Сhарtеr 64: Ink Testing Gаthеring
Тhе еighth day of thе siхth lunar month, аn auspiсiоus dау, аt thе hour of Сhen. It was the day of thе ink tеsting.
Four Тreаsurеs Strееt was еvеn mоrе bustling thаn usual.
Тhe Li family hаd rеservеd a teahоuse right neхt to the Ink Раviliоn. Тhе sесond floоr wаs resеrvеd fоr guests whо had rесeived invitаtiоns, while thе main hall on thе first floor was fillеd with mеrсhants sеeking calligrарhу and раintings bу submitting thеir nаmе cаrds. Аs for thоse whо camе just to jоin thе еxсitеmеnt, thеy could оnly crowd around thе entrancе, forming laуers uроn laуers of onlookers.
In the center of the main hall on the first floor stood a long, dark-red lacquered table. In the middle of the table was a large wooden box. Later, the merchants seeking calligraphy and paintings would place their name cards into the box, and a member of the audience would be invited to draw one on the spot. Whichever name was drawn, Mr. Dongtu would create a painting or calligraphy for that person—similar to a lottery in later times.
It was entirely based on luck, and precisely because of this, everyone was even more excited.
The Li family’s Ink Testing Gathering this time was presided over by Steward Shao. Zhen Niang only needed to sit in the inner room and observe. At the moment, she was chatting idly with Ma Sao, though her mind was not on the conversation. Zhen Niang was intently watching outside through the door curtain.
After all, this was the first Ink Testing Gathering since she took charge of the Li Family Ink Workshop. Despite having made thorough preparations, it was impossible not to feel nervous.
"Miss Zhen, the auspicious hour has arrived. Shall we begin?" Steward Shao called out to Zhen Niang at this moment.
Zhen Niang thought for a moment and said, "Wait."
Steward Shao did not know why Miss Zhen said to wait, but if Miss Zhen said wait, then they would wait. He just didn’t know who Miss Zhen was waiting for. It seemed that all those who had been invited and should have come had already arrived.
Just then, an announcement came from the entrance: "Ink Supervisor Yan has arrived."
Steward Shao was startled. Why had he come? Steward Shao was aware that Miss Zhen had sent invitations to the officials of the Ink Affairs Bureau and the Ink Supervision Bureau, but that was merely a customary practice—a gesture of respect or a routine formality to avoid future trouble. They did not actually expect the officials from the two bureaus to attend.
The officials of the Ink Affairs Bureau and the Ink Supervision Bureau were well aware of this and mostly did not attend. At most, they would send their subordinates to go through the motions.
But today, Eunuch Yan had surprisingly appeared.
The crowd at the scene erupted in murmurs of astonishment. It was impossible for them not to be surprised, as this was unprecedented in the history of Ink Testing Gatherings. However, Zhen Niang understood clearly that Eunuch Yan’s arrival had no other meaning—it was simply to repay a favor he owed her.
Back then, she had cured Miss Yan’s back sore with medicinal ink. Originally, this was nothing significant. Zhen Niang’s intervention at the time was not meant to make Eunuch Yan remember a favor; she merely knew that Eunuch Yan was not someone to be trifled with and could not afford to offend him.
However, it happened to be a critical moment for Eunuch Yan, and her assistance had ultimately made him feel indebted. That was why he had disregarded the rules and hinted that the Li family should participate in the Tribute Ink Selection, clearly intending to repay this favor during the selection.
Unexpectedly, subsequent events were unpredictable. Due to the Tian family’s schemes and the pine blight, the Li family ended up withdrawing from the Tribute Ink Selection.
In other words, this favor remained unpaid.
Later, under the financial pressure from the Tian family, Eunuch Yan had adopted a wait-and-see attitude toward the affairs of the Li Family Ink Workshop. Under such circumstances, this so-called favor had instead become a thorn in Eunuch Yan’s heart, making him somewhat uncomfortable.
This was somewhat similar to the saying: "A small kindness is appreciated, but a great one breeds resentment."Zhen Niang understood that this favor could not be delayed any longer. Eunuch Yan was not the kind of magnanimous gentleman who would let things slide; further delay might well turn him into an enemy. Therefore, this time, the invitation to Eunuch Yan was not issued in the name of the Ink Workshop, but in her own name, Li Zhenniang.
