The day had come. Bayushi Shoju and his army were here. Confusion ran through the city as samurai and commoners alike tried to make sense of what was happening. Waves of people tried to flee Otosan Uchi, only to be turned around by the Scorpion army which had taken control of the roads exiting the city. 

Tomo, Buro, Kenshi, and Akari deliberated at Hollow Hill. They decided to attack Shoju with the one weapon they had against him. It was decided that the samurai would split up the love letters sent between Doji Hoturi and Bayushi Kachiko. Buro would take half the letters to Kachiko’s trial, as evidence of her infidelity and to dishonor her in the eyes of the Imperial Court, while Tomo, Kenshi, and Akari would take the other half of the letters directly to Shoju.

Traveling to the Forbidden Palace, Buro was stopped by samurai guarding the entrance to the Ekohikei. They claimed that ronin had no business outside of the Toshisoto, especially not in a time such as this. Buro was unable to sway the guards into letting him pass, but luckily a servant wearing the mon of the Doji family overheard the conversation and intervened. The servant reminded the guards of an obscure precedent in Rokugani law that allows ronin to speak as witnesses in trials held in the Forbidden Palace. Failure to abide by imperial law could have the samurai stripped of their titles. Annoyed, the samurai let Buro pass into the Forbidden Palace. The Crane servant bowed, and wished Buro luck.

The quiet reverence and respectful humility that once filled the Emperor’s Palace was replaced with fully armed samurai and a sense of urgency. Suspicion weighed heavily in the air. The Lion clan had transformed the most holy place in all of Rokugan into what looked like a military fortification. Where Kachiko once sat at the Emperor’s right hand, Akodo Toturi now sat in brilliant lacquered armor. As Buro took his seat, he surveyed the room. Distinguished courtiers of every great clan and revered members of the imperial families were in attendance. There were, however, a few noted absences. Not a single representative of the Dragon clan was in attendance, Ide Makujin was still missing, and, most suspiciously, Doji Shizue was nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile, Tomo, Kenshi, and Akari rode toward the Scorpion camp. When stopped by the ashigaru controlling traffic out of the city, the three samurai told them they wanted an audience with Shoju. They said Shoju would know who they were. The guards scoffed at the three, but sent word up the chain of command anyway. Before long, they were being escorted to the Scorpion Champion’s private pavilion. Resting on a hill was a small maze of red and black screens, guarded by Shoju’s personal guard and tended to by a host of servants. Inside, seated upon a camp throne, wearing his red demon mask, was the Lord of Whispers. He welcomed the three into his presence.

Kenshi presented him with a ninjato taken off the body of one of the Scorpion saboteurs positioned beneath Otosan Uchi. This was a warning to Shoju. To tell him that his plot had been uncovered. He was unphased.

Next, Tomo presented the love letters. One by one, Shoju read the letters and neatly set them to the side. Once again, he was unphased.

“Kachiko has been unfaithful to you, and you do nothing? How can samurai follow a man who accepts such disloyalty?” The boy governor asked.

Shoju replied with a question of his own: “What did you see coming to my pavilion? You saw the true strength of the Scorpion clan: loyalty. Are these letters proof against my wife’s loyalty, or proof of it?”

Bewildered, the samurai asked if Shoju knew about Kachiko’s affair with the Crane champion. They were presented with yet another puzzle. '`Do you know the beautiful irony of the Scorpion’s mask?” he asked. “Take it off, and no one recognizes the face beneath. Tell only lies, and no one will trust the truth.” And with that, he dismissed the samurai. He told them to bring him the emperor. They will hold a parlay on neutral ground outside of the city. Anyone who would hear what he has to say is invited as well. No one will be armed. The three left the Scorpion camp, Shoju’s words swirling about their minds like thick bands of smoke.

In the Forbidden Palace, Kachiko’s trial was underway. Witnesses took turns offering testimony to the events surrounding Kachiko’s alleged misdeeds. Emerald Magistrates provided evidence of the Scorpion clan’s involvement in some sort of coup d’etat. They spoke of Shosuro Izuki, his journal, the saboteurs beneath the city, and their connection to the army now camped outside Otosan Uchi. It would seem that Kachiko was pulling strings from within the city and offering ill-counsel to the emperor in order to weaken the city’s defenses and supplant her own agents in positions of authority. Other prominent members of the court supported this allegation, including Isawa Ujina, Kuni Fujiko, Akodo Toturi, Matsu Tsuko, and the leaders of the Three-Headed Alliance, as well as a cast of voices with lower status.

Kachiko’s defense did not refute these claims, but they did cast doubt on the honor of those accusing. The reputations of Buro, Tomo, Kenshi, and Akari were scrutinized. Every one of their misdeeds at court were examined. Kachiko’s most notable defender was Doji Hoturi, the passionate, young, and undeniably handsome champion of the Crane clan. He pointed out that these four samurai tainted the armor of the Martyr Monk and planned to bring it before the Emperor. They were Maho-Tsukai and were not to be trusted. He claimed that all of this was part of an elaborate scheme to help the Lion stage a coup within the capital, and everyone who supports them is in on it. Noticing the Lion samurai clad in full wargear and forcing a military trial, it was hard to deny that it looked like an overthrow of the imperial order. Hoturi was backed by an array of voices, both weak and powerful, including Iashi, the Mantis samurai who produced documentation of the Lion clan’s planned surprise attack against the Mantis.

Through it all, Kachiko was unmoved. She sat back straight, head held high, not saying a word, but accepting testimonies as they came. It was not clear which side was holding more sway over the emperor. Feeling uncertain, Buro decided to hold his tongue.

Suddenly, Tomo. Kenshi, and Akari appeared in the audience chamber unannounced. They claimed they had a message from Shoju. That he requests an audience with the emperor, and all who would hear what he has to say.

Shoju’s words kept repeating in Tomo’s head. They frustrated him. Like a voice he could almost hear, but was too quiet to discern, or words he could almost read, but were too faint to decipher. Until he had an epiphany.

Tomo presented Kachiko and Hoturi’s love letters to the emperor. He announced that they have been having an affair, and that Kachiko was now pregnant with Hoturi’s child. Seeing this opportunity, Buro presented his half of the letters as well. The chamber erupted as the lords and ladies of the court began whispering to each other in disconcerted tones. The emperor sat, mouth agape, unable to bring order to his chamber.

Then, Hoturi did the unimaginable. He stood up and confessed. “I love Kachiko, and I’m tired of hiding it” he proclaimed. “It’s true. She bears my child.”

For the first time, Kachiko looked uncomfortable.

Credits

Art by Dylon Munoz

Music

Rokugan Theme by Brandon Spain

"After the Court" by Podcast of the Five Rings

"Dark Passage" by Podcast of the Five Rings

"The Trial" by Podcast of the Five Rings

"The Alliance" by Podcast of the Five Rings

Artwork by Dylon Munoz

Music by Brandon Spain & Podcast of the Five Rings