Hyohaku #8
Juuni Kokuki’s side story — 十二国記外伝
(The Twelve Kingdoms)
漂舶
(Drifting Ship)
Translated by o6asan
chapter1 chapter2 chapter3 chapter4 chapter5 chapter6 chapter7 chapter8
8
”Haven’t you found them yet!?”
Seisho(成笙) blows out his cheeks to Itan(帷湍)’s growl.
”Not at all, you think where they went?”
”They have their sugu(騶虞) for riding. We also know their having gone out of Kankyu(関弓) and toward the west. Despite this, you cannot know even their destinations! Why?”
”That is only clue we have. Then, what do you want to me?”
”In the first place, why didn’t you chase after them immediately?”
”They rode on their sugu(騶虞). We couldn’t catch them up, even if chasing after immediately.”
”Two sugu(騶虞) had been placed in the Kakan(夏官)’s stable. Tell me why those guys were able to run away with them.”
”The gate keeper of Tenkan(天官) is stupid, uh-huh?”
Shuko(朱衡) gets a tea set from an officer and puts it between them who get ugly.
”Stop it, you two are very childish. For what is your fight useful?”
Itan(帷湍) turns his fire on Shuko(朱衡).
”Why do you settle down so much?”
Seisho(成笙) also nods in agreement and looks at Shuko(朱衡) who calmly faces a towering pile of documents in his own room of the office.
”I quite agree.”
”I don’t settle down so much. — We already knew where it’s going to lead, don’t we? It’s hardly possible they behave well if confined. If they are told not to go, they do go at any cost. Have you two already known it?”
Itan(帷湍) strikes on the table.
”Right. — And if they are told to go, they really go out in their own way! How could I confine them permanently!?”
”So,” laughs Shuko(朱衡).
”It is said that we have nothing to handle.”
Itan(帷湍) has his head in his hands, and Seisho(成笙) suppresses his temple. Shuko(朱衡) laughs.
”For the time being, I’m sure they understand that they come not to be able to get up late if they behave too crazy. Besides, they were patient during two months, so, we were able to settle a very great deal of duties. We should be satisfied with that.”
Itan(帷湍) reproachfully glares at the profile of Shuko(朱衡)’s straight face.
”In short, you gave it up from the start?”
”No,” Shuko(朱衡) looks feeling quite unhappy.
”I refuse Shujo(主上) and Taiho(台輔) acting on their own. Therefore, I cooperated in you two.”
”You ……”
”I have only said it is impossible to confine them. To hope for them such as well-behaved O(王) and Saiho(宰輔) is wasting our time. For the time being, I’m satisfied that they have understood getting annoying situation if crazily having their way. We should train and train them as not to cut loose too much.”
Seisho(成笙) groans.
”Are they Tama and Tora level?”
”It might be impolite to the sugu(騶虞). Say domestic animals level.”
Itan(帷湍) draws a long sigh.
”Hey …… You slag them off too much.”
”Well, did I say something wrong?”
”No,” Itan(帷湍) mutters in his mouth. They not only miss an imperial conference, but also conceal themselves in a moment. If a little turning away from them, they enter even other countries and do something bad. Nevertheless, they suddenly show up the outside of the outer palace, and they do an awful instruction to officials. Every time they do, every time officials run about in confusion, it’s indeed extraordinary labor for officials. — Certainly, they might be ones like domestic animals with a bad discipline.
”They will come back sooner or later. They have no other place they come back.”
”You bet?”
Shuko(朱衡) questioningly raises his eyes from the document when Itan(帷湍) says in disgust.
”Do you have the place you return except Gen’ei-kyu(玄英宮)?”
Huh?, Shuko(朱衡) laughs at Itan(帷湍) who has blinked.
”I envy you. I’m very younger than you, but I have no other place but here. You are a smart fellow.”
”No, it’s”
Shuko(朱衡) looks out through the window, laughing at Itan(帷湍) who is at a loss for words. The sea of clouds as far as he can see, where he cannot see even a little island.
