by Fuyumi Ono
She had the feeling that until all her friends and family still waiting for her over there had died and gone away, she wouldn't be able to talk about old times simply for old times' sake.
"I don't suppose things have changed all that much over there."
They should be doing well, all those people she once knew.
"No, not at all. The more things change, the more they stay the same."
"Indeed." And all the better that they do. Youko sighed and smiled. "We're currently discussing what can be done for Tai. Naturally, we're doing what we can for the refugees, and trying to come up with the means of helping those still in country. It'd be best to go there and help out, but that doesn't look like a possibility right now."
"I'm really thankful to you."
"No, we still haven't actually done anything for Tai, nothing that will really make a difference. Kei is still poor. We have too many refugees of our own, and we can hardly come to their aid." She added with a smile, "Still, your return is most heartening. In fact, I've been looking forward to it. So get well as quickly as possible."
"Looking forward to it?"
"Yes. I say a lot of things, but most of it seems to fly over people's heads. For example, in order to help the Tai refugees, shouldn't we open an embassy or something like it--that sort of thing. All my ministers, and the Royal En, and Enki, thought I was nuts."
"An embassy?" Taiki said with a surprised look.
"Ah, yeah," Youko answered with a chagrined shrug. "It seems a quite reasonable suggestion to me. There ought to be an organization that speaks on behalf of the refugees. Countless refugees have washed up on the shores of Kei and En, and their disposition is left up to conditions and circumstances. But I think that it'd be a good idea if they could negotiate with the government--articulate what they needed or what kind of expectations they had. After all, I'd think refugees would know the needs of refugees better than anybody. In the final analysis, in preparation against the time when a kingdom falls into disorder and starts generating refugees, I think everybody could sleep a lot easier if every kingdom had embassies in every other kingdom. But these seem such foreign concepts that nobody can grasp what I'm getting at."
Youko sighed and lifted her head. Taiki gave her a long look. "Pretty weird, huh?" she said.
"Not at all. I think the Royal Kei is a quite impressive Empress."
"Well, 'impressive' isn't a word I would use. And could you drop the 'Royal Kei' business? Considering that we're just two normal Japanese kids, it sounds funny."
Taiki smiled. "So how old are you, Nakajima-san."
But being addressed that way struck her a tad odd as well. "A year older than you, I think. Counting years doesn't really mean anything here." A thought occurred to her. She said, raising her voice, "How about I call you Takasato-kun?"
"I'm fine either way. I came here once before when I was young, so being called Taiki doesn't feel so strange to me."
"I see. I only came here three years ago. I guess that makes me a relative newcomer compared to you."
"The fact is, I've only been here a total of one year." The poignancy in his voice contained more pain than nostalgia.
"Well, you just may end up being my go-to guy anyway. I didn't have a particular interest in politics or social organizations when I was in high school. As a result, all I've got to go on is some vague knowledge and ideas."
"I really don't think I'm all that different from you. I'm equally clueless about everything. I was only here a year, and half of that time I spent on Mt. Hou. I really didn't live in Tai for very long at all. Not to mention that I was a kid and didn't understand very well how the world worked. I sort of wandered about in a daze."
"Starting now, then, any advice you have for me would be most welcome. For the time being, I'd like you to be my representative among the Tai refugees."
"Yes," he said with a nod.
A loud commotion suddenly erupted from the room next door. "What's going on?" she heard Risai cry out.
Youko rose from her chair as the door to the room was forced open.
Chapter 47
Several men came charging into the bedroom. Youko scowled. Leading them was the Naisai, the vice-minister of the Interior, the official in the Ministry of Heaven specifically responsible for the Inner Palace. Behind him were several guards she recognized from the Forbidden Gate
"What's going on?" She hardly needed to inquire. Their intent was obvious. They carried swords. "What is the meaning of this?" she said, glaring at the intruders.
