(Warning: description of a dead body)

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Deep within the inner palace, there resided a consort called “The Raven Consort.”

This consort was special, as she never slept with the emperor despite having that title. She lived quietly in a jet-black palace, and rarely came out. Among those who have saw her, there were those who claimed that she was an old woman, and those who say she was a youthful girl.

It was whispered that the Raven Consort was an immortal female sage or, no, a terrifying revenant. It was said that she used a mysterious power. The biggest rumor was that if asked, she would take on anything from putting a deadly curse on a hated rival, invoking the dead, exorcising, to finding lost things.

She lived in the inner palace, but was not one of the consorts that the emperor visited. ——Or at least, that should be the case.

That night, two shadows moved towards the Raven Consort’s palace.

 

***

“Yamei Palace is in-name only, huh.”

While walking in a covered walkway lit by the light of the hanging lanterns, Ka Koushun gazed at the palace he could see on his path. The jet-black walls of Yamei Palace—the name signifying that the palace that shined brightly even at night—were blacker than the darkness that surrounded it. If the moon was out, it would have illuminated the blue-glazed roof tiles as though they were wet, but unfortunately the clouds hid it tonight.

“I believe it is because the hanging lanterns are not lit.”

Eisei, holding a candlestick, said quietly. He, who was a eunuch, had a high voice, but it resonated clearly, and it was as beautiful as his appearance.

There were lanterns hanging from the eaves of Yamei Palace, but none were lit.

“The eunuchs of the Internal Affairs Ministry are terrified of Yamei Palace and don’t even try to approach it. We must take caution.”

“Why?”

Koushun’s voice was also quiet as he asked that short question. It wasn’t that he was concealing his voice which lorded over his surroundings—it was normally like that. His voice was deep but not cold, like sunlight filtering through trees in winter.

“It seems that a strange bird appears here.”

“Strange bird?”

“I have heard that it is a large bird that shines golden. It is said that it will attack you when you approach that palace.”

“Oh ho.”

Koushun said, not seeming particularly interested. His eyes were turned towards the jet-black palace. There were not even any lights spilling from that silent building, and it looked like it was completely deserted.

Eisei glanced up at Koushun’s masculine profile.

“Dajia, are you truly going to visit the Raven Consort?”

“That’s what I’m coming here for.”

Koushun’s reply was blunt. When the eunuchs called someone Dajia—Your Highness, they were referring to only one person in this country, Shou. It was the emperor.

“I am visiting a consort, so it’s not as though there will be any problems.”

“The Raven Consort is different from the other consorts. If you meet with her, disaster may occur——"

Koushun laughed lowly.

“I never would have thought you would believe those rumors as well, huh, Sei.”

Eisei held his tongue.

“There seem to be various rumors, ranging from plausible to idle gossip, but the Raven Consort is——"

Koushun stopped. At the end of the cobblestone stairs, there was a large pitch-black door. It was tightly shut to deny visitors.

“It is best to leave the details for later. When we meet her, we will know if the Raven Consort is a female sage or a revenant.”

They put their feet on the stones. When Eisei stood in front and was about to push open the door, it soundlessly opened a crack. Surprised, Eisei stepped back, and from the opening of the dim doors, something flew out along with a piercing cry.

Eisei dropped his candlestick, and then their surroundings were enveloped in darkness. They heard a strange cry and the flapping of wings, but they could not make out its form in the dark.

“Dajia, please step back.”

Just as Eisei said that, a particularly intense sound of wings and cry resounded. The sounds immediately ceased, and there were only the sounds of weakly flapping wings. When his eyes became accustomed to the dark, Koushun saw that Eisei was gripping a large bird by the scruff of its neck.

“…Is that a chicken?”

The thing that was caught by Eisei and writhing around looked like a round, fat chicken. However, as though its feathers were colored by brushing gold dust, it faintly shimmered even in the dark.

"It nearly injured your person. Shall I strangle it?"

When Koushun tried to stop Eisei, who said that coldly and was about to twist the chicken's neck, with a "No, wait"——

"——Let go of Xingxing, servant."

The door opened wide, and a clear voice sounded from within. It was a sweet young girl's voice that pleasantly remained in one's ears, like ripples.

The chicken escaped from the hand of Eisei, who was struck by the voice, and flew deep into the chamber. There were thin silk curtains hanging in layers at the back of the spacious chamber, and then suddenly, a white hand slipped out from a gap between them.

In front of the curtains, there was a lantern in the shape of a lotus flower, casting a faint light. Its light illuminated the person who appeared from the curtains.

For a short while, Koushun and Eisei both forgot how to speak.

The gentle light illuminated a beautiful girl with a white face. A young girl with a slender figure. She looked around fifteen or sixteen. Her hair was tied up into twin hoops with jade hairpins and gold hair ornaments. Eye-catching peony flowers, which seemed to be as small as the girl's face, adorned the spot beneath where her hair was gathered. What was startling was how the garments that dressed her body were jet black from head to toe. Even the robe and skirt that was pulled up all the way to her chest were black. The robe was black satin with a luster like it was wet, with detailed embroidery of flower and leaf designs, and her skirt had a pattern of gorgeous flower-eating birds woven into it. The shawl hanging from her shoulders was also a black thin silk, but perhaps there were obsidian stones sewn into it, for it glistened like evening dew.

Just like her name of the Raven Consort, her dress resembled a raven.

The escaped golden chicken was caught in the girl's arms. She lifted her long eyelashes and turned her eyes towards Eisei.

"This is a valuable magical bird. If you had slain it, you would not have been able to compensate for it by any means. See that you take care."

A girl with a remarkably old-fashioned way of speaking, Koushun thought. As well as self-important.

The girl turned her black agate-like eyes towards Koushun.

"I see the emperor is only accompanied by an attendant. What sort of matter do you have with me? I will not come to your bed. Know that well."

"I did send a messenger ahead of time.”

