NationStates Jolt Archive

The ten men traveled along the Tokaido road well enough. They were well disguised and had no need to travel by hidden paths. Each one had is hair styled in the same as Kirisuban men. One man traveled in a koga while four men carried it, dressed as koga men. He was dressed in rich silks of a merchant, the five other men road horses and had led pack horses with them. They carried spices and gold and other items that would be identified by anyone as a group of merchants.

However there was nothing ordinary about these men. Each was a graduate of the Tang School of Assassination. Each was skilled in the Silent Kill and the Unheard Path, each a master of death.

The ten assassins had been dispatched a month earlier from the port city of Canton. Traveling as merchants they had entered Kirisuban ports without trouble, speaking fluent Kirisuban and trading their wares. No authorities suspected them; they had removed any part of them from identifying them as Han. All attention was toward the invasion fleet which left several weeks before. They were the perfect citizens of Kirisuba.

Since then the ten men had paid passage and had traveling papers made for them to travel across the land. They also had contacted a local assassin cell. The Han assassin leader had paid the local assassin cell some 30,000 gold pieces in return for an operation to the north in Edo, which would correspond with his own mission.

The group came over a large rise in the road and before them was a large city. Vast and nearly the size of the Forbidden City, it was the holy and ancient Kirisuban city of Kyoto. Home to the Kirisuban figure-head Emperor.

the two most protected people in the Empire were the Shogun Miromuta Katsushiro and the emperor Taisho, son of heaven.

The Imperial palace was always well protcted by 500 veteran samurai from the shoguns armies and even 100 male and female ninja. the ninja were his secret guards and they posed as servants, maids and ladies in waiting. at least five of these elite defenders were with the emperor at all times. the other members of the imperial family (the Empress Yuriko, the infant Crown Prince Saruji and the 10 year old Princess Genjiko) were just as well protected inside and outside the palace.

there hadn't been an attempt on the emperors life in living memory but the possibility was always guarded against.

By nightfall all ten members of the assassin group were prepared and had gotten into position. The Imperial Palace was one built with high walls. It covered some 30 square acres. Very large and ornate, but hardly fit for a real siege or state of warfare.

Three members of the team stood outside the front gates of the palace. Two had posed as venders, selling eel or rice balls from stands to passersby. The third had been dressed as a typical monk muttering prays to for those who put a coin in his collection cup; the man had even shaved his head like local monks. Namu Amida Butsu.

Four men had positioned themselves at the four points of the compass around the walls. Each had watched all day from the shadows as samurai guards marched the along the walls, guarding them. They timed how long it took for a man to walk past and the time between that and when they turned and came back. They had with them silk rapped climbing hooks and thin black rope.

One man had secreted himself into the palace by acting as a worker of a local food supply store. The palace was always bringing in food items to feed the Royal family and it was not hard to get hired by a local supplier for the day. The man slipped in with them, found a cook and kitchen helper who he could copy, removed him, then took his place. The body had been put into the exiting carts of the supplier. The assassins’ partner would remove the body when it returned to the Suppliers store.

The last two men had infiltrated the local whore houses, getting to know off duty policemen and soldiers of the local daimyo: men who would respond to any attack to the Palace, ones who could be killed and replaced with the two assassins. This they did. Finding two drunken local samurai officers, they killed them, disposed of the body in the river, and then took their places. They reported in as the now-dead officers had told them they had to. For the day or two at least, no one would notice the change.

They were set to begin.

normal activities in the palace continued and the wheels of government turned.

A courier from the Shogun delivered current news to the Emperors secretary which he then passed onto the son of heaven.

Although the Emperor had no power the Shogun consulted him from time to time and the issue this time was the royal sucession.

the council of Daimyo's noting that there was only one son in the family had came up with the idea of female sucession or regentship in the case of a crown prince being too young to ascend the throne.

Taisho using his chop agreed to the idea and he knew that someday he would die and that Crown Prince Saruji may not be off age when that happened. Death was inevitable so it was important to ensure that the line continued even if the method went against tradition and conservative opinions.

the courier returns to Edo along with 4 of his mounted colleagues and his work completed for the day he meditates while the Empress Yuriko nursed his son and his daughters lessons continued. Off course the everpresent guards were there round the chamber.


It was late afternoon by now and as he meditated he throught about the future of Kirisubo. all was well for now but tomorrow was another day.

