Heroes and legends (Day 6, LA)

[Moto Khulun]

"Then what?" She asks.

[Soshi Taira]

"He went to hear these rulings himself, traveling in disguise."

A faint smile. "Hantei Genji was, himself, a man of no small talent."

Taking a moment to organize his thoughts, he added, "When he arrived, he found Saibankan's court remarkably refreshing. Here was a man who cared not for his own gain, but rather for the value of justice itself. It was that desire which led the Hantei to command him to meet with the Emerald Champion of the time and create a new way."

[Moto Khulun]

"So did he know that the Emperor was the Emperor then or later?" she says a bit confused.

[Soshi Taira]

"Oh, he knew after the emperor approached him."

Taira sighed. "It was a bit of a long meeting, but by the end, he had his mission, and work to do. He began by traveling the empire, and surveying the different methods used. It was a massive effort, but he laid the foundations for the system of magistrates in use today. By making magistrates answerable in a chain, all the way to the emperor, there was always someone to whom a magistrate must answer, and always a higher authority who could handle conflicts of interest."

[Moto Khulun]

“So there is no more corruption?” she asks simply.

[Soshi Taira]

That brought authentic laughter, which Taira did his best to hide behind his sleeve. After a moment, he composed himself, and answered, "Of course not, this is ningen-do, not yomi."

A slow chuckle.

"But now there are ways to uproot corruption and punish those who peddle in injustice."

[Moto Khulun]

"Well he sounds great," she says not seeing the point but maybe it was just beyond her.

[Soshi Taira]

"He was. He didn't win any glorious battles, though he did have to fight many assassination attempts from bitter judges on his life, and indeed, in one, his budoka served so well, they were elevated to a vassal family in his service... the point was never the lives he took, but rather those he saved."

Taira smiled faintly.

"Scorpion heroes, minna-samas, are not always glorious warriors crushing foe underfoot. Sometimes, they undertook tasks that did not bring glory, but were still necessary."

A shrug.

"It is our way."

[Moto Khulun]

"You have my thanks for sharing the tale," she says.