CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR
"You are now asking me to make my mother nominal?" Emperor Bidatsu asked.
"This is one method that could show you first which ones are willing to follow either Highness or you so you would tell clearly your real allies and your enemies." Consort Toyomike replied.
"And secondly?" Emperor Bidatsu asked.
"If someone is a nominal regent their regency expires upon death of either one of you unless the Courtiers are in their power.
The de facto power must remain yours and you must be absolute because should you share your power then the Courtiers shall do whatever is in their power to turn your mother against you." Consort Toyomike replied.
"You have a point but I am reluctant about one thing." Emperor Bidatsu asked.
"What is it Your Majesty?" Consort Toyomike asked.
"If perhaps one day my mother is to turn against me what shall I do to protect her?" Emperor Bidatsu asked.
"There isn't one day Your Majesty, I believe that your immediate solution should be now." Consort Toyomike replied.
"What should I do?" Emperor Bidatsu asked.
"Declare Your mother nominal regent and yourself Emperor with absolute powers first and we'll see what happens afterwards.
Depending on the reaction that shall follow we shall be able to come to a conclusion and there we shall decide what is best for all of us." Consort Toyomike replied.
"What would I do without you?" Emperor Bidatsu asked.
"Sincerely even I don't know." Consort Toyomike replied, "If I can protect you from the curses that those Courtiers hurl at you and can bear any burden with you then for me it is more than enough." She added.
She stood up and the Emperor hugged her from behind.
"Alright." He said. "We'll see tomorrow during the assembly." He added.
"Yes." Consort Toyomike replied with a smile on her face.
The Courtiers had gathered at the throne room when Sato stepped in and announced Emperor Bidatsu's presence.
"His Majesty deigns you all with his presence." He said and the Courtiers falling into their respective order they bowed their heads as he walked through the aisle and mounted the stairs that led to his throne.
"Greetings Your Majesty." They said in unison as Emperor Bidatsu sat down.
"At ease." He said and all the Courtiers complied.
"Have you any issues to present to me?" Emperor Bidatsu asked.
Moriya stepped out of the Courtiers to the front and he bowed his head to the Emperor.
"I have Your Majesty." Moriya replied.
"Go ahead Imperial Chieftain." Emperor Bidatsu permitted him.
"I present a memorial that Her Highness the Dowager Empress asked me to give to Your Majesty on her behalf for the court to know." Moriya said
Emperor Bidatsu looked at Sato and nodding his head in affirmation, Sato walked up to Moriya and he took the memorial into his possession
Walking up to the throne he bowed his head as he offered it to the Emperor who took it and unfolded it while he looked at Moriya.
He looked through the Memorial.
"What does it say Your Majesty?" Moriya asked.
"This is news that I believe all of you should hear and I shall read it out aloud for you." Emperor Bidatsu replied as they all bowed their heads.
"HIS HIGHNESS IS ABLE AND WISE TO CHOOSE HIS OWN COURTIERS AND MAKE GOOD DECISIONS ON BEHALF OF THE STATE.
HIS LATE MAJESTY THE EMPEROR COULD HAVE NOMINATED ME AS REGENT BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT IN GUIDING THE NEW EMPEROR I HAVE PLAYED MY PART ALREADY.
I HEREBY RESIGN MY EFFORTS AND POWERS TO STAND AS A NOMINAL REGENT ALONE AND LEAVE THE REST OF THE WORK TO HIS MAJESTY AS THE INNER COURT NEEDS TO BE KEPT RUNNING AND MYSELF ALREADY BEING ITS ELDER I ASSUME DIRECT RESPONSIBILITY UNTIL I RETIRE TO MY TOMB.
IT IS HENCEFORTH HEARD AND FROM NOW ON I AM ONLY KEEPER OF THE IMPERIAL SEAL." Emperor Bidatsu read as he closed the memorial.
"Yes Your Majesty." Every one said in unison as they bowed their heads.
"I believe that matter has been well handled." Emperor Bidatsu said.
"Yes Your Majesty." The Courtiers said.
Umako turned a glance towards Moriya who smirked from the corner of his eye.
"Do you have any other issue that you would wish to present to me." Emperor Bidatsu asked.
"Yes Your Majesty." Umako replied.
"What is it Umako?" Emperor Bidatsu asked.
