The Heir

Сhарter 244: Thе Grаduаtiоn Вanquet

June оf thе tenth yеar of thе Wаnli еrа, сlеar skies.

Аt the Luo residence in Nаnjing, thе morning sun slаnted асrоss thе blue-grау rооf tilеs, cаsting an espесiallу fresh glow.

"Mоther, yоu don’t neеd tо sее mе оff. I’vе arrangеd tо meеt Тiаn Hе, and wе’ll gо to the рrivаte sсhool togеther." Luo Qinglin, dressеd in а сhild’s robе, hurriedly rushed оut оf thе Luo fаmilу mаnsiоn, сlutсhing a bооk bag. Вehind him, his nеwly aсquired раgе boу, Хing Gе, sсrambled to kеep up, also сarrying a bоok bag аnd an аbаcus.

Luо Qinglin was born in the second year of the Wanli era, the eldest son of Zhen Niang and Luo Wenqian. Now nine years old, he had just started attending the children’s class at the private school this year. However, since April, several prefectures in the Southern Metropolitan Region had been experiencing continuous heavy rain. Floods had struck Suzhou, Wujiang, Yangzhou, Songjiang, and other areas, destroying over a hundred thousand hectares of crops, submerging more than a hundred thousand homes, and drowning twenty thousand people.

As a result, the private school had been suspended since late April. Today, the weather finally cleared, and classes resumed. Having been cooped up at home for nearly two months, Lin Ge Er was long past impatient. He couldn’t wait for Zhen Niang to escort him and had already arranged to meet Tian He. The two boys, each accompanied by their page boys, headed off to the private school.

Lin Ge Er’s page boy, Xing Ge, was twelve years old this year. He had drifted to Nanjing during the recent floods after his parents and other relatives drowned. Luo Wenqian, finding him both steady and clever, and considering that Qinglin needed someone to accompany him to the private school, decided to keep him and assigned him to serve Lin Ge Er.

Tian He was the eldest son of Tian Benchang and Sun Yuejuan, a year older than Lin Ge Er. The two were classmates at the private school, came from similar family backgrounds, and usually got along well.

By the time Zhen Niang chased after him, Lin Ge Er had already vanished without a trace.

"That little rascal," Zhen Niang muttered under her breath, but she didn’t worry too much. The private school Lin Ge Er attended was run by the Merchant Guild and wasn’t far from their home.

"Mother, I want to go to school too!" a childish voice suddenly cried out. A small figure shot over like a cannonball and clung to Zhen Niang’s leg.

"Oh, little ancestor, don’t run! Quickly put your clothes on properly. Be careful not to catch a chill." Liu Jin Sao hurried after her, holding out a water-red jacket.

The little girl was Zhen Niang and Luo Wenqian’s daughter, five years old this year, named Luo Jingyu. Both Jingyu and Qinglin were names of ink products. Chou Po had directly used ink product names when naming them, and it seemed quite fitting.

"Have you thought it through? Going to school means copying texts and writing characters. If you don’t copy well or write poorly, you’ll get your palms slapped," Zhen Niang said, holding Yu Jie Er’s hand, her face serious but the corners of her mouth twitching upward. Inwardly, she counted: one, two, three.

Sure enough, just as she reached three, little Jingyu shook her head vigorously. "Then I’d better not go. I’m still too young." Her small face was earnest, but in her mind, she thought copying texts seemed very tiring—her older brother had said so. It was better not to tire herself out.

Knowing this little imp all too well, Zhen Niang shook her head and was about to carry the little girl back inside.

"Zhen Niang, the Fang Family Ink Manual is out." Just then, Luo Wenqian, dressed in a blue robe and wearing black cloth shoes, walked in slowly, a book tucked under his arm. He had made his rounds to the various shops early in the morning as part of his routine.

After ten years of development and with Zhang Juzheng’s support, Luo’s Ink Shop had become a significant force in Nanjing’s business world.

He and Tian Benchang were known as the twin pillars of Huizhou’s merchant community.After the Tian family's decline, Tian Benchang single-handedly supported the business, focusing on the family's traditional timber trade. With the overseas connections of Sun Yuejuan's two elder brothers through Wang Cuiqiao, he secured a share of the Annam huanghuali wood.

