The supreme art of war is to subdue your enemy without fighting.

—Sun Tzu, Art of War

Sai

When the lesson ended, I tried to slip out through one of the side screens. Hitoshi saw me.

“Seiji!” he called. “Wait!”

I ran for the back of the compound with him pounding after me. I scrambled up the back wall and jumped onto the roof of a nearby building.

He stopped at the wall and looked at me. He couldn’t climb the way I could, and he knew it. “Sai, come down here.”

“No.”

He clenched his fists in frustration. “I am not going to hurt you, I promise. I just want to talk to you without attracting the attention of the whole school.”

I sat down on the roof. “I am fine up here. What shall we talk about?”

“I spoke with Maeda-sensei while you were in class. He told me that you are now working together. So—well, I don’t know what’s going on, but I guess that doesn’t matter. What I want to know is if you had other reasons besides him to be here at the school and what you have reported to the secret police.”

“Like bundles of weapons under the floor of the school?” I asked.

He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. “Please come down here—I feel stupid talking to the roof. I won’t do anything.”

I did a flip on the way down and followed it up with a forward walk-over. Our mother was an acrobat. She taught Hitoshi and me tricks. I was always a lot better at it than he was and that annoyed him. Just then, I felt like annoying him. “If you grab me again, you won’t be able to walk for a fortnight.”

“How did you find out about the bundles under the floor? Did you tell anyone about them?” He drew himself up to his full height and towered over me. No doubt, trying to intimidate me. That worked better when I was eight.

“Your security is terrible. I was at the meeting. I heard your speech. I watched you pull the weapons out. And no, I didn’t tell the secret police, but the secret police might have more informants here. After all, they must suspect you of something, or they wouldn’t have sent me.”

He stared at me, mouth partially open. Finally, he stepped back and rubbed his hand over his hair.

“You think they know about everything?” He paced a few steps, then turned back to me. “If they know, why haven’t they arrested us?”

“I don’t know. My sensei thinks all this is part of a plot involving some very powerful men. Maybe they know about the weapons and are waiting for you to do something spectacularly stupid with them. Perhaps they don’t know but only suspect. Eventually, they will come here to look. And underneath the floor is the first place they would look.”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Even if something happens to us, we need to take a stand. It will at least bring attention to the fact that people are starving.”

I wanted to jump up and down and scream at him for being so foolish. “Do you remember the Shimbara Uprising? The Ronin Rebellion? The Kagazawa Riots? How did those work at ‘bringing attention’ to the plight of the people? It didn’t—because they were all massacred.”

I could see him starting to get angry again. I ignored it. “So, you make a stand, and you all get killed. It won’t stop there.” I shook my head. “They will go after everyone they think might have contributed to the plot. Emiko-sensei and Matsura-sensei and everyone else at the Confucius Academy would be arrested and probably killed. Is that your brilliant plan?”

“Well … no … but to make our voices heard, there must be a sacrifice. Yes, thousands of people died in those incidents, but there were reforms enacted later. We have no other way to get the shogun’s attention.”

I stared at him. I didn’t understand how he could actually believe that. But I couldn’t refute his point either. I didn’t know if he was right, but I knew I didn’t want to see everyone at the Academy killed by the bakufu. “There has already been a sacrifice, fool, Maeda-sensei is dead.”

Hitoshi stared at me in confusion. “I don’t see how that helps—”

“Because of his death, we now have the Tiger in the Shadows and the Sleeping Tiger prowling around. That is how it helps.”

“They don’t care about the food situation,” he objected.

“Maybe not, but they intend to bring down the people who killed Maeda-sensei. Those are probably the ones behind the food prices. I think it was investigating the rice merchants that got him killed.” I had no idea if I was right or even if I was making sense, but I had to make Hitoshi stop and think. “Give them some time to investigate. Don’t throw away his sacrifice.”

Hitoshi stared at the ground. Finally, he looked back at me. “I didn’t think of that. Do you really think they will be able to do something?”

I nodded, trying to project as much assurance as I could.

“Then it would be truly ungrateful not to give them time. A waste of Maeda-sensei’s sacrifice.” He frowned. “The While Hilts are still a problem, though. We need to be able to defend ourselves. How can we do that if we get rid the weapons?”

