by Fuyumi Ono
"At any rate, I'd like to talk to Taisai. Bring him here."
Koukan was presently being held at the capital of Baku Province. Right now, Youko wanted to hear whatever excuses or explanations Taisai had to offer from the horse's mouth. But that was not to be.
Taisai was found dead in his cell.
Keiki came into the room as Daishikou was leaving. He asked, furrowing his brow, "Empress, Taisai is dead?"
"Reportedly a suicide."
Keiki sighed deeply. "It is said that you have been relying too much on Chousai."
Youko narrowed her eyes. "Are you saying that this is my fault? My fault that Taisai arranged this little conspiracy, my fault that he's dead?"
"Polarizing the loyalties of one's retainers is an open invitation to needless strife."
"Certainly when it came to this business with Koukan, I accepted Chousai's recommendation that he be dismissed. Are you saying that I should have left Koukan as Marquis of Baku?"
"No."
"Koukan blamed his dismissal on me and cooked up this plot with Taisai and the Sankou. Is that my fault, too?"
"Empress . . . . "
"There are those of my retainers who would be pleased to see an end to Koukan. The prevailing opinion apparently is that I should cut to the chase and save the regrets for later. So tell me, who opposed it? So Koukan lives on and gets back at me by plotting this assassination. Tell me, is that my fault?"
Keiki was too taken aback to speak.
"There's no doubt that Chousai and Taisai don't see eye to eye very often, but Chousai is head of the Rikkan while Taisai is in charge of palace housekeeping. Taisai rose to the post from head of the Ministry of Spring, in charge of rites and rituals, while Chousai came from the Ministries of Fall and Earth. As justice is the province of the Ministry of Earth, law is naturally Chousai's strong suit. What exactly is wrong about giving his opinions preference in this regard?"
"Empress, that is not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
Keiki couldn't find the words to reply.
"This time around, Chousai is going to ask me to go ahead and sentence Koukan. I don't see that I have any grounds to disagree. Do you disagree?"
"I would ask that you listen to Koukan's version of events."
"Of course I will. I've already ordered that the Minister of Fall go and bring him here. I expect Koukan to deny everything. But we now have evidence of frequent envoys being sent under Koukan's auspices to Taisai's residence, and bearing weapons with them. What do you think I should do at a time like this?"
"When judging one's subjects, I would counsel compassion."
"And have the same thing happen all over again?"
Keiki had nothing to add to that.
Youko averted her gaze and looked out the window instead. "You and the ministers, you have a pretty low regard for me. Because I'm a woman, because I'm a taika, it's in every damned sigh I hear."
"Empress, I swear that is not the case."
Youko shook her head. "Chousai will say, see, I told you so. And he'll tell me to come down hard on Koukan and the Sankou. If I agree, you're not going to be happy with me. If I reject their advice, Chousai and his people won't be happy. So, what to do?"
"Empress . . . . "
Youko took a breath, exhaled, and said, "Koukan and the Sankou will be disciplined. The Sankou will be dismissed from their positions and exiled along with Koukan. This cannot go unpunished. You do not condone execution, so they will not be executed. Is that okay with you?"
Keiki opened and closed his mouth without speaking.
"I understand," he answered shortly, followed by a long sigh, a sigh that spoke volumes.
Meaning, Keiki is not happy.
Youko stared out at the dawn breaking over the Sea of Clouds. She laughed. "Shall I issue an Imperial Rescript banning sighing?"
"Empress?"
"You may get tired of breathing your little sighs, but I am really getting tired of hearing them." With that, Youko waved her hand. "You may leave. I need to rest. All these meetings have left me at wit's end."
As expected, Chousai Seikyou and his faction insisted that Koukan and the Sankou be sentenced to death. "You must understand that in Koukan's case, if you show leniency now, it will only be paid back with disloyalty later on."
She could hear the dissatisfaction in Seikyou's voice. Some people were saying that Taisai's attempted insurrection itself was a misunderstanding. Some people were saying he had his reasons and that these reasons should be ferreted out, that in order to prevent more grief down the road the source of the problem should be addressed. And some people were saying that when it came to sentencing, she should show compassion first.
What all these people had in common was their opposition to Seikyou. The Imperial Court was divided into a pro-Seikyou faction and an anti-Seikyou faction. If Seikyou had recommended amnesty, his opponents would just as surely have asked for the sword.
Youko had never imagined that governing a country would be an easy thing. But she had never imagined difficulties like these. No matter what she said, her supposed subordinates would sigh their implicit criticisms. And now she had retainers for whom sighing wasn't enough and were compelled to take up arms. Youko understood nothing of this world, had no other recourse than to pay close attention to what her advisors said and scrutinize their explanations the best she could. She didn't want to hear any more sighs. But no matter what opinion she adopted, the opposing side would be the one sighing. In the end, with both sides fighting for authority, she wasn't going to please anyone.
Well, then, she thought, permitting herself a private sigh. She suddenly looked up. Without really being aware of it, she had been trying to win them over. So phobic had she become of the murmurs of discontent, that wasn't she now trying to read a book into every glancing expression, curry their favor and generally kiss up?
