A Thousand Leagues of Wind, the Sky at Dawn

11-1

En is situated to the southeast of Ryuu, but the winters don't differ that much. Just as in Ryuu, it was a hardship to travel except by horse-drawn wagon. Though in En, people used carriages. The team of horses pulled a solidly-built coach and took them south on well-groomed roads.

Poorer travelers walked along the shoulders of the road. The blowing wind was cold, and you could freeze even while keeping on the move. They clutched onjaku to their chests, heads ducked into the wind, and carried over their shoulders sacks filled with a little charcoal and firewood. Here and there along the highway, the firewood would feed bonfires where they could warm themselves. They cast sideways glances at the stagecoach as it rushed past.

"It must be rough to have to travel on foot," Shoukei said to Rakushun, sitting across from her.

The coach seated two facing bench seats that each could sit three people. Shoukei and Rakushun were the only passengers.

"Shoukei, do you still want to go to Tai?"

Shoukei let out a breath. "I really wanted to go to Kei."

"Eh?"

"I wanted to go to Kei and work for a minister, get close to the Royal Kei. I'd ingratiate myself with her. And when the opening presented itself, usurp the throne. Something like that. I'm pretty sure half of it was in my imagination. But half of it was serious. You mad at me?"

"No. But if you really were serious, there's no way I could look at you again."

"You're right." Shoukei laughed. "I needed to get registered on the census. I heard that if you went to Tai and caught a boat to Kei, you could get land and get registered in Kei."

Rakushun gave her a surprised look. "I hadn't heard of that."

"The original goal was to go to Tai with the kitsuryou. But for the time being, it's just as well going to Kei and looking for some land there."

Shoukei looked down at her hands, folded in her lap. "In fact, being the princess royal was a big deal to me. I didn't want to give up living in the palace and my luxurious lifestyle. It was really embarrassing working in the fields and wearing commonplace clothes. When I heard that the Royal Kei was the same age as me, I envied her so much. I couldn't forgive her for having all that I had lost."

"I see."

"To tell the truth, it's still hard for me to stay in cheap hotels. It's mortifying to have to wear wool. But that's the penance I've got to pay." She clenched her hands, turning the tips of her entwined fingers white. "All I did was play around at the palace. I didn't do anything else. I didn't know people hated my father so much that they wanted to murder him. I didn't want to know. And now I'm paying for it. That's why Gekkei--he's the marquis of Kei Province--erased me from the Registry of Wizards. I get it now."

"Yeah."

"If I hadn't been the princess royal, I would just be another child at the orphanage. I'd still be in my minority, without the wits to become a government official. That's why I got sent to the orphanage. I didn't have a clue. I just didn't get it."

"Better you get it now than never."

"Yeah," Shoukei laughed. "The Royal Kei, what kind of person is she?"

"She's about the same age as you."

"But not an idiot like me."

"Oh, she would call herself an idiot. And then she would say: But they made me empress, anyway!"

Shoukei laughed again. "She sounds like me."

"Perhaps. But you are more, well, feminine. The Empress is kind of rough about the edges."

Shoukei giggled and looked out the window at the passing scenery. "I'd like to go to Kei." She wanted to meet this empress. And if not meet her, she wanted to see what kind of a kingdom she was going to create.

"Returnee groups are forming all over En and heading to Kei."

"You mean, since the Royal Kei was enthroned, people have been going back."

"Quite a number of people. They don't really know what kind of monarch she'll turn out to be, but in any case, with the Royal En lending a hand in her ascension, the people of Kei are pretty sure she'll turn out to be a good empress."

"So that's the rumor. But it's hardly carved in stone that she'll be an enlightened monarch."

"True, but home is better than staying in En. They've got land there, and while it might not be great, they can plant their own two feet on their own ground and start a life." Rakushun flashed a wry smile. "There was nothing wrong with getting out of Kei while the getting was good, but when it comes right down to it, life is rough for a refugee in En. It is better than staying behind in a kingdom going to the dogs. And En does its best to take care of people. Seeing how rich En is has got to hurt, though. Still, the only way to become a citizen of En is to buy land or become a public servant, and neither one of those is easy. Otherwise, if you wanted to settle down in En, you'd have to get hired by a wealthy land owner and work as an itinerant farmer, or get a job in a shop. So people long for their home country."

"Makes sense."

"I've been very fortunate. I was lucky enough to get into the university. The people of Kei are pretty fortunate, too, compared to the average refugee elsewhere."

