As Zhenniang left Vegetable Market Street, the wind picked up and the clouds in the sky gradually turned ink-black.
Spring brought frequent rains, and after barely two clear days, it seemed about to rain again. Just as Zhenniang was planning to hurry home, she saw Sun Yuejuan approaching with a food box.
“Yuejuan,” Zhenniang called out in greeting. Since returning to Huizhou at the end of last year, she had only met Sun Yuejuan once. After Tian Benchang’s incident, Sun Yuejuan had largely kept to herself. It was rare for them to meet.
As for Tian Benchang, he was still in prison. Normally, someone in his situation could be released on bail, but clearly, before Second Young Master Tian fully controlled the Tian family’s ink shop, he and his sister wouldn’t let Benchang out. The Xu family had to secretly intervene—the authorities couldn’t afford to offend the Xu family.
Because of this, despite the efforts of the Sun family and Wang Cuiqiao, they could only make Tian Benchang’s prison life a bit more comfortable. Getting him released was difficult.
“Zhenniang,” Sun Yuejuan was also happy to see her.
“Where are you headed?” Zhenniang asked with a smile. Their childhood friendship was pure, and though they rarely met now, their greetings remained natural, without any trace of unfamiliarity.
“I’m taking food to the prison,” Sun Yuejuan said, lifting the food box, her expression dimming.
“Don’t worry too much. No one stays on top forever, and no flower blooms for a hundred days. The Xu family won’t remain all-powerful forever. Second Young Master Tian and the others might not always be able to rely on the Xu family. If your family applies more pressure, your husband will eventually be released,” Zhenniang said.
The Xu family would soon face a major crisis. When that happened, with a bit more effort from the Sun family, Tian Benchang’s release would be certain. Of course, Zhenniang didn’t care whether Tian Benchang was released or not—she only mentioned it because of her childhood friendship with Sun Yuejuan. This hint now sounded merely like comfort.
However, when the Xu family faced trouble, the Sun family would naturally know what to do.
“Yes, I understand,” Sun Yuejuan nodded again. Then her face hardened as she gritted her teeth: “Actually, even with the Xu family’s protection, Second Young Master Tian and his people might not fare well. The Tian family is in chaos behind the scenes…” She paused, then waved her hand: “Never mind all that. Anyway, I think Benchang being in prison isn’t so bad—at least he has some peace there.”
“Mm,” Zhenniang nodded. Though Sun Yuejuan left some things unsaid, in Huizhou, every family knew the others’ business. The Li family was well aware of the Tian family’s situation.
Since his stroke, though Old Master Tian’s condition had improved, his health had deteriorated significantly. He was barely holding on now. As long as he didn’t collapse, the Tian family would be fine, but if he couldn’t maintain his position, given the current situation, no one could properly support the family—especially now that Chunzhi controlled half the family affairs. Such a situation would be intolerable in any family. When the time came, wouldn’t the Tian family’s uncles and other relatives step forward? How could they allow a concubine like Chunzhi to control the family, or let the wastrel Second Young Master run things? After all, the Tian family business was substantial—everyone wanted a piece of that fat meat.
Tian Ronghua understood this critical point, which was why she was desperately trying to help her second brother secure the tribute ink rights. Then, even if Old Master Tian fell, with Second Young Master having the Ink Bureau’s support and the Xu family’s backing, the other family members wouldn’t be able to scheme against them.
One could say that both the Li and Tian families had compelling reasons to compete for the tribute ink rights.
For the Li family, it was because they needed to rise, and Elder Madam Li and Old Shopkeeper Li were getting on in years—who knew if they could last until the next tribute selection?
Zhenniang didn’t want her grandfather and seventh grandmother to have any regrets.
After all, for this tribute competition, they would spare no effort and fight with everything they had.
After chatting a bit more, Sun Yuejuan left to deliver the food, and Zhenniang returned home.
She told her grandparents and parents about arranging for the Shen family’s grandaunt and Sister Yuan’s young daughter to care for Madam Shen.
The Li family was very pleased to hear that the Shen family’s grandaunt was willing to keep Madam Shen company.
“Oh right, when I went to find the Shen family’s grandaunt today, I saw Wang Decai,” Zhenniang mentioned to her parents.
“Wasn’t he exiled? How is he back already?” Li Jingfu slapped the table.
“I heard he was pardoned in a general amnesty, and then Madam Su asked Second Young Master Tian for help to send him travel money to return,” Zhenniang shared the information she’d gotten from the Shen family’s grandaunt.
“Jingfu’s wife, when you have time, go tell Jinhua about this. She needs to be aware,” Old Shopkeeper Li said, clearly thinking along the same lines as Zhenniang.
“Yes, I understand. I’ll go right away,” Madam Zhao nodded, but we won’t elaborate further.
Over the next two days, having resolved the trouble with the Du brothers, the Li family focused entirely on preparing for the tribute ink competition.
