Dale Furutani - Jade Palace Vendetta

“Well, it’s over,” Enomoto said before any accusations could be made. “I’m glad. I was growing weary of the farce of a man like me working for a worm like you,” Enomoto said to Hishigawa.

Hishigawa had a suitable shocked look on his face, and the old harpy Ando actually hissed at him, like a snake expressing its anger.

“You… you …” Hishigawa started.

“Don’t bother,” Enomoto interrupted. “I’ll be going. Don’t complain to the authorities about the money I took or I’ll have to talk to them about our little secrets.” He turned to go, then stopped. He swiveled his head around to take one more look at the composed face of the ronin, Matsuyama Kaze. His gaze was met steadily by the ronin, who had a face that mirrored neither surprise nor concern. Forgetting his control for an instant, Enomoto’s own countenance darkened, like the angry skies during a typhoon. He said nothing to the ronin, but both men knew the depth of Enomoto’s hatred for the interloper. Enomoto turned and left, walking out the front door of the villa and past the startled guard at the gate.

Well, that went well, except for the insolent tongue of that rogue, Enomoto,” Hishigawa said.

Kaze made no reply.

“I wonder if you would reconsider my offer to work for me,” Hishigawa said.

“I will consider it,” Kaze replied. “I also have an idea for you to consider.”

“What is that?”

“I wonder why you move gold between Edo, Kamakura, and Kyoto.”

“Well,” Hishigawa said patiently, as if lecturing a slow child, “the businesses in each city have different needs. Sometimes a business in one city needs gold and a business in another city has too much. So I must transfer the gold from one city to the other.”

“That’s not what I mean,” Kaze said, ignoring Hishigawa’s tone. “I was wondering why you physically transfer the gold, running the risk of theft.”

“How else would I meet the needs of my businesses in each city?”

“There are other businesses that operate both in Edo and Kyoto or Kyoto and Kamakura?”

“Yes, of course.”

“And they have a similar problem, from time to time?”

“Yes, I suppose so. I don’t see how any business can always stay in balance among the various branches in each city.”

“Then why don’t you act as a broker and find these businesses? Then you need never transfer gold again.”

“What do you mean?”

“Suppose you have a hundred ryo of gold in Edo that you want transferred to Kyoto.”

“Yes?”

“Then you find one or more businesses that have a hundred ryo of gold in Kyoto who want that gold in Edo.”

Hishigawa looked puzzled. “What good would that do? Then you’d have two shipments of gold you’d have to transport.”

Kaze shook his head. “No, then you’d have no shipments of gold to transport. First you collect the hundred ryo of gold in Kyoto that businesses want transported to Edo and you use it in your own business. Then you take the hundred ryo of gold in Edo and give it to the businesses who wanted the gold transported from Kyoto to Edo. All you have to do then is transport paper instructions from Kyoto to Edo, and no actual gold has to be moved.”

Hishigawa looked at Kaze and exclaimed, “Brilliant! I can even charge a nice commission for my services, because the businesses in Kyoto don’t have to run the risk of transporting their gold.” Hishigawa was very excited. “You will make an incredible addition to my business!”

Kaze did not point out he had not agreed to join Hishigawa. He just nodded and let the merchant get swept up in the power and simplicity of the idea. He exchanged several glasses of sakè with the merchant as Hishigawa talked about how he could set up the money exchange service. Finally, when Hishigawa was a little tipsy from the wine, Kaze said, “Enomoto said something about secrets when he left. If I’m to protect you, I have to have an idea about what those secrets are.”

Hishigawa looked at Kaze shrewdly and said, “I won’t tell you all my secrets yet, but Enomoto was talking about the business I got into after Sekigahara. In addition to my other businesses, I deal in young girls.”

Kaze had surmised as much from the girls he saw at the Jade Palace. They were too finely dressed and too bold to be simple maids to Yuchan. Dealing in human flesh was not the highest of social activities, but there was no particular secret involved with it that Kaze could see. “What is the secret in that?” he asked.

Hishigawa smiled and said, “Right after the forces loyal to Hideyoshi were defeated, there were not only a great number of ronin created, but also a great number of families disrupted. Some of the young girls who came on the market at that time were not always properly sold, and many were from good families. Here was all this good merchandise available with no proper outlet, and many merchants in flesh were afraid to get into this trade. I started dabbling in it, supplying brothels in Kyoto, Edo, and here in Kamakura. We have to be discreet about this, because some of the families of the girls might take it into their heads to take revenge for my little business dealings with their daughters.

“I constructed the Jade Palace during that time, to house the girls safely until I was ready to dispose of them. I still use it to store girls I’m transferring between customers, as well as for Yuchan.

“The supply of young girls has dried up over the last year, so now I have agents looking for girls to work as maids. It’s much cheaper to buy girls as maids, and families seem to be more willing to sell them if they think they’re not going to end up in a brothel. Usually we bring them here to the villa and actually use them as maids for a time. When we’ve had enough of them, I let the guards break them in.” Hishigawa waved his hand. “A few are precocious, but most are still virgins because we buy them so young. I, of course, have Yuchan, so I don’t participate in raping the girls and preparing them for their lives as whores, but all the guards enjoy that. You’ll enjoy it too.”

Kaze’s face was impassive, and he had to force himself to refrain from explaining to Hishigawa what he would and would not enjoy.

Idon’t like it,” Elder Grandma said. “I should be the one to talk to Yuchan.”

“That’s difficult,” Kaze said. “You don’t even know if Yuchan is unhappy with the life she’s leading. She’s treated like a noble, living in her own palace. It’s best for you to wait hidden in the villa’s grounds until I have a chance to see if Yuchan wants to leave. After I find that out, I’ll come to you and we can plan our next action.”

Kaze was once again in the tree by the lakeside. The water of the lake was a glistening sheet in the moonlight, and the gentle lapping sound of the water on the shore was restful and soothing. Kaze was relaxed but alert, watching the Jade Palace intently. Elder Grandma, her grandson, and her servant were safely hidden in a grove of trees on the villa grounds, waiting for Kaze to report on his conversation with Yuchan.

The guard at the drum bridge seemed alert but bored, leaning against the bridge and walking about in fits and starts. Without a regular patrol schedule, the problem of getting to the island and the palace was harder. But with only one guard outside it was not impossible. Kaze had no idea how many guards were inside.

The guard sat on the steps on the island part of the drum bridge and took off a sandal, rubbing his foot with obvious satisfaction. Kaze slipped out of the tree and made his way to the far side of the palace. Taking off his kimono, he used the kimono sash to make a neat bundle, tying his sword to his clothes.