151. Tribute Ink

One hundred and thirty-two years into the First Origin era of the Great Yin—

"By the grace of Heaven and the mandate of the Emperor, this decree proclaims: The flourishing fortunes of our state shall be recorded with the brush, carried by ink, and preserved in fragrance through paper and inkstone. Our Great Yin is blessed with wondrous scenery and talented people. We alone hold a deep affection for the finest of inks, and hereby issue this imperial proclamation to summon and levy tribute inks..."

The reigning emperor of Great Yin, Emperor Chuyuan, had always favored the romantic ways of scholars and literati. It was said that during his leisure moments, Emperor Chuyuan would often don a scholar's green robe, disguise himself as a man of letters, and stroll through the bustling streets.

Should a truly gifted scholar catch Emperor Chuyuan's eye while disguised as a literatus, it would be tantamount to securing a smooth and rapid rise through the official ranks for the rest of his life.

The Ink Bureau under the Inner Court Administration was specifically responsible for selecting folk ink-makers and ink pellets for Emperor Chuyuan. That very imperial decree levying tribute inks had been issued from this bureau.

Like a single staff striking the surface of a pond and stirring up ripples, the entire Great Yin and the entire ink-making trade were sent into a tumult by this decree. Everyone wished to become an imperial ink-maker; everyone hoped the ink pellets they crafted would catch the eye of Emperor Chuyuan.

For a craftsman, reaching such heights could undoubtedly be considered the pinnacle of achievement.

Naturally, Yizhou was far from tranquil either.

A year and a half flashed by in the blink of an eye. When Feng Puyu passed away grandly, Gu Fei shed only a single tear, silent and quiet. After settling all the funeral affairs, apart from the occasional visit to the Pine and Cypress Estate, she spent most of her time crafting ink pellets in her ink chamber.

The poisonous ink she had long desired to create was successfully forged under precisely these circumstances.

This ink was styled in the shape of a court lady playing a pipa in reverse. The lady's features and expression were rendered with breathtaking realism, truly exquisite in the extreme. Its entire body was an ink-cyan hue, light in weight yet with a smooth, glazed finish. A faint, refreshing fragrance drifted from it—resembling wild roses upon first breath, yet upon closer appreciation, bearing the holy sandalwood scent of a temple.

When ground, the ink juice was an impenetrable, deep black. Once brushed onto paper, it carried a faint, glowing purplish sheen, full-bodied and lustrous.

Most peculiarly, as time passed, the fragrance of this ink would only grow more intense and captivating.

Gu Fei sat behind her desk, the poisonous ink pellet in the shape of a pipa-playing lady resting upon the ink-bed. A tiny pool of pitch-black ink juice sat in the inkstone, and a very faint fragrance hung throughout the entire study.

With gathered sleeves, she put brush to paper, meticulously copying a famous master's painting of tea-brewing that lay before her. Yet, all her innate talent had been poured into ink-making, leaving her rather inept at calligraphy and painting. Looking at the ruined painting beneath her brush once more, she frowned, crumpled it up without a moment's hesitation, and tossed it aside. Placing down a fresh sheet of blank paper, she loaded her brush heavily with ink and started all over again.

When Mama Ku entered carrying ginseng tea, several ruined sheets of paper already littered the floor. Shaking her head, she placed the ginseng tea to one side and said, "Young Mistress, the two hours are up. You must not use this ink pellet any longer."

Mama Ku was well aware that this ink pellet was poisonous. While it was feasible for Gu Fei to use this ink to paint, she could not touch the ink juice for more than two hours a day; otherwise, even Gu Fei herself would inevitably be poisoned.

Gu Fei laid down her fine-point brush, picked up the ginseng tea, and took a sip. "I know. I have already taken the antidote powder, so there is no harm."

Knowing Gu Fei's stubborn temperament, Mama Ku paused to gather her thoughts before speaking. "You plan to finish this painting before returning to Dajing, Young Mistress. In this old servant's view, that is truly difficult for you. Furthermore, if the painting is not well-rendered, it cannot be presented. This old servant thinks you might as well find someone skilled in this art."

Gu Fei paused, setting down her teacup. "How could I not know? But I have been troubled by the inability to find such a person."

The wrinkles on Mama Ku's face relaxed slightly as she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "This old servant happens to know such a person."