The plan never happened. The assassin leader halted his thoughts and came up with a better idea. The men continued their charade for the next day. A new plan was in the works, their mission to destroy the Royal line was not far from being over.

The man carried the tray carefully in his hands. His serving kimono was immaculate as should all the clothes of those who worked and served within the Emperor’s palace. He was delivering the Emperor’s daily tea, a routine that the servant had always been glad to carry out and help with. He also carried a plate of food for the young prince, it was near mid-day and the young boy would most likely be very hungry.

Smiling to himself he didn’t notice the kitchen helper who came running toward him from behind.

“Sue-san! You forgot to sign the Cooks recommendation! He needs your signature as head of the House!” said the worried looking cook. The Head of the Imperial house frowned he couldn’t remember the name of this one. Wasn’t his name something like…Soichiro? Yes! That was it.

The head of house nodded as the servant bowed and handed him the document. “Hold this tray for a moment,” said Sue-san. He turned to the right and set the paper on the nearby desk and began writing carefully his name in the best calligraphy he could.

The servant smirked to himself and with one hand brought up a small vial. He uncorked it with one hand quietly and put a single drop within the cup of tea. He then put another in the plate of food. Each drop dissolved and it was if nothing had been put within either. He quickly put the vial away and stood waiting. He smiled within his head. The tea and food had already been tested for poison back in the kitchen. His plan would not fail, could not. How could gods allow it when he had made sure to mix the Nightshade to its most potent?

Sue-san stood and nodded, smiling at his handiwork. “Yes, thank you Soichiro, now get back to the kitchens. Cook will need your help in preparing dinner this evening.”

The servant bowed and without another word turned and returned to the kitchen, his mission complete. The Head of House turned and walked into the Emperor’s apartments and brought in the tray bowing.

“Here you are my Emperor, your tea. And some food for the little Prince.”

The Emperor looks up from a book and nods saying "domo" taking the tea and leaving it beside him until he's ready for it.

"the Empress is looking after Prince Saruji. Asa can take him his lunch" he replies.

The young maid bows and lifts the tray heading to a different room in the palace.

###

Empress Yuriko has been a daughter of the late Taiko's house before she married into the Imperial family. Her father had raised her to be aware of assasinations and therefore she only let a few trusted maids feed the infant prince. Normally she did it herself as she had done for Princess Genjiko.

Asa brings in the rice porriage and leaves it to cool while the young prince cries. The heir was unhappy about something but you could never be too sure what it was.

The princess enters her little dog walking behind her and the dog heads straight to the bowl of porriage eating some before Genjiko calls him back.

"bad dog" she says firmly to him as the Empress shakes her head gently.

"We'll get you something else" she says softly to her son as she nurses him still trying to figure out what his cries mean this time.

###

alone apart from an alert samurai guard kneeling about 10 feet away from him the emperor was finally ready to drink his tea it having cooled.

He takes a few sips from it and gets back to his book.

bumped

Oda you've got the ball.

ooc: I don't remember dogs being a large household pet in Japan at the time...but w/e I'll let you slip by with the boy.

IC:

The Emperor sat drinking his tea for a short time and reading his book before he finally realised something was wrong. His body felt sluggish and his eye-lids were having to be forced open. His vision wwas foggy.

"Guar-" He began, but he couldn't speak. His throught muscles seemed to close, and he couldn't breathe. Suddenly his eyes rolled into the back of his head and the Emperor slumped over to the ground. He was dead before his head hit the tatami mats.

The samurai seen the Emperor fall and checked his pulse. He raises the alarm and the Imperial physician is sent for and the Empress informed of whats happened.

a pair of fast messengers are also despatched to Edo with the news.

the cup of tea is left intact as the room is closed off and guarded so the Imperial physician can investigate further.

###

About the same time the little dog also whined and fell over dead.

The Empress still had Asa with her and she knew her as one of her ninja guards.

"Asa, look after Princess Genjiko and Prince Saruji. take a small squard of special guards with you" she says once the death of the Emperor is reported "The sucession degree has come into effect and that makes me regent for now. Princess Genjiko is now 2nd in line as well"

Asa departs with the children and the Empress Yuriko knew an investgation would be started.

she gives orders for the palace to be sealed. no one else was to enter or leave until the emergency was over. a squad of samurai took station outside the door.

###

Asa leads the bewildered princess and carries the unhappy prince back to the imperial quarters. As well as the usual samurai there were 5 ninja guards there but very few samurai were aware they were ninja. they just looked like normal palace servants.