Original subtitles

[The Heir]

[Episode 42]

We'll do as Your Highness says.

Very well.

Issue my order:

submerge the inks for testing.

[Sihe Ink]

Today

is the fifth day of the immersion test,

and the outcome remains undecided.

Renkichi,

are you confident

your method will prevail?

Please rest assured, Mr. Kuroda.

Long before we came to Ming,

we'd already conducted immersion tests.

Even if our Sihe Ink

remains submerged for 15 days,

it will emerge

completely intact.

I see.

But what if the Li family's Liuhe Ink

can also last

for 15 days?

I have

a countermeasure for that as well.

Day 10 of the immersion test,

[Literary Association]

present the inks!

[Wor...]

[World]

Wenqian,

your pacing is making me so anxious.

Your Highness,

the two inks

remain evenly matched.

Your Highness,

the immersion test

originated with Li Ink.

We're merely the younger generation following in their footsteps.

That Li Ink has not won by now is itself a defeat.

In my opinion,

there is no need to continue this contest.

What a completely unreasonable thing to say, Renkichi.

The ink made by our family's ancestors remained

completely undamaged even after being submerged in water for a whole year.

And now you wish to decide victory after a mere 10 days?

Isn't that far too frivolous?

In my opinion,

if you want the title

of "Finest Ink Under Heaven" so badly,

why not just go home,

carve yourself a plaque, and hang it up?

Why waste everyone's time here?

Wouldn't you agree?

You...

Renkichi.

Your Highness,

we came to your country

to exchange knowledge of the art of ink-making.

If this immersion test continues without a result,

are we just going to

drag this out endlessly?

Then what do you suggest, Mr. Kuroda?

Five more days.

If after five days

there is still no clear winner,

then victory shall go to my ink.

How about that?

Manager Li,

do you dare accept the challenge?

Li Zhen,

do not lose the spirit of our Hui Ink!

Your Highness,

I

accept.

Very well!

Liuhe Ink and Sihe Ink are still evenly matched!

The final judgment shall be made in five days!

Another five days?

Zhen,

today

is the decisive battle for our Li family.

The whole family will go with you.

Aunt,

I'll go with you.

Okay.

You go with me too, okay?

Okay.

Zhen,

your father and grandfather

are watching over you from heaven.

There's nothing to fear.

We will go together.

Our whole family

will go together.

I, Wenqian, shall

go with you all.

Day 15 of the immersion test,

present the inks!

Judges,

please step forward and examine the inks.

Lord Yan, Lord He, please step forward and examine the inks.

How is it this time?

The same as before.

Your Highness,

you gave your word.

If the immersion test

lasted 15 days

and still produced no winner,

then victory would belong to our family's ink.

Your Highness,

something is wrong with the Sihe Ink!

Go take a look.

Go.

Your Highness,

there is indeed something wrong with the Sihe Ink.

Impossible!

We tested our Sihe Ink long ago.

It could never be damaged after only 15 days underwater!

It's you.

You tampered with it!

Insolent!

How dare you question the impartiality of the Princess of Ming?

Where do you think you are?

This is the Literary Association of the Huizhou ink industry!

Above us stand the gods as witnesses,

and below us stand Ming guards,

jointly overseeing the inks alongside your Kuroda family!

Who could have tampered with it?

Who would dare?

Then how do you explain that the ink

showed no damage whatsoever when we tested it underwater in Japan?

May I ask you two,

since you've already conducted tests

proving your Sihe Ink didn't deteriorate when submerged,

were those tests carried out

by sinking the ink into a pond

as per the ancient method?

Yes, and what of it?

Your Highness,

I know

why the Sihe Ink deteriorated.

You submerged your ink in a pond.

A pond is deep and wide;

its waters are cold and maintain a stable temperature,

which naturally preserves the ink intact for 15 days.

But this time,

we used water jars for the test.

The jars are shallow and narrow,

and moreover, they've been exposed day and night outdoors.

Huizhou is a mountainous region.

The scorching daytime heat warms the water in the jars,

while the freezing night air chills it.

Your ink has been subjected to this repeated alternation

of heat and cold

and has gradually deteriorated as a result.

Unfair...

This is unfair.

You're familiar with the climate in Huizhou

and deliberately accounted for the temperature fluctuations.

I refuse to accept this!

The temperature changes are merely external factors.

The true cause of the ink's deterioration

lies

within the ink itself.

Your Sihe Ink uses 1000-year-old pine—

the soot made from it is extraordinary,

a rarity even in Huizhou.

But too much of a good thing can become a bad thing.

The older the pine, the harder it is

for the soot it produces to bond with the glue.

Plus, with repeated heating and cooling underwater,

the glue and soot in the ink naturally separate over time.

