Raven of the Inner Palace Vol. 1, page 1
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyrights and Credits
Table of Contents Page
Chapter 1: The Jade Earring
Chapter 2: The Flower Whistle
Chapter 3: The Skylark Princess
Chapter 4: The Glass Prayer
Newsletter
DEEP INSIDE the inner palace lived a woman known as the Raven Consort.
Despite being a consort by title, the Raven Consort was special. She never provided any sort of nighttime entertainment to the emperor, and instead kept a low profile, spending her days inside her jet-black palace and rarely emerging from its doors. Some claimed to have seen her, but their reports were inconsistent—for every person who said she was an old woman, there was someone who said she was a young girl.
In hushed tones, people speculated that maybe she was immortal, or possibly a fearsome ghost. They even said she had mystical magic powers, and rumor had it that she’d take on any task you requested of her. From putting a deadly curse on somebody you hated to summoning the spirits of the dead to finding missing items, she could do it all.
Even though she was a consort who resided in the inner palace, she never received any visits from the emperor…or at least, she wasn’t supposed to.
One night, however, two shadowy figures made their way toward her palace.
“Ironic that it’s called the Yamei Palace, isn’t it?”
With hanging lanterns illuminating the walkway he traveled, Ka Koshun gazed at the palace in front of him. The Yamei Palace—meaning “the palace that shone brightly at night”—had jet-black walls that seemed even darker than the darkness that enveloped it. If the moon were out on this night, it would have lit up its blue, lustrous glazed roof tiles, but unfortunately, tonight’s moonlight was blocked out by the clouds.
“That’s just because the lanterns haven’t been lit,” remarked Eisei, who was holding a lamp. He was a eunuch. His voice was high yet clear, and his features were just as beautiful.
Lanterns adorned the front of the Yamei Palace, but none were aflame.
“None from the palace eunuch institute dare get close to the Yamei Palace. They’re too scared. I did warn you,” Eisei continued.
“How come?” Koshun’s voice was also quiet as he posed this brief question. He wasn’t making a concerted effort to lower his voice because of his surroundings, though—it was just his usual way. As deep as his tone was, his voice wasn’t cold. Instead, the sound of it brought to mind images of the light seeping through the trees on a winter’s day.
“They say there’s an ominous bird inside, waiting to take flight.”
“What kind of bird?”
“A large, golden one. They say that if you get too close to the palace, it’ll attack you.”
“Oh.” Koshun acknowledged Eisei’s musings, but he didn’t seem very interested. His eyes were fixed on the jet-black palace. There was no light coming from inside the unassuming building, so it looked completely abandoned.
Eisei glanced up at Koshun’s fearless expression from beside him. “Are you really going to visit the Raven Consort, master?”
“That’s what I’m here for,” Koshun replied bluntly.
When a eunuch referred to somebody as such, there was only one person in the land of Sho that they could be talking to—the emperor.
“I don’t see anything wrong with me paying one of my consorts a visit.”
“But the Raven Consort isn’t like your other consorts. If you meet with her, disaster will befall you.”
Koshun let out a deep chuckle. “I never thought you’d fall for those rumors, Sei.”
Eisei held his tongue.
“When it comes to the Raven Consort, the rumors vary from plausible theories to complete nonsense, but I know…”
Koshun stopped in his tracks. In front of him stood a cobblestone staircase with large jet-black doors at the top, closed tight to ward off any potential visitors.
“We can worry about the details later. I’ll find out whether the Raven Consort is an immortal or a ghost when I see her with my own eyes.”
He placed his foot onto a cobblestone step. Eisei had taken the lead and pushed against the doors, and they opened slightly without making a sound. Surprised, he backed away, but at that same moment, something flew out from the shadowy gap between the doors, accompanied by a piercing screech.
Eisei dropped his candlestick, plunging their surroundings into darkness. He could still hear the peculiar cry and the sound of flapping wings, but it was so dark that he couldn’t make out what the creature was.
“Stay back, master,” Eisei said as distinct, harsh wingbeats and cries echoed through the air.
He soon fell quiet, and the only sound that could be heard was the bird feebly flapping its wings. Once Koshun’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw that Eisei was holding the large bird by the scruff of its neck.
“A…chicken?”
The creature that was writhing in Eisei’s grip looked similar to a plump chicken, but its wings glistened faintly in the dark. They looked like they had been drenched in gold dust.
“This bird was a hair’s breadth away from harming you, master. Would you like me to wring its neck?” Eisei suggested, prepared to strangle the creature.
“No, wait,” Koshun replied in an effort to stop him.
At that moment, however…
“Hey, you lout. Let go of Shinshin,” a voice called out.
The doors opened wide, and that calm voice had come from inside. It sounded like the voice of a sweet young girl—as calm as ripples on water—and it lingered pleasantly in the men’s ears.
Eisei was so distracted by it that he let the chicken get away. The bird flew back inside. Before them was a spacious room with rows of thin silk curtains draped from the ceiling. At the far end, a white hand peeked out from between a gap in the fabric.