"I too have a memorial to submit from the State Tribunal." Umako replied as Sato descended and hurried over to him while taking the memorial into his possession, he returned to the Emperor with it and Emperor Bidatsu took it into his hands.
"What's this?" Emperor Bidatsu asked as he slowly unfolded the memorial.
"Your Majesty, this is the investigation that was carried out on the body of the citizen that attempted to murder Consort Toyomike at Kawachi no Shinaga no naka no o no misasagi." Umako replied.
Emperor Bidatsu read through while Moriya and Mononobe no Suke looked at one another.
"His name was MURA NO HIROKI and prior to the event he was recorded to have been to a number of places in the city but one he frequently visited was the Bamboo Pavilion." Umako said.
"I checked for his criminal records and he has been arrested a number of times but he has always managed to escape from prison every time that he had the opportunity to do so." Umako added.
"The most recent person that had apprehended him for his previous crime of theft was Honourable Soga no Shoruge and perhaps the reason for the attack would have been because of a grudge that he had on him but that is unlikely because other than belonging to the same clan with the Imperial Consort Toyomike, there is no other blood relationship that he shared with her." Umako concluded.
"It says here that he was convicted once doing the governance of Mononobe no Morae but his case was dropped halfway and he was released despite having a very long criminal record." Emperor Bidatsu said.
"Yes Your Majesty." Umako accepted.
"Just who in the world is this MURA NO HIROKI and I am rather concerned that my Ministers are rather incompetent to free a man like this into the society." Emperor Bidatsu remarked.
"Our apologies Your Majesty." All the Courtiers said in unison as they bowed their heads.
"Where did Mononobe no Morae go?" Emperor Bidatsu asked.
"Your Majesty, after you had him demoted as the Crown Prince in Nara two years ago, he was sent to live in the province of Emishi as a low ranking official." Mononobe no Moriya replied.
"Honourable Fujiwara no Shige." Emperor Bidatsu called.
"Yes Your Majesty." Fujiwara no Shige replied.
"I am going to give you this opportunity and you are going to work with Honourable Otomo Ren Nukate." Emperor Bidatsu said.
"Yes Your Majesty." Fujiwara no Shige replied.
"The both of you shall carry out an investigation on all the cases that were closed by Mononobe no Morae and until you have confirmed with me the criminals and their families along with their wellbeing, you shall all not apprehend anyone or simply let them go before I have looked into it." Emperor Bidatsu added.
"Yes Your Majesty." They said in unison as they bowed their heads.
"This Assembly is dismissed." Emperor Bidatsu said as he stood up and he descended from the throne while he departed from their presence.
Moriya and Mononobe no Suke were walking out of the throne room.
"Why did her Highness choose to decline from prominence to a nominal Regent?" Mononobe no Suke asked.
"She was afraid." Moriya replied.
"What could her son do to her?" Mononobe no Suke asked.
"You have no idea." Moriya replied, "considering the fact that His Majesty seems to have made up his mind and carry out an investigation on the incident that took place at Kawachi no Shinaga no naka no o no misasagi it is a very clear indicator that Her Highness the Imperial Consort Toyomike has him wrapped around her finger." Moriya replied.
"I am intrigued, Her Highness' beauty is that captivating to endanger an entire Nation." Mononobe no Suke remarked.
"Others could also be speaking and talking behind our backs accusing the Emperor for having been so vulnerable to the charms of a woman it feels like she is already ruling Wa from the back of her curtain." Moriya said.
"He should be enraged at the attempt and who wouldn't yet as it is right now the Imperial Consort has been more popularised amongst the people than his Empress." Mononobe no Suke said.
"Beauty can be very advantageous to someone who uses it and it is clear in the Emperor's Actions that under the Influence of his Consort he might root out Her Highness the Dowager Empress' clout from the political circle while the Sogas on the other hand are becoming stronger." Moriya said.
"But if the Dowager Empress did it then you and I both know that relinquishing her power is but a step in her most grandiose plan." Mononobe no Suke said.
"It might be, and might be not." Moriya replied.
"What do you mean by that?" Mononobe no Suke asked, "You are starting to see things far more differently than you usually do." He added.
"I am starting to see a while new picture for Consort Toyomike because as it is right now on her side the Emperor seems to be consolidated whereas for the Dowager Empress it is as though she is struggling to sustain a friendly relationship with her son to ensure that it isn't thrown into tatters." Moriya replied.
