Volume 3 - CH 4.3

Translation Notes

1. I couldn’t think of an alternative that captures the meaning of dim sum so I’m sorry if anyone got taken out of the novel

“I heard that Saname Chouyou cut off his uncle’s head himself.”

Koushun nodded at Meiin’s words.

“It’s difficult to cut off a person’s head with a single sword stroke. Chouyou is a man of great skill, isn’t he.”

Meiin made a face that said, That’s not the point here, and Koushun smiled faintly.

“It seems that they had quite a lot of trouble with him for many years. The fact that he was family meant that they had even more trouble dealing with him.”

“I heard that he was an elder. Even though Chouyou is the head of the family, his uncle was older than him, and he would have been reserved when it came to him. If he treated him with disrespect, the whole family might condemn him, since the Sanames respect their elderly more than anything else. Well, the uncle was a thorn in their side, so to speak.”

Koushun gazed at the lotus pond and narrowed his eyes. It was raining lightly. Amidst the foggy scenery, white lotuses dimly emerged out of the fog like stars.

“…That thorn is no more.”

“Yes, he isn’t.”

“He has taken a very aggressive approach, marching into his uncle’s mansion and beheading him without waiting for the province’s ruling.”

“Yes.”

Chouyou’s uncle made contact with Un Eitoku and tried to get him to put pressure on Chouyou so that he could be reinstated as the administrator of his former domain. In the event that he returned to his position, he promised Eitoku that he would under-report the profits from the domain and give them to him as a bribe. In addition, he had been lining his own pockets by mismanaging the taxes he was supposed to pay to the imperial court when he was serving as the domain administrator, and he had poisoned the deputy inspector, Reiko Shiki, who had been investigating his personal affairs. The death penalty would have been appropriate for his deeds.

“Including the amount of money he embezzled, the Saname would have been responsible for paying that vast sum…but even so, it was in Chouyou’s best interest to get rid of his uncle.”

Koushun murmured, and Meiin glanced at him.

“He was able to get rid of his uncle under the pretext of ‘for the sake of the Saname.’ His uncle, disgruntled with being put under house arrest, criticized Chouyou considerably and became obsessed with ‘Saname’s earnest wish.’”

This information came from the reports from Shiki and the spies sent to Ga Province.

“Saname’s earnest wish?”

“Returning to Kakami and becoming its rulers, apparently.”

Meiin looked amazed. “Abandoning the fertile lands of Ga Province and setting out on rough seas to a place you don’t even know if you can reach safely? How many of their ships will be wrecked? It would be one thing if it’s Ikahi Island.”

“Even so, they must have some kind of longing for returning to their homeland. Chouyou’s uncle preached the dream to the younger members of the Saname clan, and apparently gained some support.”

“Innocent young people are easily influenced. It’s so beautiful that it’s more like a dream than an actual dream.”

“I guess they couldn’t overlook that. Doing something that would mislead the young is an unpardonable offense.”

Koushun thought that this was what Chouyou was most worried about. However, punishing his uncle without prudence would invite backlash from the young people. It would be logical if, after getting the imperial court involved, the person who caused the disturbance compensated with their own life in order to “reduce the damage to the Saname clan.”

“So…he basically used his uncle indiscretions?”

“It would have been easy for Chouyou to stop him before he made contact with Eitoku.”

Chouyou’s uncle put the noose around his own neck. He was trying to outwit Chouyou, which was exactly what Chouyou wanted him to do.

“I don’t like it,” A furrow appeared between Meiin’s eyebrows. “Isn’t this also akin to using Secretariat Un as a pawn?”

“He expected that Eitoku wouldn’t take his uncle’s offer no matter how much he was offered in return, but…”

It must be complicated for Eitoku as well. It meant that he was taken advantage of in anticipation of him refusing to take bribes and ability to pay attention to past wrongdoings.

“He had a bitter look on his face,” Meiin smiled wryly. “Even though he knew he was being used, he couldn’t help but investigate them. Yes, he was very complimentary of Shiki’s usefulness, which was rare for him.”

“Is that so. I’m glad,” Koushun’s answer was short. He thought that Eitoku would like Shiki. Eitoku liked young people who were brilliant but had no backers.

