Original subtitles

[The Heir]

[Episode 32]

Zhen,

when you were little,

you often sneaked in here to play, didn't you?

No.

I only sneaked in once.

My mother caught me

and dragged me out immediately.

Come.

Follow me.

Come, come in.

Zhen.

This is the forbidden area of Li Ink.

Take a good look...

at Li Ink's treasures.

The Ink Vault

is the foundation

of Li family's century-old legacy.

Despite facing internal troubles and external threats,

ups and downs,

we have survived

because of them.

Lushan Pine Ink.

Zhongjiang's Ink.

So many ancient inks.

Zhen.

Come.

Offer this Sihe Ink

to our Founding Master.

It's because of these

that our Li Ink

can be passed down for generations.

This is what people of Li Ink

will defend

with our lives.

Zhen.

Zhen.

The Li family's legacy

and the Li family's foundation

all lies in these few words:

ink-making techniques.

With it,

people of Li Ink

can get through whatever

hardships and difficulties we experience.

What allows Li Ink to survive

is the technique and spirit.

You must remember this.

I will.

Li Zhen,

it is you

who brought the hope of rebirth

to our Li Ink.

Today,

I am

going to hand over

Li family and Li Ink to you

in front of Founding Master.

You must protect it.

You deserve it.

Seventh Grandmother,

I will do my best—

I swear to protect the Li family

and carry on the legacy of Li Ink.

Rujun.

It's windy at the dock.

Drink this ginger soup to ward off the cold.

Zhen

is very different

this time she's back.

She told me about the selection in Nanjing.

From what I heard,

it was a test of understanding people's hearts.

No one in our Li family except Zhen

is so

observant.

Zhen has her plans.

She looks calm on the surface,

but she acts boldly

yet thoughtfully.

That is the demeanor of a master.

Of course.

She follows the path you laid out for her.

Of course she is just like you.

No, no. No.

She tempered herself through hardships.

Everyone thinks

I was shielding her.

But

I was the one

who was the one most ruthless to her.

I knew very well

she would suffer endless grievances

if I make her carry on the Li family's legacy,

yet I forcibly dragged her back.

Her journey

has been too tough.

I was thinking,

as she runs forward alone in the future,

no one can stop her anymore.

The burden on your shoulders can finally be lifted.

Just now,

when I handed her the key

in the Ink Vault,

I saw her expression.

She's going to establish her own school.

She really resembles you a bit

from when you were a young girl.

That feels like a lifetime ago.

You still remember.

It's a pity.

Your whole life

and your talent

are wasted in that high wall.

Rujun.

It's no pity.

I've lived two lives in this lifetime.

I'm content.

The banquet is about to start.

Finish this ginger soup quickly,

and go out to celebrate with your Zhen.

Everyone.

I invited you all to gather here today

for 3 celebrations.

First,

Li Ink has won the Noble Consort's favor,

obtaining the ink supply rights for the Princess's Mansion,

taking Li Ink to the next level.

Great!

Good!

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Congratulations!

-Congratulations. -Congratulations.

-Congratulations. -Thank you.

Zhengyou.

You've witnessed

the whole process in Nanjing.

This is your first major event since joining the ink workshop.

With this glass of wine,

I toast to you.

Congratulations on completing your apprenticeship.

Thank you, Zhen.

Come.

Zhengyou has made it.

Second,

Li Ink Workshop opened in Nanjing.

Li Ink has stepped out of Huizhou,

marching towards a broader world.

Zhengshen is still tending Nanjing’s shop.

Master Qi.

Nanjing is also partially thanks to you.

You and Zhengshen have worked hard.

With this glass of wine,

I toast to you.

Third,

the Li family has welcomed back our ancestors' Sihe Ink.

The Sihe Ink

has Li Ink's soul.

With the ink back, the soul is back.

Good!

-Good, good. -Good.

Good.

Zhen.

Li Ink has come this far—

with the road ahead wide and the people united—

all thanks to you.

I am deeply honored by the love of all the respected elders,

and will never let Seventh Grandmother's trust down.

I will continue to lead Li Ink forward,

Before heaven and earth,

before everyone...

With this glass of wine,

I toast to you all.

Come, drink!

Thank you all!

Zhen.

Zhen.

Can I have a look

at Sihe Ink?

Third Master Chen,

stop thinking about our family's ink.

Just drink.

This Jinshui...

Third Grandfather, drink first.

Finish your glass before we talk.

-All right -Drink up.