The men raised their swords. "You are bringing shame upon Kei," the Naisai said. "Granted, your incompetence does not match that of the Late Empress Yo, but you take the kingdom and the ministers too lightly. You have elevated commoners of unknown lineage and without connections, have trampled upon our customs, and scorn the dignity of the kingdom and the honor of the ministries."
"That's right!" chimed in one of his underling guards, nervously gripping his sword, crouching there in a wary stance. "Treating hanjuu and the like the same as normal people, allowing them entrance to the court, even making one a general of the Palace Guard!"
Youko felt a flush of anger rushing to her head.
"Hanjuu and the like, eh?" Her hand reached for her own weapon, and then remembered that she hadn't brought the Water Monkey Sword with her.
"Dragging the reputations of the ministers through the mud, installing hanjuu and rebels in the very heart of the Palace, contaminating its sacred grounds. Making light of the august court officials, elevating hanjuu and brigands above them, making them serve them. At the end of the day, you obviously cannot bear to stand in their presence and must drag everybody down with you. With hanjuu and bandits as your companions, you could divert your attention from your own weaknesses and insufficiencies. Gather kings and Taiho from other kingdoms and get caught up in their company, and I suppose you started to fancy yourself one of them. Your self-regard must really be something. A good thing Heaven won't tolerate your behavior forever."
Youko found herself at a complete loss for words. She simply gaped at him.
The Naisai spoke up instead. "That's enough." To Youko he said, "I apologize for his incivility. But understand that he is not the only one who holds such opinions. Though I would not go so far as he, I certainly cannot condone bringing foreign kings and Saiho into the Imperial Palace on such a regular basis. Giving asylum to a general from Tai and assistance to the Tai Saiho--you seem to have forgotten you are the Empress of Kei. What purpose could you have for entertaining so many foreign dignitaries? Do you intend to hand Kei over to foreign hands?"
"You're quite wrong."
"Then why do they strut around the Inner Palace like they own the place? Who do you take the subjects of Kei for?"
"Just another woman empress, after all," the underling guard spit out. "Out to destroy the kingdom in a personal pique. If things aren't put right quickly, we'll have another Empress Yo on our hands."
By now Youko was trembling with fury, feelings that threatened to overwhelm her. A deep sense of despondency welled up inside her. Her intent was not to take the people or kingdom for granted. But arguing that she only had their best interests in mind would likely have little traction here. She could easily fume in the face of their ignorance. The problem was, looking in from the outside, the facts would have been difficult to discern. Even Youko couldn't have anticipated that any of her ministers would be carrying around this degree of resentment.
So this is what it's come to? was all she felt.
All anybody could have done based on her words and deeds was guess at what was going on. And arriving at a certain assessment of the facts, act on that basis. She couldn't see how she could possibly dissuade somebody who had already come to that conclusion with such certainty.
"So, long story short, you've come here to assassinate me?" When Youko posed the question, the Naisai faltered a bit. "If that's what this is about, well, them's the breaks, I guess. I'd resist if I had the
means to do so, but darn it all if I didn't leave my sword back in my quarters. I guess that puts me at your mercy."
"Stop acting like such a smart ass!"
Youko couldn't keep a wry smile from her lips. "I don't much care how this goes down, but I'd like to keep any additional harm from coming to the Tai Taiho and General Ryuu. If you find their presence such an affront to Kei, then repatriating them should be sufficient. Tai has need of its people just as much as Kei. You may presume to diminish the suffering in our own kingdom, but you do not have the right to impose your will on the subjects of other kingdoms. So I would ask you not to add anything more to the suffering of the Tai people."
The Naisai looked coldly back and forth between Youko and Taiki. "In the midst of chaos in Tai, they abandoned their kingdom and sought refuge in Kei. I can't see it as a great loss to lose a Taiho and general like that."
"Isn't that a judgment to be decided by the Tai people alone? If they feel as you do, then I'm sure they will deliver that judgment with their own hands. So, do I have your word that you won't lay hands upon them in that way yourselves?"