This was safer ground. “There are lots of weapons here.” I gestured toward the tool shed. “Have you ever seen what happens when you hit a man in the head with a finishing hammer like you have in the sheds out back? You have long harvesting knives there, too, they are almost as good as swords. When there is trouble, use the knives to cut a sharp point on a bamboo pole, now you have a spear. In the meantime, there is no law against having a bunch of bamboo poles.”

I could see the understanding dawning on his face. I continued, “That is the secret of the shinobi. Don’t hide, just don’t be noticed. That is why I am dressed as a boy. Who would suspect me? Do you understand?”

He nodded.

“Good, I have to go. I am supposed to meet the Tigers. Get rid of those weapons quickly.”

“Wait,” he said, grabbing my arm. “Do you think we would do better against the White Hilts using the weapons you suggest? That fight didn’t go very well.”

I laughed. “That battle was a disaster. Your people need training. You can’t win if you have no idea of what you are doing.”

He scowled at me, but asked, “Can you train us? Shinobi are supposed to be experts at weapons.”

“No, the shinobi clan laws forbid it. But you don’t need me. You have Maeda Yujirō-sensei. He may not be much of a scholar, but he certainly knows battle.”

Hitoshi smiled. “Yes, samurai love teaching arms classes. Maybe we could have a dojo. I would need to talk to the oyabun, but that could work.”

He let go of my arm. “Ummm … Sai, you should keep your distance from him.” Hitoshi looked embarrassed. “I mean he is in love with his brother’s widow, so … you know.”

I stared at him. “You think I am going to fall in love with a samurai?” I asked incredulously. “I spent three years in a brothel. I know how samurai treat chonin women. I am not stupid.” I wrinkled my nose. “Besides. He’s old.” I thought about the idea some more and shuddered. “Disgusting.”

“I know. But sometimes when you fall in love with someone, you don’t think.”

“Like you and Emiko?” I asked.

“What? There is no reason I shouldn’t like Emiko,” he insisted.

Does he know she is a Christian?

“Or, should I call her Magdalena?” I asked, watching his reaction carefully.

He turned pale. “You didn’t tell the secret police that, did you?”

He knew. Well, then it was his problem. It seemed stupid to get involved with them. Christians were nothing but trouble.

“No, I didn’t.” While it was amusing watching Hitoshi squirm, I shouldn’t do it for too long.

He sighed in relief. Then he smiled. “You don’t tell the secret police much, do you? You are a terrible spy.”

I slugged him in the shoulder again and started off.

“Sai,” he called after me. “Thank you. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”

The meeting with Hitoshi had slowed me down. I raced madly through the streets to my meeting. I didn’t want to miss anything. Akiyo-sensei had said that the Tiger in the Shadows was a master at intimidation. Given my size and appearance, I couldn’t scare anyone over the age of eight unless I held a weapon to their throat. But Maeda-sama was a bent old man. If he could be intimidating, maybe there was hope for me.

I arrived at the tea house and leaned against a wall trying to catch my breath. No sign of the Maedas yet. My stomach growled. There was very little hope that Inspector Asano would be sharing his lunch with me today. As my breathing eased, I saw a yatai selling pickled fish. Not my favorite, but I didn’t have time to be choosy. I bought a piece and was just starting to eat it when I saw Maeda-sensei coming down the street beside a palanquin. I gulped the fish down and wiped my hands on my kimono as I hurried to meet them.

Maeda-sama got out of the palanquin and straightened slowly. Grimacing, he said to me, “Show me where you meet him.”

“This way, Maeda-sama.” I started off towards the eatery.

Maeda-sensei said, “Wait just a moment. Grandfather doesn’t move as fast as he used to.”

“Hai, Maeda-sensei.”

He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. “Maeda-sama this and Maeda-sensei that. You are giving me a headache. You can call me Yujirō. Maeda-sensei was my brother.”

I gave a quick nod. “Hai, Yujirō-san.”

I led them to the tea house and went inside. The room where I met Inspector Asano was in the back. He had not yet arrived, so the room was empty. Maeda-sama took a seat facing the doorway and pulled out his pipe. He waved Yujirō-san out. “Wait in the common room.”

