Chapter 15 Summary

Returning to the time of Genji's exile, the Safflower Princess has fallen on hard times. Since she is dependent upon Genji for financial support and Genji cannot send money during his exile, her life begins crumbling.

As the months drag on, her palace falls into ruin, the gardens are overgrown with weeds, the fence around her palace crumbles, and her attendants all leave her, except Jiju, her old nurse's daughter. It has gotten so bad that neighboring herdsmen use her gardens as a cattle trail, and send their herds through the holes in her wall.

Meanwhile, the Safflower Princess's aunt continually asks her to come back to her house rather than live in the crumbling palace. The Safflower Princess is far too shy to go out into public and she would rather stay in her rundown old palace than live someplace where she...