"I can't make any such promises, but I shall make the effort."
"At the very least, let's get out of here. Let's not spill any blood in the presence of a kirin."
"Wait--" came a voice behind her.
Youko shook free the hand the clasped her arm. "If they are not part of your plans, then I suppose we can continue where we left off."
One of the underling guards batted away the hand still reaching for her. Youko was escorted out in the company of the Naisai. Pinned against the wall by half a dozen other men, Risai turned her pale face to her as she exited the room.
If she could, Youko deeply wished Risai and Taiki to understand that none of this was their fault, that none of this should weigh heavily upon their minds.
The thought had barely crossed her mind when she was thrown sideways. Her mind hadn't reacted to the surprise when a scream erupted behind her. She picked herself off the floor and spun around. With a leaden thud, an arm clutching a sword fell at her feet.
Somebody shouted. A man advancing on Risai had pivoted and aimed his sword at Youko. Before the tip of the sword made contact, a beast's paw tore through the man's chest. The sharp, bloody talons withdrew and the man toppled over.
There was nobody behind the man except Taiki, standing frozen in place seemingly quite far away.
"At least put up a fight!"
Youko glanced over her shoulder to see a white-faced Keiki running toward her. A number of bodies lay on the floor of the room. A number of others ran screaming through the gore trying to escape.
"You certainly showed up at the right time," Youko said with a grim smile.
"En Taiho left some of his shirei behind. Why didn't you do more to resist?"
"Hey, I wasn't armed."
"Even without a sword, you could have done something! Please stop saying you can do without Jouyuu."
"Okay. At any rate, thanks for coming to the rescue."
Keiki gave her a look like a parent dealing with a fractious child. "Whenever any shirei keep you company long enough, they inevitably end up covered with blood."
Youko grinned. "Sorry." She said to Risai and Taiki, "My apologies. I've caused you a great deal of inconvenience."
"No, think nothing of it. Are you all right?" Risai rushed to her side.
"I seem to have emerged unharmed. More importantly, we need to get Risai and Taiki to different quarters. Keiki, you should get out of here too. It's not good for your health."
Youko got to her feet. She glanced down at one of the men sprawled on the floor. The Naisai was among the recently departed. His two henchmen no longer drew breath either. Three others had suffered deep wounds but were alive.
She wasn't really so nonchalant about going to her death. But it probably was true that she was too damned tired to care at that particular moment. She couldn't be bothered to fight back or pitch a fit. Yes, she should have confronted these interlopers and defended her reputation. But she didn't possess the confidence or the conceit to contradict them.
She had once believed she'd been fated to be Empress. Lately, though, she had a hard time seeing the workings of Divine Providence in miraculous terms. Not that she objected to anybody else perceiving things that way. If it made the burden lighter, then why not? That was her feeling now.
"They're rounding up the rest of them." Rokuta bounded up as they left the building.
Behind them, more soldiers came running and a great commotion broke out. She could hear the curses and cries of the remaining henchmen being dragged off.
Chapter 48
Kantai made his report as they returned to the Inner Palace. "A total of eleven were involved in the rebellion, all from the Ministry of Heaven, and the Naisai was in charge. It seems confined just to them. Three captured with injuries. The remaining five who tried to flee were apprehended."
Koshou was waiting for them, looking as if he was trying to squeeze his body into a little ball. As soon as Youko looked at him, he bowed deeply.
"I'm really sorry."
"For what?" Youko blinked, and Kantai couldn't help grinning at her reaction.
"I must apologize. It was a mistake for you to be there unaccompanied by the Daiboku or any of his retainers."
"But I threw everybody out."
"That doesn't excuse letting you out of our sight like that," Koshou said, raising his head.
"It's not your fault. Besides, it wasn't your responsibility in the first place."