"At a time like this one would only be looking for survival, isn't it what we should do?" Mononobe no Suke asked.
"We have no choice for survival except to resist, whereas Her Highness is our only refuge we can not abandon her because if we do it is like cutting off our own arms and feet." Moriya said.
"Resistance is our calling can we not cultivate the very method that Umako did?" Mononobe no Suke asked as they walked through the Courtyard and were slowly approaching the gates to the exit.
"We are each concerned about our wellbeing but putting it all aside right now if Umako was able to foster a good relationship with the Emperor while he was the Crown Prince then he was of age, The Empress' oldest surviving son However is still to young that he knows nothing about politics yet." Moriya said.
"But I heard that Her Highness the Dowager Empress designated you to be his personal teacher." Mononobe no Suke said.
"He isn't that intelligent and for the time being he still has a lot to learn yet he seems to have withdrawn his interests from it.
I am afraid that if he keeps up this behavior then he might not become the Crown Prince after all the Emperor's favourite has a son as well." Mononobe no Moriya remarked.
"It's unfortunate but that boy is our only chance for survival." Mononobe no Suke said.
"He needs to be pushed so that he can move and for that to happen perhaps we need to be patient with him, when the time is right and a lot of turbulence has set in between Her Highness the Imperial Consort Toyomike and the Emperor then we could act." Mononobe no Moriya replied.
"His Majesty is so deeply in love with Consort Toyomike other than the last time she was framed from being rendezvous with the Imperial Prince Anahobe they haven't had any other big fight going on amongst themselves." Mononobe no Suke said.
"Her Highness sees things differently and we are treading on thin ice however should the will of heaven be on our side then I am most confident that that faithfulness and trust might slowly start to waver with the Emperor's pride." Moriya remarked.
"I certain hope so too because if there is victory for the Imperial Consort Toyomike against us then I am very much afraid that our destruction shall be at hand." Mononobe no Suke remarked.
"Her Highness the Dowager Empress submitted a memorial to the Emperor beforehand informing him that she is stepping down to a nominal regent." Umako said.
"Really?" Consort Toyomike asked.
"Yes." Umako confirmed.
"She's really formidable and flexible." Consort Toyomike remarked.
"I don't understand why she would choose at this time to relinquish such power especially when the Emperor just ascended the throne." Umako said.
"She may be cruel but she doesn't wish to sever her relationship with her son and she also knew that if she didn't do it willingly someone else would have asked the Emperor to do it to her." Consort Toyomike remarked.
"By someone else do you mean yourself Your Highness?" Umako asked.
"Yes." Consort Toyomike replied.
"And the Crown Prince would listen to you that much?" Umako said.
"Yes." Consort Toyomike replied.
Umako smiled.
"This is such a cut throat competition and you might have not become the Empress but you gained much more than you lost." Umako praised.
"Don't laud me, I did nothing." Consort Toyomike said, "Her Highness is rather so foresighted because she could relinquish her power as a nominal regent in a single stroke of ink but she has consolidated her Power and gained so much more from that." She added.
"I can't seem to get your Highness." Umako said.
"With or without Imperial powers much of creation bows down to her already and this move was to clear her of any suspicion from her son.
Initially I thought that only I could manipulate the most benevolent character as a wife and as a daughter to the late Emperor but Her Highness has shown her prowess in imitating the skill as well.
She'd retain her most loyal Courtiers and I couldn't discredit her in front of the Emperor because that would make him hate me.
If she were to be accused of treason in the near future without proof don't you think that it would be close to Impossible for the Crown Prince to suspect her." Consort Toyomike said.
"I see." Umako said.
"My prominence and my fame on one side is laden by her faked humility and reserve on the other and if someone were to be called power hungry in any context she would redeem herself and I would be the scapegoat." Consort Toyomike said.
"She has now mastered the Control of the Inner Court and perhaps she is competing with you for the hearts of the people, having failed this time what are you going to do?" Umako asked.
"I haven't failed yet." Consort Toyomike replied, "I only need the perfect opportunity to come around and in it I shall be able to provoke her and lure her into my trap." Consort Toyomike replied.
"You are in deed very smart Your Highness." Unako said.
"Don't worry about a thing." Consort Toyomike said, "What I have prepared for Her Highness she certainly won't see it coming her way." She added as she smiled.
"Did they do as I had asked of them?" Dowager Empress Ishi Hime asked.
