Original subtitles

[The Heir]

[Episode 10]

Master Qi.

Master Qi.

Master Tian.

Eldest Young Master Tian.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

Please have a seat.

Have a seat.

Have a seat.

Please.

Master Qi,

you are new to Huizhou,

and Yihousheng has just opened.

I should have brought my son

and gifts

to congratulate you.

I didn't expect

you to visit us first.

I'm terribly sorry.

Master Tian, please don't be so polite.

Please sit.

Please sit.

Young Master Tian, are you...

already studying how to recreate the ancient lacquer-soot ink?

Lord Yan is hosting a banquet,

giving ink merchants in Huizhou

a chance to show their abilities.

How could the Tian family dare to neglect this?

It's just that recreating ancient ink is not easy.

We are still figuring it out.

No wonder

all the raw lacquer in Huizhou

has been bought up by you.

We know our foundation in ink-making is weak

and we can't compare with others,

so

we prepared more raw materials

and plan to experiment with every method of recreating the ink.

When it comes to business,

I still have a lot to learn from you, Master Tian.

You flatter me.

You have great courage.

What a brilliant move to strike at the root.

It's just that it has blocked many people's path

and taken many opportunities from them.

I heard that other ink merchants

are still struggling with the raw lacquer.

You flatter me.

But I heard

there will be a new batch of raw lacquer in Huizhou.

When that time comes,

will you buy it all up again, Master Tian?

By then,

if you have any financial difficulties,

you can come to me.

I am willing to lend you a hand.

Thank you, Master Qi.

Come on, have some tea.

Sit.

As expected.

Visiting the Tian family today

and seeing your grand mansion,

it's clear

that it is indeed the top ink maker family in Huizhou.

Xiao Qi,

you reported false information.

Just from the ancient books and ink recipes that Eldest Young Master Tian reads,

one can see that the Tian family has a profound heritage.

Why did you tell me

that only the Chen and Li families have a century-old heritage,

while the Tian family is just servants?

Apologize to Master Tian.

No need, no need.

Master Qi, you flatter us.

Speaking of heritage,

how can we compare with the Li and Chen families?

Master Tian, please don't be modest.

I'm new here,

but I also want to be part of the Huizhou ink industry.

So I'd like to know how each family

made their fortune,

and which school

your ink-making method comes from.

Master Tian, why don't you tell me?

Tian Ink only started to improve

when it came into my hands.

So there's no rich heritage

or school to speak of.

Then I need to learn from you even more.

I truly admire

how you built the Tian family fortune

from scratch to what it is today.

Master Qi, I heard that, although young,

you're already General Qi's trusted aide.

You came to Huizhou to procure military supplies for General Qi.

You must be no ordinary person.

Procuring military supplies is a military secret.

Very few people

know my identity.

That you found out

my identity so quickly...

I've always heard that

the Tian family is very resourceful

and well-established in Huizhou.

Just as I expected.

During my stay in Huizhou,

I will have to rely on you, Master Tian

and Eldest Young Master Tian.

Alright, alright.

Let's not talk about this anymore.

May I ask, Master Qi,

did you bring your family to Huizhou this time?

Should I have my men

prepare some gifts and send them to your residence

as a gesture of hospitality?

I...

thank you on behalf of...

my family in heaven.

Years ago,

some villains

caused my family's death.

Now, I am the only one left.

I'm sorry for misspeaking.

Please don't take offense, Master Qi.

I believe that good and evil will get their due.

Your family's grievances will be redressed,

and their deaths will be avenged.

Thank you for your kind words, Master Tian.

Master, Lord Zhao is here.

Lord Zhao?

Is this Lord Zhao

the Lord Zhao Shen from the county office?

It seems you and Lord Zhao are very close.

No wonder you know my identity so well.

Doing business—

since ancient times, it has never been fully separable from political power.

Master Qi,

didn't you also establish connections with Lord Yan?

I stand corrected.

Since you have an important guest today,

I won't bother you anymore.

I'll take my leave.

Please forgive our poor reception today.

I hope you can understand, Master Qi.

Next time,

I will prepare some wine

and invite you to visit and catch up.

Thank you, Master Tian.

This way.