It was the duty of the Shajin within the Ministry of Summer, specifically the responsibility of the Shiyuu. In public, the job of the Kofun-shi. In private, the job of the Daiboku. "Private" meant the Inner Palace. The Inner Palace included the most secluded parts of the Imperial Palace, the Eastern and Western Palaces, the Imperial residences and sleeping quarters, Jinjuu Manor and the Roshin up to the Forbidden Gate, including the Naiden and the Gaiden.
Everything else constituted the Outer Palace. Strictly speaking, the Naiden and the Gaiden were part of the Outer Palace. Under normal circumstances, the Empress only traveled as far in the Inner Palace to where it abutted the Gaiden. And as a general rule, government officials only ventured as far in the Outer Palace to where it abutted the Naiden.
"The Daiboku is responsible for my personal protection within the Inner Palace. The West Gardens are part of the Guest Palace. And that's in the Outer Palace."
"Well, that may be true, but--"
Kantai gave the dejected Koshou a friendly pat on the back. "By not accepting his apologies, you're kind of putting Koshou here in a tough spot. The West Gardens are definitely in the Outer Palace, outside his jurisdiction. Normally the Empress wouldn't leave the Inner Palace except to conduct official business. In that case, the Kofun-shi would accompany her. On this occasion, though, Her Highness was in the West Gardens on other than official business."
"That is true. I wasn't there according to law or ritual, and no official royal guests are installed in the Guest Palace. Ever since I brought Risai into the Imperial Palace, I've been rather capricious in flaunting custom and precedent in that regard. I consider this my fault."
Kantai scowled rather fiercely in response to Youko's apology. "Yes, empresses can be capricious creatures. Otherwise, there'd be no reason for a kingdom ever to falter and fall. Because that wasn't official business, it wasn't the province of the Kofun-shi. Your personal protection can't fall between the cracks. If there's a question about whether the Daiboku and the Kofun-shi should be handling your security detail, the duty should go to the Daiboku."
Koshou hung his head. "That is indeed the case. What with Kings and Taiho from other kingdoms, the air gets pretty rarified in there. It just didn't seem to me I should be hanging around, privy to what people were saying and doing and such. In the Inner Palace, Youko's always sallying off to see her friends. That's why I let down my guard."
Koshou and his retainers escorted her up t
o the West Gardens, and then kept their distance after that. He couldn't deny that he would have preferred sticking by her the whole time to and from the West Gardens.
"That was an error on Koshou's part. The notion that it is acceptable to maintain a relaxed security detail within the Inner Palace arose only because no dangerous threats had yet made it that far. The Naiden and Gaiden are considered 'in the public eye,' and all the buildings have their own guards assigned. That is not the case with the West Gardens. As in this case, no official royal guests were present, so neither was the customary security detail. Anybody with access to the Imperial residences can also access the West Gardens, and that seems to be what happened here."
Koshou nodded. Kantai smiled wryly. "As the Daiboku, Koshou must apologize for his failings in this regard. In addition, an official report will be submitted by his retainers to Her Highness."
"What sort of report?"
"To the effect that the Empress has erred as well in ways that must be rectified. While her unwillingness to toe a hard line and her generosity with others are admirable characteristics, when the rules are flaunted, this is the sort of harm that can result. The ministers and officials have their duties to tend to, and unlike Her Highness, they are not at liberty to ignore them at their own discretion. A ruler who disregards rules, customs and precedents will likely attract ministers and retainers who do the same. Hence, the Daiboku should not be asked to shoulder all the blame for this incident."
"So that's the version you want to end up with?"
"Yes, but keeping in mind that not having Koshou apologize and letting him off the hook are not the same thing. Your Highness has been too lax in making such distinctions. Forgoing the apology will be taken as negating the mistake. By the same token, Your Highness should not be seen as letting herself off the hook. Those around you will take note. If perceived to be sliding by thanks to your patronage, Koshou will loose face as well."
