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Saiunkoku Monogatari Secret Story: Flower of Winter (Walking in the Shadows of the Palace)

It`s heeeeeeereeee!

Thank you so much to @ihavetobenkyou for assisting with some translation (and listening to to rant about Saiunkoku for like THREE hours yesterday), and to @abrownfeminist for looking it over and making sure I don`t post the garbage that is spewed directly from my brain. <3

As always, MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING OF THE SAIUNKOKU MONOGATARI LIGHT NOVELS.

This is part three of my translation of Flower of Winter, a story in Ask my Bones Volume Two. For the first two sections, please see my Saiunkoku Monogatari Translations Master-list.

Now strap yourselves in for yet ANOTHER depressing edition of this story.

Walking in the Shadows of the Palace

“Fuuu… You were dumped, huh? Kouyuu.”

The hand holding the prospective

suitor`s portrait* in Ryuuki`s office tossed it to the floor. It hit the ground

with a thud. The trash pile of scrolls filled with marriage proposals was so

high that one would think they had stepped back into the Department of Civil

Affairs office of a young Kouyuu. It was almost nostalgic.

Kouyuu, who in his own time had

been known for his ruthlessness is dispensing marriage proposals, had said in

the beginning “There might be one worth finding if you dig around, so you definitely

can`t burn any of them.”As to whether there would be someone who would be

worthy of Chouka, no one asked the Prime Minister.

“I wasn`t dumped, my son was,” Kouyuu

grumbled.

Ryuuki saw the extent of the

depressing mountain of proposal behind him. First they had come from the eight

families, next the nobles. Next were the military officers and merchants. Now,

even young up and coming officials were sending them in…

He wasn`t the one receiving them,

so ever since she was around twelve or thirteen, he would call Chouka (as well

as Kouyuu as a witness) and show her the proposals, paper by paper.

Chouka would politely look at each

one, and place it on top of the mountain of papers. She would silently bow her

head to Ryuuki, Kouyuu, and the pile as if in apology, raise her head and

leave.

Today was the day that Kouyuu`s

second son was sent to the rejected pile of proposals.

“What is my daughter aiming at,

mowing down all the big shots` children…She also even shook her head at our

secret weapon, Shuuei`s young prince, highly praised as a genius.”

“Who`s a secret weapon? That stupid

fool, the only part of his character that resembles his father is that he comes

to the Inner Palace to play. So as the Prime Minister, I definitely wouldn`t be

able to accept him, even if he would balance out Chouka.”

“No, the excellence of the three

handsome Ran brothers that don`t resemble their father is well known. ….I also

saw Kouyuu throwing away Riku Seiga`s son without permission as well.”

“Idiot. That one should be burned

in silence! Despite being young, he has no faults. It infuriates me.”

Kouyuu, who had been a very

accomplished youth (Ryuuki had been as well), had said “He sounds too good to

be true, there`s nothing charming about him.” With that kind of mysterious

reasoning, he had secretly put the proposal in the reject pile.

“…along with a certain Prime Minister’s

second son. I`m sorry.”

“There`s no helping it. In the

first place, he`s a fledgling who was content to be Bougen when Jougen was

taken by some unknown youth in the exams this year. He won`t become Chouka`s

husband with that attitude.”**

“Kouyuu…you…you`ve become like Rei…no,

like Seiran.”

They heard the sound of the pile behind

them turn into a landslide.

“But, Chouka`s already fifteen, and

she`s already kicked most of the notable suitors to the curb. Is there anyone

even left? Not that I particularly care…Kouyuu, what`s with that dark

expression?”

Kouyuu fidgeted, crossing and

uncrossing his arms.

“Actually, to speak frankly, is

there already a person that Chouka loves?” he finally blurted out. “Even if it

angers the soldiers positioned at the Inner Palace, she sneaks out to the outer

court. Sometimes she comes to help you or me, but other times it appears that

she`s looking for someone.”

“….Kouyuu. You`re quite sharp. I`ve

also thought that as well.”

