See also: Legend of the Five Rings, Last week, Next Week

Arrived back at the inn. We are met by a scorpion named Bayushi Ita. He wants to confirm testimony about the murder woman. He is a city magistrate. He is also bearing an invitation from Bayushi Kito (chief magistrate), who is having a party tonight.

Dress up nicely and head off to the palace that evening. Fujiko and I are provided with litters to take us there.

The party is the normal embarressing thing, and there isn't even any proper food - just tiny little snacky things. We do meet the Wasp - Tsuruchi Voshida - we met on the ship many weeks ago.

Meet Moto Dahaki, a large Unicorn bloke who doesn't say very much. We leave the party and head off to get a drink. His job is to ensure that Unicorns aren't exploited by the Scorpion. He is an ambassador. We stay up all night drinking fermented mare's milk, and talking about Unicorn things.

In the morning, go to visit Yogo Jiro to watch the sun come up. He has a viewing room in a tower at the top of his house. I paint the sunrise.

During this time, Jiro and Fujiko are talking - he warns her to leave the city as soon as possible, and never to go anywhere alone. Apparently there have been a number of murders recently, all of them preceeded by the young lady receiving a red water lily. They were all murdered by some means according to their nature (an archer strangled by her bow string, a dancer nailed to the floor, a painter poisoned with her ink). He and Voshida have been investigating this.

Fujiko received a red water lilly as a gift a day or so ago, which she was wearing in her hair last night.

Jiro: About four years ago he was appointed as a magistrate. He was visitng the mantis lands, in the spring, and the ambassoders were there when the clans were making treaties. There were troubles in the land with the matter of Ichiban. A Kikita maiden who was part of the Crane delegation died. Initially the Mantis and Crane thought it was suicide. The matter would have rested there except that a Tsurichi maiden was killed and a flower was found by both corpses. A Lion was identified by the Mantis as being responsible for these deaths, and so was walled into a sea cell where he starved or drowned. His body was dragged out 18 days later and burnt. Tsuruchi Voshida helped in that investigation.

Since then, there was another killed in Ryoko Owari shortly after the Bon festival. She was the dancer.

A messenger comes in and hands a message to Voshida. Last nights singer was found dead this morning - hot coals have been forced down her throat, and a red water lilly was found at the scene.

We all go to the House of the Ivory Lilly where the murder took place. Fujiko examines the body.