"Really?"

"The Royal Kei and Royal En have a good relationship. The Royal Kei has told the Royal En to convey her best regards to her subjects and the Royal En has acknowledged her wishes. That alone is plenty to be thankful for. He has done much to help resettle the people from Kei back in their home kingdom. It's coming out of the national budgets of both En and Kei, a compromise worked out between the En and Kei. It doesn't make life easier for people from the other kingdoms, though."

"Indeed."

"The Royal Kei has a lot of things going for her. She's got a strong En watching her back, there to encourage her."

Shoukei wondered what kind of geography Kei had, it being so much further south than Hou. She said, "Do you think the returnees would mind someone who wasn't from Kei coming along with them?"

"I don't think so. They've got no way to check whether you've got a valid passport or not. A lot of people's homes were destroyed and they fled without their papers. Even so, if you want to go to Kei, I'll take you as far as the border."

"Rakushun."

"Tama should be waiting at the next town. The suugu, I mean. That's his name. With Tama, I can fly you to the Koushuu Mountains and be back to Kankyuu in two days."

Shoukei looked out toward the southeast. "You don't have any concerns about my going to Kei?"

"Not at all. Check it out. Go see what it's like."

"I will."

"Once you've seen what you need to see, how about you come back to Kankyuu and fill me in on how things are going there?"

Shoukei nodded.

11-2

Shoukou. He killed Seishuu. Huddled in her room in the inn, those three words alone occupied her mind. He killed Seishuu.

"I won't forgive. I won't forget."

Suzu repeated these words over and over to herself. A knock came at the door. It was one of the innkeeper's servants.

"Miss, the gates have opened. Will you be staying on?"

Suzu got out her coin purse. "A little while longer. Here, I'll pay in advance."

It was enough to cover her expenses for five more days. After that, it would take another five days to get to Gyouten.

"Well, okay then," said the servant. He quickly cleaned up the room and left. Suzu watched him go. She stared at the ceiling. "Shoukou. I won't forgive you."

After that, Suzu wandered about the city pretending to be taking a stroll and seeing the sights. She'd randomly greet passers-by and ask them about Shoukou. No one had much to say. It wasn't a subject people felt free to talk about.

She thought at first about bringing charges against him, but after walking around the city for five days, she realized that would be impossible. Shoukou was a governor with a great deal of power. He controlled Shisui Prefecture. The taxes far exceeded the rate set by the kingdom, and the balance disappeared into his pockets. The tax collectors were brutal. The law was a plaything used to punish people on a whim.

As egregious as his actions were, Shoukou hadn't answered for them and wouldn't answer for them. That's what everybody said. He distributed his ill-gotten gains throughout the bureaucracy and bought his own protection.

Her next thought had been to travel to Gyouten and directly appeal to the Royal Kei. It wouldn't be easy arranging an audience with the empress, but she did have her passport with the endorsement of the Royal Sai.

After five days in the city, she gave up on that, too. What she'd learned of Shoukou's brazen behavior was even worse. The city spilled over with privately resentful voices, but such was the fierceness of Shoukou's grip that none dare voice these feelings aloud.

"Seventy percent or a life," was the expression she heard.

The tax was seventy percent of the harvest. If this payment was short in the slightest, you paid with a life. Turn yourself in to be killed, or present the head of one of your family.

Shoukou went hunting in the hamlets, they said. When he was in one of his moods, he'd go to a farming village in the outlying districts and kidnap girls. A few days later he'd toss them out like a bundle of old rags.

At times, merchants came from the borders of Kou and ships arrived from Tai carrying human cargo. He deceived itinerants and refugees from the faltering kingdoms into coming to Shisui to replace those that had died beneath his lash. Wagons and ships traveled to the kingdoms bearing food and provisions and distributed it to families who had lost their homes and land. Those receiving the goods believed that the governor dispatching the wagons and ships to be a compassionate man. In the place of the provisions, people were carried on the return trip. Travelers who came, lured by the promise of land and citizenship, would curse their terrible folly only afterwards.

Why, Suzu asked herself with almost unbridled fury. Why would the Royal Kei keep such a beast as a public servant?

Rumors abounded on the streets. The reason Shoukou could persecute the people so, the reason he was never called to account, was because he had somebody covering for him. Probably somebody in Gyouten. Somebody in Kinpa Palace. Somebody at the top.

The late empress Yo-o had been in on it, so the rumors went.