Zhen Niang also knew in her heart: with such an opportunity to repay the favor simply by making an appearance, Eunuch Yan would have no reason to refuse.
And indeed, Eunuch Yan appeared just as she had anticipated.
Zhen Niang and the Ink Workshop’s manager promptly stepped forward to greet him, and all the congratulatory guests paid their respects as well. After presenting his gift and drinking a cup of tea, Eunuch Yan departed. Both sides were thoroughly pleased.
Regardless, Eunuch Yan’s arrival pushed the entire Ink Testing Gathering to its climax.
With the crackle of a long string of “Hundred Sons and Thousand Grandsons” firecrackers, the Li family’s Ink Testing Gathering officially began. The first step was to display samples of the Re-blended Ink for everyone to see.
All present were people from the Ink Trade; not a single one lacked discerning eyes. The quality of ink was judged by its texture, color, and the sound it made when tapped.
This batch of the Li family’s Re-blended Ink had a silk-like grain, a fine and smooth texture, and a color that was black with a hint of purple, even shimmering with a purplish-jade luster. The sound when tapped was clear and resonant. Anyone with a bit of discernment could see that this ink was of exceptional quality.
Amidst the crowd’s admiration, several attendants dressed in dark ink-colored robes collected the ink samples. Then came the substantial ink testing phase, where everyone began submitting their requests.
One by one, the prepared petitioners placed their request slips into a wooden box. Next, two people were selected from the crowd to draw the slips.
The two chosen to draw the slips were an eighty-year-old elder and an eight-year-old child.
Soon, two slips were drawn. One was from Scholar Wang of the southern city, requesting a longevity painting for his father’s birthday celebration. The other was from an out-of-town tung oil merchant surnamed Xi, who had come to join the excitement without expecting to be chosen. He made no specific request, simply asking for a painting.
Scholar Wang first designated Mr. Dongtu to paint his piece.
The tung oil merchant surnamed Xi happened to have matters to attend to and did not wish to wait, so he designated Mr. Dongtu’s disciple, Ding Nanyu, to paint his. The two slips were then delivered to Mr. Dongtu and Ding Nanyu.
The crowd continued to drink tea and appreciate the ink.
After a short while, the paintings were completed. Each was unfolded by two dark-robed attendants for everyone to admire. Mr. Dongtu and Ding Nanyu then offered their evaluations of the ink, both expressing great satisfaction with the Li family’s Re-blended Ink.
Mr. Dongtu’s longevity painting for Scholar Wang naturally spoke for itself, and Scholar Wang accepted it with full contentment.
As for Ding Nanyu’s painting for the tung oil merchant surnamed Xi, it depicted “Plucking the Cassia Branch in the Moon Palace” (symbolizing success in imperial examinations). Some present sighed, thinking that after all, the young man was inexperienced and unaware of propriety. Merchants were not allowed to participate in the imperial examinations, so presenting such a painting was like slapping the merchant in the face.
Just as they were sighing, the merchant surnamed Xi was actually overjoyed. Although merchants could not take the imperial exams, which merchant did not hope for their descendants to leave the merchant class and enter the scholar-official class? This merchant surnamed Xi happened to have a son studying under a fellow clansman who was a provincial graduate, and the son was about to take the prefectural examination this year. This painting perfectly matched his aspirations, filling him with immense delight. He even presented two additional envelopes of monetary gifts.
He carefully stored the painting away like a treasure.
“Oh no!” Just as he was putting the painting away, a cup of tea from nowhere spilled onto it, staining the entire painting. The merchant surnamed Xi cried out in distress.
“It’s alright, it can be washed clean.” At that moment, Zhen Niang stepped forward and called for an attendant to fetch some clean water.Listening to Zhen Niang's words, the people around her shook their heads repeatedly. How ignorant—could a painting be washed? What would it look like after washing?
By then, a shop assistant had already fetched clean water.
Ignoring everyone else's thoughts, Zhen Niang instructed several men to spread the paper flat and gently place it into a copper basin. She then scooped water to wash away the tea stains. After rinsing for a while, she had two assistants spread the painting flat on a table to dry.
Everyone noticed that the ink strokes on the painting showed no signs of bleeding or smudging, remaining clear and elegant.
