Original subtitles

[The Heir]

[Episode 3]

I just went over the ink workshop's ledgers.

In the past two months,

we've lost several more orders.

I'm ashamed.

I couldn't keep those master craftsmen.

Jinhe,

this isn't your fault.

It's the rule set by our ancestors:

the master craftsmen's wages increase every year.

Since we can't afford it anymore,

they naturally chose to leave.

Those ungrateful wretches.

Have they forgotten

whose hands taught them their ink-making skills?

Good riddance.

Saves me the trouble of dismissing them one by one.

If those outside the family lose their loyalty,

we can simply send them packing.

They can't stir up much trouble.

But if even our own family turns on itself,

then we are truly finished.

Jiangyue,

what do you mean by that?

Mother,

a few days ago,

when I went to the treasury to take inventory,

I found we were short exactly 20 taels of silver.

I had it investigated immediately

and found that you had withdrawn it, Wanyi,

claiming it was for the dowry of the girl from the Eighth Branch.

Zhen...

No matter what,

she's still a daughter of our family.

I heard she hasn't even found the money

for the Full Phoenix Procession,

so I wanted to help her a bit.

And when I took the money,

I wrote it down clearly in black and white—

it will be deducted from my monthly allowance.

Not a single coin from the family's shared treasury was touched.

It's not about the money, Wanyi!

The Eighth Branch has already been expelled from the clan.

Their affairs

have nothing to do with you or the rest of the family!

But...

Don't blame Wanyi for this—

I was the one who told her to withdraw the money.

We all watched Zhen grow up, right?

Even if she's no longer counted as a Li

but only as an adopted daughter of an outside family,

we should at least

show her some kindness, shouldn't we?

Aunt Rujun, by siding with them,

you'll only chill the hearts of the Sixth and Seventh Branches.

Shut up!

She's the mistress of the family.

Does she need your permission for everything she does?

Rujun,

since we’re delivering the dowry,

let me take care of it.

I haven't seen Jinshui in a long time.

Okay.

Years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Now Zhen is getting married.

No matter what happened back then,

you're still a granddaughter of the Li family.

Your seventh grandmother

and eldest aunt miss you dearly.

They've asked me to bring you some dowry.

It's very generous of Rujun.

Zhen,

accept it.

How are Seventh Grandmother

and you, Sixth Grandfather?

We're old.

Not much use anymore.

It's really nice

that you're still thinking of us.

Jinshui,

I've come today

not only to deliver Zhen's dowry

but also to say something.

Zhen's wedding

is a great joy for our whole family.

As an elder,

I should offer my blessings.

However,

regarding the marriage between the Tian family and ours,

you shouldn't get too involved.

Jinhe,

what do you mean by that?

A girl grows up and eventually marries into another family.

Once she does, she belongs to another family.

You must not let your affection for your granddaughter

lead you to hand down all your craft

to the Tian family.

Sixth Grandfather,

where is that coming from?

Ever since our Eighth Branch was expelled from the clan,

we haven't taken a single thing from the Li family.

We didn't in the past,

and we certainly won't in the future.

I

am not doubting your grandfather.

I simply want to make certain things clear in advance.

My grandfather has been upright all his life.

Others may not know this,

but don't you know it, Sixth Grandfather?

I don't deserve such kindness from the Li family...

and I certainly cannot accept this dowry!

Please go back and tell the main branches

that even if I never get married,

I will never covet anything of yours.

As for the ink-making skills...

I've long forgotten them.

Jinhe...

I still have some work to do.

Excuse me.

These are all your favorites.

Try the peach blossom pastry.

Benchang, it's only been a few days.

Why do you look so worn and haggard?

What's wrong?

Has something happened?

What happened? Don't scare me!

Zhen,

our family is in trouble.

What happened?

Some time ago,

our family built a new smoke shed

and began using the Luo Ink-Making Method.

Now, all the lampblack we've produced

has turned out defective.

How could that be?

We invited many master craftsmen to examine it,

but none could determine the problem.

Zhen,

the order I mentioned to you before is due soon,

but we won't be able to deliver the goods on time.

If we breach the contract...

we'll have to pay 10 times the amount in damages.

Even selling the entire ink workshop wouldn't be enough to cover the damages.