Now, the Ming Dynasty was an era of pursuing luxury, and huanghuali wood was highly sought after, allowing Tian Benchang to seize the opportunity. Combined with the share of foreign goods, the Tian family was now even more prosperous than before.

"The Fang Ink Catalog is out so soon? Let me see." Upon hearing about the Fang Ink Catalog, Zhen Niang's eyes lit up, and she held out her hand.

Luo Wenqian chuckled and placed the Fang Ink Catalog in Zhen Niang's hand, then took Yu Jie Er from her. Seeing her father, Yu Jie Er immediately clapped her hands joyfully: "Daddy, carry Yu Jie Er."

"Alright!" Luo Wenqian laughed heartily, lifting Yu Jie Er onto his shoulders with both hands. The little girl sat steadily, hugging Luo Wenqian's head, her tiger-head shoes swaying as she giggled with delight.

"Come down now, you're being too playful!" Zhen Niang scolded, frowning. Their daughter loved to fool around, and her father was just as mischievous—a pair of troublemakers.

At that moment, father and daughter made funny faces at each other, and then Yu Jie Er obediently climbed down, led by Liu Jin Sao to have breakfast.

Only then did Zhen Niang begin flipping through the Fang Ink Catalog.

Her Li family's Li Ink Catalog had been published in the third year of the Wanli era, with its initial release in Huizhou and Nanjing. The catalog's preface was written by Sun Kehong. At the time, Zhen Niang had worried he might refuse, but it happened to coincide with Sun Kehong's father's sixtieth birthday. Zhen Niang gifted him a commemorative inkstick, and the preface was naturally secured.

Of course, Lord Sun was not swayed by the inkstick itself. Rather, it was out of respect for the Li family—Eighth Master Li had sacrificed his life to create the World's Finest Ink, and Seventh Madam Li had bravely fought Japanese pirates to the death. Writing the preface was something he was more than willing to do.

Once the Li Ink Catalog was published, it caused a sensation in Huizhou and Nanjing, making paper scarce for a time.

In short, Li ink enjoyed unparalleled fame in the third year of Wanli. However, the Fang and Cheng families soon stepped up their efforts. The following year, the Li family lost the Tribute Ink Selection, and the Tribute Ink Privilege went to Fang ink. From then on, Fang ink rose to prominence, which in turn spurred Cheng ink into action. By now, the rivalry between the Fang and Cheng families had grown fierce, almost like a battle to the death.

Zhen Niang knew that ever since the Li Ink Catalog was published, Fang Da had been preparing the Fang Ink Catalog.

However, it was clear that the copy Brother Luo brought was not the final version. Compared to the later Fang Ink Catalog, it lacked much content. Zhen Niang knew the complete edition would likely be officially published around the sixteenth year of Wanli.

"This isn't the final version, is it?" Zhen Niang looked up and asked Luo Wenqian.

"Mm, Fang Da said he'd like you to take a look first and help write an ink review," Luo Wenqian replied with a smile. Back when the Li family's catalog was published, they had also asked Fang Da to write a review.

"What's this about helping? Doesn't Fang ink have your shares too?" Zhen Niang laughed.

"Exactly, it's practically our own business," Luo Wenqian chuckled. Over the years, his dividends from Fang ink had been substantial.

Zhen Niang patted him lightly, then rubbed her temples. She hadn't slept well last night and had a bit of a headache.

"What's wrong? Have you been troubled by something lately?" Luo Wenqian asked, wrapping an arm around her and guiding her inside to sit down. He helped her into a chair and poured her a cup of hot tea.In recent months, Zhen Niang seemed to have trouble sleeping soundly at night, her originally smooth and fair complexion now somewhat pale, which worried Luo Wenqian.

"Hmm. I heard Minister Zhang’s health is very poor, and he often coughs up blood?" Zhen Niang took a sip of hot tea, her thoughts drifting back to this matter.

Lately, Zhen Niang’s mind had been somewhat unsettled. It was already the sixth month of the tenth year of the Wanli era, and it seemed that Zhang Juzheng had passed away around this time, though she couldn’t recall the exact date.

The uncertainty of what impact Zhang Juzheng’s death would bring to her family left Zhen Niang feeling anxious and uneasy.

