"Gua Sheng Xiu..."
Qingdeng thought this name sounded familiar.
After thinking about it for a moment, I quickly remembered who she was.
Before introducing the melon show, we must first introduce a famous institution: Shirobei Club.
Shirobei Hall - It can be understood as Yoshihara's religious practice.
The reason why it has such a strange name is because the club's successive bosses... that is, the successive bosses have inherited the name "Shirobei" from generation to generation.
The current head of the club is "Kyudai Meshirohei".
The main job of the Shirobei Club is to manage various chores in Yoshiwara and maintain the security of Yoshiwara.
Gua Shengxiu is an "elderly employee" in Shirobei Club.
According to legend, Gua Shengxiu worked in Shirobei Club for more than 70 years.
When she was just a young girl in her prime, she was already carrying a wooden sword and running around to maintain the peace of Yoshiwara.
Although she is born as a girl, she possesses considerable swordsmanship and a sense of justice.
In ancient Japan, people who had low social status or worked in low-level jobs were collectively referred to as "non-humans".
People classified as "non-human" include: beggars, vagrants, low-level kabuki actors and wandering girls.
Identity discrimination that goes deep into the bone marrow makes wandering girls live in dire straits where "the past is unbearable to look back on, the present is unbearable, and the future is not guaranteed."
Even a glamorous oiran is just a more expensive plaything in the eyes of the general public. [Oiran: the highest level of wandering girl, also known as "tafu"]
Almost no one looks down on wandering girls - and Gua Shengxiu is the opposite.
Guashengxiu never discriminates against female tourists.
As long as Younu is in trouble, no matter how difficult the problem is, she will definitely help her with all her strength.
Whether it's an oiran or Midnight, she treats everyone equally and doesn't do anything special. [Midnight: The lowest level of wandering girl]
This strange woman once said this famous saying:
I am just an ordinary person with no knowledge of the world or the ability to govern the country and the people. I can't fundamentally save the wandering girls from their misery, but I can at least protect them with my wooden sword and make these poor girls' lives as easy as possible.
Gua Shengxiu’s tolerance and kindness saved the bodies and souls of countless wandering girls.
In the dark night, someone is willing to hold up the flame to dispel the darkness for them. Even if this flame is like the fluorescent light of rotten grass compared to the surrounding darkness, it does not prevent the wandering girls from repaying this "salary holder".
Great respect.
Therefore, the wandering girls gave Gua Shengxiu a resounding nickname: "Yoshihara Tongxin".
It's a pity...even a famous swordsman will eventually become old and frail one day.
As early as more than 20 years ago, Gua Shengxiu had been relegated to the second line because he could not hold a wooden sword.
However, although her body is old and her heart is strong, her passionate heart to protect the wandering girls has not diminished at all due to her aging body.
Although she is no longer on the front lines, she has transformed from a "soldier" to a "psychiatrist", specializing in providing psychological counseling and assistance to homeless women who can't bear the hardships of work and life.
Since Tianzhangyuan asked Qingdeng to say hello to Guashengxiu on her behalf... then the implication is that she knows this legendary female hero.
"Your Highness, do you know Miss Guasheng?"
Qingdeng asked curiously.
"I guess I had a chance encounter with her."
As Tianzhangyuan spoke, he showed a light smile mixed with reminiscence.
"Not long after I left my hometown and came to Edo, I heard about Miss Guasho's name and deeds, and I yearned for her, so I sneaked into Yoshiwara and met her quietly."
"Although this happened more than a year ago, I still remember the scene fresh even though such a long time has passed."
"After only a few conversations with the other party, I was convinced: This is an outstanding woman with a very strong heart, whom I yearn for very much."
After saying that, Tianzhangyuan sighed with a complicated expression.
"Anyway, Sheng Qing, please stop by and say hello to Miss Guasheng for me. If you don't have time, or if Miss Guasheng happens to be out... then forget it."
This is not a very difficult or troublesome task.
Anyway, it was just a favor, so Qingdeng nodded without thinking:
"Well, okay. I will."
"Speaking of which... Sheng Qing, don't you plan to go back and see your relatives and friends?"
