8

The time had come to name an empress. Genji urged the case of Akikonomu, reminding everyone of Fujitsubo's wishes for her son. It would mean another Genji* empress, and to that there was opposition. And To~ no Chu~jo~'s daughter had been the first of the emperor's ladies to come to court. The outcome of the debate remained in doubt.

Murasaki's father, Prince Hyo~bu, was now a man of importance, the maternal uncle of the emperor. He had long wanted to send a daughter to court and at length he had succeeded, and so two of the principal contenders were royal granddaughters. If the choice was to be between them, people said, then surely the emperor would feel more comfortable with his mother's niece. He could think of her as a substitute for his mother. But in the end Akikonomu's candidacy prevailed. There were many remarks upon the contrast between her fortunes and those of her late mother.