A Thousand Leagues of Wind, the Sky at Dawn

4-1

When Shoukei opened her eyes, she was lying on a gorgeously-arrayed canopy bed. Ah, so it was all a dream after all. She breathed a sigh of relief. All a dream: the murder of her parents, being sent off to the orphanage, the slings and arrows of so much hate and malice, on the verge of being most cruelly executed.

"You awake?" a frosty voice said.

Shoukei sat up and looked around. The lady's maid sitting there next to the bed glared at her. Shoukei thought, What's this wench doing in my private chambers?

As she mulled it over, the lady's maid got up and left the room. Shoukei finally noticed the differences between her room at Youshun Palace and the room she was in. All she had on was a short-sleeved cotton singlet, its hem lengthened with a mismatched patchwork of fabrics.

Anxiety welled up in her heart. Glancing around the room, she saw folded on the table a plain jukun, a blouse and skirt made of stiff, rough wool, a cotton smock and a wool jacket.

"Where am I?"

Still wearing only the singlet, Shoukei stepped down from the bed stand and wandered around the room.

This isn't a dream. That guardsman came to my rescue and saved me.

Shoukei didn't know if that was something she should be grateful for or not. The bedroom door opened. A man was shown into the room by the lady's maid.

Shoukei froze on the spot. "Gekkei."

A sardonic smile came to the man's lips. "Get dressed."

Shoukei rushed back to the bed stand, mortified to have been seen in the threadbare singlet. She hastily donned the jukun, flushing with shame at the shabbiness of the blouse and skirt.

"Your thanks are in order to Gobo. She traveled all through the day and night to get to the castle to let us know what was going on."

Gekkei's voice filtered through the curtains of the big canopy bed. Shoukei arranged the outfit as best she could. Gobo? she grimaced. What was with that woman? She'd made her life hell and then turned around and kissed up to Gekkei like an angel. Be thankful to a creature like that?

With all the intestinal fortitude she could muster, she emerged from the canopy bed and stepped down from the bed stand, holding her head high. Gekkei leaned back against the big table, folded his arms and looked her over.

"I never thought we'd meet again, but unfortunately it became necessary."

"Satisfied are you? Happy to see me reduced to such a degenerate state?"

"You are quite the dreadful sight."

Shoukei felt the blood rush to her cheeks. Her impoverished appearance next to the silk-clad Gekkei. Her bony, sunburnt body. As it was winter, she hadn't bathed in ages.

"You did this to me." Shoukei said, her words suffused with anger.

"You mean, dressed you in rags and sent you to work?" Gekkei smirked. "How easy it must have been to adorn yourself with silk and jewels and be praised for your beauty. What girl would not think herself elegant with servants at her beck and call, and summers spent frolicking in the shade of the trees? But the great majority of the people wear what you call rags and work the land by the sweat of their brows. What is truly ugly is your contempt for their humble lives."

"And where are we now, Gekkei?" Shoukei spat back at him. "In your castle, with you dressed in silk, toying with the powers of the government, indulging your prurient little games. Is it fun playing king?"

Gekkei grinned. "I can hardly think of how to reply to such a question."

"You're the traitor who killed the king and stole the throne."

"That as well I see no need to deny. It is certainly correct on its face." He turned his gaze on her. "Evidently, allowing the princess royal to reside in Hou will only cause more senseless chaos. It's probably best that you left."

"You mean, banish me? You've already removed my name from the Registry of Wizards and forced me to live in rags in a shack in the sticks. Now you make me an exile?"

"Considering the weighty matters of state before us, do you really think that amounts to much?"

In the face of his clear contempt, Shoukei could do little more than wring her hands. "You can't be serious!"

"I know that the Kingdom of Hou faces certain decline. From this point forward, things will only get worse. What you call 'rags,' what you call the 'sticks,' they will seem like luxuries."

"You're the one who killed the king!"

"And that I do not apologize for," Gekkei continued coldly. "If Chuutatsu's despotism had been allowed to continue, the greater part of the people would have been lost as well. At any rate, he was fated to fall. But while we waited for Heaven to sanction him, things may well have become so chaotic as to prevent the kingdom from ever returning to its former glory. What we did was necessarily to keep the damage to a minimum."