Even at fifteen years old, Chouka

would still leave her room in the middle of the night. Ryuuki no longer went

searching for her, but sometimes when he was walking around the palace, under

the light of the bright moon he would see her. Was she chasing after someone?

Chouka would diligently look at each proposal and accompanying portrait. He

thought that perhaps there was some reason why she rejected them all…

“S…s…so that`s it after all! What

are we going to do your Majesty? Riou will be turning forty soon! True, he

looks much younger than that, but there are various other problems. Anyhow, we

can`t afford to stop looking for a suitor now!”

“…Kouyuu.”

“I know. ` All first loves go

unrequited. ` I made you listen quietly to me say that many times. Every time

you would make a sad face. But!”

An official came looking for him,

so Kouyuu abruptly ended his speech. Before he left, his expression grew dark.

“…Your Majesty. You know there`s no

way we can possibly continue in this way. She is this country`s sole Princess.

If we can`t find a decent partner for her, after you and I are no longer around

to protect her, Chouka will be unhappy. If she`s going to be taken by the likes

of the noble faction, or Riku Seiga`s son, it would be better for her to become

Riou`s concubine. My son, or one of Shuuei`s wherever they are,

either are okay. I`m also angry about the fact that you haven`t tried to

control any of the rumors about the princess.”

“…”

“And, though I know you`ll be

opposed to it, this autumn I`m going to bring Eigetsu to the palace.”

Ryuuki`s eyes widened. A moment

passed.

“…If that`s what Kouyuu says, I

suppose there`s nothing I can do, “ he said, smiling painfully.

Kouyuu turned toward the door and

left. Ryuuki was left alone in the room. He blew out the candle. The darkness

spread. From the open window, the light of the moon shone faintly into the

room.

It was spring. Since the time he

had last seen Shuurei, fifteen springs had come and gone. She must be tired of

waiting. Outside, the clouds hovered over the hazy spring moon. He wasn`t sure since

when, but in the tree was a black crow.

Ryuuki laid both hands on top of

his abdomen. …Even Riou, who was quite knowledgeable about medicine, hadn`t

noticed. Why did Kouyuu have to have such good instincts? But he had a feeling

that Kouyuu was the only one who had guessed.

As the night grew late, Ryuuki

remained like that alone in his office. Then he stood from his chair, holding

Kanshou in his hand. He went for a midnight walk in the dark, sleeping palace: past the archives he had passed

time in with Shouka, past the corridors he had walked with Ouki, past the feather

fan left by Yuushun in the Prime Minister`s office***, past the garden from

which he had picked flowers for Shuurei every day…When he raised his eyes, he

saw the Sentoukyuu. The sight cause a strange buzzing sensation in his chest…

Facing the flowers, he dropped his

lantern on the pavement and took a step forward. Before long, a familiar scent drifted towards him. Unseen behind Ryuuki, the two figures took

their place on either side of him. Ryuuki relaxed at the sight of Shuuei and Seiran.

“What are you thinking about, Your

Majesty?, Shuuei asked kindly, standing on his left.

“Hmm…” Ryuuki replied vaguely.

Taking the pair with him under the

moonlight, tonight as well he turned away from the Sentoukyuu and headed in the

direction of court. The door was open. Whether day or night, the door remained

open at all times. Inside the hall, there were no lights and darkness settled

in all corners. The deepest of his griefs, the place full of nothing but

bitter, painful memories lay ahead.

The cold court sessions which he dutifully

attended three hundred and sixty five days a year…

Ryuuki stepped inside the hall,

pushing aside the darkness. It was as if the past came to life every time he

came here. Painfully, painfully, his heart creaking in his chest, his feet

moved as if pulled by an invisible force.

Shuuei and Seiran lit one candle

after another as they walked. They stopped at the end of the hall. Ryuuki`s

eyes were drawn to the shadow of the dark purple throne flickering in the

candlelight.

The throne he had sat on for a

long, long time.

