[D13, EE] shopping and conversation (expecting)

[Agasha Yuna]

Yuna realized that she was running out of days at winter court to take advantage of the shopping. There were several additions needed to her wardrobe, in anticipation of all that was coming next in her life.

She'd invited Soshi-san to keep her company, and because she was eager to chat with him about a proposal for the court.

And she did always enjoy his stories!

[Soshi Eiji]

Yuna realized that she was running out of days at winter court to take advantage of the shopping. There were several additions needed to her wardrobe, in anticipation of all that was coming next in her life.

She'd invited Soshi-san to keep her company, and because she was eager to chat with him about a proposal for the court.

And she did always enjoy his stories!

Yuna could probably imagine Eiji's wardrobe being filled with identical red and black kimono. The only ornamentation she'd ever seen him in was upon his mask.

"I thought you might not be able to make it Agasha-san. You had many people surrounding you at the festival offering their heartfelt thanks, I thought you might have spent the entire evening getting free of them graciously." he offered, upon approach.

[Agasha Yuna]

She bowed to see him.

"I am aided by the Bowman's wager. Everyone wanted to see the finale. Horses and all!"

"Have you ever ridden a horse before, Soshi-san? I must say I haven't. They would not enjoy our steep mountains."

She glanced down the row of shops.

"I am looking for silks and embroidery for my new life as a Phoenix."

"And I here there is a splendid place for dinner with noodles of great variation in spiciness."

[Soshi Eiji]

She bowed to see him.

"I am aided by the Bowman's wager. Everyone wanted to see the finale. Horses and all!"

"Have you ever ridden a horse before, Soshi-san? I must say I haven't. They would not enjoy our steep mountains."

She glanced down the row of shops.

"I am looking for silks and embroidery for my new life as a Phoenix."

"And I here there is a splendid place for dinner with noodles of great variation in spiciness."

Eiji nodded.

"Not in combat, but horses are a great boon when crossing long distances across the plains." he admitted.

He smiled a bit at the agenda for the trip.

"The noodles sound like a good idea. I'm sure Agasha-san is going to work up quite an appetite on this trip. Not that I expect Agasha-san is going to buy an entire wardrobe in an hour, but she is preparing for quite the change, ne?"

[Agasha Yuna]

She nodded.

"I promise I'm only looking at silks and embroidery that I can take home for the work of construction and fitting. Nothing untoward for you to chaperone. And, yes, no more than an hour. The lure of the noodles will keep us in motion!"

"How is winter court going for you? Have you finished all your trades? Do you have everything the Scorpion need?"

They had reached a stall selling kimono silks, and she moved to examine the orange fabrics.

[Soshi Eiji]

Eiji nodded.

"Very nearly so, I believe. Yogo-san's negotiations with the Badger took longer than would have been preferred, but he is not a courtier by trade. Howerver, he does have a solid rapport with the minor clans, and it's helpful to not have to personally negotiate every single trade deal myself." he admitted.

He took a moment to appreciate the silk the Dragon was considering.

"My, that will be quite the change won't it. From the cool evergreens of a forrested mountaintop, to the burning brightness of a volcano." he commented.

"What about the Dragon? Have they found what they are looking for this season?" he asked.

[Agasha Yuna]

She nodded. "Yogo-san has an impressive knowledge of the fire kami. It is good that he is here. He's been helping with a group of shugenja and others, including myself, to put together a ritual to counter a spiritual threat."

"There is rather a keen range in what is considered orange, from the lightest peach to rather closer to a Scorpion red. And in how the phoenix itself is displayed. And, there is also the possibility of a kimono highlighting Phoenix embroidery but in a black or gold."

She held up several examples:
https://ibb.co/S4M4t1wX (lighter orange and phoenix embroidery)
https://ibb.co/1YBthZr7 (lighter orange and phoenix embroidery)
https://ibb.co/3xg9gr1 (darker orange and phoenix embroidery)
https://ibb.co/r2mbsKGY (red-orange and phoenix embroidery)
https://ibb.co/0p9K1xFf (black and phoenix embroidery)
https://ibb.co/JNKv5sR (gold and phoenix embroidery

"And you can see variation in the colors and shapes used in the Phoenix itself."

"What do you think? Any of these you like particularly?"

She paused and he had time to consider, and turned to his question.

"Our trades to secure the items needed are complete. The Dragon have all that is required." She smiled. She took pride in that. "Our last effort for trade is with the Lion. A chance to yet have a treaty and joint venture between us." (By early evening, they would know if both Daimyos signed off and it was presented at court on D13 or was still pending...)

"There is another matter on my mind, though. One last assignment from Togashi-ue that I am hopeful to accomplish. I had thought perhaps to ask for your input and help."

[Soshi Eiji]

Eiji considered the Dragon's potential purchases. But try as his player might, none of the links would work.

"Hmm, I'll need a moment to think about that, Agasha-san. While I'm quite certain you would look lovely in any of them, Shiba-san woud likely not thank me for encouraging you to buy all of them." he temporized.

