The Twelve Kingdoms: A Thousand Leagues of Wind

and En Taiho."
    Enough with the etiquette, the shorter of the two said with a wave of his hand. "You look great, Youko. I'm sure the spectators saw what they came to see. Your subjects will be disappointed if you don't put yourself on display now and then. Besides, the general public knowing that they've got a babe for a monarch could come in handy in a pinch."
    Enki had an indecorous tongue and a completely nonchalant disposition. Youko grinned. She motioned for her guests to sit. They were the Royal En and Enki, the king and Taiho of the Kingdom of En to the north of Kei. The king's name was Shouryuu and Enki's name was Rokuta. En was the only country with which Kei currently had diplomatic relations.
    "It's been a while, indeed." She formally greeted Shouryuu and Rokuta. "For all your help I am indeed grateful." She bowed to the gray-haired rat standing next to them. "I must thank you as well, Rakushun. I certainly couldn't have made it to this point without you."
    "Oh, it was nothing." Rakushun said with a shake of his tail. "I'm a mere hanjuu. The king shouldn't be bowing to the likes of me. You're making me self-conscious."
    Youko laughed.
    She had come from across the sea, from the land of Yamato, the place she called Japan. Youko was born in Japan and had suddenly found herself thrust into this world, a world she knew nothing about. With the help of these three, she rightfully claimed the throne. A pretender by the name of Joei had raised an army and sought the kingdom for herself. With the Royal En and Enki at her side, Youko suppressed the rebellion. She of course appreciated all that they had done, but her depth of gratitude toward Rakushun was much more profound. Relentlessly pursued by the pretender's minions, Rakushun had rescued her as she lay on the verge of death.
    "I am indeed grateful to you," she said.
    Rakushun's tail fluttered back and forth. Rokuta couldn't resist chortling at his discomfiture. "It must be a rare thing for a king in all this get-up to ever bow his head to anybody."
    "Oh, give it a rest," said Rakushun, looking up at her. Rakushun was a hanjuu, meaning that he was half-human, half-beast. In his case, a rat. When in rat form, he was about as tall as a human child, so he had to look up at her. "I'm just saying she doesn't have to thank me. It's because of Youko that I was able to attend university in En, that I got to know the Royal En. I'm the one who should be saying thanks."
    "That's not something I can take credit for."
    Rokuta laughed again. "Come to think about it, Rakushun has done quite well for himself. He can count two kings as personal friends. If his chums at college ever found out, they'd have a fit."
    "Point made, Taiho."
    Shouryuu said, a smile in his voice, "But weren't you dragging your heels a bit, Youko? Joei's rebellion has been over for two months, already."
    Youko smiled wryly. "To tell the truth, I wanted to put it off even longer. The province lords insisted I get it done with by the winter solstice."
    It was the king who calmed the heavens and the earth, who propitiated the gods. Of the rites and rituals, the most important was the Festival of the Winter Solstice. The king's role during the winter festival was to travel to the southern district of the city and there make offerings to Heaven and pray for the protection of the kingdom. This ceremony was called the Koushi.
    "Why put it off?"
    Youko sighed. "Because I haven't yet decided on the Inaugural Rescript."
    The Inaugural Rescript was the first proclamation of a new king. All laws were promulgated in the name of the king. However, a law was not even submitted for the king's approval until proposals from the bureaucracy had been considered, the affected ministries had been consulted, and the consent of the Minister of the Left, the Minister of the Right, and the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal had been acknowledged.
    It was not intended that the king write the laws and run the kingdom all by herself. The ministers were appointed for this purpose. Laws promulgated upon the king's own initiative were known as Imperial Rescripts.
    "What did the Royal En decree?" Youko asked.
    "I came up with what is called the rule of one-in-four."
    "And that is?"
    "For every four ares (400 square meters) cultivated, a homesteader is given one are (100 square meters) of land for every four ares (400 square meters) put under cultivation. This was due to the shortage of arable land."
    Youko said with some chagrin, "The