"I know not. Xingxing drove them away.”

The girl put down the golden chicken—Xingxing. There was a rug with woven floral designs spread out on the floor.

Eisei opened his mouth with a stern face at the girl’s words and behavior, but Koushun held him back with a hand. He advanced into the room and stood before the desk with a twill brocade overlay spread on top of it. All around was filled with the scent wafting from silver incense burners.

“I have a request for you, the Raven Consort. Hear me out on it."

Telling her so, Koushun sat down on a chair. The girl's brows gathered and she made no moves to approach the desk. Without minding that, Koushun put his hand inside the breast of his clothing and placed the item he took out on the desk.

"Deadly curses, exorcisms, finding lost things—you take on anything if asked. I have heard that is your role, am I not wrong?”

The girl's brows gathered closer and closer, staring at the object that Koushun had placed on the table. It was a jade earring. It was not a complete pair, only a single one. It was a somewhat large teardrop-shaped jade with gold filigree.

“...Not anything. I do not accept requests with prices that could not be afforded."

“What do you mean by price?”

“If you curse someone, dig two graves—a life for a deadly curse. Your assets for an exorcism. The matter of finding lost things is an agreement obtained through consultation.

“What if I say that I want to know who is the owner of this?”

Koushun held the earring between his fingers. The jade, deep green as though one was peering into a plunge pool, was filled with a viscous light in the dim illumination.

“I refuse.”

“Why?”

“As to things like the owner, you will know it swiftly if you ask. Is it not possible for you to do so, or is this merely a whim to kill time? Whichever one it is, I am afraid it is not satisfying enough. I have no wish to get involved in troublesome things.”

A smart girl, Koushun thought as he stared at it.

“--It is said that the Raven Consort is either a female sage or a revenant. However...”

Putting down the earring again, Koushun stood up. He approached the girl.

“You are human. Isn’t that right?”

He said quietly and took her hand. It was a human hand filled with warmth. The girl stiffened.

“I have heard that you were discovered when you were still young and taken here. ——Come to think of it, I still haven't heard your name. What is it?"

The girl's gaze wandered about, and then she whispered in a small voice. “...Jusetsu.”

“So you are Ryuu Jusetsu? A fine name.”

He said detachedly, and Jusetsu glared up at him. Her cheeks were tinged with red. For some reason thinking that she was like a cat with its fur standing on end, Koushun looked down at her hand that he was grabbing. The arm was pale and thin, but he saw a small bruise on the skin. It was a reddish-black bruise, shaped like a flower. It looked like a burn——

Jusetsu shook off his hand.

“I will not hear your request. Leave now.”

Jusetsu said sharply, then immediately took out the peony flower from her hair. She placed it on her palm, and its shape collapsed, becoming smoke before transforming into a light pink flame. Even Koushun, who didn’t stir at most things, was shocked, and he took a step back.

Jusetsu blew on the flame. Thereupon a strong wind blew, and Koushun felt strangely dizzy. He closed his eyes tightly and turned his head away from the wind. When he steadied his staggering feet and looked up, he found the jet-black doors staring back at him.

“——”

Koushun stared at the doors, dumbfounded. ——What was that?

“You forgot this.”

Jusetsu called out, the doors opening slightly. The earring was thrown from the crack, and Koushun quickly put out his hand to catch it. The doors slammed shut with a bang.

“…It seems that we have been locked out.”

Eisei was next to him. He had a confused expression on his face.

“Was that the mysterious magic that the Raven Consort uses?”

Koushun tucked the earring in his breast and sighed.

“So it seems. I appear to have offended her.”

——Her name is Jusetsu, but she is a girl like the heat haze of summer.

Koushun climbed up the steps and turned back onto the path. Eisei picked up the dropped candlestick and followed him.

“Who is the Raven Consort?”

“Well, she’s something like a priestess.”

“A priestess?”

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“I suppose you could call her a descendant of the priestess who served the goddess Wulian Niangniang. She used to have a shrine here. The previous dynasty built the palace there.”

Koushun spoke as though he was reading from the history book Soutsuten.

“The emperors were fervent admirers of the priestess’ mysterious magic, so they enclosed her within the inner palace and gave her the title of a special consort in order to monopolize her power. That is the Raven Consort—that is what was written in one book.”

Koushun’s grandfather, who took over the throne from the previous dynasty’s emperor and established the current dynasty, retained the capital and palace as it was. That included the Raven Consort.

“The Raven Consort does not change with the succession of emperors. The previous Raven Consort was from the previous dynasty. It was only two years ago that she was replaced with the current Raven Consort Ryuu.”

That was before Koushun ascended the throne.

“Apparently, the Raven Consort’s successor is found by that golden bird. Sei, it was good that you didn’t strangle that bird. You’re too fast for your own good.”

Eisei looked embarrassed.

“But Dajia, why do you have to ask that little girl for a favor?”

Eisei couldn’t stand Jusetsu talking to the emperor on equal terms, or rather, as though she was of higher status than him.

“No one can order the Raven Consort to do anything. She is special. I can’t just violate customs that have been in place for a long time.”

Koushun hated violating customs. Reason must be respected, and both humanity and morality must be upheld.

“Dajia, you are too serious.”

Koushun smiled faintly at the grumbling Eisei.

“Sei, do you know? The walls of Yamei Palace are said to be painted black because they are dyed with the blood of those who tried to harm the Raven Consort.”

Eisei screwed up his face, as though he could smell the blood.

Koushun patted his breast. The jade earring was there.

“Now, what to do.”

He must have Jusetsu accept his request, even if he had to curry her favor.

Because this was most likely something only she could do——.

 

***

After placing fragments of agarwood on the ashes of the incense burner and waiting for a while, thin smoke slowly drifted from the burner. A strong fragrance filled the room.

Jusetsu stepped away from the burner and sat down in a chair. The scent was comforting, but it didn’t clear her despondent feelings. The source of her troubles was the young emperor who visited her last night.

