Ogama's brow darkened. "Not one of us would agree, not one! We would prevaricate, stall, even lie an--"
"Lie? To the Son of Heaven? Never. Listen further: say the Prince Advisor, before the ceremony, in private, was to say to you something like: "Lord Ogama, the Son of Heaven wishes to adopt you, to make you Prince Ogama, Captain of the Imperial Guard, Lord Chieftain of the Gates, member of the New Imperial Council of Ten who will rule instead of the usurping Toranaga Shogunate. In return..."
"Eh? What Council of Ten?"
"Wait. "... in return, you just acknowledge Him as who He is: the Son of Heaven, Emperor of Nippon, Possessor of the Sacred Regalia--the Orb, Mirror and Sceptre--descended from the gods and ascendent over all men; in return you dedicate your fief and your samurai to His service and His wishes that will be exercised through the Imperial Council of Ten!"
Ogama stared at him, beads of sweat on his upper lip. "I would... would never give up Choshu."
"Perhaps, perhaps not. Perhaps the Imperial Mouthpiece says, in addition the Emperor will confirm you in your fief as Lord of Choshu, Conqueror of the gai-jin, Keeper of the Straits, subject only to Him, and the Imperial Council of Ten."
"Who else is on the Council?" Ogama said hoarsely.
Yoshi wiped the sweat off his own brow. The whole scheme had suddenly presented itself when he had reached his own barracks. General Akeda had precipitated it with a chance remark about how devious Kyoto thinking was, that it seemed to be in the very air they breathed, that what was considered a prize in an instant became a noose.
He had become physically ill because he knew he could be charmed as easily as anyone--he was today, a few moments before, lulled into a false sense of security until he would be isolated and then invited onwards.
"There, you see, Ogama-sama, you're already tempted. Who else is on the Council? As if what they told you mattered. You would be one against their appointees, Sanjiro too. Lord Chancellor Wakura and his ilk would overwhelm and rule."
"We would not agree. I would n--"
"So sorry, you would agree--they could gear honors to tempt a kami--the great temptation being that they would pretend to replace the Toranaga Shogunate with the Council of Ten Shogunate! Of course I would not be offered a place on the Imperial Council, nor any Toranagas except Nobusada and he's already theirs because of that Princess, as I warned." Yoshi spat with rage. "Anjo is the first move."
The more the two men considered the ramifications, the more they could see the spikes of the limitless traps ahead. Ogama said hoarsely, "The festivities would go on for weeks or more--we would be obliged to give banquets to the Court and to each other. Slow poisons could be introduced."
Yoshi shuddered. All of his life he had carried a deep fear of being poisoned. A favorite uncle had died in great pain, the doctor saying "natural causes," but the uncle had been a barb in the side of a hostile Bakufu and his death a great convenience. Perhaps poisoning perhaps not. The death of the previous Shogun the year Perry returned, one day healthy the next dead, again so convenient to the Tairo Ii who hated him, wanting a puppet--Nobusada--in his place.
Rumors, never proof, but poison was an ancient art in Nippon, and China. The more Yoshi reasoned with himself--if death by poisoning was his karma--the more he made sure his cooks were trustworthy and took care where he ate. But that did not remove the panic that possessed him now and then.
Abruptly Ogama bunched a fist and smashed it into the palm of his other hand. "Anjo tairo!
I cannot believe it."
"Nor I." When Yoshi had sent the messenger to arrange this secret meeting he had been thinking how ironic it was that now he and Ogama really had to work together if they were to survive. No longer could they survive alone.
At the moment.
"How do we stop this happening? I can see they could tempt me." Ogama spat on the tatami in disgust.
"They can tempt anyone, Ogama-dono."
"They are like wolf kamis, I can understand that.
We are trapped. If the Divine invites us, His befouled minions will destroy us. Let us round up those you spoke of, or... I'll send for Basuhiro, his mind is like a serpent's!"
"We are only trapped if we accept the invitation tomorrow. I propose we both leave Kyoto tonight, secretly. If we are not here ... eh?" Ogama's sudden smile was seraphic but it evaporated as quickly. Yoshi understood why, and said, "Such a move requires great trust between us."
"Yes, yes it would. What do you propose to, to guard against any mistakes?"
"I cannot cover all alternatives but this is temporary: we both slip out of Kyoto tonight, agreeing to stay away for at least twenty days.
I will go at once to Yedo and deal with, or neutralize Anjo, and stay there until that is done. General Akeda will be in charge as usual who will say that I had to return suddenly to Dragon's Tooth, a sickness in the family, but I am expected back quickly. You go to Fushimi and spend the night there. At sunset tomorrow, after the invitation has failed to reach you--because no one, not even Basuhiro knows where you are, eh?"
"Too dangerous not to tell him, but go on."
"I leave that to you but at sunset tomorrow you deliver a message to Prince Fujitaka inviting him to a private meeting the next morning, say at the Monoyama ruins"--a favorite sightseeing place for Kyoto people.
"When you see him you express astonishment at the "Invitation" and regret not being there to accept it.
Meanwhile he had better ensure no more invitations arrive until you return. "When will that be?"' You are not sure. The gai-jin have threatened to land at Osaka imminently. You must visit there and make plans.
Meanwhile make it clear to him that there better not be any more sudden Imperial Invitations--however much you humbly appreciate them--until you decide you will accept them."
Ogama grunted. He stared at the tatami lost in thought. Then he said, "What about Sanjiro, and Yodo of Tosa? They will be arriving, in ceremonial force, but still force."
"Tell Fujitaka to make sure their invitations are postponed--he should suggest to the Divine this solstice has bad omens attached to it."
"A good suggestion! But if they will not be put off?"
"Fujitaka will make sure they are."
"If it is that easy, why not stay, even with the Invitations? I just tell Fujitaka to make the suggestion about the bad omens. The Festival is cancelled, eh? This supposes Fujitaka has the power to suggest or unsuggest."
"With Wakura he can. I believe Kyoto deviousness is in the air we breathe--we would be snared." This was the best he could do. It did not suit his purpose for Ogama to be here alone, and there were still the Gates to solve.
"I could stay at Fujimi, or Osaka for twenty days," Ogama said slowly. "I could not return to Choshu, that would leave my Kyoto ... that would leave me open to attack."
"From whom? Not me--we are allies. Hiro will not be here, or Sanjiro. You could journey to Choshu if you wished. Basuhiro could be trusted to hold your position here."
"No vassal could be trusted that much," Ogama said sourly. "What about the shishi?"
"Basuhiro and my Akeda will continue to crush them--our Bakufu spies will continue to seek them out."
Ogama scowled. "The more I think about this the less I like it. Too many dangers, Yoshi-dono. Fujitaka is sure to tell me your invitation was not delivered either."
"You will be surprised, I suggest you can say my excuse about an illness must be a cover and that I must be rushing to Yedo to see what I can do to prevent the gai-jin from putting their threat to come to Kyoto into effect--and to ensure they quit Yokohama." His face hardened. "They will not."
Ogama said roughly, "Then we will make them."
"In due time, Ogama-dono."
Yoshi became even harder. "Everything I forecast has happened. Believe me, the gai-jin will not be forced out. Not yet."
"Then when?"
"Soon. This problem must be left for the moment.