Chapter 1565: Is There Any Confidence in Persuading the Great Han?

After the Toyotomi clan was destroyed, Senhime was remarried by Tokugawa Hidetada to his retainer Honda Tadatoki, and bore two children. However, in the third year of Kan'ei, Honda Tadatoki unfortunately died, so she returned to Edo and became a Buddhist nun, taking the name Tenshū-in. Compared to this older sister, Kazuko felt that she herself had been rather fortunate.

"I have understood Your Majesty's intention. Let it be as Your Majesty has said." Empress Dowager Kazuko silently lowered her head, indicating that she had grasped the Cloistered Emperor's meaning and would no longer attempt to remonstrate. Then, she suddenly raised her head again to look at him. "However, Your Majesty, as Empress Dowager, I should stand on the same side as Your Majesty. Since Your Majesty is unwilling to receive Iemitsu, then... then I also cannot go. When the time comes, I will simply decline on the grounds of illness. I imagine Iemitsu will not force me against my will."

These words startled the Cloistered Emperor. He stared fixedly at Empress Dowager Kazuko, wanting to confirm whether she was serious.

He quickly sensed the resolve of Tokugawa Ieyasu's granddaughter.

"Oh, that is also fine." He nodded gently, his expression relaxing, and his tone softened considerably. "You are pregnant now, so do not concern yourself with so many matters."

In truth, this reasoning did not hold up on the surface. Tokugawa Iemitsu would not lead the shogunate army to the capital until next year, and by that time, Empress Dowager Kazuko would have long since given birth and recovered. How could she be in no condition to receive Tokugawa Iemitsu?

The reason he said this was to tacitly approve of Kazuko's decision and to express veiled gratitude for her attitude.

This sudden show of concern filled Kazuko with immense comfort.

"Thank you... thank you, Your Majesty..." she said in a trembling voice, lowering her head. "Iemitsu has gone too far. How can he treat the Imperial Court like this..."

"Enough, let us not speak of these matters any further now that things have come to this." The Cloistered Emperor waved his hand, stopping her complaints, and then pulled Emperor Okiko to his side. "Okiko, you must quickly master the rites and protocols of the Emperor. Next year, you will be the one to receive the Shogun when he comes to the capital. Do not commit any breach of etiquette and disgrace the Imperial Court."

Emperor Okiko was still somewhat bewildered. She was still young, and naturally did not understand the entanglements between the Imperial Court and the Shogunate. However, having been Emperor for so long, she could see the attitude the court nobles surrounding her held toward the Shogun and the Shogunate, and she could also see her father's attitude toward them, which was filled with deep-seated resentment and dissatisfaction.

Although on the surface the current Shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, was considered her maternal uncle, under the subtle influence of those around her, she could not muster any respect for this uncle, and even less did she wish to receive him.

However, she could also see the expectations her father had for her.

"Understood. We shall receive the Shogun according to protocol." She nodded gently, not revealing the thoughts in her heart, so as not to anger the Cloistered Emperor.

The Cloistered Emperor quietly stroked his daughter's head, gazing abstractedly at this child approaching nine years of age. Though her features were still immature, a trace of beauty could already be discerned within them.

Moreover, despite her bewilderment, she already possessed some of the bearing befitting an Emperor. She was practically... practically just like a true Emperor. And yet... she was ultimately not a true Emperor.

Helplessly swept along by the tides of the times, she had been pushed onto the Imperial Throne, yet had not been able to derive anything meaningful from it. Once grown, she could only abdicate, become a Buddhist nun, and spend the rest of her life amidst the drab existence of green lamps and ancient Buddhist scriptures.

In this chaotic world of the degenerate age, no one was free. Everyone was like duckweed in a raging torrent, dashed apart and scattered, powerless to resist. She was like this, and how was he himself any different?

"More and more lovely..." He sighed dejectedly. Though he was clearly praising his daughter, there was little joy to be seen in it.

Although she did not understand why His Majesty the Cloistered Emperor suddenly had such a lament, Empress Dowager Kazuko could fully discern the regret and sorrow in his expression and tone. She had originally felt great pity for her daughter's fate as well, so her eyes instantly stung with tears, and she nearly wept. Fortunately, she still remembered her station and forcibly suppressed the bitterness in her heart.

"Yes, Okiko is becoming more and more lovely," she softly echoed the Cloistered Emperor's words.

Emperor Okiko did not understand the deeper meaning in her parents' words at all, so she actually laughed, bringing a little mirth to this oppressive residence.

