My personal opinion on Gensokyo

Inside Fujiwara Palace, the imperial residence is in the center.

Carefully putting down her chopsticks, the black-haired girl breathed a sigh of relief.

The girl was extremely uneasy during the meal. She had to pay attention to the movements of the elderly lady behind the curtain while also having to pay attention to her own actions at all times.

Miss Ai hadn't had such a tiring meal in a long time.

The maids in the Imperial Palace slowly pulled open the side curtain and went in to clear the tableware for the Emperor. Several other maids also walked up to the black-haired girl, knelt down, and also cleared the tableware for Miss Ai.

After the maids had packed up the utensils, left the Imperial Palace and closed the door, the elderly lady asked calmly.

"How have you been?"

"...Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your concern."

Miss Ai turned sideways, leaned forward cautiously, and touched her forehead to the ground.

"Everything is fine with love."

"That's good……"

The Queen still spoke calmly.

"In recent years, the country has been in turmoil, and I have been busy with government affairs. Even though you are the daughter of my late emperor, I have neglected to care for you."

"Love Your Highness, but don't blame me."

Hearing the old queen's words of "self-blame", the girl remained cautious and leaned forward to touch the ground, answering respectfully.

"I dare not. The Book of Han says: The Son of Heaven must act as the parent of all people before he can truly rule them. Your Majesty is practicing the kingly way of the ancient wise rulers. There is no room for complaint in love. Please be at ease, Your Majesty."

"The Son of Heaven must act as the parent of all people in the world before he can be their ruler."

The queen felt a little emotional when she heard the girl's compliment.

"Well said! The knowledge of the Tang Empire is truly profound and unfathomable. Every time I listen, I am inspired. However, our country is small and our people are weak, and my talents and knowledge are quite limited. I am far inferior to the wise rulers of ancient times. I am merely temporarily governing the country for the late emperor and the crown prince."

"Moreover, in recent years, I have found it increasingly difficult to govern the country. State affairs are like a tangled mess, and it is difficult to do as I wish, and even more difficult to appease the hearts and minds of my relatives and ministers. I think it is probably because, as the Book of Han says, my moral character is insufficient..."

After sighing for a moment, the elderly queen turned her gaze to the respectful black-haired girl and gave a light instruction.

"It's true, my dear. After not seeing you for a long time, your knowledge of the Han Shu has become even more profound. This is very good. The government is in turmoil and complicated. At this time, as members of the royal family, we must each do our part and be content with our place, setting an example."

"Love also needs to be remembered."

Hearing the elderly queen's words that seemed to have a hidden meaning, the black-haired girl was stunned for a moment, but she had no time to think and subconsciously leaned forward.

"I will obey your orders."

"Hmm...that's good," the Queen nodded slightly, gazing at the somewhat uneasy black-haired girl. "However, after not seeing you for so long, Ai has become even more beautiful. Although her origins are unclear, the bloodline of the late emperor and your mother has been well inherited by Your Highness Ai."

"It's time to choose a family for you to marry into."

Marriage?! Wait, wait!

Being gripped by these two words that made the girl feel extremely scared, her breathing became rapid, and driven by an inexplicable emotion, she was about to speak out in objection.

"I……"

"But... the origin of love is truly difficult to explain. It's a taboo among taboos."

Before the black-haired girl could object, the elderly queen raised her hand and gently touched her temple in distress.

"None of my relatives would agree, and the same goes for high-ranking officials. This really puts me in a difficult position..."

After hearing the queen's words, the black-haired girl couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

For the first time, the girl felt grateful to her parents and grateful for this reason.

Although this reason has caused her to suffer since she was a child, in the past month, her acquaintance with Shang Yang has caused the girl pain and fear several times.

But this time, the girl was truly grateful for the reason.

The elderly queen was in distress, and the black-haired girl carefully remained silent.

There was a moment of silence in the Imperial Palace.

lol...

The wooden door creaked.

The maid outside the door hurriedly stepped into the imperial palace, walked to the front of the imperial curtain, and knelt respectfully.

"Your Majesty, Naokoshi Fujiwara-sama requests an audience with you. He has an important matter to report."

"Oh?" the empress said calmly, "Then let Lord Fujiwara-san come to see you."