She was overcome with the urge to cast aside this cloying creature she had become.
She said to Chousai, "What should I make of the fact that you were completely unaware of Taisai's scheming in the first place?"
"Taisai was not happy with me and let his temper get the best of him."
"Bearing arms against the king is treason. What more do you need to know about him?"
"I would like to inquire more of the officials who left Koukan to his own devices."
"And where is Koukan? The Minister of Fall has a lot to answer for, letting him get away like that."
While being escorted from Baku Province to Gyouten, Koukan had escaped. Officials from the ministry had pursued him but had not yet found him.
Enough already. Youko smiled sardonically to herself. "I understand," she said aloud. "I order that the Sankou be dismissed and along with Koukan exiled from the kingdom."
Too lenient, came the response from Seikyou's faction. Too severe, came the response from the opposing faction.
"And if the same thing happens again, what will Your Highness do?" queried Chousai Seikyou, looking at her.
"The conduct of the Rikkan is your responsibility. Treason arose from within the Rikkan under your watch. You will step down as Chousai and take over the Ministry of Heaven in place of Taisai."
The gathered ministers gasped. Youko laughed softly. "There are openings in the Sankou. The ministers of Spring, Fall and Earth are hereby appointed to those posts."
"Empress . . . . " said Keiki.
Youko silenced him with a look. "The remaining positions I leave to the ministers to fill at their own discretion. However, for the time being, Keiki will assume the post of Chousai."
The cries of distress arose. "This is unheard of! Giving acting authority to the Saiho!"
Youko only response was, "Consider it an Imperial Rescript!"
With that, she stepped down from the throne and left the room.
Chapter 20
Youko retreated to her rooms deep within the Inner Palace where the ministers could not follow her. She left word with her at
tendants that no one was to enter but Keiki. She opened the window.
A damp breeze blew off the Sea of Clouds, bringing with it the briny smell of the ocean.
"After all that and I just slink away . . . . "
She couldn't resist a wicked smile. She'd taken Chousai down a notch and relegated the leaders of the two warring factions to the Sankou, where they could exercise no de facto authority. With one fell swoop, she'd wiped clean the political map of the palace. She must have been considering it all along. That's why when she opened her mouth it all just came out.
"Empress," came Keiki's stern voice.
Youko turned around. Keiki was wearing as grim an expression as she had hitherto observed.
"What are you doing? It has long been stipulated that the Saiho has no acting authority. That is--"
Youko cut him off. "I'm going to Kankyuu. I'm going to have the Royal En teach me political governance."
Keiki's eyes widened. "What are you saying?"
"Please give my regards to the ministers." Youko leaned back against the window frame and folded her hands in her lap. "And I thought I'd live for a while in a city."
"What!"
Youko examined her fingernails. She left her care in the hands of her servants and they made sure her nails were always polished and beautiful. All this luxurious clothing and jewelry, it wasn't anything she needed.
"I never wanted the throne of Kei."
"Empress!"
"Even if I wished to be made empress, that doesn't mean I wanted to live here amidst all this opulence. I was told the kingdom would crumble into chaos without a king. I was told that the Divine Will reflected the will of the people. It's hard not sleeping in your own bed at night. It's hard going hungry. I know that down to the marrow of my bones."
Youko had been suddenly spirited away to this strange world from Japan. Not knowing her left hand from her right, she had come very close to dying a dog's death by the wayside.
"Getting hunted down by youma is the worst. If I hadn't acceded to the throne, the people of Kei would have met the same fate. That's why I accepted it. That's why there should be a king. Certainly not to make the bureaucrats happy, and not to make you happy. Isn't my reason for being here to make the people happy?"
"That is why--"
Youko shook her head. "Keiki. I don't know a thing about this kingdom."
"Empress, that is--"
"What do the people think about? What do they wish and hope for? How do they live? I don't know the first thing."
"First finding the right path is the most important thing."
"The right path?" Youko smiled. "There's this girl, see. She has homework six days a week. Then there are the clubs she belongs to and cram school, besides. She practices the piano and takes lessons. Midterm exams are the worst and there are two of those every semester. Besides midterms, there are practice exams for college that could determine the rest of her life. Get too many demerits, fail too many classes, and she'll get held back a year. Fail her entrance exams and she'll become a ronin. The hem of her skirt must reach the knee, her tie must be black. Her nylons must be sheer or black. So tell me, what's going to make this girl happy?"
"Huh?" said Keiki.
"In the society I've just described, what path should she take?"
"I am sorry, but--"
"You don't have the slightest idea, do you?" Youko said with a wry smile. "The same way you don't understand, I don't understand. What path should I take? I examine the faces of the ministers and take measure of their attitudes; I consider which opinions I should accept, which I should reject. That is all I've got to work with. That is all I know."
"But--"
"So can you give me a little time? This is all too different from the world I know."
Keiki wore an expression of utter befuddlement.
"Right now, I can't stand sitting on that throne."
Keiki's eyes opened wide with amazement.