Ever since he regained consciousness, Aoden has been living at Tsukinomiya Shrine, and has never returned to the Imperial Guard Hall, nor has he reported to his relatives and friends at Chishiya and Little Chiba Sword Hall that he is safe.
"..." The faces of Souji, Mai Kinoshita, Zuo Nazi and others appeared in Qingto's mind one by one.
He pursed his lips, and a flash of hesitation flashed across his cheeks.
"...No."
In the end, he suppressed his emotional hesitation and shook his head.
"In the eyes of the outside world, I am now 'missing' without knowing where I am, which is an advantage for me."
"The gang that is hunting me down must be having a headache now that they can't find me."
"Gangs, to me, are difficult enemies who live in the dark and whose specific shape is difficult to control."
"But now I am the same to the gangsters."
"Therefore, if it is not necessary, it is better for me to show my face in front of others as little as possible."
"You have a home but can't go back..." A breath-like whisper came from Tianzhangyuan's red lips, "This feeling must be very uncomfortable, right?"
"So -" Qingden smiled indifferently, "In order to reunite with my cherished friends as soon as possible, I have to speed up and find out and eliminate that gang as soon as possible."
…
…
Tonight -
Edo, Asakusa, Nippon Tsutsumi——
Qingden straightened the bamboo hat on his head.
The low and wide brim basically covered his entire face.
While checking his belongings, Qingdeng's eyes couldn't help but fixate on a white-handled knife on his left waist.
This is the new sword given to him by Tianzhangyuan.
Qingto's beloved sword, Singkishin, went through a series of changes, including being "acquired by the Beifan Institute", "stolen", and "appearing at the murder scene", and then returned to the warehouse of the Beifan Institute after a long circle.
Until his suspicions are completely cleared, Qingdeng should not think about getting back the ghosts and gods for the time being.
As a warrior who is good at swordsmanship, how can he not carry a sword on his waist?
Therefore, Tianzhangyuan gave Qingdeng a good knife - the white-handled sword that is currently hanging on Qingdeng's left waist.
Name of the sword: Echizen lived in Tsunaglu Shou Kanezhong.
This name may seem complicated and classy at first glance, but it actually has a similar meaning to "Yunnan Grandma Wang's Handmade Ham".
The XX in front of "XX lives" represents a genre, usually named after a place, and the following is the name of the knifemaker himself.
Some knifemakers have their own unique names, such as the famous "Nagaso Yako Tetsu".
And some swordsmiths will be awarded nominal official positions because of their superb skills or outstanding contributions. For example, this "Hitagaku Shoukanju".
Chang Lushou is the name of his official position, and "Jianzhong" is the name of the swordsmith himself.
This kind of knife is named after the name of the knife maker...it is more like a brand name than a knife name.
Knives made by the famous swordsmith Chosoya Kotetsu are basically given the name "Chōsoya Kotetsu".
In the same way, all swords made by Echizen's Hitachi Mori Kanejue will basically be called "Echizen's Hitachi Mori Kanejue".
Similar brand names include: Banshu Sumitomo Sanshi Shige, California Sumitomo Matazuma, Oshu Shirakawa Sumikane Chang, Efu Sumikoyu...
To be able to obtain an official position awarded by the imperial court, one can imagine how exquisite the skills of Tsutagi Mori were.
Echizen resident Hitachi Rikushou Kaneshiro's product is sure to be a high-quality product.
Overall, Qingdeng was quite satisfied with the new knife on his waist.
Although the blade length is shorter than that of the Dingguishen, only 68 centimeters, the arc of the blade is large enough.
Qingdeng prefers machetes to straight swords.
Moreover, if the curvature of the blade is large enough, the power of his signature skill and unique move: "Drawing Sword Technique: Flowing Light" can be maximized.
"Very good..." After finishing arranging his clothes and making sure that the hat on his head was well covering his face, Qingto stepped forward and walked towards the embankment slope in front of him...that is, the top of the Japanese embankment.
The full name of what is now called Yoshiwara is actually "New Yoshiwara".
In the third year of Yuanwa (1617), Shoji Jinemon, a brothel operator in Sunfu, and others received permission from the shogunate to open the first flower street in Edo near Nihonbashi, and Yoshiwara was born.
