The Twelve Kingdoms: A Thousand Leagues of Wind

case, with the Royal En lending a hand in her ascension, the people of Kei are pretty sure she'll turn out to be a good empress."
    "So that's the rumor. But it's hardly carved in stone that she'll be an enlightened monarch."
    "True, but home is better than staying in En. They've got land there, and while it might not be great, they can plant their own two feet on their own ground and start a life." Rakushun flashed a wry smile. "There was nothing wrong with getting out of Kei while the getting was good, but when it comes right down to it, life is rough for a refugee in En. It is better than staying behind in a kingdom going to the dogs. And En does its best to take care of people. Seeing how rich En is has got to hurt, though. Still, the only way to become a citizen of En is to buy land or become a public servant, and neither one of those is easy. Otherwise, if you wanted to settle down in En, you'd have to get hired by a wealthy land owner and work as an itinerant farmer, or get a job in a shop. So people long for their home country."
    "Makes sense."
    "I've been very fortunate. I was lucky enough to get into the university. The people of Kei are pretty fortunate, too, compared to the average refugee elsewhere."
    "Really?"
    "The Royal Kei and Royal En have a good relationship. The Royal Kei has told the Royal En to convey her best regards to her subjects and the Royal En has acknowledged her wishes. That alone is plenty to be thankful for. He has done much to help resettle the people from Kei back in their home kingdom. It's coming out of the national budgets of both En and Kei, a compromise worked out between the En and Kei. It doesn't make life easier for people from the other kingdoms, though."
    "Indeed."
    "The Royal Kei has a lot of things going for her. She's got a strong En watching her back, there to encourage her."
    Shoukei wondered what kind of geography Kei had, it being so much further south than Hou. She said, "Do you think the returnees would mind someone who wasn't from Kei coming along with them?"
    "I don't think so. They've got no way to check whether you've got a valid passport or not. A lot of people's homes were destroyed and they fled without their papers. Even so, if you want to go to Kei, I'll take you as far as the border."
    "Rakushun."
    "Tama should be waiting at the next town. The suugu, I mean. That's his name. With Tama, I can fly you to the Koushuu Mountains and be back to Kankyuu in two days."
    Shoukei looked out toward the southeast. "You don't have any concerns about my going to Kei?"
    "Not at all. Check it out. Go see what it's like."
    "I will."
    "Once you've seen what you need to see, how about you come back to Kankyuu and fill me in on how things are going there?"
    Shoukei nodded.

Chapter 42
    S houkou. He killed Seishuu. Huddled in her room in the inn, those three words alone occupied her mind. He killed Seishuu.
    "I won't forgive. I won't forget."
    Suzu repeated these words over and over to herself. A knock came at the door. It was one of the innkeeper's servants.
    "Miss, the gates have opened. Will you be staying on?"
    Suzu got out her coin purse. "A little while longer. Here, I'll pay in advance."
    It was enough to cover her expenses for five more days. After that, it would take another five days to get to Gyouten.
    "Well, okay then," said the servant. He quickly cleaned up the room and left. Suzu watched him go. She stared at the ceiling. "Shoukou. I won't forgive you."
    After that, Suzu wandered about the city pretending to be taking a stroll and seeing the sights. She'd randomly greet passers-by and ask them about Shoukou. No one had much to say. It wasn't a subject people felt free to talk about.
    She thought at first about bringing charges against him, but after walking around the city for five days, she realized that would be impossible. Shoukou was a governor with a great deal of power. He controlled Shisui Prefecture. The taxes far exceeded the rate set by the kingdom, and the balance disappeared into his pockets. The tax collectors were brutal. The law was a plaything used to punish people on a whim.
    As egregious as his actions were, Shoukou hadn't answered for them and wouldn't answer for them. That's what everybody said. He distributed his ill-gotten gains throughout the bureaucracy and bought his own protection.
    Her next thought had been to travel to Gyouten and directly appeal to the Royal Kei. It wouldn't be easy arranging an audience with the empress, but she did