However, our family's Liuhe Ink

uses common pine.

The soot it produces has been bound through the six-compound glue method—

soot and glue have been completely fused,

making it impervious to heat and cold.

Even if submerged for one

or two months, it remains completely undamaged.

You proposed this method of testing ink

because you'd already tested it yourselves and felt confident.

You then lured us in step by step until we took the bait.

But in the end,

you only shot yourselves in the foot.

After today's test,

I think it goes without saying

which is superior—

Ming Hui Ink

or

Japanese ink.

Renkichi,

enough. Say no more.

Your Highness,

in this water immersion test,

the Kuroda family

admits defeat.

The Hui Ink of Ming

truly lives up to its reputation.

We accept the outcome.

Our family's blade-forging method

will be presented to the Ming court shortly.

After 15 days of the water test,

the winner has been decided.

The title of Finest Ink Under Heaven

belongs without question to the Liuhe Ink

of Ming's Li family!

Congratulations to His Majesty!

Congratulations to Your Highness!

Long live the Emperor!

Long live the Princess!

The Li family's Liuhe Ink has won

and has been granted the title "Finest Ink Under Heaven!"

Wonderful! Wonderful!

"Gold may be easy to come by, but Li Ink is hard to find!"

By imperial decree, Li Ink is granted the title of Finest Ink Under Heaven!

"Gold may be easy to come by, but Li Ink is hard to find."

By imperial decree, Li Ink is granted the title of Finest Ink Under Heaven!

"Gold may be easy to come by, but Li Ink is hard to find!"

By imperial decree, Li Ink is granted the title of Finest Ink Under Heaven!

"Gold may be easy to come by, but Li Ink is hard to find!"

By imperial decree, Li Ink is granted the title of Finest Ink Under Heaven!

Congratulations!

Congratulations! Congratulations!

Thank you.

There's one for everyone!

Congratulations on winning the title!

Everyone,

this time, Li Ink has won

the title of Finest Ink Under Heaven.

We shall now

formally bestow the plaque granted by His Majesty,

inscribed with "Finest Ink Under Heaven,"

[Finest Ink Under Heaven]

to the Li Ink!

Li Ink thanks His Majesty.

Thank you.

Congratulations to Li Ink.

Manager Zhen.

Thank you.

Your contributions in this Tribute Ink selection have been immense

and have brought great honor to our Huizhou ink industry.

You should receive this plaque on behalf of the Li family.

Zhen,

go up and accept it.

Elders and seniors of the craft,

the success of Liuhe Ink this time

is by no means the credit of our family alone,

but the result of the concerted efforts

of all peers in the Huizhou ink industry.

The Liuhe Ink contains

our family's Sihe Ink as its foundation,

along with the Luo family's ink-mixing method,

the Chen family's glue technique,

the Pan family's ink recipes,

the Xi family's stone mortar and pestle,

and the precious medicinal ingredients

from Manager Huang and President Hu.

Every step of its creation was built upon

the painstaking effort and dedication of all.

And when my grandfather used his own blood to mix the ink in the end,

what he bound was not merely a block of ink,

but the unity of Hui Ink and the eternal inheritance of its spirit.

Therefore,

this plaque of "Finest Ink Under Heaven"

should not belong solely to the Li family

but hang permanently in the Literary Association

so that all Huizhou ink artisans

may share this honor forever.

Well...

Zhen,

this plaque was hard-won.

Are you truly

not going to keep it?

President Hu,

this is the result of a decision

made collectively by our entire Li family.

It was not made on impulse.

Furthermore,

we've divided the Liuhe Ink into portions

to present to each ink-making family in Huizhou.

It's a symbol that all of us in the Huizhou ink industry

spring from the same root

and are nourished by the same land.

I believe

this is also what my grandfather, watching over us from beyond,

truly wished to see.

Zhen,

we can all feel the generosity of spirit

behind your intentions.

Today, the Huizhou ink industry accepts the kindness of Li Ink

and will certainly, as you wish,

continue to develop and grow stronger.

It's just that you

and your Li family

have gone through so much

yet kept nothing for yourselves.

Wouldn't that be a pity?

Indeed.

Respected elders,

if we are to speak of regrets,

I do have one request.

I

would like to take back the tooth

my grandfather knocked out and drove into the pillar to seal his vow.

My grandfather has now given his life for his craft

and held fast to his Way of Ink.

The vow he swore

and the blood he shed

have all become memories, dissipating like smoke.

And this tooth

should also

go with him.

It should no longer remain here.

I want my grandfather

to return home whole and complete.

I ask all elders here to grant me this wish.

Zhen,

how could we not grant

such an act of filial devotion?