Seventh Grandmother.

Come.

I'll go toast another glass.

President Hu.

I would like to toast to you.

Huizhou's ink industry has been all thanks to you these years.

Manager Zhen.

The Literary Association is also benefiting from this.

Third Grandfather.

I'm here to toast to you.

Third Grandfather.

Thank you for your care for me all these years.

It's my pleasure.

I thank you two.

Come, come.

Eat and drink well today.

I'm telling you, drink less.

Who drinks like this?

Hold this.

Pour wine for me.

Come.

Grandpa, Uncle Jingdong.

I'm here to toast you.

Drink slowly.

Grandpa, drink slowly.

Mother.

Eldest Aunt.

Third Aunt.

Sister-in-law.

Aunt Chunhua.

Come, I toast to you.

Come.

I'm drinking up!

Slow down, be careful.

Look at our little Zhengrun.

Master Qi.

Master Qi.

Aunt.

I toast to you.

Thank you for taking care of our Zhen.

Come to our house when you have time.

I'll cook a few dishes,

and we can drink at home.

Tell her to drink less.

I've been pouring very little.

So cute. Who put this on you?

Let me kiss you.

Here.

Another kiss.

Did you drink too much?

Go ahead with your business.

Well...

Xianglan.

Zhengshen sent a letter from Nanjing.

It arrived while you

were still on the boat.

He repeatedly urged

that the letter for you

shouldn't be opened

or peeked at.

Here you go.

Thank you.

My dearest Xianglan!

Give the letter back to me!

My dearest Xianglan!

My dearest Xianglan!

Shut up!

All right, all right.

Please have a seat.

Sit.

Hua'er, stop right there!

Father.

Hua'er is bullying me.

You were

grinning from ear to ear.

Take your seat. I have something important.

Go.

Seventh Old Madam!

Seventh Old Madam!

All of you are here.

Seventh Old Madam.

Congratulations

for securing of the ink supplier right for the Princess's Mansion.

This brings glory

to our Huizhou ink industry.

Thank you, Lord Yan.

I used Madam Wang's connections

and hired the best theatrical troupe.

They have been waiting at the stage

for a long time.

I especially invite you, Old Madam, to do us the honor

of watching the play together.

Thank you, Lord Yan

for going such trouble to arrange this.

Since you arrived,

you haven't even sat down for a proper drink.

I feel bad about it.

How... How about this?

I'll take Zhen and my female family members

to go watch the play.

This way, you can sit here comfortably

and enjoy drinking with everyone.

How about that?

That's great!

I'm happy today.

My granddaughters

and daughters-in-law,

let's have a drink to warm up first.

Old Madam.

This theatrical troupe today

was invited to celebrate the joy of Li Ink.

Please choose a play

for everyone's entertainment.

Cuiqiao, thank you.

So many.

"Baihua Presents a Sword."

When I was young,

my friends and I

loved watching this play the most.

After watching this play, my friends and I

would imitate, recite, and dance it every day.

I still remember.

♪ Flowers and dew ♪

♪ The moon changes ♪

Bravo!

Beautifully sang!

I was

running out of breath.

I couldn't tell at all.

And I was out of tune too.

But...

But those past events...

they are vivid in my mind.

Every time I watch this play,

I'll be happy for days.

So which play do you want to listen to today?

Today I'll request for "The Tale of Two Heroes."

Yes, Old Madam.

♪ I, Liang Hongyu ♪

♪ As Wuzhu launched an army against our borders ♪

♪ The people are in misery ♪

♪ I'll fight with the General ♪

♪ And Jin soldiers in Jinshan today ♪

Zhen.

Liang Hongyu is so heroic and valiant.

I really admire her.

Liang Hongyu defends the country,

while our Seventh Grandmother is the Head of the House and manager.

Both of them are role models for women.

Now,

my Zhen,

you are the manager.

Good!

♪ I can't help but feel regretful seeing these cunning invaders roaring ♪

♪ Hold the armor, get on the horse, and wield your sword ♪

♪ Hold the armor, get on the horse, and wield your sword ♪

♪ The female celestial demon comes down from the highest heaven ♪

♪ Just look at how powerful I am fighting this war ♪

Bravo!

Bravo!

Bravo!

The beating drums and sounding gongs

are so magnificent,

that they make me, Wang Rujun,

extremely excited.

Liang Hongyu,

the war drums beat

as the soldiers march to battle—

such boundless heroism.

I'm tired of sitting.

