The shrewd hawk hides its talons. (a talented person keeps his true abilities hidden)
One month had passed since Shuurei entered the Imperial Haren. Ryuuki had kept his promise to Shuurei. He went to the Imperial Court every morning and in the afternoon, going to Kouyuu's lesson with Shuurei had become a regular routine.
Shuurei: "What did you do in court this morning?
Ryuuki: " We discussed the problem of our lack of tax revenue."
Kouyuu: "Barely eight years have passed since that chaotic time during the struggle for the throne, the country has not yet stabilized, so we can't expect to collect much tax."
Ryuuki: "However, if there isn't enough money, the country can't be governed. A suggestion was put forward to increase taxes a little..."
Shuurei: "You can't do that! How can you burden the people of this country even further? You should think about how to make them wealthy first. Iif you can do that , then even if the taxation rate is the same, the amount of tax you collect will increase, won't it?"
Kouyuu: "Absolutely. If the state of the economy improves, tax revenue will increase in turn. Having the foresight to think ahead 10 to 20 years from now is a very good thing indeed... It would be great if Shuurei-dono could take the Imperial Exam as well."
Shuurei smiled gently : "Yes, it would."
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One night Ryuuki had a nightmare of his older brother leaving and when he woke up it was Seiran who was by his side and clutched to his hand.
Seiran: "I'm sorry for the intrusion. I heard you being distressed by a nightmare, so I entered without permission."
Ryuuki: "I see."
The Emperor slowly sat up on his bed. He was covered in a cold sweat. When he wiped the sweat from his brow, the Emperor finally realised that he was holding Seiran's hand.
Raising his arm while still holding that hand, Seiran hurriedly explained, "Ahhh...... umm, this is.... You reached out your hand, so I ..."
The Emperor still held onto that hand, shook it up and down a couple of times. Stopping his hands, the Emperor smiled.
"Want to sleep with me tonight, Seiran?"
Seiran froze instantly. With an expression of having drunk pure vinegar on his face, it was obvious that he was trying, with all his might, to find some way out of his difficult situation.
"Erm...N..NO. People...all have their different tastes."
Ryuuki: "I was joking."
Seiran: "Whew..."
Seiran: "What is it?"
Ryuuki: "You are... a rather fine outstanding man, aren't you?"
Seiran: "...."
Ryuuki: "Well, I feel that Shuurei relies more on you than she does me. You've been living together all this time, so I can understand that. But, as Shuurei's husband, sometimes it upsets me a little... Alright, it's decided, starting now, I will bridge the gap between myself and my wife. You don't need to stand guard to night."
Seiran: "Please wait a moment. You'll catch a cold wearing like that. The night air is chilly. Won't you put something on?"
Ryuuki: "I like Shuurei... but I like Seiran too..."
Leaving a beautifully shocked frozen Seiran behind, the Emperor ended up leaving his chambers wearing only his nightwear afterall.
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Everyone in the Palace started to wonder why the Emperor and Shuurei did not share the same bed (Shusui told Shuurei). Shuurei explained that the Emperor prefered men so it was only natural that he never came to her room.
Shusui: "Is that.... what you really believe?"
Shuurei: "Because when Seiran and I are together, the Emperor is always staring at Seiran, that must mean...towards Seiran.."
Shusui: "Royal Consort Kou, you're so oblivious."
Kourin: "Yeah. The Emperor cherished Royal Consort Kou very much. That's why he wants to take his time building the love between you."
Shusui: "But we're still hoping to see a royal child soon."
Kourin: "We've made all the necessary plans in preparation."
Shuurei: "Plans?....w..wat plans? I..I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but this kind of thing is really... that's it - Just let nature take its course."
......
Kourin praised Shuurei's needlework and complained how bad she was at needlework. Kourin thought that Shuurei was good at everything she'd done but she never realized that Shuurei was only good with needlework because she'd had to repair old clothes day after day. Shuurei then suggested to teach Kourin and asked Shusui to join them because Shusui told that she was very bad at needlework. Kourin and Shusui were happy to want to learn to embroiderbecause they both seemed to have someone who are very important to them to give their needlework to.
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Shuurei was annoyed when Ryuuki came to visit her room at night
"What are you doing here so late at night?"
"Bridging the gap."
He brought her a bunch of yellow roses he himself picked with his bare hands in the garden and had his skin torn by the nasty thorns. She was so worried that he hurt his hands and had to wander so late in the cold. S she invited him in her room and treated his wounds…
Ryuuki then noticed that his wife had a bunch of pink roses which were already put in a nice vase and Shuurei innocently told him that Seiran picked them for her in the afternoon.
