“To take a loss like that willingly, and for someone else’s sake …” Claudius had always thought highly of Wei Wuxian, of his easygoing charm and warmth, his curiosity and kindness. But every new thing he learns, he learns there’s a goodness in Wei Wuxian that’s hard to come by. He feels even more keenly the deep unfairness that must rankle Lan Wangji, when a man who should be praised by the world is despised by it — or compared to an unapologetic despot who jealously guards his power, rather than painfully and lovingly giving it away. “Not many could make such a choice,” Claudius says softly, “even for a brother.”