[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou":3,"chapter-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-112":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ink Saint of Great Zhou",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2292075,4481,"Chapter 112: The Scroll","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-112",112,"\u003Cp>\"Regarding your origins, it was not as described in the letter—it was deliberately orchestrated by the Twenty-Seventh Prince.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang sighed: \"This was a conspiracy. Don’t take it to heart.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Ling shook her head repeatedly: \"No, I truly was adopted by the Lu family. My parents told me themselves, just before they died.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang frowned; seeing Lu Ling’s serious expression, he recalled—his parents had indeed met her alone on their deathbed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That means the Twenty-Seventh Prince uncovered this fact and used it to lure Lu Ling out of the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sister, this matter is still unclear. Come back with me first. Once everything is investigated, if it’s true, I’ll accompany you to meet your master.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang said solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Tao added beside them: \"Miss, listen to the Young Master and return for now. Those bandits we encountered before were clearly premeditated.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Ling glanced at Zhou Yiyi and sighed: \"I was wrong this time—I shouldn’t have been so reckless. I shouldn’t have tried to find my master alone without consulting my brother. I’ll go back with him and plan carefully.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Perfect!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yiyi clapped her hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang returned to the capital with the three women. As soon as they arrived at the Wenguan Marquis Mansion, he received a voice transmission from his third senior brother, Wang Fu, ordering him to report immediately to Taihe Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After making an excuse, he headed toward the imperial palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taihe Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Son of Heaven sat expressionless before his desk, with the Twenty-Seventh Prince kneeling below him. The prince looked disheveled, occasionally covering his mouth as he coughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Twenty-Seventh Prince complained: \"Father, the Wenguan Marquis beat me without cause—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Son of Heaven cut him off sharply: \"Shut your mouth. Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve done.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An aged scroll appeared, floating in midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon seeing the scroll, the Twenty-Seventh Prince’s pupils contracted in fear. \"Father, this is a misunderstanding!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whether it’s a misunderstanding, I know better,\" the Son of Heaven snorted. \"Go to the Clan Office and accept your punishment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Twenty-Seventh Prince opened his mouth but said nothing further. The scroll should have been stored in his own mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet now it was in the Emperor’s hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the Son of Heaven had planted someone within his inner circle—someone he trusted, or perhaps even a Half-Sage watching him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant every scheme he had planned was known to the Son of Heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, any excuse would be useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Twenty-Seventh Prince rose, his expression hollow. \"I acknowledge my fault. I shall go to the Clan Office and accept my punishment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the Twenty-Seventh Prince leave, the Son of Heaven muttered in disappointment: \"How disappointing. This child was never bad by nature—it’s all those Xiao family members who corrupted him!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shifted tone: \"Has the Wenguan Marquis arrived?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He is waiting outside the hall,\" replied a eunuch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Son of Heaven nodded: \"Summon the Wenguan Marquis inside.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang, hearing the summons, entered Taihe Hall with trepidation—he had just seen the Twenty-Seventh Prince’s broken state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, to save Lu Ling, his actions had been violent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, thinking it over, the Twenty-Seventh Prince was still the Son of Heaven’s own son. If the Emperor held a grudge, Lu Fang would surely suffer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that he thought about it carefully, this Twenty-Seventh Imperial Prince was after all the Son of Heaven’s son; if he had struck the man and the Son of Heaven took offense, he would surely suffer for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang bowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Son of Heaven smiled lightly: \"Rise, my minister.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang confessed honestly: \"Your Majesty, I acted impulsively out of concern for my sister and clashed with the Twenty-Seventh Prince. I know I erred. I beg Your Majesty’s punishment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Son of Heaven laughed heartily, rose, and lightly steadied Lu Fang with a gesture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My minister, I have already investigated this matter. It was entirely caused by the Twenty-Seventh Prince’s excessive jealousy. I have already punished him by sending him to the Clan Office. What crime have you committed?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled bitterly: \"Even so, I should not have—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Son of Heaven interrupted: \"Enough. This matter is over. Look at this scroll—does it seem familiar?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The floating scroll slowly unfurled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a portrait of a woman, a girl of about twenty, seated in a pavilion holding a book. Her face bore a striking resemblance—six or seven parts identical—to Lu Ling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the scroll’s yellowed state suggested it was over a decade old.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman in the painting must have been older than Lu Ling—so she could not be Lu Ling herself, but someone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Lu Fang could ask,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the Son of Heaven spoke slowly: \"Your sister Lu Ling was adopted. You already know this. The woman in this painting is her mother.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"According to intelligence, her name was Feng Ying, from a Buddhist kingdom in the Western Regions. After giving birth to Lu Ling, she returned to the Western Regions. Her exact fate remains unknown.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“According to intelligence, this woman is named Feng Ying, from a Buddhist kingdom in the Western Regions; after giving birth to Lu Ling, she returned to the Western Regions, and her exact circumstances remain unknown.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wenguan Marquis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My biological mother’s name is Feng Ying?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Ling asked urgently: \"Brother, why did she leave me with the Lu family and return alone to the Western Regions? And who is my real father?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang sighed: \"Your mother once loved a Confucian scholar named Yu Wen. Something happened—we don’t know what. Your father left you with the Lu family, then supposedly went to the Western Regions to find your mother. What exactly occurred remains unclear.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yiyi, sipping tea quietly beside them, murmured: \"Something must have happened in the Buddhist kingdom of the Western Regions. Otherwise, she would have returned to see her own daughter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang agreed. He gently patted Lu Ling’s shoulder and comforted her: \"Don’t worry. When I go to the Western Regions’ trial grounds, I will uncover the truth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Ling fell silent for a moment, then said: \"Brother, can we go to the Western Regions now? I want to ask my parents why they never came back for me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re coming too?\" Lu Fang looked at her determined face, sighed softly, and said: \"Fine. I’ll take you to the Western Regions. We were going there eventually anyway—this is a perfect chance to investigate.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you going too?” Lu Fang looked at Lu Ling’s resolute expression and sighed softly. “Fine, I’ll take you to the Buddhist Kingdom of the Western Regions. We’ll have to go there sooner or later anyway—this is as good a time as any to investigate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang met again with those preparing to perform \"Dream of the Red Chamber,\" instructing He Zixuan on the general direction. If he didn’t return, He Zixuan was to begin rehearsals according to his plans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, \"Dream of the Red Chamber\" had already been written.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The main roles had already been cast. All that remained was to rehearse according to the story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then there was \"The Smiling, Proud Wanderer,\" still serialized in the Great Zhou Literary Gazette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To ensure the Great Zhou Literary Gazette spread smoothly across the nineteen provinces, Lu Fang did not intend to halt the serialization—only to slow the pace of updates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the current popularity of \"The Smiling, Proud Wanderer,\" it was more than enough to sustain the Gazette’s momentum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Lu Fang departed for the Western Regions, he planned to leave the Book Spirit Yan Chixia behind to continue updating \"The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having completed all this,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang disguised himself, took Lu Ling and Xiao Tao, along with his fourth senior sister Zhou Yiyi as bodyguard, and secretly left the capital, heading west toward the border connecting Great Zhou with the Western Regions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang then disguised himself, taking Lu Ling and Xiao Tao, along with his fourth senior sister Zhou Yiyi as bodyguard, and secretly left Shangjing, heading toward the western border of Da Zhou that connected to the Western Regions.\u003C\u002Fp>",1344,"2026-06-20T03:56:21.568Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","bf9ef21b5b25f1e94e15d095f6cec564a9c2d7e54549e53003297799e387555a","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-113","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-111",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]