"Yes. And he also ordered that no hostages were to be taken by Regents against one another. Lady Ochiba, the mother of the Heir, is hostage in your castle at Yedo, against your safety here, and that also violates his will. You formally agreed to obey his covenants as did all the Regents. You even signed the document in your own blood."
Toranaga sighed. "The Lady Ochiba is visiting Yedo where her only sister is in labor. Her sister is married to my son and heir. My son's place is in Yedo while I am here. What's more natural than for a sister to visit a sister at such a time? Isn't she honored? Perhaps I'll have a first grandson, neh?"
"The mother of the Heir is the most important lady in the Empire. She should not be in - " Ishido was going to say "enemy hands" but he thought better of it - "in an unusual city." He paused, then added clearly, "The Council would like you to order her home today. " Toranaga avoided the trap. "I repeat, the Lady Ochiba's no hostage and therefore is not under my orders and never was."
"Then let me put it differently. The Council requests her presence in Osaka instantly."
"Who requests this?"
"I do. Lord Sugiyama. Lord Onoshi and Lord Kiyama. Further, we're all agreed we wait here until she's back in Osaka. Here are their signatures."
Toranaga was livid. Thus far he had manipulated the Council so that voting was always split two to three. He had never been able to win a four-to-one against Ishido, but neither had Ishido against him. Four to one meant isolation and disaster. Why had Onoshi defected? And Kiyama? Both implacable enemies even before they had converted to the foreign religion. And what hold had Ishido now over them?
Ishido knew that he had shattered his enemy. But one move remained to make victory complete. So he implemented the plan that he and Onoshi had agreed upon. "We Regents are all agreed that the time has come to finish with those who are planning to usurp my Master's power and kill the Heir. Traitors will be condemned. They will be exhibited in the streets as common criminals, with all their generations, and then they will be executed like common criminals, with all their generations. Fujimoto, Takashima, low born, high born - no matter who. Even Minowara!"
A gasp of rage broke from every Toranaga samurai, for such sacrilege against the semi-regal families was unthinkable; then the young samurai, Usagi, Hiro-matsu's grandson-in-law, was on his feet, flushed with anger. He ripped out his killing sword and leapt at Ishido, the naked blade readied for the two-handed slash.
Ishido was prepared for the death blow and made no move to defend himself. This was what he had planned for, hoped for, and his men had been ordered not to interfere until he was dead. If he, Ishido, were killed here, now, by a Toranaga samurai, the whole Osaka garrison could fall on Toranaga legitimately and slay him, irrespective of the hostage. Then the Lady Ochiba would be eliminated in retaliation by Toranaga's sons and the remaining Regents would be forced to move jointly against the Yoshi clan, who, now isolated, would be stamped out. Only then would the Heir's succession be guaranteed and he, Ishido, would have done his duty to the Taiko.
But the blow did not come. At the last moment Usagi came to his senses and tremulously sheathed the sword.
"Your pardon, Lord Toranaga," he said, kneeling abjectly. "I could not bear the shame of - of having you hear such - such insults. I ask permission - I apologize and - I ask permission to commit seppuku immediately for I cannot live with this shame."
Though Toranaga had remained still, he had been ready to intercept the blow and he knew Hiro-matsu was ready and that others would have been ready also, and that probably Ishido would only have been wounded. He understood, too, why Ishido had been so insulting and inflammatory. I will repay you with an enormity of interest, Ishido, he promised silently.
Toranaga gave his attention to the kneeling youth. "How dare you imply that anything Lord Ishido said was meant in any way as an insult to me. Of course he would never be so impolite. How dare you listen to conversations that do not concern you. No, you will not be allowed to commit seppuku. That's an honor. You have no honor and no self-discipline. You will be crucified like a common criminal today. Your swords will be broken and buried in the eta village. Your son will be buried in the eta village. You head will be put on a spike for all the population to jeer at with a sign on it: 'This man was born samurai by mistake. His name has ceased to be!' " With a supreme effort Usagi controlled his breathing but the sweat dripped and the shame of it tortured him. He bowed to Toranaga, accepting his fate with outward calm.
