Ran Meiju

**Ran Meiju** (鸞明珠, *****Ran Meiju*****?) was the second daughter of the last Ran emperor and the lover of Ran Hyougetsu. When the Flame Emperor's Forbidden Army stormed into the inner palace, she killed herself under a willow tree by slitting her throat.

## Biography

### During Life

Meiju was born as the second daughter of the last Ran emperor. She had a different mother from Ran Hyougetsu's father and was younger than Hyougetsu. At some point in time, she became lovers with Hyougetsu. Because of this, she remained in the inner palace until her death despite being renowned for her beauty. As a shaman, Hyougetsu was able to enter and leave the inner palace freely, and he and Meiju would meet under a willow tree near Enou Palace every time he visited. Eventually, they decided to get married. Since the Ran dynasty banned marriage between family members, Hyougetsu decided to abandon his family name and have his sorcerer master, Hou Ichigyou, adopt him so he could take Hou's last name. The emperor granted him permission to leave the clan, and Hyougetsu presented Meiju with his proposal gift, a glass comb. Meiju was delighted with the gift.

However, this happiness wouldn't last because of the Flame Emperor's coup. Hyougetsu was executed along with his father and grandfather. Refusing to suffer disgrace and humiliation at the hands of the Flame Emperor's army, Meiju decided to slit her own throat under the willow tree while holding her memories with Hyougetsu in her mind. But before that, she buried the comb under the tree, not wanting it to be looted from her corpse. After her death, her body was carried away and buried in the Ran family tomb, while her pendant and the dagger she killed herself with was stored in the Gyokou Hall treasure room. Her ghost, however, was unable to move on because her mind was fixated on the comb she wasn't wearing in her hair. Her ghost remained in the state she had been when she died, and it only appears in spring, during the blooming period of the willow flowers.

After his death, Hyougetsu's ghost went to the inner palace and found her ghost, but he was unable to get her to respond to him, which meant he couldn't send her to paradise or travel with her. He decided to leave the capital to find a shaman who can help him with this problem and visits her every spring.

### Passing On

The current emperor, Ka Koushun hears rumors about Meiju's ghost and tells Ryuu Jusetsu about her. They go to the willow tree and find the ghost standing beneath it, her clothes bloody and her head hanging down. She remains visible for a few moments before disappearing.

After Jusetsu and the others learn the whole story from Hyougetsu, they go to the willow tree once again. Jusetsu theorizes that Meiju had no time to bury the comb too deeply and was proven right when after digging for a while, she finds the roots tangled around the comb. Jusetsu uses her magic to show the comb to Meiju, who looks up for the first time. Her awareness returns and she sees Hyougetsu as well. Meiju's ghost regains her appearance from when she was alive. The comb appears in her hair. With the help of Jusetsu's magic, Hyougetsu and Meiju are reunited and sent to paradise together. Koushun leaves the actual comb in Jusetsu's care before they bury it with Meiju in the Ran family tomb.

## Appearance

Meiju was a beautiful woman with long silver hair and a pale face. Because she was a princess, her clothes have phoenixes woven into them.

## Personality

Not much is known about her personality, but she appeared to be a strong-willed and prideful person who was even willing to kill herself to avoid the shame of being captured by the enemy, and hid Hyougetsu's comb so it wouldn't be looted.

## Relationships

### Ran Hyougetsu

She seemed to have been deeply in love with Ran Hyougetsu, as her fixation on the comb he gifted her caused her to stay behind as a ghost instead of passing on. She also chose to die under the willow tree they always met each other under.

## Trivia

* She was renowned for her beauty, and along with Hyougetsu, they were considered two of the five most beautiful people in the Ran clan.