"Yes Your Highness." Empress Hirohime replied.
"Good." Dowager Empress Ishi Hime remarked.
"I still don't understand Your Highness." Empress Hirohime said.
"You shouldn't worry so much, you don't have to." Dowager Empress Ishi Hime remarked.
"If you say so Your Highness." Empress Hirohime Said.
"No matter what happens just see to it that you stick to our original arrangement." Dowager Empress Ishi Hime said.
"Yes Your Highness." Empress Hirohime replied.
"I hope that is taken in good faith." Dowager Empress Ishi Hime said.
"Mother, I heard that His Majesty is rather persistent as it is with finding out who it was that tried to assassinate the Imperial Consort Toyomike at Kawachi no Shinaga no naka no o no misasagi." Empress Hirohime said.
"He should foster concern about what is his." Dowager Empress Ishi Hime remarked.
"If he decides to investigate this further won't our names suffice?" Empress Hirohime asked.
"It might not be that favourable as so much accuracy was invested in that small scheme which is honestly a very big one but for the result let us see what heaven has to decide, His Majesty might end up shocked from the result." Dowager Empress Ishi Hime said so seriously.
"If you say so mother." Empress Hirohime said.
It was dark and Consort Toyomike was sleeping in the bed with her husband the Emperor.
It was already far past midnight and there in the room she started to hear someone coughing and she was instantly awakened.
She looked about and caught sight of the wan moonlight that illuminated her husband on the left side of the bed.
She leaned over to him and inspecting his face she noticed he was sweaty.
"Your Majesty." She called as she shook him a little but he only coughed a little bit louder and louder.
"Sato?" Consort Toyomike called when touching his forehead she noticed that it was rather very hot.
He wasn't coming yet.
"Sato?" She called louder again and he rushed in to the very place where Consort Toyomike and Emperor Bidatsu were.
"What is it Your Highness?" Sato asked.
"His Majesty is running a fever." Consort Toyomike said.
"What?" Sato asked in disbelief.
"Call the Imperial physicians." Consort Toyomike ordered.
"Yes Your Highness." Sato replied as he hurriedly got up and rushed out of the Emperor's Chambers while Consort Toyomike got out of her bed and rushed to her husband's side.
"Honey?" She called him but he wasn't responding as his face was pale and his forehead was red against the candle light that had been ignited nearby.
It was a matter of time when the doors to the room of Dowager Empress Ishi Hime were opened and Sakae rushed in.
"Your Highness." She said as she bowed her head.
"What is it?" Dowager Empress Ishi Hime asked.
"It's His Majesty." Sakae replied.
"What's wrong with him?" Dowager Empress Ishi Hime asked.
"Trouble in the Palace, his Majesty is reported by our spies to be so sick." Sakae replied.
"What!" Dowager Empress Ishi Hime exclaimed as she got up from her bed.
"Let's go see him." She said.
"If you say so Your Highness." Sakae said as they both rushed out of the room.
Consort Toyomike stood right beside the bed when the Imperial Physician examined Her husband.
He was taking his pulse and at the same time he checked his temperature as the Emperor seemed to have cooled down.
"What's wrong with His Majesty?" Consort Toyomike asked.
"I don't understand." The Imperial physician replied.
"How can you tell me that you can not understand, you are the very best that Nara has to offer and you are telling me you do not understand?" Consort Toyomike scolded.
"Your Highness, we are incompetent perhaps but from the signs that His Majesty is portraying these are symptoms that I myself I cannot call ordinary." The Imperial Physician replied.
"It could be an illness." Consort Toyomike said.
"It's not one that we know." The Imperial Physician replied as the pulse of his Majesty is rather hard to detect we can not tell that he has been poisoned or not if we just prescribe any medicines for him they might only become more corrosive in his system." The Imperial physician replied.
"What about the fever, can't you at least conclude something from that?" Consort Toyomike asked.
"By the time that we were here his body temperature has already started to become normal much as he is unconscious, as it is there is no medical history that his Majesty has with any illness so I think this is something that only happened either because he ate something that was contaminated." The Imperial Physician replied.
"Will His Majesty be fine?" Consort Toyomike asked.
"You can rest assured Your Highness." The Imperial Physician replied, "His Majesty shall awaken normally in a few hours or minutes." The Imperial physician replied.
