The Heir

Chaрtеr 216: Сhаnсellor Xu Rеtirеs

No mattеr how unwilling Renji Еishō wаs, hе dаrеd nоt withhold the rеward. This had been agrееd upоn befоrе thе Мing Emреrоr, аnd it wаs his own sidе that had prорosеd it. If he failed tо deliver, nоt only wоuld hе bе in thе wrоng, but it соuld also triggеr а diplоmаtiс incidеnt. In the еnd, Rеnji Eishō had nо сhoiсe but to hand оver the methоd fоr сrafting thе Japanеsе Swоrd to thе Li fаmilу.

Оf соurse, thе Li fаmily сould nоt keeр such а sеnsitivе item fоr thеmsеlvеs. After Zhen Niаng copied a vеrsion to leаve for Luо Wenqiаn, shе submitted thе original to the imperial court.

Once everything was settled, Renji Eishō hastily departed. Instead of returning to the residence of the envoy at the Maritime Trade Office, he left directly with a few ronin.

Losing the Ink Competition and suffering humiliation was a minor matter; the greater loss was the method for crafting the Japanese Sword. Someone had to take the blame and report to the envoy, and Renji Eishō was the perfect candidate. Thus, the likely outcome upon his return would be seppuku.

Renji Eishō did not want to die. Of course, it was not fear of death but rather his unwillingness to accept defeat. He had to preserve his life first, and one day, he would reclaim what he had lost from the Li family.

For now, his destination was naturally the open sea—the hunting grounds of the Renji family and a place where he could find refuge.

And so, Renji Eishō and his men vanished without a trace.

Meanwhile, at the Maritime Trade Office, the grand event finally came to an end. The Emperor and the Imperial Consort bestowed many gifts upon the Li family. Particularly, Imperial Consort Li, upon learning that Li Zhenniang was already betrothed and would have been married if not for the sudden passing of Old Shopkeeper Li, gifted Li Zhenniang two chests of dowry items.

These included fine spices, fabrics, and some jewelry.

Zhen Niang busied herself once again with expressing gratitude, after which the Emperor and the Imperial Consort returned to the palace in high spirits.

With their departure, the crowd gathered outside the Maritime Trade Office gradually dispersed, though everyone remained visibly excited. The ink makers of Nanjing, who had been suppressed by Renji Eishō in recent days, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It was said that several Nanjing opera troupes had been booked for performances in that very moment.

However, the Li family did not revel in their victory. Instead, they were deeply immersed in remembrance. Beside the memorial tablet of Old Shopkeeper Li lay the calligraphy scroll bearing the words "World's Finest Ink."

"Zhen Niang, in a few days, we will return to Huizhou. We must burn some paper offerings at your grandfather’s grave and tell him everything that has happened. This way, your grandfather can rest in peace. Your Seventh Grandmother is also eagerly awaiting your return with this 'World's Finest Ink' scroll. It is an unprecedented honor for the Li family," Li Jingfu said with emotion.

"Yes," Zhen Niang nodded. After all, they were still in the mourning period for her grandfather. The earlier Ink Competition had been to fulfill her grandfather’s final wish. Now that it was accomplished, the Li family’s Eighth Branch would naturally return to Huizhou to observe the mourning period.

As for Nanjing, with the Tribute Ink Privilege and now the title of "World's Finest Ink," business would flourish. Of course, the more prosperous they became, the more they needed to focus on management and quality. Zhen Niang planned to discuss with her Seventh Grandmother about having Uncle Jingdong come to manage the affairs for a while.

Although Uncle Jingdong had difficulty walking, his stern demeanor and impartiality made him the perfect person to oversee matters at this time. It would also help to rein in the hearts of everyone at the Ink Manor.After all, with the Li family achieving such continuous success, it was inevitable that both the managers and the workers below would feel somewhat elated.

With these words, the Li family group headed toward the Li Family Ink Manor.

Not far away, in a teahouse, Qin Si Shao sat by a window on the second floor, sipping tea while watching the departing Li family group below.