Before those curtains hung lanterns in the shape of lotus flowers. Each one emitted a small amount of light that poured down on the individual who emerged.
For a few moments, Koshun and Eisei were both speechless.
The figure illuminated in the faint light was that of a beautiful young girl with a pale face and a slight build. She must have been around fifteen or sixteen years old. She wore a traditional hairstyle in which her hair was styled in a bow shape at the back of her head. Her elegant hairdo was adorned with hairpins and intricate golden decorations that were designed to swing as she walked. The two men also noticed peonies embellishing the point where her hair was pinned up, their blossoms as large as the girl’s small face. The surprising thing, however, was her clothing—from head to toe, her outfit was as black as coal. Both her robe and the skirt that was worn hiked up over her chest were the same dark color. This outfit, known as a shanqun, was made of black satin with a glossy luster. It was embroidered with delicate floral leaf patterns and featured a gorgeous image of a bird carrying a flower woven into the skirt. The shawl wrapped around her shoulders was made from fine black silk, but the way it glistened as dazzlingly as the evening dew suggested that obsidian may have been woven into its threads.
It was certainly fitting attire for someone called the Raven Consort.
The young girl held the runaway chicken in her arms to stop him from escaping again. Then she looked up at Eisei from under her long eyelashes.
“This is my precious magic bird. If you kill him, there will be no atonement. You should be more careful.”
Koshun noticed that the girl spoke in a very old-fashioned way—and she sounded quite arrogant.
“Are you the Raven Consort, Ryu?”
The young girl then directed her onyx-like eyes toward Koshun. “Why have you come to see me with just your attendant by your side? As I’m sure you know, I don’t engage in any affairs of the night.”
“You were supposed to receive prior notice of my visit.”
“I have received no such thing. Besides, Shinshin would have driven any messenger away.”
The young girl put her golden chicken Shinshin down at her feet. The floor was covered with floral patterned-rugs.
Appalled by the girl’s words and attitude, Eisei scowled and was about to give her a piece of his mind, but the emperor held him back. The two men entered the room and stood in front of a small table with a brocade tablecloth on top of it. The area was filled with the smell of incense wafting from an intricate silver container.
“I have a favor to ask of you, Raven Consort. Hear me out.”
Having announced his intentions, Koshun sat down in a chair. The young girl frowned and made no effort to draw closer. Undeterred, Koshun put his hand in his pocket, took something out, and placed the item on the table.
“I’ve heard that your role is to undertake any task that is asked of you, whether it be placing a deadly curse, benediction, or finding a lost item. Is this correct?”
The girl frowned even more as she glared at the item that Koshun put on the table. It was a jade earring. Instead of being a pair, it was one singular earring with a large, droplet-shaped piece of jade dangling from a gold clasp.
“I won’t undertake any task. And all requests come at a price.”
“A price?”
“There’s a saying that goes, ‘If you curse another, dig two graves.’ If you want to place a deadly curse on someone, then another life must be sacrificed to that end. If it’s benediction that you desire, then your material possessions must be offered up. The p
“And if I simply wanted to know who this earring belongs to?” Koshun asked, picking up the jade earring.
The deep green jade, as bright as freshwater, glowed gently in the subtle radiance of the light.
“I decline.”
“How come?”
“You could soon solve that mystery yourself—all you would have to do is ask around. Is that beyond your capabilities for some reason, or do you just have too much time on your hands? Whatever the case, I doubt anything good will come of this. I have no intention of getting embroiled in something so petty.”
She’s smart, thought Koshun about the young woman in front of him.
“People say you are either immortal or a ghost…” Koshun placed the earring down again and stood up. He drew closer to the girl. “But you’re a normal girl, aren’t you?” he said quietly, taking hold of her hand.
It was a warm, humanlike hand. The girl tensed up.
“I heard that you were found and brought here at a very young age. Now that I think about it, I still haven’t asked for your name. What is it?”
The girl darted her eyes about. Her voice was nothing more than a quiet whisper. “…Jusetsu.”
“Ryu Jusetsu… That’s a nice name,” Koshun replied nonchalantly.
Jusetsu glared up the emperor with a hint of redness in her cheeks. Koshun found himself thinking that she resembled a cat whose fur was standing on end. He looked down at the girl’s hand in his. Her arms were pale and slender, but he could see small marks on her skin. They were reddish-brown and shaped like flowers—but they almost resembled burn scars.
Jusetsu shook herself free from Koshun’s grip.
“Your request doesn’t interest me. Now leave.”
That was a bit harsh, thought the emperor—but at that same moment, Jusetsu took a peony out of her hair. As soon as she placed it in her palm, it dissipated in a wisp of smoke and transformed into a pale red flame.
Koshun wasn’t the type to be fazed by much, but this understandably surprised him and caused him to take a step back.
When Jusetsu blew air into the flame, a powerful gust hit Koshun and he was overcome by a peculiar sense of vertigo. He closed his eyes tight and turned his face away from the wind. Once the emperor steadied his wobbly legs and looked up, he found himself outside with that jet-black doorway standing in front of him.
Nobody said a word. Koshun simply stared at the doors, dumbfounded. What was going on?
