When the morning ca after his candid conversation with his father and his lie to Zhao Xieren, Ko Fuan went to the City Lord’s Manor, specifically seeking out trouble with his eldest brother. It wasn’t hard, the latter gave him a perfect opportunity, trying to order him around as usual. He just had to refuse, and then be defiant, it turned out even more perfectly than he thought.
At that mont, a trusted subordinate of his was already talking about the fight between the brothers to another City Guard in a loud voice not far from City Lord Ko’s study. And as expected, his father saw the fight.
When he went to talk to his father that day to earn rit for discovering a plot against the City Lord, and gain his trust, he didn’t tell him the whole truth either. He did not ntion his own collusion to him, only that he learned of this plot, deliberately changing details and keeping his explanation vague.
Now that he had his own force of city guards, it was plausible for him to gain information independently, after all. And it was only given that the information he gained was not complete - vague signs rather than definite confirmation.
And on the other hand, he didn’t plan to cut contact with Zhao Xieren either, not for now at least.
His calculation was simple.
He had to keep in touch with Zhao Xieren to control the risks and know what was happening. After all, why cut off a good source of information on the enemy. They feed him information not realizing he already switched sides, thus exposing their weaknesses. He could also use so of that information to gain more trust of his father.
But he also could use Zhao Xieren to give his father more trouble. So he had to keep the channel through which he could feed Zhao Xieren truly useful information about his father, so that the latter could threaten Ko Zhun. After all, only when his father was vulnerable or felt threatened that Ko Fuan could use this opportunity to profit. Not only that, he could solve the trouble he himself caused, and be the hero, leaving his brothers in the dust.
—
’Perhaps I should remove this map table from here...’, he thought after reminiscing.
As Ko Fuan watched the map table now, it did not seem as grand as he once thought, when he just gained this residence with Zhao Xieren’s help. He used to stand here and watch this map with a covetous gaze, anticipating obtaining all of this.
Now, however, it was but a piece of the kingdom his father was poised to greatly expand. He did not know when, for Ko Zhun did not trust him well enough yet to openly talk about his ambitions to him. But Ko Fuan already knew he was right. City Lord started dropping so hints in his recent conversations with him that made him sure. It also signified his father’s growing trust in him. All of that made him spend days in high spirits.
His ambitious gaze then beca clouded by annoyance as he rembered the eting he just had. Yes, the task Zhao Xieren gave him this ti was truly sothing he didn’t expect.
’Heh, why do they need that loser anyway? I told them he’s fallen out of favor... tsk, how annoying’, he clicked his tongue with frustration at the thought that he had to now start carefully coaxing his eldest brother into a rebellious mood and sohow steer him toward eventually eting and siding with Zhao Xieren without directly implicating himself.
’I’ll have to be careful... but... it actually works even better, if that idiot joins them he’ll be a traitor that I can purge at a crucial mont’, he thought, trying to find so silver lining and thus becoming motivated to do the job.
He left his study through the front door this ti and departed for the City Lord’s Manor.
Upon arriving there he bumped into his second eldest brother, who annoyingly had recently begun trying to suck up to him, as if he would forget the years he sided with the eldest. But if Ko Fuan was being honest with himself, it did feel good to see this idiot embarrass himself and grovel.
"Hey youngest! Haha! Guess what I saw that idiot Furen doing earlier today?", the second eldest chuckled in a friendly tone as if they were best of friends, ntioning the na of their third brother, "He was at that loser Gunwen’s room all morning, trying to, haha ’talk sense’ to him. Had to give up after being showered with curses and insults. Hahaha! That ’let’s all be friends’ idiot. Besides, wasn’t he supporting you? Such a traitor..."
Ko Fuan raised his eyebrows, but then chuckled.
It was so like that peace-loving and quietly supportive idiot of a third brother. He silently supported Ko Fuan when he was the underdog. Even if he didn’t jump in to directly oppose the eldest, because he avoided confrontations, he was always giving Ko Fuan quiet empathy and encouraging words. Now that Ko Gunwen was the one held down, and Ko Fuan was the one on top, and rciless, Ko Furen was trying to look after the eldest.
He shook his head with a helpless sigh, as if saying ’whatever am I going to do with him?’, and turned in the direction of Ko Gunwen’s courtyard.
—
"By the way, Valley Master", Zhao Xieren asked, "Why did you reject the 3rd son, the most sensible one from the very start?"
"Heh, sensible huh?", Wu Long chuckled, shaking his head, "I don’t have definite proof, but I had an inkling the first ti I saw him, and every ti I observed him since. That kid is not as harmless as he looks. As they say, still waters run deep"
—
"You called for , Father?", Ko Furen entered the dark study of Ko Zhun at night, no lights were lit in the room, only the moonlight coming from the outside.
"You seem upset lately", City Lord Ko stood facing the night scenery of the city.
"...", Ko Furen was silent for a bit, as if hesitating, and then a cold light shone in his eyes, "I am slightly puzzled by your actions, Father. You always told that I was your true successor, the one who will inherit everything you inherited, and everything you build. The one who will inherit the glorious destiny of our bloodline. That’s why I was never worried. I pitied the fools who were fighting for your attention and approval... but..."
"You’re suddenly worried Fuan is going to take your place?", City Lord Ko smirked, turning his head to the side to look at his son with one eye.
There was no answer, but Ko Zhun’s amusent intensified in his visible eye.
"Hahaha, don’t make such a scary face. Relax, Son, if I thought to change the successor, it never would be that son of a cheap whore. I would have to sire another son from a noble bloodline. The kind of noble blood you have. It just happened so that he beca useful", City Lord laughed, turning back to the city view.
But deep in his eyes was also a bit of lancholy, ’I just always thought it was a pity he inherited so much of my traits... but that dirt in his blood is not sothing that will disappear just because it is a pity... what a waste...’
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