Saiunkoku Monogatari Episode 13 – 急いては事を仕損じる (Haste is Waste)

After months of hiatus, I finally got back to writing this long Saiunkoku narrative *whew* Hope I can get some more spare time to continue on with this, especially with the the still lack of fansubs for this series. And on with the show~

Ryuuki finally meets Riou for the first time, inviting his guest for a cup of tea. Riou remarks how Ryuuki is different from all the other emperors, and takes a look at Bakuya, surprised as he is that it resounds because of his presence. Bakuya and Kanshou are twins swords once wielded by someone from the Hyou clan, and was later on given to the emperor and the royal family in general (it’s not mentioned if the original wielders of the sword were the ones who gave it to the royal family). Ryuuki cuts to the chase, asking Riou if he has anything to do with the Jasenkyou. Instead of answering the question directly, Riou first gives a background regarding the Hyou clan, how they’ve only had women for its leaders, believing that they are the ones able to preserve their family’s “special” bloodline (with their unusual skills). Riou and his father are the exception to this.

Riou recounts how his sister has always eyed him to become the next clan head. Despite the fact that he’s already in that position, the power of his sister is still as tremendous as before. Let me finish off the rest of Riou’s “long and windy” reply as stated in the novel. Riou continues, confiding how he just left his sister to do as she wishes since her plans coincides with his interests. He is, after all, a lazy bum who won’t make his move except for his own interest, unlike his sister.

Ryuuki confirms if this means he doesn’t have anything to with the Jasenkyou incidents, to which Riou replies that there’s something he wants in Sa Province, but is not the type who will go all the way to Koringun for this ‘thing’, unless necessary. Riou mentions in the novel that he just made a “chess piece” (little Riou) move and is simply waiting at the moment… Riou explains how this ‘thing’ he’s after is valuable for the survival of their clan, and doesn’t give Ryuuki a straight answer as to whether he’s referring to Shuurei. Ryuuki reaffirms his invitation for a drink, and Riou tells him to save it for next time, when he feels like it. In the novel, Riou also tells Ryuuki, “Do you not know of what the Hyou clan has done, or could’ve done in the past? Will you still invite me for a tea despite that?”

Eigetsu remains trapped in the lair of Jasenkyou, where “Senya” expresses his envy because Eigetsu, or rather Yougetsu, is seen to be of value by his “mother” despite being a guy. “Senya” describes his “mother” as the kind of person who’ll do anything just to get what she wants. In answer to Eigetsu’s question, Senya reveals how he has long known about the disease which plagued Sekie, which is why they took advantage of this. They actually warned the villagers about this, telling them to boil the water that they’re going to use because something dreadful is about to happen. Perceived to be a lunatic with these words, this gesture of concern was repaid with mockery and offensive assaults, a response which they actually expected. Senya believes that what happened to the villagers is simply a consequence of their own deeds, and Eigetsu can’t forgive how he’s saying all these in the body of Doushu, who loves people more than anything else.

Ensei goes to check on Sekie village and sees Seiran in the premises, who tells him that he has finished the arrangements with the government as they asked, and that help will be coming to their aid soon. Seeing Seiran worried about Shuurei, Ensei assures him that she has been holding out well, not only for the sake of the people of Sa but also for the sake of Seiran whom she wouldn’t want to suffer from all this. Shuurei is thankful for Seiran’s support, and owes him much of what has become of her. Ensei teases Seiran for being loved and trusted by Shuurei, and remarks how he’s even less of an adult than her. Ensei returns Kanshou to Seiran and teasingly asks him if he wants to go to where Shuurei is, in his behalf, which gains him a scolding. Seiran reminds him that he has tasks to finish before he can do that and makes Ensei keep Kanshou by his side until everything is over, for reasons Ensei already knows about. And despite how he knows Ensei will be able to protect her (even without Seiran) by her side, Seiran still can’t be at ease.

Shuurei and the others settle down in some camp near the Sekie village and talks about Kourin, who little Riou believes to have been caught by the Jasenkyou already, mistaking her for the supposedly sacrifice Shuurei. Ensei arrives and informs them that the Jasenkyou is using the Eizan mining tunnel as their hideout. Shuuran recalls seeing men in white robes during the early morning, who are actually carrying the corpses of people who died from the disease. These people who believed what the Jasenkyou said became hapless victims, as they also weren’t able to undergo treatment with Shuurei’s movements under their control as well. Ensei believes that things could’ve gotten worse if soldiers were sent out to deal with the situation, considering the number of hostages the Jasenkyou held in captivity.