“I’m surprised that you decided to send Shiki, Your Majesty. I introduced him to you, but he has only been here for a short time.”

“That’s because…he’s a greedy person.”

“Greedy?”

“When I was the deposed crown prince, I was keenly aware of my lack of power. He also knows that he can’t do anything without power. He’s different from people from distinguished families who have it from the beginning and don’t even realize they have it. I thought that Shiki wouldn’t miss the chance to get close to Eitoku and have him acknowledge him. Even if he was in communication with the Sanames, he would join us even if meant reneging on that.”

Meiin’s eyes widened, and he didn’t say a word. After some time, he came back to himself and cleared his throat.

“…Do you not trust Shiki?”

“I trust him in a sense. Trusting someone doesn’t mean placing unreasonable, self-centred expectations on them. It’s about seeing the person you’re dealing with for who they are.”

He had to look at people honestly and properly, without bending them to suit his own convenience. That was what he believed.

In that sense, Koushun also trusted Chouyou. He wasn’t a man who would do something so foolish. And—he still couldn’t tell what his true goal was.

They must continue to focus their attention on the Sanames.

“You’ve truly matured a lot, Your Majesty. I’m sure that’s why Secretariat Un has made up his mind to retire.”

After the Saname affair was settled for the time being, Eitoku asked to retire.

“No, it’s not so much about me, but rather, I think he was frustrated.”

“About what, Your Majesty?”

“The fact that he was seen by Chouyou’s uncle as someone who could be bribed—a weak spot in the imperial court. It must have been unbearable for Eitoku to be seen as such by others.”

Koushun would give the title of Grand Minister of the Department of State Affairs to Eitoku, not retirement. This was an honorary position with high rank but no real authority.

“As the leader of a distinguished family, he will not be lost for some time to come. In the meantime, I want you and Gyoutoku to do your best.”

“I will do my best with all my heart and soul,” Meiin bowed with his hands locked in front of his chest. He was newly appointed to the position of Chancellor, and Un Gyoutoku was to be appointed to the position of Chief Minister of the Chancellery from his old position of assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites. Earlier, Koushun had met with Gyoutoku and discussed this.

“It seems that Eitoku is unsatisfied with Gyoutoku’s mildness, but I think it’s a quality that’s difficult to find in a person. The two of you together would be just the right balance.”

“Because I lack warmth, after all,” a smile appeared on his intelligent face. He then turned his gaze to the lotus pond. “Ah, the rain has stopped.”

The clouds in the sky cleared before they knew it, and the damp lotus buds were sparkling. Squinting his eyes at the glare, Koushun thought, I have to go see Jusetsu. He promised her that he would visit her again.

There were things he wanted to talk about with her.

Jusetsu was invited to Hakkaku Palace by Banka. Banka had completely recovered, and her complexion looked well. She was treated to dim sum as thanks. (1)

“Those gifts came from my great-uncle. It seemed that Hakurai smuggled the bracelet in there. I didn’t expect it to be so horrifying. If you hadn’t saved me, I would have died.”

Thank you very much, Banka thanked her.

“No…that curse was originally meant for me, after all.”

“I’m glad it was me instead of you. After all, if you have been the one to collapse, no one would have been able to help you.”

The fever must have been painful, but Banka didn’t even voice any resentment towards her.

“My great-uncle was cheerful, generous, and pleasant. I wonder how he ended up like this…”

Banka’s great-uncle, in other words Chouyou’s uncle, was beheaded. Jusetsu heard that there had been some kind of wrongdoing involving his domain. The source of this information was Tan Kai.

“Hakurai has been banished from Ga Province, and the Eight Truths has been dissolved. I didn’t like either of them, so I’m relieved.”

Banka popped a baked rice cake with dried apricots into her mouth. She seemed to like apricots.

“You said that Hakurai was cozying up to your father…”

Jusetsu remembered that she had said something like that when she was delirious with fever. When she reminded her of this, Banka tilted her head to the side.

“Did I say that? When I had the fever? I don’t remember that. Hakurai curried favor with my great-uncle. My great-uncle has bad knees, and he told me that he got better after receiving Hakurai’s prayers. I wonder if such a thing can really happen. I think he was tricked. I’m sure everything that happened this time was instigated by Hakurai as well.”

