The Twelve Kingdoms: Dreaming of Paradise

by Fuyumi Ono

  "Thank you," Shuka said with a bow.

  Bunki smiled. "If there's anything I can do or anything you need, please don't hesitate to mention it. The Sai Taiho seems to be in such a sad state that we've made available a neighboring villa for the Chousai and yourself. I hope that will meet with your approval."

  "Of course it will. We truly appreciate all that you have done for us."

  In fact, Bunki had taken every care possible, up to and including the villa. Flowers were arranged in the foyer. A sizable contingent of servants was waiting for them. As they had arrived with not much more than the clothes on their backs, a new wardrobe was laid out, along with all the personal effects they would need.

  "Please, take your time. I'll try to keep out of your hair as much as possible. For the time being, consider this your own home.

  Shuka again bowed deeply and expressed her heartfelt thanks.

  Chapter 15

  In fact, both Shuka and Eishuku were exhausted, and were grateful to Bunki from the bottoms of their hearts. In Shuka's frazzled state, the gesture really touched her. At the same time, though, it was very sad. The extraordinary generosity that the people of Sou were showing them—complete strangers and foreigners—stung her conscience.

  A mere twenty years.

  "Will the Imperial Court founder after so short a time?" Shuka asked herself sadly, gazing at the gardens from the window of the main hall of the manor. "To Sou, it must all seem a shameful performance."

  Bunki came in with a basket of fruit. She answered with a perplexed smile. "No one is saying that. An Imperial Court is a hard thing to get a handle on. Especially after a revolution, the younger the court the harder it is."

  "You're probably right."

  "It is usually the case," Bunki stated with a reassuring smile. "But that aside, what will Shuka-sama and Eishuku-sama be doing henceforth? You were quite important ministers in your government. His Highness would like to make use of your expertise on behalf of Sou."

  "Well—" said Shuka.

  For a moment she couldn't deny the joy that filled her heart. There was no place for them in Sai. Her career as a minister was over. She had no idea what she would do after this. She couldn't help but feel uneasy. At the same time, that she hadn't been able to achieve what she should have as a minister filled her with regret. The opportunity to start over again as a minister in a wealthy kingdom like Sou was a lifesaver.

  But Eishuku raised his voice and said coolly, "We thank you for the offer, but we cannot agree. Our duty is to Sai. It is to our own shame that we must depend on your kingdom's resources."

  "Eishuku—"

  Eishuku shook his head firmly. "Shuka, we simply cannot. If you would excuse me—"

  "But—" Shuka raised her voice. "Shishou said we musn't return."

  "However true that might be, it doesn't mean we should rely on the kindness of strangers and put Sai behind us. We certainly know that if we return to Sai, we will be branded traitors and punished harshly for it. Death is by no means in the cards. Shishou told us to flee, and he may at least spare us our lives."

  "But—"

  "And even if he does not, our lives would be taken in recompense for our sins."

  "We are not traitors!"

  "Can we really say that we are not? Though our roles in the revolution earned us high positions in the government, we were unable to save Shishou or save the Imperial Court. The people suffered before our eyes, injustices flourished, and we were disloyal to His Highness. The slander of treason is not unjustified, is it? If we are sentenced to death on the charge of treason, then so be it."

  "Eishuku—"

  "If we are so fortunate that Shishou spares our lives, then there is good work left for us to do on his behalf. Returning to the Way is difficult, but definitely not impossible. We should work toward that end. If it proves illusive, and if we live long enough, then after Shishou's fall Sai will need the support of the people to keep things from falling apart. Holding up a kingdom with an empty throne is the only way we can repay the people for the injustices they suffered."

  Shuka fell into silence.

  "Shishou said to accompany the Taiho here and then return. That was the Imperial decree. Which means we are obligated to go back. What do you think, Seiki?"

  Eishuku turned to Seiki, who as sitting quietly in a corner of the room. Seiki sighed softly. "I had the feeling that would be the conclusion you'd come to."

  "You may stay here if you wish."

  "Don't be silly. If you insist on returning to Sai, I shall of course accompany you. Without me there, you wouldn't get up in time for your own execution."

