Kakukou

**Kaku Kou** (郭皓, *****Kaku Kou*****?) is the former fiance of Lady Han. He currently works as an editor at the Archival Bureau.

## History

Kaku Kou is the tenth boy of his generation in his clan, so he had the nickname of **Juurou** (十郎, *****Juurou*****? lit. Tenth son). He and Lady Han were engaged ever since they were young. He calls her **Shousui** (小翠, *****Shousui*****?). They had no doubts that they would be married one day when suddenly, Lady Han was sent off to the inner palace by her father, who was a government official. The night before she left for the capital, she gave him one half of the jade earrings she inherited from her mother so that they would have something to remember each other by.

Some time later, he is told by Lady Han's father that she died from illness. He grieved and didn't question it even though he knew that she didn't have a weak constitution. He took the civil examination during Ka Koushun's reign and passed it with top marks, becoming an editor at the Archival Bureau. That was when he heard the stories surrounding the Previous Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the consorts, including the real circumstances of Lady Han's death. Unable to believe that Lady Han would poison anyone and then hang herself, he decided to infiltrate the inner palace to find her attendant and learn the truth, even knowing that he would be put to death if he was discovered.

## Plot

Kaku Kou disguises himself as a low-ranking eunuch to infiltrate the inner palace. On one of his trips, he loses his jade earring, which is subsequently picked up by one of Koushun's spies. On another trip, near Sen'e House, he rescues the Raven Consort Ryuu Jusetsu and her handmaid Jiujiu from a group of eunuchs, but disappears before they can thank him.

Kaku Kou is summoned to the Koutou Palace Academy by Koushun under the pretext of translating an ancient text, when in actuality they had learned of his identity and want to question him. Jusetsu recognizes him as soon as she sees him. Kaku Kou confesses to what he did and gets excited when he learns that they had spoken with So Kougyou, Lady Han's handmaid. He recognizes the jade earring Jusetsu had as the one he lost. He learns that Lady Han's ghost has been possessing the earring and asks if Jusetsu can save her. She explains that even she can't send a soul to paradise unless their lingering regrets are put to rest. Koushun confirms that they are in the process of arresting the eunuch who framed Lady Han for poisoning the Magpie Consort and killed her, which will clear Lady Han's name. Kaku Kou laments the reason why Lady Han was killed and asks to see her ghost, despite Jusetsu warning him that she won't look like how he remembered her. He insists and she complies.

He calls out Lady Han's name, but she doesn't seem to see or hear him. Jusetsu guesses that it is because the other earring, the one she kept, isn't here. However, Koushun reveals that Lady Han had given him her earring to comfort him when she saw him crying after the funeral of his mother, who died when he was ten. Jusetsu gives both earrings to Kaku Kou. When he takes them, Lady Han's ghost returns to her original appearance and she sees him. They share a tender moment before Lady Han's soul is sent to paradise. Kaku Kou breaks down into sobs after she leaves.

Kaku Kou is now prepared to be executed for breaking into the inner palace, and he tells Koushun about a conversation he overheard between a eunuch and a palace lady about a plot to poison the Emperor. In his haste to get away, he dropped Lady Han's jade earring, which was the earring that Koushun's spy picked up. However, Kaku Kou didn't report the conversation to the Emperor right away because he still holds a grudge over his fiancée being taken from him by the imperial family. He feels disappointed because he assumed that Koushun was so desperate to find the owner of the earrings in order to get his testimony, not because he wanted to save Lady Han, but Jusetsu tells him that Koushun wouldn't have taken such a roundabout method if he only wanted to find him. Kaku Kou is mollified and thanks Koushun for taking care of Lady Han. Koushun tells him to not tell anyone about their conversation and that he may return to his post, which angers him because he didn't tell him everything so that he could be pardoned. Koushun states that he can't kill an important witness, and that this is one part of his repayment towards Lady Han.