Omi dismounted and unwrapped the head. "Lord Kasigi Yabu obeyed, Sire, just before noon." The head had been freshly washed, the hair groomed, and it was stuck on the spike of a small pedestal that was customarily used for the viewing.
Toranaga inspected an enemy as he had done ten thousand times before in his lifetime, wondering as always how his own head would look after death, viewed by his conqueror, and whether terror would show, or agony or anger or horror or all of them or none of them. Or dignity. Yabu's death mask showed only berserk wrath, the lips pulled back into a ferocious challenge. "Did he die well?"
"The best I have ever seen, Sire. Lord Hiro-matsu said the same. The two cuts, then a third in the throat. Without assistance and without a sound." Omi added, "Here is his will."
"You took off the head with one stroke?"
"Yes, Sire. I asked the Anjin-san's permission to use Lord Yabu's sword."
"The Yoshitomo? The one I gave Yabu? He gave it to the Anjin-san?"
"Yes, Sire. He spoke to him through the Tsukku-san. He said, 'Anjin-san, I give you this to commemorate your arrival at Anjiro and as a thank you for the pleasure that little barbarian gave me.' At first the Anjin-san refused to take it, but Yabu begged him to and said, 'None of these manure eaters deserves such a blade.' Eventually he agreed."
Curious, Toranaga thought. I expected Yabu to give the blade to Omi.
"What were his last instructions?" he asked.
Omi told him. Exactly. If they had not all been also written in the will that had been given publicly to the formal witness, Buntaro, he would not have passed all of them on, and indeed, would have invented others. Yabu was right, he thought furiously, reminding himself to remember forever that the pen's a long arm from the grave.
"To honor your uncle's death bravery, I should honor his death wishes. All of them, without change, neh?" Toranaga said, testing him.
"Yes, Sire."
"Yuki!"
"Yes, Sire," the maid said.
"Bring cha, please."
She scurried away and Toranaga let his mind weigh Yabu's last wishes. They were all wise. Mizuno was a fool and completely in Omi's way. The mother was an irritating, unctuous old hag, also in Omi's way. "Very well, since you agree, they're confirmed. All of them. And I also wish to approve your father's death wishes before they become final. As a reward for your devotion you are appointed Commander of the Musket Regiment."
"Thank you, Sire, but I don't deserve such an honor," Omi said, exulting.
"Naga will be second-in-command. Next: You're appointed head of the Kasigis and your new fief will be the border lands of Izu, from Atami on the east to Nimazu on the west, including the capital, Mishima, with a yearly income of thirty thousand koku."
"Yes, Sire, thank you. Please ... I don't know how to thank you. I'm not worthy of such honors."
"Make sure you are, Omi-sama," Toranaga said good-naturedly. "Take possession of the castle at Mishima at once. Leave Yokohama today. Report to Lord Sudara at Mishima. The Musket Regiment will be sent to Hakone and be there in four days. Next, privately, for your knowledge alone: I'm sending the Anjin-san back to Anjiro. He'll build a new ship there. You'll pass over your present fief to him. At once."
"Yes, Sire. May I give him my house?"
"Yes, you may," Toranaga said, though of course a fief contained everything therein, houses, property, peasants, fishermen, boats. Both men looked off as Kiku's trilling laugh came through the air and they saw her playing the fanthrowing game in the far courtyard with her maid, Suisen, whose contract Toranaga had also bought as a consolation gift to Kiku after the unfortunate miscarriage of his child.
Omi's adoration was clear for all the world to see, much as he tried to hide it, so sudden and unexpected had been her appearance. Then they saw her look toward them. A lovely smile spread over her face and she waved gaily and Toranaga waved back and she returned to her game.
"She's pretty, neh?"
Omi felt his ears burning. "Yes."
Toranaga had originally bought her contract to exclude Omi from her, because she was one of Omi's weaknesses and clearly a prize, to give or withhold, until Omi had declared and proved his real allegiance and had assisted or not assisted in Yabu's removal. And he had assisted, miraculously, and proved himself many times. Investigating the servants had been Omi's suggestion. Many, if not all, of Yabu's fine ideas had come from Omi. Omi had, a month ago, uncovered the details of Yabu's secret plot with some of the Izu officers in the Musket Regiment to assassinate Naga and the other Brown officers during battle.
"There's no mistake, Omi-san?" he had asked when Omi reported to him secretly at Mishima, while he was awaiting the outcome of Mariko's challenge.
"No, Sire. Kiwami Matano of the Third Izu Regiment is outside."
The Izu officer, a jowly, heavyset, middle-aged man, had laid out the whole plot, given the passwords, and explained how the scheme would work. "I couldn't live with the shame of this knowledge anymore, Sire. You are our liege lord. Of course, in fairness I should say the plan was only if necessary. I supposed that meant if Yabu-sama decided to change sides suddenly during the battle. So sorry, you were to be the prime target, then Naga-san. Then Lord Sudara."
"When was this plan first ordered and who knows about it?"
"Shortly after the regiment was formed. Fifty-four of us know - I've given all the names in writing to Omi-sama. The plan, code name 'Plum Tree,' was confirmed personally by Kasigi Yabu-sama before he left for Osaka the last time."
"Thank you. I commend your loyalty. You are to keep this secret until I tell you. Then you will be given a fief worth five thousand koku."
"Please excuse me, I deserve nothing, Sire. I beg permission to commit seppuku for having held this shameful secret so long."
"Permission is refused. It will be as I ordered."
"Please excuse me, I do not deserve such reward. At least allow me to remain as I am. This is my duty and merits no reward. Truly I should be punished."
"What's your income now?"
"Four hundred koku, Sire. It's enough."
"I'll consider what you say, Kiwami-san."
After the officer had left he had said, "What did you promise him, Omi-san?"
"Nothing, Sire. He came to me of his own accord yesterday."
"An honest man? You're telling me he's an honest man?"
"I don't know about that, Sire. But he came to me yesterday, and I rushed here to tell you."
"Then he will really be rewarded. Such loyalty's more important than anything, neh?"
"Yes, Sire."
"Say nothing of this to anyone."
Omi had left and Toranaga had wondered if Mizuno and Omi had trumped up the plot to discredit Yabu. At once he put his own spies to find out the truth. But the plot had been true, and the burning of the ship had been a perfect excuse to remove the fifty-three traitors, all of whom had been placed among the Izu guards on that night. Kiwami Matano he had sent to the far north with a good, though modest, fief.
"Surely this Kiwami is the most dangerous of all," Sudara had said, the only one admitted to the plot.
"Yes. And he'll be watched all his life and not trusted. But generally there's good in evil people and evil in good people. You must choose the good and get rid of the evil without sacrificing the good. There's no waste in my domains to be cast away lightly."
Yes, Toranaga thought with great satisfaction, you certainly deserve a prize, Omi.