Resumo do episódio 18 de The Heir
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With His Majesty moving up the timeline for the Tribute Ink selection, the prestigious workshops of Huizhou find themselves in a tense scramble. The Tian family remains deeply entangled in legal battles, while the Chen family has failed to produce any noteworthy new creations beyond their Scholar Ink. Driven by the mounting pressure, the imperial official Lord Yan had previously visited the Li residence to mediate a reconciliation with Li Zhen, hoping to utilize her creations.
However, the proud main family rejected his proposal. In the wake of this rejection, the Li family gathers to debate how they should apologize to the influential official. Some members complain bitterly about what they perceive as the official’s condescending attitude, but Seventh Grandmother and Li Jinhe quickly warn them to guard their tongues. Li Jinhe laments the deep decline of their clan, which prompts his son, Li Jingdong, to react with defensive fury.
Jingdong demands to know why no one in the family believes in his ability to craft the new Yunsong Ink. Although Jingdong’s loyal wife, Ying, tries to defend her husband's tireless work in the workshop, Jinhe cuts her off. Drowned in guilt, Jinhe blames himself for a lifetime of bitter rivalries that ended in tragedy, recalling how family members died or were driven away, leaving the survivors to do nothing but torment one another.
Enraged, Jingdong lashes out at his father's own lack of accomplishments, causing Jinhe to scold him for his insolence. Their argument is cut short when a servant rushes in with urgent news. Manager Shao has gathered a large group of ink-makers and is leading them to the ancestral hall to petition on Li Zhen’s behalf. When confronted, Manager Shao explains that the workers wish to apologize to Li Zhen for past misunderstandings.
He argues that her recreated ancient lacquer-soot ink is already a massive success and her Fu Jin Ink has won the favor of Lord Yan. Bringing her back, he insists, is the only logical way for Li Ink to reclaim the Tribute Ink privilege. Feeling deeply insulted by the workers' lack of faith, Li Jingdong accuses the manager of overstepping his bounds.
He stubbornly declares that he can win the tribute selection without Li Zhen and orders the crowd back to work. Meanwhile, Wang Cuiqiao meets with Qi Jiu to discuss the unfolding situation. With Li Zhen's refusal of Lord Yan's invitation now common knowledge throughout Huizhou, Cuiqiao is deeply concerned. Their plans for procuring military supplies for Marshal Qi rely heavily on cooperating with both Li Ink and Li Zhen's New Li's Ink Workshop.
Cuiqiao urges Qi Jiu to persuade Li Zhen to change her mind, pointing out that the only successful new inks in the region are Li Zhen's creations. Qi Jiu understands the gravity of the military contract but remains reluctant to pressure Li Zhen. He reassures Cuiqiao that he will manage the Huizhou ink trade carefully. Qi Jiu later visits Li Zhen at her newly renovated New Li's Ink Workshop.
Finding her distracted while trying to read, he playfully quotes the poet Mr. Tao, urging her to put aside her worries and enjoy the beautiful day with some tea and pastries. Sensing his unspoken concern, Li Zhen decides to take him to the pinewood nursery. The young forest is filled with saplings she promised Mr. Dongtu she would plant and care for every year.
Standing among the thriving pines, Li Zhen explains that the Tribute Ink selection is a painful thorn in her heart. Every mention of it brings back nightmares of her father being whipped, kneeling in the pouring rain, her mother's hidden tears, and her grandfather's ink-stained hands that can never touch ink again. She refuses to be used as a pawn in her family's endless power struggles.
Qi Jiu listens with deep empathy and assures her that he did not come to pressure her. He explains that he values her as a person regardless of the selection, and believes she is destined to become the greatest ink maker in the Ming Dynasty on her own merits. His encouraging words remind Li Zhen of a childhood friend—the cowardly little boy who once held the very same belief in her.
Touched by his unconditional support, Li Zhen offers to let him withdraw his investment in her workshop if her choice causes him trouble, but Qi Jiu firmly refuses. Grateful for his trust, Li Zhen promises him an extra share of future profits, sealing their pact with the pine forest as their witness. Sometime later, Li Zhen writes a warm letter to her friend Tian Ronghua, who is away in the capital.
She writes that the New Li's Ink Workshop is thriving and expresses her hope that they can reunite for the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the capital, however, Ronghua’s life has taken a tragic turn. Her simple-minded betrothed, Hu Qi, has unexpectedly passed away from a sudden illness before their wedding could take place. Madam Hu visits Ronghua to ask about her plans for the future.
