My personal opinion on Gensokyo

However, it shouldn't be too late now. Do you like to rest so early?

The young man frowned slightly. Normally, the black-haired girl would wait until she saw him come see her before she could rest assured and go to sleep. Although Ai's lack of security had improved over the past month, it was still obvious.

"Miss Lord God, is there anything unusual?"

Shang Yang confirmed again with the main goddess in his consciousness.

[…No abnormalities.]

After understanding Shang Yang, the main god lady explored the current historical node again and gave a positive answer.

[Miss Ai seemed very tired. She fell asleep completely out of mental exhaustion and slept very deeply.]

"After carefully handling things at noon, I'm mentally exhausted..."

The young man breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the girl's peaceful face with pity.

"I also noticed Love's caution and uneasiness at noon. We haven't finished our work here yet, and Love knows this. She doesn't want to cause any complications, so she's handling it with caution."

The young man was deeply moved by the black-haired girl's understanding and thoughtfulness.

Standing up, Shang Yang walked to the cypress table, took out the food box and opened the secret compartment.

In the secret compartment was the letter Shang Yang left at noon.

In the letter left at noon, in addition to the historical cause and effect, Shang Yang told Ai all his plans and also wrote clearly about the fake death.

Now, opening the letter again, in the blank space below the long paragraph written by Shang Yang, Miss Ai's beautiful handwriting was written stroke by stroke:

"Okay, I get it. Although I find it unbelievable, especially seeing Shang Yang 'die' again, I feel a little scared... But I believe you, I believe what Shang Yang says. No matter what I hear these days, I won't pay attention to it. Just take care of yourself, and Shang Yang should take care of himself too..."

"I'll be here waiting for you to come back."

The girl's thoughtful thoughts flowed into the young man's heart like a warm current through her beautiful words.

Turning sideways, his gaze once again fell on the black-haired girl who was deep in sleep. The young man's heart was filled with pity and love for the girl who was now sleeping soundly.

The young man walked lightly to the bed on the tatami and half-knelt down.

The young man's voice was very soft as his slender fingers gently slid across the girl's long, dark hair, which was as soft as silk.

"After we settle the historical cause and effect, I will take you away from here. Then, you can go wherever you want."

"Before that, just be patient for a little while."

Then, the young man with black shaggy hair stood up with a calm expression.

"Miss Lord God, let's begin."

That night, unrest and commotion arose in the Fujiwara Palace and even in the entire Fujiwara capital.

The next day, morning.

Inside Fujiwara Palace, inside the Imperial Residence.

"My dear ministers, can someone explain to me what this is?"

Throwing a roll of paper onto the tatami, Empress Jito was extremely furious behind the imperial curtain.

"The night maids reported seeing a fox demon on the roof of Daigokuden. Foot soldiers reported seeing a black demon cat the size of a horse near Rashomon. Imperial samurai tried to hunt down a pitch-black demon with eyes the size of copper bells at night, but it escaped..."

"The common people of Kyoto are terrified, the foot soldiers are spreading rumors, and even the samurai families are feeling uneasy!"

"Overnight, the entire capital city became a den of demons and monsters!"

"What should I do now? Will the officials, the temples, and the monks of Yakushiji Temple be able to exorcise the demon?"

Faced with the angry questioning of the Queen Behind the Curtain, the royal ministers and high-ranking nobles who were summoned to the Imperial Palace in the early morning all knelt in fear.

After a while, the highest-ranking noble in the court, the Second Right Minister Tajihijima, sighed, stood up, walked to the front of the imperial curtain from the side, and knelt down to report.

"Your Majesty, ordering the high officials of Daiji Temple and the monks of Yakushiji Temple to enter the palace to chant sutras may be feasible, but the most important thing at the moment is to mobilize the brave warriors from all the samurai families and find an opportunity to defeat the demon."

"Your Majesty, Panyu Hikozun, received the aid of the gods and Buddhas during his eastern expeditions, and was able to defeat demons. Throughout history, there have been many cases of brave generals defeating ghosts and monsters. Your Majesty, you can follow this old example, offer generous rewards, and order the warriors of each clan to defeat the demons."

