Though she saw First-Rank Official Zeng, Zhen Niang made no move to greet him. The entire Nanjing ink industry was watching this show, waiting to see where First-Rank Official Zeng would “land,” but Zhen Niang had no intention of getting involved. This wasn’t out of fear of the Tian clan, but because a workshop’s manager and master craftsman were critically important positions—skill was one thing, but trustworthiness was even more crucial.
Zhen Niang knew little about First-Rank Official Zeng, and he had served many masters. If nothing else, his background was rather complicated. Li Ink had just established itself in Nanjing, and its operation wasn’t large yet. The shop had herself and Zheng Fuli as managers, and they needed to focus on training successors. Therefore, there wasn’t much need to hire additional experienced managers or master craftsmen.
Of course, if First-Rank Official Zeng’s skills were truly extraordinary, she wouldn’t mind stepping aside. However, from the previous ink competition, Zhen Niang could tell that while Zeng had skill, he wasn’t superior to Luo Wenqian, let alone herself.
So ultimately, there was no real necessity.
Zhen Niang wandered through the Langfang market with her young maid, examining everything from precious treasures and jade items to the smallest needles and coins. The dazzling array opened her eyes to a scene comparable to the antique streets of later times.
“How much is this?” she asked at one stall. The vendor, a thin man in his thirties wearing a short jacket and melon-skin cap, was squatting before his goods, dozing with his sleeves pulled up, exuding an air of leisure.
Hearing Zhen Niang’s question, the man lifted his head to see her pointing at a half-tile in the corner of his stall. He immediately perked up: “This is a tile from the Qin and Han dynasties. Not just any tile—it’s from the roof of Weiyang Palace…”
The vendor launched into a lengthy spiel, even bringing up Weiyang Palace. Seeing his far-fetched claims, Zhen Niang couldn’t be bothered to listen further and turned to leave with her maid.
“Hey, miss, that’s not how business is done! You can’t just walk away without a word. If you don’t like my chattering, I’ll stop,” the vendor called out anxiously. Business had been slow, and he hadn’t made a sale in days. Now that he finally had someone asking about prices, he didn’t want to let the opportunity slip away.
Moreover, this piece was just something a fallen noble had thrown in as an extra when he was collecting old items recently. The noble probably just wanted to dispose of garbage without going out, so he gave it to him. He had just tossed it at the edge of his stall, never expecting anyone to inquire about it. Wasn’t this a perfect opportunity to make a profit?
“It’s not your chattering—it’s your nonsense claims. How could a tile from Weiyang Palace end up here?” Zhen Niang turned back, rolling her eyes.
“That’s not fair to say. Why couldn’t a Weiyang Palace tile be here? Haven’t you heard those opera stories where imperial princesses end up as common peasants? Perhaps…” The vendor opened his chatterbox again.
Zhen Niang cut him off impatiently: “Stop with all that. Just tell me the price.”
The vendor interrupted mid-speech, was somewhat disgruntled. After a moment’s thought, he said: “One hundred taels of silver.”
Zhen Niang turned to leave again.
“Hey, hey, fifty, fifty…” the vendor called after her, but Zhen Niang kept walking.
“Alright, alright, I’m taking a huge loss here—ten taels, practically giving it away at ten taels of silver,” the vendor shouted.
Even the young maid was smiling now.
Zhen Niang remained composed, turned back, and held up one finger: “One tael.”
“Miss, that’s not how you haggle. Add a bit more,” the vendor countered.
“That’s my price. Take it or leave it,” Zhen Niang said firmly.
“Fine, fine, one tael it is,” the vendor finally agreed. Though one tael was little, he hadn’t spent anything on this piece, so any profit was good. Besides, apart from the place name “Yumi,” there were no other markings on it. It was probably just a tile from Yumi.
Though Yumi was an ancient name, many people still used ancient names, and there was nothing else special about it. He wasn’t worried about the young lady getting a bargain.
Seeing the deal was made, Zhen Niang gestured to her maid to pay.
The young maid took out one tael of silver and handed it to the vendor. He accepted the silver and wrapped the tile in a piece of worn paper before handing it to the maid.
“Miss Li, might I examine that tile?” First-Rank Official Zeng approached from his nearby stall.
The young maid looked at Zhen Niang, who nodded. Only then did the maid hand the tile to First-Rank Official Zeng.
Zeng examined it thoroughly, turning it over repeatedly and even smelling it, before sighing in admiration: “The Great Ink of Yumi, known as Tianguan’s finest ink. Miss Li has quite an eye—you’ve found quite a treasure today.”
With visible reluctance, First-Rank Official Zeng handed the ink block back to the young maid.
Indeed, this “tile” was an ink block, specifically a tile-shaped ink block.
If Huizhou had been the center of ink making since the late Tang dynasty, then Yumi had been the center since the Qin and Han dynasties. The Great Ink of Yumi was the tribute ink of the Han dynasty, commonly known as Tianguan’s finest ink, with later pieces even having this title carved into them.