It is often said that to look elegant, one should wear mourning attire—and this saying truly holds. At this moment, Li Zhenniang was dressed in plain white clothes, her features delicate and clear, her hair as dark as ink. The sharpness she displayed during the Ink Competition with the Japanese had now faded, and under the contrast of her mourning attire, she instead exuded an independent grace. It made her slightly thin shoulders seem capable of carrying the weight of the world.

"Impressive. I never expected Li Jingfu to have such a daughter," Qin Si Shao murmured to himself as he sipped his tea. This wasn’t his first time seeing Li Zhenniang, but previously, she had struck him as nothing more than a modest young lady skilled in ink-making, with nothing particularly remarkable about her. It was only during this Ink Competition that he saw her brilliance.

This Li Zhenniang had the bearing of a matriarch from a prominent family—unassuming in ordinary times, yet capable of holding her ground when trouble arose. It was just a pity that Luo Jiu had acted faster.

As Qin Si Shao pondered this, he still felt a stirring in his heart.

This Miss Li bore a striking resemblance to the Seventh Madam of the Li family from years past. He had heard stories about the Seventh Madam—how she had taken charge in a crisis. If not for her support, the Li family would likely have collapsed over twenty years ago.

"Fourth Young Master, I’ve just received news," one of his attendants hurried upstairs at that moment and whispered in his ear.

"Hah, Sifang Bank is in trouble," Qin Si Shao said with a look of amusement.

In the blink of an eye, the sun set in the west.

The Li family returned home, and the joy throughout the Ink Workshop went without saying.

Even Chou Po, usually stern-faced, narrowed her eyes with satisfaction. "Not bad, girl. You didn’t disgrace your grandfather."

"Thank you for the praise, Auntie," Zhen Niang replied cheerfully.

"By the way, where is that boy Wenqian? On such a joyous occasion, he’s nowhere to be seen?" Li Jingfu paced around the room, having received congratulations from officials on the street and even representatives sent by the Tian family to offer their regards. Yet, Luo Wenqian was still absent.

This wasn’t normal.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Just then, Luo Wenqian hurried in and dropped a bombshell: "Uncle Jingfu, Zhen Niang, Prime Minister Xu has retired."

"Ah, what happened? Wasn’t the Emperor refusing to approve it?" Zhen Niang asked in surprise. Ever since Hai Rui had impeached the Xu family, Xu Jie had repeatedly submitted memorials requesting retirement, but Longqing had never granted it."The story behind this is rather complex. Hai Rui accused the Xu family in Songjiang, but given the considerable influence of Grand Secretary Xu in the court, the matter ended up with much thunder but little rain. Many court affairs cannot proceed without Grand Secretary Xu, so the Emperor naturally could not allow him to retire. Grand Secretary Xu understood this as well, so after submitting several memorials without receiving a response, he quietly dropped the matter. However, while Grand Secretary Xu remained silent, his faction did not, especially the censors. This time, the Emperor came to Nanjing to attend the Ink Competition without official authorization, which gave those censors another excuse to attack him. The memorials criticizing the Emperor had already piled up on a desk, and the chief eunuch Chen Hong, who was no good himself, gathered them all and had them rushed to Nanjing by express courier. Today, at the Ink Competition, Li Mo won resounding applause, and the Emperor was in high spirits. But upon returning to the palace, he was met with these memorials—like a bucket of cold water poured over his head. His temper flared, and he simply dug out Xu Jie’s retirement memorial and approved it on the spot. Additionally, the Emperor issued an edict to reinstate Grand Secretary Gao Gong. The envoy to deliver the edict has already set out." Luo Wenqian sat down, took a sip of tea, and laid out the entire sequence of events.

His expression, however, was not good. With Xu Jie’s retirement, the foundation he had supported was likely to collapse. Coupled with the Emperor’s reinstatement of Gao Gong, this effectively sealed the Xu family’s fate.

Everyone knew that Gao Gong had been forced out by Xu Jie’s faction back then, making the two sides sworn enemies.

Zhen Niang had not expected that Xu Jie’s retirement would have even the slightest connection to her Li family’s Ink Competition.

