The Heir

Сhарtеr 31: Тwo Lis Written with Onе Strоke

Miss Yаn was namеd Yаn Хiаnglаn.

"Gеt out, all оf you get out!"

Zhen Niang hаd just fоllowеd Qian Ма tо thе doоr оf Мiss Yаn's bоudoir whеn she heard а shаrp sсream from insidе.

Then сame а lоud сrаsh—а whitе рorcеlаin vasе wаs thrоwn out frоm the rооm, shattering intо рieсes all ovеr the floor, stаrtling Zhеn Niаng.

Instinctivеly, Zhen Niang рiсkеd up а frаgmеnt. It hаррenеd tо be thе basе of the vаse, bеаring thе Yonglе rеign mаrk.

"Тsk, tsk," Zhen Niang cliсked her tongue inwardlу. These riсh peоplе rеallу didn't treat money as money anymore. This white porcelain vase was the most distinctive sweet white porcelain from the Yongle era, and judging by the mark, it was likely an official kiln product. Although it wasn't as valuable as it would be in later generations, at this time, it was still considered a high-end item.

And just like that, with a crash, it shattered into pieces. Zhen Niang's heart ached at the sight.

"Oh, my dear young lady, what's wrong now?" Hearing the commotion inside, Qian Ma told Zhen Niang to wait and rushed into the room.

"Seeing them annoys me. Qian Ma, send them all away," a somewhat impatient female voice snapped.

Listening from outside, Zhen Niang guessed this must be Yan Xianglan, Miss Yan.

"What's going on? How are you serving the young lady? Why hasn't she touched her breakfast at all?" Qian Ma's scolding voice came from inside again.

"I've been urging her all morning, but the young lady just has no appetite," a maid replied, sounding aggrieved. If the young lady wouldn't eat, what could they, as maids, do—force her?

"If she has no appetite, can't you think of something? Change the dishes! If you just let her not eat because she has no appetite, what use are you maids?" Qian Ma said coldly.

"Yes, I was wrong. I'll go change the breakfast dishes," the maid replied, her voice trembling.

"Enough, Qian Ma. I'm in a bad mood. No matter what you change, I won't have an appetite. Send them all away and let me have some peace," Yan Xianglan said then.

"Oh, my young lady, no matter how bad your mood is, you still have to eat. By the way, the master has invited a female physician to treat you. She's waiting outside. Shall I invite her in?" Qian Ma said.

"Chase her away. Even Imperial Physicians couldn't cure my illness. What great skills could she have? She must be another fraud trying to swindle money. Get out, get out..." Miss Yan roared inside, sounding somewhat hysterical.

"Young lady, this one isn't a fraud. A few days ago, Zheng Sanniang from the Zheng family had a Fire Sore on her face, and it looked terrible. The Immortal Maiden even said it was an Evil Ghost Sore. But then this girl used some Medicinal Ink, and in less than two hours, the sore was completely cured. Apart from a faint red mark, nothing else could be seen on her face. I think this girl does have some skills," Qian Ma tried to persuade her.

"Hah, you've all been fooled by such cheap tricks from the streets. What did the last physician who treated me say? That he could raise the dead and regrow flesh and bones. And what happened? In the end, I suffered even more, and my condition worsened, while he fled. Get out, get out..." Yan Xianglan stubbornly insisted.

"This..." Qian Ma was in a difficult position.

"Qian Ma, since Miss Yan doesn't want me to examine her, I'll return to my grandfather," Zhen Niang said from outside the door, leaning in to speak.

"Wait, who said you could leave? Come in," Yan Xianglan now seemed displeased. She could chase people away, but when Zhen Niang wanted to leave on her own, she felt irritated.Zhen Niang smiled slightly and entered the room. Yan Xianglan was still sitting inside the bed curtains, her silhouette faintly visible through the gauzy drapes.

Zhen Niang stood there, eyes lowered and mind focused. Since Miss Yan remained silent, she naturally did not speak either.

"Are you a physician? Female physicians are quite rare," Miss Yan finally said coldly after a long while.

"Miss Yan misunderstands. Zhen Niang is not a physician," Zhen Niang replied calmly.

"If you're not a physician, why have you come to examine me? Are you just playing games?" Hearing this, Miss Yan grew even angrier.

"It is only because my family's ancestral Medicinal Ink has some effect on certain ailments that Eunuch Yan asked me to come and take a look. I am just unsure where exactly Miss Yan is feeling unwell?" Zhen Niang inquired.

