A Scandal in Edo

"Are you sure of this?" Rujian-no Banjirou, samurai in service to the Inaba clan, asked the man seated opposite him in the private booth of the tea house

Yoshida was a thin, tanned fellow who spent most of his time procuring young women for the pleasure quarters from the peasant families outside Edo. He had a healthy sideline in obtaining erotic aids, toys, younger boys and virgins for a more discerning clientele. All in all a man that no-one in their right mind would trust around their young sons and daughters. But he was such a good source of potentially scandal-worthy material that people actually paid him for information.

"Good sir, for a tale of silver, I would swear it before the altar of a shrine." Laughing mirthlessly at his own joke, Yoshida leaned forward. "I am certain of this, because I was the man the young lordling asked for this particular service."

There was no doubt that Yoshida had come forward and offered his "services". But the samurai was too excited to worry about the small details.

"And you say that you have found the girl?"

"Indeed I have." Yoshida drained his cup and waited for a refill, which the samurai did rather grudgingly. The man was just a jumped-up pimp--but a potentially useful one.

"As it turned out, the girl is not an apprentice dancer to Oshiitsu of Gion, but a servant of the house. I'm not even sure she's a virgin, but there's no point in letting that get out so soon, eh?"

Of course virgins fetched higher prices in Yoshida’s trade.

"I had to cite the risks involved," Yoshida continued. "A dancer's reputation could be ruined if we are not discreet, the relatives may not agree if the price is too low--"

And Yoshida would get a fat commission from selling mutton dressed as lamb. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

"So they're paying for an apprentice dancer, but getting a servant girl?"

"Indeed, sir, indeed." Yoshida's eyes were now fixed on the paper-wrapped bundle that the samurai laid on the table. The matters of the samurai and their feuds was none of his business. He was just in it for the money.

“Do your job then. If the family refuses, up the price until they agree.” The bundle was pushed forwards into Yoshida’s waiting hands.

“Sir doesn’t need to ask twice.”

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“Does it look like there will be many cherry blossoms this year, Nee-san?”

“I think so . . .”

It was a familiar sight on the street they lived on, the older girl pushing along the two-wheeled handcart with her sister and the day’s shopping in it back home. Luluko had gone against convention when she had insisted on bringing Nanari outside despite Aunt Kaede’s protests. It was one of the few instances when she openly defied her aunt and thumbed her nose at the custom of keeping invalids out of sight and out of mind. The neighbourhood had got used to it over the years--the denizens of Asakusa were fairly flexible compared to the rest of the city.

“It even feels warmer now.” Wrapped in a quilt with a box of tea on her lap, Nanari sat between the vegetables, various jars of pickles and a wrapped packet of fish. “Nee-san?”

“Hmm?”

“Am I getting too heavy for you?”

“Of course not, silly.”

“Maybe we should stop doing this soon, Nee-san . . .”

“Nonsense! Whatever put that idea in your mend?”

“But Nee-san, shouldn’t you be thinking of getting married?”

“I never thought of that.” That was the truth. But if that meant forsaking Nanari, then she would remain a spinster all her life. A girl with a crippled sister had no prospects at all.

“Do you remember? When mother used to comb your hair, she said she would give you her lacquer comb and hairpins when you got married--”

But there was no comb and hairpins left. Nothing left of her mother except for her sister and a dagger to defend them both.

“Nanari--maybe we should stop talking about this now . . .”

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The tall, thin man who called himself as Yoshida ended his introduction, made his sales pitch and prepared to deliver the final incentive to the pair of merchants whose shop he sat in.

“And so I am authorised to discreetly make this offer to you,” the intermediary said, pushing forward a sheet of paper.

Upon reading the sum offered, Kaede almost fainted, but was kept upright by force of sheer avarice.

“The girl is our niece after all--”

“I have been authorised to consider your circumstances and I am pleased to offer you a revised sum.” Another sheet of paper.

“She’s a decent, well-brought up--”

“I have been permitted to consider that as well. In return for this priceless gift, I can offer you this.” The sheet of paper with the final price for a guaranteed virgin was passed over.