"Shall we go to the detached palace to escape the summer heat as usual this year?" After a moment of silence, Empress Dowager Kazuko asked the Cloistered Emperor again. "If so, I shall have the palace attendants make the arrangements."

Normally, this custom required no inquiry, but recently the Cloistered Emperor had been feeling somewhat unwell and had summoned outside imperial physicians to his residence for consultations several times, so she wanted to confirm once more.

"Go, of course we shall go," the Cloistered Emperor replied without the slightest hesitation. "When Iemitsu comes, We intend to shut Our doors and refuse to come out, so why not take advantage of the time now to go out and get some fresh air?"

Then, as if his energy were flagging, he gently nudged Okiko, directing her to go to the Empress Dowager's side. "Alright, you two may return now. We wish to rest for a while."

Empress Dowager Kazuko had originally wished to stay and attend upon the Cloistered Emperor a little longer, but she could also see that his mood was poor, so she had no choice but to nod in assent. "Yes, Your Majesty, I shall take Okiko back now."

"The weather is changeable in early spring; be careful of the wind and cold." The Cloistered Emperor pressed his palms together and calmly watched the mother and daughter leave.

After the mother and daughter had departed, the Cloistered Emperor remained sitting there in a daze, palms pressed together, eyes closed, lips moving slightly as if he were chanting sutras.

The room remained utterly silent all the while. Everyone knew the Cloistered Emperor's habits, so no one would disturb him during his silent prayers.

Only after a long while did an attendant cautiously approach his side. "Your Majesty, the imperial physician has come to take your pulse."

The Cloistered Emperor slowly opened his eyes, then nodded gently.

The attendant then bowed and withdrew from the Cloistered Emperor's residence to summon the physician.

The imperial physician was quickly brought in. He was an old man with a graying beard, and behind him followed a young man carrying a medicine jar, who appeared to be his attendant. However, because he wore a headscarf, his face was somewhat indistinct in the darkness; only his eyes glittered, flickering in and out of view in the dim candlelight.

The two men walked silently to the Cloistered Emperor's bed and bowed to him simultaneously. The Cloistered Emperor remained motionless, as if he did not see them.

However, these two did not treat the Cloistered Emperor's body. After bowing, the bearded old man immediately stepped aside, while his young attendant knelt down opposite the Cloistered Emperor and raised his head to look at him.

"Your Majesty."

At this moment, if there had been anyone beside the Cloistered Emperor familiar with court affairs, they would have discovered that this disguised young man was none other than the Imperial Court's Minister of the Right, Nijō Yasumichi.

After his small gathering earlier with Minister of the Left Ichijō Kanetō and Inner Minister Takatsukasa Norihira, he had not wasted any time. Seizing the opportunity of the imperial physician's visit to the Cloistered Emperor, he had disguised himself and entered the inner palace.

To be honest, because the Shogunate currently held an absolutely dominant position over the Imperial Court, the Shogunate's surveillance of the Court and the Cloistered Emperor was not particularly strict. Instead, it focused primarily on maintaining a superficially harmonious relationship between the two sides. The Kyoto Deputy, Itakura Katsushige, was outwardly very respectful to the court nobles, frequently socializing with them, and rarely showed disrespect to the Emperor or the Cloistered Emperor. It was precisely because of this that he had the opportunity to maintain a secret line of communication with the Cloistered Emperor in this manner.

It was through this method that he had learned of the Cloistered Emperor's will and had also jointly devised strategy after strategy for overthrowing the Shogunate.

"Have you met with the Left Chancellor and the Inner Chancellor?" the Cloistered Emperor asked in a calm tone, his face still as impassive as an undisturbed well.

After agreeing on a plan of action with the Minister of the Right, they had ultimately decided to communicate with the other two key ministers of the Imperial Court to unify their opinions. Subsequently, Nijō Yasumichi had sought an opportunity during a cherry blossom viewing and sake tasting gathering to disclose the matter to these two important ministers.

"I have met with them. I have just returned from our gathering," Nijō Yasumichi replied immediately.

The Cloistered Emperor opened his eyes at once and fixed them intently on Nijō Yasumichi, as if awakening from a dream. The atmosphere in the room instantly grew solemn.

"Then, what are the opinions of the Left Chancellor and the Inner Chancellor?"

