The Heir

Сhарtеr Ninеtу-Sеven: Buddhа аnd Ink

"Маdаm, Second Маdam Xu hаs sent an invitаtiоn, rеquеsting уоur presеnce at the Cheng'еn Тemрle Sрring Оuting аnd Вlessing Сеrеmоnу tomоrrow." At that mоmеnt, the stеward apрroaсhed with a саrd аnd hаndеd it tо Мadam Наn Li.

"I won't gо." Маdam Нan Li tооk the cаrd аnd tossеd it aside. She fеlt utterly deсеivеd by this Sеcond Mаdаm Хu this time аnd hаd nо dеsirе tо deаl with thе Xu fаmily аgain.

Zhen Niаng wavеd thе stеward аwау, thеn picked uр the card and eхamined it. "Aunt, уou reаlly shоuld аttend this blеssing ceremony."

Zhen Niang urged her. Now that her uncle-in-law had acquired so much land, and as a merchant family, they were bound to attract attention. How could they withstand the pressure when the time came? Therefore, in the end, these lands would have to be absorbed by the Xu family. Otherwise, with the Han family holding so much land, they would surely be devoured. When she and her uncle-in-law had devised this plan, the Xu family had been a crucial part of it.

After all, this land acquisition was merely a means of self-preservation.

Besides, without these lands, how would Hai Rui investigate the Xu family's affairs a few years later? Zhen Niang had no desire whatsoever to alter history.

"Sigh..." Madam Han Li let out a long sigh and took back the card. Her refusal had been nothing more than an angry remark—how could she truly not go? If she offended Madam Xu, it might implicate her husband. She understood the gravity of the situation.

"Aunt, don’t be disheartened. Those who owe debts will always repay them." Zhen Niang said calmly. The fate of the three Xu brothers was exile.

"Zhen Niang, accompany me. Although those ladies are all shrewd, you’ll inevitably have to interact with them in the future while doing business in Nanjing. It won’t hurt to get to know them." Madam Han Li said.

"Mm." Zhen Niang nodded, understanding perfectly.

"Yes, Zhen Niang has been in Nanjing for some time now. It’s about time she went out for a stroll." Huang Shi also nodded, though her thoughts differed from Madam Han Li’s. Huang Shi mostly wanted Zhen Niang to go out so that some ladies might recognize her virtues. That way, marriage proposals would naturally come to their door.

And so, it was settled.

Cheng'en Temple was built near Sanshan Street during the Jingtai era, upon the petition of the eunuch Wang Jin. It wasn’t far from the Li and Han households. Unfortunately, historically, Cheng'en Temple was completely destroyed by a great fire in 1900, leaving only underground ruins.

The next day was the Spring Equinox, with a light drizzle falling.

A green bamboo hat, a green raincoat—in the slanting wind and fine rain, there was no need to return.

Zhen Niang followed Madam Han Li into Cheng'en Temple. Second Madam Xu had reserved the peach orchard behind the temple. When Madam Han Li led Zhen Niang there, Second Madam Xu had not yet arrived. However, some ladies had already arrived in small groups, enjoying the scenery, drinking tea in the garden pavilions, and most importantly, chatting.

Madam Han Li led Zhen Niang over, which piqued the curiosity of some ladies.

When they learned that Zhen Niang was now the head manager of Li Mo, their surprise grew. Of course, there were also merchants connected to the Tian family who had heard about Zhen Niang being labeled as a jinx and having her engagement broken off. They couldn’t help but whisper among themselves.

Since her broken engagement, Zhen Niang had heard such whispers countless times. She had long grown indifferent and couldn’t possibly address every comment. She simply performed the proper courtesies with decorum, ensuring she didn’t breach etiquette.This scene, observed by the women present, appeared somewhat indifferent to both favor and disgrace. Moreover, a young woman engaging in business was already unusual, which naturally garnered goodwill from several merchant wives. Particularly, a Madam Qin, the wife of a tung oil merchant, even gave Zhen Niang a meeting gift. Zhen Niang also received invitations from several families to visit privately from time to time.