Shuurei however thinks this still isn’t much of a feat, and that she doesn’t deserve any praise until she’s able to save all the people. They have to find a way to treat the rest of the people as soon as possible. Ensei adds that they now have one more person to save, that is Kourin, but Shuurei thinks otherwise. Kourin might be hasty, but Shuurei knows well that she’s capable of making sound decisions even at a time of peril. Shuurei puts herself in Kourin’s shoes and thinks about what she will do if she was in her position…

Just as Shuurei thought, Kourin remains calm despite being imprisoned together with the people who caught the disease. She thinks about Eigetsu, and remains optimistic that she’ll make it in time to see him, as he still has about half a month left to live. Kourin is determined to do everything she can to make this possible, while tending to the sick people and not allowing any time to be wasted.

The scene cuts to Shuurei, who gives Riou some medicine for his chappy hands. Ensei on the other hand is discussing about the map he got of Sekie village, when Shuuran informs him of some shortcuts and small pathways (which only children can pass through) that aren’t indicated. Ensei also tells them of the cooking smoke he saw earlier, which wasn’t there before, according to Shuuran and Riou. An idea crosses Shuurei’s mind as she thinks about the relation of this smoke with Kourin. Just then, a man riding a horse comes into sight, who turns out to be no one else but Ryuuren. Shuurei was surprised to see him in plain clothes, and even more so with how exhausted he looked. He was filled with concern about Eigetsu and seems to blame himself for what happened to him.

Eigetsu who remains captive of the Jasenkyou refuses to summon Yougetsu, reminding him of the promise he made about giving back this body lent to him when his life runs out. The fact that only Eigetsu can summon him makes Yougetsu all the more helpless in this situation as he couldn’t do anything but watch Eigetsu suffer. Stricken with this grief he feels, Yougetsu couldn’t help but think about how it would’ve been better if he didn’t save Doushu and Eigetsu. How he wouldn’t have been able to feel this pain if he didn’t meet them. To think that this is the price he has to pay for having known the warmth of people, their smile and the pain of losing these people he has grown to love.

Ryuuren seems to have calmed down, but remains speechless and deep in his thoughts. Shuuran on the other hand asks Shuurei to write her name in kanji, which her mother said to refer to a legendary crimson bird. Shuurei thinks this is a great name, and believes that her mother must have given it much thought. Shuurei turns to Riou and asks him about his name, but it seems that Riou already knows what his name in kanji is. “…Though that’s not my name”, Riou suddenly blurts out, confusing Shuurei as to what he meant by this. Her attention however was redirected to Shuuran as she asks what Shuurei’s name is. “A smart and courageous person”, according to Shuurei, a description which fits her perfectly, as attested by Shuuran.

Shuuran and Eigetsu readies to set out on their journey to Sekie village, as Shuuran volunteers herself to sneak into the Jasenkyou’s hideout to inform Kourin about their plan. Shuurei knows well that Kourin isn’t the kind of person who’ll simply wait for help to come, and believes that she might just be the person to help them save Eigetsu and the rest of the captives.

Kourin has been the one cooking food for the guards after she was captured by the Jasenkyou, to which they were really thankful since they were being fed with something that’s close to being inedible before she came. After the guards realized that they mistook her for Shuurei, they left her in prison together with the rest of the villagers. Kourin was relieved to find out that Shuurei is safe but was alarmed by the ghastly sight of the sick people in the prison, and comes to realize that she’s in the Jasenkyou’s territory, where the guards and prisoners themselves have been tricked by the cult. The awful condition of the sanitation and food in the prison is what urged Kourin to talk the guards into what she thinks would be best for the sick captives as well as the guards themselves, by offering to make them scrumptious food.

With the time Kourin spent there, she was able to observe the number of people in the place, and the ones who keep guard over the area. There’s a pathway leading to yet another set of caves, and she wonders what lies inside them. Kourin goes back to prison and feeds the rest of the prisoners, where one old man pities themselves for being deceived by the Jasenkyou, and Kourin assures him not to lose hope since help will soon be coming. Kourin looks around the place, and thinks that Shuurei and Ensei certainly won’t desert these sick people if they were held captive like her. She turns to the old man, asking him what lies in the branch paths in the area.

As Kourin lies to sleep, she thinks about the pathways earlier and how Eigetsu must be inside one of these caves. Just then, Shuuran calls out to her for a message from Shuurei. Yougetsu continues to call on Eigetsu to summon him but he remains stubborn and unyielding, not wanting Yougetsu to be captured by the Jasenkyou. Eigetsu reflects on how happy he’s been, but snaps from these dying-wish-like thoughts. He thinks about the tons of things left for him to do, how he should escape from this dungeon together with the rest of the people, treat the sick patients and give them comfort, get back Doushu’s body and confront “Senya”. Eigetsu notices a glimpse of what seems to be an illusion of Kourin, as he thinks about how he wants to see her smile for the last time, even if it’s just an illusion. What comes into his sight however, is a crying Kourin, and Eigetsu thinks that he hasn’t done anything good for the woman he loves. As he hears the trembling voice of Kourin and feels the warmth of her hands, Eigetsu realizes how the sight of Kourin is anything but an illusion.

