Scorpion Clan Letter - #2
My best beloved one,
I am writing you from my home-I mean, my husband's home-here in the Imperial Palace. There is much work to do and I do not have the time to express to you all the concern I have for the direction of the events in the Empire. My greatest concern, of course, is for Lord Doji and his present condition. I must admit to to having contributed to his madness.. If only I had not allowed him to see my husband, perhaps the plague would not have affected his senses the way it did. So far, the fortunes have seen fit to keep my person safe from the vengeful touch of the plague, but Lord Doji was not so fortunate.
Of course, I am also concerned about the activities of the ronin Toturi. I have spoken with Hida Kisada about his actions, and have arranged for the Fallen Lion's influence to be removed from the picture.
Toturi has been quite troublesome. He has spread a rumor that I was responsible for Lord Doji's madness, and that I have manipulated the Unicorn to serve my wishes. Nothing could be further from the truth. When the Unicorn ambassador Lord Tadaji arrived for the Test of the Emerald Champion, we spoke extensively on the subject of Lord Toturi and the treachery that the Crane have spread across the Empire. He agreed that the Crane have been less than honest in the past and could not be trusted in such a time as this. He agreed to keep his cavalry from assisting the Crane in their present dilemma, and to keep Toturi from aiding them by protecting Beiden Pass.
Of course, the Lion have also been very agreeable. Once they saw the damage the Crab inflicted, they agreed that it would be child's play to destroy Doji Castle, thus putting an end to the Crane threat to the Throne. Every man, woman and child in Rokugan knows that the Crane wish nothing more than to have a Doji sitting on the Emerald Throne, and I only made certain that such a thing would never come to pass. As I write these words, Lady Matsu is laying siege to the Crane lands, hampered only by the Phoenix samurai-maiden Lady Tsukune and her army of shugenja. I must find a way to convince the Phoenix to remove her from the Crane lands. Perhaps if Lord Ujimitsu paid me a visit, I could convince him of the validity of such actions.
Everything is going as planned, my beloved. Toturi is marching his army into a trap, the Unicorn have promised to protect the Pass and Hida Kisada is even now marching his army toward the Palace. The strength of the Great Bear has impressed me, more so, dare I say, than the strength of Lord Doji. And since Kisada's lovely wife was recently found to be the victim of a ninja's poison, he will certainly be looking for warm company on the cold winter nights that will be arriving soon.
Bayushi Kachiko