"Then you ought to ascend the mountain and ascertain the Divine Will. Ask whether you, the regicide, should become king. The Divine Will was certainly not with you when you murdered the king. Were I you, I would take care not to be struck by a passing thunderbolt."

"Again, I see no need to contradict you." Gekkei smiled sardonically. "I have requested that you be taken to the Kingdom of Kyou. The Royal Kyou has kindly agreed to take the princess royal into custody."

He turned to leave. Shoukei shouted at him, "Why don't you kill me? Cut off my head with the same sword you killed my father with!"

"Because I choose not to," said Gekkei, heading for the door.

"It's all because you wanted to be king!" Shoukei fumed. "Because you were jealous of him! And now everybody, including you, you all hate me because you're envious of me! Because I'm the princess royal! Isn't that right?"

Gekkei didn't answer. He left without a look back. The door shut behind him. Shoukei stared at the closed door, and then buried her face in her hands.

Gekkei returned to the Gaiden from the inner palace. Shoukei was hidden away in the depths of the palace. He knew that even amongst the ministers there were still those who deeply resented her existence and would try to kill her if they had the chance.

You ought to ascend the mountain and ascertain the Divine Will.

Her words stabbed him to the core. He knew well enough that he had rejected the Divine Will, but there was no regretting it now. He stopped at a window just outside the Gaiden and looked southeast over the Sea of Clouds, toward the Five Sacred Mountains at the center of the world. There, the kirin who would choose the next king was being born.

In two or three years, the word would come from Mt. Hou and the yellow standards would be raised over every Rishi in the country. There was a kirin on Mt. Hou and the king would be chosen. Those so possessed would ascend the mountain and express their desire for the throne. Gekkei knew he would not be one of them.

The cruel laws had been followed by slaughter after slaughter. News spread of the failing health of the kirin. Despite the likelihood of it being the shitsudou, the desperate Chuutatsu set about enacting even harsher statutes. If it was the shitsudou and the kirin was destroyed by it, it would take several months to a year for the kirin to die. And even after the kirin died, it would again take several months to a year for the king to be overcome as well. In that space of time, who knew what horrors he would wreak upon the people. Gekkei had no choice but expedite matters. Doing so must to some degree be in keeping with the Divine Will.

He would deliver a worthy kingdom to the next king. Until that day, the Mandate of Heaven had fallen upon his shoulders, and that was to fight against the inevitable ruin of the kingdom.

He turned to the southeast, toward Mt. Hou, and bowed his head.

Gobo heard the lady's maid approaching the room and raised her head.

She'd borrowed a horse from the stables at the town hall and galloped day and night through the snow. She'd made it in time. The provincial guard was sent to rescue Shoukei. As she rested at the castle, Gobo waited for the judgement that was sure to come. She had confessed to figuring out that the girl entrusted to her was the princess royal, confessed to torturing her with this knowledge. As a consequence, she had betrayed Shoukei's identity to the townspeople.

Gekkei stepped into the room. Gobo knelt and bowed low before him.

"Please, as you were."

Gobo looked up at Gekkei's serene face. Gekkei said, "The princess royal will be leaving Hou. I cannot tell you where, but she will never return to Hou again."

Of course, Gobo nodded, staring down at the ground. Of course he'd let the girl off with a slap on the wrists. She'd been hoping for Gekkei to regret the fact that he hadn't punished Shoukei severely enough and would be thrashing her on her behalf.

"You'll be dismissed from your position as headmistress and superintendent."

"I know that."

"For the time being, the townspeople will not be well disposed toward you. I've arranged for you to be relocated."

"Thank you, but I do not think that necessary."

Gekkei examined Gobo's upturned face. "You demonstrated a remarkable concern for the girl's fate. So why did you persecute her so severely?"

