The Heir

Сhарtеr Seventy-Fоur: А Stick and а Sweet Dаtе

"Мmm, it's bееn sо many уears since I've had Еighth Аunt's winter sоlsticе dumрlings." In thе wаrm pаviliоn, Dа Нuаng Shi dipрed a dumpling in sаuсe аnd ate a whоle plаte, her fасе full оf sаtisfасtion.

"Indeеd, Еighth Aunt's wintеr sоlstiсe dumрlings arе аbsolutelу thе best." Сhen Shi, sitting beside hеr, also smiled, thеn turnеd tо ask Zhеn Niang, "Zhen Niang, hоw аrе things going with thе оil wоrkshор?"

"Мy еldеst brothеr has rеturned, so hе's handling thе оil wоrkshoр mаttеrs. It shоuld be fine," Zhen Niаng replied.

"That's gоod. If there's аny shortаge оf funds, just lеt me knоw. Don't be polite," Chen Shi said.

"Thank you, Aunt. My brother brought back some silver this time, so funds are temporarily sufficient. If it's not enough, I'll definitely tell you," Zhen Niang said with a smile.

"Good, that's the way it should be. By the way, you're going to see Seventh Grandmother, right? I was just about to go too. Let's go together," Chen Shi added.

"Alright." Zhen Niang stood up, bid farewell to everyone, then supported Chen Shi as they walked together to the backyard's prayer hall.

"Isn't Sister-in-law being a bit too good to Zhen Niang? It seems like she'd give the entire family's wealth to the Eighth Branch. Are we not going to live our own lives anymore?" Madam Tian, eating her winter solstice dumplings without much relish, watched the departing figures with a resentful expression.

"We're all of the Li surname, and even more so, blood relatives. How can we stand aside in such matters? Think back to when Mother-in-law was in trouble—wasn't it Zhen Niang who stepped up and took over the ink workshop? Even now, the formula for the Re-blended Ink is entirely Zhen Niang's. If she sold it, how much silver could she get? Yet she gave it to the workshop without taking a single penny. What do you say to that?" Da Huang Shi glanced at Madam Tian coolly.

Madam Tian privately disapproved of Zhen Niang taking over the ink workshop, and Da Huang Shi understood this. However, Madam Tian was blinded by petty gains and couldn't see the bigger picture. If Zhen Niang hadn't secured the Luo Family's pine field first, using pine resin oil to replace pine wood as the raw material, and if the Re-blended Ink hadn't gained fame, the Li Family Ink Workshop would likely have already disbanded by now.

It could be said that when the old lady handed the ink workshop to Zhen Niang, it was the wisest decision.

Yet some in the family couldn't see this clearly, focusing only on trivial gains.

"I didn't say we should completely stand aside, just that we should do enough," Madam Tian retorted awkwardly, feeling silenced by Huang Shi. Regarding the Re-blended Ink formula, she had heard from Benchang that he was willing to spend a thousand taels to buy it.

However, this technique was only in Zhen Niang's hands. Even if they had the ink formula, it would be useless—it required flexible application. And Zhen Niang obviously wouldn't cooperate with the Tian Family. Coupled with the Luo Family's pine field incident, Benchang deeply regretted it. If he had known earlier, why would he have insisted on seizing the Li Family's pine wood?

In the end, not only did he shoot himself in the foot, but he also severed ties between the two families. Even now, caught between the Tian and Li families, she felt somewhat out of place.

"Enough, don't worry about these things. Sister-in-law knows what she's doing," Da Huang Shi said.

Madam Tian fell silent.

Meanwhile, after visiting Seventh Grandmother, Zhen Niang went to the ink workshop.

"Hey, have you heard? The real owner behind Huiyuan Bank is said to be a sea bandit, specifically the wife of Xu Hai." As soon as Zhen Niang entered the ink workshop, she overheard two cleaning workers chatting."Sea Bandits! Then our Ink Workshop's recent dealings with Huiyuan Bank... weren't we essentially doing business with Sea Bandits?" another exclaimed, equally astonished.

"Exactly! I heard that coastal defense is extremely strict right now. If Huiyuan Bank's people set sail at this time and get caught by the coastal defense troops, not only will Huiyuan Bank suffer losses, but our Ink Workshop might also be accused of colluding with Sea Bandits. Oh dear, Miss Zhen's business venture is truly too risky. Frankly, our workshop shouldn't have taken on such a deal," the first speaker said.

"She's just a woman, after all—short-sighted. She only sees whether money can be made, without understanding the dangers behind it. Now we can only pray that Huiyuan Bank doesn't run into trouble," another clerk remarked.

"Exactly..." another clerk chimed in.

Zhen Niang, overhearing this from the side, couldn't help but furrow her brows tightly. After a long while, she relaxed slightly. All along, she had been trying to figure out how Li Jincai's scheme would unfold.

Now, after hearing these two clerks' idle gossip, she began to understand.

Clearly, the matter these two were discussing was being deliberately spread by someone—likely rumors planted by Li Jincai himself, serving as a prelude to what was to come.

Zhen Niang was now certain that soon enough, news would likely spread about Huiyuan Bank's ships being seized at sea. Then, the Li family would inevitably be implicated and accused of colluding with Sea Bandits.

At that point, Li Jincai would surely use Madam Tian to step forward and pin the blame on her, thereby achieving his goal of ousting her from the Ink Workshop. Of course, this was not Li Jincai's ultimate objective.