"The Left Chancellor has long harbored dissatisfaction with the Shogunate's tyranny and arrogance. As Your Majesty previously anticipated, he quickly agreed with my proposal," Nijō Yasumichi said, lowering his gaze respectfully. "Furthermore, he asked me to convey to Your Majesty that he absolutely does not wish to merely look after his own interests. He asks for Your Majesty's trust and to allow him to participate as well..."

"As expected of a member of the Imperial Family, after all..." Upon receiving this reply, the Cloistered Emperor could not help but smile faintly. "The Left Chancellor is truly worthy of being the head of the court nobles, deeply understanding of the great cause!"

Minister of the Left Ichijō Kanetō was, in fact, the son of Emperor Go-Yōzei and the Cloistered Emperor's younger brother. The Cloistered Emperor's excitement at gaining this brother's support naturally showed on his face.

"Yes, the Left Chancellor deeply understands the great cause and is willing to sacrifice himself for the Imperial Court. He should serve as a model for all of us!" Nijō Yasumichi echoed the Cloistered Emperor's sentiment.

"With the Left Chancellor's assistance, matters will be much easier to handle..." The Cloistered Emperor quickly suppressed his joy and then asked, "And what of the Inner Chancellor?"

"The Inner Chancellor... seems to have considerable reservations." After a moment of hesitation, Nijō Yasumichi answered directly. "He feels this matter is far too significant and seems unwilling to participate."

Upon hearing this bad news, the Cloistered Emperor's expression instantly darkened, as if his anger were about to erupt at any moment.

"He... as the head of a Sekkan family, having been encroached upon and threatened to such an extent, yet still so lacking in courage, he... he has truly failed his ancestors!" A moment later, the Cloistered Emperor cursed in a hoarse voice. "Does he think that just because his family married a woman into their ranks, he is already a man of the Shogunate?"

Although the Takatsukasa family was one of the five Fujiwara regent houses, they were now also relatives of the Tokugawa family. Since the time of Tokugawa Hidetada, the Tokugawa Shogunate's consistent policy had been to form marriage alliances with the Imperial Court. Besides marrying his daughter to the Emperor, he also sought marriages with court nobles for his son. Through his planning, Tokugawa Iemitsu, shortly after his coming-of-age ceremony, was quickly married to Takatsukasa Takako, who became the Shogun's official wife, the Midaidokoro.

Takatsukasa Takako was the daughter of the previous generation's Takatsukasa family head, Takatsukasa Nobufusa, and the younger sister of the previous head, Takatsukasa Nobuhisa. By relation, she was the paternal aunt of Inner Minister Takatsukasa Norihira (though they were only a few years apart in age). This meant that Takatsukasa Norihira was the nephew of the current Shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu.

However, despite this relationship, when discussing this great undertaking, neither the Cloistered Emperor nor Nijō Yasumichi felt that Takatsukasa Norihira would side with the Shogunate because of it. This was because Tokugawa Iemitsu's treatment of Takatsukasa Takako was simply too abominable. Although Takako was nominally his official wife, ever since their marriage, he had never once treated her with any kindness, practically consigning her to the cold palace. Their marital relationship existed in name only.

Tokugawa Iemitsu acted this way partly because he currently had no interest in women, and partly to avoid producing an heir with court noble blood. The Tokugawa family merely regarded court noble bloodlines as noble ornaments and did not wish to produce offspring, lest the Imperial Court seize an opportunity during succession, or a pro-Court Shogun emerge.

Precisely because the Tokugawa treated Takatsukasa Takako in this manner, neither of these two men believed that Takatsukasa Norihira would harbor any affection for the Tokugawa Shogunate due to the marriage alliance, and they had included him in their outreach. They had not expected that Takatsukasa Norihira would shrink back when the critical moment arrived and choose to stand aside. It was no wonder the Cloistered Emperor was so furious.

Nijō Yasumichi could feel it just as keenly — one might even say his anger burned a notch hotter, for his blood ties to Takatsukasa Noriyuki were somewhat closer. Takatsukasa Noriyuki's grandfather, Takatsukasa Nobufusa, was in fact a descendant of Nijō Haruyoshi, the head of the Nijō family back in his day. The Takatsukasa house — one of the regent families — had died out after the death of Takatsukasa Tanetada, who had once served as Kampaku, because he left no heir. Decades later, Oda Nobunaga rose to power and came close to controlling all of Japan. Under his direction, this child inherited the Takatsukasa family line and changed his name to Takatsukasa Nobufusa, eventually rising to become Minister of the Left and Kampaku himself.

