When divining the name Ashiya Doman without imagining his appearance, the result was that the person was already dead. This proves that the pseudonym Ashiya Doman used by Yura was not fabricated out of thin air; it was likely taken from someone else. Furthermore, the original Ashiya Doman must have been quite famous, at least more famous than the current Yura, otherwise the divination would not have pointed to him.
Yura is not from Kinki, and the place where Ashiya Doman was famous is also not in Kinki. Verifying this would be very difficult, and there is no immediate need to do so.
“Phew... Thank you, Planchette. You may return.”
Exhaling, Miketsu thanked herself for the effort. Immediately, she felt the part of her consciousness linked to the brush detach and return to her body. Then, the dense, myriad threads of causality vanished before her eyes, and she successfully “sent” herself back.
Miketsu and Tsuruha simultaneously released the brush, setting it down. After a brief tidying, Miketsu began to ponder and organize the information obtained from the divination.
It is now almost certain that Fujiwara no Kanehira is secretly plotting something. This scheme is illicit and could even bring danger to the Fujiwara clan.
As for Yura, it's highly probable that she discovered Fujiwara no Kanehira's secret plot while performing a mission and was immediately detained. Afterwards, Fujiwara no Kanehira realized that there was a related mission posted in the Subjugation Bureau, and that completing this mission might directly lead to their secret plotting location. Therefore, he directly hinted to the Subjugation Bureau to forcibly conclude and archive that mission, which is why Miketsu couldn't find it.
The full scope of the problem is now largely clear, and it's up to her to decide how to respond.
The immediate priority is to find the location of Fujiwara no Kanehira's secret plot. The simplest way to do this is to go to the Archives Bureau's Archives Pavilion and search the records, finding the archived mission information and then using that to locate the place.
However, the problem is that she had asked an Onmyo-sei this afternoon about the requirements to access the Archives Pavilion. The answer was that one must be a Junior Secretary or higher, or possess an authorization from a Senior Secretary. She is currently only a Junior Assistant and doesn't have the authority to search. With her current abilities, it would be difficult to force her way in or sneak in, as the barriers in those places are not to be trifled with. Moreover, if Fujiwara no Kanehira were more meticulous, he would likely secretly destroy the archives after they were filed to prevent future trouble.
Another method is to go to Fujiwara no Saneyori herself and inform him that Fujiwara no Kanehira is secretly plotting something that endangers the Fujiwara clan, thereby involving the Fujiwara clan in this matter. Under the immense power of the main Fujiwara family, Fujiwara no Kanehira would have nowhere to hide. However, the problem with this method is that her knowledge of Fujiwara no Kanehira's wrongdoing comes entirely from divination, without a single piece of concrete evidence. She would likely be accused of deliberate slander. Even if Fujiwara no Saneyori believed her and urged his highly influential father to investigate Fujiwara no Kanehira, what then? Fujiwara no Kanehira is still a high-ranking member of the Fujiwara clan. If their own family secretly uncovered a problem with one of their own, would they publicly expose it and deal with it according to the law? The most likely outcome is that they would resolve it internally and quietly, and Yura, as an outsider who knows the truth, would then be in danger.
Miketsu sat on the tatami mat, resting her head on the table with her hand, pondering how to find the location of Fujiwara no Kanehira's secret plot. After much thought, Miketsu felt that ultimately, she would still have to use divination to find it. But currently, she only knew the Planchette method, which could only divine yes or no answers. How could she find it with that?
After some contemplation, Miketsu suddenly had a flash of inspiration, thinking of a method whose feasibility she was unsure of.
“Tsuruha, do we have a map of the Heian-kyo area on Inari Mountain?” Miketsu turned and asked Tsuruha, who had already reverted to her fox form. She seemed not to want to remain in her human state for much longer.
“A map of the Heian-kyo area? We don't have one, but if Lady Uka needs it, we can draw one now,” Tsuruha replied. After all, the Inari foxes had existed in the Heian-kyo region for hundreds of years, and their sphere of influence once spread throughout Kinki. Drawing a map would be no problem.
“Then please go and draw one for me. It would be best to mark all the human settlements.”
“No problem, Lady Uka. However, it's late now, and most of the foxes have already rested. Tomorrow morning, I will organize the foxes familiar with the terrain to draw the map, and we will deliver it to you tomorrow afternoon.”
“Understood, thank you for your trouble.”
Miketsu nodded, then watched Tsuruha leave the room and close the sliding door. After glancing around the empty room and looking at the moon outside the window, she yawned, extinguished the lamp, and went to sleep.
Not long after she fell asleep, she dreamt. In her dream, she heard the sound of drums.
...
The moon rose high, and night was deep.
In the silent darkness of Heian-kyo's Upper Capital District, a few rooms still flickered with specks of lamplight.
Inside a quiet room in the Minamoto residence, beneath the high-hanging Bamboo Gentian family crest, Minamoto no Yorimitsu and his father, Minamoto no Mitsunaka, were intently playing a game of Go by the light of a few lamps.
Minamoto no Yorimitsu held the black stones, and Minamoto no Mitsunaka held the white. The battle on the board had reached the mid-game, with the white dragon group entangled and black pressing hard. Minamoto no Yorimitsu's expression was relaxed, while Minamoto no Mitsunaka's gaze was solemn.
Just as Minamoto no Mitsunaka was about to sacrifice the dragon and play elsewhere, a rustling of wings vibrated through the air outside the window. A crow, clutching a bamboo tube, flew into the quiet room and landed beside Minamoto no Yorimitsu.
Both stopped playing Go. Minamoto no Yorimitsu took the small bamboo tube from the crow's grasp, pulled out a piece of paper from nearby, unfolded it, then opened the bamboo tube and poured the ink inside onto the paper.
Before long, the flowing ink solidified into Chinese characters. Minamoto no Yorimitsu picked up the letter and began to read it, while Minamoto no Mitsunaka said nothing, silently waiting for his son to finish reading.
“It's a secret informant from the Subjugation Bureau. Fujiwara no Kanehira personally went to the Subjugation Bureau yesterday to withdraw and archive a regular Bumingtang mission. Heh... after waiting so long, that old man has finally shown his hand,” Minamoto no Yorimitsu said with a cold laugh, looking at the letter in his hand.
“Given his personality, he wouldn't suddenly make such a reckless move. It seems there must have been some unexpected incident with whatever he's been secretly plotting, forcing him to act personally...” Setting down his Go piece, Minamoto no Mitsunaka stroked his beard, speaking thoughtfully.
“So, can we divine the content of the mission he withdrew?”
“Definitely not. Given Fujiwara no Kanehira's own status, plus the array of Divination-Obstructing Spiritual Tools he carries, even Kamo no Tadayuki probably couldn't divine it, unless a god descended,” Minamoto no Yorimitsu said. This wasn't their first attempt to divine about Fujiwara no Kanehira, and none had ever succeeded.
“It seems that's precisely why he handled this matter personally—to conceal it from divination...”
Rate on N.U.