Gu Fei raised an eyebrow, glancing up at Mama Ku. Asking no superfluous questions, she pointed directly at the poisonous ink. "If they are trustworthy, then by all means proceed. Moreover, the matter of this poisonous ink must not become known to others."

Mama Ku nodded. "This old servant understands. Perhaps I should scrape off some powder from the ink pellet."

"No. Being overly secretive will only arouse suspicion. Just take the whole thing as it is," Gu Fei said calmly.

If Mama Ku could truly find someone capable of producing a reproduction almost identical to the original painting, it would scratch one matter off her list of concerns.

Mama Ku immediately and carefully placed the "Lady Playing Pipa in Reverse" ink pellet into an ink box, then gathered up all the discarded paper from the floor. Hesitating for a moment, she asked, "When does the Young Mistress plan to return?"

Gu Fei's fingertips paused in their stroking of the wheelchair's armrest. A sudden, deep stack of complex emotions flashed within her almond-shaped, black-pupiled eyes. Just when Mama Ku thought she would not answer, she heard her say softly, "Whenever the painting is finished, that is when I shall return."

"I am going to present the Mo family of Dajing with a monumental gift," she added a moment later.

Mama Ku glanced down at the ink box in her hands, finally understanding that Gu Fei had forged this poisonous ink specifically because of the Mo family. "This old servant understands. I shall ensure that person completes the task swiftly."

Gu Fei nodded. Then, as if recalling something, she asked, "Is there any news from the Pavilion of Exquisite Gems concerning Dajing?"

If she was to return, she certainly could not remain entirely blind to the current state of affairs in Dajing.

Mama Ku replied, "In Dajing, several imperial princes are presently locked in fierce rivalry, and various factions are heavily intertwined. While ink-making clans like the Mo family have not accepted recruitment from any single faction and appear solely focused on preparing for the current tribute ink selection, rumors say that certain princes are already dissatisfied with them, merely lacking a pretext to launch an attack."

Gu Fei propped her head with one hand, casually picking up her brush and swirling it around in the washing bowl. Watching the light and dark shades of ink disperse like a misty cloud, she let out a cold laugh.

"Those are all merely superficial things. No matter how dissatisfied a prince might be with the Mo family, none would dare to make a genuine move against them. You must remember that fifteen or sixteen out of every ten ink pellets currently on Emperor Chuyuan's desk were crafted by the Mo family. Furthermore, past selections of tribute inks have, barring accidents, always served as opportunities for the Mo family to further cement their renown. Even Emperor Chuyuan himself visited the Mo family's ink chambers a few years ago. They are a clan whose foundation is firmly anchored in the Emperor's mind. As for the princes—at best, they can only make things difficult with mere words, but none of that inflicts any real pain on the Mo family."

"Therefore, mere dissatisfaction from the princes is far from enough..."

Having spent a decade within the Dajing Mo family, Gu Fei was clear on many matters. No one understood the depth of the Mo family's heritage better than she did. A two-hundred-year-old illustrious clan could not be brought to ruin overnight.

The more one understood the Mo family, the more terrifying its depth appeared.

During those ten years, even though it later became clear that everything she had witnessed was superficial, sometimes Gu Fei only needed to think about how even those surface elements were so startling, and she would shudder to imagine what manner of scenes lay hidden in the unseen depths.

The Dajing Mo family was like a towering mountain, too lofty to see its peak; and she, even with Yizhou at her back, was currently no more than an ant at the foot of that mountain.

Yet this could not shake her resolve. The Mo family was not an impenetrable monolith. Two hundred years of time had forged the Mo family's glory, but deep within, foundations inevitably rot.

Sometimes, to overturn a behemoth, one does not need to push the whole thing over. She only needed to hollow out the most crucial roots, and the colossal structure would naturally collapse of its own accord.

Seeing that Gu Fei had fallen into deep thought, Mama Ku light-footedly carried the painting and the ink pellet out of the study.

In recent days, sensing that the day of their return to Dajing was drawing ever closer, Gu Fei frequently spent long stretches of time sunk in contemplation. Mama Ku knew that her young mistress was pondering the demeanor with which she would return, and how to deal a devastating blow to certain members of the Mo family.

After all, a good opening act was essential to produce a lasting shock.