——That person will most likely come here again.

How bothersome, she thought. She could deal with the modest requests of the women of the inner palace, but an emperor’s request would be extremely bothersome.

Jusetsu rubbed her arm through her robe. It was the arm Koushun grabbed last night. Seeing him from up close, the emperor was younger than she thought, but he seemed much more mature than his age would suggest, and he had a calm gaze that was like winter sunlight. She had expected him to be more terrifying.

The emperor ascended the throne a year after Jusetsu succeeded the previous Raven Consort. Apparently, there was some sort of trouble regarding the appointment of the previous emperor’s successor, but having been brought here at the age of six, enclosed within the palace and made to devote herself to training, Jusetsu didn’t know the details and had no interest in them either.

Xingxing, who was sprawled out on the flower rug, raised its head with a twitch. It suddenly fluttered its wings and started making a loud ruckus. It ran around the room, shrieking.

“Xingxing, stop that.”

Jusetsu tried to restrain it, but Xingxing didn’t seem to be listening at all, scattering its feathers and screaming. This golden bird never listened to Jusetsu. It was obedient to the previous Raven Consort, though.

There were legends that spoke of the golden bird being able to determine the location of gold or find dead bodies. It was a strange bird, a rarity in this world with golden feathers. It used to be slim, but perhaps because it was fed luxurious food in the inner palace, it became round and fat. I bet it’ll be tasty if it’s roasted whole——that was Jusetsu’s first thought when she saw the bird, and it seemed to have sensed that, for Xingxing was still wary of Jusetsu even now.

Jusetsu sighed and pointed her finger at the doors. When she gestured like she was pulling on a string, they doors soundlessly swung open.

At the entrance, same as last night, there stood Koushun and his eunuch attendant.

Koushun had the same calm and emotionless face he had last night. He is like an imperturbable winter mountain, Jusetsu thought. A winter mountain that quietly slept until spring, silent and unmoving.

“No matter how many times you come, I will not hear your request.”

Jusetsu said coldly, but Koushun stepped into the room without heeding her.

“Are you listening to me?”

In front of Jusetsu, whose brows were knitted together, Koushun signalled the eunuch behind him with his eyes. The eunuch stepped forward as though this was all arranged. He was holding a tray in his hands. There was a bamboo steamer on the tray.

“…What is that?”

The eunuch wordlessly placed the tray on the table and lifted the lid. Instantly, hot steam drifted out.

“…!”

Inside, there were plump and round white baozi.

“I had the dessert kitchen made these just now. The filling is lotus seed. I heard these are your favorite.”

He was right. Jusetsu’s eyes became fixed on the baozi. However, Koushun sat across from her, put the lid on the steamer, and pulled it closer to him.

“Will you listen to what I have to say?”

Jusetsu looked between Koushun and the steamer. She hesitated for a while. She expected him to bring some kind of bait to tempt her, but she underestimated him, thinking that he would bring money or hair ornaments. Jusetsu had no interest in such things, but she was fixated on food. Until she came here at age six, she lived a life where she didn’t know when her next meal was going to come.

Jusetsu gulped back saliva and glared at Koushun.

“…I shall listen, but nothing more than that.”

Koushun smiled faintly. This was the first time she saw something like an expression on his face.

“A few days ago, this was found in the inner palace.”

Koushun took out the single jade earring he showed her last night.

“Do you know who lost this earring?”

“I know not.”

Jusetsu easily said while biting into a baozi. The baozi’s skin was soft and damp, and the lotus seed filling was warm and sweet.

“You don’t know? Is the Raven Consort not supposed to know everything?”

“Do not speak foolishness. I am not a god. ——I would know if it is the opposite. If you asked me to find something you lost. If I follow your chi, I will be able to find it easily. However, I cannot do the opposite. There is not enough chi from an object to find a person, and there are too many people to find without enough chi.”

“…I see.”

She was doubtful if he actually understood, but Koushun slowly nodded.

“If you understand, then leave.”

While stuffing her cheeks with baozi, Jusetsu waved her hand like she was shooing away a dog. However, Koushun didn’t stand up. He folded his arms, as though deep in thought.

“…Then, I’ll change my request. Truthfully, the matter concerning this earring is turning into a bit of an issue.”

“Issue?”

Even if he said so, it wasn’t something Jusetsu knew about. …Or so she thought.

“There seems to be a ghost possessing this earring.”

Jusetsu raised her eyes from the baozi she was enjoying.

“What do you mean, ‘seems.’ Did you see a ghost?”

“Only once. I didn’t see her clearly, though.”

Koushun’s gaze shifted towards the earring.

“It was a woman wearing a red dress. She was only wearing this earring in her left ear. ——Would you know who that woman is, at least?”

Jusetsu’s brows gathered as she looked at the earring.

“If there are things I understand, there are also things I do not. However, what will you do even if you know? Whether the owner who dropped it or the identity of the ghost, is this a matter that requires you to attend to it?”

“I only wish to know. I am the type of person who must get to the bottom of something once it is on my mind.”

A complete lie——Jusetsu thought as she stared at Koushun’s face. He looked nothing like a young man brimming with curiosity. He didn’t seem interested in anything. To put it nicely, he had a self-possessed attitude. To put it bluntly, he was an emotionally dull man who was like a wooden doll.

“If you can’t find the person who dropped this earring, then it would be good enough to find the identity of the ghost. If you ask to hear unnecessary things, that would only add to the troublesome matters. You hate troublesome things, correct?”

He was speaking the truth, but it irritated her to be told that. When she stayed silent, Koushun pointed at the steamer. It was already empty.

“Work for the baozi. How about that? Wouldn’t you feel bad if you only ate for free?”

She felt indignant at being told that she “only ate for free.”

“Your personality is much worse than I expected.”

“Do I look like I have a good personality? That is the first time I’ve been told that.”

