It may have been because of a bond in a former life that she bore the emperor a beautiful son, a jewel beyond
compare. The emperor was in a fever of impatience to see the child, still with the mother's family; and when, on
the earliest day possible, he was brought to court, he did indeed prove to be a most marvelous babe. The emperor's
eldest son was the grandson of the Minister of the Right. The world assumed that with this powerful support he
would one day be named crown prince; but the new child was far more beautiful. On public occasions the
emperor continued to favor his eldest son. The new child was a private treasure, so to speak, on which to lavish
uninhibited affection.