A Tale of False Fortunes

Chapter Five

Chapter Five c 99 Chapter Five c The description in A Tale of Flowering Fortunes implies that it was at the urging of her grandfather, Takashina no Naritada, that Empress Teishi resolved to take the little princess and return to the imperial palace. Naritada mourned the loss of his daughter, Kishi, and the grandsons on whom he had so counted, Korechika and Takaie, were in exile. Though he was experiencing disappointment as only an old man can, he nevertheless remained resolute in his prayers for the revival of his family’s fortunes. He was disappointed that Empress Teishi’s first child was a princess, but took comfort in the fact that no other child had been born to the emperor by any of his ladies-in-waiting and that, as long as the emperor and empress had an intimate relationship, a prince was certain to be born eventually. He spurred on the reluctant empress, insisting that the incantations and prayers he had been offering were already showing signs of efficacy. Of course, Naritada’s urging did not seem entirely unreasonable, but the empress’ decision to return to the palace and present herself to the emperor after more than a year’s absence—and in spite of having renounced the world by cutting her hair—was not solely the result of her grandfather’s advice; the account in A Tale of False Fortunes suggests that her love for the emperor helped her to bury her shame. There it is recorded: His Majesty was extremely vexed that the Empress showed no interest in returning to court. He no longer had the ladies then serving in the Shòkòden and Kokiden Palaces attend him in the evenings, nor did he join them in any of their splendid diversions. When it grew dark, he would quickly retreat to his evening quarters, where he would spend the night writing letters to the Empress and pining 100 c A Tale of False Fortunes for her. When the Lord Regent saw this, he found it disturbing and reported it to the Empress Dowager. Michinaga’s real intention was to use the empress’ renunciation of the world as an excellent opportunity to prevent the revival of her intimacy with the emperor. No matter how much the emperor yearned for his consort and recommended that she return to court, Michinaga erected a barrier, insisting that it would be an affront to the gods and the buddhas for anyone who had once become a nun to resume her former status as empress. There was no one at court who would venture to carry out the emperor’s wishes in the face of Michinaga’s then solid authority. Even compared with other emperors, he was not at all lacking. Beginning with his features and his disposition, he was in all things felicitously endowed, and therefore people served him with devotion, saying that a degenerate age did not deserve to have such a ruler. As this description in A Tale of False Fortunes indicates, Emperor Ichijò was second only to Emperor Murakami as a young aristocrat of upright character. Moreover, since he was the favorite son of the Higashisanjò empress dowager, Michinaga ’s benefactress, even the regent was unable to manipulate the position of the throne. What Michinaga desired was that Empress Teishi not give birth to a male heir before his eldest daughter reached the appropriate age to be introduced at court as an imperial consort and bear the emperor’s son. The empress dowager also sensed what Michinaga’s intentions were, and for a time likewise recommended that Empress Teishi not return to court with the new princess. One day, however , she was surprised to see how emaciated the emperor looked. After the emperor’s briefing on affairs of state, the empress dowager met with him in the upper quarters of the Kokiden Palace. She looked with pity on his face, on his downcast eyes set above wan, gaunt cheeks. “I have been relieved to hear that Chapter Five c 101 you were not ill, but you do not seem to be in good spirits. What is wrong? It saddens me to see you like this; I have no one to rely on but your majesty.” Upon hearing this, the emperor cast his eyes down even further , then raised them brimming with tears. “Mother, I did not want to say this as long as you are alive...