Some weeks later...
Jei Hu was taken to the Garrison House and forced into temporary Military Service as junior officer in charge of the Chow Hall workers. He was treated like shit by all the other Samurai of higher station, but respected by the Commoner Soldiers under him. When the ‘Army Types’ finally felt (after a few weeks) that he had mastered the basic concept of Respecting Authority and the Chain of Command, he was finally released back to the Chief Magistrate for Review.
“Jei Hu Okamura,” Chief Magistrate Saito said in a meeting with himself, his brother Juro (the Steward), Keitaro Hokusai the Yoriki, and four of the Army Officers that had overseen Jei Hu’s incarceration – “You now have shown the proper respect for authority and proved that you and your skills can be of true service to the Daimyo. I therefore assign you as Yoriki-So, or junior Yoriki.”
At that point, the Steward gathered some papers and emblems of station to pass over to Jei Hu, adding – “Your duties will be to protect the city of Sendai in the Daimyo’s name and to head the local police force – under the direction of the senior Yoriki, such as Yoriki Hokusai here. You will bring great honor and station to your family’s name if you serve faithfully and with honor.”
“Because you will be a part of the police force, you will be allowed to openly carry weapons within the city and to wear armor while on official duty. You will have ten Doshin working under you as your deputies, who will do most of the work, stand watches, and are allowed to carry flail-staves while going about their business. The Doshin will follow your orders without question, but only so far as it applies to their official duties. Be careful what you task them with, because they can cause you to lose face, should any of them fail you while carrying out duties in your name.”
“You and your Doshin are to capture and hold criminals and lawbreakers until they can be heard before the Chief Magistrate”, Juro continues, “which happens once a week as a public service. Though you are within your rights to kill any criminal or lawbreaker that resists arrest, I suggest that you try not to; as the Chief Magistrate holds his weekly hearings and preferes to instill a sense of justice in with those worthy of death, before they are finally dealt with.”
After Juro the Steward finishes talking, Chief Magistrate Saito says one more thing, before leaving the room with the four Army Officers – “Yoriki-So Okamura, prove yourself capable of working with your senior Yoriki – and at an appropriate time, you will be promoted to Full Yoriki Status, on equal ground with all of your peers.”
With that, the Chief Magistrate and Army Officers removed themselves to everyone’s bows – and then only Juro, Jei Hu, and Keitaro were in the room.
Before anyone could say anything, Juro ushered them out and warned – “I hardly expect you two to get along, but make sure that you at least appear to be doing so on the surface – as the appearance of harmony goes a long way to preserve one’s honor.”
Then, shutting the door, Juro yelled through it as an afterthought – “AND NO DUELING! (Except in the upcoming tournament of course.)”
Author
Topic: The Halfblood Swordsman (Read 56925 times)