Master Qi,

please take care of us from now on.

Thank you.

Lord Zhao.

Excuse me for not going out to meet you.

Come, please.

No need for formalities.

Lord Zhao.

Come on.

Please.

Please.

[Zhao Shen, County Magistrate of Shexian, Huizhou]

Come on.

Lord Zhao.

Please.

Master Qi,

see you.

Xiao Qi.

Master.

It seems these two are still colluding with each other.

This is actually good.

Zhao Shen.

Zhao Shen...

Mother.

Mother.

You're back?

What?

Why did you two

come back empty-handed?

All the raw lacquer available outside

has sold out.

Well... if we can't buy raw lacquer,

how can we make the ink?

Anyone who makes this ancient lacquer-soot ink

will gain the favor of the Ink Affairs Official.

I'm afraid all the ink workshops in Huizhou

are working hard for this.

The supply of raw lacquer is naturally very tight.

However...

I always feel that something is off.

Zhen.

Your Seventh Grandmother.

Zhen,

at the banquet last night,

you stood up for me.

I haven't properly thanked you yet.

Seventh Grandmother,

You don't need to thank me.

I did it

also for Grandfather's sake.

In any case, on behalf of the main family,

you took on this task.

The main family is indebted to you.

Zhen,

we all know

that making the ancient lacquer-soot ink is different from lampblack-making.

The waste lacquer and materials from trial formulations

place extremely strict demands on the smoke shed.

That old ink workshop

is in disrepair.

Why don't you

go back to the main family to develop the ancient lacquer-soot ink?

The workers and masters there will be at your disposal.

The main family will bear all the losses.

This way,

you can develop it without distraction.

What do you think?

Seventh Grandmother.

Regarding the recreation of the ancient lacquer-soot ink,

I have a few things to discuss with you.

I'm listening.

First,

I'm only returning to Li's Ink Workshop,

not the main family.

As for the internal affairs of the Li family,

I don't want to get involved.

Oh, Zhen.

I know in my heart

that you still have issues with the main family.

I will never force you.

Second.

If Li Jing...

If Uncle Jingdong

and Fourth Aunt Jiangyue

cause trouble in my face,

I definitely won't take it lying down.

If that happens,

don't let it delay our real business.

You can rest assured on that.

As for your Uncle Jingdong and Fourth Aunt,

I will take care of everything.

Third,

I took on this task for Grandfather

and the Li family.

If the ancient lacquer-soot ink is developed successfully,

the main family can have the ink recipe,

but the Eighth Branch also needs to share in the profits.

As for how much,

you can decide, Seventh Grandmother.

That's reasonable.

I can certainly agree to that.

Thank you for understanding.

Oh, my Zhen.

You have really grown up.

Look at you now.

You are steady and thoughtful.

You even know how to fight for yourself.

I am very pleased.

Well,

I naturally learned all of this from you.

From me?

Zhen.

During the development process,

if you encounter any difficulties,

tell me directly.

Seventh Grandmother,

there is actually one thing right now.

Today my brother and I went to buy raw lacquer,

but it's sold out in the market.

It's fine.

Your Sixth Grandfather

has a manor in the suburbs.

He planted a new field of lacquer trees,

enough for your use.

However, your Sixth Grandfather

wants you to ask for it in person.

Seventh Grandmother,

can't you

go all the way to help?

Haven't I done enough?

You've asked for so much

from me.

Can't I bargain with you?

I understand.

Then I will go find Sixth Grandfather myself.

Seventh Grandmother,

if the ancient lacquer-soot ink is developed successfully,

when I get the money,

I will treat you to tea.

You little clever one.

Okay. I'll wait.

To Sixth Grandfather's?

Oh, Zhen, you want me to act as a persuader.

Sixth Grandfather.

Sixth Grandfather.

Sixth Grandfather.

Sixth Grandfather.

Zhen and I are here to get raw lacquer.

Please write a note

so we can go find Aunt Chunhua.

You think

you really can recreate this ancient ink?

"You only discover the difficulty through practice.

Without earnest practice, you can't truly understand it."

If I don't even try,

how will I know if I can recreate it?

This ink

and the lacquer-soot ink you saw at Lord Yan's banquet

are both ancient ink.