“You’ve forgotten something,” Jusetsu called out.
The doors opened slightly, and the earring came flying out of the gap between them. Koshun quickly reached out and grabbed it, and the doors slammed shut again with a loud thud.
“Looks like we’ve been locked out…”
Eisei stood by the emperor’s side, looking confused. “Was that an example of the Raven Consort’s mystical abilities?”
“It looks that way. I suppose I upset her though, haven’t I?” Koshun put the earring in his breast pocket and took a moment to catch his breath.
She may have been called Jusetsu—a name written using the characters for “longevity” and “snow”—but her temperament was more reminiscent of fiery summer heat.
Koshun descended the stairs outside the palace and began to go back the way he came. Eisei picked up the lamp he dropped from its place on the ground and followed suit.
“Who is the Raven Consort?”
“She’s…some sort of shrine maiden, I suppose.”
“What do you mean?”
“She may be descended from the shrine maiden who served the goddess Uren Niangniang. There used to be a shrine here, long ago. After that, the previous dynasty built the imperial estate here.” Koshun sounded as if he were reading straight out of the Duo Encyclopedia of History.
“The emperors held the mystical abilities that the shrine maiden possessed in such high esteem that they wanted to keep them all to themselves. As such, they decided to keep her in the inner palace and bestow her with a special title—the Raven Consort. Or, at least, that’s what it says in the book.”
Koshun’s grandfather inherited the throne from an emperor from the previous dynasty—thus establishing the current one—and kept the capital and the imperial estate the way they were. The Raven Consort’s presence was just another part of that.
“The Raven Consort doesn’t get replaced when a new emperor comes to power. The previous Raven Consort had been there since the previous dynasty, and the current Ryu Raven Consort took on the role two years ago.”
Which was before Koshun ascended to the throne.
“They say it’s that golden chicken that finds the Raven Consort’s successor. I’m relieved you didn’t strangle it, Sei. Your hasty impulses could have got us in a lot of trouble.”
Eisei looked embarrassed. “Even so, do you really need to ask a favor from a little girl like that, master?” It seemed like Eisei couldn’t bear the way Jusetsu spoke to the emperor as if he were an equal—no, as if she were his superior.
“No one can order the Raven Consort to do anything. That’s what makes her special. Who am I to break a rule that has been in effect for generations?” Koshun hated breaking the rules. He believed that reason was to be respected, and both benevolence and righteousness were to be observed.
“You take these things far too seriously, master,” Eisei grumbled.
The corners of Koshun’s mouth turned up slightly. “Word has it that the walls of the Yamei Palace are painted black because they’ve been soiled with the blood of those who tried to harm the Raven Consort. Did you know that, Sei?”
Eisei scowled, almost as if he could smell the blood himself.
Koshun patted his chest. The jade earring was inside his breast pocket.
“Well, what do we do now?”
Koshun had to get Jusetsu to accept his request, even if it meant appeasing her.
After all, it was likely something that only she could help him with.
***
The young woman placed a piece of fragrant wood on top of the ashes in the furnace and, after a short wait, a thin wisp of smoke slowly trailed from the incense burner. A strong aroma filled the air.
Jusetsu moved away from the incense burner and sat down in her chair. As pleasant as the scent was, it didn’t help her melancholic mood.
It was because of the young emperor, who had visited her the previous night. And she knew he’d probably come again.
What a nuisance, she thought to herself. The modest requests she received from the women of the inner palace didn’t bother her, but the emperor’s request was extremely troublesome.
Jusetsu rubbed her arm over her robe—the same arm that Koshun grabbed the previous night. From close up, the emperor looked younger than she imagined, but he still appeared mature for his age. His gaze was as gentle as the winter sun, but she expected him to be more intimidating.
The emperor had ascended the throne just one year after Jusetsu took over from the previous Raven Consort. There was apparently some sort of trouble when it came to deciding the previous emperor’s successor, but Jusetsu was a shut-in who devoted herself to discipline. She didn’t know the details, and they didn’t interest her either.
Shinshin was stretched out on the mat, but suddenly looked up with a start. It immediately flapped its wings and began to thrash about. The bird then raced around the room, crying out as it did so.
“Stop it, Shinshin.”
Jusetsu tried to quell the bird’s outburst, but Shinshin didn’t seem to be listening at all. Instead, it scattered its feathers about as it wailed. The golden chicken was an obedient bird when the previous Raven Consort was still around—but now that Jusetsu was in charge, it completely ignored everything she said.
Legend had it that the golden bird could sense if there was gold in the vicinity and could also locate dead bodies. It was a mystical bird with golden feathers—a rare creature indeed. Originally, Shinshin had a slim build, but perhaps due to the lavish offerings that were provided for it in the inner palace, it had now become quite plump. When Jusetsu first laid eyes on the bird, it occurred to her that it would taste wonderful roasted. However, Shinshin may have sensed this, as it still kept her at arms’ length.
Jusetsu sighed and raised her hand toward the doors. She made a gesture that looked as if she was pulling at a piece of string, and they silently opened.