The late empress had no interest in governing the kingdom, that was why. The ministers and government officials did whatever they wanted and nobody gave a damn. Kiss a little ass, throw a little jewelry and silk around, and they'd look the other way.

Because she was a woman, the people of Takuhou said. Kei had bad luck with empresses. They never governed in peace.

Suzu laughed to herself. An empress from Yamato, the one person in the world who would understand her. A monarch filled with gentleness and compassion.

What a joke.

The Royal Kei had been her best and last hope, the one thing that kept her going. I want to meet her, Suzu had told herself over and over again. What an idiot she'd been.

"I won't forgive them. Shoukou or the Royal Kei."

Suzu left Takuhou and headed for Gyouten. As expected, it took her five days. Using her bank book, she withdrew the balance of the funds. It'd raise eyebrows when the Royal Sai found out, but at this point Suzu didn't care.

The first thing she went looking for was a licensed arms merchant.

You couldn't defeat a youma with an ordinary sword. You'd end up breaking the sword and not hurting the youma. For youma hunting, you had to have weapons upon which a special spell had been cast. Because they were only made by the Minister of Winter, they were called touki, or winter weapons. On the door to the shop was the official seal authorizing them to make armaments.

Licensed arms merchants were also the only dealers in the chains and ropes used to capture and train youma and other you-beasts. Suzu recalled traveling often to an arms merchant at the base of Mt. Ha in the southwest kingdom of Sai to buy military-grade tack for the groom who took care of Riyou's flying tiger, Setsuko.

And quite different from an ordinary dealer, these arms merchants carried a class of weapons not widely known to the public--weapons that could kill a wizard. A governor was a class of baron, and thus a full-fledged wizard. You had to have a particular kind of sword to wound him.

Suzu browsed around the shop and selected a dagger. She didn't know how to use one, but she knew she'd need it. Arms merchants actually rarely sold "winter weapons" to customers. This was one time when the endorsement of the Royal Sai on her passport came in handy.

She next went to an establishment that specialized in pegasi and flying beasts. She didn't need a horse or ox. What she needed was a mount much faster than a horse, a pegasus that could leap over any fence or barrier.

Flying youma were captured by wild game hunters in the Yellow Sea, where youma abounded in great numbers. Game hunters were called "corpse hunters" because they spent as much time tracking down the bodies of fellow trackers killed by youma as they did the youma themselves. The job of a corpse hunter was to capture youma, break them and deliver them to a wrangler. Youma wranglers worked hand-in-hand with death. So the animals didn't come cheap. Capture a top of the line youma like a suugu, break and train it, and you would be set for life.

Suzu entered the shop. A middle-aged man in the shop was turning through the pages of a ledger. He said, "Welcome."

He only raised his eyes when he spoke. A scar ran from the top of his head to his right cheek. His right eye was caved in.

"I'm looking for a pegasus."

"How much?" Are you willing to spend? he meant.

Suzu placed the bank notes on the table. "Whatever I can get for this."

"You want one that flies or one that's fast?"

"One that flies. And one that heeds commands well."

"You ever been on a bird youma?"

Riding a bird youma was no simple task. "No. I'd prefer a horse."

"In that case, a sansui is the best I can do for you."

"What kind of beast is a sansui?"

"A horse with a blue coat. It doesn't really have what it takes to fly at altitude, but it's got strong legs. Handy for leaping over the occasional river. Not exactly fleet-footed. Three times as fast as your regular horse, but gets winded quick. If that's okay with you, I've got a real gentle one."

Suzu nodded. "Sounds fine."

"Where you staying?" the man asked.

Flying youma were not kept in the city. Suzu gave him her name and the inn she was staying at.

"I'll bring it to you. The whole thing takes seven days. I could get it to you quicker, but I'd have to run it, and it being a sansui, then you'd have to rest it a day. After that, it needs time changing owners."

"Seven days suits me fine."

"Half down, half on delivery."

Suzu nodded. "It's a deal. I'll be waiting."

And so she waited at the inn, portioning out the remainder of her funds to leave herself enough to eat. This was the Gyouten she had so longed for, the city that blanketed the terraced slopes of Mt. Ryou-un. She wasn't impressed. It didn't mean anything without Seishuu there with her.

Seishuu, welcome to Gyouten.

High up at the top of Mt. Ryou-un was the Imperial Palace. In the palace lived the Royal Kei, the damned fool of a monarch who let a man like Shoukou be.

