The grandmother and granddaughter chatted happily, and then Zhen Niang brought out the newly made liquid ink.

Having spent a lifetime in the ink trade, the Old Madam quickly understood the market potential of liquid ink after Zhen Niang’s explanation. She said delightedly, “Good, good, this ink product is well developed.”

“Moreover, we can increase the production of liquid ink. In the future, we’ll focus on liquid ink for the low-end market, while positioning ink sticks in the mid to high-end market,” the Old Madam added.

Zhen Niang nodded in agreement – this aligned perfectly with her thoughts. Once liquid ink was introduced, there would be no competition in the low-end market; it would be dominated by liquid ink.

“Seventh Grandmother, how are my grandparents and parents doing?” Zhen Niang asked.

“They’re well. Your grandfather is now training several apprentices at the ink workshop, and his spirits are much better than before. Your parents are in good health. Oh, and your sister-in-law is pregnant again. Your mother spends her days making baby clothes. Also, your eldest brother and your cousin Zhengsheng might come to Nanjing soon,” the Old Madam said.

Zhen Niang was overjoyed to hear about her sister-in-law’s pregnancy but was curious about her brother’s visit. “What are they coming to Nanjing for?”

“Since spring began, tung oil prices have dropped. Your eldest brother’s oil workshop has stockpiled quite a bit of tung oil, and the ink workshop can’t use that much. Moreover, those tung oil trees you planted at Luo’s pine farm have started producing their first batch of oil. Though the yield isn’t much yet, there will be a bumper harvest of tung seeds in the next year or two. We can’t keep all of this at home. This year, some tung oil merchants came to Huizhou to buy, but their prices were ridiculously low. Selling at their prices would mean huge losses. So your brother and the others want to come to Nanjing to contact tung oil merchants directly and explore opportunities,” the Old Madam explained.

“Yes, visiting Nanjing is a good idea – there are many business opportunities here,” Zhen Niang nodded. Regarding the tung oil, there was no rush to sell the stockpile, but her brother needed to visit Nanjing. After all, with many tung oil merchants here, they needed to establish connections and familiarize themselves with the market.

After chatting a while longer, they helped the Old Madam return to rest.

Zhen Niang took her leave and escorted Second Aunt back to her room.

Upon returning to her room, instead of resting, Madam Huang sat down and picked up the carving board and ink line drawings from the table, asking Zhen Niang which areas needed improvement.

Madam Huang had been carving the ink line drawing of “Han Xizai’s Night Revels” these past few days.

Looking at the carving board and noticing the dark circles under her Second Aunt’s eyes, Zhen Niang felt somewhat guilty: “Second Aunt, there’s no need to rush this. Take it slowly and mind your health – this work is too draining.”

“It’s fine. It’s just for a few days. The opening isn’t far off, and you’ve developed liquid ink for the low-end market – it’s novel and practical, which should work well. But in the high-end segment, Li Ink has declined over the years, losing our former high-end market share to others. I’ve been thinking, though we shouldn’t blindly pursue the high-end market now, the Li Ink name still carries weight. With the Zaihe ink as well, we’re not completely without a chance in the high-end market.

Your idea about the collection ink is good, so I thought if I could carve this ‘Han Xizai’s Night Revels’ first, you could make the collection ink featuring it before the opening. Using the painting’s reputation, we could achieve something,” Madam Huang explained, rubbing her temples.

“Second Aunt, you’re too kind,” Zhen Niang bowed deeply to Madam Huang.

“Silly girl, Li Ink isn’t just your responsibility. I’m happy to help where I can. Now go to sleep – with your Seventh Grandmother here, your Aunt and the others will come to pay respects tomorrow. There’ll be plenty to do, so rest early,” Madam Huang patted Zhen Niang, instructing her.

“Yes, Second Aunt, please rest early too,” Zhen Niang replied before leaving for her room.

Meanwhile, in the main chamber of the front building…

Madam Fang tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She nudged Li Jingming beside her.

“Husband, why did the Old Madam suddenly come to Nanjing? There wasn’t even a message beforehand, catching us unprepared. Did that girl Zhen Niang tell her something bad about us?”

Li Jingming was also wide awake, staring at the canopy in the darkness, lost in thought. Madam Fang’s nudge brought him back to reality. Hearing her question, he replied flatly, “Be patient. Since she’s here, let’s wait and see.”

After speaking, he mumbled something and turned away, clearly unwilling to continue the conversation.