Don't be afraid.

If nothing else,

I can give you my savings first.

Zhen,

I can't use your money.

But...

I want to ask your grandfather for an ink recipe.

The eldest young master of the Luo family said

that if we had that recipe,

he would be willing to help us

resolve the problem with our smoke shed.

Ink recipes are each family's

most closely guarded secret—

they would never be shared so readily.

Your grandfather...

is no longer a member of the Li family.

In principle,

if he wishes to work as a master craftsman elsewhere,

there's nothing wrong with that.

How about this?

I'll ask my father to draw up a letter of engagement,

hiring him as head of our ink workshop...

Enough!

Say no more!

That's absolutely impossible.

Zhen,

I must save our family's ink workshop.

As long as the workshop stands,

we'll never have to live

under another's thumb again.

I'll keep the promise I made to you.

My grandfather once told me

that everything he'd learned in his life was for Li Ink.

Even though we have been expelled from the clan,

that will never change!

On every count,

I cannot help you.

And please, do not go trouble my grandfather.

Zhen,

I've never intended to put him

in a difficult position when I ask for his help.

I really have no other choice.

We are getting married

because we love each other.

I don't want anything else

to be mixed into it.

Benchang,

I've never coveted any of your family's property

or the ink workshop.

I'm marrying you for who you are.

I hope you feel the same!

Zhen,

my love for you is true and clear as day.

All these years,

we've never schemed to gain anything from your grandfather.

This time...

This time, I was just anxious,

so I spoke nonsense.

Don't be mad at me.

You have to believe me, Zhen.

Of course, I believe you.

If we truly end up having to pay damages for that order,

I'll face it with you.

How about I take it upon myself

and give you the money my family

saved up for me first?

Anyway, Benchang,

my mother used to say that

as long as you stand tall,

grit your teeth, and keep moving,

there's nothing you can’t overcome!

You're right, Zhen.

It's just some lampblack.

I'll find another way.

I said it before—

we must never try to get anything out of Eighth Master Li.

Now look at what has come of it.

Zhen is upset with me because of this.

Father, are you satisfied?

We caused this trouble,

so we solve it ourselves.

Since the Li family won't help,

let's go to the Luo family.

You and I

will kneel before Eldest Young Master Luo

until he agrees!

I won't go!

I'll go try again!

Even if it costs me my life,

I'll produce that lampblack!

-Benchang! -You bastard!

In-laws,

you called me here in such a hurry.

Has something urgent happened?

H-Have some water first.

Thank you, in-law.

Why are you crying?

Just say it!

Crying won't solve anything!

In-law,

what happened exactly?

Please tell me.

In-law, this may sound embarrassing,

but you also know our Tian family

used to be bondservants to the Luo family.

When Old Master Luo was still here,

he treated us with some courtesy.

But now

he resides in the capital

and rarely comes back.

It just so happens that Luo Wensong is in charge of the household now.

He orders us around all the time

without showing us an ounce of respect.

Recently,

he got hold of a piece of thousand-year-old pine soot.

He failed to produce ink from it,

so he's used the large order our family just took on

to threaten us.

He's forcing my husband...

forcing him...

He's forcing us

to ask for...

the ink recipe from your Li family.

Jingfu...

Master Tian came to me.

He said they need the ink recipe from the Li family.

If we don't give it to them...

they might call off the engagement.

But how could I possibly give it to them?

For Father's sake alone,

I could never agree to it—

nor can I mention a word of it to him.

I hesitated for a long time.

I was prepared to risk everything

and go ask Aunt Rujun for a copy of their recipe.

She is a reasonable person.

But my mind...

is filled with the image of you as you left this world.

Jingfu...

Tell me, what should I do?

Benchang,

stop trying.

Our family doesn't really have much experience with ink-making.

How much skill can we have?

No matter how many more days and nights you toil over this,

[Tian Bensheng, Second Son of the Tian Family]

you can't match what others have inherited through generations.

Luo Wensong is developing new ink,

so you do the same.

Aren't you just...

Benchang,

I know what you're thinking.

You just want people to know

that, besides Luo Wensong,

there's also a man named Tian Benchang in Huizhou.

What a shame.

Now, not only is the business failing,

but you've managed to lose a bride who was practically already yours—

all through your own recklessness. Isn't it?

