The Twelve Kingdoms: A Thousand Leagues of Wind

by Fuyumi Ono

  "I wished to see what kind of place this orphanage was. Should I not have?"

  "Hey, fine with me. So, Keiki, why come all the way here?"

  Keiki took a scroll from the stationery box resting on his knees and rolled it out on the table. "Do you have your Imperial Seal?"

  "Do I have my what?" Youko shook her head and grinned. "Sorry, didn't bring it with me."

  "Some paperwork that needs to be taken care of. Tomorrow, I'll have Hankyo go fetch it."

  "Okay."

  She took each of the documents from a stationery box. Although she had left everything in Keiki's care, the decrees of high government officials still required the Imperial Seal. She unwound the scrolls and scanned the text. She could hardly read a word, so she couldn't do much more than skim over it. She'd have to get Keiki to read it aloud for her in order to understand it.

  "And how is the rike?"

  "What? Oh, it's great. Enho's a good man, and I love the kids."

  "Is that so? That is good to know."

  "Which isn't to mean I don't have any concerns," Youko muttered.

  "Ah," said Keiki, lowering his voice. "As for your inquiries about Shoukou, I examined the civil service records and asked around the ministries. He is the governor of Shisui Prefecture, Wa Province. A high-ranking official of no good repute."

  "Seems to be a lot of that in Wa Province: Marquis Gahou, Governor Shoukou."

  "He has crossed the line many times. The ministers are desperate to discipline him, but no matter what happens, Gahou watches his back and covers everything up."

  "Enho calls Gahou a jackal who shed its tail."

  "A fair description."

  "Fortunately, Shisui happens to be close by. I was curious to see for myself what this Shoukou was like. I'd also like to check out the capital of Wa Province."

  "You shouldn't be taking unnecessary risks."

  "I don't. I'll be careful."

  Keiki gave Youko a sideways glance. "Really? I can smell blood on you."

  "Eh?" Youko sniffed at her sleeves.

  "It is blood, is it not? Though I do not wish to imply that Your Highness was the cause of it."

  "Oh, that's right. I came across an accident. It happened a few days ago. Can you still smell it?"

  "It strikes me as the blood of an innocent, spilled without a curse, so it is not acrid. I do worry for your well being."

  Accursed blood. Youko smiled darkly to herself. Keiki used that description often when she was battling the pretender. No matter how much magnanimity you displayed, when you killed someone or ordered their death, the malice and bitterness in the blood hung like a fog around her. Kirin could not abide blood, and the scent of such accursed blood pained them.

  "Don't worry about it."

  Keiki--and all kirin--ate nothing tinged with blood. They weren't forced to reject it out of hand, but even foods fried or sauteed in suet would harm their bodies. According to Rokuta, kirin of En, that was why kirin swept away to Yamato never lived long. The shortened lifespan of a kirin without a king was approximately thirty years. A kirin in Yamato could last maybe a third that long.

  Such were the kind of creatures that kirin were.

  "Really. I can take care of myself."

  "I earnestly pray that you will."

  "So, how are things going in Gyouten?" Youko asked, with a bit of forced cheerfulness.

  Keiki responded with a dour expression. He said, "Without Your Highness there . . . " and sighed.

  As usual, the warring ministers had divided the court into two factions. Although Seikyou, the previous Chousai, had lost de facto authority, and Taisai, leader of the opposition, had died, things had pretty much stayed the same. Left with no real authority of consequence to toss around, Keiki's sense was that they had less interest in governance than in fighting petty turf battles.

  The things some people were saying as if true: fearing regicide, the empress fled to Yamato. She had sought refuge in En. She had hidden herself deeply within the palace compound. Others went so far as to say she had been kidnapped by Marquis Koukan of Baku Province. What they all had in common was the criticism that she had abandoned the throne and grave doubts that she would ever return to it.

  As Keiki explained all this, Youko took a breath and let it out. "I see."

