Free The Twelve Kingdoms: Dreaming of Paradise by Fuyumi Ono Page A

glanced at Sei. "Will the general be staying with us for a while, perhaps?"
    "We will stay in Hoso. My mission is complete, but my colleagues still have work to do."
    "The Imperial guest quarters could be made available," Gekkei said, turning to Shouyou.
    Sei raised his hand. "No, that is not necessary. Her Highness knows that Hou is in dire straits and asked us not to place any further demands on the Imperial treasury."
    "I see," Gekkei said.
    Even though this was an informal visit, having an emissary from another kingdom take a room an inn in the capital seemed excessively disrespectful.
    At the same time, with the Royal Hou no longer with them, large sections of the Imperial Palace had been shuttered. After cleaning up the vestiges of the revolution and putting things in order, buildings unrelated to government functions were locked up. Courtesy dictated that the personal emissary of another kingdom should be housed at the guest palace. But it hadn't been used in a long time, and there wasn't nearly enough time to get it ready.
    "In that case, if you wouldn't mind, I would ask you to stay at my official resident as my personal guest. I understand the general had intended to visit with me in the first place. Though I cannot accept the Royal Kei's personal correspondence, it would be unconscionable of me to allow you to leave as things stand right now. The trappings are somewhat spartan, though."
    Shouyou added, "We would really appreciate it."
    The general smiled. "Well, then. If it's not an imposition, I shall take you up on the offer. But seeing that my colleagues have other business to take care of, please allow them to stay in Hoso."

Chapter 5
    W hen Gekkei stayed at Youshun Palace, he used a manse tucked away in a corner of the Seishin. It was close to the Sea of Clouds, the smallest building in the compound. It would have otherwise made for cramped quarters, but as he kept his retinue to a bare minimum, it was quiet and airy.
    "I apologize for the plainness of the accommodations," Gekkei said to Sei, as he escorted him through the twilight.
    This wasn't false humility. From the front gate through the building to the patio, there wasn't a single scroll or wall hanging to be seen. Only the bare necessities. Gekkei had informed the few servants that a guest would be arriving, so some flowers had been arranged, lanterns lit, and wine and tea set out. Despite the bleak surroundings, the results were not off-putting.
    "I heard from the Chousai that you were preparing to vacate the premises. Such preparations are underway, I take it?"
    Gekkei offered Sei one of the chairs on the patio overlooking the garden. "Yes, but this was never intended to be anything but temporary quarters."
    "Making the round trip from here to Kei Province must be a considerable inconvenience."
    "Not at all," Gekkei said with a thin smile. He poured Sei a cup of tea. The evening breeze carried with it the scent of a nearby lake. The moon rising in the purple sky skimmed the roof of the patio.
    "It's not that far riding a kijuu over the Sea of Clouds. The prime minister and the Rikkan hold down the fort when I'm gone, but it is a lot to impose on them.
    Illustration
    "And yet you have no desire to rule the kingdom."
    Gekkei's hand froze as he poured the tea. "Naturally. I have trampled the Mandate of Heaven. I could not possibly assume a throne that was not rightfully given me."
    "If that is true for you, then it would be just as true for everyone else who would rule in your stead. If you reject this calling and leave the Imperial Palace behind, wouldn't the ministers—beginning with the Chousai—have to follow suit? The Kingdom of Hou would soon fall apart."
    Gekkei smiled bitterly. "So the general wishes me to become a usurper as well?"
    "When you put it that way, perhaps I do. But I think you're going overboard. You've put the Chousai in a real bind. He doesn't believe he can hold things together. I have the feeling he's exaggerating just like