Everything Yoshi could remember, he told her, and also what Misamoto had said about gai-jin in the part of the Americas called California--and sometimes called the Land of the Golden Mountain. Her eyes narrowed but he did not notice.

When he had finished she still had a thousand questions but contained them for later, not wanting to tire him. "You help me to picture everything, Yoshi-chan, you are a wonderful observer. What have you decided?"

"Nothing yet--I wish my father was alive, I miss his counsel--and Mother's."

"Yes," she said, glad that both were dead, the father two years ago, mostly of old age aggravated by his close confinement by Ii--he was fifty-five--the mother in last year's smallpox epidemic. Both had made her life miserable, at the same time keeping Yoshi in thrall, in her opinion the father not doing his duty to the family, making bad decisions more times than not, and the mother forever being the most ill-tempered, difficult to please mother-in-law in her ken, worse to her than the wives of his three brothers.

The only clever thing they did in their whole lives, she thought, was to agree to my father's proposal of marriage to Toranaga Yoshi.

For that I thank them. Now I rule Dragon's Tooth, and our lands, and they will be passed on to my sons strong, inviolate and worthy of the Lord Shogun Toranaga.

"Yes," she said. "So sorry they are gone.

I bow to their shrine every day and beg to be worthy of their trust."

He sighed. Since his mother's death he had felt in a void, more so than with his father whom he admired, but feared. Whenever he had a problem, or was afraid, he always knew he could go to her and be soothed, guided and given new strength. He said sadly, "Karma that Mother died so young."

"Yes Sire," she said, understanding his sadness, and perfectly content for, of course, it would be the same with all sons whose first duty is obey and to cherish their mother above everyone--all their lives.

I can never fill that void any more than the wives of my sons will fill mine.

"What's your advice, Hosaki?"

"I've too many thoughts for these too many problems," she told him worriedly, her mind grappling with the mosaic of danger from every quarter.

"I feel useless. Let me think carefully, tonight and tomorrow--perhaps I can suggest something that will give you a clue to what you must do, then, with your permission I'll return home the next day, one thing for certain: to further strengthen our defenses. You must tell me what to do.

Meanwhile a few immediate observations for you to consider: increase the vigilance of your guards, and quietly mobilize--all your forces."

"I had already decided that."

"This gai-jin who accosted you after the meeting, a Frenchman you say, I suggest you take advantage of the offer to see the inside of a warship with your own eyes, very important for you to see for yourself--perhaps even pretend to become friendly with them, then perhaps you could play them against the English, neh?"

"I had already decided to do that."

She smiled to herself, and lowered her voice even more. "However difficult, the sooner the better, Anjo must be removed permanently. As it is now probable you cannot prevent the Shogun and the Princess from leaving for Kyoto--I agree she is, correctly from her point of view, the Court spy and puppet and your enemy--then you must leave secretly just after them and rush to Kyoto by the shorter Tokaido and be there before them... you smile, Sire?"

"Only because you please me. And when I get to Kyoto?"

"You must become the Emperor's confidant--we have friends in Court who will assist you. Then, one possibility of dozens: make a secret agreement with Ogama of Choshu to leave him in control of the Gates..." she hesitated as Yoshi flushed, "but only as long as he is openly allied with you against Satsuma and Tosa."

"Ogama would never believe I would keep that bargain nor would I, but we must get back our Gates whatever the cost."

"I agree. But say the final part of your pact is that if he agrees to join forces for a surprise attack on Lord Sanjiro of Satsuma at a time of your choosing. When Sanjiro is overcome, Ogama gives you back the Gates and he gets Satsuma in return."

Yoshi frowned even more. "Very difficult to conquer Sanjiro by land when he is skulking behind his mountains--even Shogun Toranaga did not attack Satsuma after Sekigahara, just accepted their public bows, oaths of fidelity, and curbed them with kindness. We cannot launch a sea-born attack." He thought a moment. "That is a dream, not a real possibility.

Too difficult," he muttered. "But then, who knows? Next."

She dropped her voice. "Remove Nobusada on his way to Kyoto--it is a chance in a lifetime."

"Never!" he said, openly shocked and inwardly aghast that she thought as he did or, even worse, had read his most secret heart. "That would betray the Legacy, my heritage, everything that Lord Shogun Toranaga strived for, I have accepted him as liege lord as I am bound to do."

"Of course you are right," she said at once soothingly, already bowing low, prepared and expecting that reaction but needing to articulate it for him. "That was baka of me. I completely agree. So sorr--"

"Good! Never think or say that again."

"Of course. Please forgive me." She kept her head bowed for the correct time, muttering apologies, then leaned forward and refilled his cup and sat back again, eyes downcast, waiting to be asked to continue. Nobusada should have been removed by your father, Yoshi, she was thinking calmly --I am astonished that you never realized it. Your father, and mother--who should have given him correct counsel--failed in their duty when that stupid boy was proposed against you as Shogun by the traitor Ii. Ii shoved us all into house arrest, destroyed our peace for years, almost caused the death of our eldest son because of the months we were so closely confined that we all starved. We all knew Ii would do it long before it happened.

Removing Nobusada has always been so obvious, however heretical and distasteful an action, but the only real way to protect our future. If you will not consider it, Yoshi, I will find a way...

"That was a bad thought, Hosaki. Terrible!"

"I agree, Sire. Please accept my humble apologies." Again her head touched the tatami. "It was stupid. I do not know where such stupidity comes from. You are right of course. Perhaps it was because I am overwrought with the dangers surrounding you. Please, Sire, will you allow me to leave?"

"In a moment, yes, meanwhile--" A little mollified he motioned for her to pour more tea, still off balance that she would dare to speak such sacrilege openly, even to him.

"May I mention one other thought, Sire, before I go?"

"Yes, provided it's not stupid like the last one."

She almost laughed out loud at the petulant, little boy barb that did not enter even her outmost defenses. "You said, Sire, so wisely, that the most important and immediate gai-jin riddle to solve is how to sink their fleets or to keep their cannon away from our shores, neh?"

"Yes."

"Could cannon be mounted on barges?"

"Eh?" He frowned, deflected from Nobusada by this new tack. "I'd imagine so, why?"

"We could find out from the Dutch, they would help us. Perhaps we could build a defensive fleet, no matter how cumbersome, and anchor the barges offshore, as far out to sea as we can in strategic approaches to our important areas, like the Shimonoseki Straits, along with fortifying the mouths to all our harbors--fortunately they are very few, neh?"

"It might be possible," he conceded, the idea not having occurred to him. "But I don't have enough money or gold to buy all the cannon necessary for our shore batteries, let alone to build such a fleet. Or enough time or knowledge or wealth to set up our own armories and factories to make our own --or the men to run them."