In the following days, medicinal ink undoubtedly became a hot topic in the ink industry. If there had been trending search terms like Baidu, it would surely have ranked among the popular searches.
In late summer, the weather remained hot and dry.
At Princess Ning’an’s villa.
Princess Ning’an, wearing a white-green gauze robe embroidered with gold thread, sat with her consort Li He in a garden pavilion drinking tea. Near a rockery, flowing water trickled pleasantly as a gentle breeze passed by—altogether creating quite a leisurely atmosphere.
Though Princess Ning’an’s official residence was in the capital, since the beginning of the year, Emperor Jiajing’s health had been declining steadily. No amount of immortality elixirs helped, and consequently, the political situation had become somewhat chaotic, with princes and nobles all playing their schemes.
Ever since her mother, Consort Duan, was falsely accused and executed by Lingchi during the Renyin Palace Incident, Princess Ning’an had lived cautiously in the palace. She understood more deeply than most the ruthlessness of imperial family politics, and this made her more prudent than her siblings.
Even after several years of marriage, she hadn’t relaxed this caution.
Thus, since the beginning of the year, she had used poor health as an excuse to retreat with her consort to their Nanjing villa, staying away from the capital’s turbulent politics.
She sought peace and tranquility while also preparing birthday gifts for Consort Shen.
“Has the Ink Bureau selected the workshop to produce the birthday ink yet?” Princess Ning’an took a sip of tea and asked Li He.
“Not yet. The Bureau originally favored the Tian family, given their status as imperial ink suppliers and high qualifications. However, due to the recent liquid ink incident, the Bureau is conducting a review.” Li He nodded as he spoke. Though he understood that the Bureau’s “review” was merely a formality, and they would likely soon recommend the Tian family for producing the birthday ink.
Of course, Li He saw no need to explain this fully—the Princess would understand.
“I see.” Princess Ning’an nodded slightly, then continued, “By the way, when I was having tea with Madam Qin and others recently, I frequently heard mention of the Li family’s medicinal ink. Is this the same Huizhou Li family you mentioned before?”
“Indeed. The Huizhou Li family was once a renowned ink maker, with the saying ‘Gold is easy to find, Li ink is hard to obtain.’ However, even the most brilliant glory can fade, and Li ink hasn’t had much reputation these years. But now, Li ink’s current manager has great ambitions, seemingly intent on restoring Li ink’s former glory,” Li He smiled.
When initially preparing for the birthday ink, Luo Jiu had recommended Li ink, and he had mentioned it to the Princess. However, Princess Ning’an had already decided to let the Ink Bureau oversee the matter, and the Bureau naturally favored the Tian family, so he didn’t pursue it further.
Now that the Li family’s medicinal ink had gained recognition, while the Tian family faced the liquid ink scandal, the Bureau’s “review” seemed merely perfunctory since they only considered the Tian family. Princess Ning’an was privately dissatisfied with the Bureau’s handling of the matter, which prompted her to bring up Li Ink today.
Hearing Li He’s words, Princess Ning’an glanced at him sideways with a neutral expression. “You seem quite familiar with the Li family’s Head Manager.”
As news of the medicinal ink spread, word that Li Ink’s Head Manager was a young woman had also circulated. Among the ladies, opinions varied—some looked down upon this fact, while others found it admirable.
“I wouldn’t say familiar. I’ve just heard much about her. You know Luo Jiu—he has quite a history with this Manager Li. When Luo Jiu left Huizhou, he borrowed silver from Manager Li. The shameless fellow, despite his current wealth, still claims he ‘made a mistake’ and will repay when convenient. He hasn’t returned the silver yet, which is quite disgraceful.”
“Sounds like he has no intention of repaying,” Princess Ning’an laughed. After thinking for a moment, she continued, “You’re naturally reserved and proud. Since marrying me, you’ve lost touch with many old friends. Now Luo Jiu is practically your only close friend. Let’s give him a face and let the Li family try as well.”
“Very well,” Li He nodded, offering no polite protests. Princess Ning’an had unusual experiences since childhood and maintained her own opinions. If Li’s family’s medicinal ink hadn’t caught her attention, she wouldn’t have mentioned them.
The Princess had meant to show some favor, so seeing Li He’s matter-of-fact attitude displeased her. She let out a light snort, “Hmph. It wouldn’t be proper to send an invitation specifically to Li’s family—that would seem unfair to other ink makers. Let’s do this instead: we’ll post an announcement stating that the Princess’s household seeks birthday ink makers. Any capable ink maker can participate in the competition. The winner will receive the commission and be appointed as our household’s Ink Supply Official. Discuss this with the Ink Bureau and establish the proper procedures.”
With that, she swept her sleeves and left with her maids.
“Very well,” Li responded calmly while standing, watching her leave. He shook his head—Princess Ning’an wasn’t bad, really. Throughout their years of marriage, she had maintained his dignity appropriately. However, like all princesses, she had one common flaw: she took others’ kindness for granted while expecting profound gratitude for her favors.
