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.

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: 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 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.

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.