The "Furisode Fire" in the third year of Meiretsu (1657) reduced two-thirds of Edo to ashes - including Yoshiwara.
Compared with the early days when the shogunate was founded, the area around Nihonbashi has gradually become urbanized and is no longer suitable for building a romantic venue here.
Therefore, the shogunate chose the Nippon Embankment in Asakusa as the site for Yoshiwara's reconstruction.
The former Nihombashi Yoshihara was called "Moto Yoshihara", and the current Asakusa Yoshihara is called "Shin Yoshiwara".
Not long after walking, Aomori saw the famous landmark of Yoshiwara: Mitsurugi, a willow tree planted near the entrance of Yoshiwara.
The reason why it has such a name is because after guests have had a good time in Yoshiwara, when they leave, they often turn their heads to look back at the gate of Yoshiwara because they are reluctant to leave, and almost want to turn around and go back.
Now that I have seen the returning willow... it means that we are not far from Yoshihara.
Aoto passed through Mikailiu and continued to walk forward for a while - the road leading to Yoshiwara under his feet was called the "Fifty Years Road".
In a short while, two teahouses built on the left and right sides of Shikamaji Road, with shop doors facing each other, appeared in Qingto's eyes.
Although Aoshinobu has never been to Yoshiwara, he also knows the names of these two teahouses: Orikasa Teahouse.
When Yoshihara was first born, the samurai and common people at that time were still relatively reserved, and it was generally believed that visiting Fugetsu places was a very shady thing.
As a result, some shrewd businessmen opened a tea house outside the Yoshiwara Gate that not only provided food services, but also sold bamboo hats part-time.
Do you feel ashamed to visit Fengyue places?
Don’t want people you know to see you going in and out of the fireworks and willow alley?
Then come and buy a bamboo hat that can be used to cover your face!
It is said that the business of the Nori Kasa Tea House was once quite booming.
However, with the rapid spread of money worship, the previous ethics and morals have gradually collapsed. Warriors and common people have long since let themselves go and no longer feel ashamed to go in and out of flower streets and willow alleys.
Although there are still people who continue to wear hats to Yoshiwara out of shame, they are very few.
The bamboo hat tea house is located next to the Yoshiwara gate... Aomori thought to himself as he raised the bamboo hat on his head slightly and looked forward.
I saw a tall, open wooden door standing in front of me.
A lantern for lighting is hung on both sides of the door, with a large Chinese character painted on the surface: 门.
Under the gate, countless men and women were passing by, mostly men.
Many young men with wooden sticks in their hands stood on both sides of the gate.
They were all wearing the same style of dark blue feather fabric. There were many decorative patterns painted on the feather fabric, and there were two Chinese characters printed on both sides of the skirt: Club.
Aoto thought to himself: These people must be the official officials responsible for managing the Shirobei Club in Yoshiwara.
This is the time when Yoshiwara's business is at its peak.
Due to the large flow of people, in order to prevent stampedes, the officials of the Shirobei Club shouted "Don't crowd!" and "Take your time!" while patiently making arrangements so that all guests could enter in an orderly manner.
While Qingdeng was lining up silently, in order to kill the boring time, he swept his eyes and looked around.
Regardless of whether you look to the left or right, you can only see a huge wall and a deep trench that goes as far as the eye can see.
This trench is about 3.6 meters wide and is called "Yu Chi Heigou"
In fact, rather than calling Yoshihara a "block", it would be more accurate to call it a "walled city".
"City wall", "moat", everything... just like a walled city.
Looking at this wall and this ditch, Qingdeng couldn't help but shook his head.
Yoshiwara's exterior design... in a nutshell: Firemen will have to commit suicide when they come.
Whether it is a wall or a trench, it has only one purpose: to prevent wandering girls from escaping.
Yoshiwara's wandering girls are "for life" and cannot leave Yoshihara for the rest of their lives unless they redeem themselves.
The door in front of Qingto is the only entrance and exit in this large Yoshihara.
With so many people and such a large area in Yoshihara, this is the only place connected to the outside world...
One can imagine what it would be like if there was a fire or other disaster inside Yoshiwara - to this, "Moto Yoshihara" two hundred years ago has already given the answer.