Shuurei: "Let me see you hands. Goodness, didnt it hurt picking roses with your bare hands."
"Not really."
"Do you practise swordmanship?"
"As a part of my royal training, I learned a little."
"Your hands look like Seiran's."
"Shuurei, from now on call me by my name. I want you to call me by my name!"
"What is this all of a sudden?"
"I'm the only one you dont call by name. It's not fair!"
"I dont know what you mean by "not fair", but .... "Ryuuki"....like that?
Ryuuki smiled and blushed as he heard she called his name.
"I understand...but only when it's just the two of us, okay?"
Shuurei then gently treated his hands.
"Why do roses have thorns?
"It's because the Rose Princess (Bara-hime) fell in love with a human."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You dont know? It's a fairytale."
"I dont know it. No one has told me that story before."
"Once upon a time, there was a very beautiful princess called the Rose Princess. She had the amazing power to heal all injury, and cure any illness, so many people asked for her hand in marriage..."
Shuurei stopped the story when she realized that Ryuuki already fell asleep on her while she treated his scratches and told him the fairy-tale.
Shuurei faced the hard choice of where to sleep and decided upon sleeping with her husband, since she thought he swinged the other way, but just in case she put a comforter between them.
Shuurei woke up in Ryuuki's embrace. And went ballistic…and very soon the whole Palace knew that the Royal family spent the night together because Kourin saw them and delivered the news to everyone.
Shuuei: "Have you heard, Kouyuu?... about the Emperor and Shuurei-dono?
Kouyuu: "I'm not interested."
Shuuei: "What's wrong. You're in a bad mood?"
Kouyuu: "You knew that the Emperor was just pretending to be stupid from the very beginning, didn't you? Why didnt you say anything?"
Shuuei: "Even without me telling you, you still noticed it, didnt you?"
Kouyuu: "Learning so much at that speed is impossible. How could I allow someone surpass my years of dedicated study in just a few short months."
Shuuei: "The shrewd hawk hides its talons", right? ... but still, no matter how talented a person is. If he doesnt use those talents, it's the same as being useless. If he's truly the EMperor, he should do his best to fulfill his responsibilities. However, if he does not, he's still the same spoiled, stupid Emperor."
Kouyuu: "You're telling me this because you think there's still hope for him?"
Shuuei: "I guess so. Thanks to Shuurei-dono... well, things have become a bit more interesting, havent they."
Kouyuu: "If she finds out that the stupid EMperor is only pretending to be stupid, how do you think Shuurei-dono will react."
Shuuei: "She'll be incredibly angry, of course."
Kouyuu: "He'll have himself to thank for that."
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The next evening just like in A Thousand and One Nights fashion Ryuuki comes again in order to hear the end of the story.
"Hey, what are you doing showing up here again so casually?"
"I came to hear the rest of yesterdays' Rose Princess story!"
"You're planning to sleep here again, right?"
"Uhm."
Shuurei: "Alright, I get it. I've come to accept it. You cant stop a rumour if it's already spread. As it is, one night or two - it's all the same."
Ryuuki then noticed that there were a new set of tea cups on the table.
"What are those?"
"Oh, Father gave them to me. Father said his younger brother gave them to him. They're pure silver. Beautiful, arent they? ... What is it?"
Ryuuki stopped for a second. His face became very serious. He seemed to think of something very important. But then looking at Shuurei's face, "Nothing.", he said. Shuurei was quite surprised at his attitude. After all, this was the first time, she'd ever seen him like that.
"Oh, that's right. Here, please accept this." - she gave him an embroidered hankerchief.
"This is for me? You made this, Shuurei?"
"Yes. I didnt follow a pattern, and the design is purely from my imagination."
"This is the first time anyone has ever given me anything."
"I hardly ever embroider, so treasure it, okay."
"Not for Seiran? Not even for Seiran?"
"Erh...I dont think so.. I've mended his clothes before, but never done any embroidery for him."
"I see." - Ryuuki looked at the hankerchiel and felt so happy. He was happy because of his first present but he was even happier when Shuurei only did embroider for him and not for Seiran.
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Shuuei: "Oh, a gift made by Shuurei-dono herself? She really is a multitalented person, isnt she? In that case, shouldnt Your Majesty give her something in return.
Kouyuu: "That's certainly would make Shuurei-dono very happy."
Ryuuki: "A gift?"
