Flower Spelling - Chapter 20
Chapter 20 – The Long Night of the Choshu Clansmen
November 11th, Bunkyuu 2nd year, 6 o’clock in the evening.
On his routine visit to Shinagawa’s Dozo Sagami, Takasugi let the maid guide him down the hall and made his way through the familiar building without hesitation. At the far end of the building, he stopped in front of the tatami room and carelessly opened the shoji, whereupon all the men present simultaneously turned around with their swords drawn.
“What’s the matter with you? If you get nervous now, you won’t last long.”
“Takasugi?” Nagamine heaved a sigh of relief, detaching his hand from the sword’s brim. “But we must be vigilant, in case the plan is leaked to outsiders.”
“??Isn’t Mr. Kusaka accompanying you?” Ariyoshi asked, shifting his large, muscular body to make room for Takasugi behind him.
“He will be here later.” Simply stating, Takasugi quickly glanced around the room.
Nagamine, Ariyoshi, Yamato, Shinagawa Yajiro, Shirai Kosuke, Terashima Chuzaburo, Akane Taketo and Yamao Yozo??.
Apart from Kusaka, another figure was missing from the list of faces.
“Monta is not here yet?”
“He’s trying to make money.”
Terashima was the one who answered. His whole body wore the air of a keen blade, and he was a young samurai.
“We’re in need of a large sum of money to cover the travel expenses of eleven people, plus the payments we’ve accumulated here. I was suggesting that we should help out too.”
“Forget it. He’ll sort it out, no doubt about it.” Takasugi seated himself comfortably and extended his hand to a bottle of sake.
Tonight, they were assembled to implement a certain expulsion plan. It all began when the precocious Shido heard that the British consul would be visiting Kanagawa in the near future, and Takasugi and his fellow expulsionists seized upon the unique opportunity to launch an attack on the expulsion of the barbarians.
Having thoroughly prepared for it, the day after tomorrow it will be done.
Once here today, they were to split up into discreet groups and leave Edo for Kanagawa.
It was about a quarter of an hour later that Kusaka arrived. In the midst of all the excitement, Kusaka seemed to be on edge. Grasping Takasugi by the arm, he led him out into the hallway, claiming he wanted to talk to him.
“What’s the matter, Kusaka? You’ve gone to see Sogetsu, haven’t you?… You didn’t tell her about the plan, by any chance?”
“Not really. But things went a bit wrong.” Kusaka began to speak with a grim expression on his face.
??
Approximately half an hour ago.
Kusaka was on his way to the tenement where Sogetsu resided in the clan residence. It had been only half a month since Kusaka had arrived in Edo from Kyoto. Although Sogetsu was delighted to be seeing Kusaka once more after such a long absence, he was too occupied with the expulsion of the barbarians to spend much time conversing with her.
However, if he was to assault the foreigners, he was prepared to face death. Before that, he wanted to have a proper talk with her.
We’ve given Sogetsu a lot of trouble. Whatever happens to us, though, Mr. Sufu and Mr. Katsura will be around to take care of you… Takasugi ought to at least be able to see her face for the last time.
He said it was not in his nature to be damp and went off swiftly.
Kusaka was startled to find that Sogetsu was in the middle of preparing for a trip, and when he asked where she was off to, she simply replied that she was heading to Kanagawa, much to Kusaka’s astonishment.
“Actually, Jude, who is in Yokohama, invited me to come with him on his upcoming visit to Kanagawa.??Please don’t look at me like that.”
Perhaps taking Kusaka’s consternation as an indication that he disagreed, Sogetsu smiled troubledly and added, “I know that Mr. Kusaka and the others are trying to expel the barbarians, and I understand why. But I don’t like the idea of using force to do anything about it. Having come to know each other by chance, I hope to preserve this relationship. I would like people from abroad to discover the good things about Japan. But I promise that I won’t talk about the internal affairs of Choshu.”
“Ah, I don’t mean to tell you not to go. Just be careful on the journey.”
After greetings, Kusaka hurried off to Shinagawa.
???
“… That’s how is it. Now that we know Sogetsu is there, this plan may as well be abandoned.”
“So what? Sogetsu or no Sogetsu, there is no way we can call it off at this time! Monta is already working on the money. Everyone is determined. We’ve planned for this day.”
“But everybody is clueless about Sogetsu’s matters. If any harm should come to her…”
“How can we sacrifice a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the sake of one woman? If such a thing were known to the other clans, we would be the laughing stock of the world. Even now, people say that Choshu is a perverse vassal who only defers to the Imperial Court. How can we take care of the country with such weakness?”
“There is no noble cause for which we should involve innocent lives!”
Neither party backed down, and the exchange grew increasingly violent until the eight men who had been keeping watch in the room intervened and led them back to their rooms.
Just as they were about to engage in a fight, Shido, who had finished his money, came back. Witnessing the situation, he burst into a fit of rage.
“What are you two doing with all the money that people have struggled to obtain!!”
Plates flying, choshi (sake bottle) flying, trays flying.