  Eishuku laughed and looked at Shuka. "Surely you jest," she heard Bunki exclaim, but nodded anyway.

  He was right. They had destroyed Sai. Obsessed by their own idealism, they had taken reality for granted and stupidly soldiered on to no good end. That being the case, they couldn't hold their own lives dear and abandon their obligations while the people perished.

  We have a duty to sacrifice ourselves in the quest for righteousness.

  Chapter 16

  Bunki attempted to dissuade them, but after putting Sairin's affairs in order, they left Samei Palace. The servants and ladies-in-waiting who had accompanied them remained behind. Consigning Sairin to their care, Shuka, Eishuku and Seiki descended from Samei Mountain.

  Bunki reluctantly rounded up three kijuu. With her retainers at the reins, they made the return trip to Yuunei in only two days. The retainers set them down before the gates of Yuunei Palace, wished them good luck, and flew off.

  They encountered no difficulties entering the palace. After all, their original orders had been to deliver Sairin and then to come back. They passed through the Fifth Gate into the Imperial Living Quarters. Entering the Naiden, they announced their return. Seeing them, Shishou's eyes darkened.

  "Chousai, Daishito, what are you doing here?" inquired the Shoushikou, almost in tears. It was the Shoushikou who had previously wished them goodbye. Escorting them to their official residence, he asked bitterly, "So you intend to go to the gallows without a fight?"

  "It is up to His Highness," said Eishuku. "If that is what it comes down to, then so be it."

  The Shoushikou hung his head.

  "The Taisai and Shousai?"

  "Awaiting a decision from the Minister of Fall. The Minister is delaying as long as possible, prevaricating and stretching out the investigation. And His Highness hasn't ordered anybody to rush things."

  "How is His Highness doing?"

  The Shoushikou shook his head wordlessly.

  "He looks pale."

  "I believe he is drinking to excess. He's shown up at the Privy Council dead drunk on at least three occasions. At any rate, his heart doesn't seem to be in it. At times he'll babble on incomprehensibly or start shouting clear out of the blue. The Imperial Court is going nowhere."

  "That bad—" Shuka sighed. Shishou was still ill. And his Court was quickly sinking into oblivion.

  Accompanied by the Shoushikou, they returned to their residence for the first time in a long time. All the household items and furniture and anything of value left behind in their sudden departure were gone. The place had been ransacked during their absence.

  "What in the world—" the Shoushikou gasped.

  "Don't worry about it," Eishuku said reassuringly. "The bureaucracy seems to be running wild as well. Our personal goods are hardly that important. But we need to make sure the Imperial Repository stays intact. After this, it will become the domain of the new king that arises to save Sai."

  In response to Eishuku's words, the Shoushikou flinched as if in pain. His head slumped dejectedly to his chest.

  Part VI

  huka, Eishuku and Seiki waited patiently at the residence for their sentences to be handed down.

  The gardens visible from the main hall were alive with the colors of early summer. The villa had been given them along with their political appointments, but up to this point, Shuka hadn't t
aken the time to really appreciate the view. She'd been so caught up in her official duties over the past twenty years that for days on end she'd barely seen Eishuku's face except at Privy Council meetings. After a while she grew accustomed to the routine and treated it like it was normal.

  Perhaps becoming resigned to their fates, Shuka had mellowed to a point that finally allowed her to contemplate such thoughts.

  Two days later, early in the afternoon, the Shoushikou arrived in a hurry. "Chousai, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to change into these clothes." He held out a manservant's outfit.

  "What's this about?"

  "The Taiho has been found."

  "Junkou?" said Shuka, raising her voice. "Where?"

  "In Suiyou Manor. He is deceased."

  Shuka caught her breath. The Shoushikou explained the circumstances. Seeing the ransacked state of their residence and following Eishuku's advice, the Ministry of Heaven had commenced an inventory of the Imperial Repository. Anticipating that Shishou's reign would soon come to an end, corrupt officials were brazenly pillaging the palace right and left.