Its background

and origin

are no less impressive.

If you can figure out

the trick behind this,

I can give you the raw lacquer.

If you can't,

the deal is off.

Sixth Grandfather,

this inscription is already blurred.

How can I examine it?

If the inscription were clear,

why would I test you?

Sixth Grandfather, Seventh Grandmother said...

She said...

Although this ink has a thick patina,

it still can't hide its wonderful ink iridescence

and lasting charm.

Based on the fish-scale pattern on it,

this ink must be quite old.

It's full of a medicinal fragrance,

mixed with a faint scent.

If I'm not mistaken,

the key lies in this faint scent.

It's lotus!

I know.

This ancient ink

is the world-famous Longxiang.

Do you know

its origin?

When I was young, I heard my father say

that Emperor Ming of Tang was once the Governor of Luzhou.

One night, while writing at his desk,

he saw a little Taoist priest in black

jump out of the inkstone on the table,

walking like a fly.

Seeing him, he called out, "Long live the Emperor."

Emperor Ming of Tang asked the little Taoist his origin.

The little Taoist said,

"I am the spirit of ink, Longbin."

After Emperor Ming of Tang ascended the throne and began producing ink,

he thought of Longbin,

so he named this ink Longxiang.

Sixth Grandfather,

am I...

right?

The key to this ink is...

Mixing it with lotus juice.

Take this note

to the manor in the western suburbs, find Aunt Chunhua,

and get the raw lacquer.

Thank you, Sixth Grandfather.

Then I won't disturb you anymore.

Here you go.

We got it!

Hua'er,

thank you so much for today.

You took the time to come with me.

What's the big deal?

It's so fun to go on a spring outing.

Besides,

I haven't seen Aunt Chunhua for a long time.

I heard Sixth Grandfather has been busy with the ink workshop,

so she's been alone in the suburban manor

and hasn't been to town for a long time.

As far as I remember,

Aunt Chunhua has a very gentle temper.

She can actually

manage such a big manor all by herself.

Has Uncle been helping her?

Originally, Aunt Chunhua was all alone,

taking care of Run

and managing some maids

and farmhands.

It just so happens that Uncle has recently returned,

so he can help her out.

My father said

that Sixth Grandfather

is very wary of him.

Just to keep him from managing the manor,

he sent him to Suzhou on business.

Sixth Grandfather's suspicion—

he guards against others as if they were wolves.

Exactly.

We're almost there.

Let's go.

Watch out. It might run into you later.

Let's run.

[Li Chunhua, daughter of the Sixth Branch of the Li family]

[Li Decai, son-in-law of the Sixth Branch of the Li family. Original name Wang Decai]

Zhen.

The top-grade raw lacquer was just tapped by the farmhand yesterday.

You guys rest first.

I'll go get it myself.

Chunhua.

Lacquer trees bite.

Just rest here

and drink tea with the girls.

I'll go fetch it.

Thank you, Uncle.

[Three liters of raw lacquer]

Come on, sit first.

Have some tea.

Chunhua!

I brought the lacquer bucket back!

Come on, Zhen, look.

Look.

A full three liters of raw lacquer.

Thank you, Uncle.

Don't. This bucket is too dirty.

Don't dirty your hands.

It's fine. I often do work at home.

A bit of dirt doesn't matter.

I'll have a farmhand

send it back for you.

Well then, thank you, Uncle.

Father!

This...

[Li Zhengrun, grandson of the Sixth Branch of the Li family, Li Chunhua's son]

You brat!

This raw lacquer is poisonous!

Do you want to kill your father?

And you have the nerve to cry?

Don't scold him now.

Go change your clothes.

Go!

This...

Zhen, I'm really sorry.

The child is still young and doesn't know any better.

I'll have the farmhand get some more raw lacquer.

Are you alright?

Does it hurt?

Don't cry.

Let me blow it for you.

Li Decai.

What did you put in the raw lacquer?

Why is it so watery?

Chunhua,

it's all my fault.

Please forgive me this time.

It's all my fault.

I-I was foolish. I was foolish.

Tell the truth.