Koushun matter-of-factly replied. Jusetsu was silent, a wrinkle forming between her brows.

“You are much more adorable than I expected.”

Jusetsu’s face suddenly turned crimson. She got up in spite of herself, knocking over her chair. Xingxing, who was sleeping next to her, jumped aside in a panic.

“Sei, the chair.”

Koushun said quietly, and the eunuch set the fallen chair upright. Jusetsu glared at Koushun with her still-red face and sat back down.

Koushun held out the earring to Jusetsu. Still glaring at him, Jusetsu held out her hand and accepted it.

The jade was cold to the touch, but she could feel a strange warmth in the mesmerizing deep green color. The stone had an aura that felt like it was enveloped in the murmuring of a stream and the silence of a forest.

Jusetsu placed the earring in one hand and used her other hand to take out the peony in her hair. This wasn’t a regular peony. It was Jusetsu’s power in the form of a peony.

When she placed the peony in her palm, it instantly transformed into pink flames. Jusetsu blew on them. The flames swayed, turned into smoke and enveloped the earring.

The pink smoke gradually thinned. In turn, a human figure appeared on the other side. It was faint at first, but soon became more solid. It was a woman wearing a red dress. Her high hair bun was messy. Her head was hanging down, and next to it, a single jade earring was swinging. One of her sleeves was torn off, exposing her white arm. On the inside of her wrist, Jusetsu saw a golden mark. Three circles in a line, like a trio of stars.

The woman slowly raised her head.

“Ugh.”

The eunuch pressed his hand to his mouth. The woman’s face was purple and swollen, and her eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets at any moment. There was a shawl tightly wrapped around her thin neck. Her tongue was lolling out of her open mouth, and her fingers were clawing at her neck.

“——No good. She will not be able to speak in that state.”

Jusetsu stood up and blew out a breath at the figure. The smoke scattered and the figure dissipated.

She heard the eunuch breathe out a sigh of relief. He was wiping the sweat from his pale face.

Jusetsu sat down and returned the earring to Koushun.

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“Because she cannot speak, I will not be able to know the ghost’s name. ‘Tis better to give up.”

Koushun, whose face didn’t change even when seeing the appearance of the ghost, folded his arms in contemplation.

“…Does that mean the ghost was killed by strangulation?”

“I know not whether she was killed or committed suicide.”

“She was a concubine, huh.”

“…It seems to be the case.”

There was a golden mark on the ghost’s wrist. A mark of three stars. That was a symbol of the concubines who resided in the inner palace. Also, it was from the current dynasty. The three stars were the emblem of the current ruling clan, the Ka clan.

“That ghost is probably a concubine from the inner palace of my grandfather or father.”

“She might be your concubine.”

“None had died in my reign as of yet.”

Jusetsu felt a little somber at the word “yet.” In the inner palace, where concubines and court ladies competed for the emperor’s favor, it wasn’t rare for deaths to occur.

Poisoning, drowning, execution… There were also consorts who came to her requesting death curses. Though they all left when they learned that it was in exchange for their own lives.

Koushun took the earring in his hand.

“We don’t know if she had been killed or she committed suicide, but did that ghost possess this due to her unfortunate death?”

“That seems to be the case.”

Ghosts were generally like that.

“Can’t we do something for her?”

“What?”

Jusetsu blinked at Koushun’s words.

“What do you mean by ‘something’?”

“They say that when people die, they go to the paradise on the other side of the sea. Ghosts aren’t granted that and have to continue suffering. Can’t we save this ghost?”

Jusetsu stared at Koushun’s face. She couldn’t grasp any expression in his face. He was a man whose thoughts were unreadable.

“…It is not that I cannot do so.”

There were several ways to send a ghost to paradise. You could appease them with a repose ceremony. You could expel their lingering regrets. Basically things like that.

When she explained that to him, Koushun momentarily fell into deep thought again.

“Whether she was killed in the inner palace or driven to kill herself, she must have nothing but regrets.”

Koushun said. His tone was detached, but it contained a strange gentleness. His voice lacked coldness despite his emotionless face.

Koushun’s words also made ripples in Jusetsu’s heart. The pitiful appearance of the ghost from earlier appeared in the back of her mind. Since she was a concubine, she must have been beautiful when she was alive. Anguish and fear were etched into her face. She wondered how much pain she had to suffer.

“Can’t you save her?”

Koushun asked. Jusetsu was at a loss as to how to answer. She wanted to avoid troublesome things. She didn’t want to get too involved with the emperor. However——

The jade of the earring quietly glittered in Koushun’s hand.

“…There was also a mark on your arm.”

Koushun said that to an indecisive Jusetsu. She pressed her hand against her arm.

“This is not a mark of the inner palace. ‘Tis only a bruise.”

“I know. The position is different, as well as the shape.”

So what was your intention in saying that? She thought as she peered into Koushun’s face, but as expected, she couldn’t read what he was thinking at all.

“It’s shaped like a flower. It looks like a burn——”

Jusetsu stood up.

“Enough with this irrelevant talk. Very well. I will accept this matter of the earring ghost.”

She leaned forward and snatched the earring from Koushun’s hand.

“However, I cannot promise that I will be able to save her. Are you fine with that?”

“Yes, that’s good enough. I’ll leave this to you.”

After saying that, Koushun also stood from his chair. Jusetsu looked up at his face.

“…Why are you taking such pains over that ghost? Is this just for the sake of the earring you found?”

Koushun only said one thing in response to her question.

“I suppose you can call it pity.”

Jusetsu’s brows knitted together. She couldn’t think that was all there was to it.

“——Very well. Now then, prepare for me a name register of the concubines for the previous emperor and the emperor before the last. I must ascertain the identity of the ghost first.”

She needed detailed information such as the name and birthplace for a repose ceremony, and she might be able to determine the reason for the ghost’s regrets from that information.

“A name register? I cannot do that.”