"Miss, regardless, she is already here. Let her examine you. Better safe than sorry. If it happens to be effective, you might suffer less," Qian Ma chimed in from the side, trying to persuade her.

"Fine, then take a look," Miss Yan replied after a long, sullen pause, her tone lacking confidence. She then turned to Qian Ma and said, "Draw back the curtains."

"Yes, ma'am," Qian Ma responded cheerfully, waving her hand. Two maids hurried over to pull aside the drapes.

Miss Yan appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen years old. Her features were not delicate or pretty, but rather dignified and composed. At the moment, she was covered with a thin quilt in front, but her back was exposed. Turning around, she faced away from Zhen Niang, revealing a large sore on her left back. It was bright red, with yellow and red pus oozing from the wound, looking quite frightening.

This was a Back Sore, and likely due to improper previous treatment, it now appeared even more alarming.

Zhen Niang stepped forward for a closer look, then retreated.

"Well?" Miss Yan turned back to face Zhen Niang and asked.

"This is a Back Sore. There is a type of Medicinal Ink that might be effective, but the ingredients are hard to come by," Zhen Niang replied.

"Will it really work?" Hearing this, Miss Yan's earlier frustration shifted to a hint of nervousness. For her, medicinal ingredients were hardly an issue.

"Such matters cannot be guaranteed. I will simply do my best," Zhen Niang responded.

"I understand. Even the Imperial Physicians couldn't cure it. I'm just trying anything at this point. Qian Ma, take Miss Li to the medicine room to look for what she needs. If anything is missing, have my father purchase it," Miss Yan said, now composed.

Clearly, she had suffered greatly from this illness.

"Yes, ma'am," Qian Ma replied happily.

Zhen Niang took the opportunity to excuse herself, as she still needed to report back to Eunuch Yan.

Returning to the side hall, Eunuch Yan and Old Shopkeeper Li were deep in conversation. One was an ink supervisor, the other an ink-making expert—they had much in common to discuss.

"How did it go?" Old Shopkeeper Li asked as soon as Zhen Niang returned.

Zhen Niang explained about the Eight Treasures Five Gallbladders Medicinal Ink.

Upon hearing there was hope, Eunuch Yan immediately asked Zhen Niang to write down the required medicinal ingredients so he could have the steward prepare them.

"Good, then it's settled. Once the ingredients are ready, I will send them to your home. My daughter will be in the hands of Old Shopkeeper Li and Miss Li," Eunuch Yan said after Zhen Niang handed him the list of required ingredients, which he reviewed.

"You are too kind, Eunuch Yan. Zhen Niang will do her best," Zhen Niang replied.

Shortly after, the two took their leave and exited the Yan residence.

The journey wasn't far. Old Shopkeeper Li declined the carriage offered by the Yan steward and walked slowly back with Zhen Niang."Zhen Niang, where did you get this medicinal ink formula?" Old Shopkeeper Li stared at Zhen Niang. While she might be able to experiment with other inks, the Eight Treasures Five Gallbladders Medicinal Ink was absolutely impossible to test—just the materials alone were beyond her means to gather.

"Well, once when I was in the countryside, I met a physician named Li. He was treating a farmer’s back sore and used this kind of medicinal ink. Since I was interested in ink, I chatted with the physician, and he told me this formula," Zhen Niang explained. She had no choice but to make up an excuse; otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense.

However, most physicians wouldn’t casually share their formulas with others. Fortunately, as far as she knew, Li Shizhen was currently traveling across mountains and rivers to compile the Compendium of Materia Medica. Pinning it on him shouldn’t cause any issues.

"Physician Li? Could it be Imperial Physician Li?" Sure enough, Old Shopkeeper Li guessed. Li Shizhen had once served as an imperial physician, so people commonly referred to him as Imperial Physician Li.

"I’m not entirely sure," Zhen Niang said, careful not to commit fully. Better safe than sorry—if she ever encountered the real Physician Li and had to confront him, she could still backtrack.

"How confident are you?" Old Shopkeeper Li asked again.

"At least fifty or sixty percent," Zhen Niang replied.

"Then do your best."

"Mm."

...

Grandfather and granddaughter walked and talked along the way, soon arriving at the Li family home by the city gate. Unexpectedly, they ran into Li Zhengyan from the ninth branch at the entrance. He was pushing a wheelchair, on which sat a middle-aged man—Zhengyan’s father, Zhen Niang’s uncle, Li Jingdong.