"As expected of the Right Minister, you are mature and prudent."

After hearing about the feasible method, the lady in charge behind the curtain felt relieved and praised him. Then, with her remaining anger still not subsided, she gave orders loudly.

"My nobles and relatives, you have heard the words of the Right Minister. Now, disperse and select the bravest warriors from each family. Arrange them in the palace and prepare to defeat the demons!"

Upon hearing the order from the lady behind the curtain, the frightened ministers immediately bowed and accepted the order.

"I will obey your orders."

After the high-ranking nobles left the Imperial Palace, the queen, with a headache even worse than yesterday, raised her hands to rub her temples to relieve the pain and irritability, and instructed the maid.

"Order Naoko-san and Fujiwara judge to come before me."

The frightened maid immediately knelt down to receive the order, and then went out to tell the warrior on duty to convey the order. Soon, the 30-year-old Kari noble hurried to the Imperial Palace and knelt before the imperial curtain to pay homage.

"I, your humble servant, am the judge of the Fujiwara no Aristocratic Court, and I pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Seeing the nobles in hunting clothes rushing over, the queen waved her hand sleepily.

"No need to be polite, the rest of you may leave."

All the maids and waiters received orders to leave the Imperial Palace, and the samurai on duty outside closed the gates of the Imperial Palace.

"...Hanji Fujiwara, last night, the Emperor's grandson was also frightened by the demonic transformation."

Looking at the nobles of Kari who were kneeling on the tatami in front of the imperial curtain, and rubbing her temples, the queen told a piece of news that was enough to cause panic among the nobles of the court.

"Why, how could this be happening?!"

Upon hearing the news, the noble Fujiwara no Panshi was horrified and looked up without regard for etiquette to question the lady behind the curtain.

"Your Majesty, is there anything wrong with His Royal Highness the Grandson?"

"It shouldn't be serious. The doctor said it was just a shock and he'll be fine in a couple of days."

Talking about this news, the elderly queen also felt palpitations.

"I have ordered the Lieutenant General of the Left Guard to suppress the news of the Emperor's grandson's fright. The Imperial Guard has imprisoned all the palace servants who knew about this."

"In this case, I can rest assured..."

Judge Fujiwara breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your Highness, the Imperial Grandson, is the foundation of the imperial court. Nothing must happen to him..."

"Although the Imperial Grandson is not seriously injured, this demonic incident still makes me anxious and uneasy."

The elderly woman felt extremely weak and overwhelmed after constantly massaging her temples.

"The court has studied the Tang system for years. Tang texts state that when a nation is about to prosper, auspicious signs will appear; when a nation is about to decline, evil deeds will inevitably occur. Last night, an evil spirit appeared in the capital, causing fear among the people and unrest among the nobles. Among my relatives and old clans, those with ulterior motives are stirring up trouble and spreading rumors. They accuse my predecessor and I of disturbing the gods and Buddhas by reforming the system, and they demand a restoration of the old system and the reinstatement of the old clans as ministers."

The lady asked the ministers of hunting clothes for their opinions.

"I feel quite powerless. Judge Fujiwara, how should this matter be handled?"

"Reform and innovation must never be abandoned."

After a brief thought, Judge Fujiwara leaned forward and replied in a firm tone.

"If the new system is abolished, not only will the years of hard work of the late emperor and Your Majesty be wasted, Your Majesty will also lose the support of the people. I am afraid that His Royal Highness will no longer be recognized by the ministers and appointed as the crown prince."

"I think so too."

The elderly queen, who was suffering from a severe headache, said so.

"The most urgent task is to follow the advice of Right Minister Tajihijima-sama and mobilize brave warriors to repel the demons. If we can successfully destroy the demons, we can basically mitigate the impact of this incident. However, I do have one concern..."

The queen stared at the Duke of Shouyi from behind the imperial curtain, her voice icy cold.

"Yesterday, Ai cursed the court in the Imperial Palace, and that very night, such an ominous event occurred..."