Koushun flatly dismissed it.

“Why not? If you order it so, it will immediately be prepared for you.”

Jusetsu had heard from the previous Raven Consort that the name register of concubines and eunuchs, as well as their death records, were all managed by Palace Servants Bureau. Only the Raven Consort’s name wasn’t recorded. Concubines who had died from strange causes should be in the records. That is, only if the records were accurate.

“If I order that, my movements would be known.”

“What?”

“It will be troublesome if that happens. There are those who strangely suspect my every move.”

“…”

“Sei,” Koushun called to the eunuch behind him. The eunuch bowed in understanding.

“I shall pull some strings. It might take some time, though.”

Koushun looked back to Jusetsu.

“If we can prepare it, we’ll bring it here.”

He made a vague promise. It seemed that giving an order for a quick response was actually more troublesome.

Jusetsu pondered for a while, then smiled.

“If that is the case, then prepare something else for me.”

“What is it?”

Koushun seemed a little taken aback by what she requested.

 

***

 

The next day, Jusetsu slipped out of the doors of Yamei Palace. The sound of the drums had only just marked the hour of the Dragon (around 7-9 am). For her to leave her palace this early in the morning was…no, she rarely left her palace in the first place. Although this was considered early, it was an hour when bureaucrats were already heading to work.

Walking down the walkway, Jusetsu’s outfit was quite different from what she usually wore. She was wearing a plain coral dress with no embroidery or prints, and her hair was tied high on top of her head with not a single hair stick. This was the outfit of the palace ladies who belonged to the Palace Cleaning Bureau. It was the thing she told Koushun to prepare for her last night.

Rather than waiting who knows how long for the name register, it would be faster to do her own investigation. Jusetsu was an impatient person.

She dressed all by herself. There was only an old servant woman working at Yamei Palace, and Jusetsu didn’t have an attendant. I have no need for one, she had refused. She was raised on the streets, and she could take care of herself. There were also things that she didn’t want anyone to see——

The walkway curved, and she could see the lapis lazuli tiles of a palace. What place is that——she wondered briefly, but when she saw the tile with the swallow decoration on the roof, she knew. That was Hien Palace. The concubines who were next in rank after the empress and consorts lived there.

As she got closer, the yellow waves surrounding the palace caught her eye. They were banksia roses. They crawled around trellises prettily. Is it that season already, Jusetsu thought, captivated by the little yellow flowers.

Just then, she heard the sounds of people talking from nearby. This was the back of Hien Palace. The voices came from the back entrance for palace ladies and servants of a building that was old even among the several structures there.

“Here, I’m leaving this to you. Have it ready by tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is impossible!”

“It’s just a bit of mending. You can do it a minute, I’m sure.”

“I can’t shorten a hem in a minute. I have my own work too——”

Jusetsu secretly peeked in at them from behind the banksia roses. She could see two palace ladies facing each other in the shadow of the damp building with bad drainage. One of them was a petite palace lady wearing a pale yellow dress, and the other one was wearing a blue dress. The pale yellow dress was the uniform of the Palace Table Bureau (in charge of the emperor’s meals), and the blue dress was the uniform of the Palace Secretarial Bureau. The palace lady in the blue dress was trying to push some clothing onto the girl in the pale yellow dress, who was refusing it. The blue dress palace lady seemed to be pressing her to mend the clothing.

“Can’t you just do it after you finish your work?”

“That’s…”

The girl in the pale yellow dress, having no way out, looked like she was about to cry.

If she doesn’t want to do it, she should just turn her down and walk away from there immediately. Jusetsu thought as she watched the events unfold.

“Isn’t this usual? Don’t grumble about it now. If you say you’re not going to do it, I’ll tell Father, and then your family’s store will be destroyed.”

“You can’t!”

Hmm. Jusetsu was crouching down near the roots of the banksia roses. Since it would be bothersome to get involved, she decided to pretend to not see them and pass them by.

Jusetsu stood up and stepped out from the shade.

“You are not a young child. You can do your own mending.”

The two palace ladies turned around in surprise.

“Ex—W-Who are you?”

The girl in the blue dress asked, flustered.

“Just as I look, I am a palace lady,” Jusetsu thrust out her chest. “That girl next to you does not seem as though she wishes to do what you ask. Can you not do your own work?”

The girl in the blue dress gave Jusetsu a suspicious once-over.

“Isn’t it a waste of time to do something yourself when you could have someone else do it for you? You have no right to criticize me.”

Although she said that, she surprisingly withdrew easily. “Whatever. I’ll forgive you for today.” Jusetsu was a bit disappointed by this anticlimax. The girl in the blue dress ignored the girl in the yellow dress like she had already lost interest and left.

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The girl in the pale yellow dress let out a sigh of relief.

“Um…thank you very much.”

She thanked Jusetsu with a bird-like voice. She was a pretty girl. Concubines and palace ladies were chosen from the daughters of high-ranking officials and respectable families, but in addition to those, there were also those who were specially selected for their looks. This girl seemed to be the latter.

“She’s always like that, asking me to do unreasonable things. But I couldn’t go against her…my family runs a rice cake shop, and her father is an auxiliary official who works in the imperial treasury.”

The imperial treasury was the government office that managed the marketplace. If he was an auxiliary official there, there was no reason to think that he was going to destroy one or two rice cake shops just because of some petty reason.

“That girl seems to be a palace lady of the Palace Secretarial Bureau. Did she come all this way here merely to push an unreasonable demand onto you?”

Unlike the palace ladies of the Palace Table Bureau and Palace Cleaning Bureau, who were assigned to each individual palace, the Palace Secretarial Bureau was stationed in the inner palace’s Library Building. It wasn’t particularly close to Hien Palace.

“She took the opportunity when she saw me. Apparently, she’s exchanging letters with a eunuch here.”

“Oh ho.”

