Ryuu Jusetsu

* Novel
* Anime

**Ryuu Jusetsu** (柳 寿雪, *Ryuu Jusetsu*?) is the main title protagonist of *Koukyuu no Karasu*. She is the current Raven Consort and Winter King of the current generation of China.

## Appearance

Jusetsu is described as a beautiful young girl. She has pale skin and a slender frame. She has long black hair tied up into two loops and fastened in place with jade and gold hair ornaments. Along with jade and gold dangling earrings. She has two large pink peonies, which are the physical manifestations of Jusetsu's magic, are fixed under the hair loops. She has large dark eyes that are described as being like black agate. In the anime, her eyes are pink. She wears pink eye shadow with red eyeliner and red lipstick.

She is dressed in black from head to toe. Her outer robe is made of black satin and embroidered with flowers and leaves, and her ruqun is patterned with flower-eating birds. The shawl hanging from her shoulders is made of black silk. There is a dark red burn that looks like an osmanthus flower on her left wrist, a symbol of her past life as a house slave to the You clan.

Jusetsu's true hair color is silver, proof of her Ran clan lineage.

## Personality

Because she rarely leaves Yamei Palace and the reputation of the Raven Consort, Jusetsu has a mysterious and aloof air about her. She speaks in an old-fashioned way, which makes her seem arrogant. She is a blunt person and not afraid to tell people off, even if they had more authority than her. She has a sharp mind and is an impatient person, preferring to do things herself instead of waiting. She has a strong sense of justice and doesn't ignore people in distress. She dislikes people who make fun of ghosts or using them as entertainment. However, she does act her age at times, such as getting easily flustered by those who see past her coldness and can be bribed with food.

Her guilt over not helping her mother and witnessing her mother's decapitated head has caused her to feel empty inside. Though it has been filled by Reijou's love, she still feels like she is missing something.

## History

Jusetsu was born to a prostitute in the red light district and an unknown man. Her mother was a member of the Ran clan, but was not considered a legitimate member of the family because she was the daughter of a low-born female servant, making her an illegitimate child. Since she wasn't on the name register, she was able to dye her hair and slip into town. She also dyed Jusetsu's hair black to ensure her safety.

When Jusetsu was four, the palace found out about Jusetsu's mother and sent soldiers to capture her. Jusetsu and her mother went on the run, but when Jusetsu's mother realized the soldiers were only after her, she hid Jusetsu in the shadow of a gate, made her promise to stay there until dusk before going home, and then left to confront the soldiers. From her position, Jusetsu was able to hear shouts of men, objects breaking, and agonized screams from her mother. She was too afraid to move and stayed where she was until she no longer heard anything.

Jusetsu was too young to remember the way back home, so she wandered around town until night time and fell asleep at the gate. The next day, she started wandering again and arrived at the execution site, where she saw the decapitated head of the her mother with her hair back to the original silver color. The sight caused Jusetsu to go into a state of shock. Afterwards she was caught by a slaver and sold to the You clan as a servant. She was branded with an osmanthus flower mark, which remains to this day. Though she no longer had her hair dyed, her hair was smeared with dust and sand, causing it to look grey. People assumed that her hair was that color because of overwork, allowing her to escape unnoticed.

After two years, a golden arrow, transformed from the golden feather of a strange bird, was shot into the roof of the You house's gate. This signified that Jusetsu had been chosen as the next Raven Consort. She was brought to Yamei Palace by a eunuch and met the previous Raven Consort, Reijou. Reijou explained to her why her mother had to run away and why she had silver hair.

Reijou helped dye her hair and raised her in the palace and kept her from going out as much as possible. This contributed to why Jusetsu has very little knowledge about what is going on outside in the world. She also gave Jusetsu the family name "Ryu" to further hide her identity. Jusetsu learned everything from Reijou, including how to read, write, and the magic of the Raven Consort. Her old-fashioned way of talking also came from Reijou, who was elderly and came from a noble family, and Jusetsu was under the assumption that this was how all upper class people talked. Reijou poured her knowledge, wisdom, and love on to Jusetsu, making her feel happy once again, but she still felt like she was missing something. At some point, Reijou died, and Jusetsu succeeded her as the Raven Consort two years before the start of the story and before Ka Koushun ascended the throne.