I want to get down and walk.

Put me down.

Seventh Grandmother.

Grandmother, it's is already winter.

It's getting cold.

If you want to walk,

let's go take a look

at Nanjing's shop

next spring, okay?

Exactly, Mother.

The night road is hard to walk on.

You should get back in the sedan chair.

Go back.

Go back.

I insist on walking.

Okay.

I want to walk today,

right now.

This street,

go straight ahead and it leads to the Li family's ink workshop.

When I married into the Li family

and just became the daughter-in-law,

I went in and out countless times.

Whether it was windy, raining, or hailing,

I was always running

to deliver food to my Jintai.

And then I would

run back

to pacify

Jingyuan in swaddling clothes.

The past days were good.

There was hope.

Nowadays,

I, the daughter-in-law,

have become a mother-in-law.

I am your mother-in-law,

and I've become your Seventh Grandmother.

With you two accompanying me,

not to mention walking home together,

even if we walk to Xin'an River

and take a swim, it would be fine!

Seventh Grandmother,

why did you drink so much today?

I...

I...

I miss Jintai.

Let's go.

With you two protecting me,

how could I not make it home?

It's been a long time since I felt as happy

as I do tonight.

Zhen,

thank you.

I want to ask you,

are you happy?

Protecting the Li family

is my fate

but not necessarily yours.

I want you

to go for your own goal.

I hope you can boldy

pursue your own happiness.

Seventh Grandmother,

coming to this family was my own choice.

In this family,

I am very happy.

Good.

Good.

Seventh Grandmother,

do you still remember?

When I was little,

when my parents went into the mountains,

I would run over to sleep with you.

Back then,

you'd always sang a nursery rhyme to me.

Of course I remember.

♪ Corn pastry ♪

Seventh Grandmother,

let me sing it for you.

Sleep well tonight,

and I'll buy you a corn pastry tomorrow morning, okay?

Okay, okay.

♪ Step on the fire ♪

[The melody is inspired by a folk song in Huizhou, "Rice and Wheat Grinding."]

♪ We hold corn pastry in our hands ♪

♪ Eat the pork in a bowl ♪

♪ I'm living a life of bliss, like a god ♪

♪ Step on the fire ♪

♪ We hold corn pastry in our hands ♪

♪ Eat the pork in a bowl ♪

♪ I'm living a life of bliss, like a god ♪

♪ Step on the fire ♪

♪ We hold corn pastry in our hands ♪

Seventh Grandmother,

I bought the corn pastry.

Wake up.

Smell it, isn't it fragrant?

Seventh Grandmother, wake up.

Seventh Grandmother, wake up.

Seventh Grandmother!

Seventh Grandmother!

[He Garden]

[The spirit tablet of the paternal grandmother, Wang Rujun]

Guests may pay condolences.

Seventh Old Madam,

may you rest in peace.

Rujin,

in the end, I'm the only one...

left...

in this generation.

Letting me live to the end

is also to repay

Sixth Brother,

Seventh Brother,

and Seventh Sister-in-law's

kindness to Jinshui.

You have protected Li Ink

all your life.

You have lived up to

to the saying "upright and honorable."

Seventh Sister-in-law,

rest in peace.

Reunite with Seventh Brother.

[Li's Ancestral Hall]

Wang Rujun, the matriarch of the Li family,

was respectful and cautious all her life.

She devoted all her efforts to the Li family

and achieved outstanding merits.

Today, the Li family

wishes to hang her portrait

in the ancestral hall.

We specially open the ancestral hall

to pay respects to the ancestors.

Kneel!

Bow!

Rise!

Up!

Kneel!

Bow!

Rise!

Hang the portrait!

Invite the spirit to take its seat.

[The spirit tablet of Wang Rujun]

You must be exhausted,

holding on for so long.

I'm fine.

I took over Li Ink from Seventh Grandmother.

Now I must shoulder the responsibility

of the Li family and Li Ink.

If I let myself be

too immersed in painful and depression,

Seventh Grandmother

won't be able to rest in peace.

I know

you've always been strong.

But now that everyone is gone,

if you are sad,

you should just cry it out.

Qi Jiu.

My Seventh Grandmother is gone.

I don't have a grandmother anymore.

I don't have a grandmother anymore.

I don't have Seventh Grandmother anymore.

You'll feel better after crying.

So Manager Zhen and Master Qi...

are already so deeply in love.

Granny,

let me help you pick them up.

Your legs aren't very agile.

