Seimei nods. "After that I learned to be more subtle with my magic. Ashiya Doman learned that I was more than just a young upstart of dubious parentage: I was a real threat."

So yes, everyone learned something that day.

"A few months after that, one of the Emperor's Consorts gave birth to a son. She was not as high-ranking as some of the other Consorts, but she was one of the Emperor's favorites, and he seemed inclined to designate her infant son as the Heir Apparent. The Fujiwaras were concerned, for they had daughters in the Emperor's harem, and the prospects of their royal grandsons were in jeopardy. The infant suddenly came down with a strange and perplexing illness."