Chарtеr 222: Suddеn Сhanges in the Тiаn Family
Тhat samе dау, Маdаm Hu toоk her people аnd fоllowеd Old Маdаm Нu baсk tо thе Нu fаmily. Аs for what haррenеd afterward, thоse werе matters соnfinеd bеhind сlоsеd doors within thе Нu familу, unrеlаted tо anуоne elsе.
Li Zhеnniang nаturally did not gо out of her wау tо inquire аbout such things. Hоwеvеr, somе rumоrs still mаnаgеd tо surfaсе. It was sаid that аfter returning hоme, Маdаm Hu wаs рunishеd bу Old Madаm Hu with three months of hоuse arrest. Мoreоver, Оld Мadаm Hu took over the authority to arrange marriages for the Hu family’s granddaughters.
The next day, Madam Wang and the others also left, and Wang Sifang’s household finally quieted down. That very night, Wang Sifang regained consciousness. After resting for two days, he was even able to stand up again and gradually began to take over some affairs of Sifang Bank.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
With Wang Sifang’s life spared, Hu Shi’s mood lightened, and her illness improved significantly. She also began managing household affairs again.
By this point, Zhen Niang no longer needed to stay at the Wang residence. She returned to the ink workshop with Hua’er and began preparing for their return to Huizhou. After all, the Li family had just earned the title of "World’s Finest Ink," and the plaque for the Tribute Ink had yet to be hung. For the Li family, this was a matter of utmost importance.
News arrived from Huizhou that the entire clan would hold a joint ancestral worship ceremony. Thus, their return to Huizhou was scheduled within the next two or three days.
As for Luo Wenqian, he still had much to attend to, as the reorganization of Sifang Bank involved numerous complexities.
Although the Huizhou Merchants had stepped in to take over Sifang Bank, the incident had a significant impact on the Huizhou merchants in Nanjing, to the extent that it could be described as a severe blow.
It could be said that the Sifang Bank incident did not only involve the bank itself. Even the Li Family Ink Workshop was affected, as the disruption in the capital chains of some Huizhou merchants delayed payments. Additionally, with the Li family having secured the Tribute Ink this year and overseeing a batch of imperial ink production, even though Li Zhenniang had profited handsomely from tung oil the previous year, the expansion of the ink workshop had consumed substantial funds. Competing for the tribute also required significant expenditure, leaving the workshop with insufficient liquidity. Consequently, they had no choice but to withdraw from some mid- to low-end markets.
Of course, from a broader development perspective, this withdrawal was inevitable. The Li family would undoubtedly focus on producing Tribute Ink and high-end ink in the future, as it was impossible to dominate the entire market.
"This time, the guild president will undoubtedly be Hu Zonglin," said Han Yigui, who had come to the Li residence that afternoon to chat with Li Jingfu. They were discussing the upcoming election for the president of the Huizhou Merchants Guild. Wang Sifang had been the former president, but after such an incident, he could no longer hold the position, prompting an early election.
As they spoke, Li Zhengshēn also arrived. This fellow had been doing quite well in Nanjing, especially with the foreign goods brought by Li Zheng Ping, which had significantly boosted his shop’s profits.
"Wenqian didn’t invest enough in Sifang Bank this time. If he had invested more and secured a forty percent stake, he could have contended for the guild president position now," Li Zhengshēn chimed in.
"Wenqian’s experience is still insufficient. What’s the point of competing for such a thing?" remarked Chou Po calmly, who was sitting by the door enjoying the cool breeze.
"That’s true," Li Jingfu agreed from the side.Zhen Niang chatted with Chou Po, but her mind was clear. On one hand, her lack of seniority was a factor; on the other hand, Luo Wenqian had invested less in the bank partly because he needed to set aside some funds. Firstly, he had to allocate a portion of capital for the military saber business. Secondly, it was because of the Tian Family Ink Manor. If Sifang Bank was affected by the weaving case this time, the Tian family had truly fallen into the Xu family's trap.
