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Chapter Three
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60 c A Tale of False Fortunes After Michinaga had assumed the regency and taken the reins of government, two new ladies-in-waiting were installed to attend the emperor. One was Genshi, the daughter of Akimitsu, the Horikawa minister of the right, and the other was Gishi, the daughter of Major Counselor Kinsue. Genshi was called Lady Hirohata and had her residence in the Shòkyòden Palace, while Gishi was quartered in the Kokiden Palace. Both were from reputable families and had aspired to court service, but as long as the former regent was in power they held back, fearing that they would be eclipsed by the empress’ influence, which was at its zenith. Now that power had shifted to Michinaga, who personally encouraged them, they resolved to present themselves at court. Now Michinaga did in fact have a daughter of his own, but she was still at the age when girls run and skip, and he could not very well have had her installed at court. Under such circumstances , then, the greatest obstacle he faced was the ability of the empress to captivate the emperor with her charms, and it became necessary for the new regent to use someone—it did not matter whom—as a wedge between the two. Through various connections, Michinaga was able to learn a great deal about the features and dispositions of the two new ladies-inwaiting . Genshi was the granddaughter of Kanemichi (who had always been on bad terms with his elder brother, Kaneie) and, as might therefore be expected, had been raised in an old-fashioned manner with an emphasis on refinement and decorum in all things, but she lacked an engaging charm. Gishi was attractive enough, to be sure, but was not very adept at music and was somewhat dull-witted. Neither possessed a temperament to Chapter Three c Chapter Three c 61 match that of the empress, and Michinaga could plainly see that, by the time his own eldest daughter would come of age, neither would be a serious rival for the emperor’s favors. He was therefore able, with peace of mind, to encourage their installment at court. It would be to his advantage, too, if his majesty should become somewhat infatuated with the new ladies-in-waiting and if princes were born to them. Michinaga was confident of his own power to shift the position of such princes about in any manner. The only unsettling prospect remaining was that of a prince born to Teishi. However, Michinaga’s plan to dampen the affections shared by the emperor and empress was not successful. The emperor did enter into perfunctory intimacies with the ladies-in-waiting living in the Shòkòden and Kokiden Palaces, but such dalliances merely made him realize anew that, as a woman, Teishi was quite without peer in beauty, gentleness, and intelligence. After Michinaga had succeeded to the regency, the empress returned for a time to her parents’ home. Messengers came several times each day bearing letters from the emperor. The ladiesin -waiting and others in the emperor’s retinue began to exchange glances, tugging at one another’s sleeves and gossiping about how his majesty suddenly had so much to say. The empress, who had returned to her parents’ home in the fifth month, again entered court on the nineteenth day of the sixth month and was quartered in the Umetsubo Pavilion. After her return, the emperor rarely went to the quarters of the new ladies-in-waiting. It was a blissful picture of special favor, not unlike that described in the verse from the “Song of Everlasting Sorrow”: “Of the three thousand beauties at court/His love for the one equaled that of three thousand.” The empress dowager was then making frequent trips between the court and her parental home, and at the same time secretly keeping an eye on the relationship between the emperor and empress. That autumn, when she was at the Ichijò Palace, her head felt heavy and her shoulders and lower back began to ache. After taking to her bed, she would occasionally be plagued by fits of coughing and labored breathing. Both the emperor [54.166.170.195] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 22:59 GMT) 62 c A Tale of False Fortunes and Michinaga were extremely worried, thinking that it must be some kind of evil spell or that she must be possessed by a malevolent spirit. They summoned the abbot of Hieizan, called in...