Free The Twelve Kingdoms: A Thousand Leagues of Wind by Fuyumi Ono Page A

groaned aloud.
    Remarkably, the problem-plagued Imperial Ministries had been reorganized, the holes in the dike plugged for the time being. The harmful statutes enacted by the Late Empress Yo-ou had been repealed, the rule of law reestablished. A large part of the military budget had been diverted to assist the refugees, and the year's tax assessments cut.
    Bit by bit the kingdom was starting to move forward. That's what everybody assured her.
    Everybody was happy that a new monarch had acceded to the throne. Exactly what they were happy for, Youko wasn't sure. What she knew of this world didn't even rise to the level of common sense. Called upon to make a decision, she too often prevaricated. She found giving orders next to impossible.
    Any proposal she made would just get laughed at, and, to make matter worse, except for Imperial Rescripts, would have to be approved first by the Sankou and then the Rikkan. Aside from the ceremonial formalities involved with the Inaugural Rescript itself, there was nothing to prevent her from issuing additional Imperial Rescripts. But she didn't have the courage to start issuing rescripts. In the final analysis, she was stuck with the Rikkan that the Late Empress Yo-ou had left to her, and did whatever they told her to.
    Such is the lot of the Royal Kei.
    Youko laughed derisively at herself. The rejoicing at her accession reached even to the palace. Who could begin to imagine the reality of what even Rakushun and the Royal En and Enki had congratulated her for?
    "Your Highness."
    Keiki came into the executive chambers, having completed his administrative duties. "It seems that Chousai was recently here."
    "Yeah, he was. That business of workforce deployment. I left it all up to him."
    "You left it all up to him?"
    "Shouldn't I have?"
    Keiki answered her question with a disappointed expression on his face.
    "Look, I didn't know which one to give priority to. I didn't know because I don't know anything about the conditions of this country. So I handed it over to somebody who did. You disagree?"
    "No, that would seem a satisfactory solution." But he sighed.
    Youko sighed as well. Since her coronation, she'd heard that sigh any number of times. "If you think I shouldn't have, then go ahead and say so."
    "It is always wise to listen to what your ministers have to say. If Your Highness then decided to delegate this responsibility, I see no reason to object."
    So why the sour face? Youko thought, looking into his impassive countenance. All she could read in him was a vague sense of dissatisfaction. "If you're not happy with me for some reason, let me know. If there's something you think I should be doing, let's hear it."
    A hard edge came to her voice. She was giving everybody reason to sigh, even him, and was getting sick and tired of it.
    Keiki said, that same stoic expression on his face, "As you wish. It is the monarch who rules the kingdom. You rule the kingdom according to the council of your ministers. There is nothing wrong with listening with an open mind to what they have to say. But simply handing the entire matter over to Chousai is likely to make the others unhappy. When taking advice from the civil service, you must be sure to consider all contributions equally."
    "I do."
    Keiki's expression didn't change. "If, upon taking all points of view into consideration, you then decided to delegate the matter to Chousai, I don't believe anybody would complain."
    "Are you unhappy with me, too, Keiki?"
    Your Highness? the expression on her counselor's face asked, his eyes widening.
    "Dissatisfied with another empress? Am I a disappointment to you?"
    They all looked at her with suspicious, doubting eyes. Oh, for the good old days of King Tatsu, she could hear them saying. They simply couldn't accept another empress on the throne.
    "Nothing of the sort."
    Youko averted her gaze and rested her elbows on the table. "You're the one who put me on this throne. So don't look at me like that."
    "Your