The Heir

Chарtеr 236: Тhе Curtain of Нistоry

Wang Dеcai dеsреrаtеlу clutchеd Chunzhi’s hand, making a guttural “huff… huff…” sound bеfоre finаlly соllарsing in a рооl оf blоod.

Сhunzhi watched him fаll, а strangе smile on her fаce.

Тhis scenе lеft еvеrуоnе stunned.

No оnе had ехрeсted Сhunzhi tо be hiding a раir of sсissors on her рerson. In truth, evеn Сhunzhi hеrself hаdn’t anticipаtеd using thеm.

Eаrliеr, shе hаd bееn doing nееdlewоrk in her rоom, scissоrs in hand. Whеn thе уamеn runnеrs саme to summon hеr, she panicked аnd tucked the sсissors into hеr sleеvе as shе left. Upon entering the yamen, fearing the scissors might cause trouble, she hid them in her sleeve.

Wang Decai’s actions pushed the already distraught Chunzhi to her breaking point. In a moment of desperation, she committed this shocking act.

Immediately, the courtroom descended into chaos. The yamen runners swiftly apprehended Chunzhi, who offered no resistance. She simply dropped the scissors and allowed herself to be escorted to the prison cell.

As for Wang Decai, he now lay on the ground, breathing shallowly, with more air leaving his body than entering.

“Quick, summon a physician!” The prefect immediately ordered someone to fetch a doctor. Shortly after, a physician from the medical hall arrived. Startled by the scene in the courtroom, he examined Wang Decai and performed emergency treatment, though it was more a matter of doing what he could and leaving the rest to fate. The physician said it depended on whether Wang Decai could survive the night. If he did, there might still be hope. If not, his family should prepare for his funeral.

With that, everyone gradually dispersed. The Li family returned home and held a calming banquet for Li Jingfu to ward off evil spirits and soothe his nerves.

Zhen Niang’s anxious heart finally settled. After all, Wang Decai had not succeeded. The Li family had truly weathered the storm.

That night, Zhen Niang slept exceptionally soundly.

The next day, the Li family received news that Wang Decai had not survived the night, passing away in the yamen prison around midnight. In the end, his body was rolled up in a mat and discarded in a mass burial ground. Fortunately, Madam Su still held some marital affection and buried him in a simple coffin.

Wang Decai’s fate served as a reminder: debts must always be repaid. Retribution may be delayed, but it is inevitable. When the time comes, it strikes without warning.

After much turmoil, the case of the Tian family’s estate was finally settled. Tian Benchang inherited the family’s property.

The case of Chunzhi’s attempt to seize the family estate, which had stemmed from the Li family’s alleged collusion with the Tatars, became a hot topic in Huizhou.

A few days later, Chunzhi’s sentence was handed down: execution in the autumn.

Upon hearing the verdict, the gossipmongers couldn’t help but sigh. Tian Benchang, however, went to his mother’s grave to offer incense.

Following this, the attention of Huizhou’s ink industry turned to the Tian family’s Ink Workshop.

The Tian family had now fallen into decline. Even if Tian Benchang was capable, reviving the family’s fortunes would not happen overnight. Coupled with the mess left behind by Tian Er, it was inevitable that the family’s businesses would need to be scaled back and reorganized.

The Tian family’s ancestral businesses were timber and farmland—both foundational assets that Tian Benchang could not sell. That left only Tian ink. While Tian ink was technically founded by Master Tian, it had always been managed by Tian Benchang. Therefore, if Tian Benchang wanted to develop the family’s fortunes, selling Tian ink had become an unavoidable path.

“Why hasn’t Wenqian made a move yet? Hasn’t he always been fixated on reclaiming Tian ink?” Li Jingfu asked Zhen Niang over breakfast."Yes, Brother Luo has been negotiating with Tian Benchang all this time. Such a major matter can't be settled in a short while," Zhen Niang nodded in reply.

"That's true," Li Jingfu nodded.

"By the way, I heard from Zhengyan's wife yesterday that there's talk in the ink workshop now—they say Mr. Luo bought back Tian ink, but since he doesn't have time to manage it, it will eventually merge with Li ink?" Du Shi, who was feeding Huiguan'er on the side, spoke up.

Zhengyan was the second cousin from the ninth branch of the family, who had gotten married last year. His wife usually got along quite well with Du Shi.

"Nonsense. Tian ink was originally the Luo Family's business. Why would Wenqian go to such lengths to buy it back just to merge it with Li ink? Don't talk such rubbish, and don't bring it up again in the future." Before Zhen Niang could reply, Zhao Shi spoke up irritably.

"Exactly, don't mention this again. Otherwise, if it reaches the Luo Family's ears, they might think our Li Family is eyeing their ink workshop." Li Jingfu chimed in, then added, "You should also give a heads-up to Zhengyan's wife."

"Understood," Du Shi nodded.

Since her parents had made it clear, Zhen Niang saw no need to say more. Having finished breakfast, she collected the bowls and said to her parents, "Father, Mother, I'm heading to the ink workshop. This year's Tribute Ink production has already begun, and I need to keep an eye on it."

"Go ahead, and keep a close watch. This is not something to be careless about." Li Jingfu quickly responded. Having suffered losses with Tribute Ink in the past, he was naturally quite anxious about it.

"Don't worry, Father." Zhen Niang reassured him, then got up to change her clothes. Just as she was about to leave, her mother called her back. "Zhen Niang, when you have time, try to sound out Wenqian. If he really has such intentions, make sure he thinks it through carefully, so you won't be put in a difficult position later."

