Smoke in the Sun (Flame in the Mist, #2)

by Renée Ahdieh

Ren harrumphed. “I’m not your brother, you grain of rice.”

Feeling pain and sorrow was not at all a sign of weakness. It was a sign of love.

“Sleep well, Lady Mariko. You are loved. It isn’t enough, but it’s all I have.”

Fight not for greatness, but for goodness.

Finally. The ox had put an end to the reign of the rat.