Chapter 25: Guests of the Emperor

The Emperor greets his guests

The guest house for the Taeshimo was a spacious affair, with a dozen rooms all laid around a central garden. The walls were covered in murals of mountainsides, forests and seashore scenes, each lovingly done by artists in service to the Emperor. The floor was fine tatami, a matting of rice straw within a soft woven rush. The floor itself was carefully patterned and textured, the weavers incorporating wave patterns into the fabric and bearing small painted family heraldry.

The rooms were spacious and furnished lightly in dark woods with flowers that should only be seen in spring laid out lovingly in careful arrangements.

The rooms were laid out carefully with the rearmost room belonging to Lady Miyuki and her attendants, the rooms next to them were reserved for her personal attendants and her bodyguard while the rooms towards the front were given to other servants and her escort soldiers.

Fuyukaze however, was the brother of Lady Miyuki so he shared a room with his sister, separated to one corner by a folding screen. The black lacquered work depicted the court of the first Emperor with the smiling sun goddess casting her rays down upon those in attendance. Fuyukaze knelt next to a low table, carefully laying his swords upon a stand provided. He could hear the attendants moving the many chests into the room.

“Fuyukaze-kun” the voice belonged to his sister in the other room.

Fuyukaze stood up slowly then smiled and carefully poked his head out from the screen but did not look into the room. “Yes sister?” he said gently.

Miyuki just smiled “Come in, please we should talk.” The girl of four years his senior knelt upon the tatami, smiling and carefully looking into a cup of steaming tea that sat beside her. There was another as well, and a small folded piece of cloth.

Fuyukaze quietly moved to before his sister, bowing before her quietly as she waved a hand at him. “Please, we're alone. Or as alone as we are going to be.” She glances at the walls the silhouettes of her servants showing through the thin paper walls. “Have some tea brother, this must all be very new to you.” She took the cloth and carefully passed him a teacup.

The youth accepted and took in a deep breath smelling the rich leaves and took a sip. He savored the warmth and the rich taste a moment before sighing softly “Thank you, I cannot understand how you keep track of it all. Everyone talking all the time, its loud but you cannot make out the words.”

Miyuki giggled “Neither can I, that's why you bring so many people with you. Everyone is my eyes, and my ears. But Kaiten and I are the voices, and through those voices we support our clan.”

Fuyukaze nodded softly letting his gaze drop a bit “I understand I guess, but still that is allot of work.” He drew up the hot cup in his hand turning it carefully before taking another sip “Are you excited about getting married?” He asked with a half smile.

The girl sat back a bit and shrugged “Well, in some ways I am. It will be nice to have a family, but I do not know the Emperor's son. He could be wonderful, or he could be a bore or a brute and it would not matter for an instant as I would be his wife.” She frowned a bit at the thought but glanced at her brother “Though what makes you think I would cease my duties to the clan if I were to marry him?”

Fuyukaze blinked “but when you marry you are dead to the clan? Is that not why a bride wears white?”

Miyuki nodded and laid her cup down “yes brother, a bride wears white to signify her death to her old family then takes off her white dress to reveal a red one as her rebirth into a new family. Yet, even then you will always be my brother? Won't you?”

Fuyukaze nodded his face still furrowed as he puzzled this thought.

“So I will forever remain the servant of the family, even if I am not formally a member. It is how it has been for our family for centuries little brother, we are the brides to the Emperor and thus we whisper to our husbands in times of crisis and the mother of every Emperor is a Taeshimo.”

Fuyukaze blinked a bit, looking down “I know that, but I guess I never thought of it in that way. I just thought we were fortunate.”

Miyuki shakes her head no “Oh no baby brother, we are always struggling. Our clan is wealthy and powerful but the shogunate fears that power. We have been at odds with the Tagarii since our clan's founding. Yet as long as we have the Emperor's ear the Tagarii will not attack us, for even if they defeated our clan the other clans would turn upon them if the Emperor spoke against them.”

Fuyukaze blinked “So why are the other families here then? The Rensho, what have they to gain?”