## Plot

Jusetsu is visited by Koushun and Ei Sei at Yamei Palace. She tells Ei Sei off for almost killing Xingxing, the golden bird who flew out the palace and almost hurt Koushun. Koushun asks to use her magic to find the owner of a jade earring he found, but she refuses as she senses there is more to this request and does not want to get involved in troublesome matters. After Koushun notices the flower-shaped burn on her wrist, she kicks both men out.

However, she is persuaded to listen to his request after he brings her a basket of baozi the next day. She cannot use her magic to find the owners of lost things, so Koushun asks her find the identity of a ghost who he once saw haunting the earring. Jusetsu summons the ghost, who appeared to be a concubine from Koushun's father's or grandfather's reign who was strangled to death. Koushun asks Jusetsu to help the ghost, and Jusetsu agrees to help, partially to get Koushun to stop paying attention to her burn, and partially because she wants to help the ghost. Jusetsu asks for the name register of all the concubines so she could find the ghost's identity, but Koushun refuses as it will draw attention to him and what he is doing. Since it would take time to get the register through indirect means, Jusetsu asks Koushun to prepare a cleaning maid's uniform for her so she can do her own investigation.

The next morning, Jusetsu, dressed in the maid uniform, leaves Yamei Palace. Near Hien Palace, a residence for high-ranking concubines, she defends a kitchen maid named Jiujiu from another maid who was trying to push her work on her. Jusetsu learns that the other maid was the daughter of the minister in charge of the marketplace, where Jiujiu's family biscuit shop is, and that the maid had come to Hien Palace to exchange letters with a eunuch. Pretending to be a Yamei Palace maid, she befriends Jiujiu and helps with the preparations for dinner while getting information from her. She learns about the circumstances behind Koushun's deposition and eventual reclamation of the throne. Since Jiujiu hasn't worked at the inner palace long enough to know much about it before Koushun's reign, she takes her to an older maid named Ashuu who knows more inner palace stories.

Ashuu tells them about the lower-ranking concubine Lady Han who hung herself after the pregnant Magpie Consort was poisoned and the poison was found in her room. Jusetsu is unable to find out whether or not Lady Han wore jade earrings. Jusetsu asks about the inner palace during the Flame Emperor's reign (Koushun's grandfather's) reign, and hears a story about how he was haunted by the ghosts of the previous imperial family, all of whom he had killed. The previous imperial family was notable for having rare silver hair. Jusetsu is obviously shaken by this story, which Jiujiu notices. Jusetsu helps Jiujiu finish her work. When she is about to leave, Jiujiu notices strands of white hair in her hair, and Jusetsu runs back to Yamei Palace before she can ask more about it.

When she gets back, she prepares to make a dye for her white hair. However, as she is doing so, she is surprised by Ei Sei who came in through the back door. She hides her fear of having what she is doing be discovered and tells him about what she discovered during the day. She asks him if he can find out if Lady Han's servants are still in the inner palace, but she is told that in order to read the court lady register, there has to be a reason given, which will draw attention to what Koushun is doing. Jusetsu comes up with the idea of using the pretext of finding a handmaid (specifically, Jiujiu, whose family name is unknown) to gain access to the register. Ei Sei agrees, but before leaving, he correctly identifies the ingredients in her mortar, draws the connection to her hair, and asks who she is.

Later at night, Jusetsu goes to a pond with a bowl of dye to re-dye her hair. After the confrontation with Ei Sei, she wanted to dye her hair right away. She submerges herself in the pond to wash off the old dye, exposing her silver hair. She reemerges and is about to re-dye her hair when she sees Koushun and Ei Sei on the other side of the pond. Panicking, she runs back to Yamei Palace and shuts the doors, thinking that she will be executed now that her secret is out. She is shocked when Koushun comes only to return the bowl she left by the pond and tell her to wipe herself dry so she won't catch a cold. She opens the doors as he is leaving and asks if he has anything else to say, but he simply says he saw nothing tonight.