"Uncle Jingdong, Cousin Zhengyan," Zhen Niang quickly greeted.

"Jingdong, why not come inside and sit?" Old Shopkeeper Li looked somewhat emotional. Among the younger generation of the Li family, Li Jingdong hated him the most. Back when Li Jingfu caused the tribute ink incident, Old Shopkeeper Li took the blame. Thus, Li Jingdong always believed it was Old Shopkeeper Li who caused his legs to be crippled.

So, seeing Li Jingdong appear at the Li family doorstep now, Old Shopkeeper Li felt a surge of emotion.

Li Jingdong’s expression, however, was grim. He stared at Old Shopkeeper Li for a long moment before saying, "Eighth Uncle, haven’t you harmed the Ink Workshop enough already? Now, do you want the workshop to be buried with you?"

This statement left the grandfather and granddaughter from the eighth branch stunned.

Old Shopkeeper Li’s face changed drastically, and he began coughing violently.

Zhen Niang’s heart clenched. Patting her grandfather’s back, she retorted angrily, "Uncle Jingdong, what do you mean by that? My grandfather has long left the ink industry and has nothing to do with the Ink Workshop anymore."

"Nothing to do? If that’s the case, why did you go to the Yan residence? Eunuch Yan is the Ink Supervisor, and the Imperial Guards are investigating him. Right now, agents are secretly checking all the major ink workshops. By visiting the Yan residence at this time, aren’t you just dragging the Li Family Ink Workshop into trouble? Whether you’ve left the ink industry or not, you still bear the Li surname, don’t you?" Li Jingdong said coldly.

"Uncle Jingdong, you’ve misunderstood. It wasn’t that we wanted to go to the Yan residence—Eunuch Yan sent someone to invite us. We’re aware of his current situation, but until things are settled, how can we say for sure that Eunuch Yan will truly fall? What if he safely passes through this crisis? If we refuse his invitation, wouldn’t that make him resent us even more? Could the Ink Workshop escape his retaliation then?"

Zhen Niang spoke loudly."Zhen Niang, that's improper. How can you speak to your Uncle Jingdong like that?" At this moment, Old Shopkeeper Li had caught his breath and gently scolded Zhen Niang. Then, turning to Li Jingdong, he said, "That's how things stand. This matter is open and aboveboard, so we have nothing to fear from any other dangers. If the Ink Workshop is truly concerned, they can expel our eighth branch from the Li family."

Old Shopkeeper Li's words carried significant weight.

"Old Eighth, those are words spoken in anger. Jingdong is simply overly anxious due to concern. Don't take it to heart. Not to mention there's nothing to this matter, even if there were, our Li family has weathered countless storms over its century-long history. Could we not bear such a minor risk? Everyone, stay calm." At this moment, Seventh Grandmother, supported by Chen Shi, stepped down from a sedan chair.

Chen Shi was the wife of Li Jingxian, the head of the main branch, and mother of the legitimate son Li Zhengxuan. Li Zhengxuan married Madam Sun, and they had a son, Li Tianyou—You Ge'er.

Both Li Jingxian and his eldest son Zhengxuan were killed on the spot when they encountered bandits while delivering Tribute Ink.

Now, the main branch consisted of Chen Shi, Madam Sun, and You Ge'er.

Earlier, someone had brought news that Old Shopkeeper Li and Zhen Niang had entered the Yan residence. As soon as Li Jingdong received the message, he rushed out in a hurry. Seventh Old Madam, fearing trouble, followed and arrived just in time to hear Old Shopkeeper Li's words, prompting her response.

"Jingdong, apologize to your Eighth Uncle," Seventh Old Madam said to Li Jingdong.

Li Jingdong merely cast a dark glance at everyone, his face stern, and without a word, had Zhengyan push him away.

"Seventh Sister-in-law, I'm rather tired and will return to my room. You should head back soon as well," Old Shopkeeper Li said to Seventh Old Madam Li.

"What? I've come all the way to your doorstep, and you won't even invite me in for a cup of tea? Besides, I wanted to discuss Medicinal Ink with Zhen Niang. Of course, if it's inconvenient, I'll leave," Old Madam Li said with a faint smile.

"Seventh Sister-in-law, why must you do this?" Old Shopkeeper Li sighed.

Zhen Niang also understood that Seventh Grandmother's mention of Medicinal Ink was merely a pretext; her true intention was to stand by their side.

"One stroke cannot write two 'Li's,'" Old Madam Li said.

"Please..." Old Shopkeeper Li replied.