"I couldn't forgive her." Gobo averted her gaze. "Chuutatsu murdered my son. I knew that it could never make up for everything I felt, but whenever I saw her, I couldn't help but take it out on her. I'd get so angry I'd lose control of myself. But it was she who told me. She said she was the princess royal, said she didn't know anything of what her father did. I couldn't forgive that."

"I see," said Gekkei.

"The princess royal has responsibilities of her own to own up to, to live up to. To simply cast the past aside and beg shamelessly for mercy, that is unforgivable. She never did what she was supposed to. Around here, you forget to tend to the livestock and people go hungry. She never pulled her own weight. She'd come right out and tell you she hadn't done her part and expect you to feel all sorry for her because of how hard it was. I thought to myself, why should I let her get away with this?"

"Of course."

"That girl doesn't understand her guilt in all this. She still doesn't think she has anything to apologize for. Even seeing her parents killed in front of her, she still thinks it's all about her, about her suffering, about her pain. A lot of people suffered the same, but she won't admit that any of it came about because she didn't do the right thing when she was supposed to."

"I understand how you feel, but you can't make another person feel your pain. I think we'd all be better off forgetting about Chuutatsu. Leave the past in the past. Don't you agree?"

Gobo nodded.

"I'm pleased you had the presence of mind to let me know what was going on. What you did constituted no crime against the townspeople. For now, though, they will bear you no little malice. So in their stead, let me offer you my sincere thanks."

Gobo bowed her head. The tears that had run dry the day her child had died welled up and spilled onto the floor.

4-2

"I believe this is the first time we've met."

Empress Kouko nodded to the woman entering the room. Ten days had passed since the young girl had collapsed at the gates to the Hall of Government. During that time, Kouko had met often with Suzu, and had sent orders to the relevant ministries requesting more information about this Riyou, mistress of Suibi Grotto.

Riyou haughtily raised her head. With barely a "Hello," she strode to the large table, pulled out a chair and sat down. "I haven't been to the palace for a long time, now."

At first glance, you would have observed the grandmotherly Kouko opposite the much younger Riyou, apparently in the flower of her youth. But, in fact, Riyou was twice the age of the Empress.

"Feels like old times, almost. Hardly a thing has changed."

"I have given shelter to a girl by the name of Suzu. Apparently, she had been living at Suibi Grotto."

This brought an ingratiating grin to Riyou's lips. "For which I am grateful. Quite useless as a maid, but I do consider her a member of the family."

Kouko sighed to herself.

Riyou said, "And just what has she been telling you? Does the Royal Sai actually believe her? Servants never hold their master in high regard. I certainly wouldn't take anything she said at face value."

"Suzu swears that you tried to kill her."

"Oh, nonsense," Riyou laughed. "I certainly wouldn't on purpose. If I got tired of having her around, I'd just kick her out and be done with it. To tell the truth, I've considered doing so many times. But every time, the little brat gets down on her hands and knees and begs me not to."

"You sent her out in the middle of the night, in the middle of winter, to pick kankin mushrooms."

"Only because I am so generous." Riyou laughed again. "That girl broke a vase given to me by my liege. It was the way she could think of to thank me for forgiving her."

Kouko knit her brows together. The king Riyou spoke of had lived many generations before. Fu-ou was his name. In truth, Riyou had been his concubine.

"She says you sicced your tiger on her as well."

Riyou shrugged. "The way you say it, it sounds so dreadful. Is that what she told you? It's dangerous picking mushrooms in the middle of the night, so I sent Setsuko along in case anything unfortunate should happen."

"It sounds to me like you treat your servants rather badly."

"They know full well what the job entails. If other people don't like it, well, they should mind their own business. If my servants aren't happy with me, they're free to leave anytime. I don't see the problem."

"Even if they want to, there are still those who cannot."

Hmph, pouted Riyou, flashing a derisive smile. "You mean, all that about not being able to understand anything once she's removed from the Registry? What's so hard about that? She sticks around because she'd rather put up with me than become a normal person again. If I was really such a horrible person, she would just quit and leave. Isn't that what it comes down to?"

"Suzu is a kaikyaku. Not being able to communicate would be quite a hardship for her, would it not?"

