serious expression. "If Renji Eishō comes to Challenge the Hall, are you prepared? The entire Nanjing Ink Industry is watching the Li family now. The Li family cannot afford to lose."

"I know we can’t just let them have their way. But I’m still figuring out the specifics of how to handle it," Zhen Niang nodded, indicating she had the matter in mind.

"Chou Po, someone brought in some ink for appraisal. Can you tell how old it is?" At that moment, Wenjie tossed over a pouch.

Since Chou Po’s identity had been revealed, Zhen Niang, recognizing her as a skilled ink maker, naturally wouldn’t let such talent go to waste. She hired Chou Po as the Ink Workshop’s quality supervisor, responsible for overseeing quality, improving ink products, and appraising ink.

Especially in Nanjing, where scholars often had a fondness for collecting ink, those uncertain about the authenticity or age of their pieces would bring them to the workshop, asking the masters for help in appraisal.

Initially, the people in the workshop were skeptical of Chou Po’s skills and appraisal abilities. After all, her true identity was known only to a few close relatives and hadn’t been fully disclosed to the public. In everyone’s eyes, Chou Po was merely someone who had been with the Li family for many years and knew a bit about Ink Craft.

Being underestimated in this way, Chou Po was not one to be trifled with. After demonstrating her expertise a few times, she quickly won over everyone in the workshop.

From then on, whenever someone brought ink for appraisal, they would often seek Chou Po’s opinion.

Now, Chou Po caught the pouch with a flick of her hand. Without even opening it, she simply weighed it in her palm and said, "Five-year-old ink from the Zhan family of Wuyuan. Not quite aged ink yet."

"Chou Po, really? You didn’t even look at the ink, just weighed the pouch, and you’re sure it’s five-year-old ink from the Zhan family of Wuyuan? Is that accurate?" Wenjie widened his eyes in disbelief. Though Chou Po’s eye for appraising ink was well-regarded, to identify the ink without even seeing it seemed almost too incredible to believe.

"Brat, I’m not wrong. If you don’t know much, keep quiet and learn more," Chou Po snorted coldly.

Wenjie rubbed his nose and muttered, "Chou Po, don’t look down on people."

"If you don’t even know how to judge ink by its pouch, Chou Po’s words are right. Wenjie, you should learn more from Chou Po in the future," Zhen Niang chimed in with a smile.

Hearing Zhen Niang say this, Wenjie realized Chou Po’s appraisal was likely correct. He took the ink and returned it to the customer.

As for Zhen Niang, watching Chou Po, her heart was filled with no small amount of awe.The so-called "knowing the ink by feeling the pouch" was actually a unique skill of the Ink Immortal Pan Gu. With the ink stored inside a pouch, he could simply hold the pouch in his hand and determine what kind of ink it contained.

On this point, The History of Ink contains a specific record: Once, Huang Tingjian asked Pan Gu to appraise his collection of ink. Without even looking at the ink, Pan Gu immediately identified it through the pouch, recognizing it as the soft-formula ink made by Li Chengyan, the nephew of Li Tinggui. He also identified another inkstick as one he had crafted himself twenty years earlier, sighing that he no longer had the energy to produce ink of such quality.

From this, one can see the remarkable ability of Immortal Pan to know the ink by feeling the pouch.

Now, watching Chou Po demonstrate this skill, Zhen Niang could tell that Chou Po’s ability in "knowing the ink by feeling the pouch" might not match Immortal Pan’s ten out of ten, but it certainly possessed seven or eight parts of his skill.

Thinking of this, an idea suddenly formed in Zhen Niang’s mind.

With a smile, she bowed to Chou Po and said, "Auntie, I’ll have to trouble you to handle Renji Eishō’s Challenge the Hall."

"Oh? How so?" Chou Po looked at Zhen Niang, her expression urging an explanation.

Zhen Niang whispered a few words into Chou Po’s ear.

"You clever girl indeed. Alright, I’ll go along with it. It seems this old woman will have to play the role of a sweeper once again." Chou Po remarked with a rare smile.