You're right.

We should let Eighth Master Li

return home whole and complete.

[Li Residence]

The path of ink-making is

full of hardships and obstacles.

Can you endure them?

I'm willing to endure hardships!

Good.

I, Li Jinshui, inheritor of the Li's Ink-making technique,

take Zhen of the Li family as my apprentice

to pass on the art of ink-making.

May the Founding Master bless her path in ink-making,

smooth and prosperous,

and true to her original aspiration.

For others,

the first step in making ink might be making lampblack.

But for you,

you must start by twisting lamp wicks.

The path of ink-making

is full of hardships and obstacles.

We grind the ink, and the ink

shapes us in return.

What I want to pass on to you...

is the Way of Ink.

The Way of Ink?

To remain upright and honorable

is the Li family's Way.

To live and die alongside the ink

was Luo Wensong's Way.

I truly hope

that one day

you can find your own Way.

♪ She sits before a bronze mirror, her rouge setting off the red of her robe ♪

White Jade Light is the Luo family's ink.

♪ Gray walls and blue bricks stretch for miles ♪

Scholar Ink

is the Chen family's ink.

Then what is our family's ink called?

♪ A lone goose descends; a solitary bloom stirs ♪

Cloud-Descending Mountain Ink.

Grandfather,

when I grow up,

I want to make my own ink too.

♪ The world bustles on, yet my return remains uncertain ♪

Then let Grandfather think carefully about that.

♪ With ink as the cure, it paints my beauty anew ♪

♪ With ink as the remedy, it mends my wounded heart ♪

♪ With ink as my raiment, it grants me glory ♪

♪ With ink as my obsession, I unleash the light within my heart ♪

♪ Ink-kissed beauty outshines jade, its hue pure to behold ♪

♪ My heart remains true to where it first began ♪

♪ Born with a surname bestowed, grown into a name of my own ♪

♪ Like a gentle drizzle, it softly nourishes my soul ♪

Grandfather, I've rolled it.

Uneven thickness.

Do it again.

♪ With ink as the cure, it paints my beauty anew ♪

Grandfather.

I've rolled it again.

♪ With ink as the remedy, it mends my wounded heart ♪

Not tight enough. One pull, and it falls apart.

Do it again.

Fine. I'll do it again.

♪ With ink as my raiment, it grants me glory ♪

♪ With ink as my obsession, I unleash the light within my heart ♪

Grandfather...

Grandfather...

♪ Rooted in love, all things flourish ♪

Allow me

to propose a toast.

This cup

is raised in honor of the Li family.

If you hadn't won the selection this time,

how could I have retired from court

with such dignity?

I drink first as a gesture of respect!

Thank you, Lord Yan.

Thank you.

Lord Yan,

that's not quite right.

You shouldn't still refer to them as the Li family,

but as your in-laws.

Lord He is right.

Actually, I've already planned

that after the tribute selection,

I will come to propose marriage for my son

and set a wedding date for Zhengshen and Xianglan

as soon as possible.

Wonderful. I'll be waiting for you.

Okay.

Great!

Then I must share in this happy occasion.

Everyone, let's raise a glass together.

Come on.

Cheers.

Come on.

Speaking of the wedding,

Miss Li Zhen,

you're also of marriageable age.

In the past, you were too busy making ink

to think about such things.

Now,

you've achieved fame and success.

"Men should marry when they

come of age, and so should women."

It's time for you to think about these matters.

By the way,

I have a disciple in Nanjing.

His family comes from an official lineage.

He's talented and of fine appearance, well matched with her in every regard.

Niece-in-law,

what do you think?

This is freshly stewed old duck soup.

Everyone, please try some.

Go ahead, everyone. Try it.

Lord Qi.

That's hardly fair.

If Miss Li Zhen were to marry into a family in Nanjing,

wouldn't that be a tremendous loss for us here in Huizhou?

How about I present a memorial to the provincial governor

and petition His Majesty for a marriage decree,

betrothing Miss Li Zhen to a scion

of an official family in our Huizhou?

Surely His Majesty wouldn't refuse.

You should just give up that idea.

Lord He,

you're even fighting me over this too?

Come on.

Come on, let's drink.

On behalf of

General Yu,

I extend my congratulations to you and the Li family,

along with our deepest gratitude.

Please thank General Yu for us.

Try the dishes.

Everyone, let's eat.

Congratulations.

Hurry. Come on.

Come over, quickly.

♪ Candlelight sways, I swallow sorrow alone ♪

♪ I write each word in slow, desolate tone ♪

These are the simplest ink recipes.

They are very easy to distinguish.

♪ Looking back, the road stretches on and on ♪

This one contains plum blossom and osmanthus.

