Hope leapt in Sano; he heard Hirata inhale a deep breath. Then a panel of the landscape mural on a wall of the chamber swung open. Senior Elder Makino walked in from the adjacent room. The sight of the emaciated Makino gave Sano an unpleasant shock. Makino must have listened to the whole conversation, and his arrival signaled trouble.
“Ahh, Makino-san, how convenient that you should come now,” the shogun said with a glad smile. “Maybe you can, help me resolve a dilemma that has just arisen.”
With a covert, hostile glance at Sano, the senior elder knelt near the dais and bowed to Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. “Certainly I shall do my best.”
Sano inwardly cursed the bad luck that Makino had happened to be around when he could least afford a battle over their lord’s favor.
The shogun explained the situation; obviously, he had no idea that Makino eavesdropped on him. “I think maybe I should allow the sōsakan-sama to go to the temple and fetch Niu Midori as he wishes to do, but I have already banned him from the temple.” He addressed Makino with timid entreaty: “What is your opinion?”
“I advise against granting the sōsakan-sama’s wish,” Makino said, just as Sano had expected. “The lady may or may not be at the temple, and in any case, his suppositions about the Black Lotus do not signify that she is in any need of rescue or that you should revoke your order.”
“We shouldn’t spend valuable time debating theories when the wisest course of action would be to remove Niu Midori from the temple at once,” Sano said, fighting impatience.
He wondered whether Makino was one of the high-ranking officials who belonged to the Black Lotus and protected it, then thought not. Makino was too selfish for fanatical loyalty to a religious order. More likely, he just wanted to prevent Sano from getting a special concession from the shogun.
Tsunayoshi gave Sano a confused, benevolent look, as though he might agree with Sano just to end this conversation, which taxed his limited mental powers.
Makino said hastily,”But there is proof that the sōsakan-sama wishes to defy your orders for a reason that has nothing to do with a missing lady. In fact, I venture to say that the lady is not missing at all, and the sōsakan-sama has made up the story to further his own sinister purpose.”
As Sano wondered what on earth Makino was talking about, the senior elder slipped his bony fingers beneath the sash at his waist and removed a folded sheet of paper.
“This document reveals the sōsakan-sama’s true motives.” With a flourish, Makino unfolded the paper and held it up for the assembly’s inspection.
Sano saw his own calligraphy and recognized a letter he’d recently written. An awful prescience chilled him.
“It is a letter sent by the sōsakan-sama to the Honorable Chamberlain Yanagisawa,” said Makino. He flashed Sano a sly look, adding, “Sometimes routine inspections at highway checkpoints turn up the most interesting items.”
Makino’s minions had confiscated the letter from the messenger, Sano realized. He saw Hirata anxiously watching him, but in his sudden panic, he couldn’t think how to forestall impending disaster.
“Your Excellency, shall I read you the relevant passage of the letter?” Makino said.
“Yes, do,” the shogun said, sounding mystified but curious. Exuding satisfaction, Makino read:
“Honorable Chamberlain, I must bring to your attention a matter that poses a serious threat to the Tokugawa regime. While investigating a case at the Black Lotus Temple, I discovered that the sect has gained followers among the upper echelon of the bakufu, and much influence over the shogun. I believe the sect is responsible for the recent murder of the Minister of Temples and Shrines, who opposed it. Citizens have accused the Black Lotus of kidnapping, extortion, and violent attacks on the public, and these accusations are too many to disregard. However, the shogun has prohibited me from investigating the Black Lotus Temple, apparently because he has been persuaded to shield its secret activities. Therefore, I beg you to return to Edo and join forces with me to learn what the Black Lotus is up to and combat its rise to power.”
The ominous quiet that followed his reading seemed to reverberate like the echo of a bomb just exploded. Sano realized that the senior elder had been hoarding the letter to use when the right opportunity arose. He guessed what Makino meant to do to him, and his mind raced to construct a defense.
The shogun exclaimed in bafflement, “But what does this mean?”
“I was informing Chamberlain Yanagisawa about the Black Lotus situation,” Sano said, striving to stay calm. “I hoped that he could persuade Your Excellency that the sect is dangerous and we must protect the nation from it.”
“What you were really doing was inviting the honorable chamberlain to join you in persecuting a subsidiary of the Tokugawa family temple,” Makino countered. “You want him to help you destroy the Black Lotus and thereby eliminate a rival in your quest for control over the bakufu.” Makino turned to the shogun. “Your Excellency, this letter is conclusive evidence that the sōsakan-sama is plotting against you.”
Pressing a thin, delicate hand to his chest, the shogun stared at Sano. His eyes reflected the appalled horror that Sano felt. “Is this true?”
“No!” Hirata burst out in impassioned outrage. “My master is your loyal, devoted servant!”
“Of course he would deny the truth, Your Excellency,” Makino said reasonably. “As the sōsakan-sama’s chief retainer, he is part of this treasonous plot.”
Sano could hardly believe that he’d come here for permission to rescue Midori and ended up accused of a crime for which execution was the punishment. Makino was a clever, ruthless adversary, and Sano had to fend him off without injuring him and provoking future retribution.
“There’s been a misunderstanding,” he said. “The honorable senior elder has read into my letter a meaning I never intended. It was an honest mistake, and I suggest that we all agree to forget his accusation and resume discussing the rescue of Niu Midori.”
“We cannot forget treason,” Makino huffed. “Your Excellency, he is trying to talk his way out of punishment like the cowardly, dishonorable traitor he is.”
“Don’t you insult my master!” Hirata glared at Makino.
The senior elder continued railing against Sano while Hirata shouted angry objections and Sano tried to quiet him. The argument raged until the shogun flung up his arms and shouted, “Stop! I cannot take any more of this noise!” Abrupt silence fell. Pressing his palms against his temples, the shogun winced. “You have given me a terrible headache. I cannot believe that my, ahh, sōsakan-sama would plot against me, but neither can I believe that Senior Elder Makino would, ahh, slander a comrade. I do not know what to think!”
He fluttered his hands at the assembly. “Get out! Everyone! Leave me in peace!”
Sano, Hirata, Makino, and the frightened officials bowed hastily and leapt to their feet.
“Your Excellency,” Makino ventured cautiously.
“If you, ahh, really believe that Sano-san is a traitor, then show me some, ahh, proof besides that letter,” Tokugawa Tsunayoshi said with uncharacteristic decisiveness born of pique. To Sano he said, “And if you want me to let you fetch the lady from inside the Black Lotus Temple, then bring me proof that she needs rescuing. For now, I refuse to think any more about either subject!”