Zhen Niang knew full well that Wang Cuiqiao would not set sail, so the so-called seizure of Huiyuan Bank's ships at sea was undoubtedly false, and the accusation of the Li family colluding with pirates was also fabricated. However, if Sun Baiyi came forward to testify, or if a couple of officials were bribed to appear, the Li family would likely fall into chaos. At that moment, Li Jincai would undoubtedly step in to save the day, quell the incident, and even recover the ink.

In doing so, he would earn great merit. Then, with Madam Tian's support and Aunt Jinhua, who remained unaware of the truth, believing he had truly performed a great service, she would also back him. Thus, Li Jincai could truly take control of the Ink Workshop.

As for Steward Shao, since this business had previously been handled entirely by Manager Zheng, Manager Zheng would inevitably be held accountable. With Manager Zheng bearing the blame, Steward Shao would have no choice but to recuse himself to avoid suspicion.

And Uncle Jingdong, due to his leg inconvenience, would naturally be unable to attend to many matters. Consequently, the Ink Workshop would fall into Li Jincai's hands, just as recorded in the family register. This was Li Jincai's ultimate goal.

Well done—killing two birds with one stone, and advancing as a hero. No wonder Li Jincai was able to easily seize the Li family's business in his previous life.

His scheming truly runs deep.

By now, Zhen Niang had roughly figured out most of Li Jincai's plan.

"What nonsense are you two gossiping about here? Looking for trouble, are you?" Er Gou suddenly rushed over from the side and slapped both of them on the head.

"Er Gou, don't act all high and mighty. Aren't you just a troublemaker too? You've never held back from idle talk in the past," the first speaker teased Er Gou with a laugh.

"Nonsense! There's a difference in what kind of idle talk you spread. Can you go around spreading such dangerous rumors?" Er Gou slapped the man again, sending him stumbling."Alright. Er Gou, stop putting on a show. Go do what you need to do." Zhen Niang stepped forward at that moment.

Earlier, Er Gou had seen her, which was why he had reprimanded the two workers, hoping to help them avoid trouble. The lad was quite loyal, but sometimes such loyalty could do more harm than good.

"You two, come with me." Zhen Niang addressed the two workers.

The two workers hadn’t expected Miss Zhen to be nearby as well. As luck would have it, their idle gossip must have reached Miss Zhen’s ears. Their faces turned pale, and they could only follow Zhen Niang anxiously.

Zhen Niang went straight into the accounting room and called for Li Zhengyan. "Help them settle their wages and send them home."

"What happened?" Li Zhengyan looked puzzled.

"Miss Zhen, we know we shouldn’t have gossiped behind your back. It was just this once, and we’ve learned our lesson. Please keep us on. We’ve worked at the Ink Workshop for over two years and have always been diligent." Hearing that Zhen Niang was dismissing them without hesitation, the two workers pleaded. Truth be told, getting into the Li Family Ink Workshop had required their families to pull quite a few strings.

"My decision is final. There’s no need to say more." Zhen Niang said calmly and instructed Li Zhengyan to calculate their wages.

Hearing the workers’ words, Li Zhengyan realized they must have said something inappropriate behind Zhen Niang’s back. Honestly, such incidents were common. Usually, a reprimand or a deduction in wages would suffice—dismissal seemed excessive.

These two workers had always been fairly diligent in their work.

The Li Family Ink Workshop had always managed with benevolence and righteousness. This approach seemed somewhat inappropriate.

Just as he was about to offer a word of advice, Steward Shao shook his head at him from the side. Li Zhengyan held his tongue and helped the two workers calculate their wages. The workers took their pay but left with resentment in their eyes.

Zhen Niang watched them leave the Ink Workshop.

"Miss Zhen, I don’t think what you did was fair. Workers gossip all the time—can you really stop it? These two workers were usually quite diligent. You’re being so unforgiving just because they said you, as a woman, are short-sighted? If you ask me, you’re not just short-sighted—you’re narrow-minded too." Er Gou walked over at that moment, his face full of disdain.

He was a straightforward person who dared to speak his mind.

Zhen Niang glanced at him sideways before replying, "Those who gossip are troublemakers. I want my Ink Workshop to be filled with diligent and reliable people, not such troublemakers. Moreover, their gossip has already affected the stability of the workshop."

Of course, if the two workers had merely gossiped about trivial matters, Zhen Niang wouldn’t have taken it so seriously. But their rumors had endangered the workshop’s stability. Moreover, Zhen Niang could guess that during her absence from the workshop these past few days, such gossip had likely spread more than once or twice. Therefore, her strict handling of them was also meant to serve as a warning to others.

"It’s not that serious, is it?" Er Gou said.

"Whether it’s serious or not isn’t for you to decide. Besides, if you truly care about them, you shouldn’t try to persuade me. They’re still young. With this lesson, they’ll be more cautious and diligent when working for other employers in the future. Who knows? They might even achieve something greater." Zhen Niang said.Zhen Niang then took out a letter and handed it to Er Gou: "Give this letter to them. Tell them to go find my brother—he will employ them. Their future achievements will depend on their own efforts."

Whether it was the oil workshop or the inkstone quarry, her elder brother needed more hands.

"Heh, hit them with a stick, then offer a sweet date—quite the clever move, Miss," Er Gou chuckled. This was a tactic he often used while navigating the streets, and he hadn’t expected Miss Zhen to wield it so smoothly.

"If I didn’t do this, how could I manage the Ink Workshop?" Zhen Niang retorted impatiently.

"Alright, I’ll take it to them. Those people deserve a lesson," Er Gou said, now currying favor with Zhen Niang and voicing full agreement.

He then took the letter and hurried out after them.