My personal opinion on Gensokyo

"As you command, I will wait outside."

After the Shouyi nobles and the maids left and closed the door, Ai immediately hid the gifts Shang Yang had prepared for her in the prepared hiding place. Even the pine food box under the cypress table was hidden in a compartment under a wooden board of the tatami. These were all prepared by Ai and Shang Yang after discussion, and she didn't expect to use them now.

After hiding everything, Miss Ai remembered the three letters she had written in her sleeves and began to think about how to deal with them.

If I burn it now, the smoke will attract the attention of the maids and officials outside, so...

The black-haired girl quickly ran to the cypress desk, picked up a pen, blacked out the contents of the three letters, folded them, and hid them in her underwear again.

In the worst case scenario, even if you are searched, the three blackened pieces of paper, while suspicious, won't mean anything.

that's it.

After confirming that there were no omissions, Miss Ai quickly changed into her tabi clogs, took a deep breath, and made up her mind.

Be sure to handle it carefully and buy time.

Kyōuchi Fujiwara.

At this time, there was some chaos in Fujiwara no Kyo. According to the orders issued by the Konoefu, Hyoefu, and Emonfu of the Fujiwara no Kyoto, many teams of foot soldiers, led by the guards, went from the Suzaku Gate of Fujiwara no Kyoto to Shuden-in to assemble.

Seeing a group of disheveled foot soldiers led by the palace gate warriors marching from Suzaku Avenue to Fujiwara Palace, the young man on the side of the road lowered his hat.

"Across the city, a large number of warriors responsible for guarding the city gates have been mobilized to the palace to strengthen its defenses. Warriors from various clans stationed at the twelve zodiac gates have also been summoned to the Hall of Assembly. Miss Lord God, this reaction is even greater than we anticipated."

While observing the situation in the city, the young man discussed the plan process with the Lady Lord.

[Last night, as the doctor was about to leave, he accidentally witnessed the monster illusion we created. The child looked elegantly dressed, perhaps a prince of the royal family. He frightened an important figure, so their court reacted strongly.]

Miss Lord God made the judgment.

[This also saves us the trouble. We were originally planning to see if we needed to do it again tonight, but it seems unnecessary at this point.]

"Then tonight, as they wish, I will go directly to the front of the Jiden-in Temple and use illusions to lure the warriors to follow me."

The young man agreed with the opinion of the Lord Goddess.

"A quick solution would be best. By the way, Miss Lord God, after my body's 'shell' was destroyed and I fell into the realm of life and death, can the estimated time it takes to return from the other world be shortened?"

[…It’s impossible to reduce it. 26 hours is the minimum.]

Miss Lord God also felt a little embarrassed.

“…This is the only way.”

The young man sighed.

After the first "death", the time limit for the soul to return from the afterlife and underworld is more than a day. This also means that within 26 hours, the young man and the lady of the main god will completely lose all contact with the human world.

Regarding this fact, Shang Yang was very worried about Miss Ai who was left alone in the nameless small palace of Fujiwara Palace.

[After the afterlife, we'll look for loopholes that can reduce the estimated return time. We should be able to find one.]

The main goddess, who also understood Shang Yang's worries, comforted the young man and then reminded him.

[While taking lives is unavoidable, Admiral, please be aware that in this era, the guardian samurai stationed in Kyoto are perhaps the most important military force of the Yamato court. Killing too many of them will also cause excessive disturbances in the historical structure, threatening to prematurely detonate the abnormal historical causal structure.]

"Don't worry, I've already practiced a lot during the time we've taken the time to go to remote mountains and fields to eliminate bandits and robbers."

The young man spoke calmly.

"I try to stick to the principle of self-defense."

Inside Fujiwara Palace, the imperial residence.

After hearing the maid in the Huang Bureau convey the order to allow entry, Miss Ai took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and stood up and walked into the Imperial Palace.

Walking to the front of the imperial curtain, the black-haired girl slowly knelt down, lowered her head, letting her long bangs cover her face, and knelt without saying a word.

After a silence of neither long nor short, the lady behind the curtain sighed and spoke softly.

"Originally, I don't want to see criminals openly cursing the court anymore."

"Ai, you must know that after yesterday's events became known, the ministers were extremely uneasy and they all advised me that, in order to maintain the stability of the court, it would be best to execute you immediately."

Ai was not surprised to hear the threatening words from the lady, and remained silent.

If they really wanted to execute her, they wouldn't have told her here specifically. Moreover, even if she apologized out of fear now, it would be useless. It would be better to pretend to be at the mercy of others, which would be more likely to delay the execution.

"However, the opinions of the ministers have been rejected by me."

Seeing that the black-haired girl didn't react and just let herself be dealt with, the lady didn't care.

"Over the decades since the late emperor and I took the throne, several princes and their relatives have been executed for treason and rebellion. The killing of relatives displeases the gods and Buddhas. Your Highness's early death due to illness is likely related to this. Therefore, I do not wish to execute you. Instead, I will exile you to the Eastern Kingdom as originally planned, allowing you to live as a marriage prop for the court's appeasement of the Eastern Kingdom. It would be better for you to repent for your crimes in a remote place far away from the imperial court."

