Mizu: I am working really hard, trying to ignore the politics. Right now I just want people to accept what has happened and move on. I will be writing for the next four years...
Chapter Five
I walk into the room to see father and Second Brother sitting. This is unexpected, normally Second Brother doesn't talk with Father. Here I thought I'd be talking to only father.
"Father, brother, I've been poisoned." I say dropping onto the floor. My acting skills are flawless and Father's heart begins to race while brother's begins to beat at a rate closer to hope than of surprise.
"Katsuro who did it?" Father asks, he jumps up to catch me and looks as if he is ready to investigate this matter thoroughly. Brother is just sitting there his breathing coming to a complete stop.
"No one I was just testing your reaction" I say sitting down, my father sighs in relief while my brother begins to breathe again. "Why would I walk to you when the doctor is just down the hall?"
"Why would you be testing us anyway?" My brother asks. How foolish, in this world only trust those who you can see through and manipulate. The ones you can't are the ones you keep closer because you have to find a way to see through their actions and manipulate them.
"Hey, Brother I need someone to go to the Capital." I whisper getting closer to brother. "I need you to go and entertain the Emperor as well as help me gain influence with the stronger lords."
"Why would you ask me?" he asks in a whisper back. Hmm, how should I explain this. I can't tell him I don't want him to gain a power base in the lands up north, it's obvious he will fail at entertaining the Emperor and the stronger lords. My brother is a very boring person who anybody can see scheming a mile away.
"Isn't it obvious, last week you told me of how you wanted to check out the ladies within the Capital." I say putting a hand on his shoulder. He's almost as easy to manipulate as Mizuki is. The wife is the easiest way to harm someone, of course I would use an idiot in the role, she is manipulated but then the person manipulating her ends up harming themselves because she holds no power. "Now I say let's go out drinking before you have to leave.
"I'll stay at the house," Father says. I look at him for a good while. He's been awfully quiet lately and his face seems to be a bit paler than usual, maybe I should get the doctor to check if he's alright. Father then walks out of the room leaving me and my brother alone.
"Me too, I need to wake up early tomorrow I have a meeting with your steward." Brother says before walking out, I need to check out how loyal my steward is. Might as well check out the rest of my council, they don't seem that trustful.
Now then I have a great book I should get to reading, My council can wait. In fact after I finish that book I'll go and sleep in some random corner of the mansion, I know a good spot they'll never find.
"What are you doing!" Junichi yells from behind me, Shoot! I have been caught, now I have no choice but deal with the politics. Junichi is my chancellor and he is the only person on the council I trust. Mostly because he is a freaking dog, loyal to a fault. For the time I have been master of this house he has forced me to maintain the house at pristine condition and in fact he has forced me to improve my power too!
It's not that I wasn't going to do it anyway, it's just that I have plenty of time and entering court politics would be a pain. I would rather just be the king of the north who has little to no influence in court.
If I began to use intrigue I would be in a good position to gain power and influence in the court, it's just all the people in the court smile at you with daggers in their eyes.
"After this book! Please." I start to suggest, but I know it isn't going to work today because Junichi gives me a glare that tells me he knows that I am planning on disappearing when I am done with my book.
"To the study now." Junichi commands me, I thought I was the master of this house! I silently concede, if I want to be able to read in peace I need to do work every now and then.
"Fine, bring me our expenses and make sure our steward hasn't been stealing money from us." My expression suddenly becomes serious and Junichi bows and goes to collect what I have requested.
I think I should marry my brother to one of my friends in Kazila, I need to secure an alliance with them for safety sakes. This would also secure our alliance with Beitai.
I see my wife storming out from her room with her tutor yelling after her. I guess that she didn't take reading very well, guess she is even more useless than I thought.
"Honey, can you fire this tutor, I am not interested in learning to read and write. I spent nearly an hour of boredom trying but I seem to have no talent for it." She says giving me a shy smile, now rumors are going to spread around about how our house isn't hospitable and doesn't value reading.