Suzu grasped the dagger inside her blouse. She'd gut Shoukou with it and head back to Gyouten ahead of the news. Using the Royal Sai's endorsement on her passport, she'd arrange for an audience with the Royal Kei.

They'd squeal like stuck pigs. Shoukou, and at the end of the day, the Royal Kei--they'd picked the wrong child of Kei to kill.

As promised, the sansui was delivered seven days later. The stable boy handed Suzu the scent ball. Inside the scent ball was a burning incense stick. It had a little buckle to attach to a belt or sash. Inside the ball was the incense prepared by the youma dealer. The wrangler used this burning incense to tame the youma. When the youma was sold to another person, it'd be charmed by the smell of the incense and would not get alarmed. After that, the intensity of the incense was slowly reduced until the animal was acclimated to the scent of its owner.

But Suzu didn't have much interest in any of this and didn't bother to remember much of it. Once she'd made it back to Gyouten, the thing could drop dead for all she cared.

Suzu stayed on in Gyouten for three more days while she and the sansui got used to each other. Then she headed back to Shisui Prefecture and Takuhou.

Seishuu, soon I'll have your revenge. Shoukou and the Royal Kei, they will feel what you felt in spades.

11-3

Youko finished her morning chores and sent Enho's charges off to school. The school here didn't have an age limit, so Rangyoku attended along with Keikei. The main subjects were reading, writing and arithmetic. Children could go to school starting from the age of seven (counting a child as one at birth and a year older on each New Year), or five (counting birthdays on date of birth).

Because there was no formal graduation, adults could attend as well, and often came with babes in arms.

It was a pretty laid-back atmosphere. The main thing stressed was that the talk be about something more constructive than mere gossip. But as a consequence, open attendance was allowed only during the time that the villagers returned from the hamlets to the town. The school itself was closed from spring until fall. Anybody wishing to attend otherwise had to get a recommendation from the superintendent (who was also the principal).

Youko lingered behind in the now vacant orphanage and fretted about the girl named Suzu. What should she do? Go to Takuhou to look for her? She'd sent Hankyo off to Gyouten and he still hadn't returned. That was another reason for her hesitation. As she prepared lunch, she turned the whole thing over in her mind, wondering what to do.

"Hey, Youshi!" said Keikei.

Enho always left with Keikei and Rangyoku and returned together. Keikei ran ahead and got home first.

"Welcome back."

"You got a guest!"

"I do?"

"Yeah," Keikei nodded.

Youko glanced over her shoulder as Rangyoku walked in with Enho. Without a word, Rangyoku looked at Youko and grinned. "At the Eika Inn next to the dragon gate."

"An inn?"

Rangyoku giggled and went into the kitchen. She pulled Youko over to a secluded area by the wall. "It's a guy."

Youko raised her eyebrows. The first image that popped into her head was the man she'd met at that shady tavern in Takuhou. "Was it perhaps a rather grim-looking man? A big man?"

"More of a slender physique."

"About fourteen or fifteen?" If it wasn't the big man, then maybe the boy who had intervened on her behalf.

Rangyoku gave Youko a teasing scowl. "Oh, stop it! I can't believe you'd forget a good-looking guy like that! He said to tell you that your servant had arrived. You'd know who it was."

Youko's eyes flew wide open.

"Wow, I mean, your servant! That's so incredible!"

Youko hastily waved her hands, batting away the implications. "Don't be ridiculous! It's nothing like that!"

"Ah, you're blushing. Must be a really neat guy. He was dressed so fine!"

"No, no, no. Oh, all right, what exactly did he have to say?"

"So you do know him. You two must be really close." Rangyoku laughed out loud. She rolled up her sleeves and went to the water barrel. "Well, you better go right away and find out. And if you're not going to be back tonight, be sure to let us know!"

"I figured it was you," Youko said when she walked into the guest suite at the inn and recognized the prim face.

He opened his eyes suspiciously and leaned forward. Then quickly and politely bowed. The cloak fell from his shoulders.

"Forgive me for beckoning you here."

He certainly did present himself well. Compared to his usual attire, he had about himself an air of frugality, but that was because he couldn't very well show up here in full ministerial dress.

"That was some way of getting my attention."

"Eh?"

The bellhop who had showed her to the room gave her a meaningful look. He left the room and wordlessly closed the doors behind him.

Youko let out a deep sigh. "Forget it," she said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. From next to her ankles she heard what sounded like snickering laughter. "Oh, Hankyo. You know, you could have sent Hankyo for me."

"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?"

11-4

"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."