How

many times had he had the difficult task of sending off Shuurei, Seiran, Shuuei…

occasionally even Kouyuu as well. Left behind on this throne, sitting alone.

For just how long had he had to do such a thing?

If

he turned his head, he could see the endless roofs of the palace through the

open door. For Ryuuki, sitting on the throne, that scenery was the only one

that he saw. He was merely waiting for the day his subjects would return home.

There were times that they never returned. Even so, he continued sitting on the

throne. Even the day after the funerals of his loved ones…

What are you

thinking about, Your Majesty?

Long

ago, Chouka had caught a crow. From the locked cage it had vanished like smoke,

and become free.

Would

it also be alright for him to become free?

“In

the end, if I were to ask Kouyuu if I could stand up from this throne and go

outside, he would get angry, wouldn`t he…” The sound of his voice rang through

the deserted hall. Underneath the moonlight, the sakura blossoms whirled in the

wind.

Shuuei`s

lips curled mischievously, as he crossed both his arms. “Why don`t you try

asking Kouyuu, my lord? Though I already know the answer.”

“…you

won`t stop me?”

A

gentle smile floated across Seiran`s face, as he tilted his head. “Asking such

a thing now. To grant your desires is our job. On top of that, you`ve already

done enough. Wouldn`t it be okay now?” The candlelight flickered. “If you were

to rest…”

The

three of them looked at the hazy moon. The spring that sixteen year old Shuurei

had entered the Inner Palace was thirty years ago.

“If

Chouka-sama were to accept, I`d give her any of my sons that she wants. I think

they`d be able to give her a peaceful life in Ran Province. My oldest might be

suitable, because he resembles me.”

Ryuuki

and Seiran paused at those last words.

“Ryuuki…he

clearly has amnesia. Please burn his three son`s proposals tomorrow as well!

Are you really going to give Chouka-sama to the son that only resembles his

father in the way that he always goes to the red-light district and inner

palace to play?”

“Hmm…if

it`s the Ran clan, it appears that money will be no problem, huh?”

“You`re

saying something that Mistress**** would say??”

“Of

course such worries would be nonexistent! And the way in which he resembles me

is in his earnestness.”

Ryuuki

stroked his chin, and thought back to the mountain of rejected proposals in his

office. “I can more or less guess what Chouka`s is thinking.”

Over

the course of the last two years, Chouka had become more bound by restrictions

than ever. Yet without fail she would go missing from the inner palace and

appear in Ryuuki`s office to help him with various matters. Kouyuu and Riou

would also incite the wrath of the annoying ladies in waiting and guards and take

her out of the inner palace. “Who is that strange beauty?” the officials of the

court would ask. And so yet more rumors were started.

However,

as the restraints increased, it became difficult for Chouka to disappear, and

sightings of her diminished. Once every three days…once every ten days…once a

month. Even so, Chouka didn`t say anything to Ryuuki. She would just walk the

palace on moonlit nights, in pursuit of even a little freedom. Ryuuki didn`t

think that she was just thoughtlessly wandering the palace.

He

shared his thoughts with Shuuei and Seiran. The pair looked stunned.

“Now

that you mention it, such a thing does seem possible. She`s my Mistress`s

princess, after all. It seems like something she would do.”

“Your

Majesty…could it be that`s why you mentioned going outside?”

Ryuuki

held Kansho with both of his hands. “…I suppose so,” he admitted. “However, for

that purpose, more preparation will be needed. When the time comes, would you

help me?”

Shuuei and Seiran seemed overjoyed. “As

you wish…” they whispered, disappearing into the night.

Ryuuki

left the gate of the court and headed in the direction of the Sentoukyuu, and the

sakura blossoms blew like a snowstorm in the wind.

A

black haired girl was standing in the dim light at the base of the sakura tree.

For a moment, Chouka thought the crow perched in the tree had taken notice of

her, but it was just an illusion. There was no such thing, and it seemed that

no other people were nearby.

Thirty

years ago, this was the place where Ryuuki had called out to Shuurei. But now,

standing alone in this spot, it seemed there was only Chouka.