“The other families all want what we have, in truth I doubt a war would happen immediately if the Tagarii won. But that family would gain considerable favor and alliances would be necessary. In fact for our continued survival we would either have to ally to that clan or the Tagarii.” The courtier looked down “The Rensho clan's case is unique though, I assume they would use the Imperial authority to possibly monopolize trade with the foreigners or perhaps just to play politics in the south. Still I have to find the recent push they made suspect. They have little to gain and much to lose for an assassination plot.”

“But they are the ones who did it! Their gold was in the hands of all the ronin, the houses that survived the attack all found it.”

Miyuki tapped her fan to her chin “Yes, but it is not that hard to get another clan's currency. It could be taken by any number of methods, from legal trades to theft. Still the fact their escort was not attacked is troubling. Either they did it and wanted everyone to know they did it, or they did not do it and someone is trying to place the blame upon their shoulders.”

Fuyukaze took another long drought of his tea, then turned the glass in his hands watching the tea leaves swish below. “Okay, but I still think the Rensho did it. But who else would have done it?”

Miyuki smiled as she finished her cup of tea. “Anyone who wants to do the Rensho harm, the Mogami clan seems the most likely as they often contest land with the Rensho. Perhaps the Senishi or the Funada clan wish to weaken the Rensho as they are an ally with the Kohuri, which may tip the scales in their favor. The shogunate is unlikely, as they wish to see us invade the continent and gain a foothold there and Rensho support would be essential in this undertaking.” She smiled “For that matter I think many clans might suspect us since if we distanced the Rensho from their allies we would be stronger in the end.”

The youth blinked and set the empty cup down upon the table “We might be suspected? Why we did nothing wrong?”

Miyuki laid her cup next to her brother's “Exactly, but no one would believe us as no one believes the Rensho. The Rensho would appear foolish if they said they claimed this was not their fault. If they did claim responsibility the Emperor and Shogun would declare them outcasts and destroy them. So they are silent as are we, much of court is trying to decipher what is really going on when no one will speak the truth to you.”

Fuyukaze just bit his lower lip trying to let his sister's words sink in. “So why did you bring me along sister?” He asked in honesty.

“Because I trust you little brother, that is a rare thing to have in court. Even your friends may betray you for a chance for favor. I trust you and your training as a duelist and warrior will be useful, though you are still young enough that people will underestimate you as well.” She let her fingertip draw along the edge of the table. “That and I like the thought of having you here, it makes things seem more like home.” She smiled softly “This is not my first winter court dear brother and having someone to speak to honestly is welcome indeed. It is hard keeping your thoughts bottled inside your head.”

“But what of your attendants? Surely you speak with them?” The youth added slipping from kneeling with his sister to sit with his legs curled to the side.

“I do, but some of them really do not like me.” She said as her smile faded “it is a shame, but a few resent me. If a few resent me the loyal ones could whisper in gossip my thoughts and those thoughts could be shared with our enemies. This could lead to disaster.” She looked to her brother who looked down as if very sad. She reached over and cupped her hand to his face “But not you dear brother. But it is late now and Kaiten will want to speak with me.” She smiled and carefully reached within her kimono sleeve and presented a small packet wrapped in red cloth with a simple green string as a tie. “Please accept this, its a belated gift for your gempukku but I was hoping to give it to you.”

Fuyukaze took the gift turning it in his hands “sister, you do not need to give me a gift. You have already taken me on as a retainer and I could not think of someone I would rather stay and learn with.”

Miyuki giggled “Yes, and you have learned your manners well. But it is important you accept this book for reading it may give you insight into what goes on around you in court.”

Fuyukaze considered carefully then offered the red packet back to his sister “You are more than kind, but what better instructor could I have about court than you?”

Miyuki nodded softly and put her hands upon her brothers “Then you will accept my guidance and my gift then brother. By reading this and listening to me you will yet understand things.”

Fuyukaze bowed lightly and drew the packet into his lap “Thank you then sister, this is very kind indeed of you. I will read this every day then.”

Miyuki rose up slowly “see that you do, but forgive me. I need to meet with Kaiten now. Hiroyama will act as my bodyguard tonight. Please rest and read, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”