Resumen del episodio 30 de The Heir
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Following her visit to Luoxia Temple, Li Zhen remained deeply unsettled. If Noble Consort Du was as devoted to Buddhism as Zen Master Fahui claimed, she would surely have spent years copying sutras, yet the Master had never seen a single piece of her calligraphy. Sensing a hidden truth, Li Zhen turned to Yan Xianglan for a way to observe the Consort in person.
Xianglan revealed that Commander Wu of Nanjing was hosting a "winter solstice banquet" (Xiaohan Banquet) for the Noble Consort and Princess Shouyang. Since her father had once worked with the Commander, Xianglan expected an invitation and suggested that Li Zhen could accompany her by disguising herself as a maid. Meanwhile, the competition for the birthday inkstick selection grew fierce.
Li Zhengshen arrived with alarming news: a man named Qi Chun, representing the Tian family, had used the name of the Directorate of Imperial Supplies to buy out all the premium raw materials in Nanjing. From Styrax resin and borneol to rare fleeceflower root and century-old pearls, the market had been stripped bare, leaving the Li family with no traditional way to match the Tian family’s resources.
Despite the setback, Li Zhen remained calm, focusing instead on understanding the emotional bond between the Princess and her mother. At the winter solstice banquet, Li Zhen observed the royal mother and daughter from her position as a servant. Yan Xianglan helped draw the Noble Consort's attention by mentioning how a medicinal inkstick from Huizhou had cured a long-standing sore on her face. Seizing the opportunity, Mrs. Wu requested that the Noble Consort grace the central hall with her calligraphy.
A tense silence fell over the room as the Consort looked visibly displeased but unable to openly refuse. Recalling that the Consort had risen from the position of an embroiderer, Li Zhen guessed she likely could not write well. She quietly sent a message through a nanny to Princess Shouyang. The Princess, catching the hint, gracefully intervened by suggesting that her mother paint a picture while she provided the inscription, saving the Consort from public embarrassment.
In another part of the Wu estate, the men were engaged in their own festivities. Qi Jiu noticed Tian Benchang socializing heavily with Wu Weishi and several influential young men. Posing as a drunk guest, Qi Jiu intentionally spilled wine on Tian Benchang, forcing him to leave the room to change. While Tian was occupied, Jixiang managed to slip into the inner chamber and secure a gift list.
The document revealed that Tian Benchang was distributing massive bribes, each worth hundreds of taels, to these well-connected "wastrels." It became clear that Tian was attempting to buy his way into a lucrative position within the Directorate of Imperial Supplies. After the banquet, Princess Shouyang summoned Li Zhen to demand why she had dared to send a secret message. Li Zhen knelt and explained that she only wished to share the Princess's burden and protect the Noble Consort's dignity.
Impressed by her intuition and sincerity, the Princess allowed her to leave. Outside, Qi Jiu, who had entered the inner court under the pretext of presenting a gift, was waiting anxiously for her. When he saw she was safe, he tried to brush off his concern, but Li Zhen had reached her limit with his constant evasion. She told him clearly that she did not want a man who only acted from the shadows.
She wanted a partner who would stand upright and walk beside her. Declaring that she would no longer trouble him with her affairs, she walked away, leaving Qi Jiu alone with his regrets. As they prepared to leave the estate, Li Zhen and Xianglan witnessed a group of noblewomen mocking Tian Ronghua for her humble origins, calling her "servant stock." Seeing her former friend being treated as a nobody, Li Zhen felt a pang of pity.
Realizing how difficult life was for Ronghua among the fickle socialites of Nanjing, Li Zhen decided to leave through a side door to spare Ronghua the humiliation of being seen by her in such a state. The day of the final selection arrived. The Tian family, represented by the master ink maker Qi Chun, offered the "Prajna Inkstick," which utilized rare red sandalwood to create a scent reminiscent of an ancient temple. Princess Shouyang was impressed by its quality.
However, Li Zhen then presented the "Twelve-Season Inksticks," which were uniquely shaped like kites. Li Zhen explained that the kites symbolized the unbreakable connection between a mother and her daughter; no matter how high or far a kite flies, there is always a string held by someone on the ground. She had learned that the Consort used to fly kites whenever she missed her daughter in the hopes that the child outside the palace walls might see them.
The Twelve-Season set was designed so that the Princess could visit her mother to deliver a new inkstick every month, turning the gift into a year-round reason for companionship. Moved by this display of filial devotion, Princess Shouyang declared Li Ink the winner and granted the family a three-year contract for her mansion. Even Qi Chun, though defeated, admitted that Li Zhen’s work had transcended mere technique to speak directly to the human heart.
While the Li family celebrated, Qi Jiu and Jixiang set a trap for the corrupt officials in Nanjing. They visited a restaurant where Eunuch Chen, the Imperial Seal-Holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Imperial Supplies, was dining in a private area. Sitting nearby, Qi Jiu and his men began talking loudly about how Wu Weishi claimed to have the entire Directorate in his pocket.
They boasted that for a thousand taels of silver, Wu Weishi could sell any post because even the great Eunuch Chen obeyed his every word. Overhearing these "rumors," Eunuch Chen flew into a rage, realizing that the Wu family was using his name to illicitly sell offices.