After a while, a nobleman in his thirties, wearing a high hat and hunting clothes, followed into the imperial palace and knelt respectfully before the imperial curtain to pay homage.

"Your Majesty, I, the judge of Fujiwara no Aristocrat, am here to see you."

Then, the man in hunting clothes, who was about thirty years old, turned sideways and bowed deeply to Miss Ai beside him.

"Greetings to Your Highness."

"Excuse me, Judge Fujiwara."

The Queen calmly asked the doctor.

"The judge came to see me in such a hurry, is there something important?"

"As you command, Your Majesty, it is indeed a matter of great importance."

The nobleman turned sideways again, faced the queen behind the imperial curtain, and bowed deeply.

"Dewa and Mutsu are causing a commotion."

"Another Eastern Region?"

The elderly queen seemed to be getting more and more headache.

"The land of the East is mountainous and difficult to navigate. The local powerful and barbarian tribes collude and often cause unrest. Although the imperial court has established a garrison there, it is difficult to suppress the rebellion in time. It is really giving me a headache..."

Faced with the empress's dissatisfaction, the young minister, who was about thirty years old, knelt deeply again, full of fear.

"I am terrified and feel so incompetent that I cannot share the worries of the court and Your Majesty."

"The fault is not yours, so don't be alarmed."

The empress was still extremely troubled and casually asked the young noble for his opinion.

"President Fujiwara, do you have any ideas to alleviate the worries of the Eastern Kingdom?"

"Your Majesty, I am deeply apprehensive and uneasy at your question, but I have no choice but to answer."

The minister leaned forward again and reported.

"I may be a humble official, but I do understand geography. The eastern part of the country is a land of high mountains and long roads, with Dewa and Mutsu being even more remote. The local barbarian tribes are numerous, the roads are impassable, and there's widespread miasma. They're also colluding with the local powerful families. Over the years, whether the garrison generals sent troops to suppress them or the imperial court mobilized a large army to conquer them, the results were minimal and the costs were enormous. The court's gains were not worth the losses. Furthermore, during the campaigns, the various imperial families' warriors, seeking rewards for their military exploits, slaughtered many people. This has led to deep resentment between the local powerful families and the barbarian tribes, and as a result, unrest has intensified over the years."

The nobleman, who was about thirty years old, had his forehead deeply touching the tatami.

"I believe this is the result of the court's harsh policies being difficult to implement. It would be better to... switch to more conciliatory policies such as appeasement, perhaps giving it a try."

"A policy of appeasement and conciliation..."

The elderly queen fell into deep thought, still rubbing her temples gently, as if it could relieve her headache.

"Perhaps pacification is feasible. However, as you said, over the years, warriors from various families have enlisted in the army, killing many in pursuit of military merit and reward. The court has already developed deep resentment with many powerful and barbarian tribes in the East. In this situation, how should pacification be carried out?"

Hearing the Queen's question, this time, the young man immediately lowered his head, and knocked his forehead on the tatami with a loud noise, and his tone was extremely panicked.

"This matter involves your majesty's relatives, and I dare not speak."

Family members are involved?!

Hearing this, the black-haired girl turned pale and bit her cherry lips tightly.

Could it be... the story of Emperor Gaozu of Han marrying a foreign princess?! Is this the purpose of today...

However, the conversation between the noble and the queen would not stop because of the black-haired girl's thoughts.

"Excuse me, tell me."

The Queen ordered calmly.

"I am extremely terrified..."

The nobleman's forehead hit the tatami once again, making a sound that echoed throughout the Imperial Palace.

"To resolve this dilemma, we must adopt a policy of appeasement and conciliation."

"…We should follow the example of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty and first implement the policy of marriage alliance."

PS1: The Son of Heaven is the parent of the people and the king of the world. — "Shangshu Hongfan"

Volume 1: Heian Tales of the Past and Present: Chapter 21: She Who Should Not Have Been Born

Sure enough...this is the purpose of today.

The black-haired girl bit her cherry lips so hard that blood seeped out of them.

The result is obvious. This is a play, performed for me to see, to force me into a desperate situation...