"Thank you so much." Consort Toyomike had just mentioned when the Dowager Empress Ishi Hime sprang through the doors as she trotted over to her son's side.
"Your Highness." Everyone who was present in the room said as they bowed their heads.
"What happened to my son?" Dowager Empress Ishi Hime asked.
"Nothing Your Highness, His Majesty must have consumed something but not so much harm has been done to him." The Imperial Physician replied.
"Consumed something?" Dowager Empress Ishi Hime asked as she turned to look at Consort Toyomike.
"Yes Your Highness." The Imperial physician affirmed.
"What exactly is it?" Dowager Empress Ishi Hime Asked.
"I don't know." The Imperial Physician replied.
At that moment Kabane rushed into the room as he approached Consort Toyomike right where she was standing.
"Your Highness." he said as he bowed his head to her.
"What's the matter?" Consort Toyomike asked.
"Her Highness the Empress is here." Kabane replied.
"The Empress?" Consort Toyomike asked.
"Yes Your Highness." Kabane replied as the doors of the Chambers were flung open and the Empress walked in with a stranger who had been ceased and a bunch of Imperial guards escorted her.
They halted right in the middle of the room.
"Your Highness." Consort Toyomike said as she bowed her head to the Empress.
"Don't waste my time." Empress Hirohime said.
"I'm sorry Your Highness, what is it that brings you here to me?" Consort Toyomike asked.
"What are you doing here?" Dowager Empress Ishi Hime asked.
"Cease that evil witch." Empress Hirohime ordered the Imperial guards.
"Yes Your Highness." They replied as they bowed their heads and rushed over to Consort Toyomike and they held her hands.
"What's going on here?" Consort Toyomike asked.
"Ask this man?" Empress Hirohime said as they threw the man onto the ground.
"It was Her Highness who asked me to do it." The man defended himself.
"Do what?" Consort Toyomike asked.
The man hurriedly rushed over to the left side of the Emperor's bed and from there he picked up a small sisal doll that had a talisman attached to it's front with the name of Consort Toyomike on top and the name of Emperor Bidatsu on the back.
"This." the man said. as he showed it to the Dowager Empress who snatched it out of his hand and looked at the seven pins that were pierced in it one in the head and the others at the hands and the feet along with the chest.
There were droplets if blood that had dried on the talismans it was shaped in the crude Image of a man.
"I believe that you have seen for yourselves." Empress Hirohime said.
"What is this?" Dowager Empress Ishi Hime asked.
"Her Highness the Imperial Consort Toyomike has been a staunch practicer of witchcraft within this Imperial Palace and I believe that she has bewitched His Majesty the Emperor." Empress Hirohime replied.
Consort Toyomike looked so surprised.
"These are baseless accusations." Consort Toyomike said.
"You still refuse to confess." Empress Hirohime asked when a couple of her ladies in waiting walked in with sacks.
"What are these?" Consort Toyomike asked.
"Your objects for witchcraft that have been assembled from your side of the Imperial palace where you once resided within your bedroom and also from your previous Quarters in Osada no Miya and given that you know this witch doctor and he recognizes you you have been found guilty and you shall be punished and interrogated until you have confessed to your Crimes." Empress Hirohime said.
Dowager Empress Ishi Hime hearing this with the voodoo doll in her hands she walked across from the side of her son and she stood in front of Consort Toyomike.
Her face was entirely furious.
"About how my son would entirely be so devoted to you, about how he doted on you so deeply, about everything that he has given you, all this time not for your beauty but you were a cunning and conniving witch." Dowager Empress Ishi Hime said.
She slapped Consort Toyomike immediately and she fell onto the ground while she looked back at the Empress at that moment defeated as she was wrongly accused.
She looked at Empress Hirohime and saw contentment in her eyes.
"You heartless wench, so inconsiderate of everything that His Majesty has given you you now desire to take his own life from him?" She added as she slapped her again and she stood upright.
"You don't know what you are doing and I did not bewitch His Majesty." Consort Toyomike said.
"Guards." Dowager Empress Ishi Hime called and they gathered around the Princess.
"This is now a matter of the Inner Court and as it's head before the investigation is concluded you shall be taken in for interrogation and you shall be stripped of Your title as Imperial Consort temporarily while we handle this matter." Dowager Empress Ishi Hime said. "Take her away." She added.
"Yes Your Highness." The guards replied as they ceased Consort Toyomike and forced her to stand up from where she was fallen.