Thoughts

And so the “meeting” turned into a rather diplomatic encounter, between the Emperor and the Hyou Clan Head. Based on their conversation, it seemed that the two guys used this opportunity to take a close look at each other, with Ryuuki still figuring out what Riou’s intentions really are for coming all the way to Kiou, and perhaps Sa Province. And I think Ryuuki has this strong hunch that he’s plans involve Shuurei. Riou on the other hand seems to be assessing Ryuuki in terms of being the Emperor, and from the impression I get from the novel, it seems that he has taken interest in his uniqueness compared to the previous rulers of the country. And from what Riou mentioned about some things that Hyou clan did or tried to do in the past, I am reminded of that event between the royal family and the Hyou Clan, which led to the dispatch of the Black Wolf.

I am quite intrigued by Riou’s surprise upon seeing what has become of Bakuya, especially what his regret for not studying it way back. Ryuuki has also mentioned that someone from the Hyou clan wielded the twin swords Bakuya and Kanshou, but we know little about the historical background of this to find out much of these mysteries. In the past episodes where Riou appeared, I was thinking he’s the type who’d make drastic moves to get Shuurei to become his. But it seems that he’s observing things from afar before he goes all-out with his plans. It may be partially because his sister is doing something which is also aligned with his plans for Shuurei, as he has clearly mentioned in the novel. This sister of his might just be that mother “Senya” is referring to. But goodness… Riou can really drive people nuts with his long and windy way of answering questions. Go straight to the point! =__=

Little Riou continues to be as mysterious as ever… but now we find out that he really is the spy Hyou Riou sent out to observe Shuurei, especially with Riou mentioning about the chess piece he sent to Sa Province (novel-wise). Shuurei herself was surprised to see how different he is from the rest of the people in Sekie village, like he’s from an esteemed clan of nobility. I’m not sure if his RIOU name in katakana is just a fake name or what. And about his gesture of telling Shuurei Hyou Riou’s name in kanji, is that to show Shuurei a foreboding encounter with this Riou?

Seiran has matured quite a bit, but there’s still this little immaturity left in him, as he still can’t be at ease with being apart from Shuurei. Before, it seemed as though Shuurei was dependent on Seiran, but looks like it’s the other way around. Seiran is the one who can’t bear to be apart from her, like a worrywart father. If it wasn’t for Ensei whom Seiran trusts so much, he certainly won’t hesitate to leave his post and accompany Shuurei. Nevertheless, Seiran is admirable for being able to think rationally and wisely despite this desire he had to be with Shuurei. He cast aside these negative thoughts and decided on finishing his responsibilities first

Oh, and Ensei really likes teasing him and making his blood boil Seiran spouts all that brash language of his when around Ensei, which doesn’t really fit his nice-guy bishounen image

As for “Senya”, I think this episode made me empathize with his situation. After all he’s been through all those years, I think it’s but natural that he’ll become this cold-hearted psychotic sort of guy. His actions are still not justifiable, but this shows that his actions are not without reason. And, the fact that he’s just following what his “mother” has commanded makes me think that the mother is far worse than he is. That “mother” is certainly planning something ominous, considering how she seems to want to take hold of Yougetsu and his powers. Or perhaps make him a study… and allow their clan to possess this power?

It’s really sad to see what Eigetsu has been going through in the hands of the Jasenkyou, but it makes me all the more admire him for holding on this long. Despite being tortured, he remains steadfast and true to his words, ready to sacrifice himself just so Yougetsu won’t be “captured”. Kourin is equally admirable, for her courage and intelligence, which allowed her to make sound decisions despite her situation. She overcame her despair and sadness over Eigetsu, and didn’t waste any time by simply wallowing in her sorrows. That last scene with Kourin and Eigetsu’s reunion was really such a heart-wrenching and touching moment… seeing the lovers reunited, in this kind of situation I can’t help but cry at that scene… ;___; (Now I want to see the kiss…!)

I’m liking Kourin more as each episode passes, probably because of the painful situation she’s in. For some reason I find her circumstance as something more difficult than Shuurei (at least at this point). Though it also depends on how you weigh political stuff and personal experiences I think. Shuurei is admirable for her steadfastness and willingness to sacrifice herself for the sake of people, so I can describe as her as someone patriotic. But Kourin’s steadfastness is of a different level. I think I just find it harder to face something as painful as what Kourin is going through… with her loved one and her life at the brink of danger.

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