“First-Rank Official Zeng is too kind. Your eye is equally keen,” Zhen Niang replied, though slightly frowning. Even if she had found a bargain, it wasn’t proper to expose it in front of the seller. If they encountered a seller who couldn’t let go, it could lead to unnecessary trouble.
However, Zhen Niang kept these thoughts to herself.
“Not at all. I’ve had my stall here for several days and looked at everything on this vendor’s stand, yet I never noticed this ink block. Miss Zhen spotted it on your first visit, proving your eye is superior to mine. I must admit to being outmatched,” First-Rank Official Zeng sighed.
By now, the vendor was beside himself with regret, stomping his feet in frustration and squatting down with his head in his hands, utterly miserable.
“Brother, let me tell you a story,” Zhen Niang said with a smile, seeing his state.
“Whatever you like,” the vendor replied sullenly.
“In my hometown, there was once an uncle who, though not wealthy, lived contentedly. One day, he suddenly received a letter informing him that he had a paternal uncle living elsewhere, a widower without children. This uncle had passed away, leaving him a fortune of ten thousand. The family was overjoyed, but a few days later, they received news that a great fire had broken out where the uncle’s house stood, burning all the inherited wealth to ash. The uncle was so devastated that he fell gravely ill and eventually died of grief…”
“What a fool that uncle was! He was getting by just fine, and his uncle’s fortune was unexpected wealth. Getting it was lucky, and losing it meant it wasn’t meant to be his. Yet he couldn’t accept it and ended up losing his life. What a waste!” The vendor shook his head and sighed.
Then he looked up to see Zhen Niang smiling at him and understood: “You young miss are gloating after getting such a deal. But your story has helped me see reason—at least I still made one tael of silver.”
Zhen Niang just kept smiling without saying more. Though her words might seem like gloating, they were meant to avoid unnecessary trouble. The Langfang market was essentially an antique market where finding treasures depended entirely on one’s eye. Whether you profited or lost, you had to accept it—after all, it was your eye that failed you.
Ultimately, one had to know when to hold on and when to let go.
Zhen Niang and her young maid nodded to First-Rank Official Zeng, preparing to leave.
Just then, two men suddenly rushed out from the side, one colliding directly with the young maid. Remembering the valuable ink block in her arms, the maid skillfully turned her body, clutching it tightly despite the painful impact on her back.
The second man lunged at the maid, clearly trying to grab the “tile ink block.”
Earlier, these two idlers had been standing nearby, listening to the exchange between Zhen Niang and First-Rank Official Zeng, and had grown covetous of the ink block. Now, as Zhen Niang and her maid were about to leave, they made their move.
“Thieves! How dare you!” First-Rank Official Zeng shouted sternly, rushing forward to block the two men. He continued shouting: “Thieves! Stop the thieves!”
Immediately, people began gathering around.
“Meddlesome fool, remember this. Don’t let us catch sight of you again, or you’ll get a beating every time,” one man growled. Seeing the crowd gathering, they knew they had to flee. One of them shoved First-Rank Official Zeng and kicked him before both scrambled away.
“First-Rank Official Zeng, are you alright?” Zhen Niang and her maid hurried forward to help Zeng up. The push had knocked him down, and his forehead had struck the stone steps at a nearby shop’s entrance, causing blood to flow freely.
“Does anyone have a cart? Please help us transport him to a physician,” Zhen Niang bowed to the onlookers.
Someone quickly brought a cart forward. There were many cargo carts here as people came to sell goods, and helpful people were plentiful.
Zhen Niang and her maid helped him onto the cart and headed straight for their ink workshop’s official street. Their neighbor was a medicine hall, and Physician Gong was quite skilled. First-Rank Official Zeng’s main injury was to his forehead—the final kick hadn’t been forceful as the attacker was rushing to escape.
“First-Rank Official Zeng, are you facing any difficulties at home?” Zhen Niang chatted with him in the cart.
Zeng held his wound, looking puzzled: “Why does Miss Li ask?”
“If you’re not facing difficulties, why would someone of your standing set up a stall in Langfang?” Zhen Niang asked curiously.
“I’ve devoted my life to studying the way of ink. I don’t know how to do anything else. Now that the Tian clan has issued their boycott, I don’t want to harm others by association. So I simply set up a stall in Langfang to pass the time,” First-Rank Official Zeng explained.
Zhen Niang nodded: “Would you consider becoming a master craftsman at Li Ink?”
Regardless of other factors, First-Rank Official Zeng had been injured today because of her and her maid. Based on this alone, she felt obligated to take him in.
“Thank you for your kind offer, Miss Li, but I must decline to avoid trouble from the Tian clan,” Zeng replied.
“The enmity between the Li and Tian clans goes back a long way—one more grievance hardly matters,” Zhen Niang explained with a smile. Then she added, “Don’t rush your decision, First-Rank Official Zeng. Focus on recovering from your injury first, then think it over.”
“In that case, allow me to consider it,” First-Rank Official Zeng nodded.