Resumen del episodio 28 de The Heir
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On a chilly day, Li Zhen met her mother, Zhao Jin, on a stone bridge. Seeing her daughter weighed down by thoughts of Tian Jiangyue, Zhao Jin offered some quiet wisdom. She admitted that she had once harbored a deep hatred for the Li family, even swearing never to step foot in their home again. Yet, the moment she heard that Li Zhen and Li Zhengyou were in trouble, she rushed inside without a single thought.
She encouraged her daughter to take a step forward, leave the past behind, and let go of the resentment keeping everyone trapped. Taking her mother's advice, Li Zhen visited the woodside shed where Tian Jiangyue was being held. She gave her Fourth Aunt an hour to pack her things before being sent to the villa in the western outskirts. Confused by this mercy, Tian Jiangyue demanded to know why Li Zhen did not use this chance to completely crush her.
Li Zhen replied that while she did hate her, she had no desire to live with that hatred forever. She wished her Fourth Aunt well and turned to leave. Unable to accept the gesture, Tian Jiangyue screamed after her, swearing to hate Li Zhen and the Eighth Branch for the rest of her life. Turning her focus back to the business, Li Zhen successfully developed a method for making reprocessed ink.
By leaving a small amount of old glue in the discarded ink as a primer to revive the material, she produced reprocessed ink of a quality identical to newly made Shize Ink. However, the workshop was still severely behind on production. Steward Shao warned that even if the workers labored day and night, they could not meet the massive backlog of orders before the looming deadline.
Knowing how vital this new ink was to the family's survival, Qi Jiu stayed up for several days straight, guarding the workshop to prevent any further sabotage. When Li Zhen brought some invitation cards to the workshop and found him fast asleep, she quietly checked on him, deeply moved by his silent dedication. Meanwhile, news of Li Zhen's successful reprocessed ink reached Tian Benchang. He was initially dismissive, believing reprocessed ink was merely a cheap way to refurbish old stock.
However, his concern grew when he heard that Steward Shao had invited the managers of all local ink workshops to Li Ink for an urgent meeting. At the meeting, Li Zhen stunned the gathered elders by voluntarily sharing her improved reprocessed ink recipe. Tian Benchang barged in uninvited to disrupt the gathering, but the other managers ignored his protests.
In exchange for the highly valuable recipe, Li Zhen requested the five-day use of their workshops and workers to help Li Ink rush the production of Shize Ink. The managers quickly realized the deal was incredibly beneficial, as the new method would allow them to revive their own piles of discarded waste ink. Led by Third Grandfather Chen Jiru and the manager of Pan Ink, they eagerly divided up and accepted the orders.
Thanks to the collective effort of the Huizhou ink industry, all backlogged orders of Shize Ink were delivered right on schedule. With the crisis averted, Li Zhen met with Seventh Grandmother and Li Jingdong. Feeling that her own oversight had allowed Li Decai and Tian Jiangyue to exploit loopholes, she knelt to return the master seal and step down as manager. However, Seventh Grandmother and Li Jingdong refused.
They praised her for her sincerity and her ability to unite the hearts of the Huizhou ink makers, insisting she remain the manager. Moved by their unwavering trust, Li Zhen tearfully agreed to keep leading the family. Li Zhen then sat down with her Eldest Aunt to discuss the future of the younger generation. She proposed that Li Zhengyou join the ink workshop to learn the foundation of the Li family business, promising to personally teach him the craft.
Ashamed of her past actions against Li Zhen, the Eldest Aunt tearfully apologized. Li Zhen comforted her, saying that family was defined by the ties of owing and forgiving one another, and she had never held a grudge. Not long after, a proud Li Zhengyou presented his very first batch of lampblack to Li Zhen. Although the quality was not yet perfect, Li Zhen warmly encouraged him.
She used the opportunity to teach him about proper heat control and shared inspiring stories of their grandfathers' strict dedication to the art of ink-making. On the day of the Start of Winter, Seventh Grandmother hosted a warm winter-welcoming feast at the ancestral home. The family prepared a large, steaming reunion hot pot, featuring chicken prepared by Li Zhen's mother, winter bamboo shoots gathered by Li Zhengshen, ham from Yi County, and cured ribs personally marinated by the Eldest Aunt.
As the family gathered together in rare harmony, Li Jingdong proposed that the Eighth Branch finally return to the clan. While deeply moved, Li Jinshui declined the offer. He explained that after the failure of the Tribute Ink thirteen years ago, the Eighth Branch had voluntarily left the clan out of shame. He declared that he would dedicate the remainder of his life to helping Li Jingdong and Li Zhen regain the right to produce Tribute Ink.
Only on the day that honor returned to the Li family would he bring his branch back to the clan. Li Zhen warmly supported his decision, reminding everyone that as long as their hearts were united, they were already home. Meanwhile, Jixiang returned to Qi Jiu with his share of the profits from Small Li's Ink Workshop, along with a generous extra bonus from Li Zhen.
The funds were more than enough to cover the military supply deficit for Marshal Qi's army, clearing the path for Qi Jiu to return to the military and reclaim his place at Yihousheng. Later that evening, Qi Jiu met with Wang Cuiqiao to discuss the transition of Yihousheng. Cuiqiao noticed his lingering reluctance to leave Li Zhen's side and gently pointed out his feelings for her.
Qi Jiu quietly admitted his affection but acknowledged that with his shadowed, secret identity, expecting anything more would be a foolish dream. Cuiqiao agreed, advising him not to fall too deeply into a love that could never be. Shortly after, the Ink Affairs Official, Lord Yan, paid a visit to Seventh Grandmother.
He brought an invitation from Princess Shouyang of Nanjing, who was looking for an innovative ink workshop to create a special batch of birthday inksticks for her mother, Noble Consort Du. Recognizing the massive opportunity, Lord Yan offered to recommend Li Ink for the commission. Seventh Grandmother expressed her gratitude for his support, promising to discuss the matter with the rest of the family before making their final decision.