”This palace, it is like a ship that floats far off in the ocean. There is no shore where he reaches, even if disliking and rushing out from it.”
It is Seisho(成笙) to mutter, “Maybe, you’re right.”
”There are no acquaintances and no town where I was born any longer. They would leave before several decades even if I made new acquaintances and places in the lower world.”
Though he has to resign from senseki(仙籍) for disembarking, the king and Kirin cannot be allowed even to leave their positions. Besides, they are Taika(胎果).
” — I see. This is the drift where people having no place to go gather.”
”I think this system is very well made. We have no other places for us. We have nothing to do except sailing this ship……”
”We do not have the land to go to though.”
When Itan(帷湍) crosses his arms, Shuko(朱衡) returns his eyes to the document.
”Where to reach or not will not be a point. To begin with, we have no place that we should reach to. And we just go ahead today than yesterday, tomorrow than today.”
”Certainly……”
”Well, we only need to do it until the ship sinking.”
”When the end comes? When their ship sinking, it seems to be fast.”
Itan(帷湍) says and Seisho(成笙) nods deeply.
”We might have to say that it survives still now. It seems to me all officials are suppressing holes so that water does not leak, because many holes are open here and there.”
”Definitely,” Itan(帷湍) smiles wryly.
”But, sometimes, such a ship keeps floating forever.”
”It keeps, doesn’t it……?”
”I don’t think so.”
”I don’t know.”
They have a look at the sea of clouds by each having his own way of questioning, but there are neither an island shadow nor bird shadows. Waves surge without getting tired of, and it projects the color of the lower world is filled with a complex color.
(notes)
a high bulletin board(高札)
Atsuyu(斡由)
catalpa(梓)
Chikan(地官)
Chosai(冢宰)
Daishiba(大司馬)
Daishito(大司徒)
Daisohaku(大宗伯)
En-O(延王)
En(雁州国) or (雁)
Fukan(風漢)
Gen-ko(元侯) or (元州侯)
Gen-paku(元伯)
Gen-shu(元州)
Gen’ei-kyu(玄英宮)
Gon-ken(艮県)
Hekisho(碧霄)
Imperial order(勅命)
Itan(帷湍)
Jinju-den(仁重殿)
Jinmon(人門)
Kakan(夏官)
Kankyu(関弓)
Kirin(麒麟)
Ko-kai(黄海)
Kok-kai(黒海)
Kon-ken(艮県)
Koya(更夜)
Kyo-O(梟王)
metamorphosis(転変)
Mt.Kankyu(関弓山)
Mt.Kongo(金剛山)
Mt.Sho(霄山)
O(王)’s Army(禁軍)
prime minister(令尹)
Reigonmon(令艮門)
Rikkan-fu(六官府)
Rikkan(六官)
Rokuta(六太)
Ryounzan(凌雲山)
Sagun(左軍)
Sanko(三公)
Sei-kai(青海)
Sei-shu(靖州)
Seisho(成笙)
Senseki(仙籍)
Shiba(司馬)
Shirei(使令)
Shitsudo(失道)
Shogyoku(湘玉)
Shoryu(尚隆)
Shuko(朱衡)
Shunkan(春官)
So-O(宗王)
So(奏国)
sugu(騶虞)
Taigen(大元)
Taiho(台輔)
Taika(胎果)
Taisai(大宰)
Tei-shu(貞州)
Tenkan-fu(天官府)
Tenkan(天官)
The Classic of History(書経)
the Five gates(五門)
the imperial conference(朝議)
the imperial demesne(天領)
the inner palace(内殿)
the Northeast gate(艮海門)
the outer palace(外殿)
the princess(公主)
the Prohibited gate(禁門)
the sea of clouds(雲海)
the state marquis(州侯)
Yoma(妖魔)
chapter1 chapter2 chapter3 chapter4 chapter5 chapter6 chapter7 chapter8