"Zhen Niang, you’re overthinking things. It’s not good for your health. I’m worried." Luo Wenqian gently kissed Zhen Niang’s temple. Her mind was too burdened, and overthinking was not beneficial.

After the decline of the Luo Family, Luo Wenqian had grown quite detached from such matters. Even if Minister Zhang were to face trouble now, Luo Wenqian had built his own foundation over the years. And even if the commercial empire he had painstakingly created were to collapse, so what?

Back then, he had ventured alone into the northern territories and built this vast enterprise. Starting over held no fear for him, though perhaps he wouldn’t choose the same path again.

A person’s state of mind changes with each stage of life.

"Hmm, I am overthinking it. I won’t dwell on it anymore." Seeing Luo Wenqian’s concerned expression, Zhen Niang couldn’t help but reach out and touch his face, smiling softly. She didn’t want Brother Luo to worry about her. After all, she had made all the preparations she could over the years, though there wasn’t much she could do. Now, she would simply face whatever came her way.

After further reflection, she realized that knowing certain outcomes in advance wasn’t always beneficial. Instead, it could lead to unnecessary suspicion and hesitation.

"Ninth Master, Madam, an invitation has arrived from the Qingchun Pavilion." At that moment, Li Shan entered, placed the invitation on the table, and withdrew.

"What kind of invitation would Qingchun Pavilion send?" Zhen Niang wondered, leaning against the table as she opened and read it. It turned out to be an invitation to the debut banquet of Miss Liu Susu from Qingchun Pavilion.

In Nanjing, brothels often sought out girls aged eight to twelve and placed them under the guidance of their most popular courtesans. When a girl was first introduced to the public, it was called her debut. Typically, such girls were groomed as top-tier entertainers, specializing in arts rather than selling their bodies.

A newly debuted girl had no reputation and needed patrons. Thus, on the day of her debut, the madam of the brothel would send out numerous invitations, inviting people to attend and introduce the girl to society. This event was known as the debut banquet.

Luo Wenqian received many such invitations every year, but he never attended.

This time, however, the invitation was rather interesting because it was addressed to both Luo Jiu and his wife.

"This is the first time I’ve received an invitation like this," Zhen Niang remarked, raising an eyebrow. Luo Wenqian, holding Zhen Niang by the waist and leaning close to her hand, couldn’t help but chuckle. "Ha, this is an invitation for you to donate money. You ladies have quite a bit of private savings, it seems our prefect has taken notice."Luo Wenqian spoke while pointing to a line at the back of the invitation: "All contributions from this farewell banquet will be donated to the Yingtian Charity Hall to aid disaster-stricken people." As he spoke, Luo Wenqian extended his slightly bony index finger to point at a seal stamped on the back of the invitation—the official seal of the Yingtian Prefecture Charity Hall.

This meant that the farewell banquet for Miss Liu Susu at Qingchun Tower had received the support of Yingtian Prefecture.

Zhen Niang glared and retorted, "Pah! Even if I wanted to donate money, couldn’t I go to the charity hall myself? Why should I spend silver to attend a farewell banquet for a courtesan? I don’t need a girl to drink with me."

"That’s why such farewell banquets were never extended to the wives of prominent families before. But this time, it’s for the sake of donating to disaster-stricken people. Madam Luo, if you don’t attend, others might gossip about it later." Luo Wenqian found Zhen Niang’s words amusing and laughed heartily.

"So, does that mean I have no choice but to go this time?" Zhen Niang said with a hint of annoyance, shaking the invitation in her hand.

"Yes, you have no choice but to go," Luo Wenqian replied with a smile.

"Why do I feel like you’re up to something?" Zhen Niang looked suspiciously at the slight curl of Luo Wenqian’s lips, which clearly hinted at ulterior motives.

"Nothing much. Perhaps there’ll be some drama to watch. This Miss Liu Susu has some history with Tian Benchang." Luo Wenqian took a sip of hot tea as he spoke. Meanwhile, little Yu Jie Er, having finished her breakfast, came skipping over and circled around Luo Wenqian and Li Zhenniang.

Seeing that her parents were engrossed in their conversation and ignoring her, she pouted and called for Chou Po to accompany her in chasing butterflies.

Chou Po was tending to the flowers and plants in the courtyard and mumbled indistinctly, "Chou Po is too old to chase butterflies."

Chou Po was seventy-three this year.