Riyou looked at Kokou contemptuously, smiling as she raised her voice. "Even when she speaks the same language as the rest of us, she still doesn't know which way is up!"

Having finally grasped the gist of Riyou's argument, Kouko took a deep breath. "So, then, why must you behave like this? It's honestly the last thing I expected from the mistress of Suibi Grotto."

When Riyou had been a member of Fu-ou's inner palace, she had been a great help to him. But when malevolent retainers took advantage of the king's meek nature to indulge their own tyrannical behaviors, she upbraided them on the king's behalf, and earned their hatred in the bargain. She scolded the king as well, once he began to stray from the Way, and thus fell out of his good graces.

In the end, she was exiled to Suibi Grotto.

She was viewed suspiciously by those traitorous retainers, but they weren't able to strip her from the Registry or otherwise punish her. She was too smart for them. But with Riyou so far removed from him, the rule of Fu-ou saw a swift decline.

"Again, why be so insolent? Are you daring me to sanction you?"

"And are you daring to interfere in the business of a hisen wizard?"

"It is within the royal prerogatives. I simply have never had cause to resort to them."

Riyou got to her feet, grinning defiantly. "Suit yourself, then."

"Do you know the Royal Kei?" Suzu asked Sairin, kirin of Sai. They were in the palace garden, basking in the sunlight. "Oh, sorry, I should have addressed you as Taiho."

The young girl sitting in front of her had golden hair that glittered in the sunlight. Sairin had in fact served two kings, but based on her outward appearance, she looked even younger than Suzu. Her features were exceedingly fine and delicate. Her true nature was that of a unicorn, and Suzu was sure that a kirin must be a beast of extraordinary refinement.

"I don't mind," she said with a smile. "You may address me however you wish."

Kouko had a reserved nature, but Sairin's disposition was even more tranquil. She wore a calm smile from daybreak to dusk.

It's like a dream, Suzu thought whenever she recalled the days spent under Riyou's lash. She asked more politely, "Does the Taiho perchance know the Royal Kei?"

Sairin shook her head.

"You've never met her? Not in your capacity as kirin of Sai?"

"Kei not being a neighboring kingdom, and having no other reason to associate, it is unlikely that we would ever meet."

Huh, Suzu muttered to herself. Each of the Twelve Kingdoms had a king and a kirin. You'd think it'd get kind of lonely if that was your only companionship.

"Are you interested in the Royal Kei?" asked Sairin. The gilded hair spilling off her shoulders shimmered in the sunlight like white gold.

"We were both born in Yamato. We're both about the same age."

Ah, Sairin smiled. Suzu had heard Kouko call her Youran, or "rocking cradle." She really did have the gentle disposition of a baby content in its cradle.

"Being here all alone, I would like to meet her, even if only once and talk to her about Yamato."

"Do you miss Yamato?"

"Home is where the heart is, after all. I can't tell you how many times I cried myself to sleep wanting to go home."

"Do you so dislike it here?"

Sairin asked the question in such a dispirited tone that Suzu shook her head. "I, ah, it's not that I don't like it. It's just that I don't understand anything about this world, not even the language. Things haven't been so easy for me since I came here. I've seen a lot of hard times."

"I see."

"But I would think the Royal Kei has the same problems. Because we're both kaikyaku, I think we would understand each other. We both know what it feels like." Suzu flushed a bit explaining this.

"So you're saying you'd like to become friends with her?"

Suzu suddenly raised her head. "I suppose… if it's possible."

"Perhaps the Royal Kei isn't homesick for Yamato. It is possible, don't you think?"

Suzu's voice grew more resolute. "Well, of course that's what a person from this world would think."

Sairin turned toward her in response. "There are many people here, too, who have been separated from their homes. Itinerants who are not welcomed anywhere, who spend their lives wandering from place to place."

She bowed her slender neck, as if in shame at the very thought. "But I do wonder if being born in the same Yamato necessarily means you would understand each other. There are people born in the same country who hate each other nonetheless."