I was just thinking

that the price of raw lacquer was at its peak,

and Tian Benchang was offering generously,

so I promised the Tian family five liters.

But who would've thought

Father would give

the raw lacquer we worked so hard for

to Miss Li Zhen?

Then it wouldn't be enough.

What are you talking about?

Seventh Aunt personally agreed to let Zhen

make lacquer-soot ink in our house.

You know that.

Chunhua,

I am useless!

Zhen,

sorry to keep you waiting.

Aunt.

Why are you alone? Where is Hua'er?

Run wouldn't stop crying,

so Hua'er took him out to play.

I'm really sorry today

for holding you up so long.

Aunt,

these years...

have you been doing well?

Not bad.

Uncle...

This bucket

is actually quite heavy.

Be careful when you take it back.

I'll be going then, Aunt.

I won't bother you anymore.

I'll go find Hua'er and Run.

Okay.

Aunt,

if anything happens in the future,

remember to call me.

I'll always be here.

[Li Ink]

I wonder what Old Madam was thinking,

making a little girl an ink-maker.

Who will submit to her?

Who will follow her orders?

Isn't this nonsense?

Manager Shao,

business at the ink workshop has been bad these years,

and people are already divided.

If Miss Li Zhen

comes here and messes things up,

it will be even harder to manage.

What are your plans?

Calm down.

I know you're in a difficult position.

Let's just consider it

as temporarily lending her the ink workshop.

We're still the ones in charge.

If she wants materials or staff,

she has to go through me.

The rules of this ink workshop

haven't changed.

[Li Ink]

Father, look.

First, I scrape off the ink ash.

Then, after scraping,

I add shell scent, frankincense, plum blossoms, and osmanthus.

After that, I knead it into a paste

and pound it with a heavy hammer.

I strike it hard.

And after that?

Then I turn it over and keep pounding it.

Left for men, right for women. What should we do?

Right.

Good.

Manager Shao.

[Shao An, Manager of Li Ink]

Miss Li Zhen.

This is the ink workshop.

This is the ink mixing workshop.

This is Mr. Zhao, who sifts the soot.

-Mr. Zhao. -What great abilities

can a woman have?

Manager Shao.

From now on,

Miss Li Zhen will be coming and going in the smoke shed often,

so you need to dress properly.

Working in the ink workshop,

we've always dressed like this.

Yeah, exactly.

If anyone gets sick from the heat,

and the schedule is delayed,

who will take responsibility?

Besides, in the Li's Ink Workshop,

everyone has always been treated equally, regardless of status.

You can't just

change everything

just because a woman is here.

Yeah, exactly.

I was wondering who it was.

Turns out it's that fool from the other day

who couldn't recognize my supreme-grade lampblack.

Anyway, I'm not the one being embarrassing right now,

so why should I care?

What a sassy temper.

No wonder 3 years ago,

you dared to break off the engagement in front of everyone.

I guess since then,

you haven't cared about reputation and propriety.

You are the ones half-naked right now.

Speaking of reputation and propriety,

you are the ones who don't care.

Hurry up and put on your clothes.

Put on your clothes.

Miss Li Zhen,

this is Li Ink's smoke shed.

You can use it.

Well, Manager Shao,

I need 30 soot bowls,

10 bundles of lamp wick,

and 30 ink-mixing basins.

And as for the raw lacquer

I got from Sixth Grandfather yesterday,

please have it properly packaged and sent to my smoke shed.

If you want them,

you must first get a note and then get them from the warehouse.

You'll need to get the note with me;

the warehouse is managed by Mr. Jiang.

Once you have the items,

you need to keep track of how much is used

and how much is left yourself.

Make a tally after work every day.

When this is over,

I need to inspect and verify.

So troublesome?

This is the rule of Li Ink.

Understood.

How much raw lacquer to use first and how much later—

there is no fixed amount.

Rewrite it.

Manager Shao,

please take a look.

The type and quantity of the soot bowls are not clearly specified.

Rewrite it.

What kind of soot bowl do you want, Miss Li Zhen?

Number one is the largest.

We also have number 3

and the smallest size.

Manager Shao, here.

There's absolutely no problem this time.

I'm back.

Zhen, you're back?

Come on.

Grandfather, time to eat.

