How many times had he heard those words—for your own safety?
Jinshi
had been living under something close to house arrest for over a month now. His range of movement was limited to—
Gyokuyou's
villa. Occasionally, he was summoned and brought to the main residence or—
the government office,
but armed guards shadowed his every step. There was no room to move freely.
When traveling, a glance out the carriage window revealed the state of unrest, but under normal circumstances, the damage would not have been so mild.
Jinshi had come to the Western Capital fully expecting that a locust plague would occur. He had looked into accounts of past outbreaks. Crops were stripped bare, and the starving populace resorted to eating even other people.
The saying that a locust plague would destroy a nation was no empty lie.
And the spear's tip would naturally turn upon the imperial family,
Gyokuō
had said.
Now Jinshi's movements were being controlled by Gyokuō. Those around him were none too pleased about it. If anything, they must have seen him as an indecisive lord.
Jinshi had a position to uphold.
He had come to the Western Capital under the pretext of an imperial inspection, as the Emperor's brother. It was an inspection—he was, above all, a guest.
If he were to break that form, it would invite trouble down the line.
That was what he had been thinking, however—
"I think the Lord Moon is being far too meek, you know."
Across the carriage, seated opposite him,
Sparrow
said with a cool expression. A lady-in-waiting had been assigned in addition to the guards, but—
Suiren
even...
Toumi
But that wasn't the reason.
Age was a factor, but what mattered most was bringing someone who could best respond to the unexpected. This time, he'd brought a veteran as his guard. In terms of raw strength,
Ma San
was stronger, but the matchup against their opponents was unfavorable. Ma San was the one most infuriated by how Jinshi had been treated in the western capital. Even with great strength, one needed the discipline to keep one's emotions in check.
"If it looks like that, they'll think some incompetent fop came from the capital just to play escort," Suzume said.
She deftly moved her fingertips, juggling several small balls between her fingers. They multiplied and vanished in a busy flutter.
"I know."
That was precisely why he was now heading to the government office.
Though Jinshi was technically a guest, he believed he had done everything he could in the western capital. He'd sent out orders to use the food supplies he'd prepared in advance, and they were immediately put to use. Messengers were dispatched to nearby villages to assess the damage. Based on the extent of the damage, they could estimate the amount of food needed. It was a good thing he had brought along the civil official
Ma Liang,
he thought.
The reason support from the capital had come so quickly was that fast horses had been dispatched the moment a carrier pigeon message arrived from Rahan's brother. It would have been nice to have pigeons here too, but they had none raised in the capital, so there was nothing to be done. If anything went wrong, they could simply write it off as a misunderstanding by that foppish royal.
He had discussed with the emperor, several key ministers, and his subordinates the possibility of a locust plague, including the chance it could strike the western capital.
That was probably why the relief had come faster than expected.
However, requesting rescue had been Jinshi's own decision. There was no certainty that a locust plague would actually come. As such, he had warned that the supply ships might, in the worst case, be denied docking.
In the end, Jinshi decided that even if it meant covering himself in mud, he would yield the credit to a man called Yu Ying.
As soon as the locust plague hit, a messenger from Yu Ying arrived at Jinshi's location. Jinshi confirmed he was safe and, at the same time, asked whether he could request relief from the capital. He also conveyed that he wanted Yu Ying to take charge of receiving the supplies.
As a result, even the food Jinshi had originally brought ended up being distributed by Yu Ying.
His subordinates from the capital, who knew the truth, felt a surge of indignation. But this was the western capital. Even if Jinshi wanted to handle distribution himself, he didn't have enough personnel. He hadn't brought many servants capable of running a relief kitchen.
To get things done quickly, borrowing Yu Ying's resources was the fastest way.
Natural disasters unsettled people above all because anxiety kept building. Even a single bowl of rice porridge, one rice ball—just having something placed in their hands could ease their worries somewhat.
Jinshi had been exasperatedly told many times that he didn't understand the prices of everyday goods, but he felt he'd become somewhat more reasonable over the past few years.
Even in the prosperous capital, there were hungry children setting down empty bowls to beg. There were night women hiding their faces, trying to lure customers from the shadows. There were parents who sold their own children to brothels.
By getting out of the carriage and walking on his own two feet instead of looking down from inside it under the guise of an inspection, he had seen more than he ever wanted to see.