“Does Asano know you are an assassin?” he asked me.

“No, Maeda-sama, he believes I am merely an informer. And a boy,” I responded.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

“Good, secret police tend to trust their informers. Especially the young ones.” He pointed me to a far corner of the room where we waited. “Sit there, girl. I might need you to continue to work with him, so give the impression that you were coerced into cooperating. I want you to keep his trust.”

Relief flooded over me. If he wanted me to continue to work with Inspector Asano, maybe he wasn’t going to kill him.

I sat in the corner.

Coerced, hmmmm? I guess that means I should be crying.

I almost never cry, so I have a hard time pretending, but I had discovered a great trick. I rubbed my finger around the rim of the tube containing my metsubushi powder. There was always a little bit of extra powder that stuck to the tube and I could rub off onto my finger. Just enough for red eyes and some tears.

I heard footsteps crossing the shop and the sound of Inspector Asano greeting the shopkeeper. He appeared in the entryway to the room and stopped, his eyes wide when he saw Maeda-sama sitting at the small table in the center of the room. He tried to move back into the common room, but Yujirō stood in the doorway, blocking Asano’s way.

Yujirō grabbed Asano by the nape of his kimono and kicked him behind the knees. Asano collapsed into a kneeling position, then Yujirō forced his head forward and down onto the floor before Asano had a chance to react. Once Asano was on his knees with his forehead pressed to the floor, Yujirō went back and slid closed the door to the tea house common room.

Maeda-sama calmly lit his pipe with a glow-stick. He glanced over at Inspector Asano like he had invited him for lunch. “Good to see you, Asano.” He blew the stick out and then set it carefully on the table.

“M-m-m-m-aeda-sama?” Inspector Asano was badly shaken. He twisted around to see who was holding him and then turned back to the floor, his eyes closed.

I was impressed with how Maeda-sama had handled Asano. Sudden, unexpected violence and then he found himself in the hands of a man Asano had ordered killed. He was completely off-balance.

I quickly rubbed the tip of my finger below my eyes before Inspector Asano looked over into my corner. I didn’t want him to see me before I was ready.

OWWWW! Too much pepper!

My eyes were on fire. The entire room dissolved into a blur as tears rolled down my cheeks. I frantically blinked my eyes trying to clear my vision. I had to force myself not to rub my eyes. That would just rub the pepper in and make it worse.

Everything was blurred. I could barely make out people’s expressions. But I had no trouble hearing Inspector Asano’s rapid breathing.

There was a hiss as Maeda-sama took a long pull on his pipe and slowly breathed the smoke out. “I believe you have met my grandson, Maeda Yujirō?”

Inspector Asano looked back at Yujirō-san again.

I thought Maeda-sama was being especially cruel to poor Asano.

Yujirō gave Asano a huge smile, showing all his teeth. His expression made me shiver. He was quite good at intimidation, too. He let go of Asano’s neck and stood up, towering over him. Of course, it wasn’t that hard to intimidate people when you were as big as Yujirō was.

Inspector Asano’s voice was shaking. “I had no idea he was your grandson. He was using the name Matsura. I assure you, sir, I wouldn’t have touched him if I had known.”

Maeda-sama studied his pipe and flicked a bit of ash into a bowl on the table. “I assumed that, or I would have let him kill you,” he said mildly. Suddenly, he smiled. “Tell me, was there any particular reason you ordered his death?”

Asano sat up a little. “Those were my orders, sir. I have merely been doing my job.”

My eyes still burned furiously. Tears were still flowing down my face, but my vision was almost normal. I tried to sniff quietly while wiping my face with my kimono sleeve. I really needed to find a better way to produce tears.

“Your job?” Maeda-sama looked at him curiously. “When did killing scholars become the role of the secret police? That wasn’t part of the job when I was in charge.”

Yujirō walked around to face Inspector Asano.

Asano turned his eyes to Maeda-sama. “It became a part of my job a few months ago. I no longer understand the reason for many of the orders I receive.”

Maeda-sama shook his head in disappointment.

Yujirō made a sound of disgust. “Can I kill him now? He is useless.”

