Resumen del episodio 29 de The Heir
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Determined to restore the former glory of Li Ink, Li Zhen proposed to Seventh Grandmother that the family should travel to Nanjing to compete for the commission of Princess Shoushang’s birthday inkstick. She argued that while their workshop had recently improved, they were still far from the prosperity they enjoyed a decade ago as a Tribute Ink supplier.
By establishing a branch in Nanjing, a city of immense prosperity, they could reclaim their reputation and stop losing profits to traveling merchants. Seventh Grandmother was impressed by Li Zhen’s vision and entrusted her with full authority over the trip. Li Zhen decided to bring Li Zhengshen for his woodblock printing skills and the young Li Zhengyou to broaden his horizons as a future pillar of the family. Before departing, Li Zhen visited Yihousheng to see Qi Jiu.
She brought him a luxurious Liuhe hat to match his silver fox fur coat, hoping he would accompany her to Nanjing as a wealthy young master. However, Qi Jiu met her with hesitation. Having just returned to Yihousheng, he felt he could not leave while his own business was in a critical state of rebuilding. More importantly, he formally resigned from his duties at Li Ink, stating he could no longer balance both interests.
Though he offered to use his connections in Nanjing to assist her, Li Zhen was deeply hurt. She masked her disappointment by wishing him a boundless future before hurrying away. As the journey to Nanjing began, Li Zhen remained preoccupied with Qi Jiu’s departure.
Her friend Xianglan noticed her melancholy and shared wisdom from her storybooks, suggesting that if Li Zhen constantly wanted to share every new sight and delicious meal with Qi Jiu, then he had truly captured her heart. Xianglan successfully petitioned her father, Lord Yan, to allow her to accompany the group. Upon arriving in Nanjing, the group was dazzled by the bustling Sanshan Street, which rivaled their own Sibao Street.
While the others enjoyed local Rose Ejiao cakes, Li Zhen stayed focused, even spotting Li Ink already being sold in the local markets. Meanwhile, news arrived from the Capital that the Sage Qing He had fallen out of favor due to corruption charges. Realizing the Tian family was losing its primary benefactor, Qi Jiu and Jixiang noted that Tian Benchang was liquidating his stock of Styrax resin ink at a loss to raise cash.
Suspecting that Tian Benchang intended to use the funds to curry favor with new authorities in Nanjing, Qi Jiu decided to follow him to investigate. At the mansion of Princess Shoushang, the competition for the birthday inkstick began. Tian Ronghua arrived with the renowned Qi Chun, one of the Five Ink-making Grandmasters, to represent Tian Ink. When Li Zhen attempted to greet her old friend, Tian Ronghua remained cold and distant.
Princess Shoushang examined the preliminary submissions and expressed dissatisfaction, noting that while the inks were famous and precious, they were too conventional. She demanded a unique ink that reflected the character of her mother, Noble Consort Du, giving the participants one month to submit a final product. After the audience, Qi Chun mocked Li Zhen for being a mere girl representing the Li family, though Li Zhen stood her ground.
Adding to the sting, Tian Ronghua sent a maid to tell Li Zhen that they were no longer on the same path and should not meet again. While Tian Benchang spent his days wining and dining officials from the Six Ministries to build new alliances, Li Zhen searched for inspiration. Xianglan suggested they visit Luoxia Temple to seek out Zen Master Fahui, who was an acquaintance of Noble Consort Du.
They hoped to see the Consort’s calligraphy to understand her preferences, even offering a rare palm-leaf sutra to the temple. However, Fahui declined the gift and denied having any of the Consort’s writings, warning them that a palace servant had recently been beaten to death for attempting to steal her work. As they left the temple, a sudden downpour began. A young monk offered them an umbrella, claiming it was from a kind benefactor.
Li Zhen followed the monk and discovered Qi Jiu and Jixiang nearby, where they had been praying for the soldiers who died under General Qi. The encounter was stilted; Qi Jiu claimed he was there on official military business and declined an invitation to a family gathering. When Li Zhen mentioned she had sent him specialties from Nanjing that he claimed not to have received, the tension grew. Frustrated by his distance and his attempt to lie about the umbrella in a sacred place, Li Zhen threw the umbrella back at him and walked away into the rain.