It must be the Chen family's Scholar Ink, known as

♪ Still unhurt, I drink another grief with the moon ♪

"the gentleman among inks," symbolizing success in the imperial exams.

♪ I carve past years' bonds into the scroll of time ♪

You don't know how adorable he was.

At that time,

I'd already considered him my friend.

♪ Please turn the light that waits in the dark ♪

Friend?

If you don't mind,

♪ Into a new direction after wind and frost ♪

come work in Li Ink with me.

I assure you

that as long as I'm around,

♪ Trust keeps the heart calm ♪

you'll have food to eat and a place to stay.

Strangely enough,

I've had nothing during this time,

♪ And unconfused ♪

yet it feels as though I lack nothing.

I feel at peace.

♪ Please let the girl I might meet again ♪

♪ Be hope that fate has gently given ♪

In my heart,

you truly mean a lot.

♪ No matter how many regrets remain ♪

I don't want to lose you again.

♪ In the end, all has already passed ♪

♪ Please turn the light that waits in the dark ♪

♪ Into a new direction after wind and frost ♪

Luo Wenqian, listen carefully.

For the person I love,

♪ Trust keeps the heart calm ♪

not even the end of the world could make me give up.

Whatever the verdict is tomorrow,

♪ And unconfused ♪

I will face it with you.

Luo Wenqian!

♪ Please let the girl I might meet again ♪

♪ Be hope that fate has gently given ♪

♪ No matter how many regrets remain ♪

♪ In the end, all has already passed ♪

Farewell.

Take care!

Zhen!

Why are you here?

At the banquet,

everyone was trying to arrange a marriage for you.

But I don't want you to marry anyone else.

I don't want to miss my chance with you again.

We've already missed each other too many times.

That year, when I was exiled,

I thought

from then on

we would be separated by mountains and seas forever.

But later, when I returned, I realized

that however high

the mountains are, they can be climbed,

and however vast

the seas are, they can be crossed.

Zhen,

from this day forward,

I want to cross mountains and seas for you

and share every detail of this mortal world with you.

For these past three years—

for the sake of my mother,

my grandfather,

and Uncle Jingdong—

I dared not let myself think of you

and couldn't allow myself to.

I kept trying to make myself forget you completely.

But I realized

there wasn't a single moment when I truly forgot you.

All these years,

I believed it was our entire family

that couldn't move on from what happened.

But in the end, I realized

that the only one trapped in it

was me.

From now on,

you won't be alone anymore.

If you can't accept me right now, that's alright.

I can wait.

One year, three years, five years, or ten years—

I'll wait as long as it takes.

What if I said

I want you to stay by my side for the rest of our lives?

I will.

I will.

I'll stay with you for the rest of my life.

Wenqian.

Cuiqiao's birthday is next month.

I want to give her this set of exquisite colored ink.

What do you think?

Very good.

Especially this azure color— it looks like the sea.

Sister will definitely like it.

What have you been drawing for so long?

I was thinking

of making an ink adorned with a pair of mandarin ducks

and then using that very ink

to write our marriage certificate.

G-Give it to me.

Let me help you improve the design.

Come on.

Here.

Look.

Look.

Draw it...

here.

Indeed, much better.

Manager Zhen,

Mr. Xiao is here!

Jixiang?

Young Master!

Young Master,

I heard you were here.

Mr. Xiao.

Miss Li Zhen.

You rascal,

you didn't even write to me before coming.

Young Master.

What's wrong?

An uprising has broken out along the Fujian and Guangdong coasts.

The situation is grave.

General Yu requests that you return to camp with me immediately

and assist in suppressing the uprising.

Just see me off here.

May you soon return triumphant.

Wait for me to come back.

How did Aunt teach you before?

Look,

we have to twist the lamp wick first, right?

Then keep rolling it like this.

Here.

Hold it here and twist downward.

That's right.

Our Tianxin is so clever.

Zhen,

[By Li Zhen]

the ink-making methods of Li Ink have been compiled and preserved

for the benefit of future generations.

We, the Li family,

have true strength of character.

Good.

You must diligently memorize the Ink Canon and copy the Ink Scripture.

You're always so energetic when playing,

yet so sleepy when it's time to study.

Each inkstick is painstakingly made.

Make sure you cherish them, okay?

Okay, okay.

[Li Zhen honored the trust of her forebears and restored the glory of Li Ink.]

[She later withdrew into seclusion, where she devoted herself to writing and passing on her knowledge.]

[From the Wanli reign of the Ming dynasty onward, Hui Ink was carried on by the Fang and Cheng lineages.]

[Generations of master craftsmen followed in succession, preserving the tradition without interruption.]

[The End]