“No!” I heard a voice say. To my astonishment, I realized I was the one speaking.

Maeda-sama looked at me, raising his eyebrows. “You have something to say, child?”

I swallowed. “Inspector Asano is an honorable man.”

Maeda-sama gave a humorless laugh. “A man of honor? Does a man of honor work against his shogun? No, he serves him to the best of his ability.”

Again, I was impressed by Maeda-sama. Here, he was using Asano’s honor against him.

Inspector Asano sat up a little straighter. His cheeks reddened and he answered in an angry tone, “And how does one do that, Maeda-sama? How does one serve the shogun? I once thought that I served him by following the commands of my superiors, but now, I am no longer sure. Who is loyal to the shogun, that I should follow his orders?”

Maeda-sama put his pipe down and gazed at Inspector Asano. “You know who I am. You have heard stories about me. Some bad ones, I am sure. Have you ever heard anyone say I am anything but a faithful servant of the shogun?”

Now, Maeda-sama was planning to gain his trust.

Inspector Asano stared at the mat in front of him.

“Well?” the old man demanded.

The Inspector seemed to come to some decision. He looked up at Maeda-sama. “Many of the orders I have received and the instructions I have been given make no sense.” He shook his head. “No, it is worse than that. They seem actually to be harmful to the interest of the bakufu.” He stopped.

“And…” Maeda-sama prompted him.

“When I tried to question my superiors about the propriety of some of our actions, I…” He swallowed. “I was told it was my place to follow orders. The next day, I was called in and told that I was being ‘rewarded’ with an extra three months stipend for my sense of duty and strict obedience to my superiors. They handed me twenty-five gold koban.”

The old man’s eyes blazed with anger. “They gave you money? What for?”

Inspector Asano shook his head. “So I would keep my mouth shut, I imagine. I was given the strong impression that as long as I held to my ‘strict obedience to orders,’ I would continue to be rewarded. There was also an off-handed comment about how faithless samurai who refused orders often came to bad ends.”

The old man was still fuming. “What did you do?”

Inspector Asano hung his head and whispered, “I asked no questions and took the money.”

Clearly outraged now, Maeda-sama shouted. “You betrayed your shogun!”

I was in a panic. I didn’t want them to kill Inspector Asano, but I didn’t know what else I could do to save him.

Inspector Asano shouted back at Maeda-sama, equally outraged. “No, nothing of the kind! Yes, I took the money, but I still have all of it. I kept a record of everything they ever did that seemed wrong. I wanted to report it to someone, but I didn’t know who I could trust. I didn’t want the money, but I didn’t know what else to do.”

He closed his eyes. “I know how it works. Do something a bit wrong, they corrupt you slowly. Do something that must be hidden and they own you.” He continued in a stronger voice. “They do not own me yet.”

Asano bowed down and pressed his forehead against the floor. “If I have betrayed my shogun I beg your permission to commit seppuku. I cannot live with such shame.”

“You deserve to die like a criminal, not like an honored retainer,” Maeda-sama growled. “My other grandson was murdered and they tried to make it look like a suicide. Why did the police cover this up? Who was responsible for the killing? I think you know much more about this than you are telling.”

Maeda-sama’s accusation finally caused something to break in Inspector Asano. His hand reached for the katana and he came up on one knee.

With a soft whish, Yujirō’s katana was out of its sheath and at Asano’s throat before I even had time to draw a breath.

My heart pounded.

Don’t kill him!

Asano froze. He stared fixedly at the katana in front of his face. Very slowly, he released the hilt of his weapon, got back on both knees, and laid his hands flat on the floor and looked up.

Yujirō’s hand tightened on his katana until the knuckles were white. The muscles of his face bunched as he clenched his jaw.

Inspector Asano watched Yujirō with deadly fascination. His face became serene—the calm of a condemned prisoner on his way to the executioner.

He turned to face Maeda-sama and in a soft voice said, “You may not believe me, but I had nothing to do with your grandson’s death. There were some inquiries through my superiors about his actions, hints that they were looking for anything we could provide them to justify taking action against him—against the Academy—but his behavior was exemplary. No one dared move against him without cause because of their fear of you.”

