Wai Siu Bo vs. Emperor K'ang Hsi - who was smarter?

[Ken Cheng]

One part of DOMD was a battle of wits between the protagonist Wai Siu Bo and the Emperor K'ang Hsi. Especially towards the end, the story seemed to pit Wai's street smarts and guile against the emperor's sophisticated grasp of strategy. The result was more or less a stalemate: Wai escaped with his life, and the emperor also achieved his objectives. Ultimately, however, which of the two do you consider the wittier?

[Mandred Skavenslayer]

One part of DOMD was a battle of wits between the protagonist Wai Siu Bo and the Emperor K'ang Hsi. Especially towards the end, the story seemed to pit Wai's street smarts and guile against the emperor's sophisticated grasp of strategy. The result was more or less a stalemate: Wai escaped with his life, and the emperor also achieved his objectives. Ultimately, however, which of the two do you consider the wittier?

I would say KH has a slight edge. His character matured throughout the story becoming wiser as he overcome incresingly more difficult obstacles, while WSB didn't seem to grow much but relied on his natural cleverness and luck to see him through.

KH's ability to learn and grow makes me beleive he is the smarter of the two.