What did you say?

You didn't know?

Father and Mother put their foot down today.

If the Li family doesn't give us the ink recipe,

our family will call off the engagement.

But guess what?

Your future mother-in-law didn't budge an inch.

I'm going to ask Father and Mother.

Benchang!

Father and Mother's meaning is clear:

if we get the ink recipe,

our family will happily welcome the bride.

Without it,

Zhen can forget about getting into the bridal sedan!

How could they make things hard for Zhen?

Once she marries in, she'll be a Tian!

When our family faces hardship,

how can she just stay out of it?

Feeling protective, are you?

My dear brother,

if you want to shield her,

you must have the ability to do so.

Don't you think?

Benchang, think it over carefully.

One, two, three.

Zhengliang.

I swear to Heaven.

I only just learned of

my parents' intentions myself.

If I ever had the thought of calling off the engagement...

may Heaven and Earth strike me down.

I don't want to hear this!

I'm only asking you one thing—

are you going to marry Zhen or not?

I, Tian Benchang,

in this life and this world...

will marry no one but Zhen!

Then go tell your parents that!

When all is said and done...

the whole thing...

was my fault.

If I hadn't been impatient...

and overestimated myself by taking on that difficult order,

we'd never have been held over a barrel by the Luo family.

I know Zhen is filial.

I know Eighth Master Li is a man of integrity!

I know that in Huizhou's ink industry,

every family guards their ink recipes as tightly as their lives—

they would never lend them out.

I...

I know all of that.

But...

without that ink recipe...

my family will lose absolutely everything.

Even if Zhen marries me...

she'll have to suffer in poverty with me.

For Zhen...

I'm willing to

do anything.

Come on.

Eat slowly.

Don't choke yourself.

Here, have some porridge.

I'll be getting married in a few days.

I won't be able to eat your cooking anymore, Mother.

You're not marrying off to the ends of the earth.

The Tian household is just a few steps away from ours.

Just come back often.

That won't be the same.

In the future, the person I see when I wake up every morning

won't be you anymore, Mother.

What if...

I don't want you to get married?

Then I won't get married.

Ronghua isn't married yet anyway,

and Benchang will always be there.

I'll just stay by your side forever.

Mother!

Come give me a hand!

Come on!

Here, give it to me.

Give me.

Zhengliang.

Didn't I tell you?

Benchang's family ran into some trouble,

so the wedding was going to be kept simple.

I just ran into Benchang.

He said his family's matter has all been sorted out!

Really?

Really!

He said Luo Wensong

received a letter from Old Master Luo

and agreed to help!

That's wonderful!

Benchang has been so worried about this

for days.

Now it's finally settled.

Our Zhen

must have a grand wedding!

That's right!

Our Zhen

must marry in style!

Come on, let's go put these away.

I'll take it. Give it to me.

Mother, it's heavy.

How wonderful.

Thank you.

I, Zhen, bid farewell to Grandfather

and to Mother.

I also

wish you both

a lifetime of happiness,

growing old together.

Lift the sedan!

Here!

When a woman accepts wedding sweets, prosperity follows!

Thank you.

Thank you.

Stop!

Thank you.

Uncle Jingdong,

today is the joyous occasion of my wedding to Zhen.

What is the meaning of this?

Your family certainly knows how to play a clever game.

You want to use this marriage with the Eighth Branch

to steal our family's ink recipe.

You've truly gone to great lengths, scheming every step of the way.

But, boy of the Tian family,

listen up,

no human plan can overcome Heaven's will.

I, Li Jingdong, am putting my foot down here—

if you don't hand over our family's ink recipe,

this wedding of yours

won't go through!

Uncle Jingdong...

I don't know what you're talking about.

Bring forth the Founder's Black Banner!

[Hu Shunlin, President of Literary Association]

The Founder's Black Banner

cannot be moved unless it's an extreme emergency!

Li Jingdong,

you've gone to the extreme of bringing out the Black Banner—

what are you trying to do?

Excuse me.

This is no small matter.

You must not speak recklessly.

Excuse me.

Whether I am speaking nonsense or not...

Zhen.

Third Master Chen, you shall soon see.

What's going on?

