Quite a mysterious conversation….


In Yuushun’s office, Ryuuki was looking over the measures which had arisen in his absence from the capital. Although he was concentrating on his work, while he was doing that, he ended up thinking of Kouyuu, and then some words slipped out.

“If I had just returned a little bit quicker….”

Yuushun, who was helping Ryuuki beside him, gently answered.

“And if then? You would have helped Kouyuu-dono with the power of the king?”

Ryuuki faltered.

“The Civil Administration Ministry….. as it is now, probably can’t fuction without Kouyuu. Now that he’s been arrested, its operations—”

Realizing that he was defensively making excuses, Ryuuki stopped, and let the end of speech trail off.

Ryuuki could not meet Yuushun’s eyes. As he lowered his head, he heard Yuushun sigh slightly.

“That is why the Censorate has acted, my lord.”

Even though there was still a Minister, without Kouyuu, the Vice Minister, the Civil Administration Ministry could not function. That was not an unusual state of affairs. Thus, the Censorate had moved, and by following the proper procedures, gathered worthy evidence, and asked Yuushun’s permission to take him into custody. Even Ryuuki probably could not have denied them. Ryuuki did actually understand. Even so, Ryuuki, not knowing when to give up, let forth a complaint.

“But, up till now they’ve totally left things alone…”

“Who has? Has the Civil Administration Department ignored the situation, or the Censorate?”

Ryuuki was at a loss for words. Up till the time before Yuushun had taken up his post as Prime Minister, not a thing had changed at the Civil Administration Ministry.

Yuushun’s voice was soft, but he sternly pursued the matter.

“Your majesty, is it that you believe that the Civil Administration Ministry should continue as it has been doing?”

Ryuuki bit his lips. The words Ruka had spoken to him in Ran Province swirled within his head.

“Just accepting what there was as sufficient, the things given to you as they were given. Only sitting on the throne, day by day doing deskwork out of inertia.”

That—That applied to Kouyuu as well. And not only the Vice Minister, but the Minister as well.

“Yuushun, you are saying that things must not continue as they have been.”

“Yes, I think so.”

“…Even though it’s Kou Reishin?”

There was a moment of silence, less than a second.

Yuushun was not shaken. He simply answered with one sentence.

“I am the Prime Minister, your majesty.”

When he raised his face, which had been lowered, Yuushun was, as always, smiling gently. However, why was it that his smile, which should have been unchanged, why did it seem sad?

(There’s no way he isn’t sad about this.)

This was Reishin. Ryuuki extended his hand and touched Yuushun’s cheek.

“…I’m sorry. It’s because….we didn’t do anything. I have made things hard for you.”
Yuushun looked surprised. For a moment, a confused expression flashed upon his face, as if he were deciding what sort of expression would be best to make, but an instant before Ryuuki could notice this, he chose a strained smile.

“It isn’t hard. Your majesty…..I am probably not as kind as your majesty thinks I am. A person who is only kind cannot work in politics. Or be Prime Minister.”

Although Ryuuki thought this was not so, he found himself unable to say that.

“…What will happen to Kouyuu? It looks like Chief Ki’s decision cannot be overturned.”

“Although he has been imprisoned, it is not the case that he has been arrested. They are still in the stages of investigation. From before, Kouyuu-dono has been known as someone of valuable talent, and there are not obvious charges like bribery to dismiss him on. Since he has not committed a crime, the case will probably proceed in the direction of questioning Kouyuu-dono’s qualifications as Vice Minister. What happens to Kouyuu-dono is up to Shuurei-dono.”

At Shuurei’s name, Ryuuki raised his head.

“Although since the opponent in the Censorate’s investigation is Riku Seiga-dono, otherwise known as the official-killer, the decision will be definitely difficult to overturn, still, in the Censorate, there is Shuurei-dono.”

Ryuuki closed his eyes.

Hyou Ruka had said to Ryuuki in Ran Province that he had not tried to foster any officials.
So it was only natural that Ryuuki always had to rely on those who had already become full officials.