Dressed in silk undergarments, eating plain white porridge without a single thing mixed in, soaking in clear hot water every night.
Jinshi still never goes hungry. What, then, is his position even for?
Pointless
pride—
if he has any, he should just throw it away. If he wants to be flattered and placed in the spotlight, let them do exactly that. It's far easier to be used than to stubbornly refuse support. No—he even thinks that Jinshi is the one doing the using.
The imperial brother would be better off being incompetent. It wouldn't matter if the common people took him for a fool. He'd be better off as someone so useless that even making a puppet of him wouldn't seem worth the effort.
What would Bashen think if he found out? He'd probably fly into a rage but be unable to take it out on Jinshi, and end up smashing every last thing in the room.
Jinshi is fond of the name "Jinshi." Even if it was a false name created to deceive the eunuchs—a name for the flowers in the vast garden of women.
"Kazuizuki," whom no one ever calls, is nowhere near as good as "Jinshi," which people actually speak aloud.
He knows it's asking too much, but he wishes they'd speak to him more casually.
While turning these thoughts over in his mind, they arrived at the government office.
"We're here~"
Suzume narrowed her eyes and looked outside.
Jinshi shifts his mindset.
Being casual and being taken for granted are two different things.
The prepared room had a round table.
Already seated there were Gyokuou
and Rakan.
Rakan, perhaps at a loose end, was absorbed in a game of Go.
In the corner of the room, several officials holding documents stood by.
Jinshi's guards and Suzume exchanged glances.
The atmosphere was different from the last time and the time before that. Above all, he was unsettled by Rakan being present. This prodigious yet capricious man was impossible to predict in his actions. What did it mean that they had been made to sit him down here?
"My apologies for the sudden summons."
Gyokuou stands up.
Bringing Bashen had been the right call after all. For an imperial family member to walk into a room and find people still seated would be taken as insolence. Incidentally, Rakan was continuing his game of Go.
"What's this about? If it's the locust plague, I've brought several documents."
Suzaku briskly produced the papers.
They detailed food distribution calculations that Jinshi and the others had worked out. They had also looked into famine-relief crops that could be eaten even if supplies still fell short, as well as crops that could be harvested quickly after planting. For this,
they had relied on Maomao's knowledge
and Rahan's. They had also compiled a list of supplies needed beyond food, such as medicine.
"Regarding the locust plague, Tsukikimi's assistance was a tremendous help. I never imagined support from the capital would arrive so quickly."
That was fast indeed. She had requested the aid only a few days before Jinshi's report.
"So, is this about additional support?"
Jinshi was also perusing the documents. Given the current food situation, two to three months was the most they could manage. Support was finite, too. They needed to cultivate crops that could be harvested as soon as possible.
"Yes, I'd like to request support. Manpower, specifically."
"Manpower? What exactly do you mean?"
True, they were short-handed, but simply increasing numbers wouldn't help if those people couldn't be fed. If they wanted more farmers, it would be better to train the local population.
"I'd like to request military officers."
"Military officers? To suppress bandits?"
The gap between rich and poor was acutely felt depending on the availability of food. The destitute could barely eat and turned to crime.
The reason they had rushed food aid was that by feeding people before they resorted to crime, they could curb that impulse.
Gyokuou grinned. It was a face that didn't much resemble Gyokuen's.
He looked more like a soldier than a merchant, more brave than refined.
An official standing behind Gyokuou handed him a large sheet of paper.
"I'd like you to look at this."
Gyokuou spread a map across the table. It was a map of Jusai Province, with ink circles drawn at various locations. The circles were color-coded in black and red, with more red circles toward the west.
"Hmm."
Rakan, who had been absorbed in his game of Go, looked up.
"Bandits?"
"Correct."
The red seal appears to indicate that bandits have shown up.
"There have been a lot of incursions by foreign tribes."
"You figured that out right away."
Gyokuyou looks at Rakkan with satisfaction.
In other words, the red seal means the bandits are believed to be foreign tribes. Jinshi reflects that Junsei Province does lie along the border, but even so, this is a great many.
"Are they increasing?"
"Yes, there were many last year as well, but this year has been especially bad. We've managed to bolster our military preparations to some extent, but we never expected a locust plague to break out."