The architectural layout of "Moto Yoshihara" is exactly the same as that of the current "Shin Yoshihara", with city walls, a moat, and only one gate leading to the outside world.
When the fire broke out, there was a congestion at the gate as expected. It was impossible to get in or get out.
Driven by the desire to survive, the desperate wandering girls can only choose to climb the wall with bare hands.
Such a high wall, such a smooth wall, even a strong warrior may not be able to climb it, let alone a weak woman who sells her body to make a living?
In the end, the wandering girls who successfully climbed out of the city wall were as few as the morning stars.
However... even if you successfully climb over the city wall, it does not mean that everything is fine - because there is a wide, deep and dirty moat outside the city wall...
At that time, the water in the moat had been burned by the fire until it was like boiling soup.
Most of the wandering girls who climbed over the city wall were boiled alive before they could even scream after falling into the moat...
The souls of countless wandering girls died in the sea of fire.
As a result, the government did not learn a lesson at all... No, it should be said that they deliberately did not learn a lesson. When Yoshiwara was rebuilt, they made Yoshiwara look like this, which would make the firefighters furious on the spot.
In the eyes of the senior officials of the shogunate, ensuring that the wandering girls do not flee is far more important than ensuring their personal safety...
Thinking of this, Qingdeng felt a heavy feeling uncontrollably in his heart.
——Damn... I simply don’t treat people as human beings...
…
…
After queuing for nearly 5 minutes, Qingto finally entered Yoshihara smoothly.
As soon as he walked through the door, the rich aroma of powdered powder hit Qingdeng's nostrils.
Looking around, we see a pink world.
"Master Mengshi! It's been so hard for me to wait for you!"
"Oh hey hey~~ Chihaya, I'm here to see you~~ Oh hey hey~~"
"Boss! Is there a girl with bigger breasts?"
…
In order to deliberately create a charming atmosphere, the lanterns hung in the streets of Yoshiwara are all specially customized red lanterns.
After passing through the gate, the first thing you come to is Nakano-machi, the central avenue of Yoshiwara.
Yoshiwara's architectural layout is a very classic "square" structure.
Nakano Town, located in the center of Yoshihara, divides Yoshihara into neatly symmetrical left and right halves.
The closer you get to Nakano-machi, the more luxurious and high-end your house becomes.
On the contrary, the farther away from Nakano-machi, the cheaper and lower-end the yuyaya is.
Aonto was not here to have fun, so he didn't stop too much. He asked an official from the Shirobei Club who happened to be passing by him about the location of the Thousand Flower House, and then walked towards the Thousand Flower House.
Go straight in the direction.
Along the way, Qingdeng encountered a lot of harassment.
Jiansefan - simply put, it is "Turtle Lord".
In front of the door of almost every tourist house, there is one or even several people soliciting customers.
These people who are responsible for soliciting customers are called "jianshifan".
Qingdeng politely declined the warm invitations from the world-viewing fans, and hurriedly found the exquisite door plaque that read "Thousand Flower House".
Just as Qingdeng walked through the store door, he happened to hear the conversation between an old man and a young man coming from inside:
"Really...she hasn't come back yet..."
"Mother-in-law, give up! I think that dead girl will never be brought back! Oh, damn! All the money I spent to train her was in vain!"
Qingdeng saw an old lady talking to a young man sitting behind the counter.
"...Farewell."
After leaving these words coldly, the old lady turned and left.
Qingdeng didn't pay much attention to the old woman. He glanced at her hastily and then walked past her.
"Gui'an."
Qingdeng pressed the bamboo hat on his head and said hello to the counter staff calmly.
"Oh! Guest!"
The face of the counter staff was instantly filled with a formulaic and enthusiastic smile.
"Which girl are you looking for?"
"Is Bai Ju here? I'm looking for Bai Ju."
As soon as Qingdeng said this, the old woman behind him, who had already stepped out of the store with one foot, suddenly stopped in her tracks.
In the next breath, she slowly turned her head and cast a thoughtful look at Qingden.
"Uh... Sir, you, you are looking for Bai Ju..."
The counter clerk twitched his lips in embarrassment.
"Um... Sir, I'm sorry, Bai Ju... eloped with her lover..."
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