However, there was one person who had become an official for Ryuuki’s sake.

Perhaps over these past two years, when attempting to get results by his own efforts, he chosen to make Shuurei an official. And then ironically, perhaps this was the result of Shuurei continuing to refuse Ryuuki.

…As an official, Shuurei’s talents exceeded by far Ryuuki’s expectations, making her far too useful.

The more Ryuuki made use of Shuurei, the more essential she became to him as an official. Even so, that was the only answer Ryuuki had. For the first time, this struck him as pitiful.

“That’s true… There is only Shuurei, isn’t there.”

Yuushun looked at Ryuuki carefully. Somewhere there was a curious note within his gentle eyes.
“Your majesty, did you not say that you would go to meet Kouyuu-dono?”
“I’m going. –After the accumulated work is all finished.”
Yuushun smiled, then nodded. He then glanced at the window. There were black lines mixed in white clouds, as if ink were running through them.

“…it looks like it’s going to rain.”
Yuushun narrowed his eyes.

When Ryuuki left Yuushun’s office, he head a laugh. When he raised his head, Ryou Anju was coming towards him, and he smiled when he saw Ryuuki.

“Your majesty has taken a great liking to the lord Prime Minister. It is such a pleasant thing to see, that you get along so well.”

“Vice Chancellor Ryou…”
There was nothing hidden in that soft tone, that smile—apparently.

Ryuuki thought of his trip to Ran Province, and his hands made tight fists. It was still not too late.

“Of late…we have behaved imprudently.”

“Certainly, that is true. But, was it not the lord Prime Minister who allowed you to do such a thing?”

“That’s right…”

“Then, that is to say, it is the lord Prime Minister’s responsibility.”
“That’s not true! We willfully—”
“Your majesty.”

Anju made a small sigh. He smiled bitterly, as if he were enlightening an ignorant child.

“Regarding Tei Yuushun, how much does your majesty know? Your majesty probably does not know where he was or what he was doing before he became an official. Because that has been erased.”
“Eh?”
“He is certainly talented. So much so that he is able to outfox villains easily. His achievements in Sa Province are clear proof of that. However, your majesty. To outsmart villains, it is not enough to only be a wise and gentle person. You must be a villain like them yourself.”

He wondered what in the world Ryou Anju was saying.

“At the very least, someone who is simply just a kind person would be thoroughly unable to serve as a top line politician. Someone like that would be unable to stay alive after ten years in Sa Province up against hard-core scoundrels, not to speak of putting the Sa Province government in order. If so, the previous king would not have chosen to send him to Sa Province. Is that not true?”

Ryuuki was unable to answer. It was not possible for him to answer yes or no. Anju smiled darkly.

“…What I mean is that, I do not know whether if you pay too much attention to him, you may later find yourself at a fine pass. If the journey to Ran Province was a mistake, then that is the same as saying that the lord Prime Minister’s decision was a mistake. I do not know what he was thinking when he gave permission for your majesty to go to Ran Province, but because of that, has your majesty not fallen into your current position? One must consider that.”

Then, momentarily, the usual smile, the one which mystified and manipulated others, vanished from Anju’s face.

“Your majesty, now that the system of nobility at court has begun to crumble, the good old days when a king could gather trusted retainers who would swear loyalty to him simply by being the king—-that era is coming to an end. With the beginning of the exam system, now, in this current age of merit, in a moment of carelessness, anyone may fall. Just as Li Kouyuu has done now.”

Ryuuki raised his head as if he had been struck.

“If your majesty wishes to have strong, pure-hearted, trustworthy and righteous allies swear their loyalty to you, then you must watch over them and protect them. You have yet to become a lord who can gather such retainers yourself. That is to say, if you do not do that, then before one knows it, there will only be villains like me left.”

“Vice Chancellor Ryou….”

“Oh dear. I have said some things that are rather unlike me.”

Anju…suddenly smiled bitterly.

“….Just now, that was the favorite phrase of the person I love the most in the world. Although that person no longer says it.”

tags>>|