"We are deeply sorry."
Maomao
and the others could only bow their heads low in apology to
Jinshi
.
Suzume
even went so far as to don a white robe and mime committing seppuku.
"Ah — there's no need to go that far here."
Suzume looked relieved and swiftly changed back out of her costume.
The conclusion of the matter was that a man called
Lin Xiaoren
had never existed.
Lord Lin
did have a grandson, but he was an entirely different person who bore no resemblance whatsoever to that man.
According to the real grandson, the person who had been looking after Lord Lin for the past few days was a man who called himself a disciple. He had apparently been visiting from time to time over the past several years, and since he had been diligently caring for the grandfather, they had come to trust him.
Now the real grandson was attending to Lord Lin. That said, most of the actual nursing was being done by a woman he had brought along. Whether she was his wife or his daughter was unclear.
Lord Lin was busy resuming his game of shogi with the eccentric strategist.
(He's playing shogi again, of all things.)
Maomao could only be exasperated. But carelessly joining the conversation could derail things and turn it into nonsense. The plan was to first give Jinshi a thorough explanation, and only then hear what the eccentric strategist had to say.
(Could that old man have been, from the very start —)
She entertained such thoughts for a moment, but there was no predicting anything that old man did. For one thing, even explaining why that old man had recognized him as a '
xiaoren
' in the first place was difficult.
That was how thoroughly harmless Lin Xiaoren had appeared.
She had managed to get a few brief words out of Lord Lin's grandson as well, but it didn't seem like there was much more to learn. That was how invisible — like the very air — and how convenient the man had been.
(Honestly, taking such devoted care of someone — even family members rarely go that far.)
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been deceived so spectacularly.
Setting aside Maomao and
Lihaku
, to think that even Suzume had been taken in was unexpected.
Jinshi too, it seemed, had not anticipated this.
"Even Suzume, was it."
"I have no excuse. Back home, this would warrant a flogging."
Suzume pretended to weep theatrically.
"No, what's done is done. But what sort of man was he?"
Jinshi asked.
"Master Jinshi, you didn't see him?"
"I left right away. I only caught a glimpse of his face. The strategist's adjutant interceded."
Indeed, it was hardly likely that an ordinary commoner would speak directly to the
Imperial Younger Brother
all of a sudden.
"Give me a concise description of what kind of man he was."
Jinshi addressed not Maomao but Suzume.
"Yes. He was an utterly ordinary man. Nothing suggesting he'd received any training of that sort. In terms of overall impression, he was like
Rahan
's elder brother — do you know what I mean?"
(Ah —)
Maomao understood. No wonder he had blended in so smoothly. He didn't make a fuss like Rahan's elder brother, but the way he carried himself — competent yet unobtrusive — was very similar.
"For now, I'll draw his portrait."
Suzume swiftly produced brush and paper and began to sketch. A portrait capturing the essential features was soon complete. They would later show it to the real grandson of Lord Lin as well.
"Your personal impression is fine. What sort of person do you think he was?"
This time, Jinshi turned his gaze between Maomao and Lihaku as he spoke.
"Then I'll go first. My view is much the same as Lady Suzume's. He was an utterly ordinary man. However, he did seem remarkably skilled at caring for Lord Lin."
"Skilled? You said he had been visiting occasionally for several years, did you not?"
"Yes, but even so. It's hard to imagine being able to dote on someone else's old man that thoroughly. Generally, men assume that caring for elderly parents is something to be left to wives or sisters, not done by themselves."
Maomao nodded at Lihaku's words.
Li
was, fundamentally, a country where men stood above women. In the I-Sei Province, this atmosphere was even more pronounced, with women often being regarded as little more than tools for marriage. As proof, the one currently providing nursing care was not the grandson, but the woman he had brought along.
Maomao too had thought from the start that perhaps Lin Xiaoren had been raised specifically to care for his parents — that was the basis of her suspicion.
"And you, Maomao?"
"My view is much the same. Though the part about it being 'several years ago' troubles me."
It meant that he had been keeping watch on Lord Lin even before then.
"Was he, like us, searching for the location of old records?"
"That would be the most reasonable assumption."
