Resumen del episodio 2 de The Heir
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Following the disastrous fire that destroyed the imperial tribute ink, the Eighth Branch of the Li family is officially cast out. Under the cold, resentful eyes of Jiangyue—who blames Li Jingfu for her husband Jingqi’s death—the family is forced to leave their ancestral home with nothing. Jiangyue even seizes a bone-paring knife that was part of Li Zhen's mother's original dowry, claiming that anything brought into the Li house belongs to the clan.
Dejected and empty-handed, the family begins their walk into exile until the First Young Mistress catches up to them. Sent by the Seventh Old Madam, she brings essential supplies and the birthday inksticks made for Li Zhen and her brother, Li Zhengliang. She also hands them a portrait of their ancestor, Li Tinggui, reminding Jingfu that although they are removed from the genealogy, their roots remain with the Li legacy. The news of the Eighth Branch’s downfall spreads quickly.
In the Tian household, young Tian Benchang and his sister Ronghua gather their personal savings to help Li Zhen. Their mother, Wang Xiu, forbids them from associating with "outcasts," but their father, Tian Huai'an, allows Benchang to deliver the gift, moved by his son’s sense of righteousness. Meanwhile, Luo Hanqiong prepares to send his younger son, Luo Wenqian, back to the Capital to study.
Wenqian, desperate to see Li Zhen one last time, is intercepted by his older brother, Luo Wensong. Wensong comforts the boy, promising to send him news of Li Zhen. He encourages Wenqian to use his time in the Capital to broaden his horizons, telling him that only by gaining knowledge can he eventually choose his own path, perhaps even becoming the traveling merchant Li Zhen once suggested.
Li Zhen’s family eventually finds shelter in a humble shack near the city gates. However, the physical toll of past punishments and the heavy burden of guilt prove too much for Jingfu. His health rapidly declines as his lung condition worsens, and he soon collapses. Panicked, Li Zhen and Zhengliang race back to the Li estate to beg for help, hoping the Seventh Old Madam will summon the renowned miracle doctor, Old Master Xue.
They are met with cruelty once again as Jiangyue bars the gates. Although the Seventh Old Madam eventually learns of the situation and sends help through the coordination of Third Master Chen, it is too late. By the time the doctor arrives, Jingfu has passed away.
In the wake of the tragedy, Li Zhen’s mother urges her children to forget the family that abandoned them and focus on building a new life together, raising silkworms and planting gardens in their own small home. Ten years pass, and Li Zhen grows into a capable young woman. She works at a tea stall managed by Shui Bo, where her sharp wit and hospitality make her a favorite among passing merchants.
Drawing on her keen observation skills, she assists various travelers, such as identifying a Yangzhou merchant by his preference for savory snacks paired with tea. She even helps a fur trader secure a lead by pointing him toward a local contact. Despite the hardships of the past decade, her family remains industrious. Her brother Zhengliang works as a sedan chair carrier and their grandfather takes on carpentry work, all to save money for Li Zhen’s upcoming marriage to Tian Benchang.
In accordance with local custom, they hope to provide her with a "Half-Phoenix Procession"—a grand dowry of 480 pieces—to ensure she is respected by her future in-laws. Tian Benchang, now managing his family's ink business, is equally determined to provide a good life for Li Zhen. He negotiates a major contract with Registrar Zhang for five hundred sticks of medium-quality ink, viewing it as the key to his family’s prosperity.
To solidify their bond, Li Zhen gives him her precious birthday inkstick as a vow of their engagement. However, the production process soon hits a major snag. The lampblack produced in their new workshop is coarse and of poor quality, despite Benchang's claim that the sheds were built to the exact specifications of the famous Luo Ink workshops. With the delivery deadline only a month away and a ten-fold penalty looming, the Tian family faces total financial ruin.
At the same time, Luo Wensong is facing his own crisis at the Luo family estate. He is struggling to develop a new tribute ink using thousand-year pine soot, but the mixture refuses to hold. Seeking a solution, he visits his aunt, Luo Mengzhen, at Jingxin Hall. Having lived as a recluse since being widowed before her marriage, she remains cold to the family’s plight.
Despite Wensong’s pleas that the future of the Luo clan is at stake, she refuses to offer guidance, declaring that she has had nothing to do with the Luos for years. Desperate for a solution to their production failure, Tian Huai'an and Benchang seek an audience with Luo Wensong. They hope that because Ronghua is betrothed to Wensong, he might offer them professional mercy.
Instead, Wensong treats them with open contempt, accusing them of being hacks who merely ride on the Luo family's reputation. He offers a cold ultimatum: if Benchang can use his relationship with Li Zhen to obtain the Li family’s secret ink formula, Wensong will fix their production issues. If they fail, he threatens to ruin the Tians and implies the marriage with Ronghua is at risk.
While Benchang is horrified by the request to betray Li Zhen, his father, Tian Huai'an, reveals that this was his strategy all along. He admits that he encouraged Benchang’s closeness to the Eighth Branch during their darkest hours specifically to gain access to their secrets, and he demands that his son do whatever is necessary to save the Tian family.