Banka frowned in displeasure. She seemed to despise Hakurai quite a lot.

“…What kind of man is Hakurai?”

“How? He’s about the same age as my father. I think he’s in his forties. He has a lot of gray hair for his age, and he doesn’t wear his hair in a topknot. He has a strange hairstyle. He has cold, creepy eyes. I don’t think Hakurai is his real name. I wonder where he came from.”

Jusetsu asked her if he had any connections with her, but there was no way to know for sure.

“I think the people of the Saname house would know more. Do you want to know?”

Jusetsu nodded. “If possible.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble for me. I’ll write a letter back home. –Hey, may I call you ‘Jusetsu’?”

Jusetsu was a little perplexed, but answered, “You may.” A smile broke out on Banka’s face.

“Oh, I’m so happy. You can call me ‘Banka’ as well.”

She felt like she had a similar exchange with Kajou. She had asked her if she could call her “Ah-mei,” and that Jusetsu should call her “Ah-jie.”

When she first met Banka, she thought that she was a hard-to-read princess, but now she saw her as a bright and carefree girl. However, Banka would sometimes stop talking and lower her head. It seemed that she wasn’t entirely carefree. Was she thinking about the girl who died due to the Saname curse?

Even when she was leaving Hakkaku Palace, Banka suddenly lost her smile and stared at Jusetsu’s face for a short while.

“Is there something wrong?” she asked her, but Banka just shook her head and smiled weakly.

After seeing Jusetsu off, Banka returned to her room and asked her attendants to leave. She placed a piece of paper on her table, and then prepared an inkstone and brush. She had to write a letter to her father. Banka often received gifts from back home, and each time she wrote a thank-you letter to her father, including information under the pretext of telling him about her current situation. This was her “role.”

There were a lot of things to write this time.

About the curse. About how that caused her to break out in fever. About how Jusetsu saved her. She assumed that the attendants would probably report on this as well—.

Banka didn’t pick up her brush and simply stared at the pale blue hemp paper scattered with gold leaf.

She knew at a glance that the bracelet was no ordinary gift. It wasn’t something that matched her great-uncle’s or her own taste. It was an ugly toad’s bracelet. She hadn’t known it was cursed, but she had a hunch that there was something wrong with it. Even so, she hesitated for a while over whether or not she should give it to Jusetsu. Was that what her father intended?

However, Banka didn’t give it to her. She didn’t want something bad to happen to her.

Would her father be angry at her? What if it was sent here on his instructions?

Banka’s shoulders slumped. She didn’t want to be scolded by her father. She didn’t want to feel discouraged. Even more than that, she didn’t want to be abandoned as a useless daughter.

But Jusetsu was an innocent girl. Just like Shouzen. She couldn’t bear to see her suffer or worse. She never wanted to be involved in the death of an innocent girl ever again.

Even now, she felt like Shouzen was watching her from the side. She felt like she was calling her a coward. A coward who abandoned and killed her beloved sister in order to save herself—.

Banka covered her ears with her hands.

Father, what should I do?

The face of her father appeared in her mind. A face that was strict and didn’t tolerate clinging to others or crying. His cold face when he told her to choose between her own life or Shouzen’s.

However, it was precisely because of that strictness that her father was respected and adored by the people of their clan and land. Even Banka respected him. That was why she didn’t want to be disdained or made despondent.

Banka picked up the brush. She wrote about the recent situation, including the curse. And then, she put the brush down.

Should she let her father know about that?

Banka once put a gardenia in Jusetsu’s hair. That was when she discovered it: Jusetsu dyed her hair. Her original hair color seemed to be white or silver. She had no idea until then.

Was this something she should let her father know? Or was it something trivial that she shouldn’t even bother with?

However, it surely has to be a secret Jusetsu wanted to hide. That’s why she dyed her hair. She kept that a secret. If that’s the case—

It wasn’t a trivial matter at all.

Banka picked up the brush and put it down again. She repeated this several times. The faces of her father and Jusetsu alternated in her head. Jusetsu was a good girl. Banka wanted to be friends with her. She saved her.