Zhen is back.

Time to eat, Zhen.

Sit.

Eat more.

You've been working all day.

Zhen.

You usually look so happy while making lampblack.

Why do you look so down while making this lacquer lampblack?

In the past, the lampblack-making formula

was pretty much the same.

I just needed to focus on timing and heat control.

But now,

I have to try every combination of soot and oil.

It's really completely different

from what I imagined.

That raw lacquer—

if you're not careful—

may cause lacquer sores.

This ointment

can heal it.

Wh-What lacquer sores?

What sores?

It's nothing.

Come, let me see.

Let me see your hands.

It's fine.

Mother, it's fine.

Oh my, why is it so severe?

This one.

Let me see this one.

I'm fine.

Does it hurt?

No.

Give me the medicine.

Hurry.

Look at you.

It's all about making money.

Since the ancient lacquer-soot ink is so hard to make,

why get involved in this and put yourself

through all this unnecessary hardship?

I don't mind a little hardship.

What bothers me is that some people and things

really annoy me.

Especially Manager Shao.

Ever since I joined the ink workshop,

he's been picking on me every day.

He either says I didn't log my materials,

or that the quantities don't add up.

Just to get some soot bowls,

he made me run back and forth several times.

This guy.

He has really gone too far.

Shao An's behavior

is the same as before.

In that case,

I'm relieved.

Grandfather, what do you mean by that?

Tell me,

according to your plan,

how long will the lampblack-making take?

I probably won't finish testing

all the combinations one by one until next month.

Next month?

That's another month!

That's already fast.

I made a rough estimate.

There are still over 200 combinations.

That will take forever!

Come on, that one.

Even if it takes forever,

I have to do it.

Isn't that how Father and Grandfather

did it back then?

True.

Back in the day, your father

would burn over twenty lamps at once.

Yeah.

The combinations are different,

but it's still making lampblack.

If I burn several lamps together,

it will definitely be faster.

Mother,

I can really count on you.

What's happening?

Grandfather, I'm done eating.

I'm going to the smoke shed to try again.

You haven't finished your food.

Finish it before you go.

You barely ate.

Come on.

Bye.

Grandfather!

Grandfather!

Take a look.

How does the lacquer lampblack I recreated look?

Here.

This lacquer lampblack feels dull.

In terms of quality, it's only passable.

If used for making ink, it would only be mediocre.

This is the best lampblack

out of over 200 combinations.

How about

I divide the raw materials more finely?

I don't believe

that even if I adjust it drop by drop,

I still can't find the best combination.

Zhen.

Grandfather.

Why do I feel

it's because the raw lacquer

and tung oil didn't mix completely?

Grandfather, I followed your instructions.

After preparing each raw material,

I stirred it slowly with a bamboo pestle

to prevent foam from forming.

Here's what you'll do.

Go get some soybean oil, sesame oil,

animal fat, and tea seed oil.

Prepare as many types as possible,

but in small quantities.

If we find a mixture

among these oils,

maybe it will allow the raw lacquer and tung oil

to blend completely.

This is a rough method for making lampblack.

I see, Grandfather.

Animal fat?

I feel like I've seen a formula

for making lampblack using animal fat somewhere.

Making lampblack with animal fat?

I must have seen it.

Miscellaneous uses...

When animal fat is burned, it yields

extremely fine, deep black soot,

known as lacquer soot.

Animal fat?

It really is animal fat.

[Ink Chronicles]

Manager Shao, Manager Sun.

I was just about to look for you.

Come and take a look.

I suddenly came up with 2 methods yesterday,

so I came to the smoke shed to try them out.

Can this lampblack be used now?

Although it has a rich sheen,

it's too oily.

The ink paste is hard to mold,

leaving it loose and fragile.

It seems I still haven't got the hang of it.

It's fine. I'll just try again.

I won't bother you two anymore.

Master Qi,

please wait a moment.

I will go and announce your arrival.

These are the simplest ink recipes.

They are very easy to distinguish.

Why are you here?

Seventh Grandmother,

this is a new friend I made today.

He is not a street urchin.

His name is Luo Wenqian.

Luo Wenqian, this fish lantern is for you.

Thank you.