Slowly while looking at the Dowager Empress Ishi Hime and the Empress Hirohime from the corner of her eyes she was dragged away.
"Your Highness." Dowager Empress Ishi Hime said.
"Yes mother." Empress Hirohime replied.
"Let's go to the interrogation room at once." She ordered.
"Yes Your Highness." Empress Hirohime replied.
"Bring all the evidence with you and bring the witness as well." Dowager Empress Ishi Hime ordered.
"Yes Your Highness." Empress Hirohime replied as she walked out of the room leaving Sato and Kabane alone.
"Where is Sina?" Sato asked.
"I don't know." Kabane replied, "Perhaps she went to see General Fujiyaro." He added.
"Go and see her along with him." Sato said. "He'll know what to do about this matter." He added.
"What about His Majesty?" Kabane asked.
"I'll watch him here with Sato." another voice said and they turned around to see who it was that walked through the doors to the Emperor's Chambers.
"Miwa?" Sato called.
"Yes." Miwa no Sakau replied.
"Where have you been?" Kabane asked.
"His Majesty had sent me to run some errands in the night, when I heard about his situation I had to come as fast as I could." Miwa no Sakau replied.
"Her Highness has been apprehended for witchcraft abd Sorcery." Kabane said.
"I know and now is not the time, you just go and find Sina and General Fujiyaro." Miwa no Sakau said.
"Yes." Kabane replied as he hurriedly ran out of the room.
Consort Toyomike was brought into the interrogation room and Dowager Empress Ishi Hime along with the Empress Hirohime followed.
It was a dark room with very tall walls that confined them, there were chains that were hanging about and poles and there was a small chair and another small table where the interrogator sat.
Consort Toyomike was put down onto her knees and the two Empresses positioned themselves right in front of her.
"The voodoo doll and all the other witchcraft objects that they had gathered were put right in front of her.
"Confess." Dowager Empress Ishi Hime said.
"I am not guilty." Consort Toyomike replied.
"You realise that this is a matter of the Inner Court and His Majesty can not meddle however much he liked given that we have so much of this evidence against you." Dowager Empress Ishi Hime said.
"I don't care what it is that you have against me or these allegations at all, one thing I certainly won't do is to plead my guilt here in front of all of you." Consort Toyomike said.
"Very fine then." Dowager Empress Ishi Hime remarked.
"She needs to know what the real pain here is." Empress Hirohime said.
"Tie her to the pole." Dowager Empress Ishi Hime ordered.
"Yes Your Highness." The guards replied in unison as they ceased Toyomike and carried her from the ground they dragged her towards the dark pole that was in the nearby corner.
They tied her to the pole and at that moment Dowager Empress Ishi Hime walked up to her.
"His Majesty is the only son that I have and my heart ached so much when I heard that he was unwell, yet here you are and you are responsible for his condition.
"Whatever it is that you are saying I don't know anything about the voodoo doll any of those witchcraft objects that you hold in your possession." Consort Toyomike said.
"So this is another scheme?" Dowager Empress Ishi Hime asked, "Why would I have to hurt my son to get rid of you?" She asked.
"You don't necessarily have to do it." Consort Toyomike said as she raised her head and looked her in the eye. "Are there no people that hold you dear, loyal compeers and servants of yours?" She asked.
"You always have such a sweet tongue." Dowager Empress Ishi Hime said.
"I can not stoop this low." Consort Toyomike said.
"You and I both know that a desperate person can do anything." Dowager Empress Ishi Hime said.
"If that was the case why do you justify yourself that you are not too desperate to hurt your own son?" Consort Toyomike asked, "Why do you think that I would turn to such a very useless and brainless scheme, am I that careless to be watched?" She added.
The Dowager Empress kept quiet while Consort Toyomike smiled.
"All your life you thought that you are the only one that is befitting of the most luminous schemes and the only one that doesn't need to use a very weak means to subdue your enemies but you are accusing me because it is what you want to believe." Consort Toyomike said.
"How boastful of you but do you know why I am feared throughout the whole Inner Court?" Dowager Empress Ishi Hime asked.
"I don't fear you." Consort Toyomike replied.
"Then I'll tell you that it's not my might, it's not my power, but I too can be cruel so much that I can make you regret being born and perhaps I shall teach you to fear me right now." Dowager Empress Ishi Hime said as she stared coldly at her eyes.