Zhao Shi spoke with a serious expression. For the sake of her daughter, she had to consider many things. Although Li ink was thriving now, the truth was, the Li Family's future was not entirely bright.

After all, Zhen Niang was a woman. As a daughter of the Li Family, with the old lady's support, managing Li ink was no problem. But once she married into the Luo Family, it would no longer be appropriate for her to handle Li ink affairs.

And Li ink would inevitably face the issue of having no successor. When that time came, there would surely be all sorts of disputes. If Luo Wenqian got entangled in it as well, Zhen Niang would find herself in a difficult position. As a mother, she was somewhat selfish—she didn't want Zhen Niang caught in the middle.

"Mother, don't worry. Brother Luo has his own plans." Zhen Niang smiled at her mother, then linked arms with her and said, "Do you know why Brother Luo hasn't secured Tian ink yet? He's actually been negotiating with several masters from Tian ink. His idea is to jointly acquire Tian ink with them, which would be like a partnership. That way, Brother Luo wouldn't have to spend too much effort on the ink workshop."

"That's good," Zhao Shi nodded. Wenqian was indeed capable.

Only then did Zhen Niang leave. She naturally understood her mother's concerns. No one knew the situation of Li ink better than she did—it truly wasn't suitable for further expansion. Its current scale was already the limit of what the Li Family could handle. Any further growth would be biting off more than they could chew.

In later times, many enterprises had collapsed due to reckless expansion.Zhen Niang pondered all the way as she entered the ink workshop. After inspecting each workshop and finding no issues, she headed to the Ink Pavilion on Four Treasures Street. She planned to stroll around the street before going shopping, as the wedding of Aunt Jinhua and Cheng Changgen was on the second day of the second lunar month, and she still had a few gifts left to prepare.

However, as soon as she entered Four Treasures Street, she saw a dense crowd gathered in front of the Cheng Ink Workshop.

At that moment, Luo Wenqian poked his head out from the crowd. Spotting Zhen Niang, he waved her over. Zhen Niang quickly squeezed through the crowd and made her way inside. There, she saw a long table set up in front of the Cheng Ink Pavilion, with Cheng Dayue and Fang Dalao seated at opposite ends. The only difference was that Fang Dalao carried a bundle on his back.

Fang Dalao was an ink artisan of Cheng ink and also the leader of Fang ink during the Wanli era.

On the table lay many inksticks, and both men wore extremely serious expressions. Third Master Cheng sat solemnly to one side.

"Brother Luo, what are they doing?" Zhen Niang whispered in Luo Wenqian’s ear.

"Ink Competition," Luo Wenqian replied softly, then explained the situation in a low voice. It turned out that Fang Dalao had created the Nine Mysteries Three Extremes Ink. Additionally, his ink-making philosophy often differed from that of Cheng ink, leading him to consider breaking away and starting his own business. It was said that Fang Dalao had received support from Wang Daokun.

However, Cheng Dayue believed that the ink used Cheng ink’s formula and techniques, and all the materials were provided by Cheng ink. While Fang Dalao could leave to start his own venture, he could not take the Nine Mysteries Three Extremes Ink with him.

But Fang Dalao insisted that the Nine Mysteries Three Extremes Ink was his original creation and must remain with him.

The two were deadlocked, leaving only an Ink Competition to decide the outcome.

"Begin," Third Master Cheng announced.

Immediately, Cheng Dayue and Fang Dalao each picked up a black cloth from beside the table and blindfolded themselves.

Then, they began selecting inksticks.

"Three-year-old Mysterious Origin Spiritual Energy Ink," Cheng Dayue declared first.

"Five-year-old Exquisite Grade Ink," Fang Dalao followed promptly.

"Eight-year-old Hundred Seeds Pomegranate Ink."

"Seven-year-old Green Jade Table Ink."

"Twenty-year-old Eastern Emperor Taiyi Ink."

"Fifteen-year-old Lady of Xiang Ink."

...

The two went back and forth, quickly identifying all the inksticks. Neither outdid the other, resulting in a draw.

"Next, we’ll compete in Ink Craft," Cheng Dayue said, his face filled with reluctance.

"Agreed," Fang Dalao retorted, unwilling to back down.

"Then we start with smoke generation. Whoever loses at any stage loses the entire competition," Third Master Cheng interjected from the side, then signaled for someone to prepare the smoke generation tools.

Soon, the oil lamps for smoke generation and tung oil were brought over. Both Cheng Dayue and Fang Dalao were experts, their techniques—from flame control to soot collection—mesmerizing to watch.

Just as they had collected the soot and were about to compare, suddenly, a bird dropping fell from the sky, landing right in Cheng Dayue’s soot pigment. The unexpected incident left everyone stunned.

How could they proceed with the comparison under such circumstances?

"Let’s start over," Fang Dalao suggested.

"No need. The outcome is decided. Dalao wins. You may take the Nine Mysteries Three Extremes Ink and leave," Third Master Cheng declared abruptly.

The onlookers stared at Third Master Cheng, feeling this seemed somewhat unfair.

"Grandfather," Cheng Dayue protested, his face etched with unwillingness.

"Luck is also a kind of skill," Third Master Cheng stated calmly.Hearing Third Master Cheng say this, Cheng Dayue had no choice but to swallow his resentment, glaring at Fang Dalao before turning and entering the Cheng Family Ink Pavilion.

Fang Dalao bowed deeply to Cheng San Yeye, then turned and strode away.

Watching his retreating figure, Zhen Niang suddenly felt as if the grand curtain of history was slowly being drawn open. During the Wanli era, the rivalry between the Fang and Cheng family ink workshops seemed poised to gradually unveil its prologue.