This was quite similar to some business gatherings in later times. At such gatherings, people generally just got acquainted, exchanged name cards, and if opportunities arose in the future, they would continue their interactions—nothing more than that.

Just then, Second Madam Xu arrived together with several wives of officials. Among these official wives were Madam He, wife of the tax commissioner; Madam Wang, wife of a clerk from the Yingtian Prefecture; and Madam Zhao, wife of a county school instructor.

In such settings, wives of higher-ranking officials would not attend. Only these few, who had some connections, were present.

Immediately, the women who had arrived earlier stepped forward to converse with the official wives, while Madam Han Li took Zhen Niang to pay respects to Second Madam Xu.

Second Madam Xu paid little attention to Zhen Niang. Every day, numerous merchant wives or young women from merchant families sought to befriend her, so she had no reason to take notice. Instead, she invited Madam Han Li to sit down. "In recent days, my household has been quite busy, and I haven’t had the chance to ask you about the land matter. I know land prices have dropped significantly lately. Rest assured, we will pay what we owe you. However, I’ve heard you’ve been buying up large amounts of land recently. Isn’t that rather deceitful?"

As she spoke, Second Madam Xu’s expression darkened, her words carrying an accusatory tone. Madam Han Li had already discussed how to respond with Zhen Niang beforehand, so she now wore a look of remorse. "Ah, this matter—it’s all due to my poor judgment. I bought a lot of land at high prices earlier, and I thought to myself, I couldn’t let the madams suffer losses because of me. So, these past few days, I made a firm decision. I mortgaged the Han family’s shops in Nanjing to the Yi Hou Sheng bank, borrowed money, and took advantage of the current drop in land prices to buy more. This way, I can average out the earlier high prices, and the madams following me can minimize their losses."

"You mean well, but have you considered that Lord Hai is about to arrive? He’s coming specifically to investigate land issues. By buying land like this, you’re putting everyone in a difficult position," Second Madam Xu complained.

"Not at all. The land is in my hands. If anything goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility. Besides, Lord Hai hasn’t arrived yet. We merchant wives lack foresight and don’t understand court affairs well. All I know is that until Lord Hai actually arrives in Nanjing, nothing is certain. Even if he does come, I bought all this land with real money and haven’t done anything wrong. If one has a clear conscience, they need not fear ghosts knocking at the door. Even if Lord Hai is as stern as the King of Hell, he must still act reasonably," Madam Han Li replied.

"Oh, so that’s your thinking. Then I must have misunderstood you," Second Madam Xu said, her expression softening with reassurance.

"It’s nothing, really. Nowadays, anyone who knows my husband says he’s gone mad. But we understand ourselves—no matter how much we lose, we cannot lose the money the madams entrusted to us. That represents the trust the madams have placed in our Han family," Madam Han Li spoke with utmost sincerity.

Zhen Niang, standing to the side, was in awe. Indeed, experience trumps youth. Aunt’s response not only demonstrated loyalty but also explained the situation clearly. Although the general idea had been discussed beforehand, Aunt’s improvisation was truly impressive."Well, I understand Madam Han's kind intentions." Second Madam Xu now had no more doubts. Instead, she felt somewhat ashamed of her earlier denial, though she consoled herself thinking that these merchants usually relied on her connections anyway. Thus, she felt at ease.

Several ladies gathered around. The light rain outside had stopped, and the entire peach garden appeared misty and hazy, creating quite a lovely scene. They invited each other to stroll around.

"By the way, let's go see the pagoda forest in the backyard. I heard that Chengen Temple has a new visiting monk who, relying solely on his own two hands, is building a Buddha Bone Pagoda. We might as well go there to pray for blessings," said Madam Zhao, the wife of the instructor.

