The Twelve Kingdoms: The Shore in Twilight

had worked their way up from the ranks, and were thought ill-suited to the intricacies of political administration. And Risai was a mere provincial soldier.
    Asen knew the ins and outs of politics, having served under Gyousou as a general in the Palace Guard. Given a little thought, it only seemed right that he should follow in Gyousou's footsteps. So, for the time being, things would be entrusted to Asen.
    The general consensus was that the Imperial Court would be reorganized and a provisional court inaugurated once the emergency had passed and things had calmed down.
    Without anybody explicitly saying so, the Hakuchi's foot was given to Asen for safekeeping. The mountain of paperwork that had to be dealt with was delivered to Asen, who in due course installed himself in the Inner Palace in order to adjudicate everything. Nobody sensed that there might be anything the least bit wrong with this.
    Gashin was dispatched to continue the search and bring order to Bun Province. In turn, having lost their temporary commanding officer, the troops from Asen's division were recalled to the capital. And perhaps sensing that something was amiss in the Imperial Palace, chaos broke out in Risai's adoptive home province of Jou, forcing her to travel there with all due haste.

    Kaei came to visit her late one night, two days before her planned departure. "So you've been mobilized?"
    "I'm the best person to attend to Jou Province, being familiar with the territory and all."
    "Yes," agreed Kaei, though looking as worried as she always did. She appeared more forlorn than usual. She stared hard at Risai's face, as if bidding her a final farewell.
    "Don't worry. I know Jou Province backwards and forwards. I have a lot of friends and associates in the Jou Provincial Army. The revolt there is nothing like that in Bun Province. It shouldn't take any time at all patching things up. I'll be back in no time at all."
    "I would certainly expect so. I shall await you return home, the sooner the better." Kaei smiled thinly. She looked on the verge of tears. "Um, Risai, we're going to come out of this okay, right?"
    "What's that?"
    "His Highness and the Taiho are no longer with us. And yet the Kingdom is still rushing into a new era. I'm scared."
    "Again?" Risai jested lightly.
    Kaei replied with a strained smile. "I guess I'm always frightened by something."
    Risai grinned. "That's for sure."
    "But, Risai, I'm more scared now than I was before. His Highness was like a runaway horse. And being the rider perched on the back of that horse was truly unnerving. Even now the Kingdom is dashing on ahead. What are those of us in the saddle doing?"
    "Eh?" said Risai, raising her voice and looking back at Kaei's troubled face.
    "No matter how impatient and overly confident his actions, His Highness was the true and undeniable Royal Tai. He was chosen by the Taiho, received the Mandate of Heaven, and acceded to the throne. He may be an unruly stallion, but he is most definitely Heaven's stallion. But now?"
    For several seconds, Risai just looked at her. Kaei averted her eyes.
    "We've gotten used to a provisional court before. A provisional court was in session from the time of King Kyou's death until the coronation of His Highness. So I don't find that by itself discomfiting. But I'm getting more and more frightened day by day. What is he up to? Installing himself in the Inner Palace, using the Hakuchi's foot as an Imperial Seal?"
    "You mean, Asen?"
    "This is certainly not the decree of Heaven. The welfare of the Taiho has not been ascertained. If the Taiho was here, or even if the Taiho was dead, the current state of things wouldn't be so unusual. Yet is the Taiho really dead?"
    "But Kaei--"
    "The meishoku swept the Taiho away to that other world. If he was simply swept away, then he could return. That probably means he can't return even if he wishes to. However, as long as the Taiho is alive somewhere, there can be no provisional court." Kaei frowned. "If Asen is a pretender, then this is a pretender's court."
    "Kaei!" Risai's eyes flashed around the room. But these were Risai's quarters and nobody else was there.
    "Risai, you remember the rumors that circulated after His Highness departed for Bun Province?"
    "That hoping for another Tetsui in Bun Province was a bridge too far?"
    "Yes. But that wasn't the only one. At the time, there was another rumor that attracted my attention."
    "Another rumor?"
    "The same time as the rumor about this being a plot