"Excellent ink!!!" Those present were all shrewd individuals—how could they not understand what was happening? After being splashed with tea and washed with water, the brushstrokes remained completely undamaged. This showed that the ink had exceptional adhesion and was impervious to water—clear signs of superior ink.
At this moment, some astute observers began to suspect that the tea-splashing incident might have been deliberately orchestrated by Li Mo.
Immediately, some eager merchants placed orders with the Li Family. Only the merchant surnamed Xi had to wait for the painting to dry before leaving. Zhen Niang had someone fetch a box of ink to give him as an apology.
Thus, everyone was satisfied.
Afterward, the son of this merchant surnamed Xi passed the prefectural examination, provincial examination, and metropolitan examination, advancing triumphantly. The story of the painting "Plucking the Laurel in the Moon Palace" and Li Mo became a celebrated tale, though that is another story.
In any case, the Li Family's Ink Testing Gathering was a great success.
"How could it not succeed? That girl has pushed the art of leveraging circumstances to its limit." At this moment, Third Master Cheng sighed to his nephew.
During this period, the Li Family had already been a topic of discussion—with Ninth Master Li's passing and Seventh Mistress still bedridden and unaware of affairs, plus Li Zhenniang taking charge of the Li Family Ink Workshop, many who wanted to see a spectacle were watching closely. For this reason alone, the announcement of the Ink Testing Gathering attracted people with all sorts of intentions.
Add to that the presence of Mr. Dongtu and Eunuch Yan, and it was almost impossible for this Ink Testing Gathering not to succeed.
Sometimes, one really has to admit that age is catching up. For the first time, Third Master Cheng felt he was growing old.
While some rejoiced, others worried.
Tian Residence.
Tian Benchang was reviewing account books in his study.
Just then, Steward Fang and Master Jiang walked in with grim expressions.
"Young Master, there's a problem with the Pine Soot Ink," Steward Fang said as soon as he saw Tian Benchang.
Hearing this, Tian Benchang's heart sank. With a troubled expression, he asked Steward Fang, "What's the problem?"
"Master Jiang, show the Young Master," Steward Fang said, turning to Master Jiang beside him.
Master Jiang immediately took out an inkstone and an ink stick, poured a little water from the brush washer on the desk, and began grinding the ink. He then picked up a brush, dipped it in the ink, and wrote a few lines on paper.
"It seems fine—the ink color and gloss are quite good," Tian Benchang said, glancing at the characters on the paper.
Without a word, Master Jiang picked up the brush washer from the desk and splashed the water inside onto the paper. Immediately, the characters on the paper blurred into a dark, messy smear.
Compared to the scene at the Li Family's Ink Testing Gathering, this ink was far inferior—not just by a little.
Tian Benchang's face instantly darkened. He sprang to his feet. "Why is this happening? The trial batches were perfectly fine. Explain this to me clearly."
"The trial batches had no issues, but during mass production, we didn't have enough Century-old Pine. With the Pine Blight ongoing, we couldn't procure more in time. The Master decided to mix in some pine that was previously cut from the Luo Family's pine forest," Master Jiang explained, then fell silent. The rest went without saying.Tian Benchang knew about this matter. At the time, he hadn't been very supportive, but since his father had made the decision, he couldn't say anything. "Didn't I give instructions? Diseased pines must not be used. Only the good ones should be selected."
"Of course, we naturally pick out the visibly diseased pines and don't use them. But some pines appear healthy on the surface when they are actually already infected, though the symptoms haven't yet shown. These are impossible to detect," Steward Fang added from the side.
After hearing Steward Fang's words, Tian Benchang's expression turned even grimmer. "Then tell me, what remedies are there?"
"We can only remake a batch," Master Jiang said.
"Remaking a batch is a minor issue in terms of cost, but the problem is, where am I supposed to find Century-old Pine now? Just for these Century-old Pines, I've already offended the Li family to the core," Tian Benchang said through gritted teeth.
"There's another way. The Li family's Re-blended Ink has been released, and it's quite excellent. Perhaps we could ask the Li family to help us with another round of Ink Mixing for this batch," Steward Fang suggested nervously.
"You want me to go begging the Li family again?" Tian Benchang's face darkened further.
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