V9-B C21

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16-4 The snow fell in curtains across Bun Province.

Rin’u was no exception. The fine white flakes drifted down from the sky without end. The snow melted during breaks in the storms, but never all of it. Winds swept across a frozen snowpack that grew deeper and deeper.

They set off on their journey in the fall. Almost before they knew it, winter had arrived, the snow piled up, and a new year dawned.

Bun Province really is cold.

Risai gazed at the whitewashed mountains. She could still make out the green of the mountain pine trees. Though flocked with snow, the trees were not yet completely covered. When she was stationed in Jou Province, she had experienced snowfalls that quickly reached her waist. It never snowed that heavy or deep in Bun Province. The falling snow simply never let up amidst the bone-chilling cold.

Six days after their encounter with Shoushitsu, he paid her a visit at the safe house.

“Again, sorry about the other day. Hoyou-sama would like to see you. If possible, she’s extended an invitation to Gamon Temple.”

p. 240

“We’ll be there,” Risai said.

Houto and Kenchuu remained behind in Rin’u to prepare for the upcoming move. Risai, Seishi, and Kyoshi set off for Gamon Temple, Hoyou having provided them with two kijuu to make the journey.

“Are you sure this is okay?” a nervous Kyoshi wondered aloud.

“You’ll be fine,” Shoushitsu assured him, handing him the reins to a blue kijuu that resembled a horse. “As you can see, hardly different than riding a horse. Of course, the kijuu does the riding for you so it’s a lot more comfortable.”

Shoushitsu explained that the kijuu Hoyou lent them regularly made the rounds between Rin’u and Hakurou.

“They know the road to Gamon Temple. They’ll deliver you to the destination even if you take a nap along the way.”

“Oh,” said Kyoshi, though with no more confidence than before.

Risai grinned at him and then said to Houto and Kenchuu, “We’ll leave the moving chores in your hands. Thus far I’ve only discussed the particulars with Kyuusan.”

Houto and Kenchuu agreed, and Risai, Seishi, and Kyoshi left Rin’u. With the kijuu making good time, the journey to Gamon Temple would take three days. As planned, they entered the gate at Gamon Temple around noon.

p. 241

They once again met Hoyou in the main pagoda of Gamon Temple.

“So you’re searching for the Kouin, eh?” Hoyou said out of the blue as she lounged there amidst the opulence and splendor of the main hall. When Risai craned her head to the side in apparent confusion, she added, “The most precious treasure in the kingdom, lost on Kan’you Mountain.”

Gyousou.

“Yes, we are. We are still looking for it.”

“Some are calling that flawed stone in Kouki the Kouin.”

Risai nodded. But, she explained, there seems to have been some sort of mistake. “According to Moku’u-dono at Sekirin Temple.”

“If Moku’u says so, it must be true. Moku’u has a clear window into the state of affairs in Kouki.” Hoyou furrowed her brows. “There is no outside chance the individual in question has passed away, is there?”

“None, so the story goes.”

Hoyou signed. “And then? Are the refugees aware of his whereabouts?”

“Nothing has been confirmed. He met with an unforeseen misfortune on Kan’you Mountain. We are certain he moved somewhere else after that, but don’t think he did so alone. At the time, there were refugees and displaced persons were coming and going from Kan’you Mountain, searching for stones in the mine tailings.”

p. 242

“You think they may have lent a hand? Yet no such rumors have surfaced among them. We have heard talk of a precious gemstone—a real stone—being discovered in the depths of a mineshaft and brought back to the surface.”

“We’re talking about somebody digging up the actual Kouin?”

Hoyou nodded. “Probably not the actual Kouin. We have handled gemstones of the sort. Clear jade, though not as brilliantly transparent as the rumors suggest, and paler than the expected green.”

The word was that men in disguise brought in shards of jade from a source stone that had been divided into many pieces.

“That source stone must have been quite large. Probably much bigger than the legendary Kouin. Stones like that show up on Kan’you Mountain now and then. Stones that had been buried beneath landslides, cultured stones from gemstone fountains cut off from human access and left to grow. But those kinds of finds have declined of late. Our brokers are seeing very few high-quality stones these days.”

