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his son Sadahito.”
    “Again . . . why?”
    He smiled. It reminded me of the kind of smile I had often seen on Princess Teiko’s face, the kind that had never failed to worry me. “Again, the answer is simple—while my family may have usurped a great deal of the emperor’s power, it is also in our interest to maintain the emperor’s prestige, as he is the source of both our power and prestige. This way they honor Emperor Go-Suzaku’s decree to the letter while circumventing its intent. Sadahito is still young, and his councilors will see to it that any of his offspring will be of the proper lineage. If removing his father immediately proves impractical, they will likely wait until a proper Fujiwara prince is born to Go-Sanjo, and then act. I don’t claim to know all details, Lord Yamada. The thing to keep in mind is that those at the highest levels of my family—meaning Yorimichi and Norimichi, yes—are more than somewhat worried about Prince Takahito. He has an independence of spirit which, ironically, I think is entirely due to their own poor treatment of him. They fear what he might try to do as emperor.”
    I rather thought Prince Kanemore had something to do with that as well, but Yorinobu probably had a point. If Yorinobu was telling the truth—which was still not clear to me—then perhaps Lady Kuzunoha and Prince Kanemore were mistaken about their plans for Prince Norihira. But I think I understood something about the Fujiwara Kanemore did not: the Fujiwara played the game of court politics with a very long view.
    “Now, then,” Yorinobu continued, “as for your first question—why am I telling you all this? One reason is because this is nothing you either didn’t already know or, I have no doubt, would soon piece together . . . with the possible exception of my family’s plans after the succession. Once Takahito ascends, he will be under the shadow of the Fujiwara until the initial threat from my brothers is mitigated. I took it upon myself to make that plain because it is important to me, Lord Yamada, that you understand the situation in its entirety or as much of it as I know. I am no more privy to all of my brothers’ secrets than you are. Yet for what I have told you already, I would be considered a traitor.”
    “I don’t think you consider yourself such,” I said.
    He looked very somber. “Not at all. It should be no surprise to you that my family, like any other, is prone to squabbles and differences of opinion. Unlike my brothers, I understand the world is changing, Lord Yamada.”
    “Would that have anything to do with the Fujiwara bushi I see today?”
    He smiled. “Yes, I thought you might understand their significance. To state the obvious, my family is both wealthy and politically powerful. Yet we are used to wielding that power only by proxy, as indeed the emperor himself does, witness the recent events in Mutsu province which I believe you know intimately. What happens when the proxies, like the Montoku or Seiwa Genji or the Hojo clan, realize they are the true owners of the power they wield on our behalf?”
    I knew only a little of the Montoku Genji, other than that they were a branch of the Minamoto clan descended from the ancient Emperor Montoku, and now very closely allied with the Fujiwara. Yet even that kind of loyalty had its limits, as Yorinobu and I both understood.
    “I have had this same conversation with Prince Kanemore,” I said, trying not to smile.
    “Actually, so have I. The bushi you see are entirely my own doing, and I have plans for more. There are cadet branches and excess sons in our family who are more open to the idea now than was once the case. As you might guess, I am somewhat at odds with my two older half-brothers in this as well as other things, but that is not important at the moment. I came to you today to speak of Takahito-tenno’s ascension, and in this I do have an interest of my own—Princess Shigeko, the crown prince’s second