By the time they had appeased the raging Shido, the debate about whether or not to proceed with the plan had blown over and it was resolved to stick to the initial plan.
??
The twelfth day of the month dawned.
Sogetsu was in Yokohama, as scheduled, oblivious to the disturbing plan underway. For the first time in the month, Yokohama was as bustling as ever with people and boats coming and going. Bain led her around the city, bringing her to grocery stores and watch shops, and in the evening she was treated to dinner at his lodging.
Today they were staying here to be ready for the trip to Kanagawa tomorrow.
“… So I chased after the steamship, which was about to set sail, to get the wrapping changed. I was so anxious that the boat might capsize.”
“That was a remarkably courageous act.”
While they were chatting over a glass of wine after dinner, a knock sounded on the door and a tall man entered the room.
He was one of Bain’s colleagues.
Upon a stern look on his face, he approached with large strides and whispered something to Bain.
Bain stood up, declined Sogetsu’s offer, turned to the man, and began a quick conversation.
… What exactly happened?
It was too fast for her to catch any of what was being spoken, but she was aware that something bad was occurring.
As the man strode away, Bain glanced back at her, his face devoid of the cheerfulness he had shown earlier.
“I have terrible news. There is a plot to assassinate the Minister on his way to Kanagawa tomorrow. The mastermind of the scheme is said to be a man from Choshu…”
“Eh??”
In the mind of Sogetsu, frozen in exasperation, the scene of yesterday’s meeting with Kusaka recurred.
Kusaka immediately left without expressing his intentions following learning that Sogetsu was on her trip to Kanagawa.
??It couldn’t be!?
“Excuse me, Mr. Jude. I must be going now!”
“! Hold on!”
Bain restrained her from rushing off and led her to the back of the stables. He quickly saddled the horse, which was tied to the stables, and held out the reins to her.
“Take this and go. Just return the horse to me later. Do you know how to ride a horse?”
“…Yes. Many thanks!”
Sogetsu expressed gratitude to him and hastily mounted the horse, heading for Shimotaya, where the Choshu men were reported to be gathering.
??
A knock on the door of the inn.
Footsteps running, voices arguing.
Kusaka’s consciousness was jolted awake as soon as he recognized it in his slumber. Drawing his sword slowly, he elevated himself up, and his eyes locked with Terashima’s, who seemed to have been awake earlier.
??A clan pursuer?
??No, I don’t know.
They whispered to each other in hushed tones. One by one, the drunken friends who had been lying around awakened. The presence of people downstairs halted in front of the room where Kusaka and his friends were.
A moment of tension.
“??Mr. Kusaka!”
“Sogetsu!?”
The person who burst into the room was Sogetsu, who was supposed to be in Yokohama.
“Why are you here??”
“… Has been exposed!”
“What!?”
Breathing heavily on her shoulders, Sogetsu strained to compose her words.
“The Shogunate… he already knows the plan… If you don’t get out of here now, the officials will arrive! Please escape quickly!”
“Officials!?”
“??Kumaji!”
At Takasugi’s words, Ariyoshi flung open the shoji screen facing the main street. He turned around and shouted.
“It’s true! The lights of the lanterns are coming towards us!”
Before long the lights surrounded the inn and Shido slammed his fist against the wall in fury.
“What shall we do, Kusaka? There’s no way we can stop now that we’ve come this far. Shall we force our way through?”
“Yes, in that case, we’ll just slay the foreigners and the shogunate officials!”
One by one, those around him agreed with Shido.
??No way.
Sogetsu looked at Takasugi with a sinking feeling.
Takasugi simply remained silent, his sharp gaze fixed on Kusaka.
After a beat, Kusaka was about to open his tightly knit mouth when…
“I am the messenger of the lord of Aenokoji!”
A solemn voice resonated on the doorstep of the room.
???
“Depart immediately.”
Upon hearing the messenger’s words, they settled to call off the plan.
At the same time, Sogetsu and twelve others, accompanied by the messenger, Sadahiro of the Choshu domain, arrived at the Kamata Umeyashiki where the lord prince was waiting.
Umeyashiki, as the name suggests, was a famous place for its plum blossoms, which fill the vast grounds in spring, but now, in the middle of winter, the knotty branches are just visible in the cold moonlight.
Sogetsu was ordered to wait alone in a separate room from the other eleven, and she cast an uncomfortable glance around. The only thing that could be considered furnishing in this plain, unadorned room was a utility room embedded in the wall.
“Oh, there you are.”
The person who peeked out with an amused voice was Sufu Masanosuke, a man whom Sogetsu knew well. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sufu opened the door of the utility room and invited Sogetsu inside.
“I knew you were going to Yokohama and I was afraid that if you heard about Takasugi and the others, you’d jump at the chance to go.”
So I asked the messenger to bring Sogetsu along with him if indeed she was in Shimotaya, Shufu said.
The ceiling within the utility room was relatively high, allowing plenty of room for two adults.
“I understand how I was brought here, but what is this room? It’s like a hidden room.”
Even in the darkness, she could distinctly perceive Sufu laughing mischievously.