“How detailed is the information you are gathering from the refugees?”

“Fairly,” Hoyou said with a smile. “There are many refugees and displaced persons out and about, with displaced person making up the majority.”

p. 243

“In your employ?” Risai asked.

A grin rose to Hoyou’s face. “As I’ve said, we make use of what’s useful.”

“But employed how?” Risai pressed. When Hoyou didn’t answer, she pressed, “For example, smelting ore and refining steel? Maybe manufacturing weapons?”

Hoyou finally nodded. “Weapons are necessary, in any case.”

“Hoyou-dono—”

Of course, Hoyou was manufacturing weapons. In her own words, she made use of what was useful and spread her wealth around however she saw fit. She bought the dilapidated Gamon Temple, turned it into a villa, and there gathered together refugees and displaced persons burned out of the nearby towns, the tattered remnants of the forces allied against Asen, along with anyone possessed of a rebellious spirit.

“Regular arms and winter weapons.”

When Hoyou set forth to build her own mountain villa of the gods, she assembled a large number of carpenters and craftsmen, but the majority of the workers there were swordsmiths tasked with forging winter weapons.

p. 244

“I heard the White Pheasant had not fallen from its perch. That being the case, the day will come when it will become necessary to arm ourselves. The problem is gathering the people who know how to use them. Mostly what we have here are refugees and rebels. Whatever soldiers might be among them mostly come from the lower ranks. Too few with the knowledge and ability to lead an army that could seriously threaten Kouki. But we will make sure we are prepared.” Hoyou smiled. “Risai would certain be useful in that regard.”

For a moment, Risai was at a loss for words.

“Why else would a general be searching for His Highness?”

“When and if that time comes, I would be grateful to serve.”

Hoyou nodded. “And until it does, please make use of us as you see fit.”

Risai, Seishi, and Kyoshi were led deeper into Gamon Temple. The valley cut a deep and narrow notch in the mountains. Among the many arbors and buildings lining the valley floor, they caught glimpses of gardens reconstructed after ancient styles, often incongruously interrupted by rustic workshops and sturdy storehouses manned by equally stalwart individuals who very much embodied a chivalrous spirit.

Given the number of people gathered there and the large amounts of goods and materials, the delicate matter of winter weapons aside, arms were being certainly collected and stockpiled in significant amounts.

p. 245

“This much military matériel—” Risai found herself at a loss for words.

“Weaponry and provisions,” Hoyou said. “And kijuu. Kijuu are harder to come by, but we’ve managed to get our hands on a fair number. Your companions should choose mounts for themselves and take them with you. Not having good transportation on hand is awfully inconvenient.”

“Are you sure?”

“No problem at all. We’ve been rounding up kijuu trained to not be so particular about their riders.”

“Why go to such lengths?” Risai wondered aloud, her voice trembling with amazement.

“Well.” Hoyou smiled. “Yes, I suppose you might find it strange. The merchants who indulged in profiteering during the reign of Emperor Kyou and amassed fortunes are now raising an army.”

“I wouldn’t necessarily called it profiteering.”

“Oh, it was profiteering. Emperor Kyou always paid the asking price, no questions asked. So of course we overcharged like crazy.”

And if Hoyou wasn’t in a selling mood, there were plenty of other dealers happy to hawk their wares to the highest bidder. In any case, Emperor Kyou not getting his hands on a particular precious stone didn’t mean he would stop exploiting his subjects. However they abhorred Emperor Kyou’s policies, refusing to do business with him would in no way benefit the people.

At the same time, Hoyou despised welfare for the sake of welfare. Ostentation became her way of spreading the wealth around. The purchase of an article of luxurious clothing meant the money trickled down to every person connected with its production and sale, an outcome she approved of.

And then at some point, willing to take on far greater risks, that philosophy came to justify amassing arms and recruiting rebels.

p. 246

The direct turning point was the disappearance of the emperor and the cessation of any news about him. Someone had deposed the emperor. That meant he would rise up again to reclaim the throne. If a war had to be waged against the pretender, she would ally herself with the rightful ruler.