“Chouka,”

a voice called out on the wind. Under the light of moon, she absentmindedly

raised her head. Her large, clever, dark eyes were a gift from Shuurei.

Thanks

to the over-zealousness of the Sakura troops, it was the first time Ryuuki had

seen his daughter in a month.

As

he approached, he smelled incense.

“…Where

you at the mausoleum?”

“…Yes.

To give flowers and light incense…because I don`t know if I`ll be able to sneak

out on the death anniversary.”

The

anniversary of Yuushun`s death was in the beginning of autumn, and Shuurei`s

was towards the end of winter. However, during the spring and summer there were

also death anniversaries.

They

were people who had a deep relationship with Ryuuki, but up until now the only

one to not offer them incense had been Chouka. Perhaps she had a reason to do

so this year. Perhaps it was the same reason Ryuuki wandered in the shadows of

the palace.

Ryuuki

thanked his daughter for the incense. She tilted her head, and followed behind

her father.

“…Father,

you don`t have any attendants with you? Just now I thought I heard the

footsteps of two people…”

“…No,

I`m alone.”

Chouka

suddenly turned her head. Ryuuki became aware of another fragrance besides

incense. A single young man was standing behind them, at a distance. He clearly

had not been sleeping, as he was wandering about with his clothing disturbed

(and not day-time clothing at that).

Ryuuki

and Chouka stared at him so much that it wouldn`t have been a surprise if their

eyes fell out.

Without

giving them any choice in the matter, the young man approached them. He looked

as if he had just walked out of a painting. Cool and graceful, with no fear at

the realization that he had been caught in his eyes. As the young man

approached Ryuuki, he elegantly bent on his knee.

“If

it was the footsteps of two which you heard, it must be my presence.”

Usually,

Ryuuki immediately allowed others to stand, but he hesitated at the nostalgic fragrance.

“Rise”, he finally gave his consent.

Without

asking his identity, Ryuuki continued on with Chouka and the young man beneath

the spring moon. When they reached the border of the emperor`s chambers, Ryuuki

thanked the young man. He thought of entering, but the young man seemed

reluctant to part. With a bow, Chouka excused herself first.

“…walking

around the palace in the middle of the night with no attendants, is that

normal?”

“Chouka?”

“No,

I`m speaking of Your Majesty. Though, I cannot say that I have not noticed it

of the princess as well”, the young man spoke facing Ryuuki. In contrast with

his elegant appearance, his words were pleasantly direct.

“Yes.

Because my only attendants are Ran Shuuei and Shi Seiran. Tonight was a rarity.

I was caught off guard. That perfume, I didn`t think there was another person

who would wear it. It won`t happen again. Welcome back.” With those words,

Ryuuki turned on his heel, and left without looking back.

Returning

to his sleeping chambers, he found the candles too bright. He extinguished them

until just a single candle remained. He wasn`t sleepy, so he set Kansho down on

the bed and sat down in his chair. He felt better than he usually did.

It would have been

better if I hadn`t called out to Chouka then, huh… Ryuuki reflected.

He

forced his mind to stop thinking of the young man, and turned his thoughts

instead to the imperial court. For the first time the end was in sight. He

didn`t feel even the slightest regret.

He

shut his eyes.

Since when was it, that the sound he heard

was no longer Shuurei`s singing voice. Rather it was the sound of Chouka poorly

playing her erhu until the strings broke, that resonated in his ears.

That

year, Ryuuki spent his nights walking the palace in thought. The summer was unusually

cold, which caused the imperial court to be in uproar as the whether it was an

ill omen. In addition to supporting him in political affairs, Kouyuu also

started bringing Ryuuki medicine every morning and night.

During

one of those moments, Ryuuki confided his thoughts to Kouyuu. Unlike his

imagination, Kouyuu wasn`t angry. Not even in the slightest.

It

was one of the countless moments where Ryuuki wished he hadn`t made Kouyuu

Prime Minster. But as there were now three `hearts of the emperor`*****, there

was no way he could treat him separately.