  "And there are those who claim that because things were not going the way you desired at the palace, you grew frustrated and appealed to the Royal En and will henceforth staff the court with bureaucrats from En."

  "What?" said Youko. She bit her lip and then cynically laughed. "But, of course. Without the help of the Royal En, they think I couldn't have done a thing by myself."

  It was true, though. And it vexed her, having to depend on others like this.

  "I consider it all nonsense. But perhaps you have entertained such thoughts?"

  Youko felt a shiver go through her. "Why ask me a question like that?" Her green eyes darkened. "Is this something you have your own doubts about?"

  Feeling the weight of her displeasure, Keiki unconsciously averted his gaze. He who could stare down a youma could not look his lord in the eye.

  "At least you have to believe in me."

  "Forgive me."

  "Look, no one has less faith in me than myself. More than anybody else, I doubt my qualifications to be empress. There have been rulers who let these doubts and suspicions overcome them and fell from the Way. That is why, if nobody else in this world believes me, you have to."

  "Yes," he said, bowing.

  Youko opened the scroll in her hand. "Do you have to return right away?"

  "A quick return would be problematic. I have supposedly traveled to En."

  Youko grinned. "Of course. So, would you like to take a trip to Takuhou?"

  "Takuhou in Shisui Prefecture, I take it."

  Youko nodded. "The capital of Wa Province, what is it, again?"

  "You mean, Meikaku?"

  "Yeah. I'm thinking of going to Meikaku, and stopping by Takuhou on the way. I'd like to see what things are like in Wa Province. You can be my tour guide."

  "Yes, but . . . . " Keiki hesitated.

  Once again her eyes darkened. "I'd like you to see it, too, Keiki. I want you to see the Kei you don't see from the palace."

  "Yes."

  "Well, then, let's straighten out all this paperwork. Sorry, but would you read it aloud to me?"

  Chapter 44

  "Enho," Youko called out. She stopped in front of the screen doors to the study.

  "Is that you, Youko?" came the warm reply.

  "Excuse me," she said, and walked in. Enho was sitting at his desk by the window. He glanced over his shoulder at her. She said, "Sorry, but could I have a few minutes of your time?"

  "Go ahead. What's on your mind?"

  It was as if he had anticipated her concerns. Youko smiled nervously. "I was thinking of going to see the capital of Wa Province."

  "Meikaku. So you've developed an interest in Wa?"

  "Yes," she answered honestly. "Rangyoku says that she'd rather arrange a marriage of convenience than accept a homestead in Wa. Better to marry and then get divorced. That got me curious about what makes Wa Province such a rotten place. I want to prevent her doing something like that, if I can. Rangyoku would surely not do it because she wants to. That conditions in this kingdom could drive someone to...."

  Enho suddenly smiled. Taken somewhat aback, Youko queried, "Enho?"

  "I see. Marriage is a more conservative tradition in Japan." He motioned to her, and as she usually did, Youko sat down in the chair next to him. "You needn't fret that much over this. Marriage is not so weighty an institution here. Tell me, why do people get married in Japan?"

  "Um . . . because it's lonely all by yourself."

  "And that's why people feel it necessary to get married? It's certainly true that living without a spouse is lonely. So people want somebody to be close to. Here it's called a common law marriage."

  "Well, I guess there's the problem
with children."

  "In this world, children are only born when a petition is brought to the riboku. You must be married to do so, else the Rishi will not allow it. But if you simply wish to live with someone, formal marriage is not necessary."

  "Ah."

  "If you want children, you have to get married. Otherwise, a common law marriage will do. In order to petition for a child, a couple must reside in the same town and attend the same Rishi. That's pretty much the way it works. So if you get married, you have to move. One of them has to move to the other's city. Splitting up by itself doesn't mean they'll have to move back to the town they came from. And if their current hometown is an unwelcoming place, they may seek out relatives elsewhere."

  "So you can move to different kingdoms that way?"