Except Hoyou did not count herself among the righteous. She was not a person who pursued justice at all costs. No matter how much outrage she felt toward Emperor Kyou’s profligacy and the pretender’s despotism, she was not a noble soul whose righteous indignation would motivate her to rise up and take a moral stand.

Had Hoyou been a high-minded individual with a strong sense of right and wrong, she would have shared all that accumulated wealth with the poor and downtrodden. But philanthropy and charity work did not interest her in the slightest.

Then why was she going to such lengths? Hoyou didn’t really understand it herself. If forced to explain herself, she dispensed of her wealth however she saw fit, and that was what she was doing right now.

“Well, I really don’t like the way the pretender does things. I’ve got no use for the way he throws his weight around. Makes me want to hit back just as hard. Except I couldn’t reach him even standing on my tiptoes. So if someone is willing to deliver that blow on my behalf, I’ll lend them my support behind the scenes. I guess that’s what it comes down to.”

Risai nodded. But Gamon Temple was far more than a place that lent people support behind the scenes. Support on such a scale invited great risks.

“How many people do you have here?”

“We have gathered valiant souls from around the region. The rebels and champions of justice hiding out in Hakurou come to around two thousand.”

p. 247

“That many? How could such a large force in the very shadow of the province lord escape the attention from the powers that be?”

“Precisely because we are in the shadow of the province lord,” Hoyou explained, a wry smile rising to her face. “The illness has spread to the provincial palace.”

“So I’ve heard. The province lord was one of the first to succumb.”

“And not only him. Many of the top ministers as well.”

But wouldn’t that make things all the more precarious? Risai had heard that infected people didn’t simply stop resisting Asen but began supporting him, willing to do as they were told, no questions asked.

“The reality is somewhat different. To be sure, people with the disease do submit unconditionally to Asen’s will. But what that really means is they comply mechanically with his instructions. They’re not trying to curry favor with him. Rather, they are going through the motions like wooden puppets.”

“Like wooden puppets—”

“The orders to the province lord of Bun were to remain on the lookout for insurrection, and so on the lookout he remains, ready to respond at the first sign of any insurgency. Should an incident occur even once, a report is sent to Kouki and a retaliatory strike is launched at the same time. Employing those tactics of extermination and annihilation particular to Asen, no steps are taken to discriminate between rebels and civilians. The surrounding towns and villages are destroyed without question and without remorse.”

p. 248

Hoyou added with a frown, “I believe these scorched-earth policies had similar origins from the start. In short, when rebellion broke out, they were ordered to respond with overwhelming force and eradicate anyone opposing them. And so they did exactly as they were told. If a rebellion broke out in Hakurou, it would meet the same punishing fate.”

“Unbelievable,” Risai muttered. But at the same time, she felt pieces of the strange puzzle coming together. More than cruel and merciless, Asen’s methods had always struck her as mechanical. Less callous and heartless than devoid of any human emotion from the start.

“They faithfully do as they are instructed. But never act beyond the scope of those instructions. Though on guard for rebellion, they never take the initiative to seek out those might be contemplating a revolt. If we were told to keep an eye out for a possible insurrection, we would observe the flow of good and people back and forth. We would make note of where people gathered and where large amounts of matériel were being stored. And then there are the rumors. We would send spies into every city and pay attention to the gossip going around. But the province lord does nothing of the sort and demonstrates not the slightest inclination to do so.”

“Remarkable.”

“For which we are very thankful. As a result, we can stay out of sight by taking a few basic precautions, though things can get precarious in the more outlying districts. When local government officials receive that guidance from the capital, they don’t go through the motions. They take active measures to root out any rebels.”

p. 249

“A few basic precautions?”

“We seek out the favor of high officials still in their right mind. Not every provincial minister has fallen ill. And while the majority simply shrug and follow the lead of the central government, they have no respect for Asen or any province lord at Asen’s beck and call. When a person like me comes to their attention, they look the other way. There are those among them who may catch sight of suspicious individuals they think worthy of being reported. But on such occasions, having friends in high places can make those problems go away.”

“Friends in high places—”

Hoyou nodded. “Speaking of which, there are some people I’d like you to meet. They’ll be arriving shortly. What do you say?”

“I’d be happy to,” Risai replied.