There were those among the palace ladies who became intimate with eunuchs. But if that is the case, then she should just give her letter and leave, Jusetsu thought. Is that girl the kind of person who is not satisfied unless she does something ill-natured?

The girl in the pale yellow dress stared fixedly at Jusetsu’s face.

“Say, which palace do you serve? We’ve never met, right? You seem to be a palace lady of the Palace Cleaning Bureau, though.”

There was a great number of palace ladies, so it wasn’t strange to see an unfamiliar face. Jusetsu thought about coming up with the name of a suitable palace, but it would be awkward if she had an acquaintance there. Therefore, she answered with “Yamei Palace.”

“Eh, the Raven Consort!? I heard that they don’t have any palace ladies there, though.”

“Why would there not be?”

It was true that there weren’t any, but it was normal to have them, so the other girl seemed to be convinced with a “That’s true…that’s true.”

“What’s the Raven Consort like? Is it true that she’s a young girl?”

“She is sixteen years old.”

“Wow!”

She’s so young, the other girl was shocked.

“Is it true that she has a mysterious power? Can she guess the weather? How about knowing who’s about to die?”

She seemed like a meek girl, but she was surprisingly chatty. She was like a skylark with a high-pitched chirp. When Jusetsu stayed silent, the other girl pressed her hands to her mouth with a gasp.

“Oh, are you not allowed to talk about her?”

She said stiffly. Since it would be a pain to explain, Jusetsu nodded. The other girl nodded back many times and changed the subject.

“But it’s such a waste that you’re a palace lady. You’re so pretty. What’s your name? I’m Jiujiu.”

It was a common name among the people.

“Jusetsu.”

“Jusetsu, you talk in such a strange way. Even the consorts these days don’t talk in that stiff and old-fashioned way.”

“…Is that so?”

Jusetsu was under the impression that this was how the upper class talked. It was the previous Raven Consort who taught Jusetsu, who was raised on the rough streets, to talk this way. She was from a distinguished family, but she was elderly, so Jusetsu didn’t know the way she spoke was old-fashioned.

Perhaps realizing that Jusetsu was astonished, Jiujiu hurriedly spoke.

“But, I think it suits you. Mmm-hm. An otherworldly beauty. Are you a young lady from a well-off family?”

Jusetsu silently shook her head.

“Really? Then, you were chosen for your beauty, I see. I’m sure you’re the prettiest among all the palace ladies.”

That’s why it really is a waste, Jiujiu said again.

“There are concubines who have never been visited by the emperor, but it’s impossible for a palace lady to be made the emperor’s mistress.”

Jiujiu smiled, like she had given up. Whether you were a concubine or palace lady, after you entered the inner palace, you had to spend the rest of your life here. Even if you thought there was a chance to win the emperor’s favor, it was a distant story for a palace lady.

“I would rather avoid being made the emperor’s mistress.”

When her brow furrowed as she recalled Koushun’s shrewd and expressionless face, Jiujiu blinked in surprise.

“Jusetsu, you’re strange.”

When she said that, someone called out from the palace’s back entrance.

“Jiujiu! Are you there? Why are you slacking off?”

“I’ll be right there!” Jiujiu hurriedly responded.

“All right then, see you later. I’m truly thankful for what you did for me earlier.”

Jusetsu followed Jiujiu as she was about to head towards the door.

“Eh? What’s wrong?”

“I shall help you with your work.”

“What? But what about your own work?”

“I am not occupied at the present.”

She didn’t say that from the kindness of her heart. She thought that she could gather information while helping.

“I guess the Raven Consort’s place is different from a regular palace,” Jiujiu seemed suspicious, but she convinced herself on her own.

They stepped into a spacious kitchen. There were several large stoves alongside the wall, and there was a servant woman building fires in them. On the wall behind the stoves, there were stove god talismans and hanging scrolls with evil-warding couplets affixed to it. It was the same for Yamei Palace, but it seemed that the concubines’ kitchen didn’t have very different customs from a commoner’s kitchen.

For the opposite wall, there were large earthenware pots lined up in a row by the wall. At a large table in the center, Palace Table Bureau palace ladies were grinding sesame seeds with pestles and sifting beans with sieves.

“Is breakfast not ready here yet?” Jusetsu asked.

“Of course not. We’re doing dinner preparations,” Jiujiu said.

Jusetsu was shocked. So early? For Yamei Palace, where there was only Jusetsu and the servant woman, it was unimaginable.

“Hey, it’ll be a problem for us if you’re bringing in a palace lady from another place.”

They were questioned by another palace lady, but Jiujiu said, “She’s my friend. She said she’s going to help me,” pulled Jusetsu’s hand and took her to a corner. There were mortars there. Some sort of plant roots was in them.

“Okay, can you pound them?” Jiujiu passed Jusetsu a pestle.

“Why are we pounding them?”

“We soak the crushed stuff in water, dry them, and then grind them. It’s bracken starch.”

I see. Jusetsu started pounding the bracken roots. Jiujiu also did the same thing with mortar and pestle next to it. The satisfying sounds resounded monotonically.

“Did you enter the inner palace during the reign of the current emperor?”

“Yes. I started here a year ago.”

“Then, you have no knowledge of the inner palaces of the previous emperor and the emperor before the last?”

“I don’t know about them directly, but for the previous emperor, I’ve heard a lot of stories from the long-serving palace ladies. I’ve never heard anything about the emperor before the last one, though.”

She almost stopped her hand, and the sounds became disturbed.

“What do you mean by ‘a lot of stories’?”

“This is the inner palace, so a lot of things happened here. Especially during the time of the previous emperor, you see, the empress…”

Jiujiu looked around a little bit, and then lowered her voice.

“The empress?”

“The current empress dowager. She’s confined.”

“Confined?”

She raised her voice, and Jiujiu shushed her.

“We’ll get yelled at if we talk about it openly. ——Jusetsu, you don’t know? About the empress dowager.”

“I know not,” she answered, and an astonished expression appeared on Jiujiu’s face.