He looked at her addendum curiously.

"I am always happy to provide input, Agasha-san, and support when I can. What matter are you working on?" he asked.

[Agasha Yuna]

She nodded and continued holding up silk to her skin and making little 'hmmm' sort of noises.

"It's actually an economic proposition. There's a Dragon scholar who's been really diving into economic study as a path of a kind. That's the Dragon way I think to chase an idea as deep as it goes. He's got a proposal and Togashi-ue supports him and is hoping we can successfully present it at court."

"I've begun getting input from other clans. Trying to figure out the version of this idea that could pass with support."

"Here's the idea of it."

"It is a question of how taxes are paid. How they are monetized. An odd topic for the Dragon, perhaps, but I think you'll see the opportunity for compassion in it, and the spiritual pursuit of balance."

"You are familiar with the koku and the bu - coin. All are used to the idea of coin and understand its merits. It can be carried on the person and exchanged for any desired good. Coin is stable. It does not decay or rot. It is not ruined if your pouch becomes wet."

"But as an empire, we still use the rice standard for taxation. Rice is treated as a kind of coin. It is taken from fields, from hungry farmers, and paid up to lords, who pay up to their lords. On and on up the ladder. It is bulky and fragile to transport. It is vulnerable - in the field - to weather and battle. It is vulnerable in the storeroom to fire and rot. It rapidly loses its value for it does not endure. At most, rice can be stored for two years, and much can go wrong in that interim, even as hungry bellies are left unfed."

"If the empire moved to a metal standard, a gold standard, or a gold and iron standard, any good could be initially traded, rice included, but the metal itself is then stable and enduring. Those rich in rice would still find plenty of buyers. All need rice to eat. Rice would simply only be transported to be used as food. And the coin collected by taxation could be saved in flourishing times to be a resource for compassion in leaner years."

"It would cost less and take less space to transport and store, leaving more resource at every stage for more local use. Less ... the economic term is breakage. Less loss of resource to the economy that becomes unusable. More would be fed. And the arc of balance - the ability for a strong year to protect against a lean one - would extend indefinitely, rather than be bound by at most one additional year."

"The suggestion so far to make the idea more attractive to the other clans is to propose that the shift happen over the course of three years. That gives clans time to shift their stockpiles, so they are not caught back-footed. Another suggestion is to simply make the taxation standard more diverse. To accept payment in rice or metal. That lets each clan pursue their preferred payment type and gives the Imperial Court the advantage of a diversified income stream, and that is economically more valuable and stable."

"I am sure there is more to be said and considered. What do you think?"

[Soshi Eiji]

Eiji considered his options.

'Hmm, I really like the lighter color with the gold, but the pattern on the black I think is the best one" he finally decided.

Dragon monetary policy well that was....interesting.

"Hm, well I'm not an expert on taxation, but I do know a little about everything. Allow me to offer you some counterpoints you might have to face off in court against so you can be prepared." he offered.


1) Taken from hungry farmers: While a very striking image, the cruel tax officer taking food out of the mouths of hungry peasant children, this is not a very common occurance for two reasons. First, starving peasants do not produce food, or at least very well, and it is a foolish lord indeed who overtaxes their peasants to that rate. The second being that hungry peasants are much more likely to revolt, and while any samurai could certainly fend off a handful, rebelling peasants is a clear sign the lord has failed, because it will take force to surpress and leave you once again with vacant fields.

2) To the lords above them: To be fair, lords have to eat too, and outside the Sparrow, you won't see many lords in a rice paddy. Rice has to travel regardless of whether it's because of tax, or simply to feed people living in an area that is ill suited for rice production.

3) Shelf life of rice: While it's true, rice has a shelf life of two years it can be converted into sake. Sake then can be further converted into koshu which takes at least three years to age. And beyond feeding the people, rice can be used in offerings to the fortunes, especially inari-no-kami.

4) Rice rich, metal poor: While three years is a nice timetable, it does not really address the reality of geography. The Crane, Scorpion, and Lion lands are well suited for growing rice, but have comparitvely little metal production. The Dragon and Phoenix lands are rich in minerals, but ill suited for growing rice. Even if given three years, the Crane, Lion, and Scorpion are unable to suddenly produce minerals at the rate the Dragon and Phoenix can, so it would be a massive shift in economic, therefore political power.

5) Diverse payment: Rice is a standard because it is easy to measure. One koku is enough rice to feed one man for a year. However, if you accept multiple payments, whether it's gold, iron, or fancy hats, you'll need to implement some way to judge the relative value of goods, which will shift from year to year at the very least. If the fields have a bumper crop of rice, and the mines peter out, suddenly it takes much more rice to cover a purchase, and those who have metal suddenly have their wealth increased without effort."

Eiji smiled.

"And keep in mind, Agasha-san, I'm not actually arguing these points. I don't have a firm position, I'm just trying to outline where people might strike so you can prepare."