"Buddha Bone Pagoda? What's that?" asked Madam He, the wife of the tax official beside her.

"I heard that in the fifteenth year of the Jiajing reign, when the emperor was building the Empress Dowager's palace, he demolished the Yuan Dynasty Buddhist hall in the palace and obtained many Buddhist relics. But the emperor followed Daoism, not Buddhism, considering it a tool to deceive the common people, so he ordered them burned. Only one jar of Buddhist bone ashes remained in the palace. It's said that Master Fo Hui kowtowed at the nine gates to beg for this jar of relics, which is now kept at Chengen Temple while he builds the Buddha Bone Pagoda. To show his sincerity, Master Fo Hui is constructing the entire pagoda with his own two hands. On the bluestone foundation, there are even stains of blood, and miraculously, these bloodstains look like peach blossom petals," explained Madam Zhao, who had naturally heard this from her instructor husband.

This account naturally piqued everyone's interest in seeing it for themselves.

Thus, the group of ladies made their way together to the pagoda forest in the backyard.

Upon reaching the backyard, indeed, amidst a light mist, a monk in grayish-blue robes was laboriously moving bricks and stones one by one. Along the newly built brick wall, bloodstains indeed resembled peach blossom petals of varying shades.

This scene naturally evoked a solemn atmosphere among the onlookers. Those who were devout Buddhists had already clasped their hands and begun reciting sutras.

Zhen Niang, however, neither believed in Buddhism nor was she particularly pious. Her mind was wholly occupied with ink. Seeing this scene, she was reminded of the Assorted Ink Collection. Master Fo Hui's actions—from moving bricks to building the wall—could perfectly form a series of images for the Assorted Ink Collection.

Thinking this, Zhen Niang beckoned a young novice and asked him to fetch some paper. Then, she took out a piece of ink from her sleeve. This ink was specially made by herself—essentially an ancient eyebrow pencil used for drawing eyebrows.

With this ink stick, Zhen Niang began directly sketching Ink Line Diagrams on the paper. As for Ink Line Diagrams, they were somewhat similar to later-day sketches, sharing certain artistic principles.

Zhen Niang had put considerable effort into mastering sketching to create good Ink Line Diagrams. Thus, in less than a quarter of an hour, she had completed several diagrams. Simple yet vivid.

The first depicted oxen and horses in ink lines. Next came a rear view of Master Fo Hui moving bricks, followed by a side view of him carrying the load forward. After that was the Buddha Bone Pagoda adorned with what looked like peach blossom petals. Before the pagoda, Master Fo Hui, in his thirties, exuded an otherworldly aura.

Finally, there were some ink line diagrams of dragons and elephants.

Zhen Niang knew that this Master Fo Hui would later become Master Lianchi. Since he later resided at Yunqi Temple in Hangzhou, he was also known as the Yunqi Monk, one of the four great eminent monks of the Ming Dynasty.Zhen Niang believed that once she turned these Ink Line Diagrams into an Assorted Ink Collection, in a few years, this collection would shine brilliantly. It might even become the treasure of Li's Ink Manor.

At this thought, Zhen Niang recalled another type of ink: Buddhist Ink.

Buddhist Ink is a branch of ink-making techniques, developed by Sichuan monks. It is said that Su Dongpo once learned the method of making Buddhist Ink. When he was demoted and sent south, he gathered pine soot from the South Sea, combined it with the Buddhist Ink technique, and created South Sea Dharma Ink. Unfortunately, on his return journey, the ship met with an accident, and all the ink he had made fell into the sea. Thus, Su Dongpo’s South Sea Dharma Ink became a lost masterpiece.

Buddhist Ink flourished during the Song Dynasty, but after the decline of the Yuan Dynasty, by the Ming Dynasty, it had vanished without a trace. Even when some occasionally appeared, they only captured the form of Buddhist Ink, lacking its true essence, and could not be considered genuine Buddhist Ink.

A profound regret indeed.