jackal-among-snakes-16091326
chapter-625

“I’m surprised you’re visiting me.” Emperor Ji Meng poured tea for Argrave. “I thought I might see you only when it was absolutely necessary.”

In truth, Argrave himself was the most surprised he’d ended up here. Emperor Ji Meng had been a very large obstacle when they’d first met, then became a snake waiting for an opportunity to strike after he’d been imprisoned. Now, the old man might be considered a docile predator. Clean-shaven, wearing luxurious Great Chu-style robes, and devoid of any and all magic… frankly, he looked better than ever. And why wouldn’t he be? He enjoyed an emperor’s lifestyle without any responsibility. But there were still gluts of knowledge in that head of his.

“I need fresh eyes. Experienced eyes,” Argrave responded. “There’s not many other people that have experience with as large a nation as you do. When it comes down to it… I’m realizing the larger things get, you end up dealing with a few elites. Your commands trickle down from there. My problem lies in how I’ve handled some things with those elites. I don’t want the negative effects trickling down to my people.”

Ji Meng picked up his own tea. “I’ll need more specifics.”

“I tried to bestow an… important position, let’s say, impartially. In so doing, I just made everyone a little miffed. I can’t afford any flaws right now, not with things as they are.” Argrave looked to the side, thinking. “And on the other end of the spectrum, I’m dealing with an erratic personality whose cooperation is extremely important. He’s selfish in a… hedonistic way.”

Ji Meng sipped his drink, then set it down. He rubbed his finger around the rim of the cup. “Impartiality is a fool’s errand in our seat. The simple fact is, some people are better suited for reward. Some people you don’t need to reward, because they don’t complain enough to matter. Even if you kick them, they’ll come crawling back. Some people only work for reward. And some… no reward will be enough. Those people will get the most done, but they can also try and plant a dagger in your back. But you’ve already made the mistake, if I hear you right.”

Argrave nodded. “You do.”

“Do you have a good relationship with these people?”

“Yes,” Argrave answered without hesitation.

Ji Meng drank, thinking. “Do they have rapport with each other?”

Argrave considered that. “Some of them.”

“Yes, your closest confidants were your family, as I recall,” Ji Meng mused. “Friends and family don’t make especially good officials, I’ve found. The problems become all the more personal. Their disappointment is substantially greater when they expect something from you, and you don’t deliver.”

“That… holds true.”

“You can’t be seen as trying to placate them,” Ji Meng cautioned. “Nor can you show indecision by retracting the position. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is disarm yourself. I mean, look what I’ve done.” He gestured all around. “Giving a show of faith, a show of goodwill, can earn you a great deal. It can’t be forced, can’t be inorganic. You have to be patient. A chance will come, as it did for me. As for the other question, this erratic fellow… what do you need him to do?”

“Make a sacrifice for the greater good of the nation,” Argrave said.

Ji Meng winced, inhaling sharply through his teeth. “Ouch. Quite the ask. And you can’t drag him to the altar yourself, bleed him?”

“He’d smile if I tried.” Argrave shook his head. “No. It has to be something he does willingly. It’s his talent, his ability.”

“Would you describe him as self-important? Did he inherit all he had?”

“Self-important, sure. Inheritance… absolutely not.” Argrave crossed his arms. “He crawled his way up from the very bottom. An orphan.”

“I can work with that. It tells me that he had ambition at some point, but something changed that.” Ji Meng inhaled deeply, then something seemed to come to him. “You need to ruin his hobbies, somehow.”

“Ruin them?” Argrave narrowed his eyes. “You mean, stop him from doing them?”

“No. He’ll just come up with clever ways to get past whatever obstacles you erect. You claimed he was hedonistic. He gravitates toward debauchery for a reason. If you can find that reason, you can twist it so that the things that he does bring him no pleasure. When the joy turns to sand in his mouth… people like that, they can’t stand with their emotions. They have to keep moving, keep going, keep seeking the next thing. Because if they stop to reflect, whatever it is they’re avoiding will catch up with them.” Ji Meng spread his arms wide. “And so you’ll come, giving him a chance to feel something. Even if that something is pain.”

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“Hmm.” Argrave leaned back. “What if I make it very easy to get everything he wants? Bombard him with drugs, liquors, et cetera.”

“You could kill him,” Ji Meng pointed out.

“Not if I tried.”

“Well… even still, I don’t think it’ll work. He sounds like one of those people whom no reward will ever satisfy that I mentioned earlier.” Ji Meng fell into deep thought.

“What if I showed him something more than he could handle?” Argrave questioned. “Something far beyond what he was willing to endure?”

“Those opportunities are few and far between,” Ji Meng said. “When you attempt to uproot the desire with fear, scaring someone straight is seldom the actual result—especially in adults.”

“I think I know something that could work.” Argrave drank the whole teacup in one go, then set it down. “Nice tea.”

“That isn’t really how you’re supposed to enjoy it, but you made an attempt, I suppose.” Ji Meng raised his cup. “I hope this becomes a regular thing. It’s nice to put my hat back in the arena, once in a while.”

Argrave smiled at him. “Maybe not. I would hate if you got the wrong idea.”

Ji Meng laughed heartily. “I can see why that might cause problems.”