She let out a sigh.

After a long period of hesitation, Banka picked up the brush.

As a gift, Koushun brought some unusual food. Jusetsu stared at the bowl that was piled high with the treat. It smelled sweet. Plum fruits were covered in a thin coat of candy.

“Candy was coated onto the plums and hardened. It’s sweet. I thought you might like these kinds of snacks, so I brought some here.”

Listening to Koushun’s words absentmindedly, Jusetsu picked up one of the candies. It was glossy and shining, like a star. Hesitantly, she bit into it. The candy coating crumbled as soon as her teeth bit into it, and when she bit into the plum, the soft, sour fruit and crunchy, sweet candy mixed together and filled her mouth. This was—an unknown deliciousness.

“Wonderful.”

Koushun smiled faintly at Jusetsu, who only said that word.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Jusetsu closed the lid of the vessel, thinking that she should give some to Jiujiu, who had already retired for the night, tomorrow. Koushun watched as she licked the candy off of her fingers. Uncomfortable with his gaze, she wiped her fingers with a handkerchief.

“…So, what business do you have with me tonight?”

“Ah…” Koushun was silent for a moment, seemingly searching for the words. Jusetsu waited. “I have many things I need to tell you. First, there are two things to report.”

Koushun raised his index finger.

“I heard the Owl’s voice.”

Jusetsu frowned, not understanding. “Voice? What do you mean?”

“A few days ago, I was presented with a large conch shell. It was a rare item, with a jet-black shell that shins rainbow colors. The voice came from it. The voice of the Owl. It seemed that I’m the only one who can hear him. He said that it was because I was wounded by him before.”

As usual, Koushun spoke about anything in his matter-of-fact way. Jusetsu pressed her fingers to her temples and tried to sort out his words in her head.

“…And so?”

“Apparently, the Owl is in prison because of the recent events. He can’t help you. Instead, he told me provide wisdom.”

“Wisdom?”

What did that mean?

“How to rescue the Raven—how to rescue you.”

Koushun’s voice was quiet, as well as his eyes that were staring at her.

“…Rescue me?” Jusetsu’s voice was hoarse.

“Yes.”

A silence descended upon them. Jusetsu didn’t speak, so Koushun started talking again.

“There might be a way to free the Raven without killing you. I would like to find it.”

“But,” Jusetsu raised her voice. “Then—what would happen to the Summer King?”

What would happen to the Winter and Summer Kings when the Raven was freed?

“I don’t know,” Koushun’s answer was simple and straightforward. “However, I have doubts as to whether or not it would be safe if we keep things as they are. The situation is different now than it was a long time ago. I believe there might be new wisdom that can be derived from that. There may be a best way forward.”

And then, Koushun raised another finger.

“We’ve captured Hou Ichigyou. That’s the second report. As a sorcerer, he knows things we don’t. About Gou-no-Kami and Wulian Niangniang as well. His knowledge would probably be very helpful.”

Jusetsu was staring intently at Koushun, who spoke quietly without any expression on his face.

Why?

“Why…” Jusetsu bit her lip.

“What is it?” Koushun asked.

“There’s no need for you to go that far, is there?”

When she said that, Koushun fell silent and peered at her face.

“There is a need. Because we’re friends.”

Koushun’s voice was always quiet, but it was decisive and resolute, not matching that stillness.

“There are many things I have to give up after weighing them against other things. I thought that I couldn’t let you leave this palace. But—if there is a way, I want to choose it.”

What about you, he asked.

Jusetsu squeezed her hands together beneath the table. She wanted to scream, Save me, but she knew she couldn’t do that.

But now Koushun was trying to scoop up that cry.

As her chest grew hot, she lowered her head.

“…I can’t do it…” She squeezed her hands tightly. “I…can’t choose it.”

“Why?” Koushun asked quietly.

“If I’m…if I’m saved,” Jusetsu closed her eyes. “I would feel guilty towards Reijou.”

Towards Reijou, who spent her life alone as the Raven Consort. Towards Reijou, who loved and raised her—.

“…Jusetsu.”

Jusetsu suddenly opened her eyes. That was because Koushun’s finger was touching her cheek.