"Of course dear, I will fire him right away." I say, I will be honest. I feel sorry for her, she has been thrown into a family that hates her. I guess father likes her because she isn't as sly as mother but even that is a stretch because she seems to leave a mess wherever she goes.
"Thank you!" She says cheerily and runs away to make another mess, I think she might be gossiping with the maids.
"I can't believe I am being treated this way by any respectable family!" Tutor Zu exclaims, I better fix as much of the damage as possible.
"I am so sorry, it has nothing to do with your expert teaching, in fact I think nobody could have done better. It has to do with my wife, she obviously has no talent. Please don't hold a grudge against her though, she is but a simple person." I say giving him a smile and pay for the entire week plus a small bonus. "Here take this and go find some other source of income, you would obviously not enjoy teaching here."
"Thank you Young Master Izo, you possess wisdom beyond your years." He responds taking the money, to others it will make me appear wise and benevolent but I know the truth, I am just bribing him to keep his mouth shut as much as possible. Or even if he doesn't keep it shut at least he will put in a good word for me.
"It is nothing, it is the least I can do for you after what happened." I wave off my own generosity. He then bows and walks out of the mansion. I then walk into the study and start shifting through many of the paperwork that I have to respond to, I also make sure to send letters to people that I want to increase my influence with.
"Here are the expenses that you wanted, I have found that the steward has been secretly been stealing money and giving it to Second Brother."
"Then grab the steward, I will need to have a talk with him. Find me a better steward, he got on the council due to his friendship with father but since he is stealing money I have the authority to fire him." I order Junichi and he bows and walks out to find my steward, he wasn't bad, he just wasn't loyal either and that is more important and how good he is.
It seems tensions are rising in the north, I figure the Emperor will deal with it so I don't have to worry about it. The Emperor seems to dislike war so he will try to prevent it as long as possible, his son though seems to be in favor of war and that is understandable. He is a hot blooded male after all.
"Young Master, I have your steward." Junichi say and I see Steward Ma walk in. I smile at him and continue writing, I want to play with him for awhile. While he waits he will start imagining things and slowly his façade will fall apart.
He begins to sweat and his heart beat raises a bit. He then slowly begins to get restless but me and Junichi just silently sit there.
"Do you know why I called on you tonight?" I ask him turning my glare on to him. He just shakes his head and gulps, he obviously knows what this is about.
"I have found out that you have been stealing money from me." I say showing him the proof, his eyes widens and he tries to deny it but I cut him off and continue. "So I decided to give you a few Zuans and fire you, of course you will be banished from the mansion."
"Yes, thank you young master..." He says bowing and receiving the money from Junichi, this is a better end than if I try him as a criminal and bring shame upon him for stealing.
He then takes his leave with a snap of his sleeve. I begin to play around with my brush and Junichi gives me a stare that indicates he is deep in thought.
"You have worked hard today..." Junichi hesitantly begins as if he is thinking he is going to regret his decision. "Why don't you finish up for today."
"I couldn't agree any more with you!" I say jumping up and walking out to get some rest, might as well start finishing the book tomorrow. Or... maybe I can just read it tonight and sleep in all day tomorrow.
Wait, Where is my book? Who actually has the guts to steal my book! If it was one of the servants of the house I am going to kill them, no. I won't just kill them, I will torture them until they beg me to kill them and then I am just going to leave them there for a day to think over their wrong doings, then I am going to kill them.
Wow hold it, I shouldn't be thinking such dark thoughts. I should be kind and forgive them, especially if it's somebody who holds power within the house.
I suddenly feel very sleepy, I guess since I can't read anything I don't have the energy to keep going. Well I just need to go a bit farther, I open the door and begin sleeping in the hay. None of the servants would even guess that I am sleeping here and if anybody is coming in here for feeding the horses in the morning I just go to a different room such as the wood storage. There are plenty of places to hide in this mansion if one knows his way around it.
Mizu: *Typing*... I like this chapter. *Typing* Katsuro is a interesting character.