After the madam with a strange smile said this, he quickly exited the room, leaving Ogata and the young woman alone in the room.
"Ittosai-sama."
After the madam retired, the young woman bowed to Ogata again.
"This place is very safe, please rest here."
"...It seems you know my name." Ogata said as he took off the daishiten from his waist and sat cross-legged in front of the woman.
"Yes." The woman nodded, "Lord A Gong has just told me about you. Don't worry, everyone in this auspicious house is only following Lord Yin Xin. You stay here, official duties and bounties
The hunters can't do anything to you."
Ogata only recalled for a moment, and then he remembered who "Amiya-sama" was - the dwarf who had just led Ogata to Yoshiya.
"Ah, I'm sorry. After talking so much, I forgot to introduce myself."
The woman bowed to Ogata again.
"Nujia Dieyin, please give me some advice."
"Please give me more advice." Ogata nodded slightly.
"Would you like a drink?"
"No need." Ogata said without thinking.
"Ittosai-sama doesn't have to be so restrained." Dieyin smiled slightly, "Ahmiya-sama has just given an order to the slave family - to serve Ogata Ittousai-sama well."
"So you must cherish the Nu family." Dieyin said in a half-joking tone, "The Nu family is the number one in this auspicious house, and ordinary people are not even qualified to see me."
"Then I'm honored." Ogata smiled slightly, "I can actually be in the same room with Yoshiya's number one."
"No, no, no." Dieyin shook her head, "I am the one who feels honored. When I learned that I would be the one to take care of Ogata Ittosai, I was so happy that I almost cried."
You are exaggerating. Just when Ogata was about to say this, he suddenly heard a painful groan coming from the room next door.
As soon as the moans started to sound, the expression of Dieyin, who was sitting in front of Ogata, changed instantly.
"Excuse me……"
After bowing her head to Ogata, Dieyin picked up her clothes and hurriedly walked towards the paper sliding door to the east.
Rooms are connected to each other with paper sliding doors - this is also one of the Japanese architectural features of this era.
The room where Ogata and his wife are staying is connected to the room next door. You can enter the east room by opening the sliding paper door on the east side.
After Dieyin opened the paper sliding door on the east side of the room, the scene in the next room made Ogata's pupils shrink slightly.
In the center of the room was a quilt, with a beautiful woman lying on the quilt.
This beautiful woman is still very young, about 23 or 24 years old.
However - this woman's beautiful face was now covered with red spots.
"Syphilis..." Ogata whispered softly at a volume that only he could hear clearly.
In this era where penicillin is not even available and medical standards are backward, if you get a disease like syphilis, there is basically only one way to go - wait for death...
Dieyin walked quickly to the woman with syphilis in three steps and two steps at a time, and helped the woman up from the bed.
Then he picked up the water cup placed by the bedside, fed the sick woman water with skillful techniques, and gently stroked the sick woman's back.
With Dieyin's efforts, the painful moans of the sick woman gradually stopped.
After the sick woman's breathing stabilized again, Dieyin helped the sick woman lie back on the quilt as if she was relieved.
"I'm sorry, Ogata-sama, for making you laugh..."
Dieyin turned around and showed an apologetic smile towards Ogata.
"This is my best friend in Yoshiya - Hatsukaze."
"This is our first meeting." Ogata held his Daishiten with his right hand and knelt down beside Hatsufeng's bedside. "I am Ogata."
Chufeng opened his eyes a little.
After taking a look at Ogata, a faint smile appeared on Hatsufeng's face.
"Are you... my sister's guest...?"
A bit of bitterness and embarrassment flashed across Dieyin's face.
Just when Dieyin was thinking about how to explain to Hatsufeng who Ogata was, Ogata said without thinking as soon as Hatsufeng finished speaking:
"That's right."
The smile on Chufeng's face became even stronger.
"Thank you... for ordering my sister..."
"Hasufeng." Dieyin said at this time, "You can continue to rest. Lord Ogata and I will not disturb your rest for now."
"Well..." Although there was no strength left in his body, Chufeng still managed to nod his head.