The next day, Jusetsu is visited by Koushun and Ei Sei again, this time with Jiujiu in tow. Jusetsu can't tell what Koushun is thinking from his expressionless face and doesn't know why he is pretending that he hadn't seen anything yesterday. Jusetsu tells a shocked Jiujiu her true identity as the Raven Consort and her intention of hiring her as her handmaid (temporarily, as she doesn't want anyone to find out her secret). She had chosen Jiujiu because she had said she would like to work at Yamei Palace, and because she thought it would be fun to be with Jiujiu after spending time together yesterday. Jiujiu is hesitant at first but is immediately won over once she sees her new uniform. When Jiujiu leaves to change, Koushun tells Jusetsu about So Kougyou, Lady Han's attendant who is currently at the Sen'e House, the place where elderly court ladies or court ladies who have committed crimes are sent to. Despite Koushun's misgivings, Jusetsu decides to go there with Jiujiu to question So Kougyou about the earring.

On the way there, they see the maid from yesterday delivering another letter to Hien Palace. Jusetsu learns from Jiujiu that the maid is actually delivering the letters on someone else's behalf. When the two approach Sen'e House, they are attacked by four eunuchs with knives. Jusetsu uses her magic to escape, but Jiujiu is caught by one of them. Just as Jusetsu puts herself between Jiujiu and the knife, another eunuch in his thirties intervenes. The older eunuch is overpowered, but a younger eunuch rescues them off and drives away the four eunuchs easily. The younger eunuch introduces himself as Onkei, who had been ordered by Ei Sei to guard Jusetsu from the shadows. Jusetsu looks around for the older eunuch to thank him but finds that he had disappeared. Jusetsu tries to send Jiujiu back to Yamei Palace because of the danger, but Jiujiu insists on accompanying her. Jiujiu thanks Jusetsu for trying to save her from getting stabbed, making Jusetsu feel strange.

Jusetsu enters Sen'e House with Jiujiu and Onkei and are shown to So Kougyou's room. There, they find Kougyou bedridden with a fever and her tongue cut out. Jusetsu introduces herself and shows her the jade earring, which Kougyou instantly recognizes. Kougyou asks for paper and brush to write with, and Jusetsu sends Jiujiu to get some, but is told that there are no writing supplies here. Jusetsu decides to take Kougyou back to Yamei Palace so she can write, despite the protests of the eunuch in charge of Sen'e House, and asks Onkei to carry Kougyou. Once there, Jusetsu gives Kougyou writing supplies. Kougyou tells the truth behind the Magpie Consort's and Lady Han's death and that everything was covered up by the Empress Dowager. She explains that Lady Han was framed and she herself was silenced by having her tongue cut out, but she secretly learned how to write.

She also explains that the jade earring is one of a pair, with the other one in the possession of Lady Han's fiancé back in her hometown. Lady Han had given hers away to a crying child in order to comfort them. After asking Jusetsu to help bring Lady Han's killers to justice, Kougyou faints. Jusetsu asks Onkei to get medicine from the medicine office and Jiujiu to look after Kougyou. Jusetsu ponders on who the child was and speculates that they are probably still in the inner palace. She guesses that she won't be able to put Lady Han's ghost to rest unless she clears her name.

## Abilities

**Raven Consort's Magic and Mysticism:** As the current Raven Consort, Jusetsu is trained in the Raven Consort's magic. Her magic is manifested in the pink peonies she wears in her hair.

* **Pyrokinesis:** Jusetsu can summon pink flames to appear at the palm of her hands with or without the peonies. She also has the ability to open doors with a mere jester of her hands.
* **Teleportation:** Jusetsu can teleport people away with her pink flaming peonies and create a gust of wind.
* **Spiritual Affinity & Awareness:** She is capable of her perceiving or summoning the spirits of the deceased to the mortal world for a time.
* **Spiritual Sealing:** Using a sorcerer's spell, she can seal one's troubled spirit within where said sealing spell is cast.
* **Expert** **Marksmanship:** Using her chicken *naiobu*'s yellow feathers, she can pin a target down with a single arrow of pink light that can purify dark spiritual energies such as curses. At one point, she had split a father into five purifying arrows that were capable of destroying a clay doll with ease upon contact.
* **Lie Detection:** She is able to tell whether one is lying and discern the truth from them as she sees fit.

## Trivia

* Jusetsu's last name (柳, *Ryuu*) means "willow." Her given name contains the characters for "longevity"（寿, *Ju*) and "snow" (雪, *Setsu*).
* Her late mother named her, in the hopes that her silver-white hair would be a blessing instead of a curse.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Volume 1, The Jade Earring