Maeda-sama slammed his pipe down on the table. “Then why is he dead,” he yelled. He struggled for a moment then continued in a more normal tone, “Can you tell me that?”

Inspector Asano looked back and forth between Maeda-sama and Yujirō and said very carefully, “I am not sure, but I believe that the machi-bugyō arranged his death. There were rumors among the police that the death was suspicious, but further investigation was forbidden. Anyone objecting was transferred out of Edo.”

He bit his lip. “I talked to my informers, but got no answers. There was someone they were far more afraid of than me.”

Yujirō removed his blade from Asano’s throat but did not sheathe it.

Maeda-sama looked at Inspector Asano for a long time, saying nothing. Abruptly, he asked, “Where are the money and the record of payments?”

Inspector Asano looked like a man given a reprieve from the executioner. “At my house,” he said, eagerly. “Would you like to come and see it? You can take the money and give it to the proper authorities. I will tell you everything they had me do.”

So, it was all mental. Maeda-sama didn’t really break Inspector Asano, he let him break himself. This must be what Akiyo-sensei meant when she talked of using a target’s thoughts and attitudes against him.

Maeda-sama struggled to rise. “I suppose that makes sense.”

His grandson helped him to his feet. The two of them headed out. At the door, the old man turned around and said to Asano, “Well, are you coming?”

“Yes, Maeda-sama.” Asano paused and looked at me. “I will be out before you can get a palanquin.”

The two Maedas, grandfather and grandson, walked out.

I wiped my eyes again and put my forehead to the floor. “I am sorry, Inspector. I didn’t want to tell them anything.” I sobbed. “I had to. I am so sorry. I was so afraid they were going to kill you.”

I hoped that I was convincing.

“If they had, it would be nothing less than I deserve.” He squatted down beside me. “Did they hurt you, Sai? I am sorry to have caused all this trouble for you.”

“No,” I admitted. “I was ordered to bring them by my chunin.” I hung my head in shame.

He shook his head. “I am a coward. I knew I shouldn’t have accepted the money. I should have defied them.”

“And been killed? What good would that do?”

“I would still have my honor.”

“If you are a coward, you will run to your boss and tell him all that has happened,” I said, watching him intently.

He smiled softly and shook his head. “Do you trust them?”

I wondered what he was doing.

“Trust them to do what? I know my chunin thinks highly of Maeda-sama. She is not easily impressed.” I frowned in thought. “My chunin said, ‘Crows follow in their path,’ when speaking of them. She predicted there would be many deaths before they are done. Yours could be one.”

He straightened. “Then it will be an honorable death. This is the best thing that could have happened. In fact, I want to thank you.”

I looked up at him in confusion. “What?” I opened my eyes wide. That was a mistake. They started burning worse than before.

“A chance to serve the shogun beside the Tiger in the Shadows. It is a dream come true.” He stood up. “I have to go, but I will make this up to you. Perhaps we can meet tomorrow night and I will buy you a dinner? All you can eat. We will talk more then. The Tiger in the Shadows was a legend when I started with the secret police, but in reality, I do not know much about him. Learn what you can about both of them before we next meet.”

He straightened his kimono. “Maybe we can see a Noh play at the Golden Phoenix theater. Would you like that? Have you ever seen a Noh play?”

“What?” I responded. “Umm … yes, one or two.”

I had to attend one or two a month because Akiyo-sensei made me. I thought Noh plays were boring, but she said it was important to study the costumes of the players and the kimono of the high-class courtesans accompanying the nobles in the audience. That was part of keeping up with the latest fashions.

“Good. We can meet here at sundown.” He hurried off.

I watched him leave.

I suppose there is no problem with that. Maeda-sama wants me to continue to work with Inspector Asano and keep his trust. I’ll have to check with Akiyo-sensei.

I went outside. A palanquin traveled down the road, followed by Yujirō and Inspector Asano. As soon as they turned the corner, I raced across the street to a Shinto shrine and dunked my face in the purification fountain, desperately trying to get the pepper off my hands and out of my eyes. When the burning finally stopped, I lifted my head and found myself face to face with the shrine-keeper. My cheeks red with embarrassment, I bowed to him. I went up to the offering bowl and left a two-mon donation. It was never wise to anger a kami.