Hearing the cold words of the queen, the Duke of Shouyi couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

"Your Majesty, do you suspect... that His Highness Ai is involved in this?"

"I feel that yesterday's words were not unintentional."

The Queen looked indifferent.

"I wonder if she had previously colluded with a sorcerer to secretly wreak havoc on the imperial court..."

"Your Majesty, I don't know..."

Understanding the queen's intention, the minister of hunting clothes wiped the cold sweat off his face with his sleeves in panic, then gritted his teeth and knelt down in respect.

"But... maybe it's possible."

"Oh...you think so too."

After hearing the answer from the Duke of Shouyi, the Queen nodded slowly and gave the order indifferently.

"Then it would be no harm to investigate. Judge Fujiwara, summon Ai to come before me. Then, take your men and search the palace where Ai resides."

“…I will obey your orders.”

PS1: When a country is about to rise, there will be auspicious signs; when a country is about to fall, there will be evil. — "The Book of Rites: The Doctrine of the Mean"

PS2: Iwayo Hikoson: from the "Nihonshoki", the legendary Emperor Jimmu, the ancestor of the Japanese imperial family.

Volume 1: Stories of Heian Past and Present: Chapter 24: The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl look at each other from afar, why are you the only one confined to the river bridge?

On the south side of Fujiwara no Miyabi, there is a small, nameless palace.

"You didn't come last night, Shang Yangjun..."

The black-haired girl put down the letter in her hand in disappointment.

After waking up from sleep early in the morning, Ai, who was dragged into sleep by inexplicable sleepiness last night, immediately put on her clothes, ran to the cypress table in three or two steps, fumbled for the pine food box and the letters in two other secret places, and opened them one by one.

There was no message from the young man in any of the three letters.

In other words, it can be confirmed that the young man did not come here last night.

This is undoubtedly a rare case, no, it is not rare. In the more than one month since Miss Ai met Shang Yang, Shang Yang has never disappeared for two days without informing Miss Ai. Miss Ai is very worried about this.

"The bright moonlight shines on the empty bed, and the Milky Way in the sky flows slowly westward. Altair and Vega gaze at each other from opposite ends of the Milky Way. What sins have you committed to be blocked by the Milky Way in the sky..."

The girl's heart was filled with anxiety. She looked at the palace which was empty except for herself, and murmured the Chinese poem in ancient Japanese, feeling extremely worried.

"Your Highness, a noble from the palace has come to see you. He said he has brought an imperial decree from His Majesty..."

Just as the black-haired girl was lost in this poem that matched her mood, a maid's panicked report came from outside the palace gate.

Miss Ai, whose thoughts were pulled out of her worries, frowned slightly, very puzzled.

"...In my current situation, is there any way to deal with it?"

Before Ai could grasp any clues, another male voice sounded outside the palace door.

"I, a judge of the fifth rank, have the right to see your Highness."

...We can only wait and see.

The black-haired girl suppressed her worries and made herself strong. She secretly decided to try to delay time since the young man couldn't take care of her at the moment.

She hurriedly hid the pinewood lunch box and three letters she had written herself in her sleeves. After calming herself down, the girl spoke softly.

"Please come in and talk, Your Excellency."

The cypress door opened, and a thirty-year-old nobleman in Shouyi walked into the small palace. Without looking up, he bent down in front of the black-haired girl, saluted, and reported.

"Your Highness, His Majesty has commanded you to appear before the Imperial Palace in Rinet."

Why summoned again...

The girl frowned and asked softly.

"Master Fujiwara no Sanji, is this really okay? I'm a criminal, imprisoned here by His Majesty's order. Does this violate His Majesty's orders?"

Hearing Miss Ai's question, Lord Shouyi replied calmly.

"The punishment against Your Highness has been cancelled. His Majesty has ordered Your Highness to come to the Imperial Palace in Rinai immediately for an audience."

"Your Highness, please leave immediately."

"……Understood."

After frowning again, Ai whispered an order.

"I need to take care of something. Please wait a moment, Mr. Fujiwara."