“I’ve never met Reijou, but I can imagine how much she loved you. Jusetsu, don’t you forget. Just like you had Reijou, she also had you.”

Koushun’s voice permeated gently into the bottom of Jusetsu’s chest.

“Save yourself, who was loved by Reijou.”

It felt like there was a hot lump in her throat. It gradually rose, making her lips tremble.

She felt like her cry for help, tossed into the darkness, had been received.

Koushun’s finger wiped Jusetsu’s eyes. It was then that she finally realized that she was crying.

Something that had hardened slowly softened and melted away.

Koushun’s hand gently caressed her cheek.

Injou was playing on a rocky beach. Water dashed onto her every time the waves washed ashore and broke on the rocks, but she didn’t care at all, observing the small fish and shellfish left behind in the tide pools. Hakurai watched her from a distance. The sea breeze caressed his hair and made the hem of his robe flutter.

The left half of Hakurai’s face was covered with a cloth. With his remaining right eye, he shifted his gaze to the sea. In the distance, the shadow of an island was faintly visible.

“Is that Bahuang Island?”

Hakurai confirmed with the man standing next to him. The man was wearing a wide-brimmed hat that cast a shadow over his face. He brought no attendants with him as he came to see Hakurai off. He had virile features and a sharp gaze. He might put on a kind smile for his people, but he never did that ordinarily.

“Bahuang Island consists of several islands, large and small. The largest island is called Big Island. That’s the island you two are heading for,” the man—Chouyou—said. “The boats come and go every day, the fish are delicious, and the fruits are plentiful. The islanders are also very peaceful and carefree. –Don’t disturb the peace by displaying your bad habits.”

The corners of Hakurai’s lips lifted and he simply smiled back.

“Seeing with only one eye must be very inconvenient. I’ll give you a servant. He’s a hard worker who can do anything from cooking rice to repairing a house. If you don’t have enough hands, you can hire whoever you want after you reach the island.”

“There’s no need for that, sir. I’ll live quietly and frugally. I have Injou with me as well.”

Chouyou glanced at Injou. “Will she be useful?”

Hakurai laughed. “In her own way. She was born in a fishing village, so living near the sea would suit her better.”

“Rouko in Gei Province, was it?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a poor village.”

“So, when I asked them if I could take her, they were delighted. Of course, I paid them handsomely.”

Chouyou cast a sorrowful gaze at Injou. If Hakurai had visited that village a year later, that girl might have been bought at a bargain by a procurer of bad character and sold to some run-down brothel. She was a young girl with tanned skin and dark eyes, and was beautiful even for a child.

“I had long surmised that the Hatan people were a people close to the gods, but Injou was an unexpected find.”

As the spray of the waves grew higher, Hakurai called out to Injou. “Injou, come over here.”

Injou didn’t react right away, but after he called her again, she finally turned around. She leisurely walked over to him. Although she seemed to be a slow-witted girl, she was the only one who could serve as a vessel that could communicate with Hakumyoushi.

Various items washed onto the beach from distant places. Shells, pieces of broken glass, drowned bodies, lost souls, gods. That was why fishing grounds were also called gathering places.

When he first met Injou, she had been collecting shells on the beach. She told him that she sold beautiful shells and pieces of glass as souvenirs at a nearby inn town. Such items became amulets as flotsam from the land of the gods. There were many children on the beach who were also collecting sea shells. All of them were barefoot and wearing rough clothes.

There’s a god at the bottom of the sea.

Injou had said that.

When you put a shell to your ear like this, you can hear his voice. The god lives at the bottom of the deep sea. The bottom of the sea is pitch black, the same as the night, so the gods are asleep.

But, this god is awake. He says he’s waiting.

For what? Hakurai had asked her.

For me.

“Mister, look at this. It’s a sakura shell,” Injou approached and showed him the shell. “It’s not chipped anywhere.”

Injou’s eyes were sparkling. That was because shells without any chips or cracks could be sold at a relatively high price.

Hakurai let out a sigh. “You don’t need to do such things anymore.”