  "Yes, you can. But you have to transfer your census registry to the same kingdom as your spouse. You can't marry a citizen of another kingdom. This is one of the Divine Decrees and must be observed. To ask for children, you must be married and residing in the same town, and to get married you must both be citizens of the same kingdom."

  Enho flashed a knowing smile. "When it comes to the riboku, there is no other way but to petition Tentei. It possibly has to do with the same reason that a king must be from the kingdom he rules. Apparently, there was once a king who solemnized a marriage between a man and woman from different kingdoms. Even though they went to the riboku and tied a ribbon to the branch, they were never given a child. Eventually they dissolved the union. The Reason of the World rejected them."

  "That is strange," Youko said to herself.

  Enho smiled nonchalantly. "In Japan, God is not necessary. But here, God is. Tentei is necessary for the logic and reason of the world to work. Are you familiar with the first of the Divine Decrees?"

  "That the temporal world must be ruled with humanity, according to the Way."

  "Correct. Turn your back on the Way and you will inevitably oppress the people. There is an absolute cost for straying from the Way. You can turn your back on the Divine Decrees and establish your own laws, but they will never work to your satisfaction. The Reason of the World is woven into the Divine Decrees. As it says in the legends, Tentei Himself handed down the Divine Decrees to us."

  "Makes sense." Such a strange world this is, Youko once again thought to herself.

  "Based on what you have told me, marriage in Japan is designed for the protection of the family. It is a system structured to preserve the integrity of the family bloodline. Here, though, there is nothing like a family bloodline. When a child turns twenty, he separates from the household. No matter how wealthy a person might become, that wealth cannot be passed on to his children. When a person turns sixty, his land and house are transferred back to the kingdom. If he wishes, he may hold onto it for the entirety of his life, yet it cannot be left to anyone upon his death. Only accumulated savings can be bequeathed to a spouse, but only because it was wealth generated by the both of them. And when the spouse dies, it is all transferred back to the kingdom. In turn, no matter how poor a person might be, it becomes the kingdom's responsibility to feed them if they can't feed themselves."

  "Well, then, why have children in the first place?"

  Enho smiled. "Tentei looks to the hearts of the parents and gives them children accordingly. In other words, becoming parents is Heaven's way of recognizing their qualities as human beings. At night, it's said that the souls of children slip away from their bodies and fly to the Five Sacred Mountains, where they tell Tentei how their parents are treating them. After death, that is how people are judged."

  "Could that perhaps be seen in religious terms?"

  "Better to view it in ethical or moral terms. The rearing of the child given you brings you closer to virtue, closer to the Way. In fact, there is no profit in having a child. It takes time and money."

  "So that is why a child leaves home at the age of twenty."

  "That is the case. And that is why parents devote themselves to their children. To despise a child is to despise Heaven. By serving their children, they are serving Heaven."

  "I see."

  "It must seem strange to you. So it would be to anybody who speaks of pedigree in terms of bloodline. The closest thing to a pedigree is a surname. A marriage may be registered under either spouse's census records. Your own name doesn't change, but the records are unified under one or the other's name. The child thus inherits the name registered under that unified record. The significance of this is that when the incumbent emperor is found lacking in moral virtue and a change of dynasties is carried out, a person of the same surname cannot accept the Divine Mandate."

  "Huh."

  "The originally registered name of the previous Royal Kei, the late Yo-o, was Jo. And your parents did not have the surname of Jo. In the case of Kou, the surname of the previous king was Chou. Therefore, the next king will not carry the surname of Chou. The king of Hou has fallen. His surname was Son. You can be assured that the next ruler of Hou will not be a Son."

  "I see. So that means that my friend Rakushun could never become king of Kou."

  "If his surname is Chou, then throughout all history I know of no case when it has ever happened. It is the unalterable Reason of the World. You cannot change the name you were born with. Even if your parents divorce, it does not change. When you marry, it does not change. That is why people have what is called an inherent family name. It is the only real function and meaning of the family name."