“Then, what about the fact that the current emperor used to be the deposed crown prince?”

Jusetsu shook her head. Jiujiu’s large eyes were blinking more and more rapidly. Her face reminded Jusetsu of the skylark that perched on the window lattice at her palace. This girl really was like a skylark.

“The emperor has been through a lot of hardship. This is just a rumor, but they say that the empress dowager killed the emperor’s real mother. And then, he was deposed while he was the crown prince.”

Apparently, Koushun was pushed into a corner of the imperial palace, virtually imprisoned.

“But, the emperor never gave up and built up strength, and then he rebelled. He won over the Forbidden Army as his ally, and then defeated the bureaucrats and eunuchs who fawned on the empress dowager…”

Jiujiu spoke like she had seen it all happen. Apparently, it was the talk of the town. Jusetsu hadn’t known. She only knew that there was some sort of trouble regarding the succession. The previous Raven Consort hadn’t said anymore than that.

“The emperor’s birth mother was called Sha-shi, and they say she was very beautiful. I heard that’s why the emperor is also beautiful. I want to lay my eyes on his just once.”

Her cheeks flushed, Jiujiu seemed to be imagining something, and Jusetsu resisted the urge to say, “He is a man of no interest.”

“His birth mother was the fourth-ranked consort who lived at Hakkaku Palace. She had a low rank among the consorts.”

There were rank differences among the consorts. Hakkaku Palace was not a very large palace. The consort given that palace was called the Crane Consort, but she was fourth among the consorts. Despite giving birth to the crown prince, the fact that she was at that position was either because she was of low birth or because she had no backing.

“So, what do you mean that a lot of things happened in the previous emperor’s inner palace?”

Jusetsu returned to the subject.

“You see, the empress dowager killed the emperor’s mother, made pregnant consorts have abortions, cut out the tongues of palace ladies she didn’t like…there was a consort who was executed for having an illicit affair, and a consort who was poisoned by another consort, and then the consort who poisoned her hung herself——”

“Wait.”

“What is it?” Jiujiu was puzzled when Jusetsu stopped her.

“There was a consort who hung herself?”

“It’s that kind of story. She hung her shawl over a beam in her room…”

As she spoke, Jiujiu puckered up her cute face in terror.

“Her name? What is that consort’s name?”

“Huh? Well…what was it, I don’t remember.”

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“Would the palace lady who told you that story know?”

“Yes, I think so, but——ah, wait!”

Jusetsu put down her pestle, took Jiujiu’s hand, and headed towards the door.

“Lead me to that person.”

“We can’t, there’s still work——”

“We will do it later.”

She dragged Jiujiu out of the kitchen. Jiujiu followed her as though she had given up on resisting. She said that the palace woman was from the Palace Dyeing Bureau, so she was most likely in the washing place, so Jusetsu had her lead her there.

When they went around to the back of the building where the palace ladies lived, they arrived at a laundry-drying area where there was a multitude of fabrics and threads being hung out to dry. Next to a well, palace ladies were washing cloth in washbasins. Jiujiu called out to one of them.

“Gugu!”

It was an honorific for an older palace lady. A woman who looked about forty turned around. Though the wrinkles stood out in her tanned skin, she had pretty features, as might be expected from someone chosen as a palace lady.

“What’s the matter?”

“This girl wants to hear a story. The one with the consort who died from hanging herself.”

The woman looked at Jusetsu dubiously.

“Now? I don’t mind, but I’m busy, so lend me your hands.”

She directed them to wash pieces of cloth that were put in the water. Jusetsu obediently did what she told them to do. Jiujiu, who got dragged into it, also helped.

“What’s your name? Jusetsu? Hmm. I’m Ashuu.”

Ashuu rubbed the fabric in the water as she washed it.

“New palace ladies seem eager to hear these kinds of stories. Scary stories about the inner palace, or stories about scandalous love affairs.”

She seemed unfriendly and angry at first, but that didn’t appear to be the case.

“There’s no other entertainments here, after all. ——The consort who hung herself was called Han-shi. She was an Oujo, a Nightingale Woman. I forgot which seat she held, though.”

A Nightingale Woman was a low-ranked title even among the concubines. It had a prescribed number of people.

“Han-oujo was a beautiful woman with a slightly fragile air about her. She wasn’t someone who stood out. She lived in the third consort’s palace.”

Only high-ranked concubines were given their own independent palaces, and the low-ranked ones borrowed a room in one of the palaces. The third consort was the Magpie Consort, who was given Jakusou Palace. Incidentally, the one who held the first rank was the empress.

“That consort, the Magpie Consort—I don’t know what her name was—was young and beautiful, and she was the daughter of a chief vassal. The Magpie Consort died from poison in her broth. She was pregnant at the time, so the Palace Etiquette Bureau investigated thoroughly. And then, they found euphorbia in a chest in Han-oujo’s room.”

Euphorbia was a poisonous plant. Its roots were deadly.

“On the day it was discovered, Han-oujo hung herself. She hung herself with her shawl on a beam in her room.”

Saying so, Ashuu dropped her voice to a whisper.

“Afterwards, for a while, there were rumors circulating that Han-oujo’s ghost has appeared. She was walking with her long hair hanging down her face, her skirt trailing behind her as she wept…”

No, stop! Jiujiu exclaimed in fear.

“Gugu, you’re trying to scare us with that. You must have made that last part up.”

“Ah, but that’s because there are girls who said they really saw her.”

“Did this Han-oujo—” Jusetsu cut in. “——wear earrings?”

“Earrings?”

“Jade earrings.”

Ashuu tilted her head.

“Hmm, I don’t know. I’ve only saw Han-oujo once or twice. I’ve never directly spoken to her.”

“…So, you are turning people whom you have never spoken to into material for gossip for the sake of entertainment?”

“Pardon?”