He had heard that conscription was being pushed forward, but hearing it put this way, there was nothing he could say. Gyokuyou was no fool, either.
"It is precisely because the locust plague was occurring that
Li
they made it this far—that would be the reasonable assumption."
The locust plague spans a wide area. Without any countermeasures, the damage would be immense. It would not be unreasonable to assume that other countries were suffering similar devastation.
"So, to suppress the foreign tribes?"
This had happened a few years ago as well. That time, they had managed to drive them back. The location had not been Junsei Province—it had been the western side of Shihoku Province, perhaps.
"No."
Gyokuyou added another map and layered it on top. This time it was a wider regional map, with
Saou
and
Hokuaren
,
Anan
also within range.
"Shall we aim here?"
What Gyokuyou was pointing to was Saou.
"...What do you mean?"
Jinshi looked at Gyokuou, as if seeking confirmation.
"You can see for yourself. The worst of the damage was in the west. Even if other countries have also suffered, importing crops from abroad will become difficult. And yet, what if we were to deliver food to the west by land route?"
Sufficient quantities probably wouldn't reach them. Moreover, not only were there raids by foreign tribes to contend with, but invasions from other nations were also a possibility.
"What would be the fastest way to deliver food to the west? I believe it would be by sea, not by land."
And Saou, a nation centered on trade, had good connections by both sea and land. Certainly, if one considered a stable food supply, having free use of Saou's ports would make things easier.
"And you would wage war for that?"
Jinshi kept his voice as low as possible. He had been perfectly willing to let someone steal his credit, but even he couldn't stomach this remark.
That what he was doing to keep the people from starving was called plunder.
That made him no different from a bandit.
"Oh my? Do you object? More importantly, if I recall correctly, it is the Moon Prince who holds the moral justification against Saou."
Gyokuou's words were brimming with confidence.
Jinshi understood what he was getting at. He was referring to the priestess of Saou.
Officially, Jinshi had caused the death of Saou's priestess, leaving him in a position of owing a debt to Saou.
In reality, the priestess was alive, and he was secretly sheltering her — something Gyokuou almost certainly did not know.
"The one who killed the priestess was originally a woman from Saou. Even granting that she was a mid-ranking consort who had entered the rear palace, I think it quite unfair to blame everything a foreign woman did on Ritsu."
Indeed, from the outside, it would appear that one side had suffered all the losses. Furthermore, it would bring shame upon the imperial family.
"Saou's objective in killing the priestess was to threaten Ritsu. Wouldn't that suffice as justification for war?
Your Imperial Highness.
"
Justifications for war could be anything, depending on the era. Bringing shame upon the imperial family — that alone could warrant the extermination of an entire clan.
"What do you think, Lord Rakkan?"
Gyokuou turned to Rakkan with the question.
Rakkan was staring intently at the map. His eyes held the look of someone about to play a board game. He reached out to his aide and received a bag. Its contents appeared to be shogi pieces.
"I don't understand all this talk of moral justification. I just win at shogi."
With that, he began placing pieces on the map. His aide looked at Jinshi apologetically.
Rakan bears no malice. But neither does he bear any goodwill. So long as there is no harm to himself or his own, he cares for nothing. However, should an opportunity to participate in an entertaining game present itself, he would not let it slip by.
Now he understood why Rakan had been summoned.
"If the Lord of the Moon could serve as our banner, I imagine the people of the west would be greatly uplifted."
This was the aim behind Gyokuo's summons of Jinshi.
"I believe what everyone wishes to see is not you as a guest, but you as a leader—don't you think?"
Gyokuo was mistaken. Did she think Jinshi wished to thrust himself forward? Or was she trying to stroke the pride he held as a member of the imperial family?
"In that case, I shall devote my body and soul to becoming your right hand."
That piercing gaze was almost painful. Was this woman truly blood-related to Consort Gyokuyou?
Her eyes spoke of an unbearable desire for battle.
"...Even if we summoned military officers, in the event of war, there would be no shortage of men."
"Indeed. In the western lands, there are many who possess strong loyalty. Even among the peasants, there are numerous who would lend their strength in times of crisis. The banner of His Imperial Highness the Prince, the strategies of Lord Rakan. And though our contribution would be modest, the Yang clan would serve in support."
"The Yang clan, you say."