Having said that, the lady behind the curtain's eyes were sharp and cold.

"However, just last night, a very ominous demonic event occurred in Kyoto. I also heard that for several years, you have been colluding with demons and strange people, and have been trying to bring disaster to the court."

"Someone reported that after you were punished for cursing the court yesterday, you became dissatisfied and secretly colluded with evil spirits, thus causing the riot in Kyoto."

"Love, is this true?"

PS1: The bright moon shines on my bed, the Milky Way flows westward in the endless night. The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl gaze at each other from afar, why are you alone confined to the river bridge? —Cao Pi's "Yan Ge Xing"

PS2: Among Cao's family, the second brother Cao Pi, Cao Zihuan, was also a very romantic man. His two poems "Song of Swallow" compare himself to a woman, describing a woman's longing for her husband who is far away, and expressing her longing for him. It is a masterpiece of romantic poetry that has been passed down through the ages. Later generations commented that "Zihuan's two poems "Song of Swallow" have opened up a wonderful world for all time."

Volume 1: Heian Tales of the Past and Present: Chapter 25: Imprisonment

A very ominous evil thing...

Hearing the lady's harsh questioning, the black-haired girl bit her cherry lips lightly.

Is this incident related to Shang Yangjun's two-day absence? However, since something ominous happened in Kyoto last night, and someone is accusing me of causing the riot, does this mean the court doesn't know what happened, but is desperate to find someone to take the blame?

"No, I don't know about that."

After calming down, Ai looked confused and shook her head.

"As Your Majesty knows, I have lived in seclusion in the palace for over a decade. Even if I had the motive to cause unrest, when would I have colluded with evil spirits?"

After listening to the girl's confused self-explanation, the queen spoke indifferently from behind the curtain.

"Is that so? You said you didn't know about this. I do think your excuses have some merit, but in order to quickly uncover the truth and appease the concerns of my relatives and nobles, a necessary investigation is necessary."

"I have ordered the Fujiwara judge to search your residence. If you are truly unrelated to this matter, I believe there will be no harm in searching it."

...In other words, even if they can't find the things I hid, they will find "suspicious" things.

Hidden by her long bangs, Miss Ai, anticipating that the situation would continue to deteriorate, bit her cherry lips nervously, causing a little blood to seep out.

The next key point is to what extent I should be used to take the blame.

When Ai was desperately thinking about whether there was any way to prevent the situation from getting worse, the rapid development of the situation did not allow Ai to suffer in the anxious waiting for too long.

As the cypress door of the Imperial Palace was opened by the guards outside the Imperial Palace, the noble Kari, whom Ai least wanted to see at the moment, hurried into the Imperial Palace, walked to the front of the imperial curtain, and knelt on the tatami to pay homage.

"I, your humble servant, have come to see Your Majesty, as the judge of the Fujiwara no Aristocratic Court. Your Majesty's orders have been fulfilled, and I have come to report to you."

"Excuse me, Judge Fujiwara, is there anything wrong?"

The Queen asked calmly.

"There is indeed something amiss. I, under Your Majesty's orders, have searched Your Highness's residence and discovered some things...that shouldn't be there."

Shouyi Gongqing leaned forward deeply, touching his forehead to the ground, his tone extremely frightened.

"It's a curse (呪い)..."

As he uttered this word in fear, Shouyi Gongqing took out something from his arms, held it in both hands, raised it above his head, and showed it to the queen.

It was a scarecrow with its birthday written in cinnabar and nailed in with iron nails.

Disgust, disgust beats the doll!

Seeing the scarecrow held up by Shouyi Gongqing, the black-haired girl, who expected the situation to get worse, turned pale in an instant and felt dizzy.

The worst case scenario is that these people want her life...

"...How audacious! Is this a curse?"

After a brief silence, the queen's angry tone spread throughout the imperial palace from behind the curtain.

"Love, you've already passed away. Do you still want to defend yourself?"

"...The Tang Dynasty's book says: 'If you want to accuse someone of a crime, you must have a reason.' The Jin noble who said this, for the sake of Jin's political stability, committed suicide without hesitation."

Ai took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, raised his head, and looked calmly at the lady behind the curtain.

"If Your Majesty needs me to die for the sake of political stability, I can also commit suicide immediately in the Imperial Palace. However, I can commit suicide immediately, but can Your Majesty and the Fujiwara judge guarantee that the demonic riots in Kyoto will be quelled immediately after my death?"

"If the evil in Kyoto continues to rage after my death, I'm afraid your Majesty's attempt to shift the blame will become known to everyone in the court. The remaining sons of the late emperor, and those eligible to inherit the throne, will inevitably collude with the disaffected nobles and challenge your majesty. How will your majesty and the Fujiwara judge respond?"

