Chasing Sya

Rumors

"Have you ever heard that they say that the actions of the servant is the actions of the Master? Like Master, like servant?" Ai said as she stared at the two weeping men. "If I'm like this, what do you think my Lady is like? Think about it."

The two servants quickly looked at Sya with a hint of horror on their face. How could their new Lady of Wei be so ruthless and heartless? With her beauty, they thought she is well bred lady that needed to be protected. Their new Lady Wei is the most dangerous person there. They have to tell the Second Young Master.

"My Lady Wei here is more magnanimous than I am." Ai said as she moved her head so she could catch their line of sight. "You hurt Little Fayi. Do you know who Little Fayi is?"

The two servants looked at each other as a sense of even more dread came over them. They stared back down to the ground and shook their head no.

"Little Fayi, is the Grandson of Head Steward Senyi!" Ai said as she saw the realization come over the two servants face.

The head steward position has been held by the same family as far as the Wei Clan was formed. The Senyi family held a high position in the Wei Clan, helping the Wei Clan run smoothly, the Senyi family had become a blood sworn family to the Wei Clan for several generations now. As long as their loyalty is towards the Wei Clan and the Head of Wei, there would never be anyone who would dear to slight them. In the Wei Clan and in Meya Country, the Wei name and Senyi name went hand in hand. One does not exist without the other.

Little Fayi had just turned 10 years old and was placed inside Ju Long's courtyard for training under Steward Hai. Little Fayi was in charge of watching the courtyard gates and welcoming any guests inside. At the time that he got injured, Steward Hai had stepped out to run some important errands. Hai had come back, just in time to see the two impudent servants of Second Master Naoko break Little Fayi's arm.

It was then that Hai stepped in and kicked the two servants down and started ordering other servants to take care of Little Fayi and call a doctor while he deals with the two presumptuous servants.

Hai looked over at the beautiful maid, Ai, and inside he shivered with fear. Her words and actions were decisive and concise. She is loyal to Duchess Sya and ruthless to those who slight her. If Ai is like this, then what is their new Lady Wei's character?

"Take them to Head Steward Senyi." Ai said as she stood up. "It is only reasonable that Head Steward Senyi take care of these presumptuous servants who hurt his Grandson."

The two servants began to cry. They knew they were going to lose their life for their mistake. They were already preparing to die, but at least with Ai, they knew they would have been killed swiftly and as painlessly as Ai could kill them. However Head Steward Senyi was known to torture those that slighted him and his family.

They were soon dragged away and all they could do was cry for the misfortune that befell on to them. They should have been more careful in their actions against First Young Master. They should have known better to not mess with Duke Ju Long's people. Their mistake was on their own heads. Second Young Master Naoko just asked them to deliver the present that morning, he didn't give them any other orders, but they decided to take matters on to their own hands and slight Duke Ju Long and his people for their own gain. Now their actions reflected badly against Second Young Master Naoko and now they will have to pay with their life in exchange for causing trouble.

"Young Master, Lady Wei, welcome back. Lunch will be ready soon." Hai said as he let Ju Long and Sya lead the way, while Ai and Hai followed a step behind the couple.

Sya suddenly stopped when she passed by the broken black jade bracelets. One was in a shape of a dragon eating it's tail, while the other was of a phoenix eating it's tail. From the broken shards, there was a white power that emptied itself out of the black jade bracelet.

"What it it?" Ju Long asked as he looked down at what had caught Sya's attention. His eyebrow immediately scrunched together at he immediately knew what the white powder was.

"Hai, carefully have someone come sweep this up." Ju Long ordered. "I don't want anyone to get hurt, so find a reliable person to come clean this up. Make sure they clean this place thoroughly."

"Yes, Master Ju Long." Hai said as he bowed. His eyes too knew what the white powder was. "I will personally take care of this."

"Em." Ju Long said as he pulled Sya's hand towards their home. "This Husband is hungry. Come, let us eat."

Sya smiled at Ju Long's back. She too knew that the white powder was a hidden poison called, Cloudless Day. It was a rare poison that would only acitvate once water was infused with the poison. Cloudless Day would drive a person crazy. The poison would make a person hallucinate and force the person to see things that were not there. Then it would give the poisoned person nightmares, causing the person to stop sleeping. Which in turn, slowly driving the person more insane by the day.

It was a slow and quiet poison, which made it hard to detect. Driving a person slowly insane is the slowest and most quiet form of assassination. If a doctor did not know how to look for the Cloudless Day, he would only think the patient was sick in the mind and needed rest. However, if a doctor could diagnose the poison, the antidote was easy to find.

Sya smiled at Ju Long as she walked beside him.

"Your brother there." Sya said as she laid her head on his shoulders. "He's quite stupid, isn't he?"

"Em." Ju Long agreed. Ju Long had always known that Naoko never liked him. He had always talked bad about Ju Long behind his back, but he had never raised his hand against Ju Long, until this very moment. And it was targeted at Sya. Ju Long had promised Hideo that he'll let Naoko go, as long as Naoko didn't do anything foolish against him or those he cared about. But all bets are now off, seeing how Naoko hid poison in his gift he gave to Sya. Naoko, along with Second Wife Xiu, and his father were all going to die by his hands now. There is no going back once his mind was made up.

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After her first week in the Wei Clan, Sya and Ai gotten a bad reputation. It was said that Duchess Sya let Ai act with free will, injuring servants and maids. She wouldn't let anyone close to Lady Sya and was overprotective of her. Ai would slice down anyone who looked at her the wrong way, anyone who said something bad about her, anyone who even breathed the wrong way would be killed. That the Mistress, maid pair collects hands as punishment. They were the kind that would punish first and ask questions later.

There were rumors of Lady Wei as well, that although beautiful, she was just as ruthless and vindictive as Ai. That Lady Sya had put a spell on Duke Ju Long and made him blind to her actions and words.

Everyone feared what Lady Wei and Ai would say or react, so everyone became careful around them at all times. Not doing anything to slight them or give them any reason to take a hand from them.

Rumor after rumor were spread about Sya and Ai as they listened to her Seven Shade Hunters tell her about them. The Seven Shade Hunters were complaining to Sya because they couldn't just slice down the people who were spreading the rumors. It would only spread the rumors about Princess Sya and Ai even more, so all they could do was endure.

Sya shut the fan with a flick of her hand and smiled at her Seven Shade Hunters.

"Who do you think started those rumors?" Sya asked as she slightly smiled and drank the warm tea that Ai just served.

"You did?" Ki asked in a surprised voice.

"Of course!" Sya said as she smiled at Ki. "With these rumors, who here would dare try and bully us? And should someone get the courage to do so, well, Ai and I can make the rumors come true. It was a word of warning to those who want to move against me and mine."