[Agasha Yuna]

"I like that circular pattern on the black, too. I'm thinking to buy the black fabric and the light orange. And we can cut out the circular patterns with the phoenix so beautifully captured inside, and embroider onto the orange. I think that will be quite striking."

She listened attentively to his thoughts.

"I do appreciate you helping me consider counter-arguments. 'Wisdom comes in finding the opportunities that dilemmas provide.'"

"It's definitely true that rice still has to move to the hungry mouths, but that could be more local than if the rice travels out of the clan lands altogether."

"Excellent point about converting rice to sake. Perhaps it is useful to note that taxes cannot be paid in sake either, at this time, though it is rice in a better preserved format. And a beverage might be considered a mid-point in risk to storage. Easier to store than rice itself. Less vulnerable to fire and rot. But ruined if the barrel or bottle is damaged, and - for that reason - can be lost in transport in a way that metal cannot."

"The geography issue is why I personally think the best proposal is to diversify the method of payment. So rice-rich can pay in rice. And metal-rich can pay in metal."

"That's definitely true that an Imperial court or agent of that court would need to set the exchange rate. But the problems with rice being so subject to drought and flood and war, and the metal being more resistant to that, I think that's a positive. Yes, the court could adjust, from compassion. Or not. But the choice would be with the imperial court."

"And they could decide, after three years, to go solely to metal. Or continue to accept rice or metal. There would be years of observation of how the idea worked to make the next decision."

[Soshi Eiji]

Eiji considered it, but the Dragon ways were simply beyond his grasp.

"Hmm, this topic might be a bit beyond me, Agasha-san, my apologies. I'm not really an expert on taxation. But I do wonder, if you're going to present to court....what are you going to ask the court for? Because I don't think they're likely to approve a sweeping change to how money works until the succession crisis is resolved. That really feel like the kind of change a new Empress would bring rather than the bureaucracy stumbling forward without." he wondered.

[Agasha Yuna]

"I think it is my duty to bring it forward tomorrow - the last day of open court, prior to the final day when I believe the focus will be on Heaven revealing the chosen Emperor. But it is a good point. Perhaps the proposition should be that the court adopt something in the interim, which the ultimate Emperor would have the power to ratify for a longer period."

"I have to hope folks will either be supportive or at least raise no objection."

"That I have a version that all can see a benefit from."

"But if I am voted down, I will at least have done my duty and tried."

[Soshi Eiji]

Vote Yuna down? What kind of friend would Eiji be if he voted her down suddenly?

"Hmmm, well perhaps, some sort of Imperial appointment for your scholar, Agasha-san? The Empire does not favor doing big sweeping changes. But while the Dragon mountains are certainly a nice place be able to study in peace, they are ill-suited for influencing the Empire as a whole. But if they lived in the capital with easy access to the Imperial court, they could advance their ideas over time." he suggested.

[Agasha Yuna]

"That is a thought. And, perhaps not to push that it be our Dragon scholar - which is rather self-serving - but just that the role of an Imperial tax assessor be created? To study this issue and make recommendation to the new Emperor within six months?"

"Hmmm... I must see what Togashi-ue will tolerate."

"But I appreciate your creativity. There is always bringing up the big idea, seeing if any refute, and having the small idea in the back pocket."

[Soshi Eiji]

A small shrug.

"It's not truly self-serving if he is the expert. If we appoint someone else, they may simply say no, and enjoy the high life of the capital." he offered. "But I am glad that my suggestion may be a small help."

[Agasha Yuna]

She had by now bought several piles of silk, including the light orange and the black.

"Look at this embroidery! That's quite lovely. A standalone piece that could be quickly added to another garment. A phoenix and flowers. And green and orange."

"Are you ready to get those noodles? I think I'm almost done here."

[Soshi Eiji]

Eiji smiled.

"Noodles sound excellent, Agasha-san. Lead on." he agreed.

[Agasha Yuna]

She gathered up her packages, with a smile. She'd have to look for fans, too. But that could wait for another day.

She led him down a market lane and there ... the Golden Noodle.

"I daresay you are used to spicier fare in Scorpion lands than me. But I do think it smells wonderful. I noticed it walking by the other day. Ginger for sure. And some scents I can't place but just seem full of promise."

She found a table and ordered tea. "Do you want tea, too? Something stronger?"

[Soshi Eiji]

Eiji grinned a bit.

"I have to admit, I am still getting used to the level of spice in scorpion cooking. I'm pretty sure it amuses my wife to no end to watch me try to remain stoic with cooking I'm pretty sure could strip the bark from a tree. But I try to think of it as endurance training." he offered.

"I find that sake tends to pair better with spicy food than tea. A junmai style sake for the lower heat to compliment the flavor, and a nigori style sake for relief from the higher heat ones." he offers.

He looked at the Dragon curiously.

"I don't know much about the differences in Dragon and Phoenix cuisine." he admitted. "I know you've certain shown a passion for presentation of food here at court, any thoughts of what your change in clan will mean for your meals?"