  The corruption had not yet reached the inner sanctum of the Imperial Living Quarters and the Roshin. But the Ministries of Heaven and Fall increased their audits and strengthened the security patrols. During one such patrol, deep in the Koukyuu, an official from the Ministry of Heaven detected a strong stench in Suiyou Manor, the main building of the North Palace Complex. Investigating further, he discovered the body.

  Junkou's corpse had been wrapped in a rug and deposited in the Suiyou Manor stables. Enough time had passed that the body had decayed beyond recognition, but it was clear from the clothing that it was Junkou.

  "Undoubtedly the same carpet that went missing from Choumei Manor. From the condition of the remains, it is apparent that the Taiho was killed shortly after the Taishi by the same assailant. The Kasho Kada was found together with the body."

  "The Kasho Kada?"

  "Yes. But a branch was broken off and is missing. When the killing blow was delivered, it must have cut through what he had in his pocket. In any case, hardly anybody has access to the North Palace Complex. The one person who does—"

  "His Highness."

  The Shoushikou nodded grimly. "Things being what they are, we can't officially report this to the King. There isn't a Taisai or a Shousai. I'm not sure what our next course of action should be. There's nobody else to assume command—"

  "My mother, the Taifu—"

  "She's been informed. The Taifu was hoping that you would take up the duties of Chousai—in secret."

  "I see," Eishuku murmured to himself. He took the garb from the Shoushikou. "Wait here. I'll be back."

  Eishuku went to his room to change. From a corner of the room, Seiki piped up. "Um, could I ask the Shoushikou a question?"

  "What's that?"

  "Has the missing piece of the Kasho Kada been found?"

  "No," the Shoushikou said, puzzled by this inquiry.

  Seiki appeared to puzzle over this as well. When Eishuku emerged from the bedroom dressed in the servant's garb, Seiki said to him, "You should search the Taiho's person very carefully. It is possible that a piece of the branch is inside his body. But in any case, please be careful."

  Chapter 18

  After Eishuku left, Shuka asked Seiki, "Why that request?"

  Seiki hunched his shoulders as if equally confused. "Just something that occurred to me. I'm not really sure myself."

  "That's not good enough, Seiki. Sit down and explain yourself."

  Seiki lowered himself uncomfortably into a chair like a disobedient child about to catch a scolding. "You see, if the wounds on Taiho Junkou's body were so grievous, then it stands to reason that he was slain at the same time as the Taishi. I recall that there was a great deal of blood collected in one area. It probably mostly belonged to the Taiho."

  "Yes, that makes sense. And—?"

  "Why would anybody, after exacting such violence upon the Taiho's person, not leave the body there? Why go to the trouble of moving only him? A number of reasons spring to mind, but it makes more sense to me if he had the Kasho Kada with him and a branch was broken off. One way or another, the broken piece got wedged inside Junkou-sama's body. That made it necessary to search his body more carefully."

  "But why? If the missing piece couldn't be retrieved, why not just discard it and the body together?"

  "Yes, why not? So the reason for hiding the Taiho's body must have arisen out of a desire to keep it hidden as well."

  "Because—?"

  Seiki dejectedly hung his head. "Because the Kasho Kada belongs to Taiho Sairin-sama. Junkou gave it to Shishou-sama. So Shishou-sama would be the one who has it now."

  "Oh."

  "That day I met Junkou-sama, he said he'd given the Kasho Kada to Shishou-sama. Consequently, he didn't know what had become of it. Up to that day, he hadn't seen the Kasho Kada again. Then when and how did it end up in Junkou-sama's possession?"

  "You mean, that night, Shishou took it with him to the East Palace?"

  "That's what I think, though there's no way to confirm it. Shishou-sama could have ordered a servant to deliver it. Though if Shishou-sama indeed brought the Kasho Kada with him to the North Palace, I believe he would not have wanted it to be discovered. Because he and he alone carried it there."

  "Then it really was Shishou?"

  "Very likely," Seiki answered sadly.

  "Why would he do such a thing?"

  "Who knows? The more puzzling conundrum is why he did not simply square his shoulders and take responsibility."

  "What?" said Shuka, raising her head.