Gyoen was a former merchant, but his influence extended throughout the entirety of Seisei Province.
Jinshi narrowed his eyes.
"Then does Lord Gyoen know of this matter?"
For just an instant, Gyokuo's brow twitched.
"My father has long spoken of reaching out to the lands of Saou."
"Oh? So he doesn't know yet, then."
Jinshi replied with perfect composure.
He recalled his days in the rear palace—that den of women's schemes. But compared to the lies women told, a man's boastfulness was easy enough to pick apart.
"Granted, when it comes to sea routes, the ports of Saou are something one would give anything to possess. But the drawbacks are far too many. What of the countries that border Saou by land? They would cease sending their goods, would they not? Furthermore, how would it look to attack a country that has established itself as neutral territory? I would expect Lord Gyoen to have calculated all of this quite carefully."
Gyoen was a former merchant. He would not look only at immediate profit. He would be certain to examine the drawbacks thoroughly. Even if he received a letter of consultation from his son, he would surely advise that the timing was not yet right.
When Jinshi mentioned Gyoen's name, he thought he saw a flicker of unease in Gyokuo's eyes.
And then—
Resentment.
She felt the atmosphere that Gyokuou had wrapped around herself.
Jinshi didn't soften his expression. To Gyokuou, even if he was the Imperial Brother, he was still a young man who had lived only half as long as she had. She had probably tried to overwhelm him with her presence, but—
"I came here as the representative of the central government. At the same time, I came as the Emperor's eyes. It would be quite strange for the eyes to go and become banners on their own, wouldn't it?"
At the word "the Emperor," the officials standing behind showed signs of unrest. They were all from the Western Capital. In other words, they were partial to Gyokuou, and probably thought of Jinshi as nothing more than a puppet.
If a puppet were to rebel against its master, they would naturally want to jeer.
Gyokuou, for her part, would not back down easily.
"Then you're saying that as the Emperor's eyes, you're unable to make judgments on your own?"
It had been the right decision to leave Bashen behind after all.
"I am telling you this precisely because I have made my judgment. In attacking Saou, I calculated that the losses would outweigh the gains. Has everyone here done such calculations? It should be second nature to merchants."
He deliberately said this in a provocative manner. This was entirely Gyokuou's territory. Even Jinshi didn't want to pick a fight he would lose. He could use some backup here.
"If we were to attack Saou, the Northern Confederation would be the first to object."
"Are you saying you fear a gathering of northern barbarians?"
"That's right. I've been much indebted to the red deer from the Northern Confederation. Deer antlers make a fine virility tonic. In the rear palace, we prepared it every evening for the Emperor and his consorts—a fine medicine."
Jinshi replied with a touch of self-deprecation. Deflecting provocations was easy enough.
"Then there are the tigers, too. Up north, there are great tigers, and their bones are used to make liquor."
They called it tiger bone liquor. It was said to be excellent for strengthening the body.
It went without saying that Jinshi had become knowledgeable about medicine.
"I learned about it from a medical official well-versed in such things. The effects were quite potent."
Technically, she wasn't a medical official, but the explanation would have been convincing enough to the intended audience. As for the actual efficacy, he didn't really know. That sort of medicinal cuisine had been left to the rear palace cooks.
"Medicine and liquor, hmm..."
It was Rakan who murmured this.
"Hey,
Insou.
If a war breaks out, would those kinds of medicines still be available?"
"I don't think they'd become completely unavailable, but they'd certainly become very expensive. Generally, just the outbreak of war causes medicine to become scarce. It would be quite troublesome for doctors and pharmacists."
"I see."
Rakhan put the shogi pieces he had been arranging back into the bag and stood up.
"Lord Rakhan, whatever is the matter?"
"My apologies, but I'll be heading home."
With that, Rakhan turned his back.
"Master Rakhan, please wait!"
Onsou, the adjutant so called, hurried after him.
Seeing the dumbfounded people of Seito, Jinshi rose to his feet as well.
"It seems the strategist isn't in the mood for war. Would you mind if I took my leave as well?"
Gyokuou said nothing.
Jinshi departed just like that.
"He looks rather frustrated, doesn't he?"
Suzume murmured in a low voice.
As it happened, Jinshi was rather more familiar with Rakhan's temperament than most.