Of course, this could not be blamed on the Li family. What was truly fearsome was the group of Ming censors—a unique entity that feared no one, not even the Emperor. As a result, emperors with slightly weaker temperaments often found themselves stifled, and Longqing was one such stifled emperor.

Now, seizing the opportunity, he had also dealt a blow to the censors, and thus, Grand Secretary Xu met his tragic fate.

Naturally, these matters had nothing to do with the Li family.

However, this meant that Wang Sifang was likely to face trouble.

Previously, the stability in Nanjing’s official and business circles had largely relied on Grand Secretary Xu as the stabilizing force. Of course, this did not mean Xu Jie supported the Imperial Silk Manufacture Bureau, as he opposed the corruption within it. In fact, Hai Rui’s appointment as Governor of Yingtian had also received Xu Jie’s support.

In other words, everyone understood that Hai Rui’s mission was to target the Imperial Silk Manufacture Bureau. However, Hai Rui was not easily controlled. While his task was to investigate the bureau’s affairs, he also took it upon himself to address local injustices. In doing so, he inevitably ended up targeting members of the Xu family.

Eventually, the Xu family’s affairs became entangled with those of the Imperial Silk Manufacture Bureau. After all, the bureau’s connections were extensive, and some of Xu Jie’s faction were inevitably involved. For instance, although the Xu brothers themselves knew the bureau was a pitfall and avoided it, they could not escape the involvement of their numerous relatives through marriages and connections.Therefore, although the Yingtian Prefecture authorities had long known about the issues with the Weaving Bureau and the court was preparing to take action against it, due to Hai Rui's impeachment of Xu Jie, they had adopted a wait-and-see approach. After all, officials as formidable as Lord Hai were exceedingly rare in the Ming bureaucracy.

Now that Prime Minister Xu had retired, the situation in Nanjing was likely to become like a row of dominoes.

"What about your uncle?" Zhen Niang asked Luo Wenqian with concern.

"For now, we'll observe and wait. The shareholding structure of Sifang Bank is quite complex, and given my relationship with him, it's not appropriate to intervene at the moment," Luo Wenqian replied calmly, though his expression suggested he had a plan in mind.

"Mmm," Zhen Niang nodded in agreement.

Although the Li family had always harbored ill feelings toward Wang Sifang—first for his exploitation of the Han family's misfortune, and then because of his rivalry with Hu Zonglin for the position of Huizhou Merchants Guild chairman, with the Li family siding with Hu Zonglin—despite this animosity, Wang Sifang remained the chairman of the Huizhou Merchants Guild.

Even though Wang Daokun was currently lobbying for Hu Zongxian, leading to signs of his rehabilitation and thus restoring Hu Zonglin's standing in the Huizhou Merchants Guild, and with the triennial election for the Merchant Guild chairman approaching, Hu Zonglin now seemed poised to overtake Wang Sifang, the election had not yet begun. Wang Sifang was still the chairman, and Sifang Bank remained the leader among Huizhou merchant banks, surpassing even Luo Jiu's Yi Hou Sheng Bank.

Thus, Sifang Bank was crucial to the survival of Huizhou merchants in Nanjing.

The current situation hinged on whether Wang Sifang could weather the storm. If he failed, not only Luo Wenqian but likely even Hu Zonglin and others would step in.

If Prime Minister Xu's retirement merely introduced uncertainty for Sifang Bank, the next day brought another bombshell that plunged the bank into an abyss.

The news was that the two officials of the Weaving Bureau had absconded with the funds. Being seasoned officials, they knew that once the Emperor approved Prime Minister Xu's retirement, their backing was gone, and they promptly fled.

By the afternoon, word came that the Yingtian Prefecture authorities had sealed Sifang Bank.

"Chairman Wang reportedly vomited blood and fainted upon hearing the news. Depositors and pawnshop clients have now surrounded the Wang residence. As soon as Uncle Jiu heard, he took the bank guards over. Fortunately, with their help, Chairman Wang's home was protected; otherwise, it might have been looted," said Ping'an's wife, standing at the entrance of the Li family's Ink Manor in the evening. The shop, which would normally have closed by now, remained brightly lit as she recounted the day's events to Zhen Niang.