The eastern part of the country, a poor countryside, has always been a barren land where the Yamato court exiled criminals. Dewa and Mutsu are even more remote dens of barbarians for the court. If a criminal noble heard that he was going to be exiled to such a poor countryside, some would even commit suicide out of fear. How could the turmoil in Dewa and Mutsu affect the politics of the court? Anyway, the powerful families and barbarians in those places would only go out to plunder for a while and then retreat automatically. The nobles and royal family in the capital never paid attention to such problems.

The pale-faced black-haired girl stared at the lady behind the imperial curtain, her eyes as clear as a spring filled with anger.

...Does my life experience embarrass you so much? Does it make you disregard the dignity of the Yamato court and want to remove the "stain" of my family?

If that's the case, then you guys should give it a try...

Miss Ai, who was filled with anger, suppressed her inner anxiety, calmed down, and watched the performance of the elderly queen and the young nobleman with cold eyes.

"Like the Han Dynasty Emperor Gaozu's marriage to a foreign emperor..."

The Queen repeated it calmly and asked again.

"Is there any precedent in the court?"

"There's no precedent," the young nobleman said, still apprehensive. "According to imperial law, all royal sons and daughters must marry within the imperial family. Even those from other royal families or nobles are not allowed to marry the daughters of the emperor. This is the ancient law. However, the Taika Reforms implemented by my late emperor and Your Majesty involved many new policies that were not in line with the ancient law..."

"A new policy that is not in line with the ancient way..."

The lady read this sentence slowly again, as if she was having trouble making a decision. Then, as if she had made up her mind, she slowly closed her eyes.

"Fujiwara no Sanshi, before you came to the palace to see me, His Majesty Ai told me that the Tang Dynasty's book states: The Son of Heaven must be the parent of all people in order to be their sovereign."

"I deeply feel that this statement aligns with my own views. The powerful tribes of the Eastern Lands, the Yi people, should also be subjects of the imperial court. I and the imperial court should treat them as one family. In the past, the garrison generals and the imperial court have waged numerous campaigns, killing many people. This was indeed too harsh. They should be shown the imperial court's sincerity. Moreover, the imperial court should learn more from the Tang Dynasty's books and systems, and the words left by the ancient sages of the Tang Dynasty. The imperial court should also act accordingly."

The elderly queen made the decision in a calm tone.

"I will marry a princess from the Eastern Kingdom to show the court's sincerity and appease the people of the Eastern Kingdom."

"Your Highness, I intend for you to marry into the Eastern Kingdom."

The elderly empress turned sideways, her cold gaze piercing through the imperial curtains as she gazed at the beautiful black-haired girl standing at the side of the imperial palace.

At this point, there's no need to sing along, just reveal your true intentions...

Thinking this way, the black-haired girl bowed slightly and handled it carefully.

"...When the Tang Dynasty pursued a policy of marriage alliance, they often conferred the title of princess on the daughters of imperial clan ministers or palace maids, acting as their representatives. My origins, while difficult to explain, are the daughter of a previous monarch. Marrying into an Eastern Kingdom would likely cause the court some loss of face."

"The Tang Emperor is stingy. Marrying a woman who is not a relative is a disgrace to the country."

The young nobleman turned sideways to where the girl was kneeling and bowed in response.

"Your Highness, although we are in a small country, Your Majesty cannot lose face in the court, as this shows that a small country also has a greater magnanimity than the Central Plains."

"Your Highness, please be proud of your kinship with His Majesty and set an example for the other princes and princesses."

...When did the monarch and the imperial court ever regain their dignity with something like this?!

Forced into a corner by the young noble's sophistry, the frosty-faced black-haired girl lowered her head, her expression hidden under her long bangs, and she was filled with anger and disappointment.

The black-haired girl took a deep breath, suppressed all the restlessness in her heart, turned sideways, and kowtowed deeply.

“…I will obey your orders.”

Seeing through the imperial curtain that the girl respectfully agreed to the marriage proposal, the lady nodded slightly in satisfaction and praised her.

"That's good. Your Highness is truly righteous and righteous. You are truly worthy of being the daughter of our late sovereign."

"However, I still have two things to report to Your Majesty and the court."

"Although the Tang Dynasty practiced a policy of marriage alliances throughout history, neither the Xiongnu during the Han Dynasty nor the subsequent steppe barbarians stopped their attacks on the Han Dynasty or subsequent dynasties. Instead, their attacks intensified, making it difficult for the Central Plains to cope."