Since Nijō Yasumichi was also a grandson of Nijō Haruyoshi, despite being roughly the same age, in terms of seniority Takatsukasa Noriyuki was actually his nephew. He was naturally furious that Takatsukasa Noriyuki had so utterly failed to grasp the gravity of the situation.

Yet precisely because they stood on the same side, branches of the same tree, he did not want the Cloistered Emperor to bear a lasting grudge against Takatsukasa Noriyuki. So he spoke in his defense: "Given how the Tokugawa has treated Takako, what debt of gratitude could the Takatsukasa family possibly owe them? The Inner Minister is merely timid by nature, too faint-hearted to take part in a great undertaking... Besides, he has already promised us that even if he will not join the affair, he will never breathe a word of it to any outsider. In my view, this pledge of his comes from the heart."

"At least he still has some shred of conscience left." After hearing Nijō Yasumichi's plea, the Cloistered Emperor's expression softened a little. "However, since he has backed out at the last moment, even a verbal promise of silence cannot be fully trusted. You must keep an eye on him from now on. Under no circumstances can he be allowed to leak a word!"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Nijō Yasumichi answered at once. "Your servants will proceed with the utmost caution from here on, and at the same time keep a close watch on the Inner Minister's movements. We will never let him ruin the great undertaking."

"I leave everything in the hands of the Right Minister," the Cloistered Emperor said, nodding once more.

Then, after a moment of silent contemplation, he continued, "Since the Left Minister has already been made aware of this matter and has expressed his consent, the time has come to put it formally into motion. Is Your Excellency prepared?"

"Your servant has been planning this for a long time. Everything is now in readiness. We await only Your Majesty's single command to begin the operation." Nijō Yasumichi answered with head held high. "And in my view, there is no time to lose — the sooner, the better."

"Has the person to be sent to Nagasaki been decided?" the Cloistered Emperor asked after a pause.

"It has been decided."

"Who?"

"Hashimoto Sanemura." Nijō Yasumichi lowered his voice even further. "He has always been loyal to the Imperial Court and deeply resentful of the Shogunate's tyranny and abuses — a man of usable talent. I intend to have him carry His Cloistered Majesty's imperial letter to Nagasaki, move the envoys of the Great Han there, and have them deliver the letter to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han!"

Hashimoto Sanemura hailed from the Hashimoto clan, a cadet branch of the Saionji family, which was itself a branch of the Northern House of the Fujiwara. Because the Hashimoto clan was a branch of a branch, its bloodline was distant, and it was not a family particularly close to the court nobility. Among the Fujiwara-line court nobles, it was merely a member of the Urin family — the regent families, the Seiga family, the daijin families, and then the Urin family; it ranked only as a fourth-tier house — with a hereditary stipend of a mere five hundred koku. Such a family was utterly inconspicuous within the Imperial Court and naturally beneath the notice of the Shogunate's men, making it all the more ideal for the role of envoy.

Hashimoto Sanemura was the adopted son of Hashimoto Sanekatsu, the previous head of the Hashimoto clan. Now in his thirties, though of low rank, he was fiercely loyal to the Imperial Court and bitterly hated the Shogunate's cruelty and lawlessness. He had thus quickly come to Nijō Yasumichi's attention and had gladly accepted the duty of envoy.

The matter having reached this stage, the room once again sank into a deathly silence.

The Cloistered Emperor closed his eyes slightly once more, but his breathing had grown noticeably quicker, his chest rising and falling unceasingly.

Small wonder he was so tense — this was a deed of heaven-shaking magnitude. It concerned not only the safety of the Imperial Court, but also deeply entangled his own personal security.

He knew that, however things had stood before, the conspiracy had at least not truly begun. Even if it were exposed, there would still have been some means of remedying the situation. But if they truly dispatched a special envoy to Nagasaki, then... then if the Shogunate got wind of it, there would be no room left for maneuvering. Many might be implicated, exiled, or even put to death, and he himself might not even be able to keep his position as Cloistered Emperor.

Even though he had discussed this with the other man many times before, now that the moment had come, his heart still pounded wildly. He opened his mouth but found his lips terribly dry, and for a trembling moment no words came out.

Yet a surge of warmth that welled up from the depths of his heart restored his courage. He had not forgotten the decades of insults the Tokugawa clan had heaped upon the Imperial Family and upon himself. He recalled the resolve he had forged.

"Persuading the Emperor of the Great Han... are you confident?" He suddenly raised his eyes and asked Nijō Yasumichi.