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Hui

"Master Jianzhu, I apologize for making a counterargument. But as you know, it's my duty to Master Beifong to make sure both sides are considered in any important decision."
— Hui to Jianzhu after influencing Lu Beifong.[1]

Hui was the influential chamberlain to Lu Beifong.[1]

History

Hui's influence in the Beifong household grew after the death of Lu's wife, Lady Wumei. Although Lu had agreed to be hands-off when it came to the Avatar's upbringing, Hui tried to convince him that training the supposed Avatar Yun should not be left to a man as humble as his guardian Jianzhu.

Shortly after the defeat of Tagaka and the Fifth Nation, Lu Beifong held a celebration to commemorate Yun's victory, which Jianzhu maintained was done at Hui's behest. Hui greeted Jianzhu and Hei-Ran when they arrived at the Beifong estate in Gaoling for the celebration, paying compliments to the firebending master. He immediately noted Yun's absence, assuming that he was traveling with Kelsang instead, which Jianzhu confirmed; Hui observed Hei-Ran flinch at the statement.

As they met with Lu Beifong, Hui inserted himself in opposition regarding a loan to the Southern Water Tribe out of fear they might one day grow powerful enough to threaten the Earth Kingdom even though he had nothing to gain from it. Hui feigned horror when Jianzhu spoke of disdain for national pride, and he noted that the Earth King's concerns over the Chuje Islands contested with the Southern tribe. This convinced Lu to side with the chamberlain until the Avatar could present him with a stronger argument. Once the Beifong patriarch had departed their company, Hui pretended to apologize to Jianzhu, claiming that it was his duty to present his master with both sides to an argument.

When Hui was told by Jianzhu and Hei-Ran in private that they had lost the Avatar, he shrieked in outrage. Jianzhu then claimed that he and Yun had a falling out regarding his bending progress, and thus ran off with Kelsang. Agreeing to keep the status of the Avatar secret least chaos break out, Hui quickly went to inform Lu and the rest of the gathered sages that Yun was on a spiritual journey of self-discovery.[1]

Hui later sent agents, such as Saiful, to infiltrate the Avatar's household and discover more about the situation. The ploy was discovered by Jianzhu, however, but Saiful managed to send a report via messenger hawk with his suspicions that the Avatar had been found with outlaws in the Taihua Mountains.[3] He also immediately began planning for a conclave of Earth Sages to discuss the future of the Avatar's guardianship.

Hui quickly assembled a conclave of various Earth Sages outside of Jianzhu's web of influence, and brought them to Yokoya unannounced, in a blatant attempt to ambush Jianzhu before he could prepare a statement of truth. As the sages gathered, Hui offended his host by seating himself in the middle of the grand reception hall where the master of the house would normally be. Hui requested that Yun and Kelsang join the conclave, but Jianzhu maintained his claim that they were on a spiritual journey. Once Hui replied that the abbots of the air temples had not seen the pair, Jianzhu cited Kelsang's tenuous relationship with the more orthodox air temple leaders and that there were holy places to the Air Nomads all around the world. Hui asked where the holy places in the Taihua Mountains were, indicating that he had received Saiful's report. Noting that the Avatar was last known to be in a nest of criminals, traitors, and outlaws, the chamberlain concluded that the Avatar was either in mortal danger or dead already, and accused Jianzhu of committing "unforgivable negligence" at best, and having caused the death of the Earth Kingdom Avatar at worst. He deemed Jianzhu to be no longer fit to serve as the Avatar's guardian, while the other man venomously accused the other sages of being bribed by money or power.[4]

Despite Jianzhu's protest that the meeting was not a proper conclave, Hui pointed out that they had reached the minimum number of members needed to strip him of his duties. As Hui called for the vote, Jianzhu began to show signs of discomfort, accusing the other sages of doing something to him. The chamberlain tried to stand, but collapsed back in his chair as blood flowed from his nose. He and his allied sages died of the poisoned tea that Jianzhu had given them.[4]

Personality

Hui was a careerist who struggled to achieve political power with his own accomplishments. He instead found it easier to tear down Jianzhu's work by positioning him as a straw man and opposing his proposals to Lu Beifong without any concern for the negative repercussions; Jianzhu negatively compared his behavior to that of a daofei.[1] If a victory emerged for Hui, he became highly proud and arrogant, deliberately disregarding courtesy once he was in an opportunity where he could afford to.[4]

Hui was an expert of induction, a form of reasoning that draws conclusions from minutiae. He checked the corners of lips and the dilation of irises for the slightest twitches, and he was able to draw conclusions from the smallest cues, using them to influence Lu Beifong and the other sages.[1]

Abilities

Hui's skills as an actor left much to be desired. However, he had the skill to successfully rebuke an argument without bothering anyone other than Jianzhu. As a master of rhetoric, he succeeded in convincing many others of his views. He was able to draw broad generalizations from slight hints of evidence, and had a talent for twisting facts in his favor.[1]

Appearances

Chronicles of the Avatar

The Rise of Kyoshi

Trivia

  • Hui had a grizzled, brick-like face.[1]
  • Jianzhu noted that Hui looked as if he spent his days breaking rocks with a pickaxe instead of only lifting his master's ivory seal.[1]
  • Hui did a lot of business in the Eastern Peninsula.[3]
  • In Chinese, the name Hui can be written as 慧, meaning "intelligent, wise", which though usually only feminine is consistent with Hui's role as an adviser to Lu Beifong. The other, non-feminine form, 辉, translates as "brightness".[5]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Yee, F. C. (author), DiMartino, Michael Dante (author). (July 16, 2019). Chapter Seventeen, "Obligations". The Rise of Kyoshi. Amulet Books.
  2. ↑ Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 43.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Yee, F. C. (author), DiMartino, Michael Dante (author). (July 16, 2019). Chapter Twenty-Two, "Conclusions". The Rise of Kyoshi. Amulet Books.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Yee, F. C. (author), DiMartino, Michael Dante (author). (July 16, 2019). Chapter Twenty-Nine, "The Ambush". The Rise of Kyoshi. Amulet Books.
  5. ↑ Behind the Name - Hui (July 13, 2019). Retrieved on April 14, 2020.