Hiro-matsu walked forward and tore both swords from his grand-son-in-law's belt.
"Lord Toranaga," he said gravely, "with your permission I will personally see that your orders are carried out."
Toranaga nodded.
The youth bowed a last time then began to get up, but Hiro-matsu pushed him back on the floor. "Samurai walk," he said. "So do men. But you're neither. You will crawl to your death."
Silently Usagi obeyed.
And all in the room were warmed by the strength of the youth's self-discipline now, and the measure of his courage. He will be reborn samurai, they told themselves contentedly.
That night Toranaga could not sleep. This was rare for him because normally he could defer the most pressing problem until the next day, knowing that if he was alive the next day he would solve it to the best of his ability. He had long since discovered that peaceful sleep could provide the answer to most puzzles, and if not, what did it really matter? Wasn't life just a dewdrop within a dewdrop?
But tonight, there were too many perplexing questions to ponder.
What will I do about Ishido?
Why has Onoshi defected to the enemy?
How will I deal with the Council?
Have the Christian priests meddled again?
Where will the next assassination attempt come from?
When should Yabu be dealt with?
And what must I do about the barbarian?
Was he telling the truth?
Curious how the barbarian came out of the eastern seas just at this time. Is that an omen? Is it his karma to be the spark that will light the powder keg?
Karma was an Indian word adopted by Japanese, part of Buddhist philosophy that referred to a person's fate in this life, his fate immutably fixed because of deeds done in a previous life, good deeds giving a better position in this life's strata, bad deeds the reverse. Just as the deeds of this life would completely affect the next rebirth. A person was ever being reborn into this world of tears until, after enduring and suffering and learning through many lifetimes, he became perfect at long last, going to nirvana, the Place of Perfect Peace, never having to suffer rebirth again.
Strange that Buddha or some other god or perhaps just karma brought the Anjin-san to Yabu's fief. Strange that he landed at the exact village where Mura, the secret head of the Izu spy system, had been settled so many years ago under the very nose of the Taiko and Yabu's pox-diseased father. Strange that Tsukku-san was here in Osaka to interpret and not in Nagasaki where he'd normally be. That also the chief priest of the Christians is here in Osaka, and also the Captain-General of the Portuguese. Strange that the pilot, Rodrigues, was also available to take Hiro-matsu to Anjiro in time to capture the barbarian alive and take possession of the guns. Then there's Kasigi Omi, son of the man who will give me Yabu's head if I but crook my little finger.
How beautiful life is and how sad! How fleeting, with no past and no future, only a limitless now.
Toranaga sighed. One thing is certain: the barbarian will never leave. Neither alive nor dead. He is part of the realm forever.
His ears heard almost imperceptible approaching footsteps and his sword was ready. Each night he changed his sleeping room, his guards, and the password haphazardly, against the assassins that were always waiting. The footsteps stopped outside the shoji. Then he heard Hiro-matsu's voice and the beginning of the password: "'If the Truth is already clear, what is the use of meditation?'" "'And if the Truth is hidden?'" Toranaga said.
"'It's already clear,'" Hiro-matsu answered correctly. The quotation was from the ancient Tantaric Buddhist teacher, Saraha.
"Come in."
Only when Toranaga saw that it was, in truth, his counselor, did his sword relax. "Sit down."
"I heard you weren't sleeping. I thought you might need something."
"No. Thank you." Toranaga observed the deepened lines around the old man's eyes. "I'm glad you're here, old friend," he said.
"You're sure you're all right?"
"Oh, yes."
"Then I'll leave you. Sorry to disturb you, Lord."
"No, please, come in, I'm glad you're here. Sit down."
The old man sat down beside the door, his back straight. "I've doubled the guards."
"Good. " After a while Hiro-matsu said, "About that madman, everything was done as you ordered. Everything."
"Thank you."
"His wife - as soon as she heard the sentence, my granddaughter asked my permission to kill herself, to accompany her husband and her son into the Great Void. I refused and ordered her to wait, pending your approval." Hiro-matsu was bleeding inside. How terrible life is!