"A good man is blameless, but his jade will bring him ruin." Grandfather... or rather, our Grand Master, told…
"A good man is blameless, but his jade will bring him ruin."
Grandfather... or rather, our Grand Master, told me something before he departed on his final pilgrimage. He said that in the year of the cup-offering ceremony, our workshop laid no profane hand upon the Night Brightness jade. How could we? How could those who live to bring forth the soul of jade be the ones to corrupt it? The truth is, the massacre was born from a vicious power struggle among the Bodchen. They made our cup a vessel for their poison, and our craftsmen the sacrifice for their schemes. Every carver on Crystal Shore had their arms severed. Every one of them perished.
This is why Grandfather's last words to me were a warning, etched in blood: stay far away from the games of power. General Zhang Huaishen may be kind and approachable now, but you must hold this truth in your heart: artisans and nobles must never mix. Otherwise, the tragedy of the tribute cup will surely befall us again.