Further

still, on his walks around the palace at night, it became common for him to

encounter not Chouka, but Kouyuu. “Hurry up and go home”, whenever Ryuuki

complained to the Prime Minister with no sense of direction, Ryuuki felt

compelled to return as well.

On

the other hand, whether in the afternoon or at night, he rarely caught a

glimpse of Chouka. When Riou tried to visit her, he was told by the ladies in

waiting “It damages her future for someone of no blood relation to come and go

as they please from her chambers.” He was denied visitation, and the dismissal

of his rights as Crown Prince caused him to lose his temper. “Isn`t that no

different from a prison?” he would resentfully say every time he tried to visit

her.

In

the autumn that year, Kouyuu brought Tou Eigetsu to the palace. Soon after, it

became winter.

“I`ve

chosen this person.”

When

Ryuuki looked at the name Kouyuu showed him, he wondered if there had been a

mistake. On an autumn night, Ryuuki had made two requests to Kouyuu concerning

Chouka`s sixteenth birthday.

Kouyuu

did a lot of work behind the scenes regarding the first request, but the person

he selected came as a surprise. Ryuuki looked a little troubled, but he nodded.

After all, it was something his dear Prime Minister had decided.

New

Year`s had passed, and the new year`s greetings were finished. Chouka`s birthday

was in a few days.

Ryuuki

watched the snow falling outside the window from his bed, wearing a haori******. He

was accompanied by Kouyuu, just like the autumn nights. He had passed much of this

year quietly like this with Kouyuu. But it seemed that no matter how much time

they had, it was never enough. It made him recall the feelings of that final

year he had spent with Shuurei.

That

day, he gifted Kouyuu a haori with an eight color plaited cord. Kouyuu was the

only one who had been bestowed such an item thus far. To the officials of the

imperial court, this was a testament that the position of Prime Minster was the

greatest of all.

“Kouyuu.

When you believe Riou or Riku Seiga`s political judgements to be incorrect,

give your opinion. I`m leaving everything to you.”

Kouyuu

looked like he was going to speak, but like the white snow, the silence seemed

to extend forever.

Ryuuki

hadn`t thought he would feel any regret at the end, but when he looked at

Kouyuu`s face his heart wavered.

Slowly,

Kouyuu accepted the haori.

“….so

Kouyuu, for a little while…please take care of it after.”

With

the haori in his arms, Kouyuu knelt before Ryuuki and bowed his head. His

face was hidden.

“I`ll

be waiting for your return, my lord.”

Snow

fell heavily on the world outside.

“Yes”,

Ryuuki said without thinking.

TRANSLATIONS NOTES:

* These marriage proposals come with both a letter and a portrait.

** The top three rankings of the imperial examinations are: Jougen, Bougen, and Tanka.

*** The kanji used for Kouyuu and Yuushun`s positions as Prime Minister are different. Yuushun`s kanji implies a higher ranking. The closest I can get in English is Chief Prime Minister (which isn`t a thing) vs Prime Minister. Yuushun`s position was never filled after his death.

**** This is how Seiran addresses Shuurei. In Japanese it`s Ojou-sama. Do people have a preference on this? Mistress, my lady, ojou-sama? Which one should I be using?

***** This is confusing in the original as well. I assume it refers to Shuuei, Seiran and Kouyuu as the three `hearts` of the emperor.

****** A haori is a short overcoat worn over kimono.

WHALIN THOUGHTS:

I`m liking Ryuuki much more in this section. We still haven`t heard much from Chouka, but I know she has some more dialogue in the next section.

I`d forgotten just how much I like Kouyuu until this section. I feel like he`s going to be one of my favorite characters in this story.

How is Riou almost forty?? I wish my complete set of the novels wasn`t in America. I can`t remember his age when he was first introduced. Though, I suppose if Ryuuki is about 50, it`s not a stretch for Riou to be almost forty.

I`m sure there`s more I could write about all my feels for this section, but I`ll save them for another time.

Hope you enjoyed it!