In a concerned tone I said, "Rid of, my lord?"
He smiled. "Not like that! I just mean... something." he shrugged.
As I said earlier, Yoshio had eight older sisters. The eldest, Akiko, was married to the family Daimyo of the Nokizaru and lived with him in Shiro no Nokizaru. The fourth was married to Masao, but the other six were here and they were opinionated. I thought on his issue a moment before I remembered a story I had heard.
"My Daimyo, the Shang Di worshipers have a story about one of their emperors. He had a house of wives who did nothing but argue and cause issues for the man. Apparently their symbol for war is the same as two women under the same roof." I now had his full attention.
"What did the man do, Hiro san?"
"One day a great general came to see him, I want to say it was Sun Tzu but I am not sure.
Anyway, the General took the Emperor's wives and taught them to be mononofu. After a year they were trained to protect their husband and he had no more fighting in his house."
Yoshio sat back with a sour look on his face. "So I should teach my sisters to be samurai? That is your answer?"
"Possibly. I think the lesson here is that you should give them something constructive to do, my Daimyo."
"...Yes. Maybe..."
Within a week his sisters had mellowed dramatically. From what I could gather they were
meeting with Yoshio's spymasters, probably to get information about the courts they would be going to, while he was making arrangements for their marriages or transfers to oversee parties of our dignitaries around Giapan. In all, everyone was happy.
After another three months of court Sensei took me below the castle to the dungeons, to speak with some Onmyoji or sorcerers. He introduced me to a Shotoku Godiao, a woman of great age and knowledge. She and her assistants trained me in herbalism. The names of plants, where they can be found, when to harvest them, and how to make poisons with them. They also taught me what heals and what impairs.
I was given more books then I was grilled on the information. This took several months for me to learn and Sensei continued my physical training at night. From time to time Yoshio would still want me present in his courts.
On the first day of the week I would finish with my reading and go to the court. Court lasted for the first half of the day. This was too much time to give to every day so I could only go on the first, third and fifth day of the week. On the days when I didn't go to court, I could spend the last half hour before bed with the Onmyoji. Sensei would come and get me at midday and we would play Tag on the way home. Once there I would bathe and go to bed. Sensei would wake me up three hours later to begin with an hour of Kara-Te or Jujutsu, depending on what day it was. For the next hour I practiced Ninjutsu. On the off days I would practice the art of the samurai instead of Ninjutsu. The rest of that hour we studied over tactics and history. He would set up a tactical situation on a board with pieces and I would have to solve it. This I liked, I always have. The next half hour was spent at home with Sensei quizzing me on what I read, herbalism mostly. The last half of that hour he would quiz me on my skills at court. The entire next hour was spent solely on stealth. Sometimes he would test me against the palace guards. Many of them were good and did catch me. He would have to step in and explain. Soon though I got better. By the end of my time there I had not been caught in several months. The last two hours of the day, most of the time, was mine to do with as I wanted. It was early morning so the library was just opening. Sometimes though, Grandfather would use it to issue me drills.
"Hiro get a job with the Machi-bugyo and bring me back some information."
He didn't care what, he just wanted me to fool whoever it was he sent me to. All twelve hours of the day were filled and I was a very busy boy.
I spent a year and a half in total at Shiro no Shotoku. The Onmyoji taught me well and were very thorough. The last six months with Godiao and her wizards were spent on narcotics. How to make them, how to find them, the usual. This was interesting, but depressing. By now I had a very clear understanding of what my Daimyo wanted from me. As a side note, that had changed.
Near the beginning of my last six months in Shiro no Shotoku, Goemon Tetsuya had retired to the life of a monk, which is the tradition for a samurai. His eldest son Goemon Masao was our new Daimyo. Yoshio had left for a few weeks to see his brother in law's coronation. Masao ascended the throne and his father Tetsuya joined the monks in the temple of Arikura-no-baba to the east of Goemon Toshi. I was busy with my studies and not allowed to go. Mother wrote me that it had been lovely. She and I had been writing to each other since I left home.
I had little time to miss her as I was being taught more and more every day, and my Sensei didn't show any sign of slowing. Then things flew out of control for a little while. I had just finished my kata for the nunchaku; it was the second week of the first month of winter when I heard a runner come to the house from the palace. He was very loud in speaking to Minoko. Sensei and I came to the front door of the house.
"Minoko san, what is going on here?" Grandfather asked.
The runner answered him. "Sensei Nokizaru! Someone has been killed at the palace! The
Daimyo sent me to bring you!"
Grandfather nodded. "Wait here. We will not be but a moment." He walked back into his room. "Hiro! Get your knives. You are coming with me."
I nodded to him and ran to my room. My throwing knives were in the box with many other weapons I had trained with. I wrapped an obi around the kimono I had thrown on and tucked the six knives under it. We left with the runner just a few moments later. The city was quiet at this time of night. With a little snow still falling from the sky no one wanted to be outside. He brought us to the fifth floor of the main tower of the castle. Yoshio, Fujiko, and many others were waiting for us. The Daimyo addressed my Sensei when he saw us.
"Sensei Nokizaru san, we have had a terrible incident. An assassin has killed poor Nishi." He was putting on his act for those around who didn't know any better. I could tell it was one of those times he didn't like doing the act.
"Yes, my lord. But why call me?"
"The investigator I would normally use is away at Goemon Toshi. You are the best asset that I have. Will you help?"
Grandfather bowed slightly. "Of course, my lord. Can you tell me what has happened?"
Fujiko took over that part of the discussion. "Yes, Sensei sama. One of my guards came to relieve his watch on lord Nishi's room, when he found his associate dead from a neck wound."
"Did anyone see anything?" Sensei asked.
"No. The guard checked lord Nishi and found he had been bound, gagged, and stabbed in the genitals. Death was apparently from bleeding to death."
Grandfather nodded quickly. "Yes. Where is the room?" Fujiko pointed to the far end of the hall. Yoshio made everyone else stay where they were while the three of us went to the room. I saw that the shoji screen was askew, she commented on this.
"The guard says that the shoji was open when he arrived."
Sensei stepped into the room and looked around quickly. I followed him in. "Hiro, what do you see?"
I looked around. Nishi lay on the bed, his lower half covered in blood. I almost threw up. I had killed before, but not like this, this was inhuman! I looked around the room to clear my head. All of the windows were closed but one was unlocked. I looked back at the body of the guard, trying to keep my mind off of Nishi. His neck had been cut with a katana, or something close to it. The blood sprayed mostly on the back wall and the shoji screen, to me it looked like the blow came from behind. If so, then why would someone who had sneaked into a room undetected enough to tie up a lord, want to exit through the door? I went to the unlocked window. After opening it I could see where someone had smudged a spot with their foot on the window's polished edge. Looking down I saw how it was a fairly easy climb, not unlike my climb at Shiro Goemon. I turned to address my sensei.
"Someone climbed up here, bound Nishi, and killed the guard to make us search the inside of the castle. I think he exited by the same way he entered, Sensei."
He nodded. We searched the room but found no more clues. The restraints were sashes from Nishi's wardrobe and nothing was missing. We headed downstairs to the bottom of our culprit's climb. Sensei got on his hands and knees while I held a lamp for him to see. Fujiko frowned.
