the strain of trying to control himself. "Was there anyone in the garden already?"
"I don't think so," Tomohito said. "But it was dark, and we hardly had time to look around."
"Did you hear anything?" Sano asked.
"People r-running and shouting," Prince Momozono said. His mouth twitched violently.
The prince wasn't an idiot after all, Sano realized. Momozono's attempts to direct the conversation away from the time he and Tomohito had spent in the garden before the others arrived suggested that he understood the implications of their finding Left Minister Konoe. For the moment, Sano allowed the diversion. "So the whole court gathered in the garden. Was your mother there, Your Majesty?"
"Yes," Tomohito said impatiently.
"And your consort?"
"As Momo-chan said, everyone came."
Sano hoped that Reiko would learn more about Lady Jokyoden's and Lady Asagao's movements that night. Perhaps one of the women had murdered Konoe, then joined the crowd in the garden. Yet the same possibility applied to Tomohito and Momozono, with stronger justification. They'd been first to reach Konoe; therefore, they must not have been far away when he died. They could have pretended to discover the body together, after one of them had killed Konoe.
"Where were you before you went to the garden?" Sano said.
"In the study hall," Emperor Tomohito said.
Sano watched his hands begin to fidget. "Doing what?"
"Playing darts," Tomohito said, picking at his fingernails.
"At midnight? Why so late?"
Though Tomohito unflinchingly held Sano's gaze, his fingers picked faster. "I just felt like it."
"Your cousin played, too?" Sano said in disbelief. He imagined Prince Momozono wildly flinging missiles in all directions. He caught himself committing the same error of judgment as the court by presuming that Momozono's affliction rendered him a complete mental and physical cripple. Yet surely Momozono lacked the self-control necessary to master the power of kiai. Of the two boys, Tomohito was far and away the better suspect.
"Yes. Well, I mean, Momo-chan watched me play. I scored three perfect shots."
"Was anyone else with you?"
"No. But we were there." Tomohito's belligerent tone dared Sano to doubt him. "Both of us. Together."
"I see." Sano appraised Tomohito's nervousness and observed that Momozono had remained perfectly quiet during the exchange. It was obvious that they were lying. Sano considered pressuring them into telling the truth, but he saw the danger of doing so.
Understanding Japan's political climate, he could predict what would happen if he discovered evidence against Emperor Tomohito and charged him with murder. Tomohito would deny the allegation and accuse Sano of framing him. The Imperial Court would support his claim, while the bakufu sided with Sano, causing a rift between the nation's military and spiritual institutions. Emperor Tomohito would denounce the shogun's regime, withdrawing the divine sanction that only he had the power to confer. With the legitimacy of the government destroyed, upheaval would result. Discontented citizens would rebel. The daimyo, eager to take advantage of the situation, would mount a war to overthrow the government.
Whether they succeeded in establishing a new regime, or the Tokugawa managed to maintain control, Sano would be blamed for bringing disaster upon Japan.
"I'm bored with all these questions," Tomohito said peevishly, gnawing at his fingernails while Prince Momozono yelped and jerked. "Are you finished yet?"
Nor could Sano avoid trouble by focusing his efforts on Prince Momozono. While Sano doubted that the Imperial Court or the bakufu would care what happened to Momozono, he shared Tomohito's alibi; breaking it would cast aspersion upon the emperor. Sano's honor depended upon solving this case, but he dreaded the prospect of
"I don't think so," Tomohito said. "But it was dark, and we hardly had time to look around."
"Did you hear anything?" Sano asked.
"People r-running and shouting," Prince Momozono said. His mouth twitched violently.
The prince wasn't an idiot after all, Sano realized. Momozono's attempts to direct the conversation away from the time he and Tomohito had spent in the garden before the others arrived suggested that he understood the implications of their finding Left Minister Konoe. For the moment, Sano allowed the diversion. "So the whole court gathered in the garden. Was your mother there, Your Majesty?"
"Yes," Tomohito said impatiently.
"And your consort?"
"As Momo-chan said, everyone came."
Sano hoped that Reiko would learn more about Lady Jokyoden's and Lady Asagao's movements that night. Perhaps one of the women had murdered Konoe, then joined the crowd in the garden. Yet the same possibility applied to Tomohito and Momozono, with stronger justification. They'd been first to reach Konoe; therefore, they must not have been far away when he died. They could have pretended to discover the body together, after one of them had killed Konoe.
"Where were you before you went to the garden?" Sano said.
"In the study hall," Emperor Tomohito said.
Sano watched his hands begin to fidget. "Doing what?"
"Playing darts," Tomohito said, picking at his fingernails.
"At midnight? Why so late?"
Though Tomohito unflinchingly held Sano's gaze, his fingers picked faster. "I just felt like it."
"Your cousin played, too?" Sano said in disbelief. He imagined Prince Momozono wildly flinging missiles in all directions. He caught himself committing the same error of judgment as the court by presuming that Momozono's affliction rendered him a complete mental and physical cripple. Yet surely Momozono lacked the self-control necessary to master the power of kiai. Of the two boys, Tomohito was far and away the better suspect.
"Yes. Well, I mean, Momo-chan watched me play. I scored three perfect shots."
"Was anyone else with you?"
"No. But we were there." Tomohito's belligerent tone dared Sano to doubt him. "Both of us. Together."
"I see." Sano appraised Tomohito's nervousness and observed that Momozono had remained perfectly quiet during the exchange. It was obvious that they were lying. Sano considered pressuring them into telling the truth, but he saw the danger of doing so.
Understanding Japan's political climate, he could predict what would happen if he discovered evidence against Emperor Tomohito and charged him with murder. Tomohito would deny the allegation and accuse Sano of framing him. The Imperial Court would support his claim, while the bakufu sided with Sano, causing a rift between the nation's military and spiritual institutions. Emperor Tomohito would denounce the shogun's regime, withdrawing the divine sanction that only he had the power to confer. With the legitimacy of the government destroyed, upheaval would result. Discontented citizens would rebel. The daimyo, eager to take advantage of the situation, would mount a war to overthrow the government.
Whether they succeeded in establishing a new regime, or the Tokugawa managed to maintain control, Sano would be blamed for bringing disaster upon Japan.
"I'm bored with all these questions," Tomohito said peevishly, gnawing at his fingernails while Prince Momozono yelped and jerked. "Are you finished yet?"
Nor could Sano avoid trouble by focusing his efforts on Prince Momozono. While Sano doubted that the Imperial Court or the bakufu would care what happened to Momozono, he shared Tomohito's alibi; breaking it would cast aspersion upon the emperor. Sano's honor depended upon solving this case, but he dreaded the prospect of
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