Aunt Kaede was speechless for once in a very long time. Her husband looked far less excited at the prospect.

“It would also be in your interest to accept. Other parties have . . . taken an interest, should I say,” the man known as Yoshida said. “I humbly beseech you to consider this offer and permit my rudeness in returning for an answer in three days time.”

Yoshida bowed his way out, satisfied that he had done his job.

“Dearest, we might be getting into something well over our heads,” Odou said to his wife when the intermediary had left. “I mean, he all but said that--”

“I know, husband!” Kaede snapped. That Yoshida was a shady character, but he represented a noble and had offered a handsome price, veiled threats notwithstanding.

“She’s not going to--”

“Leave her to me, husband, leave her to me.” Their headstrong niece was probably the largest obstacle . . .

* * * * * * * * * * * *

When her aunt had taken her aside to discuss “her future”, Luluko feared that Nanari had been right and that her relatives would marry her off to some man she had never met.

Somehow, the truth had been worst than what she had imagined.

“He’s young and not bad-looking, by all accounts. It could be some old codger with no teeth and smelly feet!” Aunt Kaede was in full force today.

“Just think! You’ll have enough for a dowry and it’ll be large enough that no-one would mind that . . . well, you’ll make a good match,” her aunt continued, glossing over the issue. “And it costs so much to feed extra mouths these days--”

“But Nanari--”

“If you’re so concerned about your sister, then you would consider this,” Aunt Kaede said, more softly this time. “If you’re not willing to get married, then at least you could be a mistress of a powerful man and provide for your sister. Any sons you have by him can become samurai. You’ll have descendants to care for you in your old age at least.”

Unlike any sons would she have if she married a commoner. But that was far from her mind right now.

“There’s not much of a future left for you unless you can find a man to support you. It’s a woman’s lot in life,” Aunt Kaede said, this time without embellishment or feigned emotion. “You’re old enough to know that.”

Yes, she was old enough to know. But she was still young and headstrong enough to resent her lack of power.

“Take some time to think about it. But know that that man will come back for an answer in three days . . . And think about your dear uncle and aunt for once!”

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“Nee-san, is something bothering you?”

“Why do you say that, Nanari?”

“You seem so distracted . . .”

“It’s nothing.”

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“Careful!” Kallen had to pull her arm back as the cup overflowed.

“Oh--” Luluko looked down at the spreading puddle of tea. The fact that she had almost scalded herself with hot tea seemed to be registering very slowly.

“Whatever’s wrong with you?” Oshiitsu asked.

“You’ve been like that the whole day!”

The performers had returned from their engagements and had gathered in the common room after undressing for the night. Sensing that the young woman was troubled, they sat her down while Kallen dried up the split tea.

Haltingly, in embarrassed fits and starts, she told them about the offer that had been made to her guardians.

“Oh that’s just disgusting!” Kallen said. “Stupid rich nobles think that they can buy anything with money--”

“But that’s the truth!” Luluko looked shocked by her own outburst, but she soldiered on. “If I want to stay with Nanari, if I want to take care of her instead of being married off to someone who wouldn’t want her around--”

“You can’t take it on yourself like this,” Kaguya said with a frown. “There has to be another way.”

“It’s your decision.” Oshiitsu looked at her with an unreadable expression. “In the end, you have to decide.”

“I’m lucky to even have a say in it,” she muttered bitterly. Most commoners gladly sold their daughters off when the offer presented itself. Aunt Kaede had probably been afraid that she might do something embarrassing if they had agreed first, instead of dutifully doing as she was told like some mild-mannered sheep of a girl.

“I don’t think much of your aunt and uncle for entertaining such an offer,” Kaguya said, “but it sounds like they are being pressured as well.”

“Stupid nobles,” Kallen said again, but without much heat.

The mood in the room darkened after that.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“You can’t tell Nanari about this.”

“Of course not.”

“Then--I--”

* * * * * * * * * * * *