Resumen del episodio 13 de The Heir
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The day of the long-awaited ink testing event arrived on Sibao Street, but the atmosphere at the Li Ink Workshop was anything but celebratory. While the Tian family drew crowds of merchants by offering a steep thirty percent discount on their goods, the Li family's venue remained dishearteningly quiet. Li Jingdong grew visibly discouraged by the empty street, but Seventh Old Madam and Li Jinhe urged patience, reminding everyone that good things took time.
Refusing to accept defeat, Li Zhen positioned herself at a strategic intersection leading to the street, waiting to intercept the sedan chair of Lord Yan, the Ink Affairs Official. When Lord Yan arrived, he questioned why she was stopping him so far from Sibao Street. Li Zhen explained that she wanted to ease his dilemma. Since he held invitations from both competing families, going straight would lead him to the south gate and right into the Tian family's hands.
She suggested he take a detour to the north gate, which would allow him to gracefully visit the nearby Li Ink Workshop first. Intrigued by her cleverness, Lord Yan ordered his bearers to follow her. Tian Benchang caught wind of the detour and rushed to block the path. He intercepted Lord Yan's sedan chair and welcomed him to Tian Ink's Baibao Ink event.
Just as Li Zhen argued that the lacquer-soot ink was Lord Yan's own challenge and that Li Ink should be his first stop, Shexian County Magistrate Zhao Shen arrived. Faced with the high-ranking Magistrate, Lord Yan had no choice but to accompany them to the Tian family's event instead. Despite the setback, Li Ink's event soon gained traction. Qi Jiu arrived with Mr. Dongtu, whom he had successfully brought from Mount Qiyun.
Finding the open-air setup unique and interesting, Mr. Dongtu prepared to paint live on the street using the newly restored ancient lacquer-soot ink. Sensing that they needed to shift the momentum, Li Zhen consulted Qi Jiu. She decided that if they could not be the first to host the official, they would make their event completely unique.
Qi Jiu quickly spread word through the crowd that Mr. Dongtu was painting live and leaving a blank space, waiting for someone worthy to write an inscription. At the Tian workshop, Magistrate Zhao Shen highly praised the Baibao Ink, but Lord Yan's attention was caught by the rumors of Mr. Dongtu's live painting.
Pointing out that Mr. Dongtu's works were collected by the imperial palace, Lord Yan suggested to Zhao Shen that they both go to Li Ink to write an inscription, which would surely become a legendary tale of their own. Leaving Tian Benchang behind, the two officials hurried to the Li Ink Workshop. Upon their arrival, Li Zhen welcomed them and invited both officials to grace the "Xin'an River Landscape" painting with their calligraphy.
Lord Zhao wrote a blessing for a promising future, while Lord Yan inscribed a classic poetic couplet. The exceptional quality of the ancient lacquer-soot ink, enriched with raw lacquer to create a sense of flowing movement, was praised by Lord Yan as the finest in Huizhou. Capitalizing on the high spirits, Qi Jiu stepped forward to fulfill his previous promise, awarding Li Zhen a reward of two hundred taels from Yihousheng for being the first to recreate the ink.
The excitement grew even further when the wealthy merchant Fan Sihai arrived, bearing premium ejiao as a congratulatory gift for Seventh Old Madam. Impressed by the majestic painting and the brilliance of the lacquer-soot ink, Fan Sihai immediately ordered ten chests of the ink, totaling one hundred thousand blocks. Knowing Qi Jiu's immense influence, Seventh Old Madam acknowledged that he was the force behind this massive deal.
Qi Jiu seized the opportunity to propose a formal partnership, presenting a contract where Yihousheng would invest one thousand taels for a three-year period in exchange for a thirty percent profit share, with no interference in Li Ink's management. Appreciating his sincerity, Seventh Old Madam accepted the proposal, and they toasted their partnership with tea. Behind the scenes, Qi Jiu remained focused on a deeper agenda.
He instructed his subordinate, Xiao Qi, to keep a close eye on Magistrate Zhao Shen, who had long backed the Tian family. Since the Tians had wrongfully seized the Luo family's entire estate years ago, Qi Jiu suspected that Zhao Shen had been accepting bribes. He hoped to gather enough evidence to expose the magistrate and ultimately bring down the Tian family. Following the successful event, Li Zhen enjoyed a rare day off.
Her grandfather, Li Jinshui, took the opportunity to teach her about the intricate art of glue-mixing, explaining that the right glue could elevate even average soot into superior ink. He shared historical secrets, noting how Luo Ink achieved its renown by blending luxurious ingredients like musk and jade powder into the glue, while Li Ink focused on organic elements like egg white, soapberry, and rhinoceros horn to create a deeply rich and substantive ink.
Later, Seventh Old Madam visited Li Zhen to discuss her future. Li Zhen admitted that while she wanted to learn, she knew she was not truly a part of the Li family and feared opposition from other family branches. She confessed her ultimate goal was to start her own business. Seventh Old Madam, understanding her ambitions, proposed a new one-year contract.
Under this agreement, Li Zhen would manage the workshop, increase production, and develop another landmark ink, in exchange for a five percent share of Li Ink's profits. Li Zhen discussed the offer with her mother, admitting that staying at the workshop was a great opportunity, but her heart still felt heavy regarding the past. Her mother urged her to separate business from old family grudges and promised her full support, whether she chose to stay or leave.
Meanwhile, at the Li family residence, a heated debate erupted. Li Jingdong strongly opposed keeping Li Zhen now that the ink was restored, but Li Jinhe scolded him for clinging to the incident thirteen years ago when his leg was broken. Seventh Old Madam firmly stated that her decision was necessary to revive Li Ink and secure its future. Fearing that Li Zhen's contract would give her too much power, Tian Jiangyue met secretly with Sun Baiyi.
She warned him that the contract was a key to the Li family's legacy and urged him to act. Sun Baiyi, already harboring a deep resentment toward Li Zhen for demoting him and placing him under his father's strict supervision, was more than willing to cooperate. The very next morning, the peaceful atmosphere at Li Ink was shattered when hand-copied sheets containing the secret formula for the newly restored lacquer-soot ink were found scattered all over Sibao Street.