"When I was in Yamato, I lived in constant dread of being disliked by anybody. From dawn to dusk, I constantly tried to read people's expressions, tried to stay in everybody's good graces, tried to keep my balance on that impossibly narrow tightrope. Now I'm trying to read your expression, that of the ministers, the man in the street, and then attempting to agree with everybody. It's impossible."
"Empress--"
"I don't want to repeat the same mistake twice. But I find myself headed in the same direction. Right now, I know how this will be interpreted. The ministers won't be pleased. It's because she's a woman, they'll all sigh." Youko laughed to herself. "Maybe everything will come crashing down before my very eyes. But a king who tries to read everybody's mind, who sways back and forth like a reed in the wind, well, good riddance to such a king, and the sooner the better."
Keiki stood there, expressionless. At length, he nodded. "All right."
"For the time being, I shall leave the kingdom in your hands. I know that at the very least you won't oppress the people. If there ever comes a time when my presence is absolutely required, then send the fastest runner in the land to fetch me. Keiki, I am asking you to let me do this."
"You can count on me," Keiki said with a bow.
Youko looked at him intently, then breathed a sigh of relief. "I really am grateful. It's good to know that you understand where I'm coming from."
Keiki was the only real retainer she had. The king of En had many officials at his beck and call. The Royal En was a wild man whose actions exasperated all of his ministers, but they all trusted him, and he trusted them in turn. The only person capable of trusting her was Keiki, and the kirin was the only person in the palace she had any real faith in.
"And what does Your Highness intend to do next, then?"
"Like I said, I was thinking of seeing what life was like in the city. Pick up work as a day laborer, live alongside regular people."
"If it meets with your approval, let me make arrangements for your sojourn beforehand."
Youko tilted her head to the side. "Well . . . . "
"You aren't intending to live as a vagabond, are you? Permit me this. Let me make arrangements that will at least put my own mind at ease."
"All right. I'll leave that to you."
Now Keiki drew a breath of relief.
"I'm sorry for being so selfish."
Keiki smiled thinly. "To tell the truth, I find myself somewhat relieved as well."
"You do?"
"At any rate, please return as quickly as possible."
"Yes, I know."
Leaving the Inner Palace, Keiki stopped to look out at the Sea of Clouds. As complicated as things had just gotten, he was strangely relieved.
Keiki had served two empresses. The posthumous name of the first was Yo-ou. Her reign had lasted a mere six years, and she had remained shut away in the palace for most of that time. The woman had no interest whatsoever in governance or politics.
The memory of her pale face arose from the recesses of his memory. She had a gentle, prudent nature. Except for her extreme shyness, she was not undeserving of the throne. However, what she truly desired was a rather banal sort of happiness.
More than wishing happiness for her people, Yo-ou wanted a peaceful, frugal existence. She didn't care for riches, just a simple life lived without praise or censure. She only desired to be left in peace to till the land, marry a man, and raise their children.
He could still hear the sound of her working at her loom.
When she first acceded to the throne, it seemed that she would serve honorably and true. But she soon grew weary of the rivalries amongst the ministers. The officials she had inherited from the previous monarch wrangled over political turf and fought for leadership positions. As this life surrounded and closed in on her, she withdrew from it. She secluded herself deeper and deeper within the palace and there worked at her loom. It was her way of trying to undo everything he had imposed on her.
"And here I am, still thinking about her."
Keiki smi
led a grim smile. The first time he met Youko, he was struck at how much she resembled Yo-ou. And still did. In an honest moment, he would admit that he found the similarities disconcerting.
"But they've turned out differently."
Even if only in small ways, Youko and Yo-ou were different. He could tell from the way Youko battled her personal demons. Like Yo-ou, Youko recoiled from dealing with the ministers and abhorred the throne. But Youko recognized those tendencies within herself. She had begun to take measures to overcome them. That was the biggest difference between them.
"Hankyo!" Keiki called to his shirei.
"Yes," came the reply from the shadows at his feet.
"Accompany the Empress and protect her. Make sure no harm befalls her. She is the one jewel that Kei cannot afford to lose."
Part V
he Kingdom of Kyou is located to the southeast of the Kingdom of Hou. The Kyokai separates the two kingdoms. The strait between Hou and Kyou is also called the Kenkai, but is more generally referred to as the Kyokai as well. After all, you can't see Kyou from Hou, and for those who dwell along the shores, Kyokai or Kenkai, it is six of one, a half dozen of the other.
Shoukei was escorted by ten flying cavalry from the Kei provincial guard. As they headed toward Kyou, she again thought of her home country. There was of course sea traffic between the two kingdoms, but the crossing took three days. For the first time in her life, it struck her that, floating there in the Kyokai, Hou was itself like a winter-bound city, shut off from the rest of the world.
The species of you-creatures capable of flight were limited in number. As they must also conform somewhat to the disposition of a horse in order to be ridden, this restricted their kind even more. The primary you-creatures employed were striped rokushoku, or Szechwan deer, and they were definitely not beasts of burden. You had to ride on their backs. Shoukei was allowed use of a rokushoku, and, surrounded by the flying knights of the cavalry, headed to Kyou.