In the evening, Zhenniang and Elder Madam Li were still in the ink shop inspecting the ink.
“Seventh Grandmother, I think we should add the Li Family Four Harmonies Ink to our tribute competition entries,” Zhenniang said to her grandmother. She had been thinking day and night—the Tian family had presented the Song Emperor Huizong’s Su He ink at their trial showing, and though they had a way to counter it, the Li family had presented the Li Family Three Talents ink, and the Tian family would surely target that. They had to be prepared.
“I agree, adding the Four Harmonies Ink is good. Extra precaution never hurts,” Elder Madam Li nodded. This girl was always extremely thorough in her work.
The Li Family Four Harmonies Ink was their signature product. Even without the Three Talents Ink, it had a good chance of winning the tribute rights.
With everything arranged, the next day would be the tribute ink competition.
The second day of the fourth month was a momentous day for Huizhou’s ink industry. Rarely, all the ink shops had given their workers the day off. The idle workers had all gathered at the Taibai Tower by the river.
This year’s tribute ink competition will again be held at the Taibai Tower.
Though it was still early morning, crowds had already gathered outside the tower.
Old Master Cheng and Master Qi Chun were sitting under the willow trees by the river embankment, playing chess and chatting.
“Tell me, between the Li and Tian families competing for tribute rights, who do you think will win?” Qi Chun asked casually as he made his move.
“It’s hard to say. Both families have their strengths and weaknesses. The Tian family was last term’s tribute ink merchant and has solid connections with the Ink Bureau, plus the Xu family’s backing. However, in recent years, they’ve mostly relied on the old foundations from the Luo family, with little innovation. The Li family, on the other hand, has created many new ink products these past two years, and Zhenniang is also a supplier to the Princess’s mansion. Comparing the two, they’re quite evenly matched,” Old Master Cheng paused before continuing: “However, the Li family’s Three Talents Ink is truly remarkable.”
Combining the strengths of various styles was every ink maker’s dream, and the Li family achieved it first.
“Indeed, that Li family girl is becoming quite extraordinary. She managed to make the ink trial showing so exciting. Now that play has become famous throughout Huizhou. I heard many theater troupes in Wuxi and Suzhou are learning it. Isn’t that effectively advertising for the Li Family Three Talents Ink with every performance? The Li family girl is truly clever,” Qi Chun sighed admiringly.
Then he frowned—Cheng San hadn’t said who would win, clearly thinking the same as him. Though the Li family’s ink was excellent, winning the tribute rights didn’t depend solely on ink quality—connections were also crucial.
Though every competition emphasized fairness, there had never been true fairness. No matter how good the Li family’s ink was, the Tian family’s wasn’t bad either, being based on the Luo ink with its reputation of “one drop worth a thousand coins.”
For years, the court had been using Luo ink and Tian ink, which were essentially the same thing. From this perspective, Tian Ink actually had better acceptance, especially with the Xu family’s backing.
Though the Princess’s mansion was noble, in terms of influence, it couldn’t compare to the Xu family.
Just then, a string of firecrackers went off, signaling the start of the tribute ink competition.
Inside the Taibai Tower, the northern seats held the officials and ink masters from the Ink Bureau and Ink Inspection Bureau. This year’s ink masters were Yuan Bai, Kang You, and Lu Chong—all from prestigious families and renowned painters and calligraphers. Lu Chong, in particular, was a relative of the great painter Lu Ye, and his painting skills were said to come directly from Lu Ye’s teachings.
The participating merchants sat on either side—the Zhan family from Wuyuan, the Xu family from Xiuning, and the Li and Tian families from She Prefecture.
In the middle were several long tables with burning incense and complete sets of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone—this was the ink testing area. Soon, the painters would test the inks here. In the corners of the hall, several beautiful courtesans knelt by small red clay stoves, gently fanning the flames under boiling water for tea. It was this year’s first spring Huangshan Maofeng tea, its clear fragrance permeating the air.
Behind the main hall, separated by screens, were the observing merchants and notable figures.
“Present your inks!” At the clerk’s command, the Zhan, Xu, Li, and Tian families presented their inks.
Then the painters began testing the inks.
After the trial showings by the Tian and Li families, the Zhan and Xu families had given up any real hope for the tribute rights. They just wanted their inks to be seen by the ink masters, participating for participation’s sake.
However, these two families had distinguished themselves among many ink shops to earn the right to compete, so they weren’t without merit.
The Zhan family was a traditional ink-making family from Wuyuan. Their inks mainly targeted common people, with very affordable prices, and their designs were quite appealing. This time they entered a set depicting scenes of family happiness. Though the ink quality was slightly inferior, it still earned the ink masters’ approval and some praise.
The Xu family was an ink-making family from Xiuning. Their entry was a collection featuring exquisite carving and gold detailing, which also earned considerable praise.
However, these two families were ultimately eliminated by the Li and Tian families on quality grounds.
Now came the main event—the competition between Li and Tian.