She wasn’t living a life where she had to walk around barefoot selling shells. However, completely ignoring Hakurai’s words, Injou gleefully put the shell in a small pouch and put it in her breast pocket. The pouch was dirty and worn-out, made by her mother in the past.

While Hakurai frowned, Chouyou held out his fist to Injou.

“Put your hands out,” he told her, and Injou did what he said, looking confused. Chouyou dropped an avalanche of shells into her hands. They were all small, but they were silver-lipped pearl oysters with a rainbow-colored luster on the inside. These were one of the shells used to create mother-of-pearl.

“Wah…!” The shimmering shells made Injou’s face flush. “These will sell for a very high price!”

That’s not the point here. Hakurai pressed his hand to his forehead, but Chouyou narrowed his eyes with a gentle expression on his face.

“I was told by the merchant that the quality of these shells isn’t suitable for mother-of-pearl. I heard that you liked seashells, so I gave them to you.”

“Thank you.”

Injou had a big smile on her face. She carefully put the shells away in her pouch. Because Hakurai never knew what kind of words might come out of her mouth, he didn’t let her appear in front of people. Even if she did, he didn’t let her speak. It was better to keep her mysterious.

Hakurai took out a handkerchief and wiped her wet clothes and hair. Injou obediently let him do it. It wasn’t that she hadn’t become attached to him, but she still called him “Mister” and didn’t call him by his name.

Because that’s not your real name, she said. She was right.

“Let’s set off now.”

Hakurai put his hand on her back and they headed for the dock. After a short walk, they came across a pier. There was a ferry there waiting for passengers.

“The servant should be on Big Island’s dock to greet you. He should have finished cleaning the house by now.”

“I am deeply grateful for your kindness.”

With a face that didn’t take Hakurai’s gratitude seriously, Chouyou looked towards the island.

“You should take a rest for a while. Your wound must still hurt.”

“…I even borrowed the divine treasure from you, and now this plight has befallen us. I feel ashamed of my own stupidity more than I feel pain.”

“There’s no need to worry about the orb. It was originally a cursed object that couldn’t be destroyed even if we wanted to. I’m even grateful to you,” Chouyou glanced at Hakurai. “You’re the one who lost the Eight Truths you so carefully nurtured.”

“I don’t care about such things anymore.”

Yes. The Eight Truths had collapsed, but that didn’t matter to him. As long as he had Injou and Hakumyoushi, everything was okay.

“Very well then. –This is where I see you off. Take care of yourself.”

“Yes, sir.”

If he had really wanted to, he wouldn’t have taken the risk of coming to see him off. It would be bad if Hakurai, who was supposed to have been banished from Ga Province, was seen here exchanging friendly words with Chouyou. However, Chouyou came to see him off out of a strong sense of duty.

“If you ever need me again, please call on me.”

Just like this time, when he was sent to deal with Chouyou’s eyesore of an uncle.

Hakurai and Injou headed for the boat landing. Chouyou watched them for a while, but eventually left the rocky shore and went away.

Even if she was called with the name Injou, she couldn’t react immediately. Because it wasn’t her real name.

Injou, who was still being rocked by the boat and peering into the water, turned around after her name was called several times. Hakurai had a scary look on his face.

“Don’t look in. You’ll fall.”

“I can’t see the bottom of the sea.”

Despite growing up in a fishing village, Injou had rarely been on a boat. It was a man’s job to go out to sea. Girls like Injou and boys who aren’t old enough to go fishing yet were either picking shells, mending nets, or listening to the elders’ folktales.

Especially on stormy days, she would sit while hugging her knees by the fireside and listen to the elders’ story. The other children would be there as well.

That’s right, she wondered if that childhood friend of hers was fine. A boy who had gone to the capital. They would sit together and listen to old tales.

Injou looked out at the dark indigo sea. Every time the waves rocked the boat, she murmured her name. In order to not forget it.

“Ayura…Ayura.”

I mustn’t forget that boy’s name as well, she thought. She pressed her hand against her pouch over her clothes. It held the shells she was given.

I wonder what he’s doing right now.

That boy was a crybaby, so maybe he was crying right now. She was worried.

Ishiha.

“Ishiha.”

Her whisper was crushed beneath the waves and sank to the bottom of the sea.