Li Jingdong,

what do you want?

Zhen,

I don't know

what they are talking about either.

Boy of the Tian family,

you dare say you don't know?

Without our family's ink recipe,

would Luo Wensong ever help your family?

The Li family's ink recipe?

What ink recipe?

Zhen, don't listen to him.

Uncle Jingdong,

what nonsense are you talking about?

Li Jingdong,

you have no proof.

How dare you wrongly accuse us?

The proof is right inside your dowry.

You're making baseless accusations!

Mother!

Mother, Grandfather!

Why are you here?

Li Jingdong,

you are talking nonsense.

When have we ever stolen your family's ink recipe?

Eighth Master Li,

do you dare swear before the Founder's Black Banner

that inside Zhen's dowry,

there is no Li family's ink recipe?

Do you dare?

I, Li Jinshui,

have made ink-making the calling of my life.

Even though

I haven't made ink in years,

the rules of the ink trade

remain engraved in my heart.

I have not,

nor could I ever...

leak the Li family's recipe to outsiders.

Eighth Master Li, nothing stays hidden forever.

The Luos demanded our family's recipe

in exchange for saving the Tian family's business.

I've thoroughly and carefully investigated all of this.

And yet you still deny it?

That's not true, Eighth Master Li.

Don't listen to him.

Grandfather, he's just spouting nonsense.

Whether it's true or not,

a search of the dowry will tell.

Men!

Search it!

You must not!

You cannot search the dowry.

Benchang!

Don't stop them. Let them search!

I'd like to see

what exactly they can find!

Jingdong!

Seventh Grandmother.

Jingdong,

even if there is an issue,

it should be resolved within our family.

Making a scene in public

only brings shame on our own family!

Aunt Rujun,

everything I do is for our family's business.

I have a clear conscience.

If I have wronged Eighth Master Li today,

I'm willing to accept any punishment.

But if the Eighth Branch

has really leaked our family's recipe,

then I ask the Eighth Branch

to give us an accounting

before the Black Banner.

It doesn't have to come to this, Jingdong.

Seventh Aunt,

for the sake of our family,

please indulge me this once!

Found it! Found it!

How do you explain this?

It was me!

I, Li Zhengliang, was disloyal and unfilial

and stole the ink recipe for the Tian family!

It's

all my fault!

None of this has anything to do with

my grandfather, my mother, or Zhen!

Zhengliang...

Do you know

what you are saying?

Zhengliang, what on earth happened?

What happened?

Hurry up and tell us!

Say something!

Benchang said...

the ink recipe concerned his family's survival.

If we didn't give it to them,

you'd endure hardship with the Tian family for the rest of your life.

It was my fault.

I couldn't think of another way.

You... you foolish child!

How could you...

How could you do such a stupid thing?

Don't you know

you've ruined Zhen!

It was my fault.

It was all my fault.

Zhengliang...

Eighth Uncle,

of the four brothers in my generation,

I'm the only one left breathing

with just one leg—crippled though I am.

You once said

that it was the Li family's support that allowed you to master your craft

and that you would repay them in kind—

that you'd never do anything to shame our ancestors!

But...

what about your descendants?

Today...

before the Founder's Black Banner,

give us an account!

Grandfather...

Founder above,

I, Li Jinshui,

have failed to discipline my family

and nearly allowed the Li family’s ink recipe

to fall into the hands of outsiders.

I have failed the Li family

and their ancestors.

I, Li Jinshui, your devoted disciple,

swear here and now:

from this moment forward...

from this moment forward, I'll step away from the ink trade.

If I break this oath...

may I suffer

eternal torment

in the deepest hell.

Founder,

I need to borrow...

your Original Ink Stick.

-Grandfather! -Grandfather!

Father!

Grandfather!

Grandfather!

Father!

Grandfather!

Father!

Grandfather!

Father!

Father...

Grandfather...

This is...

how I answer to the Li family.

Father...

Grandfather...

Zhen,

the auspicious hour is upon us...

Shut up!

Grandfather, please get up.

Grandfather...

Grandfather...

Zhen...

Does it hurt?

I never thought things

would come to this.

Zhen, I did all this

so we could have a good life.

I truly love you, Zhen!

You have to believe me, Zhen!

Shut up!

