Chue had to admire Ujun’s commitment to pretending not to be involved.
She was sure that he had spread other rumors in other places as well. Just the words of a weakling. Thus this bat-like man, neither bird nor beast, had lit the smallest sparks within the military.
Who would ever believe that this weakest of all creatures was the source of the factional strife that had engulfed the army?
“Why did you spread those rumors?” Chue asked him.
“Oh, no real reason. But anyone who knew their own weakness ought to have understood—there are things that are appropriate to do, and things that are not.”
It was said with the slightest touch of malice.
Ujun didn’t specifically resent those in power or their politics. What he couldn’t stand were people puffed up with pride because they believed they were strong.
“Anyway, there are plenty of people who will do anything to get close to the Moon Prince, whether I whisper in their ear or not. For he’s so strong and beautiful and diligent.”
“You think he’s diligent?”
“Indeed. He would never have spent a whole year in the western capital just for the fun of it.”
This man, Chue thought, had a good pair of eyes.
“Besides His Majesty himself, there’s only one member of the Imperial family who is healthy, and of age, and highly competent—the Moon Prince. And yet, if anything were to happen to the Emperor at this moment, it’s the heir apparent who would assume the throne—though he’s far too young for it. Which, I suppose, would make his maternal relatives very happy.”
“Hence the rumors, eh?”
Spread mistrust and inflame ambition to control the actions of others. The soldiers had been dancing in this weakling’s palm, and they never even knew it.
“Did you say anything about the U clan as well?” Chue asked.
“Nothing specific. Only that the boy adopted by the main house was still so young and innocent.”
Chue felt a shiver run down her spine. The boy wasn’t a secret by any means; he’d even been introduced at the meeting of the named. Yet the leader of the U clan was old and sickly. If anything should happen to him, his position would be occupied by a child not even ten years old.
That was the point Ujun wanted to leave in people’s minds.
It was more than enough to explain why the “new faction” had gone after the U clan of late.
“You really do hate the U clan, don’t you?”
“I don’t hate them. I just think they were soft on my father, my sister, and me. How much must the family’s power be undercut before our leader chases us out?”
Ujun was twisted. Warped to the roots. There would be no going back for him.
“What if I told you that you might be punished even though you never laid a hand on that hunter? Rumors are as rumors do, but if they decide you incited the violence, you could still be considered a criminal.”
“Then at least I could finally stop being a soldier.”
“If you want to stop, can’t you just quit?”
“I don’t have the nerve to quit outright. Not me.”
Such cowardice was truly unbelievable.
“If they do punish me, do you think it would extend it to my father and sister?” Ujun asked.
“Eager not to put them to too much trouble?” Chue replied.
“No. I just thought that if I’m going to be kicked out of my family, it might be nice to have them come with me. All of us leaving the mansion together without a coin to our names.” Ujun grinned broadly as he spoke.
“Mmm... Miss Chue can see you’re like her, dear Ujun.”
They faced the same direction, as it were. Not like Hulan.
That made this easy.
“I happen to hate my family too, you know,” Chue said, smiling.
She hated the mother who had abandoned her.
She balked at the father who had been so busy chasing her mother that he hadn’t seen her.
She hated the half-brother who had failed because of his misplaced sense of justice.
She couldn’t have cared less about the half-brother and sister who knew nothing.
As for the younger half-brother her mother so doted on, she supposed she would see that he had an accident one of these days.
“Don’t misunderstand, please. I hate my father and my little sister. My mother and my half-sister, I rather like,” said Ujun.
“Well, well. So you like your half-sister.”
“I do. Lady Lishu...she’s rather like a rabbit. She knows her own weakness.” Ujun gave an innocent smile. “My father refused to acknowledge his weakness. That weakness was what caused him to fail in his business endeavors, which was why he ultimately had to be adopted by the main house even though he already had my mother. It was only the power of the U clan that enabled him to succeed in business. Then he got greedy. His stint as an official? He was simply playing at strength. Hence my mother managed the business, and when his wife at the main house passed away, he was able to make my mother his official wife. My mother was not a strong person, yet somehow she managed to oversee the business on her own. And then my father thought to add the burden of being a wife to her load.”
“Word on the street was that Uryuu was an inspired businessman, but that was all his wife’s doing, was it?”
“That’s right. And because my younger sister came to the main house when she was so small, she grew up without ever knowing that she was weak. Our father stacked the ranks of the servants with his own people, and shortly thereafter, our mother died. My sister was never more than the spare, yet she tormented the daughter of the main house. Truly, she knew neither herself nor her place.”
“Not that you did anything to stop it.”
“No—because I’m even weaker than my father.”
Just how self-abasing was this guy? It was getting to the point where it was almost inspiring.
“I’m like rootless grass, frail and feeble. It’s only fitting for me to dry up somewhere and wither away.”
“Hmmm.”
Chue considered.
“Something the matter?” Ujun asked.
“Not really. I just thought, what a waste it would be.”
“What would?”
“You, Ujun.”
He looked as if he couldn’t comprehend what she was saying.
“I wish you were about ten years younger, but that natural weakness is a priceless strength. It gives you a stubborn survivability that no one who goes around puffed up with their own power could have.”
“What exactly are you saying?”
“Would you like to be my successor?”
Ujun’s eyes widened at that.
Chue’s dominant arm was useless now. It would be faster to find Chue in the Mi clan’s ranks if you started from the bottom. If she wanted to raise her status, then producing usable arms and legs in a hurry would be the quickest way.
She had really wished she could have brought the little girl Xiaohong back from the western capital with her, but it had proven impossible. So how about a monster, instead? In the sense that he was very specialized in one particular skill.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Ujun said.
“Oh, it’s very simple,” she drawled. “You only need to keep spreading rumors, just like you’ve been doing. It’s just, now some of them will be things that the higher-ups want people to hear.”
“The higher-ups? You know I’m not precisely full of patriotism, don’t you?”
Ujun was a very direct man—but Chue could be just as blunt. “You don’t need to be patriotic or loyal as long as you get something you can’t get any other way. Chasing the family you despise from their home, penniless? I can do that before breakfast.”
“I must say, it’s an attractive offer.” Ujun was clearly intrigued, but Chue still had to strike the decisive blow.
“Is there something else you want?” she asked.
“Well... I wouldn’t want you to think I’m trying to wipe away my guilt. But what if I said I’d like to give Lady Lishu back the happiness that I’ve stolen from her? Would that be feasible?”
“But of course.” Chue laughed. “I’ll be giving you a lot of lessons from here on out. What a lucky guy, to be instructed by a married woman.”
“Actually, I prefer not to get involved with married women. Far too much baggage.”
So began a relationship of two scoundrels, teacher and student.