Free Concubine's Tattoo by Laura Joh Rowland Page A

officials, she would have once been a concubine herself-probably to the previous shogun-but the only visible feminine charm was her mouth, as dainty as that of a courtesan in a woodblock print. Arms folded, she regarded Sano with a bold, level gaze that brooked no misbehavior.

"You cannot see Lady Keisho-in yet," Madam Chizuru said. Her voice was deep, but not unpleasant. "His Excellency is with her now."

So that was where the shogun had gone. "We'll wait," Sano said. "And we need to speak with you, too."

As Madam Chizuru nodded, a pair of younger female officials arrived. An unspoken form of communication-oblique glances, nods, a twitch of lips-passed between them and their superior. In this alien territory, even the language was different. Then Madam Chizuru said to Sano and Hirata, "Urgent business demands my attention. But I shall return shortly. Wait here."

"Yes, master," Hirata said under his breath as the otoshiyori , flanked by her lieutenants, strode away. To Sano he said, "These women will be running the country someday if we men don't watch out."

The otoshiyori had left Lady Keisho-in's door open a crack. Murmurs came from within. Curiosity overcame Sano. He stole a look. In the shadowy chamber, a ceiling lantern formed a nimbus of light around a woman seated upon silk cushions. Small and dumpy, she wore a loose, shimmering gold satin dressing gown printed with blue waves. Long black hair, untouched by gray, spilled around her shoulders, giving the sixty-four-year-old Keisho-in a strikingly youthful appearance. Sano couldn't see her face, which was bent over the man cradled in her plump arms.

Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, Japan's supreme military dictator, pressed his face against his mother's ample breasts. His black court robes swaddled his bent knees; his shaved crown, minus the customary black cap, looked as vulnerable as an infant's. Mumbles and whimpers issued from him: "... so afraid, so unhappy... People always wanting things from me... expecting me to be strong and wise, like my ancestor, Tokugawa Ieyasu... never know what to do or say... stupid, weak, unworthy of my position..."

Lady Keisho-in petted her son's head, emitting soothing sounds. "There, there, my dear little boy." Her crusty voice betrayed the age that her appearance belied. "Mother is here. She'll make everything all right."

Tokugawa Tsunayoshi relaxed; his whimpers turned to a purr of contentment. Lady Keisho-in took up the long, silver pipe that lay on the smoking tray beside her, puffed, coughed, and addressed her son gently. "To earn happiness, you must build more temples, support the clergy, and hold more sacred festivals."

"But Mother, that sounds so difficult," the shogun whined. "How shall I ever manage it?"

"Give money to Priest Ryuko, and he'll take care of everything."

"What if Chamberlain Yanagisawa or the Council of Elders object?" Tokugawa Tsunayoshi's voice quavered with fear of his subordinates' disapproval.

"Just tell them that your decision is the law," said Lady Keisho-in.

"Yes, Mother," sighed the shogun.

At the sound of footsteps in the corridor, Sano quickly moved away from the door, embarrassed and appalled by what he'd observed. The rumors about Keisho-in's influence over Tokugawa Tsunayoshi were true. She was a fervent Buddhist, dominated by the ambitious, self-aggrandizing Ryuko, her favorite priest-and, Sano had heard, her lover. No doubt Ryuko had convinced her to ask the shogun for money. That such power lay in their hands posed a serious threat to national stability. Throughout history, the Buddhist clergy had raised armies and challenged samurai rule. And how ironic that Tsunayoshi had officials to protect him from unscrupulous concubines, but not from the most dangerous woman of all!

Madam Chizuru rounded the corner and approached her mistress's suite. She put her head inside the door. At some signal from within the chamber, she turned and said, "Lady Keisho-in will see you now."

They entered the room.