Deeply grateful to the Hu family for treating her as their own and saving her family from ruin, Ronghua kneels and volunteers to stay by Madam Hu’s side. She promises to serve her morning and night, fulfilling filial duties in her late fiancé's stead. Moved by her devotion, Madam Hu accepts her as a niece, telling her to call her Aunt Wan.
To help her see more of the world, Aunt Wan promises to soon introduce her to Sage Qing He, the prestigious royal preceptor. Back in Huizhou, Li Zhen’s close friend Wang Hua'er arrives at the workshop with wonderful news. Seventh Grandmother has finally agreed to let her work at the New Li's Ink Workshop.
Hua'er presents Li Zhen with freshly fermented stinky mandarin fish sent by Seventh Grandmother, topped with fresh pine branches she plucked from the Li family's pine yard to symbolize everlasting prosperity. Hua'er also conveys Seventh Grandmother’s supportive message, telling Li Zhen that the Tribute Ink selection is the main family's obstacle to face alone, and that she should focus on running her own workshop with honor. While listening, Li Zhen’s attention is drawn to the pine branches Hua'er brought.
Recognizing the alarming signs on the wood, she immediately asks where they came from. Realizing the danger, Li Zhen sends a worker to warn Li Jinhe and rushes to the pine yard with Hua'er. Her worst fears are realized upon inspecting the trees. The forest has been devastated by pine pestilence. Because the disease spreads rapidly in hidden parts of the tree, it went unnoticed during regular inspections until it reached the outer branches, entering an incurable phase.
This loss of quality pine soot wood will drastically cripple Li Ink's production and their hopes for the Tribute Ink selection. Li Jinhe soon arrives at the scene and collapses in despair, lamenting that heaven has turned against their family. At the Li residence, a crisis meeting is held. Seventh Grandmother and Li Jinhe confirm that the entire forest is infected and that preserving the woods by cutting down the infected trees is no longer an option.
It will take three to ten years for the forest to recover. Manager Shao reports that they only have five hundred units of healthy pine wood left, which can barely sustain existing orders for two months if used sparingly. Seventh Grandmother proposes suspending the development of new ink, pooling their remaining resources to fulfill current orders, and searching elsewhere for new pine wood.
However, Li Jinhe argues that they cannot abandon the Tribute Ink selection, as it is their only chance to turn things around. Seventh Grandmother counters that they must prioritize survival. She insists that if they fail to deliver existing orders, they will lose their buyers to other suppliers, destroying the very foundation of the family business. Later that evening, Li Jingdong refuses to eat, obsessing over the selection.
His wife, Ying, tries to comfort him, and his father urges him to eat. When Jinhe tells him they must withdraw from the selection due to the pine pestilence, Jingdong is furious. He refuses to give up, reminding his father of his childhood advice to always fight and prove that the Sixth Branch is superior to the Eighth. Jingdong vows that he will prove himself better than the expelled Eighth Branch and Li Zhen, declaring he will never back down.
Filled with remorse, Jinhe visits the ancestral shrine, weeping and apologizing to his ancestors for failing the family. Hearing of the crisis, Li Jinshui rushes back from Wuyuan. He meets with Seventh Grandmother and Li Jinhe at the Li residence, agreeing that withdrawing from the current selection is the safest course of action to protect the family from financial ruin. Li Jingdong arrives and reacts with explosive fury.
He insults Jinshui, calling him and the Eighth Branch the root of all the family's disasters, and accuses Seventh Grandmother of constantly defending a sinner. He threatens to split from the family and set up his own business rather than withdraw. Enraged by his son's disrespect, Li Jinhe slaps Jingdong. Jinshui tries to calm things down.
Li Jinhe then reveals a map of Mount Huang's pine forests, obtained from the Literary Association, which shows newly discovered, old, and solid pine woods. Jinhe expresses his determination to personally venture into the dangerous mountains to secure high-quality pine wood.
Seventh Grandmother objects to the dangerous journey, but Jinhe explains that with their savings depleted by ten years of heavy taxes and their business declining daily, they may not survive to see the next selection if they do not take this risk. Before leaving, Jinhe visits Li Zhen at her workshop.
Recognizing her hard work in establishing the business, he asks her for a monumental favor: to return to the Li Ink workshop and act as the manager in his absence while he is away searching for pine wood.
