9. Aoi / Heartvine(葵)
Passage
Her shaft-rest and other parts of her coach as well were damaged and she was obliged to prop it up against some common person’s carriage wheels. Why, she vainly asked herself, had she come among these hateful crowds?
Kamo Festival (Aoi Festival) is a festival of Kamo Shrine. Messengers parade from court to shrine. The roadside is crowded with onlookers. During the Heian period, there were fights among the nobles over a good place to see.
Summary
Kamo Festival day. Genji participates in the parade.
Aoi (Genji's wife) and Rokujo (Genji's mistress) bring out a car (oxcart) to see Genji. Followers vie for good place to see. Aoi's follower break down Rokujo's car. Rokujo loses her face.
After a while, Aoi becomes ill. The cause of her illness is a ghost. Genji notice that ghost was Rokujo's soul. Aoi dies despite her prayers. Before her death, she gives birth to Genji's son (Yugiri).
Comment
As you know, dead humans become ghosts. But in this period, People was believed. Even the living human soul leaves the body, and attacks people (It's a concept close to a "curse"). Rokujo wasn't trying to harm Aoi. She was just suffering from shame. Rokujo will know later what her own unconscious did to Aoi.