Because of this, such small tensions between husband and wife never truly ceased.
Well, let it be—there was plenty of time.
Zhen Niang knew nothing of this scene playing out in the Princess’s household, this tension between Princess and Consort over the matter of Li ink.
Nor did she know that Li Ink was about to encounter a crucial opportunity for development.
It was now late summer, with mornings and evenings growing cooler.
With her sister-in-law’s impending delivery and the tung oil distribution settled, Madam Zhao and Li Dalang returned to Huizhou. The ink shop grew busier as autumn approached, bringing the best season for ink production.
Spring and autumn were both seasons for stockpiling ink.
In the evening, after a busy day, Zhen Niang finally had a moment to rest. Due to the dry weather, she stood at the doorway chatting with Madam Yao from the neighboring fabric shop while holding a bowl of chrysanthemum tea.
“Miss Zhen, did you hear? Ge Dana is dead,” Madam Yao said mysteriously. Her fabric shop had been open for many years, and with her skill at maintaining relationships, business was good. Dealing mainly with ladies from various households, she was particularly well-informed about local news.
“How can that be? Wasn’t it just supposed to be hard labor, at most exile?” Zhen Niang’s heart skipped a beat.
“They say he committed suicide in prison out of guilt, but let me tell you—I heard he was killed in there.” Madam Yao gave Zhen Niang a knowing look.
Zhen Niang understood her meaning. Undoubtedly, Huang Lang had bribed someone to do it. After all, he and Ge Dana were mortal enemies—Huang Lang wouldn’t rest easy while Ge Dana lived.
“What about Sister Ge Qiu?” Zhen Niang inquired.
“I heard she disappeared after claiming her father’s body.” Madam Yao sighed internally. If Ge Qiu hadn’t divorced Li Zhengping back then, she would at least have somewhere to go now. Instead, she probably couldn’t even find shelter.
Listening to this, Zhen Niang could only marvel at life’s unpredictability. When she first arrived, the Ge family had schemed endlessly to take over the Li family’s modest property, and Ge Qiu had been full of pride. Now everything had changed completely.
The letter to Hua’er had been sent some days ago. Zhengping brother should have received it by now—she wondered how he would react.
Perhaps she should ask Er Gou to keep an eye out for Sister Ge Qiu. If she truly needed help urgently, they could lend a hand, honoring whatever connection remained between her and the Li family.
As Zhen Niang pondered this, she saw a carriage speeding out from the Tian family ink shop toward the street entrance.
“There’s not a decent man in this world,” Madam Yao muttered, glancing at the carriage.
“What do you mean?” Zhen Niang asked curiously.
“Don’t you know? The Tian family’s eldest young master looks proper enough, but he’s just as bad as the rest. He dumps all the ink shop matters on Miss Tian while he spends his days entertaining guests by the river. He’s hardly better than that Tian Er. He even has a wife at home, but he leaves her there all day—truly black-hearted,” Madam Yao said indignantly.
Being from Huizhou, and given that business rivals always kept tabs on each other, Zhen Niang had some understanding of this Young Master Tian, especially since she’d had several conflicts with him from the start.
Though Young Master Tian might not be a good person, he wasn’t known for visiting courtesans—at least in Huizhou, he had few such rumors. Moreover, he was quite ambitious. The Tian ink shop had started from a high position, and Tian Benchang’s ambition was to use Tian ink to secure a position in the imperial court.
This was common in the world—those who gained wealth sought power, ensuring prosperity and glory for generations to come.
Furthermore, given that Tian Ink was at a critical juncture, someone of Tian Benchang’s character shouldn’t be so indulgent. Zhen Niang suspected he must have other motives.
“Aunt Yao, do you know who Young Master Tian entertains?” Zhen Niang asked curiously.
“How would I know? Once, when my foolish husband needed to secure some goods, he hosted several fabric merchants on a pleasure boat. He saw them on the river and said they were mostly the same officials who attended Tian Ink’s opening ceremony.” Madam Yao’s face twitched as she spoke, still pained by the enormous expense of that dinner to secure the goods.
The Qinhuai River district wasn’t a place their modest merchant family could afford to frequent.
Hearing this, Zhen Niang understood—Tian Benchang was likely entertaining people from the Ink Bureau. After all, the liquid ink incident had significantly impacted the Tian family, and they needed to be cautious. This made sense, so Zhen Niang didn’t think much more of it.
Just then, Zheng Fuli returned excitedly with his account books and abacus, accompanied by two servants. Seeing Zhen Niang at the door, he called out enthusiastically, “Miss Zhen, great opportunity! Princess Ning’an’s household needs birthday ink. The Ink Bureau has posted an announcement—any ink maker can participate in the competition. The winner not only gets the commission but will also be appointed as the Princess’s household Ink Supply Official.”