Don't pick those up.

Just consider it as a tip from the Seventh Old Madam

to the wandering ghosts on the road.

Thank you for your help.

With the way I look,

I must have scared you.

I'll leave right away.

I recognize you.

You recognize me?

Yes.

I recognize you.

You are Doggie's grandmother.

When I was staying at the Li Ink Workshop,

I heard Doggie say

that his granny's cooking

is the best in the world.

It made me so envious.

Doggie

mentioned

that there was a Master Qi in Li Ink

who used to live in the ink workshop.

Is that...

That's me, Qi Jiu.

Qi Jiu?

Are you

the ninth child in your family?

No, no.

I...

am an orphan.

My close relatives passed away early.

This name was given to me by my brothers

out there.

I see.

Forgive my presumption.

No, it's fine.

Granny,

it's cold and windy outside.

You should go back in and rest.

I will take my leave first.

[Nanjing]

Mr. Wu.

Why is it 30% more

than what I mentioned?

The path you pointed out

is truly a clear one.

We've already run it successfully twice.

This

is to show my respect to you.

Please continue to look after me in the future, Mr. Wu.

This is all thanks to your own intelligence, Mr. Tian.

You figured out this path's method yourself.

It has nothing to do

with me at all.

How could it have nothing to do with you?

It's all thanks to your efforts in smoothing things over—

It has nothing to do with you at all.

It was all my own idea,

a path I came up with myself.

But don't worry, Mr. Wu.

There is

nothing wrong with this silver.

The collected Japanese silver...

has already been dealt with.

It's been laundered completely clean.

Rest assured.

Good.

You are very thoughtful, Mr. Tian.

Mr. Tian,

you are a man of great talent.

With such courage and strategy,

in the future,

your prospects are undoubtedly boundless.

You flatter me, Mr. Wu.

Please.

Mr. Tian.

There is one thing

I need to remind you.

Please, go ahead.

You and I both walk in the light.

Our hands

must remain absolutely clean.

They cannot be tainted with any dirt.

Those loose threads in the dark

should be pinned on others.

If someone goes against you

and tries to defame you,

then...

I understand.

I understand.

Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Wu.

Speaking of which,

there is one more thing.

I would like to ask you for a small favor, Young Master Wu.

Last time,

we let that Qi Jiu escape by sheer luck.

Count himself lucky.

But strangely,

afterward, he had no reaction at all.

He didn't report to the authorities or investigate.

The more I think about it, the more suspicious he seems.

So I wanted to ask you, Mr. Wu,

to help out again

and thoroughly check his background

to prevent future trouble.

My father has some connections in the Ministry of Revenue.

Investigating someone

is a small matter.

Mr. Wu.

I, Tian Benchang,

today acknowledge you as my own older brother.

In the future, for every part I get,

you will get two parts.

Brother Tian,

how can the small Directorate of Imperial Household

possibly keep you?

In the future, when you achieve your grand plans,

don't forget me, my friend.

You are joking.

You flatter me, Mr. Wu.

Come.

Brother.

We can't do this.

If someone finds out,

we'll be beheaded.

You're the one who came to Nanjing

And you were the one begging to do business with me.

Now you're scared?

I didn't know we would be trading with foreigners before I came.

So what?

Now that you know,

you're backing out?

Open the door.

Mr. Tian, everything is inside.

Leave the stuff here.

Wait outside.

Come here.

Stamp this for me.

Brother, I didn't bring my name seal.

Didn't I tell you to bring it?

Yes,

but I forgot.

Brother!

Brother!

Brother!

Stamp it.

Stamp it!

Brother, I dare not.

Brother!

Brother, I dare not!

Get people to transport the ink!

I was originally worried

that there'd be no one to tend the shop

in Nanjing with me coming back for the funeral.

But it's all thanks to to Clerk Qi's help.

He immediately sent a manager over.

He seems very reliable,

so I could rush back with a peace of mind.

When I returned,

several types of ink in the shop

were almost out of stock.

It's been a long time since then.

We need to restock quickly.

Since expensive inks are selling well in Nanjing,

let's bring more ancient lacquer-soot ink this time.

The spring examination is approaching.

Origin and Shizi Ink will sell fast,

so prepare some of those too.

Okay.

Seems like the inks

will be ready today.

I'll go say goodbye to Xianglan,

and leave tomorrow.

Manager Zhen.

Master.

The mines in the southeast are rioting.

The refugees fled to Huizhou.

What?