I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits, and not yet entirely succumbed to your habitual ennui. I'm sure you can understand I have been far too busy with Official Imperial Business to write earlier, and the noble Lord Oshikatsu has kept me by him at all times, day and night, since I am indispensible to his company.

Anyway, I am pleased to tell you that our delegation was very well-favoured by the Chinese Emperor (who is a very odd little man, by the way, and even though he clearly believes himself to be the most superior being on earth, is not at all to be compared with our own Divine Heavenly Ruler!). We have been lodged in a very nice house in the Palace City, which is part of the royal household, and we have several times been recieved at the Great Luminous Palace itself. That is a truly magnificent place indeed! - such a shame you cannot see it.

Oh Hiromi, I have so much to tell you about this splendid city, I scarely know where to begin - it makes Nara look like a rural village! Even you wouldn't yawn at the beautiful gardens and lakes, and you would certainly be in raptures over the magnificent (and remarkably cheap) silks and gems to be found in the vast markets here. Maybe if I have enough coin left over I will send a parcel back for you.

The only problem I've found is that the streets are labyrinthine and crowded with all types of people and conveyances, and with the city being divided up by so many walled areas it's very easy to lose your bearings. In fact, dearest cousin, I have to confess I got completely lost yesterday, but I had quite an adventure to make up for it! I simply have to tell you what happened! (but please don't pass this on to Mama-san, else she will worry).

I went into a tavern near the Western Market to ask for directions back to the Palace City, and there I met a man... ah no, Hiromi, I know what you are thinking now, but it wasn't like that! Well, not really. His name is Shuai Tiao, which I believe means something like 'handsome to look at', and he certainly is very good-looking even though you would probably find him a little rough around the edges for your fastidious tastes and as far as I know he doesn't write poetry.

Anyway - it was my chokutō that caught his eye at first, since he is a swordsman, like myself. He invited me to share a flask of wine with him and we chatted for simply ages. He said he had been hired to escort a small party of travellers to Samarkand (I'm not exactly sure where that is, except its apparently some distance to the West and possibly not in China?). I said that sounded simply thrilling, and I suppose I must have looked rather wistful because guess what -- Shuai Tiao invited me to join them!

Surely you will not blame me that I accepted his invitation, Hiromi? I fear Oshikatsu-san will be rather displeased when I tell him I won't be returning with the rest of the delegation in two days time, but once I explain I am sure he will be persuaded to see it would be unfair for me to miss such a wonderful opportunity to travel and see foreign places. After all, it's not as if I would be leaving his service forever, is it?

I will write again very soon, dear Hiromi, since I know you'll be eager to hear all about my travelling adventures! I hope you are well, and keeping the rent up on the house. Give my love to -- whoever the lucky admirer is this week.

Your fond cousin, Genji.