  "I mean, Shishou-sama is the king. Supposing he killed the Taishi and Taiho, is there anybody anywhere who could actually put him in the dock for his crimes?"

  "Knowing Shishou's fastidiousness, he wouldn't want it known that he was capable to stooping to such brutality, especially at a time when the Imperial Court is in such dire straits."

  "Still, why the necessity of covering his tracks so? Consider the rumors that Junkou-sama was engaging in treasonous behavior. However untrue, Shishou-sama could state that he'd caught Junkou-sama in an act of treason and had executed him and that would be that."

  "If an insurrection was in the offing, both the people and the ministers might begin to doubt Shishou's qualifications to be king."

  "But His Highness says that Junkou was plotting treason and killed the Taishi. And that you and Eishuku were accomplices and were helping to plan the revolt. And that it was his intent to prosecute us for the crime."

  "That is true."

  "I don't think it's because he couldn't say that there was a revolt. If he was horrified at what he'd done and wished to pretend it hadn't happened, crying treason would be more effective than hiding the body. Hiding the body implies he was cognizant of the crime. Then claiming that it was Junkou-sama who was at fault—and not himself—diverted attention from himself."

  Shuka nodded. "Yes, that makes sense. But why?"

  "I don't know. Except that the Kasho Kada really concerns me. Shishou-sama left the Taishi's body where it fell, but hid the Kasho Kada. He seems to have worried more about it than the crime of murder. Why did Shishou-sama bring it to the East Palace in the first place? And not only the Kasho Kada."

  Shuka blinked. "And not only it?"

  "Of course. Shishou-sama brought the Kasho Kada and a sword to the East Palace. It is custom in the Roshin and Enshin that other than the gate guards and security details, nobody carries a sword. His Highness as well wears a sword only in the Seishin. In Jinjuu Manor and the East Palace, neither the guards or His Highness may carry swords."

  Shuka looked at him flabbergasted.

  "Shishou-sama must have brought a sword with him to the East Palace. That means he intended to do harm to the Taishi and Taiho from the start."

  Shishou set out for the East Palace with the Kasho Kada and a sword in hands. That doesn't necessarily mean there was murder in his heart. Bu
t it certainly revealed some level of hostility. Carrying a sword when going somewhere indicated fear or anger. There should be nothing for him to fear.

  A skinny old man and a skinny young man were the only occupants of Choumei Manor that night. Neither them had ever carried a sword. They didn't pose a threat to Shishou or anybody.

  "Shishou must have been mad about something. Consumed by his fury, he grabbed his sword and the Kasho Kada and headed for the East Palace."

  "I think so too. The problem is, what about the Kasho Kada would make him so angry? What's the connection?"

  "Shishou must have been angry at Junkou. He'd taken what belonged to the Taiho and had humiliated him."

  "Wasn't that what he said when Junkou-sama offered him the Kasho Kada? Would he have remained upset with him ever since then?"

  After a moment of thought, Shuka suddenly had an idea. "What if Shishou was using the Kasho Kada? He would know that his image of an ideal Sai was not a kingdom that ever would be. Hence—"

  Seiki sighed. "It's likely, but hard to say. We don't know the reasons, but it's somehow connected with the Kado Kada. And it began with Junkou-sama presenting it to Shishou."

  "Yes, it is," said Shuka, pressing her hand against her chest. "In which case, the fault would fall on Eishuku."

  "Eishuku-sama? Why?"

  "Because he was the one who originally recommended it."

  The surprise was obvious on Seiki's face. "Eishuku recommended it?"

  "I think so. I once came across Junkou and Eishuku talking about it. At the time Junkou wanted to offer Shishou some advice and was concerned that he had nothing to offer. He feared Shishou was going to give up on his useless little brother. That's when Eishuku made the suggestion."

  Shuka happened to be passing by in the shadow of a garden bower and hadn't caught all of the conversation. So all she heard was Eishuku suggesting that offering Shishou the Kasho Kada might prove helpful, and keeping this just between them, Junkou could take all the credit.

  "Oh my—" Seiki's face stiffened.