This time, Hai Rui targeted the Xu family because of the land donation case involving Niu Shuan'er, and Tian Er had acted as the intermediary. As a result, the Tian family couldn't extricate themselves.
If things went badly, the Tian family's fate could very well resemble that of the Luo family in the past. This was certainly not good news for the Tian family, but for Luo Jiu, who had long wanted to reclaim Luo ink, it was an opportunity.
Therefore, Luo Wenqian had prepared silver on hand, intending to buy back the Tian Family Ink Workshop—originally the Luo Family Ink Workshop—when the Tian family could no longer hold on. After all, the Tian family still had an outstanding loan from Yi Hou Sheng, and because of this, Yi Hou Sheng had priority purchasing rights for Tian ink.
Reclaiming the Luo Family Ink Workshop had always been Luo Wenqian's wish, and one could say he was determined to succeed.
As they were chatting, a burst of firecrackers suddenly sounded outside.
"Which family is opening for business again?" Li Jingfu asked curiously.
"Unlikely. Which family would open at a time like this?" Li Zhengshēn frowned as he spoke.
Chou Po sat by the door, watching the setting sun in the courtyard. "Firecrackers at this hour might mean someone has died."
Sure enough, as soon as Chou Po finished speaking, Hua'er rushed in anxiously. "Something's happened! News from Huizhou—Master Tian has passed away. The Tian Family Ink Workshop set off firecrackers and hung white lanterns."
"Master Tian is gone?" Everyone was stunned for a moment. Master Tian was only a few years older than Jingfu's father, and compared to Eighth Master Li, who had passed away not long ago, he was still quite young.
However, given Master Tian's health, although the news was sudden, it wasn't entirely unexpected.
Old Master Tian's health had already been failing, and with the Tian family now embroiled in such a major crisis, it was understandable that he couldn't withstand the anxiety.
"But that's not the biggest news. The biggest news is that after Old Master Tian passed away, he actually left the Tian family's property and Tian ink to his concubine, Chunzhi. And Chunzhi appointed Wang Decai as the general manager of Tian ink. You could say Tian ink has effectively changed hands." Er Gou, who followed Hua'er in, also spoke with a look of astonishment.
Zheng Fuli, who entered with Er Gou, wore an expression of disbelief. The Tian family had truly been plagued by misfortune these past two years, and the situation was becoming increasingly incomprehensible to outsiders.
Needless to say, everyone present was shocked by this news.
"How is that possible? Has Master Tian gone mad?" Li Zhengshēn exclaimed first. Such a thing had never happened in Huizhou. The family had two sons—no matter how unfilial they were, how could a concubine inherit the family property?
"Could this just be a rumor? Regardless of anything else, would the Tian family's clansmen just stand by and let this happen?" Zhen Niang couldn't help but say. This matter was truly too unbelievable.Even if Tian Er is utterly incompetent, and even if Tian Da has fallen out of Old Master Tian's favor, there is still no reason to give the family property to a concubine. To put it bluntly, if Chunzhi inherits the Tian family's assets, she will undoubtedly gain her freedom. And if she remarries, wouldn’t the Tian family’s entire fortune end up in someone else’s hands?
This whole situation is just too unbelievable!
"It’s all because of the predicament the Tian family is in now. They’re stuck in the Xu family’s trap, and no one knows how things will turn out for them. That’s why, even though the clan members question Chunzhi inheriting the Tian family’s property, no one dares to step forward. If they intervene now and the Tian family ends up unable to escape the Xu family’s trap, wouldn’t they just be inviting trouble upon themselves?" At that moment, Luo Wenqian entered with a grim expression.
He had long made an agreement with Master Tian. If Tian ink became unsustainable, Luo Wenqian could use the loan to Tian ink to purchase it first. This was the real underlying reason for Luo Wenqian lending money to the Tian family. Yet, unexpectedly, the situation had taken another sudden turn.