Madam Fang had no choice but to count sheep all night, truly not sleeping a wink.

And Li Jingming, who usually snored thunderously, was unusually quiet that night.

Early morning, Zhen Niang rose early as usual, first making a round of the ink workshop. After Seventh Grandmother woke, she tidied herself to pay respects. Soon after, Li Jingming’s family also came to pay their respects.

The Old Madam was very happy, cheerfully chatting with Hua’er for quite a while. Madam Ge’s greeting gift was substantial – a Guanyin ink stick.

Looking at the ink stick, Zhen Niang knew it was nearly a hundred years old, likely one of Li Ink’s few remaining masterpieces. However, Madam Ge didn’t appreciate its value, preferring gold and silver over ink. When receiving the ink stick, she secretly frowned.

Afterward, everyone had breakfast together.

After breakfast, Han Yigui brought his family to pay respects, leading to another round of greetings.

The Old Madam’s expression darkened upon seeing Madam Han Li. She gave her a cold look and said, “I remember when you last returned to Huizhou to borrow money, you said it was for buying land to grow mulberry trees?”

“Yes,” Madam Han Li replied nervously, seeing the Old Madam’s poor mood.

“Does growing mulberry require so much land? How many silkworms did you plan to raise? How many workers did you plan to hire? Did you calculate any of these subsequent needs?” the Old Madam asked angrily, raising her voice.

“No, buying so much land later was because several officials’ wives wanted to speculate on land, so they used me to make the purchases. The later land purchases were mainly for speculation, not for growing mulberry,” Madam Han Li had never seen her mother so angry and answered honestly with a lowered head.

“Why did they choose you instead of others? Don’t these families all have merchant relatives? For such profit-driven matters, did they need to involve you?” the Old Madam pressed relentlessly.

“I… I…” Madam Han Li was cornered by her mother’s questions, unable to respond.

Seeing the Old Madam like this, both Madam Huang and Zhen Niang wanted to intercede, but the Old Madam waved them off and continued.

“Can’t answer, can you? This old woman understands – you got greedy. Seeing quick profits in hoarding land, you became envious, and this envy blinded you to the risks. As for those officials’ wives, rather than them seeking you out, you probably approached them. You knew the risks in land speculation, so you tried to bind everyone together. But did you consider whether you could handle this? To deal with tigers, you need the ability to fight tigers – do you have that?” the Old Madam asked pointedly. She showed no face-saving courtesy to Madam Han Li this time, speaking in front of everyone because the risk Madam Han Li had taken was far too great.

“This time, if not for that final risky move, if not for good luck, not only would the Han family have lost everything, but the Li family would have suffered losses as well.”

“Mother, your daughter was arrogant,” Madam Han Li said shamefully.

“Mother-in-law, I failed to manage the household properly,” Han Yigui added from the side. He knew his wife’s flaws well, which was why he had remained silent during the Old Madam’s earlier reproach, letting his wife come to her senses. However, when it came to taking responsibility, he had to step forward. After all, he was the head of the Han household.

“Hmm.” Seeing Han Yigui step forward, the Old Madam nodded and ceased her scolding, continuing: “Of course, we can’t entirely blame you. Merchants pursue profit – it’s their nature. But remember this: nobody in this world is a fool, and money isn’t that easy to make. Windfalls often come with extreme risks. So before making any decision, any move, you must consider whether you can bear failure. If you can bear it, proceed; if not, give it up. That’s fundamental. Understand?”

“Yes, I understand,” Madam Han Li replied, her eyes reddening from the Old Madam’s words.

Beside her, Han Yigui bowed and said, “Thank you for the guidance, Old Madam.”

“Enough of this husband-wife echo chamber. Anyway, I’ll only say this once. After this, whatever you do, I’ll look the other way,” the Old Madam said with a mix of humor and reproach.

Her tone lightened the atmosphere somewhat.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

But the Old Madam wasn’t finished. She called Zhen Niang forward: “Zhen Niang, I must also speak to you. This venture was extremely dangerous. I’m pleased you wanted to help your aunt’s family, but did you consider what if your luck had been different? What if Hai Rui had come? Did you have any plan for that outcome?”

The Old Madam’s voice became particularly severe on the word “outcome.”

Yesterday, upon hearing of Zhen Niang’s grand achievement, the Old Madam had been delighted.

But lying awake last night, analyzing the entire situation, she realized how perilous it had been.