“Well, you’ll just have to wait and see. I’m going to go now because I have to stay with Master Seishi, but please don’t make any noise.”
“Eh, Mr. Sufu?”
Leaving behind cryptic words and a mischievous smile, the forty-year-old executive shut the utility door on his way out.
At once Sogetsu has swept aside in pure darkness.
No, not utter darkness. From the opposite side of the door, a slit of light leaked out. What she assumed to be a wall turned out to be a door, indicating that this utility door was leading to the next room.
“Ah!”
The scene through the gap drew a shout from her.
In a hall of roughly tens of tatami mats, eleven people, Including Takasugi and Kusaka, were seated in a formal manner.
Before long, a young samurai, accompanied by Sufu, stepped in and settled down on the upper seat.
That person is Master Seishi Sadahiro…
His movements were composed and his face was long. Though the absence of light concealed his expression, his character was evident in the way his hands were positioned neatly on his lap.
Sadahiro surveyed his retainers in a hawkish air before addressing them slowly.
“I have heard of this outrage from Lord Yodo of Tosa. Is it not true that you plotted to put the British Minister to death?”
“With all due respect, Master Seishi.” Takasugi raised up resolutely. “It’s not an outrage. It is a righteous act. Choshu has been advocating the expulsion of the barbarians, yet has failed to carry out a single action. Satsuma had preceded us, and Choshu had been accused by other clans of being all talk. To avenge this humiliation, we were determined to slay the foreigners and die as leaders of the expulsion of the barbarians.”
In the presence of Seishi, he said fearlessly.
Sadahiro was not angered. Nor was he sorrowful. The only thing he did was to apologize for his inability to help.
“I am sorry for all the trouble I have created beyond my control. However, the responsibilities entrusted to me are immense and I depend on the strength of all of you to fulfill them. Please do not abandon me, for I am not gifted, and please continue to lend me your support.”
His speech delivered in a simple and heartfelt manner seemed to penetrate the hearts of the young men. Amidst the sobbing men, only Takasugi remained, staring unyieldingly into Seishi’s face.
?
Following this, the party reconvened for a drink with Seishi in attendance, as well as four Tosa clan members dispatched to inspect the proceedings.
Sogetsu too was granted a seat at the end of the company and was reluctant to be a part of it. Sadahiro, upon being informed by Sufu that someone had ridden alone to the inn to rescue Takasugi and the others, permitted her to be present, remarking that “the benefactor of my clan is my benefactor”.
The party concluded peacefully, after which Sogetsu headed out with Takasugi. Perhaps it was due to the release of tension, but the drowsiness kicked in on the spot.
That’s right, I’ve been riding unaccustomed throughout the night.
She smothered a hefty yawn behind her palm and cast a glance across at Takasugi, who was gazing in a certain direction.
“If you keep staring like that, the Tosa clan will notice. Just when Master Seishi was saying that the two clans should join forces to expel the barbarians.”
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t trust people from other clans.”
“Hmm,” she said, turning her back on Kusaka as she strolled off to engage in an amicable session with the Tosa samurai.
Right off the bat, accompanied by the sound of a horse’s hoofbeats, Sufu, red-faced from consumption of alcohol, came charging forward with a perilous handling of the reins.
“Lord S-Sufu, that’s dangerous!”
One of the Tosa clansmen, narrowly avoiding being struck, quieted his horse with a blue face.
“You’ve been drinking heavily, haven’t you?”
But Sufu fixed his eyes on him and said, “Isn’t it you, Lord Yodo, who drinks too much??All this talk of expulsion of the barbarians yet all you do is precisely the opposite. Lord Yodo seems to be playing down the principle of revere the emperor, expel the barbarians!”
“What??!”
“You shall not be heard of, Lord Sufu!”
“We will not be silent in the face of such an insult to our great lord!”
The Tosa clansmen looked on in dismay, and all at once reached for their swords.
But one of them drew his sword earlier than the others.
“Don’t trouble yourselves with this! I shall deal with Sufu’s discourtesy.”
No sooner had he shouted than Takasugi drew his sword upwards and without hesitation swung it down.
“??Hold on, Takasugi!”
In the nick of time.
Kusaka caught Takasugi in a chokehold from behind, sending the tip of the knife faintly deflecting against the horse’s rump. The horse, startled, galloped away in a flash, leaving behind a single whinny. The horse was still in the saddle with Sufu on it.
“I shall report this to Lord Yodo and make a formal protest to Choshu!”
The Tosa clan members departed in fury.
Kusaka yelled at Takasugi. “Takasugi, you were seriously intending to kill them! How dare you??”
“I was certain you would stop me.”
“??”
Takasugi smirked at Kusaka, who fell silent upon being caught off guard.
“I feel better now that Mr. Sufu has said what I wanted to say. Now let us return to our residence. I’m worn out.”
“Oh, me too! When I get back, I swear I’ll sleep until noon.” Sogetsu stretched out with a grunt.
Looking up at the eastern sky, one could discern that it was beginning to dawn.
The long night had finally come to an end.