"I will allow Your Majesty to deal with me, but I ask Your Majesty and Judge Fujiwara to carefully consider the above consequences."

After saying this, which shocked and feared the elderly female monarch and caused panic among the nobles, the black-haired girl fell silent again. She said nothing, lowered her head, and made an expression of waiting to be dealt with.

"presumptuous……!"

Unlike the anger she had just pretended to have, Miss Ai's words completely ignited the Lady's rage. The furious Lady had a splitting headache and was almost about to order the black-haired girl to be taken to the execution platform. However, the last bit of reason suppressed this order.

She was right. If the evil disasters were quelled immediately after her execution, it would be fine. But if the evil disasters did not subside after her execution, or even intensified, Empress Chitong, who had completely lost the trust of the court officials and the royal family, would probably be forced to abdicate. The royal bloodline of Emperor Tianwu and Empress Chitong would be isolated from the order of succession to the throne, and would never have the chance to ascend the throne again.

She is indeed an evil girl!

We really cannot rush to execute her now to give an explanation to the royal family and ministers. It would be best to publicly execute this evil girl after defeating the evil spirit and killing the demon, so as to put the matter to rest.

The lady who made the above considerations barely suppressed the anger that was giving her a headache, and her tone was still angry.

"...Yes, Ai. You have committed a grave crime and will certainly be punished, but not now. I have ordered the guards to lead the palace warriors to prepare the palace tonight, waiting for an opportunity to eliminate and kill the demon that caused the unrest in Kyoto. Once the demon is confirmed to be eliminated, it will be time to execute you."

"As for now, considering that the princess has disregarded palace etiquette and has no regard for superiority or inferiority, she has committed the crime of gross disrespect. Come, strip this criminal of her Tang Dynasty clothing, tie her up, and take her to prison! Once the evildoer has been slain, immediately escort her to the execution platform!"

Following the empress's cold and stern command, several maids and palace servants immediately stepped forward and pressed the frail body of the now panicked black-haired girl onto the tatami mat. They were then ordered to tear off the Tang Dynasty clothing, a symbol of her status as an imperial princess, which had been made by the Fujiwara no Miyabi textile department in imitation of the Tang Dynasty court's dianchai garb...

“Let…let go! Huh?!”

The black-haired girl, pinned to the tatami and still struggling, was gagged with a cloth as she yelled in panic...

The exquisite Tang Dynasty clothing was torn to shreds by the maids and palace servants, and then taken off, leaving only a single white garment on the black-haired girl. Her arms were tied behind her back with rough hemp ropes...

After a moment of chaos, the restless maids and palace servants retreated, leaving behind only a black-haired girl in a thin white dress, tightly tied to the tatami.

Behind the curtain, facing the resentful look in the clear eyes of the black-haired girl who was tied up and could only lie on the tatami, unable to move, the female monarch, who felt quite relieved, rubbed her temples. She felt a headache at this moment because of her anger just now.

"Come here, take him to jail..."

After waving her hand and ordering the warriors guarding outside the Imperial Palace to take the tied-up Ai to the prison in the palace, the queen closed her eyes with a headache, intending to recuperate.

Just as the warriors outside the Imperial Palace were about to enter and escort the black-haired girl to the palace prison, an uneasy maid suddenly stepped forward, knelt down, held up three letters in her hands, and reported in fear and trepidation.

"Your Majesty, I found this in the pocket of your beloved Highness's Tang Dynasty clothing..."

"Oh? Fujiwara no Sanshi, look at what it is?"

Impatient to be disturbed, the queen closed her eyes and ordered the hunting officials to check.

"I will obey your orders."

Shouyi Gongqing received the order and immediately took the envelope from the maid's hands, opened it, and took out the letter.

After reading only a few lines, Shouyi Gongqing immediately knelt down in fear and trepidation, holding up the three letters in both hands like a maid, with a hint of excitement mixed in his uneasy tone.

"Your Majesty! These are the letters between the princess and the demons!"

W-What?! How could this happen?! The letter was clearly blacked out!

Ai, who was tied up and lying on the tatami, felt a little relieved when she saw the three letters that she had blackened and were picked up by the maid, but now she was panicked.

"…Correspondence in collusion with demons?"

Hearing the words of the Shouyi official, the queen suddenly opened her eyes and gave the order in disbelief.

"Show it to me."} Yi Ling# tears (eight) IV Ni% private V flow

The maid carefully presented the letter to the queen behind the curtain. The bound black-haired girl didn't care about her anger, and reluctantly raised her head, looking worriedly at the letter that was picked up and opened by the queen.

"...Ai, you have indeed been colluding with the evil spirits and plotting to bring disaster to the court."

After reading only a few lines, the lady's anger, which had just subsided, was ignited again.

"...Using sorcery and illusions to scare the Emperor's grandson, causing him to lose his mind and prevent him from being appointed Crown Prince by the court. You then conspired to install another member of your family as Emperor, attempting to secretly manipulate government affairs... Ai, your crimes are heinous and must be punished with death!"

"No! No!"