After exiting Hatsukaze's room and returning to the room where Ogata and Dieyin were just now, Dieyin immediately bowed to Ogata and apologized:
"Lord Ogata, thank you for smoothing things over for me just now..."
The voices of Ogata and Dieyin have always been very low, and Hatsufeng has gone back to sleep now, so there is no need to worry that Hatsufeng in the next room will hear their conversation.
"It's just a small thing, you don't need to express your gratitude to me."
"...I'm sorry." Dieyin knelt down and sat back on the tatami again, with bitterness on his face, "I just...let you see an unsightly scene..."
"Lord Ogata, what you saw just now is what most wandering girls look like before they die..."
"Almost no one can survive after getting that kind of disease..."
"The doctor has told me... Chufeng won't live long..."
When she said this, the expression on Dieyin's face was quite calm, as if she was talking about something insignificant.
It's just that - Dieyin's hands that were naturally placed on her legs slowly tightened at this time, tightly grasping the kimono fabric on her legs.
"But Chufeng is lucky...she still has me, and I am a friend who is willing to keep paying to support her and help her find a doctor..."
"Otherwise, she will be thrown into the dirty plains to fend for herself..."
Hearing Dieyin's words, Ogata couldn't help but recall the woman he had just seen in the dirty plains who also had syphilis and died on the roadside...
"Whether it's Yoshiwara in Edo or Shimabara here, it's like this - once you enter here and become a wandering girl, you can't get out again."
Ogata and Dieyin happened to be sitting by the window at this time.
When saying this, Dieyin turned his head and looked out the window.
Ogata followed Dieyin's gaze and looked towards where Dieyin was looking.
Where Dieyin is looking now is the tall wall that surrounds Shimabara.
"As long as you enter here and become a wandering girl, if you want to get out, there are only three ways left."
"The first method: work until the age of 28. According to the shogunate's regulations: We Yoshihara and Shimabara wandering girls can retire as long as we work until the age of 28."
"The second method: save enough money to redeem yourself, or someone is willing to pay to redeem you."
"The third way: die."
"28 years old..." Dieyin's tone sounded like she was talking about some astronomical figure, "There are not many wandering girls who are lucky enough to live to be 28 years old."
"Even if you are lucky enough to escape all diseases and live to the age of 28, it does not mean that you are free."
"After you reach the age of 28, although you can retire, it does not mean that you can take a rest."
"Our daily expenses such as food, clothing, etc. are recorded in our personal accounts as tourist girls."
"If you don't pay off these debts, you won't be able to get free."
"So even if you reach the age of 28 when you can retire and you are nominally free, if you haven't paid off these debts, you still have to stay here and do all kinds of hard work to pay off the debts."
"The vast majority of wandering girls are like Chufeng, who get sick before the age of 28 and then slowly wait to die."
"So most of the wandering girls will not be able to get out of this 'cage' until they die..."
"I can't get out of this 'cage', I can't even participate in the Gion Festival..."
"Every household in Kyoto can watch tonight's Yamaboko Parade, but we caged birds can't even hear the sound."
"But fortunately - this year's Gion Festival finally allows us caged birds to participate."
"Ogata-sama, do you know why we caged birds can also participate in this year's Gion Festival?"
"I don't know." Oofang shook his head in confusion.
"Because this year's Gion Festival includes more fireworks."
Upon hearing Dieyin's words, Ogata immediately showed a look of understanding.
Hearing Dieyin's words, Oufang immediately remembered that this was indeed the case.
"After tonight's 'Shanboko Parade' ends, there will be a grand fireworks show."
"This is Kamiyama Koshinosuke-sama's idea. The Yamaboko Parade will be adjusted to tonight, and then after the Yamaboko Parade ends, fireworks that can light up the entire Kyoto will be set off."
"I don't know what people in other areas of Kyoto think of Kamiyama-sama, but all of us wandering girls in Shimabara are very grateful to Kamiyama-sama."
"Watching the fireworks with other Kyoto people - this is the only way for us wandering girls to participate in the Gion Festival."
"Now, all the wandering girls in Shimabara are looking forward to tonight's fireworks."
Dieyin looked out the window and raised her chin.
"Lord Ogata, look."
Ogata looked up.