(Rather than actively searching, it seems more like he was monitoring to make sure nothing was found.)
It would be fine if nothing was found. But nothing must be found.
"May we conclude, then, that there was something which mustn't be found, so it was removed?"
Jinshi nodded.
(Something that mustn't be found.)
Just what on earth could it be, she wondered.
"Something that mustn't be found, huh. What kind of dangerous stuff could it have been?"
"Could it have something to do with the Xu clan's rebellion?"
Lihaku and Suzume spoke in turn.
(The fact that they so meticulously burned down the library means there really was something they couldn't allow to be found.)
If Lin Xiaoren had been keeping watch on Lord Lin in that connection, then a contradiction arose.
(Instead of stealing it, he could have just burned it.)
If he had simply burned it on the spot, Maomao and the others would never have thought to go searching for it. But because it had been carelessly carried off, they were tempted to chase after it.
(No, wait.)
Perhaps it had been carried off because it had changed from being something that mustn't be found into something with utility value.
As she pondered, her head began to spin.
Just then, the eccentric strategist arrived, having apparently finished his game at last.
Maomao dodged away from the spot beside her where the eccentric strategist tried to sit, and moved over next to Suzume.
"Maomao, I won!"
"Ah, yes, yes."
If only this man had properly paid attention to Lin Xiaoren from the start — but it was too late for that now.
"How did you know that man was a fake?"
Maomao thought this was probably about as foolish a question as asking a fish why it could swim or a bird why it could fly.
"It felt like watching an interesting play."
"..."
She still didn't understand. More to the point, even if this man watched a play, it would probably look to him like nothing more than rows of go stones lined up on a board.
"Among actors, there are occasionally those who are skilled at lying. On stage, everyone is telling lies, but Rahan said that the more natural the lies, the more interesting the play."
"Lies that feel natural — interesting..."
In other words, the actors, who are telling the lie that is the play, are skilled liars. Being skilled at lying means being skilled at acting. And being skilled at acting connects to being interesting — Maomao broke it down in her own terms.
To conclude from feeling as though one is watching an interesting play that someone is a liar and a '
xiaoren
' — only the eccentric strategist could ever reach such a conclusion.
"Ah, I think I sort of get it."
Suzume seemed to understand better.
"Lady Suzume, please explain."
"Yes, yes, Suzume will explain. He must be the type who doesn't act, but rather becomes the role completely. There are people like that occasionally — among con artists and
spies
and the like."
"Spies?"
"Yes. When entering another country, in order to avoid arousing suspicion, they go and marry a local. And then they treat their husband or wife as if it's the most natural thing in the world. They behave toward the other person as a real spouse. Of course, they actually are a real married couple. The only difference is that they have something more important than their partner — and sometimes children are even born from such unions. As long as their cover isn't blown, the marriage remains unchanged, and the spouse and children live their whole lives knowing nothing."
Ignorance is bliss, as they say.
Still, Suzume was being remarkably specific.
"By the way, Maomao, won't you join me for dinner?"
The eccentric strategist spoke with a slackened expression.
Behind him, Lord Lin's grandson was glancing over to ask whether he could go home now.
"Master Rakan. Today, you have an engagement to dine with Master
Gyokuou
, so please refrain. And as for Lord Lin, we shall arrange a carriage to take him home, so please wait a moment."
Onso
stepped in.
Maomao watched the eccentric strategist being reluctantly led away by Onso.
"Just one question."
"What is it? You can ask
Papa
anything, you know?"
Maomao genuinely wanted to smash his spectacles, but she restrained herself.
"How does Master Gyokuou appear to you?"
She felt that this single answer would reveal everything.
Jinshi too was holding his breath.
However —
"Gyokuou?"
"As I said, the person you're dining with today! The one who always gives you fruit water!"
"Ah, that fellow."
The eccentric strategist clapped his hands together.
"He's the sort of person who probably wanted to be an actor. Feels like he's right in the middle of aiming for a
wusheng
role."
"Huh?"
Maomao felt she had wasted her breath asking. A wusheng was a male role in plays — a warrior or chivalrous outlaw.
Her questions had only multiplied, and Maomao felt sick from the indigestion of it all.