Suzu said to Sairin with an annoyed scowl, "It's not the same thing. A person born here wouldn't understand. There's a big difference between simply coming from the same hometown and never being able to return to your hometown again."

"But I wonder."

Sairin let out a small sigh. Suzu was about to shoot her another peevish look when Kouko came in from the main hall.

"Oh, there you are." She turned to Sairin. "I'd like to talk with Suzu for a minute."

"Yes," said Sairin, and with a polite bow returned to main residence.

Kouko sat down next to Suzu, who immediately straightened her posture.

"I just met with Mistress Riyou."

Suzu's body began to tremble. Hearing Riyou's name was like stumbling across something filthy in this peaceful, exquisite palace garden.

"I've decided to recall the servants at Suibi Grotto to the palace."

Suzu felt her cheeks flush. Not ever returning to Suibi Grotto was fine with her. Instead, she would live in this beautiful palace, surrounded by kind, graceful people like Kouko and Sairin (her little spat of unpleasantness all but forgotten for now). Her spirits soared upwards.

The next words out of Kouko's mouth turned her to ice. "However, you shan't be one of them."

The trembling rose from the soles of her feet to the crown of her head. "What… what do you mean?"

"Your name will remain upon the Registry. But I wish you to live in the real world for a while. I've arranged for you to be listed upon the census."

"But why only me? What did I do?"

Kouko's face was almost expressionless, except for a small touch of sadness. "I know that it was difficult for you, not being able to comprehend the language. But now that you can, you should be able to make a living for yourself."

"What did Riyou tell you?" Her whole body shook, from anger or disappointment, she couldn't tell which.

"This has nothing to do with her. Riyou left everything to my discretion."

"Then why?"

Kouko averted her gaze. "I was thinking it might help if you grew up a bit first."

"Grew up?" She had been a prisoner of Riyou for a hundred years. What was it that a century couldn't accomplish?

Kouko looked calmly at Suzu. "It must have been very hard for you, to be thrown into a world you had never seen before and knew nothing about. And even more so because you couldn't speak the language. However, Suzu, simply understanding the words that people say is not the same as comprehending what they mean."

Suzu could only gape at her.

"If impertinence is actually what you are communicating, and that is why you are failing to come to an understanding, then the rest is all for naught. It is necessary that you first try to grasp what the other person intends, showing acceptance without first jumping to conclusions."

"That's not fair!"

"If it really proves too much for you to bear, then at that time you may return. But for now, I want you go down to the city and see what life is like. Even then, it won't be too late to consider other options."

"But why do I have to be the only one? After all this time!"

Suzu collapsed to the floor, her expectations thoroughly dashed. And I thought they were good people. I thought they were nice. If I had to live here and serve them, who knows how bad it would get.

They didn't know what it was like, the agony of getting swept away from your country, to a strange place where you didn't know your left from your right. Growing up here, they couldn't possibly understand what she was going through.

"If there is some other course you wish to take, tell me now. If it is within my power, I'll see what I can do to help you."

What's she asking me this now for? Suzu bit her lip and raised her tear-streaked face. "I want… I want to see the Royal Kei."

Kouko bent closer to her. "The Royal Kei?"

"I want to meet her, see what she's like. She was born in Yamato like me."

Ah, Kouko said under her breath, knitting her brows.

"We're fellow countrywomen. The Royal Kei would understand me, I know it. The Royal Sai doesn't. Not even Sairin understands me. Nobody born in this world understands what I've gone through."

The Royal Kei wouldn't treat her like this. She'd have heartfelt concern and sympathy for her. She'd surely help her.

While Kouko mulled it over, Suzu said, "I know the Royal Kei is just as lonely as I am, is just as sad and homesick. People here don't feel sorry for you. Only somebody from Yamato like I am could understand how bad it's been."

"I have no acquaintance with the Royal Kei, so I cannot accommodate your request directly. However, I can provide you with traveling expenses and papers of transit." Suzu's face lit up. Kouko looked down at her naive countenance with a slightly pained expression. "So go and see what comes of it. You certainly have nothing to lose from the experience."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"There is one thing, however, that I wish you to remember," said Kouko, peering at the girl's tear-streaked face, now flushed and smiling. "When it comes to living a life, happiness is only the half of it. Suffering is the rest."