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On a formal evening party, a provincial governor offered The Emperor and the Royal Consort Kou a cup of sake. After he poured sake for the Emperor, the bottle was out of sake. As he requested more sake to offer Shuurei, Rourin brought him a new bottle of sake. Just before Shuurei was going to drink that cup of sake, Ryuuki quickly took the cup from her hand. He looked carefully at the cup and told the governor that Consort Kou couldnt take sake; and then drank up at once. Shortly after he drank that cup of sake, he did not feel well, so Shuurei had to take him to her room.
Seiran: "Your Majesty, this is ... poison!"
Shuurei: "Poison, then at that time..."
Ryuuki: "That's right. It was intended for you."
Shuurei: "If you knew it was poisoned, why did you drink it? That sake, you should have thrown it away!"
Seiran: "Rejecting sake poured by others at banquet is incredibly rude. If he or the Royal Consort had done such a thing, it would have given rise to unnecessary speculation."
Shuurei: "Even so... Wait a moment. I'll fetch the Imperial Doctor."
Ryuuki: "Don't. That will make matters worse. I'm alright. It wasn't strong poison. It probably wasn't intended to kill you. In any case, I'll be fine in the morning after I get through the night. Seiran, you may leave."
Seiran: "Yes."
Shuurei: "And me?
Ryuuki: "Please stay here."
" I hate the darkness. Being alone in the darkness, I hate it."
"Why?"
"Long ago, I was often locked up in a dark place."
"By whom?"
"My mother and brothers."
"Why would they do that?"
"Because I was an unwanted child. It would seem that the timing of my birth was inauspicious. I was the youngest brother, so I never received any love from my father. My mother was always angry with me and neglected me. All I can remember is the fear and anxiety I felt whenever I was locked in that storeroom for days on end. My brothers didn't treat me well either. I was the youngest, so I was often overlooked. I was kicked and beaten, and treated like an object which they used to dispel their boredom."
Seiran was standing outside the room and listened to the whole story. He looked so sad and there seemed to be more in his eyes.
"But for me, it was enough just having my big brother Seien with me."
"Seien?"
"My second eldest brother. Literacy and math; my big brother taught me those things. When i was beaten by my other brothers, he would treat my injuries."
"The second eldest, could he be..."
"Yes. When I was six years old, he was exiled. I could not stop crying but around that time, I met Shouka."
"Father?"
"Whenever I went to the Archives, I was no longer alone. But then, I still hate the nights. Being alone in the dark makes me remember... It brings back all of those terrible memories. I don't want to be alone. Shuurei, could you play the erhu for me...
...Shuurei's erhu sounds as if it's divine, gentle and warming." - he slowly fell asleep in her beautiful erhu. She played the erhu for him until she was so tired and fell asleep while she was still sitting next to the bed holding her erhu.
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In the morning the Emperor had already recovered and presented Shuurei with a hairpin only to have a strange reaction from her – she wondered how many houses could be built at the price of that piece of jewelry. Yet she still accepted it with a smile. And she blushed when Ryuuki said she looked beautiful with the hairpin in her hair.
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"Li Kouyuu-sama, Lan Shuuei-sama. The Emperor has sent me to give these to you both." - A eunuch came to give Kouyuu and Shuuei 2 pieces of purple irises.
Shuuei: "The Emperor sent these to us? Well, well. This really is something. I honestly wasn't expecting he'd do something like this. But do you usually use fresh flowers? It's so common."
"I said the same thing to the Emperor, but he said it was urgent and bade me pick them and give them to you."
Shuuei: "Urgent, huh. I see. In that case, I'll make my decision right now." - he took the iris without hesitation. - "What are you going to do?" - he asked Kouyuu.
Kouyuu: "Please report to the Emperor that we've accepted."
"Yes."
Kouyuu: "Honestly, I didn't expect you to accept it so quickly."
Shuuei: " To accept this flower is to vow loyalty to the Emperor. That's reason enough. I really wasn't expecting him to give us irises, so that was enough to make me think "that clinches it", you know?"
Kouyuu: "The iris... It carries meaning "I trust you", doesn't it?"
Shuuei: "Furthermore, the flower's colour is that of the Imperial Family. To use a flower that conveys a double meaning, he's pretty good, isn't he?"
(Note: Shi means Purple)
Kouyuu: "Yes."
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Shuurei was playing the erhu for Ryuuki again. She began to think about how he knew there was poison in the sake before he drank it. She started to remember he could always answer even the hardest questions during Kouyuu's lessons and always raised insightful points when he spoke in the Imperial Court. Finally she realized he had only been playing the fool all along and she assumed that he did that because he found it amusing watching her try so hard. She got very angry ....
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