“’Tis nothing. ——What befell Han-oujo’s attendant? Her maid? Are they still in the inner palace?”

Ashuu seemed a bit taken aback by Jusetsu’s way of speaking, but answered, “I think they’re probably still here…but I don’t know where they are assigned now. This is a big place.”

Jusetsu was disappointed. She thought that Han-oujo’s attendant or maid would know if she wore jade earrings or not. There was no deciding factor as to whether or not that ghost was Han-oujo.

“Are there any others who have died from hanging or were strangled to death?”

“I don’t know, but I feel like there were. The emperor’s birth mother, Consort Sha, died from poison. There was also a consort who was executed by having her head cut off. But the most common method was poison. Even with a food taster, it isn’t something you can’t protect against perfectly.”

Jusetsu pondered.

“…Did Han-oujo truly poison the Magpie Consort? You say that euphorbia was found in her chest, but ‘tis possible that another person planted it there.”

Ashuu smiled wryly.

“Well, that’s true. It is unsure if the consort who drowned herself really jump into the pond by herself, and it isn’t known if the consort who had an illicit affair truly did have an affair. If there is any plausible evidence, that’s the end of it.”

Jusetsu dropped her gaze to the washbasin. The water was cold. It seemed to chill her all the way to her heart.

“——What was the inner palace of the emperor before the last like?”

Jusetsu pulled herself together and continued her questioning.

“I haven’t heard much stories from the time of the Flame Emperor.”

The Flame Emperor was the posthumous title of the emperor before the last.

“I didn’t enter the inner palace during that time, but the Flame Emperor was getting on in years and had heirs, so there were not many concubines here in the first place, and governing was difficult, so he had no time for the inner palace.”

The Flame Emperor ascended the throne by the abdication of the emperor of the previous dynasty. It was ceded to him, but it was against a background of political power and military force and half-extorted, so it took some time to purge the opposition forces.

“Yes…however, I have heard this story. They say that when the Flame Emperor was visiting the empress’ palace at night, he spends the entire night with the lanterns and candles all lit up. The reason for that is that at night, ghosts appear in front of him. ——The ghosts of the imperial family of the previous dynasty.”

Ashuu whispered in a low voice, her face tinged with seriousness.

“The ghost of the emperor is spewing out curses while blood spills from his mouth, and the empress, princes, and even the young daughter are standing in a row in front of his bed. Their beautiful silver hair are all disheveled——”

In this country where the hair color was generally black, the imperial family members of the previous dynasty all strangely had silver hair.

“Apparently, until the Flame Emperor passed away, he was continually troubled by those ghosts. …He killed too many people.”

Her last words were so quiet that it was hard to make them out, but there was a hint of criticism in them.

After the Flame Emperor ascended the throne, he killed the emperor of the previous dynasty who ceded him the throne. He didn’t stop at that and ordered the massacre of the entire imperial family. He didn’t even spare the women and children.

It was justified with the reasoning that he had to strike at the root of the problems, but before coming to the inner palace, Jusetsu had heard whispers on the streets that he had gone too far.

“No, I won’t be able to sleep at night after hearing that story!”

Jiujiu sounded like she was about to cry. Ashuu grinned and scared her. “They might still be haunting this inner palace, so they might come to your bed.”

Jusetsu instantly stood up and wiped her wet hands on her skirt.

——I dislike laughing at the dead.

“You were helpful. My apologies for interrupting your work. Forgive me.”

She turned around and left the washing place. Jiujiu hurriedly followed her.

“Jusetsu, are you okay? You don’t look very good.”

“Ah…”

Jusetsu rubbed her cheeks.

“You don’t like scary stories either? It’ll be scary if one shows up, since we can’t escape from here.”

“I do not fear ghosts. They are sad beings.”

“Eh, really? I don’t like them.”

Jiujiu seemed to be a timid person, as she was clinging to Jusetsu. Afterwards, Jusetsu and Jiujiu returned to the Hien Palace kitchen and resumed pounding the roots.

By the time they crushed the roots and soaked them in water, it was already past noon. It was her first time pounding something with a pestle, and her palms had turned red, but it was easy work compared to the labor she had to do before she entered the inner palace.

When she left the kitchen, Jiujiu chased after her.

“Here, take this,” she said and held out a yomogi mochi on a taro leaf. “A reward for helping me.”

“…Thank you.”

Apparently, it was a sweet treat used for tasting, a privilege only reserved for the palace ladies of the Palace Table Bureau. She sat down on a pot next to her and put the grass-colored mochi in her mouth. The scent of yomogi filled the air. It was delicious. Jiujiu also stuffed her cheeks with hers and narrowed her eyes as she savored it.

“Is it really okay for you to be away from your post for this long?” Jiujiu asked, worried about Jusetsu spending the entire morning at another palace.

“It is not an issue.”

“Yamei Palace sounds so lenient. That’s nice, I wish I could work there. But this place isn’t that strict either.”

After all, we can sneak snacks like this, she said and tossed another mochi into her mouth.

“Oh, but Yamei Palace must be scary, right? I heard there are monsters there.”

“…There is a strange bird, but it is not frightening.”

“What’s that about?”

After finishing her mochi, Jiujiu suddenly looked up at Jusetsu’s profile and reached out her hand.

“Oh, Jusetsu, are you the type to get premature white hair? There’s a white——”

Jusetsu quickly stood up and stepped away from Jiujiu. She pressed her hand against her hair.

“Sorry, were you worried? It’s not something to be that concerned about. It might be a white hair or just the light.”

“No…”

With her hand still on her hair, Jusetsu stepped back.

“I am returning now. You have been very helpful.”

After telling her that, Jusetsu turned towards the walkway and ran off. Jiujiu watched her go, open-mouthed.

 

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Hey I originally posted this translation on my old site kakurenomiya.blogspot.com but decided to host it here instead. I'll still post the link to the finished pdf/epub there tho. Look forward to it since I included footnotes there and italics

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