Tian Benchang,

we grew up together.

We were childhood sweethearts

and deeply in love.

You cared for me in every way.

Between us, there was not only love

but a debt of gratitude.

You used to be

the person I trusted most.

But today,

you've destroyed all of that.

I told you,

my family is where I draw the line.

So, Benchang,

this is...

the end for us.

Since my marriage began with this ink recipe...

let it end with the ink recipe.

Everything ends now!

Fellow townsfolk here,

please bear witness for me, Li Zhen:

the dissolution of this marriage

is not because the Tian family refuses to wed—

it is I, Li Zhen, who am calling it off!

Today, I, Li Zhen,

am calling off this marriage!

Zhen!

Zhen...

Grandfather!

Mother.

Zhengliang.

Let's go home!

Let's go home!

Zhen...

Zhen!

Zhen!

Young Master! Young Master!

Young Master!

Out with it.

Li Zhen...

Li Zhen called off the wedding!

T-That ink recipe was torn up too!

Interesting.

What do you mean?

I've spent years carefully working toward this!

We were just one step away!

Once Zhen married into our family

and we obtained the Li family's ink recipe,

we would've secured our footing

in the ink trade!

That scoundrel Jingdong—

how did he come to know of this?

And Zhen,

that little girl has some nerve!

She dared to call off the wedding in public?

How will our family

show our faces in the future?

Fortunately, Eldest Young Master Luo

stepped in and took over the deal with Registrar Zhang himself.

Otherwise,

we would've lost everything and gained nothing.

What do you know,

short-sighted woman?

Do you really think

Luo Wensong

suddenly grew a conscience

and helped us out of kindness?

Wrong!

He did it

to cut off all our options!

Once this gets out,

won't it make our family look incompetent—

that we can only get things done with the help of the Li and Luo families?

Then, in all of Huizhou,

who will still trust our family?

In the future,

who would dare do business with us?

Stop right there!

Well, this is your own home,

and you're sneaking around like a thief!

You disgraceful thing!

Mother.

You barely ate tonight.

Please have some of this broth.

Your health is important.

In the end, Zhen's marriage

still fell through.

Yes.

After the huge scene today,

I'm afraid it will be hard

for Zhen to marry in the future.

With that girl's temperament,

she may not care about that.

But with Jingdong making such a scene,

I'm afraid

they will really

sever all ties with us.

All that money spent on wedding preparations

went to waste for nothing.

Without the Tian family's help,

life will be very hard

for the Eighth Branch

in the future.

Let's do this:

whatever Jinshui makes in the future,

tell them to procure

more of it.

It was supposed to be such a joyous wedding.

And she was marrying into the Tian family—

a family with standing and means.

So many families here in City Gate Lane

envy such good fortune.

Exactly. Breaking off the wedding in public...

Is that girl stupid?

What will she do now?

Mother, Zhengliang, stop working!

Zhen, where have you been?

Let's have an extra dish today!

Zhen.

Where did you get this?

Uncle Zhang at the butcher shop practically gave it to me.

Butcher Zhang

is usually so tight-fisted,

but he can't stand to see a woman cry.

So I put on a show for him.

I said,

"Uncle Zhang, with such misfortune befalling our family,

my mother and grandfather

can hardly eat."

And guess what?

He sold me all this for just five coins!

Uncle Zhang even gave me a lot of pork belly.

He said that since Grandfather's teeth weren't good,

he shouldn't risk chewing on bones.

Oh, you.

They gossip about me behind my back all the time.

I can't shut them up,

so I might as well get something out of it.

That way, it's not a total loss.

I'm not blaming you.

-I’m just afraid… -Mother.

I know.

I know all that.

But I was the one who called off the wedding.

It's not worth regretting.

And it's certainly not worth letting you, Grandfather,

and my brother feel bad for me.

I went to the Li family on Grandfather's behalf

and returned the manuscript we had taken this morning.

From this day forward,

we have absolutely nothing to do with the Li family

or the Tian family.

In City Gate Lane, the Li family

means only the four of us!

Let's eat well

and live our lives well!

That's easier said than done.

Mother, I'm starving.

Hurry up and make me some bone broth.

Go on. Go.

Fine.

I'll go stew it for you right now.

Grandfather.