"Huh?"

"Happy people are not those whose lives are well-blessed. Happy people are those who keep their hearts in good cheer."

Suzu couldn't figure out for the life of her why Kouko was telling her this.

"Child of Yamato, in the end, the only thing that truly brings us happiness is the effort we expend to put suffering behind us and the effort we make to become happy."

Suzu nodded. "Sure. Okay." Well, of course. She had fought hard for her happiness and the result was being freed from Riyou. Now she was going to meet the Royal Kei. "I won't let adversity defeat me," she said with a smile. "I've gotten used to hardships. I've got enough patience to endure to the end."

Kouko looked away, her face tinged with sorrow.

4-3

Along with the Koushi and other upcoming festivals of the midwinter solstice, a giddy atmosphere once again enveloped Kinpa Palace. At the height of the celebrations, an incident shook the capital. A large cache of weapons was discovered at the home of Taisai, head of the Ministry of Heaven.

"Weapons?"

The report was delivered in the middle of the night by Daishikou, the head of the Ministry of Fall. Youko stood there dumbstruck.

"It appears as if preparations were being made for a coup."

They had been stockpiling weapons with the intent of assassinating her, the empress.

"We were informed by a number of Taisai's retainers, who rushed to the Ministry of Fall to warn us. Not believing it ourselves, we retraced their steps and found the cache of weapons. We later took ten mercenaries into custody at Taisai's villa in Gyouten."

Undoubtedly, Taisai had shown himself to be the least satisfied with her. He often clashed with Chousai Seikyou, and it was widely rumored that Youko deferred to Seikyou at every opportunity. But that it would come down to regicide horrified her. Even knowing full well that the bureaucracy by and large still did not accept her, she had no idea that they hated her enough to amass weapons and attempt an assassination.

"Oh," she said.

"We were able to arrest them before the plan could be carried out. Because the ministry Taisai heads is responsible for the operations of the palace, particularly the inner palace, officials serving Your Highness are mostly already in custody. If any of them are found to be bearing weapons and are involved in the plot, how shall we deal with them?"

Youko could do nothing more than gulp for air.

"Interrogations are being conducted as we speak. According to the investigation so far, Taisai may have involved the Sankou as well, with the backing of the Marquis of Baku--I mean, Koukan."

Youko took another deep breath.

The three members of the Sankou were Taishi (Lord Privy Seal), Taifu (Minister of the Left) and Taiho (Minister of the Right). They were subordinate to Keiki, who was the principal counselor (Saiho) of all the ministers. They assisted the Saiho and advised and admonished the empress. Her education was also the province of the Sankou. In terms of rank, they were treated the same as Chousai, minister-in-chief of the Rikkan, and the province lords. However, they did not actually have a direct say in the political process. Consequently, they clashed often with Chousai, and like Taisai often rebuked Youko for taking Chousai's side. However, they were also a more intimate presence than Seikyou or the Rikkan.

Would the Sankou have become involved in an assassination plot?

At the palace, the Ministry of Heaven was responsible for food, shelter and clothing. Because they were so involved and helpful in her day-to-day life, the relationship had a strongly paternalistic aspect to it. To think that the head of the Ministry of Heaven and the Sankou would be plotting a coup d'etat!

"But the Marquis of Baku… . "

He had resisted the pretender but had coveted the throne for himself. He had subsequently been detained in Baku Province pending reinstatement. The opinion of her retainers as to the disposition of his case was divided between the faction led by Chousai and that led by Taisai, and so remained up in the air.

"And this is how they express their dissatisfaction.… "

Amongst her retainers, the opinion was gaining strength that Koukan should be punished and any subsequent second-guessing about the matter nipped in the bud. Keiki strongly objected and Koukan had been placed under house arrest. This, then, was the result of Keiki's compassion.

"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.

4-4

Youko retreated to her rooms deep within the Inner Palace where the ministers could not follow her. She left word with her attendants 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 smiled 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."