"But I just don’t understand why Master Tian would leave the family property to Chunzhi?" Li Zhenniang furrowed her brows again. Even if the Tian family is in a difficult situation now, with Tian Da still imprisoned and Tian Er also caught up in trouble, there is still Tian Ronghua.
That young lady is no pushover. Old Master Tian could have temporarily entrusted the family affairs to Tian Ronghua. With the family’s wealth to rely on, even if the Tian family couldn’t escape the Xu family’s trap, they could still use money to mitigate the disaster and possibly emerge unscathed.
But now, by giving the family property to Chunzhi, Master Tian is practically cutting off the paths for his three children. In the current situation, both Tian brothers are in prison, and Tian Ronghua’s circumstances are also dire. The Xu family is too preoccupied with its own troubles to spare any attention for her. Moreover, this incident originated from the land dedication case in Huizhou, with Tian Er as the main instigator. It’s likely that the Xu family already resents the Tian family by now, leaving Tian Ronghua’s future bleak.
And in such a situation, Chunzhi inheriting the Tian family’s property means that, if only to protect her newfound wealth, she might resort to ruthless measures against the Tian siblings. Add to that what Wenqian mentioned earlier—the clan members are afraid of getting involved—and no one will intervene in this matter.
Doesn’t this mean Old Master Tian is single-handedly burying the Tian family?
Thinking back to how decisively Old Master Tian gifted the thousand-year-old soot pigment to the Li family, he shouldn’t be such a fool. Could it be...
At this thought, Li Zhenniang looked up at Luo Wenqian.
Luo Wenqian naturally understood the question in Zhenniang’s eyes and nodded, though he didn’t elaborate.
But clearly, anyone who hears this news can’t help but suspect that this might not be Master Tian’s true intention, especially since he has been bedridden for over half a year.
At this point, everyone couldn’t help but sigh. No one could have imagined that the once-glorious Tian family would fall to such a state. But since the Tian family members themselves aren’t stepping forward, outsiders can only gossip and lament.
Harmony in the family leads to prosperity in all endeavors. The root of the Tian family’s troubles lies in their lack of harmony.
In the evening, after dinner, everyone dispersed.
Only Luo Wenqian stayed behind to talk with Zhenniang.The two sat by the well platform in the backyard. The evening breeze after sunset carried a hint of coolness—it was already August, and the weather was gradually turning cooler.
At that moment, their hands rested on the well platform, one overlapping the other. Luo Wenqian gazed at the distant sky, his face half-visible and half-hidden in the twilight, appearing somewhat somber.
"Brother Luo, Chunzhi and the others aren't true ink makers. They might not be able to sustain the ink workshop. You still have a chance to reclaim Luo Mo," Li Zhenniang said, also looking at the distant sky. The last sliver of sunset glow stood out brilliantly against the gray haze.
"Yes, I know," Luo Wenqian replied with a light laugh, then slightly furrowed his brow as he reminded her, "By the way, now that you've returned to Huizhou, you should be extra cautious about that Wang Decai from the Tian family. This man is too cunning and sees your Li family as an enemy. Now that he controls Tian ink, he might try to cause trouble for you."
At this point, Luo Wenqian paused before continuing, "There's a rumor in Huizhou about the Tian family's affairs this time. It's said that Chunzhi and Wang Decai were caught in an affair by Master Tian, who was so enraged that he died on the spot."
Hearing this, Zhen Niang snorted coldly. In truth, ever since Wang Decai entered the Tian family and endured the humiliation of Madam Su accompanying Tian Er without complaint, she had anticipated that Wang Decai would one day rise to power in the Tian household. At the time, she had even warned Tian Ronghua.
Unfortunately, Tian Ronghua paid no heed.
"I understand. I'll be careful," Zhen Niang replied. She had never underestimated this Wang Decai, especially since, in the clan records from her past life, the Li family had suffered greatly at his hands.
Thinking of this, Zhen Niang felt a strange sense of unease. In the history of her past life, Wang Decai had taken control of the Li Family Ink Workshop, leading to the Li family's downfall. Could it be that now he was setting his sights on Tian ink instead?
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