The young woman placed a piece of fragrant wood on top of the ashes in the furnace and, after a short wait, a thin wisp of smoke slowly trailed from the incense burner. A strong aroma filled the air.
Jusetsu moved away from the incense burner and sat down in her chair. As pleasant as the scent was, it didn’t help her melancholic mood.
It was because of the young emperor, who had visited her the previous night. And she knew he’d probably come again.
What a nuisance, she thought to herself. The modest requests she received from the women of the inner palace didn’t bother her, but the emperor’s request was extremely troublesome.
Jusetsu rubbed her arm over her robe—the same arm that Koshun grabbed the previous night. From close up, the emperor looked younger than she imagined, but he still appeared mature for his age. His gaze was as gentle as the winter sun, but she expected him to be more intimidating.
The emperor had ascended the throne just one year after Jusetsu took over from the previous Raven Consort. There was apparently some sort of trouble when it came to deciding the previous emperor’s successor, but Jusetsu was a shut-in who devoted herself to discipline. She didn’t know the details, and they didn’t interest her either.
Shinshin was stretched out on the mat, but suddenly looked up with a start. It immediately flapped its wings and began to thrash about. The bird then raced around the room, crying out as it did so.
“Stop it, Shinshin.”
Jusetsu tried to quell the bird’s outburst, but Shinshin didn’t seem to be listening at all. Instead, it scattered its feathers about as it wailed. The golden chicken was an obedient bird when the previous Raven Consort was still around—but now that Jusetsu was in charge, it completely ignored everything she said.
Legend had it that the golden bird could sense if there was gold in the vicinity and could also locate dead bodies. It was a mystical bird with golden feathers—a rare creature indeed. Originally, Shinshin had a slim build, but perhaps due to the lavish offerings that were provided for it in the inner palace, it had now become quite plump. When Jusetsu first laid eyes on the bird, it occurred to her that it would taste wonderful roasted. However, Shinshin may have sensed this, as it still kept her at arms’ length.
Jusetsu sighed and raised her hand toward the doors. She made a gesture that looked as if she was pulling at a piece of string, and they silently opened.
At the entrance stood Koshun and his attendant, the eunuch, just as they had the night before.
Koshun was once again wearing a composed expression that made it impossible to read his emotions. He’s as imperturbable as a mountain in the winter, Jusetsu thought to herself. Quiet and unmoving, silently waiting for the spring to arrive.
“Visit me as many times as you like, but your request will still fall on deaf ears,” Jusetsu asserted coldly.
Koshun, seemingly unperturbed by this abrasive greeting, stepped inside the room.
“Are you listening?”
Koshun exchanged glances with the eunuch behind him as Jusetsu watched on with a frown. Seeming to recognize what he was supposed to do, Eisei moved forward. He was holding a tray in his hand, on top of which sat a steaming basket.
“…What have you got there?” Jusetsu asked.
The eunuch silently placed the steaming basket on the table and lifted the lid. At that very moment, steam rose from the food inside.
Jusetsu was visibly surprised.
The steaming basket contained a number of baozi; plump white filled buns.
“I had the confectioners make them just now. They’re fresh and have lotus seed bean paste on the inside. I heard these were your favorite.”
That was correct. Jusetsu could not take her eyes off them. Koshun sat down opposite her, put the lid back on the basket, and pulled the tasty treats toward him.
“Will you hear me out?”
Jusetsu looked at Koshun and the steaming basket in turn, then contemplated her options for a short while. She expected them to bring some bait to entice her, but she naively assumed that it would be money or a hair ornament. Things like that didn’t interest Jusetsu, but she was obsessed with food. Until coming here at the age of six, food was hard to come by.
Jusetsu swallowed hard, then glared at Koshun. “If you just want me to listen, then I accept…but nothing more.”
Koshun gave a slight smile. This was the first time Jusetsu saw something akin to a genuine facial expression come across his face.
“I found this in the inner palace a few days ago,” Koshun began, taking out the jade earring from the day before. “Do you know who may have dropped it?”
“No,” Jusetsu replied curtly as she bit into a filled bun. The dough was soft and moist, and the lotus seed bean paste was slightly sweet.
“Are you sure? I thought you were supposed to know everything.”
“Don’t be so stupid. I’m no god. If it were the other way round, it’d be different. I can find an item that someone has dropped just by following their qi—or their energy, if you will—but it doesn’t work in reverse. Possessions don’t emit enough qi to direct me to their owner, and there are too many people here for me to track anyone down in that scenario.”
“I understand…” It seemed unlikely that Koshun really did understand, but he gave a slow nod anyway.
“In that case, see yourself out.” As she stuffed filled buns into her mouth, Jusetsu waved her hand at the emperor, as if to shoo away a dog.