  "That is completely different from common practice in Japan."

  "Indeed," Enho laughed. "In Japan, it seems that once people get married, they're determined to stick it out one way or another. Here, people get married and divorced on quite a regular basis, with no qualms about raising other people's children. In fact, remarrying with stepchildren is highly regarded. Perhaps because the more children you have, the more blessed you must be. To become a parent in the first place you must have a certain quality of character."

  "I see."

  "At the end of the day, there are also people who don't wish for children. Because there is no necessity for them to marry, they settle for a common law marriage. Because getting married does involve a vexing amount of paperwork, those who have given up on children accept the situation and make do with a common law marriage. It's not uncommon for such arrangement to take place even while maintaining separate households. But if you're unwise enough to take as a partner someone who doesn't live in your general vicinity, you're unlikely to meet except during the winter."

  "Right."

  "It's more complicated when a couple are also civil servants. When you work for the government, obviously you have to move. You wouldn't get married to get split apart, so the road to advancement would necessarily be limited. To prevent such a disagreeable outcome, many avoid marriage."

  "Really?"

  If that was true, then there must be a lot of single people amongst the ministers. Those deciding to marry would be unlikely to choose a civil servant as a spouse.

  "To the people of this world, such are the limits of marriage. It is important to those who want children, and lacking in significance to those who do not."

  "Huh," said Youko, taking a breath. And right now, getting a partition in the right place was more important to Rangyoku than having a child. That was the extent of the problem.

  "It really is different," she said to herself, and then hung her head. "But can I get married?"

  Enho forced a smile. "The monarch is not a human being."

  "I'm not . . . I guess."

  "If you were already married, technically speaking, once you acceded to the throne the marriage would be annulled and become a common law marriage. Consequently, you can't have children. However, you can bestow the rank of royal consort upon a companion, such as queen or prince. Your children, Youko, are the citizens of Kei. You serve Heaven by serving them. A married couple serves Heaven by rearing their children. There is no difference."

  "I guess not," she said with a
nod.

  Enho smiled. "Go wherever you must. It is well and proper that you see to the welfare of your children."

  Youko bowed. "Starting tomorrow, then, I shall ask for your leave."

  Youko rolled over on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Your children are the citizens of Kei. You serve Heaven by serving them.

  Back in Japan, she had never given much thought to God. She had a hard time grasping what the existence of a god like Tentei was supposed to mean to her. "Serving God" was a concept she was not familiar with. She sighed deeply. She heard from somewhere the sound of a firm voice. "Your Highness . . . there are men."

  "What?"

  Begging her pardon, Hankyo's presence vanished and then shortly reappeared. "There are at least five men outside the rike."

  Youko got up. "Who are they?"

  "I do not know. Ah, they have left."

  "Follow them."

  "By your command," said Hankyo and slipped away.

  Hankyo was back the next morning. "They spent the night in Hokui, left the gates this morning and were looking for a wagon going to Takuhou."

  Youko fastened the straps of her knapsack. "No doubt about it. I've got to go back to Takuhou and see for myself what's going on."

  Part XII

  ey, Suzu."

  She was wandering around looking for an inn when she heard the voice behind her. Because she had the sansui, she had to stay at an inn with stables. Stealing a pegasus was a serious crime, but they were so valuable that given the chance, no thief was likely to pass it up. At least according to the man who sold it to her. Pretty sure that there ought to be an inn with stables that wasn't all that expensive, she set off for the neighborhood where she'd stayed before.

  She turned around. There amidst the bustle of people was the boy she'd met at the cemetery. "It's you . . . . "

  He slipped through the throng piling up at the gates before closing and ran over to her. "You came back? Why?"

  Suzu tilted her head to the side. "What are you asking for?"

  "You went somewhere, didn't you? You left the inn, so I thought you'd taken off for good."