"Ah, Sire, you continue to amaze me,"

Koiko said with touching admiration, "how wonderful to be able to distinguish one palace from another amongst the hundreds so quickly, and from so far away." She bowed to hide her face, sure it was the Watasa and that now daimyo Utani must be dead and the raid successful. "You are wonderful."

"No, it is you who are wonderful, Koiko-chan." He smiled down at her, so sweet and tiny and observant and dangerous.

Three days ago his new spy, Misamoto, ever anxious to prove his worth, had reported the rumors circulating in the barracks about the tryst of Utani and the pretty boy. He had ordered Misamoto to allow the secret to be overheard by Koiko's maid, who was certain to whisper it to either her mistress or their mama-san or both, if other rumors were true: that this same mama-san, Meikin, was an avid supporter of sonno-joi, and that clandestinely she allowed her house to be a meeting place and sanctuary for shishi. The news would be passed to shishi who would instantly react at such a marvelous opportunity for a major kill. For almost two years his spies had kept her and her House under surveillance, both for this reason and because of the growing stature of Koiko.

But never once had the merest scrap of evidence appeared to support the theory and condemn them.

Ah, but now, he thought, watching the flames, Utani must be dead if the palace is fired and now I have real evidence: a whisper planted in a maid has born evil fruit. Utani was-- is--a coup for them. As I would be, even more so.

A small shudder touched him.

"Fire frightens me," she said, misinterpreting the shudder, wanting to give him face.

"Yes. Come along, we'll leave them to their karma." Arm in arm they walked away, Yoshi finding it hard to conceal his excitement. I wonder what your karma is, Koiko. Did your maid tell you and you told her to tell the mama-san and are part of the chain?

Perhaps, perhaps not. I saw no change in you when I said Tajima instead of Watasa, and I was watching very carefully. I wonder. Of course you are suspect, always were suspect, why else should I choose you, doesn't this add spice to my bed? It does, and you are everything your reputation promised. Truly I am more than satisfied, so I will wait. But now it is easy to trap you, so sorry, even easier to extract the truth from your maid, from this not-so-clever mama-san and from you, pretty one! Too easy, so sorry, when I close the trap.

Eeee, that will be a hard decision because now, thanks to Utani, I have a secret and direct line to the shishi, to use to uncover them, destroy them or even to use them against my enemies, at my whim. Why not?

Tempting!

Nobusada? Nobusada and.his Princess? Very tempting! He began to laugh.

"I am so happy you're so happy tonight, Sire."

Princess Yazu was in tears. For almost two hours she had used every practice that she had ever read or seen in pillow books to excite him and though she had succeeded in making him strong, before he could achieve the Clouds and the Rain he had failed her. Then, as usual, he had burst into tears, raving in a paroxysm of nervous coughing that it was her fault. As usual the tempest vanished quickly, he begged forgiveness, nestled close to kiss her breasts, falling asleep suckling a breast, curled in her lap.

"It's not fair," she whimpered, exhausted and unable to sleep. I must have a son or he is as good as dead and so am I, at the very least so shamed that I will have to shave my head and become a Buddhist nun... oh ko, oh ko...

Even her ladies had not been able to help.

"You're all experienced, most of you married, there must be some way to make my Lord a man," she had shouted at them after weeks of trying, both she and they aghast that she had lost her temper.

"Find out! It is your duty to find out."

Over the months her court had consulted herbalists, acupuncturists, doctors, even soothsayers to no avail. This morning she had sent for her chief Matron. "There has to be a way! What do you advise?"' "You are only sixteen, Honored Princess," the Matron had said on her knees, "and your Lord sixteen an--"' "But everyone conceives by that time, far earlier, almost everyone. What's the matter with him, or with me?"' "Nothing with thee, Princess, we have told you many times, the doctors assure us that nothing with thee is wr--"' "What about this gai-jin doctor, the giant I've heard about? One of my maids told me it's rumored he does miracle cures of all kinds of aliments, perhaps he could cure my Lord."

"Oh so sorry, Highness," the woman had burst out, appalled, "it's unthinkable that he or you would consult a gai-jin! Please have patience, please. Cheng-sin, the marvelous soothsayer told us patience will surely..."

"It could be done secretly, fool!

Patience? I've waited months!" she had shrieked. "Months of patience and still my Lord hasn't yet the glimmerings of an heir!" Before she could stop herself she had slapped the woman's face. "Ten months of patience and ill advice is too much, you miserable person, go away! Go! GO AWAY FOREVER!"

All day she had planned for tonight. Special dishes that he liked were prepared, well seasoned with ginseng. Special sak`e laced with ginseng and powdered rhinoceros horn. Special perfumes, heavily aphrodisiac. Special prayers to the Buddha. Special supplications to Ameratsu, the Sun Goddess, grandmother of the god Niniji who came down from Heaven to rule Nippon who was great-grandfather of the first mortal Emperor, Jimmu-Tennu, founder of their Imperial Dynasty, twenty-five centuries ago--and therefore her direct ancestress.

But all had failed.

Now it was in the black time of the night and she wept silently, lying on her set of futons, her husband asleep on his beside her, not happy in sleep, a cough now and then, his limbs jerking, his sleeping face not unpleasing to her. Poor silly boy, she thought anguished, is it your karma to die heirless like so many of your line? Oh ko oh ko oh ko! Why did I allow myself to be talked into this disaster, out of the arms of my beloved prince?

Four years ago when she was twelve, andwiththe delighted approval of her mother, last and most favorite consort of her father, Emperor Ninko, who had died the year she was born, andwiththe equally delighted and necessary acquiescence of the Emperor Komei, her much older stepbrother who had succeeded him, she was happily affianced to a childhood playmate, Prince Sugawara.

That was the year the Bakufu formally signed the Treaties that opened Yokohama and Nagasaki, against Emperor Komei's wishes, the majority of the Court, and the outspoken advice of most daimyos. That was the year sonno-joi became a battle cry. And the same year the then tairo, Ii, proposed to the Prince Advisor that the Princess Yazu marry the Shogun Nobusada.

"So sorry," the Advisor said.

"Impossible."

"Very possible and highly necessary to bond the Shogunate to the Imperial Dynasty and bring further peace and tranquility to the land," Ii had said. "There are many historical precedents when Toranagas have agreed to marry Imperials."

"So sorry." The Advisor was effete, elaborately dressed and coiffured, his teeth blackened. "As you well know Her Imperial Highness is already engaged to be married as soon as she reaches puberty. As you well know, too, the Shogun Nobusada is also engaged to the daughter of a Kyoto noble."

"So sorry, engagements of such illustrious persons are a matter of state policy, in Shogunate control and always has been," Ii said. He was small, portly and inflexible, "Shogun Nobusada's engagement, at his own request, has ceased."

"Ah, so sorry, how sad. I heard it was a good match."

"Shogun Nobusada and Princess Yazu are the same age, twelve. Please advise the Emperor, the tairo wishes to inform him the Shogun will be honored to accept her as wife.