The Heir

Li Zhen is the youngest daughter of the disgraced eighth branch of the Li ink-making clan. After a tribute-ink scandal destroys her family's standing, she trains under her grandfather and rises through talent and determination to become a force in the Huizhou ink industry. Her core motivation is restoring her family's name and dignity in a world that dismisses her because she is a woman. She is the series' central protagonist and drives nearly every major plot thread.

Also known as: Qi Jiu, Master Qi

Luo Wenqian is the second son of the once-powerful Luo family, which falls to ruin due to political entanglements. He survives under the false identity Qi Jiu with the protection of a General, establishing the Yihousheng pawnshop as a front to quietly re-enter the ink trade and restore his family's fortune. He secretly plots against Tian Benchang, whom he blames for the deaths of his brother and aunt, while his rivalry-turned-partnership with Li Zhen becomes the emotional core of the drama, eventually leading to marriage.

Also known as: Luo Wen Qian, Master Qi

Qi Jiu is the false identity assumed by Luo Wenqian after his family's downfall, given to him for protection by a sympathetic General and used to conceal his true lineage. Under this name he operates the Yihousheng pawnshop and works his way into the ink trade, hiding his real purpose of restoring the Luo family and pursuing his hidden vendetta against Tian Benchang. Only a small circle, including Wang Cuiqiao, knows his true identity.

Li Jinshui is the elderly head of the Li family's eighth branch and Li Zhen's grandfather, a master ink craftsman renowned for his skill. After his branch is stripped of its tribute-ink status and expelled from the clan, he vows to take his secret recipes to his grave rather than surrender them. He later trains Li Zhen for three years, recognizing her as a worthy successor to the family's ink-making legacy.

Also known as: Seventh Grandmother

Wang Rujun is the matriarch of the Li clan's seventh branch and effectively governs the wider family. She shows early favoritism toward young Li Zhen, calling her the clan's treasure, and continues to extend protection and opportunities to her even after the eighth branch's expulsion. She represents one of the more sympathetic elder authority figures within the fractured Li family.

Also known as: Uncle Jingdong

Li Jingdong, of the Li clan's sixth branch, is left crippled after the fire that destroys the imperial tribute ink, a disaster he blames on the negligence of Li Zhen's father. His grief and anger initially make him one of the harshest voices against the exiled eighth branch, but his hostility softens over time as he witnesses Li Zhen's talent and dedication. He also struggles with his own son's irresponsibility as the Li workshop falters.

Also known as: Fourth Aunt

Tian Jiangyue is the widow of Li Jingqi, who dies in the fire that destroys the tribute ink, and she directs her grief and rage at Li Zhen's branch of the family, blaming Li Zhen's father for her husband's death. She is one of the eighth branch's most persistent tormentors, seizing family belongings and trying to block the family from clan support. She functions as a recurring antagonist within the extended Li household.

Tian Benchang is a childhood friend of Li Zhen from the rising Tian family, who as a boy risked his mother's disapproval to help the struggling eighth branch. As an adult, his father pressures him to exploit his closeness to Li Zhen in order to steal the Li family's secret ink formula, a demand that horrifies him and threatens their relationship. Unbeknownst to him, he is also the secret target of Luo Wenqian's vendetta for the deaths of Wenqian's brother and aunt.

Tian Ronghua is Tian Benchang's sister and a genuine childhood friend to Li Zhen, having pooled her own savings as a child to help the struggling eighth branch. Her warmth toward Li Zhen stands in contrast to the hostility shown by other members of the Tian family. She remains a supportive presence for Li Zhen amid the surrounding family conflict.

Luo Hanzhang is the patriarch of the Luo family and Luo Wenqian's father, celebrated for creating the prestigious Ziji Dragon Light Ink that once won his family the tribute-ink honor. He is strict and image-conscious, growing furious when he learns his son has been mingling with the rival Li family. His family's later fall from political grace shapes much of Luo Wenqian's covert struggle to restore their name.

Wang Cuiqiao becomes Luo Wenqian's sworn sibling after years of shared hardship following his family's downfall. She helps run the Yihousheng pawnshop that serves as a front for his covert return to the ink trade and repeatedly cautions him against reckless moves that could expose his true identity or endanger his protector, the General.

Li Zhengliang is Li Zhen's brother, sharing in the eighth branch's years of hardship and exile after the family's expulsion from the clan. He supports her decision to return to the main Li workshop and help rebuild the family's ink business, acting as one of her steadiest allies within the immediate family.

Li Jinhe manages affairs for the main Li workshop and acts as a clan intermediary to the exiled eighth branch, delivering gifts and stern warnings on the family's behalf. His interactions with Li Zhen's family are formal and cautious, reflecting the clan's conditional relationship with her branch even as tensions gradually ease.

Du Qiu'e appears to be Li Zhen's mother, a steady presence who urges her children to move past the family that abandoned them and rebuild their lives after the eighth branch's expulsion. Reviewers describe the mother-daughter relationship as a quiet, supportive thread throughout Li Zhen's rise.

Zhao Jin is listed among the main supporting cast of The Heir. Available sources do not provide a clear description of this character's identity, motivation, or role in the story.

Xiao Man is listed among the main supporting cast of The Heir. Available sources do not provide a clear description of this character's identity, motivation, or role in the story.

Yan Xianglan is listed among the supporting cast of The Heir. Available sources do not provide a clear description of this character's identity, motivation, or role in the story.