The place Dieyin pointed to just now was the display window on the first floor of the Wandering Girl's House opposite Jiwu.
The dozens of tourist girls sitting behind the display window all looked excited at this time.
Because there were no customers outside the window, the dozens of wandering girls were chatting there at the moment.
But because of the distance, Ogata couldn't hear clearly what the dozens of wandering girls were talking about.
"They must all be talking about tonight's fireworks..."
"I think the people looking forward to tonight's fireworks are definitely not just us wandering girls."
"Whether it's a wandering girl, a farmer, or a craftsman, it's hard for ordinary people like us just to live well..."
"Throughout the year, we ordinary people don't have many moments like tonight where we can boldly relax and have fun."
"So... everyone will definitely cherish tonight..."
After quietly listening to Dieyin's somewhat sad emotion, several faces appeared in Ogata's mind one after another.
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In addition to these faces appearing in Ogata's mind, the words these people said to Ogata also echoed in Ogata's ears again.
The first face that appeared in Ogata's mind was that of Granny Kui, whom he met while staying overnight in the suburbs of Kyoto last night.
(Tomorrow is the busiest day of the Gion Festival, so I can’t help but join in the fun. Hahahaha~ I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.)
The second face that emerged in Ogata's mind was that of an old man named "Hirajo" who enthusiastically introduced the history of the Gion Festival and Yamaboko to him and Atachi.
(In recent years, everyone has been having a hard time...First there was the 'Tianming Famine', and then there was the 'Tianming Fire'. Everyone was tortured by these disasters one after another... Now we finally have someone to indulge in Everyone is looking forward to the fun day...)
The third face that came to Ogata's mind was Makimura.
(I also feel that the murder case that is causing unrest in Kyoto is not as simple as it seems on the surface. The mastermind behind the murder case is very likely to have other plans...)
This is exactly what Makimura said to him when he and Makimura parted ways just now in Yuyuan.
The last face that emerged in Ogata's mind... was Atachi.
The voice that sounded in Ogata's ears this time was not only Omachi's voice, but also his own voice.
(...Omachi, let’s go watch the ‘Yamaboko Parade’ together tonight.)
(OK!)
…
…
Snapped!
Ogata lifted up the Great Shakten, punched the bottom of the handle of the Great Shakten on the ground, and then slowly stood up using the Great Shakten as a staff.
"Lord Ogata?" Dieyin looked confused.
"... Dieyin, let me tell you the truth."
"Actually, I never thought about hiding here until the limelight is over."
What Ogata said was true. He had indeed never thought of hiding here until Kyoto lifted the city-wide wanted order against him.
"I won't just sit back and do nothing."
"The reason why I hid here temporarily is just to take a rest and let my chaotic mind rest for a while."
"I've been blamed for something inexplicably. The more I think about it, the angrier I get."
"I will not be able to swallow this breath no matter what, unless I try to find out the mastermind who took the blame for me."
"I've had enough rest now, so - I'm leaving first."
What Ogata just said was like "taking the blame", but Dieyin did not understand it.
But Dieyin roughly understood the meaning of Ogata's words just now.
After looking at Ogata several times with stunned eyes, a faint smile appeared on her face.
"Lord Ogata, since you are determined to find out the man behind this situation, do you have any clues now?"
"No." Ogata said without hesitation, "I plan to find a friend first who might have some clues."
The friend Ogata refers to is Fuma.
Fuma has extensive connections in Kyoto, and he is the only person Ogata can think of who can help him now.
"...Ogata-sama, the slave family...maybe know some clues."
Dieyin looked hesitant.
But after several hesitations, determination emerged in Dieyin's eyes.
"About half a month ago, a group of guests visited our lucky house."
"I happened to be one of the tourist girls who was responsible for picking up guests at that time."
"While they were drinking, one of them seemed to have drunk too much and blurted out this sentence: Everything is ready, just wait for the day when the 'Shanboko Parade' and 'Fireworks Setoff' will be held."
"As soon as this guest said this, he was immediately stopped by his other companions."
"The slave family didn't pay much attention to these words at the time. They just regarded them as the crazy words of a drunkard."
"I remember the identities of this group of people."
"These people are disciples of the Metaphysics Hall!"