Though Zhen Niang and Han Yigui’s deductions proved correct, what if they hadn’t been? What if Hai Rui had come to investigate the land situation? With the Han family so deeply involved and holding so much land, they would have been Hai Rui’s first target.

And in matters of land and official investigations, there was no such thing as showing mercy. At that point, the Han family could have lost not only their entire fortune but possibly their lives, and the Li family would have been dragged down with them.

Neither family could have borne such consequences. The more the Old Madam had thought about it last night, the more she had broken into cold sweats, leading to this morning’s stern lecture.

Hearing the Old Madam’s words, Zhen Niang’s heart tightened. Because she knew history, knew Hai Rui wouldn’t come, she hadn’t even considered the possibility of him arriving.

Now, with the Old Madam raising this point, she couldn’t help but think: if Hai Rui had come to Nanjing to investigate the land issue, the Han family would have met the same fate as the Xu family three years later. No, worse than the Xu family – Xu Jie had enough former students and old associates in office to keep himself safe, though his three sons were still convicted.

If such a thing had happened to the Han family, they would have been utterly ruined. Even the Li family would have lost not only their Nanjing properties but possibly faced repercussions in Huizhou. Neither family could have survived such consequences.

Therefore, if Madam Han Li had been greedy and reckless, then she, Li Zhen Niang, had truly been a gambler. The only difference was that gamblers didn’t have foreknowledge, while she had some insight due to her historical knowledge.

But a small error could lead to enormous consequences, and history, written by humans, inevitably contained mistakes and omissions. Who could guarantee absolute certainty?

“Old Madam, Zhen Niang was wrong,” Zhen Niang knelt before the Old Madam, her forehead breaking into a sweat.

“Good that you understand. As I said, before planning for success, plan for failure. Only proceed boldly if you can bear the consequences of failure; otherwise, abandon the plan. Now rise,” the Old Madam raised her hand. Zhen Niang was perceptive – once pointed out, she would understand how to act in the future. The Old Madam said no more.

Madam Huang rose to help Zhen Niang up and sit beside her.

Meanwhile, Madam Fang had been anxiously wondering how the Old Madam would deal with her but unexpectedly witnessed the Old Madam disciplining both her elder sister-in-law and Li Zhen Niang first.

She was initially delighted by this surprise, thinking the Old Madam’s visit wasn’t targeted at her family after all.

However, before her heart could settle, she heard the Old Madam say: “Jingming and Jingming’s wife…”

Madam Fang’s heart trembled the Old Madam intended to address everyone this morning. She forced a bitter smile and responded with Li Jingming: “Old Madam…”

“Why call me Old Madam? We’re family – call me Seventh Aunt,” the Old Madam said with a smile.

“Yes, Seventh Aunt,” Madam Fang quickly responded.

“I rushed here from Huizhou not to scold Zhen Niang and the others, but because something weighs heavily on my mind. If I didn’t make this trip, I fear I couldn’t rest in peace even after death,” the Old Madam said to Li Jingming and Madam Fang.

“Old Madam, you speak too heavily,” Li Jingming remained relatively composed, but Madam Fang’s face had already paled, thinking anxiously that the Old Madam was about to settle old accounts with their family.

Previously so righteous in their greed, they now felt deeply guilty.

“Not at all, not at all. Jingming’s wife, do you remember that letter asking for help you sent to the main family years ago?” the Old Madam asked.

“How could I forget?” Madam Fang’s voice trembled as she answered, not from fear but from resentment.

“I’m ashamed. When we received your letter, because of Jingquan and Zhengxuan’s incident, we couldn’t attend to it immediately. Later, when Manager Shao came to Nanjing and saw you were doing well, I dismissed the matter. Only recently did I learn that Jingming had nearly lost his life back then. Your family left your hometown and stayed in Nanjing to guard these few properties for the main family, yet I failed you. So I came to Nanjing specifically to apologize and give you the explanation you deserve,” the Old Madam stood up, walked to the somewhat dazed Li Jingming couple, and bowed to them.

“Seventh Aunt, how can this be?” Li Jingming fell to his knees like a toppling mountain, his voice choked with emotion.

“Yes, Seventh Aunt, you mustn’t, you mustn’t!” Madam Fang’s eyes reddened, tears falling instantly, years of grievances seemingly released by the Old Madam’s few sentences.

Beside them, Li Zhengping, Madam Ge, and Hua’er all knelt as well.